Day 2 - Film 3 - Total Film Interview vs Midnight Son

What may seem like an easy decision to most festival goers, glowing reviews may make you want to rethink before indefatigably choosing the horror panel discussion over the preview of Scott Leberecht's subtle vamp musing 'Midnight Son'.

Total Film Interview & American Horror Discussion - Main Screen 15.05

Call it budget reasons, lack of true inspiration (have you seen Craven or Carpenter's latest offerings), or based off of last years flacid affair, but this year Fright Fest has shrugged it's 'horror icon' section and interview in favor of an interview with little known but fairly proficient director/producer, Larry Fessenden. While many people may shrug at this name, a quick glance at his credit sheet will impress anyone who's been up on the horror scene for the past 5 years; working behind such undeniable favourites as 'House of the Devil' and 'Stakeland' aswell as lesser known gems 'The Last Winter' and 'I Sell The Dead', and even the festival's Sunday afternoon spooky romp 'The Innkeepers', he seems to know his stuff. Partner this with a panel containing fright fest favourites Adam Green, Joe Lynch, Ti West and Lucky McKee (arguably the greatest american genre directors of this decade), all of which have movies premiering or previewing at this years festival to discuss and divulge about, and this discussion looks set to blow anything of years past well out of the water.

Get your camcorders out kids, this looks like one for the history books.

Midnight Son - Discovery Screen 3.00pm

We all know vampires are (however tiresomely) 'in' at the moment. When you've got the mainstream drooling over 'Twilight Saga' and the genre fans re-writing their top 10's with 'Let The Right One In', its no surprise the 'V' word has touched down at Fright Fest again. And while the sub-genre has seen its atrocities these past 12 months ('Dead Cert', anyone?), Midnight Son seems set to attack the cluttered canvas with a new shade of red. Taking the bleak, indie stylings of Van Sant and crossing it with servings of refereshingly real violence, this mircocosm vampire tale should even give the horror discussion panel a run for its money.

Reasons to watch Midnight Son:

1. Its directed by a visual effects artist, who, among other things, has worked on Burton's 'Sleepy Hollow'. Thus, this movie is going to look the bomb.

2. It's a cheap, indie affair. Showing support for these flicks, especially at festival runs, gets these kind of movies both distribution deals and actually made in the first place. Want more Let The Right One In and less Twilight? Show the powers that be that you like these movies.

3. Its an homage piece to Romero's classic 'Martin'.

4. It has a violent finale that made BloodyDisgusting's Brad Miska (who, for those that dont follow the site like a mantra, watches upwards of 300 horror flicks a year) "exclaiming OMFG".

If it makes Mr Disgusting shit his pants, then bring me some of that shit.

For me this is one of the tougher decisions to make this year. While the obvious will more than likely win over, Midnight Son looks a strong contender and for those that get passes to this film purely because they couldnt get into the mainscreen are sure to be pleasantly rewarded.
So whats your thoughts? The legends of this decades horror all in the same room? Or a quiet unassuming but potentially genius vampire fable?

Day 2- Pt 1 'Rogue River' vs 'Man Who Saw...'

Friday Morning brings us Festers (get it? as in 'to fester' and/or as in 'fest'ival LOL lol lol...) the first decision of the 5 days: Jourdan McClures's Dont-trust-strangers-fable 'Rogue River' or the documentary on 'horror icon' Paul Naschy.

'Rogue River' - Screen 1 10.40

Anyone seen Mum & Dad? How about Timber Falls? Or maybe a film where a lead character - usually a woman- stumbles , or willingly enters, into a stangers house - usually in the woods. Strangers who seem nice and trusting for a second but wait, whats that? then go ape-shit crazy and ends up hacking (or atleast attempting to) the aforementioned protagonist limb from limb. Know that one? Well thats what Rogue River appears to be if the trailer or synopsis is anything to go by. Even the shocks seem to be rehashed, for anyone thats seen Mothers Day (2011) or The Loved Ones (2010) the boiling water mouthwash seen in the trailer wont be overly surprising. Buts that not to say it wont be welcomed with uncomfortable leg crossing and eye-squinting-wincing. Although this looks by the books, it still looks good. Gritty and raw in look (how abouts that 70's exploitation'esque poster?) and with a lead from genre staple Bill Moseley, Rogue River looks to be a perfectly adequate horror/thriller and is sure to pleasantly surprise more than a few of us.

'The Man Who Saw Frankenstein Cry' - Discovery Screen 1o.35


*No trailer seems to be in circulation for this film, so the above is what looks to be an early cut of the doc's opening.

The passing of Paul Naschy in 2009 was to the spanish horror community like the death of Vincent Price was to the rest of the world. This isnt to say this documentary/homage will only be of interest to this niche group. This European horror legend's IMDB account reads like a bonafied catalogue of early horror cinema. He is a legacy. The attractive title comes from an anecdote in which Naschy recalls being on the set of I Spy (1966) with a very aged and disgruntled Boris Karloff who - being left out in inclement weather waiting for a late taxi, sufferingly weep. It is one of very many round-the-camp-fire-tales the life of such an established actor must have. This Angel Agudo documentary, hosted by Mick Garris, and with a plethora of horror cinephiles such as Joe Dante and John Landis, looks to shed some of these tales and recount the life of the legacy.

So which will it be? 'Rogue River' or 'El Hombre Que Vio Llorar A Frankenstein'?