An All-Fright Night

Horror films have been, quite frankly, horrific of recent years. With cinemas inundated with shock-free remakes and sequels, any original scare has been buried by endless reproduction or lack of interest. Even The Orphanage (2007), the last heart-attack-inducing film to be released, was criticised for being too similar to The Devil’s Backbone (2001), and as it was (gasp!) a foreign language film, did not reach the large audiences it deserved. Now Hollywood is planning the English language remake, which almost guarantees the atmosphere - surely what made the film so successful in the first place - will dissipate. So it is a relief to see the film selection at Fright Fest. No remakes, no sequels, no subtitles. The latter is surprising, for it is widely acknowledged that the best horror films of the last few years have originated outside America and Britain. Optimistically one can only hope that 2009 marks the resurgence of scary Hollywood films that are actually scary, of original English language films that recognise not everyone is interested in increasingly more realistic, sadistic and simultaneously less shocking gore. Of the eight films included in Fright Fest (which does not encompass all horror films within the GFF), all have their own merits and sense of originality, and it appears there is at least one film for fans of any sub-genre. Children are the largest common factor, and if real life children are scary, then surely ghost children are infinitely more terrifying. The Unborn (2009), the most publicised of the Fright Fest selection, encompasses supernatural horror, possession and a black-eyed evil spirit in the form of a little boy, with unnerving sequences akin to those in The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005). “It wants to be born now”, states the trailer. And with last year’s Fest proclaiming the benefits of abstinence for men in Teeth (2007), this time it’s the women’s turn to clench their legs together for fear of Grace (2009), a dead baby born with an unusual appetite. It is also reassuring to see current horror acknowledging its past. One imagines a perfect double bill of B-movie classic I Bury the Living (1958)with another Fright Fest option, I Sell the Dead (2008), merely because of their titles. The latter harks back to Hammer-inspired Victorian England, recounting the tale of grave robber Arthur Blake. Most people will recognise the relationship between horror and sex - how many times has a scantily clad blonde been chased by a murderous man/ ghost/ monster/ ravenous beast (delete as applicable)? Everything about One-Eyed Monster (2008) suggests tongue-in-cheek, from its satirical, political teaser trailer to its premise - alien invasion during an adult film shoot - so is a welcome reprieve of black humour, sci-fi and porn late on a Saturday night. Finally Misha Barton stars in Walled In (2009), the most conventional of the genre films within the FrightFest. A word of warning though - it is getting a straight-to-DVD release in America, so a festival viewing may be the only chance to share her Poe-esque terror on the big screen.