House of Ashes
Izzy Lee has made several intriguing short films, and with House of Ashes she makes her debut at the helm of a feature. She does so quite admirably, delivering a supernatural chiller that focuses on grief and delivers a social message, as well — the film’s press release states that the feature “was inspired by far-right U.S. politicians waging war on the female body.” Mia (Fayna Sanchez in a riveting lead performance) is subjected to house arrest after first being suspected of murdering her recently deceased husband and then having a miscarriage, which in the near feature where the film is set, is considered an illegal act. She is forced to wear an ankle transmitter bracelet. Her boyfriend Marc (Vincent Stalba, who builds further in his ability to portray a decidedly creepy character after appearing as a demented children’s TV host in director Joe Badon’s short The Blood of the Dinosaurs and feature The Wheel of Heaven) has agreed to stay with her in her home. Marc’s behavior becomes increasingly worrisome and strange occurrences are also taking place in the house. Lee, who cowrote the screenplay with Steve Johanson, has done a marvelous job crafting a horror film that keeps viewers guessing as its mysteries unfold at a solid pace. Mia is a character for whom it is easy to become invested in as she both tries to wrap her mind around what is happening in her home and dealing with oppression and gaslighting from multiple men, while Marc is an antagonist calculated to give viewers the heebie jeebies. With her feature debut, Lee makes good on the promise that her shorts offered, and House of Ashes comes highly recommended for aficionados of independent fright fare that demands attention — and rewards it.
Tales from the Void
Logline: An episodic horror anthology series based on the most viral and haunting stories from the r/NoSleep community.
Brooklyn Horror Film Festival debuted three episodes of Screambox Original series Tales from the Void: creature feature “Whistle in the Woods,” eerie doll chiller “Plastic Smile,” and pregnancy horror “Carry.” The three episodes from this anthology series surprised me with their strong production values, and the performances are also solid in this trio of installments. Considering that the show features episodes directed by the likes of Joe Lynch (Mayhem) and John Adams & Toby Poser (of The Adams Family filmmaking fame), perhaps I should have not been so surprised. Viewers need not be familiar with the Reddit No Sleep Community nor the stories on which these episodes are based; I wasn’t, and found the shows entertaining and well crafted. If the rest of Tales from the Void follows suit, it should be a series well worth fully diving into. Fans of horror shorts and fear-fare anthologies should give Tales from the Void a try.
House of Ashes and Tales from the Void screened as part of the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival, which ran October 17–24, 2024. For information, visit https://brooklynhorrorfest.com.
SCREAMBOX Original horror anthology series Tales from the Void debuted on October 13, 2024.
