Taking, The [Bait] (2015)

Director: Dominic Brunt
Notable Cast: Joane Mitchell, Victoria Smurfit, Jonathon Slinger

Being only one of three films I chose at Fantasia this year that you wouldn’t e able to file under the horror gene, The Taking (also known as Bait), was a film where I was looking for something different. Director Dominic Brunt, whose only feature before this is a zombie flick, directs this film that analyzes the two lead’s nightmare and does a pretty decent job. The terror comes from situation and Brunt puts our leads in as they find everything that they own or love at stake including significant others, family, and their own lives. This little film isn’t one that Fantasia fans have heard much from and it is was placed to the smaller venue, but to still a sold out crowd of curious genre lovers and while The Taking did not garner a yelling crowd, it was definitely well received.  

                
The Taking follows cafe shop owners Dawn and Bex (played by Joane Mitchell and Victoria Smurfit respectively) who are looking to expand their business from outside the local market to their own little shop. After failing to acquire the necessary loan to open their business from the bank, Dawn decides to hear out an offer from Jeremy (played by Jonathan Slinger) a new acquaintance who tries to befriend the discouraged twosome. Up to the point that they finally feel tricked and decide to decline the money, it is already too late. The events giving clues to Jeremy’s identity up to this point give answer as Dawn and Bex get involved in a do or die situation as Jeremy is looking to collect.

                

This little film from the UK was not overly delightful considering a few bones that I had to pick with the writing. While I have no problem with the cast’s performance, especially Jonathan Slinger who plays his role to a tee, the decisions made by our leads are more than questionable. I felt like I was watching a slasher film where everyone decides to split up! As a viewer I was putting myself in their shoes and making my own decisions. This isn’t solely for the two protagonists (though the film seems to focus more on Dawn) but for Jeremy as well. As a matter of fact, his were a lot more frustrating! I can acknowledge that The Taking’s writer Paul Roundell had chosen this because it was a simpler route than to have to think. If Jeremy is a dangerous man approaching his victims looking to collect, shouldn’t he be used to them trying to trick him or trying to kill him instead? Would it be easier to make excuses like this? It seems to me that it’s more like an excuse to not think. The characters are interesting enough and have more depth than your average film. Bex usually doesn’t take shit from anyone and is happy with her boyfriend, while Dawn is in touch with her mother and her autistic son. Where the pay off really comes is the film’s climax and in spades. It seems only natural that after the large but not gratuitous amount of violence in the film that it finishes off with a big bang. After taking a ridiculous amount of mental and physical abuse, our leads decide that they’re not going to take anymore shit from Jeremy and his goon. 

              

I think the best way to view The Taking is not seriously like I did because then you just start pulling your hair out. If you decide to do otherwise, then it’s some pretty decent popcorn fun. I may have exaggerated the issue of some of the less than smart decisions that the characters take but there are a few laughs to be had and the end resulted in the biggest reaction from the Fantasia audience and it was definitely a positive one. Seeing the villain get his just desserts is super satisfying. The Taking lays in the middle of the spectrum of a film that definitely deserves the Netflix viewing or rental but not exactly the full purchase price.

Written By Elise Holmes

Elise Holmes is not your average writer. Dedicated to her Evil Dead fan site The Deadite Slayer, she is doing Fantasia Fest coverage this year for Blood Brothers! Check out her site HERE!

Bite (2015)

Director: Chad Archibald
Notable Cast: Elma Begovic, Annette Wozniak, Denise Yuen, Jordan Gray, Lawrene Denkers

Black Fawn Films are in full drive right now after acquiring a new deal and they show no signs of stopping. Based in Guelph and Toronto, Ontario, the company with multiple directors and features under its belt has been representing the Canadian horror scene lately throughout the years at the festival. Bite saw its world premiere at Fantasia this year to a sold out crowd including the film’s cast and crew and hosted by none other than the festival’s director Mitch Davis. The feature is directed by Black Fawn’s Chad Archibald (Neverlost, The Drownsman) who was to present his own film. With barf bags handed out at the screening, I’d say that was a good idea because Bite is a NOT for the faint of heart or squeamish. If you are though then it’s best to keep your barf bag on hand because this movie is ready to take a bite out of you!

Peaceful on the outside...

