SALT ALONG THE TONGUE (Australia, 2024)
Official FrightFest synopsis: After her mother [Dina Panozzo as Mina] dies, Mattia [Laneikka Denne] moves in with her estranged aunt [Panozzo in a dual role as Carol], her mother’s identical twin. But from beyond the grave, Mattia’s mother possesses her daughter to protect her from a malevolent spirit, using food as a gateway.
Certainly one of the most unique horror films I’ve seen so far this year, writer/director Parish Malfitano’s Salt Along the Tongue is a mesmerizing supernatural feature that practically makes food a character in the film. With splendid acting from the entire cast, Malfitano lets viewers know from the gripping opening scenes that witchcraft is involved before introducing us to the eccentric characters that are richly written and realized. Panozzo’s performance goes from excellent to bravura in the third act when the horror rises to a crescendo, while Denne has plenty of opportunities to show a wide range of emotions for her teen character. The film boasts an authentic 1970s Eurohorror vibe along with elements of that decade’s Australian fear-fare cinema. The result is a remarkable chiller with style to spare and plenty of dramatic weight, as well.
THE MANNEQUIN (U.S., 2025)
Official FrightFest synopsis: Liana Rojas [Isabella Gomez], a creatively starved stylist assistant, discovers the historical downtown Los Angeles factory building where her fashion designer sister [Gabriella Rivera as Sophia] mysteriously died is haunted by a serial killer posing as a headshot photographer for film studios who brutally murdered and dismembered his victims there half a century earlier. This knowledge forces Liana and her friends to find a way to free themselves from the curse and escape the sinister ghost before they lose their own body parts.
With The Mannequin, writer/director John Berardo serves up a ghostly tale set in the present day but boasting a style evocative of fright fare from the 1960s through the 1980s. The eerie opening black-and-white sequence set in the past sets up the later haunting, adding a slasher element to the mix, as well. The dramatic tension between Liana and her friends Hazel (Linsday LaVanchy) and Nadine (Shireen Lai) is interesting enough to keep things rolling along and for viewers to invest in their characters, and somewhat luckily for them, Hazel’s ex-boyfriend is a podcaster dealing in the otherworldly. The titular figure gives off a creepy vibe as Berardo keeps its macabre reveal a suspenseful secret until the climax.
Salt Along the Tongue and The Mannequin screened as part of FrightFest, which ran Thursday August 21–Monday 25 August, 2025 in London, U.K.
