FRIGHTFEST 2004 FESTIVAL REPORT
DAY TWO: FRIDAY 28 AUGUST

After an outstanding first evening, expectations were running high on the merning of Day Two, which kicked off with a rare opportunity to see Dario Argento's Profondo rosso / Deep Red on the big screen, a chance I passed on in favour of more sleep! The film was being screened as a tie-in with the launch of Alan Jones new book on Argento, Profondo Argento, a stunning piece of work crammed full of some astonishing pictures and drawing on Jones' long relationship with the director. It's well worth £30 of anyone's money and can be ordered online direct from publishers FAB Press.

I arrived in time to see writer / director Don Mancini and editor Chris Dickens [Shaun of the Dead [2004]] present a rough-cut trailer and fragment from Seed of Chucky [2004], the latest in the killer doll franchise. If this is anything to by, they could be onto a winner - the Britney Spears gag alone is probably going to be worth the price of admission, but add Jennifer Tilley playing herself and John Waters as a sleazy tabloid photographer and we're looking at a potential cult classic. Where else are you going to see a doll masturbating into a beaker so he can use his sperm to impregnate a Hollywood actress?

My first film of the day was Oxide Pang's The Tesseract, an adaptation of Alex Garland's novel that I'd listed as being non-genre on the initial list of Frightfest films but which turns out to have enough outré fantasy elements to qualify it for inclusion here after all. Sadly, the film didn't go down at all well with the crowd and by the end it seems only the EOFFTV contingent had anything good to say about it! Oozing style, the film's fractured narrative and dreamlike ambience is hypnotic and both the photography and sound design are amazing. In a Bangkok hotel, a dying female assassin [Veradis Vinyarath], a thirteen year old bellboy / thief [Alexander Rendel], a reluctant English drug runner [Jonathan Rhys-Meyers] and an English child psychologist doing field research [Saskia Reeves] find their lives inextricably interwoven as they move inexorably towards a tragic and violent meeting in a remote town.

The plot demands constant attention as Pang and co-writer Patrick Neater skip backwards and forwards [and even sideways] in time to catch each of the subtle interactions between the four protagonists, most of them not even noticed by them, that will eventually seal their collective fates. The whole thing is glued together by Pang [working without his brother Danny this time] with considerable style, employing every visual trick in the book. This is what seemed to annoy so many Frightfesters, an apparent emphasis of style over content. But there's much more to The Tesseract than bullet-time effects, fast cuts and oddball camera moves - it's a compelling tale of fate, of possible supernatural forces at work in the lives of humans who seem completely oblivious to the fact that their lives are already mapped out for them.

The weakest link in the film is Jonathan Rhys-Meyers who seems t be comatose through most of the film, only really giving a performance towards the end as he frantically searches for his stolen consignment of drugs. Reeves is much better as the sympathetic psychologist who tries too hard to help the kids she's researching and ends up paying the ultimate price, but the real star of the show is the amazing Alexander Rendel, a brilliant child actor with none of the limitations that so hamper the performances of so many kid actors. If he can keep this up, he's going to be a real talent as he matures and gets more experience.

It was a brave decision by the Frightfest organisers to go with The Tesseract, a film that was almost guaranteed to split their audience straight down the middle. But given the very real possibility that we're never going to see this on the big screen ever again, it was a wise one - it may not have been to everyone's tastes but those of us who enjoyed it appreciated the chance to see it as it was intended.

Far more traditional - though no less impressive - fare was on offer next. Director Paco Plaza and an unannounced-in-advance producer Brian Yuzna turned up to introduce the the latest offering from Yuzna's Fantastic Factory imprint, Romasanta: The Werewolf Hunt, by far and away the best film the Spanish company has produced so far. Based on a true story, it tells the tale of Manuel Blanco Romasanta [Julian Sands - no, stick with it, he's not that bad in this one!], a travelling handyman in 1850s Spain who murdered a series of men, women and children in Galicia and using their body fat to make soap. The real Romasanta was imprisoned in 1853 after failing to comvince the court that he was a werewolf who committed the murders with an accomplice, Antonio. His death sentence was commutted to life imprisonment by Queen Isabel II after she received a letter from a scientist, Dr Phillips, who despite not having been anywhere near the case, was able to concince her by letter that Romasanta wasn't as guilty as he seemed. While waiting a pardon in prison, Romasanta died in mysterious circumstances.