Bite follows Casey (played by Elma Begovic) who decides to take a vacation to Costa Rica with her two friends Jill and Kirsten (played by Annette Wozniak and Denise Yuen respectively) before her upcoming wedding to her fiancé Jared (played by Jordan Gray).  The vacation ends up being an indulgence in partying and booze, leaving Casey to forget about the stresses of Jared’s religious and controlling mother (played by Lawrene Denkers), the wedding, and Jared’s desire to have children. Upon veering off the path of the beaches of Costa Rica due to a recommendation by a local, the trio find a quite an unusual  site where the water is super clear and the wildlife is strange. Casey gets bitten under the water and simply waves it off until she is back home and the bite starts to get worse...

Much like many of Black Fawn’s features, our cast here are mostly Canadian newcomers and for some this is their first feature film including our lead Elma Begovic whose performance is pretty good for someone who seemed to spend almost half of the film covered in goop! Bite instantly reminded me of recent films such as Contracted and Starry Eyes except this time the victim is turning into something way more cunning and dangerous. I will admit, the amount of sticky, thick, and discolored bodily fluids was enough to make an average movie goer's stomach curl, but if you’re a horror veteran then you probably don’t need your own barf bag. Other than the main attraction, the film focuses on Casey’s own problems with her fiancé and his mother from hell which fuels her decisions, emotions, and instinct as she slowly turns into a monster both physically and mentally. It was actually quite apparent during the Q and A that both the cast and Archibald were very passionate about the film, especially when it came to the effects which are by far the film’s strong point. I hadn’t been so disgusted by a film like this in years. Even two of the film’s attendants had actually rushed to the public washrooms during the screening of Bite which speaks a lot for the film itself. Another thing that wowed me was the set design. It truly looks like they ruined an apartment with the icky stuff that we see throughout the film oozes out of our lead. Other than the special effects, the plot is very standard and the characters are quite unlikable. Our curiosity is more invested in what will become of Casey and what will happen next. 

...gooey on the inside.

Would I herald Bite to be a cinematic masterpiece? Not even close. But as a horror film, it does exactly what it sets out to do; disgust the hell out of the audience and deliver on the special makeup effects. Normally a horror film goes great with popcorn and your choice of your favorite soda but this is one movie that you might prefer to watch on an empty stomach. Bite feeds on our fears of what we might experience after encountering the unknown because nature can be just as frightening as the killers on the street and ghosts that go bump in the night.

Written By Elise Holmes

Elise Holmes is not your average writer. Dedicated to her Evil Dead fan site The Deadite Slayer, she is doing Fantasia Fest coverage this year for Blood Brothers! Check out her site HERE!

Cub (2015)

Director: Jonas Govaerts
Notable Cast: Maurice Luijten, Stef Aerts, Titus De Voogdt, Evelien Bosmans

We have seen our fair share of films with young outcasts many times. Main characters whom are belittled, teased, bullied, and beaten to a pulp for their differences from the average boy. But we have never seen it quite like Cub. Director Jonas Govaerts has created an almost fairy tale like horror film revolving around young 12 year old misfit Sam (played by Maurice Luijten) for his first feature after dabbling with television and shorts. The backwoods horror film gets turned on its head here where instead of a hillbilly killer chasing down a bunch of sex craved teenagers, our protagonists are mostly children and our villains look nothing like insane country bumpkins. Can this story of modern folklore prove true enough to wow audiences or will it fall flat on its face? While not 100% fresh, there is enough substance to say that it is absolutely not the latter. There is a dark presence in the woods and Cub is ready to bear its teeth.

Cub starts us off with Sam rushing to make it in time to a boy scouts trip. The imaginative young boy, always last to line up with his fellow scouts, is the outcast in the group with only one friend who fears the wrath of the other scouts if seen too often with him. We are then treated to the scout leaders (played by Stef Aerts and Titus De Voogdt) telling a mythical tale of Kai, a werewolf boy that prowls the woods in search of victims at night. It is well indicated on the way to the campsite that Sam definitely believes in the tale. On the way, one of the leader’s girlfriends (played by Evelien Bosmans) gets picked up as the group’s cook. Upon arriving at the site, they decide to pitch up tent deeper in the woods thanks to a run in with some French hoodlums. Our characters might find themselves regretting the decision however since there is a lot more truth to the story than fiction...

