Spoiler-Free Reviews: THE KILLGRIN and DECIBEL (FilmQuest)

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November 20, 2024

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Film Festivals | Movies | Reviews

Written by Joseph Perry

Joseph Perry is the Film Festival Editor for Horror Fuel; all film festival related queries and announcements should be sent to him at josephperry@gmail.com. He is a contributing writer for the "Phantom of the Movies VideoScope" and “Drive-In Asylum” print magazines and the websites Gruesome Magazine, Diabolique Magazine, The Scariest Things, B&S About Movies, and When It Was Cool. He is a co-host of the "Uphill Both Ways" pop culture nostalgia podcast and also writes for its website. Joseph occasionally proudly co-writes articles with his son Cohen Perry, who is a film critic in his own right. A former northern Californian and Oregonian, Joseph has been teaching, writing, and living in South Korea since 2008.

The Killgrin (2024)

Canadian chiller The Killgrin — winner of FilmQuest’s Best Makeup–Feature award — finds a young woman named Miranda (Konstantina Mantelos) dealing with profound grief after a tragic loss. Exploring alternative methods to deal with her state, she learns from a spiritual healer that she is being hounded by the titular supernatural creature — and among the people she has met through group therapy, she is not the only one with this terrifying problem. Writer/director Joanna Tsanis makes an impressive feature-length debut here after helming award-winning short films. WithThe Killgrin, she combines emotional depth with eerie atmosphere and grueling killings. The dialogue between characters rings true, and the pacing is solid throughout. Heading up a terrific cast, Mantelos gives an excellent lead performance, nailing the myriad emotions — especially the struggles and turmoils — that is required of her character. Her performance alone is reason enough to seek out The Killgrin, but there are plenty of others to do so, as well.

Decibel (2024)

Few creatives will argue against AI sapping the soul out of the various forms of art, and director Zac Locke explores that notion winningly in his science fiction/horror hybrid Decibel. Scout (Aleyse Shannon) is a struggling musician who takes up highly successful music producer/medical tech professional Donna’s (Stefanie Estes) invitation to record at the latter’s titular high-tech studio in the desert. As Donna becomes increasingly controlling, Scout finds a kindred soul in engineer Griff (Colby Groves, who also serves as Decibel’s music producer), the only other person in the remote studio, but this newfound camaraderie doesn’t sit well with Donna. Locke, working from a screenplay by Stephen Christensen and Matt Wise, crafts a thought-provoking genre film that boasts fine performances, impressive original songs written by Caitlin Scholl, and atmosphere to spare.