Plaza and his writers Alberto Marini and Elena Serra use this unlikely story as the basis for a fabulous, Hammer-flavoured thriller that never explicitly claims that Romasanta really was a werewolf but never quite denies it either. The period setting, created by Baltasar Gallart and atmospherically captured by photographer Javier G. Salmones, made for a refreshing change from the relentlessly contemporary feel of the festival so far and provided some of the most beautiful and memorable images of the weekend so far. In the Q&A afterwards, Plaza deftly sidestepped accusations that the film bore too strong a resemblance to Le pacte des loups / Brotherhood of the Wolf [2001] [despite the director's protestations, it does, but that's no bad thing] and was flattered by comparisons to Hammer films.

In their Q&A afterwards, Plaza and Yuzna expressed surprise that Julian Sands is so disliked in his native land but on the strength of his turns in Warlock [1989], Tale of a Vampire [1992], The Tomorrow Man [1996] and Argento's terrible Il fantasma dell'opera [1998] it's not that hard to understand. Here though, he's OK - he still gives his usual non-performance but he rises adequately to the demands of the role without really making much of an impact. He's acted off the screen - as is everyone else - by Elsa Pataky, so much better here than in last year's Beyond Re-Animator [2003], who gives an outstanding performance as Barbara, sister of one of Romasanta's victims, who determines to track down her killer. If there's any justice at all, it should give her a much higher profile and will hopefully lead to even bigger and better roles in the future.

Boasting one of the most inventive werewolf transformations ever - the lycanthrope transforms back to human form as torrential rain washes away his fur - and stunning, award winning photography, Romasanta was a real surprise - I hadn't expected very much from it but it delivered big time and marks Plaza as a genre name to watch - in the Q&A he announced that he was off to the Isle of Wight to lead the second unit on Darkness [2002] director Jaume Balaguero's latest Fragile [2005] with Calista Flockhart

The I Inside, written by Identity [2003] scribe Michael Cooney, was getting its British premiere eight months before its official release, and proved to be an edgy, time-hoping head-scratcher. Packed full of twists and unexpected developments, it's an ambitious and beautifully shot piece that may well need several viewings to pick open and absorb its many complexities.

Simon Cable [a good turn by Ryan Phillippe] wakes in hospital with amnesia after being involved in a near-fatal car accident. He things it's the year 2000 but in fact it's two years later and Cable is soon, like Billy Pilgrim, the protagonist of Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five, "unstuck in time", bouncing backwards and forwards between 2000 and 2002 as he tries to figure out who he is and rebuild his complex relationships with his brother, wife and lover.

The disconcerting leaps backwards and forwards in time are well handled by director Roland Suso Richter who commendably keeps a tight grip on the potentially confusing and bewildering script. Unlike many time travel movies, The I Inside manages to remain constant throughout, never cheating the audience on its way to the revelation of what's really going on.

The I Inside was another brave choice for Frightfest - it's another one that seems to have divided the audience but it's very likely that anyone alienated by it this time around could well find more to enjoy the second time around - one suspects that it's going to be one of those cult films that flops at the box office then makes its mark later on DVD. It certainly deserves it, being a well acted, intelligent thriller that sees Cooney taking a quantum leap forward from the under-achieving Identity, one or two reservations about the climax not withstanding. Great too to see some familiar British faces in supporting parts - Stephen Rea turns up as a sympathetic doctor in 2002 while Peter Egan unexpectedly shows up as a less sympathetic doctor in 2000.