I found Cub to be quite unique as we are treated to a film with enough violence and the unusual feature of finding the protagonist to be a child. Govaerts does a good job with making us sympathize with Sam while learning with time to spot those that prey on him. It isn’t always the villains in the woods either. As individuals outside of the boy scouts pack get picked off by a mysterious man and his young fairy tale figure, Sam’s curiosity takes the viewer around to some interesting places. While Cub is mostly a serious film, there is still comic relief here and there which isn’t overbearing and is definitely welcome. With time we see Sam evolve from a picked on kid to a survivor willing to fight to help the scouts and his own life. While the feature spots some great violence, a lot of the thrills come from the traps. This is more than just your average bear trap but it’s so complicated that you can expect a whole Rube Goldberg machine laid out in the forest and they’re quite entertaining. Maurice Luijten does a great job and the rest of the cast isn’t too shabby either. You might find yourself pulling your teeth out with some the decisions made by some of our characters as they are not always the brightest. It doesn’t happen frequently so we can easily forgive Govaerts... thankfully.

Overall Cub was not a very memorable film, but the good news is that it was an enjoyable one. We always want to get a good look at the mysterious and animalistic Kai and his owner as they get rid of the intruders in some common or creative ways. Belgium has been continuing to grace us with their fair share of horror after films like The Pack and The Ordeal (Calvaire) and horror fans are ready for a second helping. Cub teaches us that sometimes we can prove to be more than just a victim and to beware because sometimes even the most improbable of fables and urban legends have some truth to them.

Written By Elise Holmes

Demolisher, The (2015)

Director: Gabriel Carrer
Notable Cast: Ry Barrett, Tianna Nori, Jessica Vano, Duncan McLellan

We’ve been seeing a lot of the old coming in with the new with genre filmmaking lately. Films such as Hobo with a Shotgun, Astro 6’s Father’s Day and Fantasia favorite Turbo Kid are prime examples of the retro revival craze. Immediately upon reading the synopsis for The Demolisher one can hope for a film similar to 1980’s The Exterminator. The Canadian production that was filmed in Guelph and Toronto, Ontario was directed by Latefox Pictures’ Gabriel Carrer who seems to have graduated from low budget filmmaking after Desperate Souls and If a Tree Falls. However, whether we can say that this transition to a bigger budget was smooth or if we can expect a nostalgic throwback to exploitation type action films of the 70s and 80s is another thing. The Demolisher is much more like today’s modern films than a throwback. There’s nothing wrong with that, but the same can’t be said for the film itself. 

 The Demolisher follows Bruce (played by Ry Barrett) whose ex-policewoman wife Samantha (played by Tianna Nori) was left confined to wheelchair after a run in with a cult-ish gang. Using her riot gear, Bruce’s rage steers him to hunt down the gang (or possibly a gang) to exact revenge against those who crippled his wife. The vigilante’s mental health soon deteriorates as he sets his eyes on an innocent woman named Marie (played by Jessica Vano) after she finds a necklace he lost and his paranoia causes him to shift from being a vigilante to something way worse. 

Instead of focusing on excessive violence, The Demolisher is a film that explores Bruce’s psyche a lot more. So much of the actual violence is nothing but slow motion that we actually forget that it’s supposed to be violence to start with. As a matter of fact, sometimes it feels like a third of the whole film is slow motion which grows tiresome very quick. To accompany the violence and slow motion is the repetitive music. In moments of impending doom or Bruce’s brooding hate is when you can here this loud music and in different scenes it changes, but stays repetitive. Commonly in film are scenes of slow motion that uses this formula, but this is just overkill at this point. While the film clocks in at under a hour and a half, the dialogue is very minimal. For the longest time, I thought the leads were complete mutes! The shock of Samantha’s event had left the main two leads speechless via shock. Carrer had decided since this isn’t a throwback at all to make this a serious venture. The Fantasia audience was much like the characters in the film very quiet throughout until the film’s climax. It’s not all bad news though. The best aspect of the film is the performance by our lead cast, especially Ry Barrett whose descent into madness is riveting. The scenery and cinematography are both excellent too. One thing that I need to take a stab at though is the plot. The best comparison one can make is a knitted sweater that was made so loosely that you can still see the threads just hanging out or one can say that there isn’t really much a plot to start with.

