I have to admit that I'm not the biggest fan of fantasy horror. Fairies and Goblins and things of that nature just don't draw my attention. Not that I haven't seen some great fantasy horror. Peter Dukes' short A Goblin's Tale is one of the most recent ones I've watched and enjoyed. It takes a pretty well rounded team to create a successful fantasy horror film. The execution of this type of film has to be pretty much flawless (in my opinion) and I think that's what always turns me away. It's hard to find a group of filmmakers that are committed to seeing that the color, tone and pacing of the film stays consistent throughout.
Mary Ann (Emily Stride), a troubled young woman, has been tormented her whole life by dreams of a sinister figure called the Red King and his morbid fairytale kingdom. Following the death of her father, Mary Ann returns to her family home where she recalls the childhood stories of the Red King and Alice from 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' that her father once read to her. Haunting events and suppressed memories propel Mary Ann through the dark corridors of her parental home into the realms of her nightmares where she must finally confront the Red King and gain closure to her scarred past.
As is the case with most Indie films, the cast here is relatively unknown. That's sometimes a good thing and sometimes a bad thing. In this case I'd say it was a great thing. Director Navin Dev managed to assemble a cast of unknowns that most assuredly will become very well known faces in the Indie horror scene. Stride gives a flawless performance as the troubled lead. Going one step further, I was completely enamored with young Alice, played by Etalia Turnbull. You'd never guess this was her one and only film. Silvana Maimone, the most seasoned actor the bunch, is extremely convincing as the sometimes sane mother of Mary Ann. She goes from zero to psychotic bitch quicker than me on a bad day.
Red Kingdom Rising is beautifully shot and the use of color that's added gives it a believable fairytale feel. There are so many places in this film where a lot of directors would've lost control. With all the transitions from the dream world back to reality, I can see where that would happen but Dev never once let's the enormity of it all overwhelm him. They're smooth and clever and you will be asking yourself, "is this the real world or the dream world?" Dev also creates some rather brilliant dialogue that effortlessly draws the viewer in. It's not a film that you can walk in and out of. You have to pay attention. The dialogue is full of riddles and cryptic talk that if you're not watching, you're lost. BUT, don't let that steer you away, it's worth the 73 minutes you'll invest. I honestly can't find one thing wrong with this film... I know, shocking isn't it? It's a twistedly beautiful film that every fantasy horror fan should watch. I look forward to seeing more from Dev and his team.
On average we receive 10 to 12 short film submissions a week from Indie filmmakers. Probably not near the amount received by the bigger sites but we're okay with that. We'd much rather cater to the Indie crowd than Hollywood because let's face it, the future of horror lies in Indie films. Now, I'm not saying that any average Joe with a camera should run out and start filming. It takes a lot of hard work to create the kind of short film that is strong enough to carry over into a feature. Take Brett Simmons and Husk for example... a solid short that made a great horror feature. Another one to watch out for is Peter Dukes with Dream Seekers Productions, a writer/director that has a way of crafting a tale, be it horror or fantasy, that I haven't seen in a long time.
Janice (Aimee Bello) is determined to do whatever it takes to escape her abusive husband Dave (Brad Egger) in order to start a new life with her lover Steve (Michael Jordan). When she finally does the unthinkable, it comes back to haunt her, literally. Some strange things begin to happen as she and Steve celebrate their one year anniversary and they may not live long enough to celebrate another year.
Bello and Jordan are the main characters and both do a good job of carrying the film. There's not a whole lot of dialogue but it really wasn't necessary. Writer/director Erik L. Wilson uses camera angles and creative lighting to create a classy, intense little revenge flick. The makeup effects are well done as well as the visual effects. There are a couple of aspects in the story that I thought could be a little tighter but for the most part, he nailed it. This is the first film by Wilson that I've seen but it definitely makes me want to see more of his stuff. Doesn't look like he's one of those average Joe's I referenced earlier and there's nothing I enjoy seeing more than a filmmaker with passion for the genre. I look forward to seeing more work from him in the future.
It's not often that we end up doing three posts in a row about the same person. We wouldn't want to seem like we were playing favorites or anything but when an actor has been in more than 60 horror films in just a few years and has been crowned the UK's King of Horror (by Erebus Horror) he's bound to make repeat appearances on a horror site. It also doesn't hurt that we here at Twisted Central think he's pretty fucking awesome. Ok so maybe we do play favorites a little... this isn't high school so get over it.
Jacob (Alexander Le Bas) has been stricken with a terrible affliction that, if not contained, can be deadly for everyone around him. His father Michel (Bill Oberst Jr.) will do whatever it takes to save him but when push comes to shove, can he do what is necessary to save the people he loves and free his son?
Let me start by saying that this is one of the most well shot extremely, extremely, did I say extremely, small budget horror shorts I've ever had the pleasure of watching. Oberst brings a compassion and humility to his character that I'm not really use to seeing from him. Not that I'm complaining, I think he's a phenomenal actor with a range like very few others in the industry. Young Alexander Le Bas shows some chops as well and this was his very first role... EVER! Watch your backs teen heartthrobs, this one here will give you a run for your money (just please don't sparkle... ever... please). Peter Le Bas is Jacob's uncle, Douglas, and plays a more antagonistic role than Oberst but not to the point that viewers will despise him. He's caring and feeling and you can see that the situation is tearing him up on the inside. Peter Dukes who wrote and directed this little gem proves that he knows how to take a simple concept and create a suspenseful, well paced film.
I'm not going to pick this film apart because in my opinion what they did with a super micro-budget was more than mind blowing. I've seen short films with triple the budget that fell apart within the first five minutes. Kudos to Dukes and his superb cast and crew for crafting a film that has more heart and passion for the genre than most Hollywood productions out there these days.
