Review of “Consumed” – Camping horror film with Devon Sawa follows a familiar path

The latest edition of tHe Popcorn Frights Film Festival is underway, featuring film premieres, repertory screenings, and horror celebrations, with much more to come.

The opening weekend began with a series of repertoire performances by Psycho Cop returns, Maniac Cop 2, Insane, Companythe “lost” cut of Return of the Living Dead 3and more with the filmmakers in attendance. There were also plenty of brand new premieres from up and coming filmmakers.

Here is a summary of some of the features of Popcorn Frights 2024 so far…

Beezel

director Aaron Fradkin explores the persistent, gruesome horrors lurking in the bowels of a New England home through an experimental triptych. Co-written with Victoria Fratz, Beezel begins with a suitably gruesome child death in the 1960s, shot on Super 8, and sets the stage for three different experiences of witch terror spanning six decades. Fradkin places great emphasis on creating terror, ensuring that every second of screen time is devoted to building or inducing a scare, including all the familiar tactics you would expect. The magic in Beezel lies not in its attempt to give you goosebumps, although that is commendable, but rather in its unique narrative structure.

Fradkin seamlessly connects three different perspectives and stories through technology. Super-8 grain fades into VHS frenzy as the '60s jump into the '80s to conclude an era of witch torment. The transition from analog to digital is particularly inspiredalthough it rings the longest and most unfulfilled story of the three: Fratz appears in front of the camera as the unsympathetic wife of the youngest heir to the house. While Fradkin fills this segment full of traditions and nightmarish outbursts, it is not enough to mask the narrative and financial limitations, which is also helped by the lack of chemistry and logic between the main couple.

Beezel wisely keeps its mythology shrouded in mystery and never explains too much. Early clues never go in the obvious or expected way and the deaths can be deliciously gory. The rough acting and jump scare tactics can be distracting, but It is the innovative narrative structure The sets this bloody witch story apart from others.

chateau

Author/Director Lukas Genton's Screenlife Influencer Horrorfilm names found footage hits like Hell House LLC And Death Stream into mind. Katharina Krueger plays James, an aspiring YouTuber who, on the advice of her best friend Dash, rents an enchanted French castle (Coltron Tran) in hopes of going viral. James is secretly hired as the chateau's housekeeper and plans to vlog her time there in secret from the homeowner. Of course, the longer James stays, the more she uncovers the truth about the place: anyone who dies on the property is doomed to stay there in the afterlife.

The friendship between James and Dash is endearing and makes up for some of the pitfalls that come with influencer horror. In particular, it does a lot to humanize a selfish protagonist. Genton tries to overcome this hurdle further by introducing familial trauma, something that plays a role in James' story arc in the second half, though it's handled in a familiar, superficial way. Of course, Genton's goal is to simply deliver a fun, spooky good time, not reinvent the found footage format. Those looking for just that will find it here, thanks largely to the beguiling chateau itself and the inventive camera angles Genton uses to make this haunted house a character in itself. But those tired of the subgenre will be unmoved by the familiar pitfalls of the found footage format, the partially shaky cam that induces motion sickness.

Strange darling

One of the best genre films of the year, writer/director JT Mollners Strange darling will be screening in person at the festival ahead of its release next week on August 23. It's the kind of film best viewed blind, packed with narrative twists and unexpected detours, so just know one thing: The plot follows the exploits of a serial killer who may have met his match. Mollner tells her story in a boldly non-linear way, a risky move that pays off thanks to a great pair of leads, stunning 35mm cinematography from Giovanni Ribisi (yes, that) and endless style.

Willa Fitzgerald And Kyle Gallner embark on a violent, suspenseful game of cat and mouse in which no prisoners are taken – not even the audience. Told in six chapters and presented in no particular order, Strange darling is a surprising audience favorite That is meticulously planned and richly acted. Mollner was recently hired as a screenwriter for The long roadand it is not difficult to understand why Strange darling. It's brutal, twisted and thrilling, so don't miss it when it comes out next week.

There's a zombie out there

Writer/director/producer with many talents Michael Varrati goes meta with hyperspecificity in There's a zombie out there. Ben Bauer takes on a dual rolesomehow, as the star of a cult zombie film and as the actor who plays him. When the film's horny zombie crosses over into the real world and begins invading Ben's LA life, reality and fiction blur and Ben is plunged into an existential nightmare. Varrati explores the crossroads of identity through his lead character, who is torn between the distinctly separate worlds of horror and the gay community of Los Angeles.Deepening The metaphor is deepened even further by his appearance as the director of the cult film in a voiceover capacity.

There's a zombie out there stacks the horror side of the equation full by well-known names, including Tiffany Shepis as Officer Findlay, Peaches Christand the voices of Lori Cardille (George Romero's Day of the Dead) And Elizabeth Coffey (John Waters' Pink Flamingos And Women's issues. The Lurking Zombie is also suitably great, with a special make-out scene that makes you excited to see the original cult film embedded in the overarching meta-story. But There's a zombie out thereis, for all its dizzying distortion of reality, less a horror film than an inner meditation on identity. The fact that it deals more with the industrial side of filmmaking and Ben's circle of friends in Los Angeles reduces its accessibility for a wider audience. It is a personal story told with hyper-specificity and an eroding connection to reality, which makes it even more confusing for Ben and the viewer.

Stay tuned for more news from Popcorn Frights.