I was quite excited to see The Demolisher originally but all it really did was demolish my expectations. The trailer had been misleading as to make not only me, but other fans of retro action and exploitation films expect a man on a rampage through Toronto. Instead The Demolisher is more so about the deterioration of one man’s mind and morals after his life is changed completely after a traumatic event. Take out whatever violence there was and you would have probably had a drama film. The Demolisher isn’t necessarily a complete waste or even a terrible film but it could have also been way better as it still leaves for something more to be desired. Netflix and Redbox is a better alternative than an outright purchase because The Demolisher just doesn’t live up to the name.

Written By Elise

Bunny the Killer Thing (2015)

Director: Joonas Makkonen
Notable Cast: Gareth Lawrence, Veera W. Vilo, Enni Ojutkangas, Joonas Makkonen, Roope Olenius, Katja Jaskari, Jari Manninen, Marcus Massey, Olli Saarenpaa, Maria Kunnari, Hiski Hamalainen

Directing nothing but shorts up until now, it seems like Joonas Makkonen got the funding and freedom to make the film that he wanted. If you weren’t expecting it to be about a raging horny man/rabbit hybrid out to fuck any human vagina or anything that looks like one up in the Finnish mountains, then well I think that I need to be the bearer of some quite awkward news. Bunny the Killer Thing is a Finnish/British co-production that you’d probably compare more to a 80s Troma film than anything that has come out in the last ten years. Sexually depraved is not enough to describe how over the top and morally corrupt this film is. And how could anyone even come up with something this insane? If you find yourself complaining then this is just not your type of film and you best take your prude self over to some vanilla Hollywood brainless blockbuster. But for us trash lovers; Makkonen’s feature is more akin to a masterpiece of schlock.

Bunny the Killer Thing first quickly gets our story of the source of the creature out of the way and then moves on to meet our main cast. You are greeted by a group of young Finnish individuals and an underage teenager who sneaks in the “borrowed” ambulance from work looking to travel to Tuoma’s (played by Hiski Hämäläinen) uncle’s cabin for some drinking and sex. On the way up they stumble upon a stalled car with a multicultural group of three British men with an awful secret hiding in the trunk of their car. The Finns don’t notice and kindly decide to harness the vehicle to bring the visitors up to the cabin to hold up for the night. It’s not long until Tuomas himself is the first to encounter the monstrous human/rabbit hybrid with a huge dick that he proudly waves around. We are then treated to havoc, gratuitous nudity, death galore, bestiality, and our director’s sick sense of humor. We later learn why bunny was created and the survivors get their own run in with another new breed of criminals.

Because of the clash of the British and Finnish cast, the subtitles might confuse you at first since it switches from English to Finnish in an instant but luckily one can adapt to this. One of the various treats that Bunny the Killer Thing gives us is the rather large cast. We have the psychos who created bunny, the young Finnish folk, some bumbling policemen and the English crooks along with some extra characters with a short appearance near the middle and the end. We get to know our main cast surprisingly well. For such a depraved film where nothing is deemed sacred, one scene in particular is presented in the absolute opposite which contrasts to the entire film, taking the subject of rape seriously (and no it isn’t by the horny bunny man either). Otherwise expect to see many of mutilated penises, heads blown off, themes of homosexuality and pukey kisses. One can only imagine how many fake cocks were even made for this feature! Makkonen might be lucky if he even gets to stay in the country after this creation comes out in theaters in his homeland. The director isn’t scared however as he already has another hopeful film in the works and is even willing to return to the Finnish mountains for Bunny the Killer Thing 2.

Whether Bunny the Killer Thing is a film well worth your cash is well up to the viewer. Any Troma fan who thinks that there is no line to cross will lavish their praise and will find themselves dying in laughter. If you’re more a fan of serious, atmospheric and suspenseful horror, then you’ll find none of that here. With a name like Bunny the Killer Thing, can you really expect that anyway? Bring your sick friends and weed out the prudes because sexual depravity and chaos is best enjoyed with liked minded individuals and Bunny the Killer Thing takes no prisoners.

Written By Elise Holmes

Elise Holmes is not your average writer. Dedicated to her Evil Dead fan site The Deadite Slayer, she is doing Fantasia Fest coverage this year for Blood Brothers! Check out her site HERE!