The big Saturday night film, and allegedly the first sell-out crowd for this year, was a chance for UK fans to see Hellboy a week early. We already knew in advance that director Guillermo del Toro was going to be on hand, making good on a promise to visit Frighfest after being unable to attend a screening of El espinazo del diablo / The Devil's Backbone back in 2001. What wasn't advertised though was the fact that del Toro was bringing with him his three main stars, Rupert Evans, Selma Blair and the man himself, Ron Perlman!

I confess that Hellboy was the Frightfest film I was least looking forward to - don't get me wrong, I'm a huge del Toro fan and have been since being bowled over by the wonderful Cronos [1993] but I hadn't enjoyed Blade II [2002] and was expecting more of the same. Instead, Hellboy turned out to be a fun, fresh and inventive blockbuster, let down by some rather tired and unconvincing CGI [am I the only one who things that with each successive blockbuster, CGI is looking more and more passé?] but given a huge boost by del Toro's energetic direction and Perlman's wonderful turn as Hellboy.

Towards the end of World War II, the Nazis team up with Grigory Rasputin to open a space-time portal which will allow a race of ancient Gods of Chaos to enter our world and destroy it. Their plan is foiled by a troop of American soldiers and Professor "Broom" Bruttenholm who close the portal but not until after a child demon has passed through. Years later, hellboy as he's known, has grown into a huge, red, tailed monster who works for Broom at the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, preparing to take on old enemies who are still trying to allow the Gods of Chaos into the world.

A great cast [Perlman is just brilliant!], a witty script and a dark, gothic look conspire to make Hellboy a cut above the usual big-budget knockabout fare. The pace never slackens, del Toro's own script paring the story back to its absolute basics to great effect. He cleverly introduces the Hellboy universe to those of us unfamiliar with the comic without a lot of the messing about that bogs down too many origins stories. As you’d expect from del Toro, it's visually stunning, each frame crammed full of unusual designs, oddball characters [the clockwork driven Nazi agent Kronen was a particular favourite] and inventive camerawork. All-in-all, a real surprise and I for one will be looking forward to the promised Director's Cut due on DVD later this year. I for one can't wait for Hellboy 2 due in 2006.

After the screening, all four of the guests stayed put while everyone who wanted something signed got what they wanted, despite the lateness of the hour - they didn't finish until well after midnight meaning that the start of the final film was much delayed. Monster Man looked like one of the least enticing offerings this year but has turned out to be one of the best so far! Throwing political correctness to the wind, this deranged blend of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre [1974], Jeepers Creepers [2001] and House of 1000 Corpses [2003] is a laugh a minute gore fest that had the exhausted late night survivors in uproar throughout.

Student and terminal virgin Adam is on his way to the wedding of his true love to finally express his desires with his boorish, arsehole of a friend Harley stowing away for the ride. They pick up sexy hitch-hiker Sarah who relieves Adam of his virginity, but fall foul of a mutant psych in a huge monster truck who pursues them across the desert until he corners them in his run-down house - and that's when things start to get really complicated and really, really sick.

A far better film that I think anyone at Frightfest was expecting, this is huge fun - director Michael Davis had previously directed light comedies and who knew that he had this kind of mayhem in him? Riotously funny, flowing with gore and slime and guaranteed to have something to offend just about everyone, this was perfect late night viewing, just the thing to lift flagging spirits and keep sleep at bay for another hour and a half.

The less you know about Monster Man the better as it comes at you with so many unexpected takes on established genre tropes and keeps you unsure about whether your next reaction will be to flinch, laugh or throw up. Fabulous stuff, due for a US DVD release in October 2004 and with two sequels already in the works. A bad taste masterpiece.

So how's this for a turn-up - the end of the second day and not a bad film so far. OK, so The Tesseract pissed off a lot of people, but I loved it and it highlights the sheer variety of the films on offer during the day, from the intellectual twists and turns of The I Inside to the lowbrow knockabout of Monster Man and all points in between. Roll on tomorrow!
KEVIN LYONS