For its first year, Celluloid Screams was a triumph. Very few festivals can claim that they had for their very first festival as a special guest, the hilarious and charming, Ian McCulloch. A fabulously damaged and green lined print of exploitation classic Pieces (J. Picquer, 1982) and the UK Premier of the terrifying Paranormal Activity. When the schedule was announced it was very exciting and almost all of the films did not disappoint. What I admired most about the line up was that it catered for different kinds of horror audiences. For example, the Japanese Horror fans were treated to the superior Vampire Girl Vs Frankenstein Girl (Y. Nishimura & N. Tomomatsu, 2009), a vast improvement from the team's previous efforts Machine Girl and Tokyo Gore Police. The not so successful Yori: Samurai Zombie (T. Sakaguchi, 2008). Fans of mainstream cinema were treated to Anchor Bay's enjoyably funny I Sell the Dead (G. McQuaid, 2009). Classic horror fans had perfect 35MM prints of Anguish (B. Luna, 1987) and The Burning (T. Maylorn, 1981) to re-experience on the big screen.
Opening film Lake Mungo (J. Anderson, 2008) was very scary in a subtle way. Nevitt's choice of opening the festival with this little gem was a wise move, as it had a strong impact. In addition, it was a different way to open up a festival, since it wasn't a well-loved classic or a popular upcoming mainstream film (such as Jennifer's Body for example). Instead, Lake Mungo showcased the strengths of low budget Australian horror filmmaking. It probably won't get seen by many (and I hear a Hollywood re-make is on the cards already). If you can find it on DVD don't miss it.
The preview footage of Sheffield based Production Company WARP films I Spit on Your Rave was more interesting than exciting, since it was attempting to take the zombie sub-genre in to a new direction. The film is set in 2018 and tells the story of the first post apocalyptic music festival curated by the undead. The strongest part of it was the compelling Q&A. The audience were informed in harrowing detail about the current trouble in obtaining funding for making a British movie (with no thanks to the credit crunch). In addition, funding is getting lower by the day.
Two films in particular stood out (which have been getting a lot of buzz around the festival circuit one of which has stormed the US box office); Paranormal Activity (O. Peli, 2009 ) and Grace (P. Solet, 2009). Both were beautifully crafted, low budget, atmospheric and incredibly disturbing films. Paranormal Activity was probably more disturbing than Grace, but both had a strong long lasting and unforgettable impact on the viewer. Paranormal Activity tells the story of a couple who move into a suburban house. They become increasingly disturbed by a presence that may or may not be somehow demonic, but is certainly most active in the middle of the night. The film slowly hooks you in from the beginning, without the pace flagging. The two lead characters (Micah and Katie) are incredibly irritating and highly dislikeable. Personally, I found it very hard to feel any sympathy for them. However, once you get past their unappealing personality traits you realize that the film has slowly been drawing you in and that you have been engaging and concentrating on the story. By the end, you are left physically shaken (and if you're me a little nauseous!).
Oddly enough, closing film Grace works in a similar way but has a completely different story. After a car accident, Madeline is left widowed and with her baby dead inside of her. She is determined however to give birth. When the child is born, it appears to be alive and well but this is far from the truth. Once again, the characters are dislikeable and it becomes increasingly difficult to feel anything for them. Half way through the film though you realize that Solet has solely been drawing you in, and you have been getting freaked out by the peculiar child's (and mothers) irrational behaviour. However, by the end of the final scene you are left feeling very disturbed. Paranormal Activity was probably the stronger and more effective of the two, but both deserve to be seen by mainstream audiences (which Paranormal Activity certainly is in the USA, and hopefully in the UK on November 24th).
Despite the schedule being perfectly organized and plenty of time for enough breaks in-between, the short films were very hit or miss. Inside, I Live in the Woods and Mama were stunning, but Rite, Delaney and How My Dad Killed Dracula for example were disappointing. Since there were 14 shorts in total, it may have been more beneficial to have programmed them all in to a 1-2 hour slot and to have screened one (longer than 20 minutes) short before a feature.
Next years festival is already something to get very excited about, as judging by the strength and quality of this years programme (and the audience reactions), they would have been happy for Celluloid Screams Volume 2 tomorrow!
Review by Rebekah Smith