Tales of Halloween (2015)

Directors: Darren Lynn Bousman, Axelle Carolyn, Adam Gierasch, Andrew Kasch, Neil Marshall, Lucky McKee, Mike Mendez, Dave Parker, Ryan Schifrin, John Skipp, Paul Solet
Notable Cast: So, so many.

In 2009, the Halloween horror anthology Trick ‘R Treat, which has reached cult status, closed the Fantasia Film Festival to a roaring audience. Now this year the festival has been host to the world premiere of yet another Halloween horror anthology film simply named Tales of Halloween to a practically sold out crowd looking for more. With a helping of ten stories by ten directors instead of the more developed four that was in Trick ‘R Treat, we find ourselves with names such as Big Ass Spider’s Mike Mendez, Saw III and Repo! The Genetic Opera’s Darren Lynn Bousman, Autopsy and Night of the Demon’s (2009) Adam Gierasch and none other than Dog Soldiers and The Descent’s Neil Marshall. The enormous cast includes horror veterans and directors ranging from John Landis, Joe Dante, Adam Green, Lin Shaye, Barbara Crampton and even Adrienne Barbeau. But does the star power in this flick shine or simply burn out too fast? With the less amount of time per short, more creativity is required to keep the attention of the hardened horror fans. Thankfully the film does just that. 

Tricks are for kids.

Tales of Halloween takes place in an unidentified American suburb on Halloween night. Instead of starting right up, we have a montage identifying our roster of directors with their respective shorts with each one having a quick depiction of what we can expect. We are then greeted by the sultry voice of a female radio host ironically played by Adrienne Barbeau as if she was reprising her role as Stevie Wayne from The Fog. She is our main link between the tales as she counts down to midnight or so she mentions it to be “The Witching Hour”.  We are then treated to each short which runs on average to anything between ten to fifteen minutes each until the final short directed by Neil Marshall. Everything occurs on the exact same night and we can even recognize reoccurring characters in the background as the film progresses. We are treated to a variety of characters and creatures including some killer kids, kidnappers, a witch and her deadbeat husband, the demon of Halloween, aliens, and even killer pumpkins. 

What I found to be notable of the feature is that not one short was ever dull. The film keeps you engaged throughout the entire run-time. While there are no shorts in particular that will make you roll your eyes in regret, there are some that stand out the most. Out of all ten of these, the festival audience clearly made their voice clear with choosing Mike Mendez’ Friday the 31^st. What obviously looks like a Jason Voorhees or Victor Crowley clone going around doing what slashers do best takes a comical turn when the brainless killer gets an unexpected visitor. While this short seems to come right out of left field (literally, they ran out of a corn field!) the directors did a solid job on keeping a consistent tone from beginning to end. Unlike some of the previous films at this year’s fest, there is less comedy employed and more camp. Fans will definitely be comparing the anthology flick to Trick ‘R Treat but in a way, we would still then be comparing apples to oranges. There is, in a way, more of an actual storyline in Trick ‘R Treat laced with humor and atmosphere while Tales of Halloween follows a campier linear path with less overlap then the anthology’s predecessor. Maybe because there are ten of them, it was important to fill in each one with their own storyline first and then move on to the next. It was indeed a treat to play a point and identify game with the notable cast, but it doesn’t just stop there. Legendary composer Lalo Schifrin came out of retirement to write Tales’ main theme which does the film justice. 

Treats are for whatever the hell this thing is.

The last question that we need to ask ourselves about Tales of Halloween is will it stand the test of time? No doubt, the film’s talent and creativity will get fans keep a slot open once a year on All Hallow’s Eve to dive into a new tradition alongside John Carpenter’s Halloween and Michael Dougherty’s Trick ‘R Treat.  Tales reminds us that every October 31^st, the ghouls and gals come out to play so keep your lights on, beware of strangers, and always check your candy...

Written By Elise Holmes 

Elise Holmes is not your average writer. Dedicated to her Evil Dead fan site The Deadite Slayer, she is doing Fantasia Fest coverage this year for Blood Brothers! Check out her site HERE!

