What a festival Grimmfest was this year! This was my sixth year attending the festival and I can easily say that this year had the best overall selection of movies out of them all! Last year I struggled to put a top 5 list of movies that I liked together due to there not being 5 movies that I liked. This year I'm struggling to whittle it down to just 5! You know it's been a good festival when you ask other people what their top 5 were and they all give you different movies. I know you can only show what has been made and that is out of the control of the festival organisers but I left the festival this year feeling positive about the future of the genre.
It has been a funny year for horror with the bullshit phrase "Post Horror" being created, the new IT movie breaking all kind of records and proving it's possible to make a decent adaptation of a Stephen King novel and then two of the largest and most popular franchise of the genre having a straight to digital release. I'm talking about the new Child's Play and Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies which was brazenly pirated before their release. Self proclaimed fans would be on Twitter having the cheek to criticise the films they have just stolen as they hadn't been released yet. Anyway this brings me to the first of my top 5 movies from Grimmfest.
Leatherface
I called Leatherface a remake of The Beginning which it isn't. It's a whole different story and a different take on the Leatherface's origin. As a Texas Chainsaw movie I don't think it works, it leaves you asking more questions than answers like the absence of certain characters from the original but as a standalone film I think it's very good. It has similarities to the origin story part of Rob Zombie's Halloween and quite a good twist towards the end.
I mentioned earlier that festivals can only show what is available... well with Grimmfest it helps when one of their organisers is a filmmaker! Next on my list is Habit.
Habit
A very bleak cannibal movie with great performances set in the streets of my wonderful city Manchester. It's full of broken characters who have no hygiene standards when it comes to meal time.
If Habit is too grimm for you then you will find a more light hearted film in Double Date
Double Date
Alex wants to help his best friend lose his virginity before he turns 30 and thinks they are on to a sure thing when they meet sisters Kitty and Lulu only these siblings are more into human sacrifices than partying. This is a very funny movie with characters that you really care about.
If you like last years Beyond The Gate then you will love Game Of Death
Game Of Death
Drunken teenagers find a board game they all agree to play only to find out once they started that rules are kill or be killed before the clock runs out. Another good horror comedy with over the top special FX.
If you are looking for something completely different then Borley Rectory is what you need.
Borley Rectory
The story of the hauntings of Borley Rectory and paranormal investigator Harry Price are brought alive in this visually compelling movie. It's not a traditional haunted house movie and you won't find it scary but you will find the techniques used mesmerizing.
Well that's my top five but there are many more movies you should keep an eye open for such as Dave Made A Maze, Replace, Freehold and Poor Agnes.
I want to thank all the organisers at Grimmfest and all the festival goers who make this such a great festival to attend year after year. Also to all the filmmakers who put all their effort in to making these movies and all they ask in return is that we don't steal from them.
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