Turbo Kid (2015)

Directors: Francois Simard, Anouk Whissell, Yoan-Karl Whissell

Notable Cast: Munro Chambers, Laurence Leboeuf, Michael Ironside, Edwin Wright, Aaron Jeffrey, Romano Orzari

Turbo Kid is a film with so much hype that genre film fans have been foaming at the mouth just at the mention of it. But for me this is much more than that. Francois Simard, Anouk Whissell and Yoan-Karl Whissell, the trio behind RKSS Films, have been at it for years before getting the big break that they truly deserve. The trio’s love affair with the Fantasia Film Festival and SPASM has seen their classic blood and cheese fests such as Demonitron: The 6^th Dimension and Ninja Eliminator. These were filmmakers with an undying passion and a dream to make a film that only they could be crazy enough to make. Ever since the 2004 short Le Bagman, which French Canadians are still watching to this day (I have it on right now while writing this!), RKSS’ persistence has landed them their first big budget film and let this one not be their last! The New Zealand/Canadian co-production features actors from both countries and then Michael Ironside to add some veteran American talent in the mix. Our lead Munro Chambers, best known for the years he has been in Degrassi, is our underdog with a dream of his own. Turbo Kid isn’t just a cinematic genre masterpiece, it’s the product of many years of playing with fake blood, guts, and learning along the way.

  

Turbo Kid follows our titular character (who goes through the entire film nameless) in a vast wasteland where water is scarce and is the most desired resource after many years of drought. Humanity is long gone and complete garbage is considered to be gold. Munro’s character lives alone near a playground and survives as a scavenger but his heart is still good. Reading any Turbo Rider comics that he can get his hands on, our lead is then introduced to Apple (played by Laurence LeBoeuf) a strangely happy girl simply looking for a friend. Though wary at first, the two become inseparable until Zeus’ (played by Michael Ironside) goons go looking for more victims. On the side we have Frederic (played by New Zealand actor Aaron Jeffrey) who just lost his brother to Zeus’ vicious “Pool Party” and now the villain has set his goal upon eliminating Frederic and anyone who gets in his way as the wasteland’s water lord. You wouldn’t want to mess with Zeus’ right hand man Skeletron (played by Edwin Wright) either.

While I can’t speak for Chambers with not having seen any of his previous work, he seems to be quite comfortable with his role as it seems to have been made exactly for him. Chambers isn’t just playing Turbo Kid. He is Turbo Kid. When he gets the chance to be in the shoes of his fictional idol Turbo Rider, he unwittingly embraces it to live out a dream in a place where there is none left. Ironside plays the perfect villain but hey, we all know this isn’t the first time. With films such as Visiting Hours and Cronenberg’s Scanners to name a few under his belt, we all clearly know that Ironside can chew up the scenery and this is no exception. The film is wonderfully dressed right down from the set to the costumes such as the primitive club to the gnarly weapons and headgear. Unlike the Mad Max franchise there are no vehicles left so anyone looking for transportation is going to have to invest in a rundown bicycle. Just because there aren’t many people left, doesn’t mean anyone is safe in this post apocalyptic world either. This is a film that proudly sports a body count with our main characters held responsible whether it’s in Zeus' “Pool Party” or battles held out in the dreaded wasteland. Of course, it wouldn’t be a RKSS production without its share of over the top cartoonish and gory violence or its touches of comedy throughout the film. It’s actually quite surprising to say the least of the various collaborations from the Canadian government and other affiliates that all listed at the beginning of the film so fast, it wowed me that so many companies could invest in just one film! In the end it is clear that this is the love child of the RKSS trio more than anything else and these are all pros in the business, including executive producer Jason Eisener (Treevenge, Hobo with a Shotgun, ABCs of Death) who decided to put faith into them.

What else could I say about Turbo Kid really? Francois Simard, Anouk Whissell and Yoan-Karl Whissell maybe new in town in the bigger budget film industry but they have been around for a very long time. The five minute standing ovation at Fanatasia which left the directors in tears was the moment that they realized that they have come full circle. If there is a lesson to learn from this is that dreams don’t just happen. They come from years of hard work, whether it is just a few to over a decade. For this trio, the dream probably never ends because there is no stopping here. They’re only getting started. 

Written By Elise Holmes 

Elise Holmes is not your average writer. Dedicated to her Evil Dead fan site The Deadite Slayer, she is doing Fantasia Fest coverage this year for Blood Brothers! Check out her site HERE!