MARGINALIA (U.S., 2025)
Official synopsis: Summoned to Karnstein Abbey to serve as a mourner at the funeral of their recently deceased abbess, Sister Trista discovers a dark secret involving demons, witchcraft and killer rabbits. But Sister Trista has a secret of her own.
Nunsploitation, a Hammer Films’ horror vibe, and the retro charm and surreal qualities of filmmaker Guy Maddin’s work: Writer/director/editor/cinematographer Mark Beal’s beautifully bizarre Marginalia has all this and more. This black-and-white supernatural feature will win cinephiles over with its atmosphere to spare, which includes impressive practical effects work, cool stop-motion creatures, and wonderful medieval set design, costumes, and illustrations. Composer Alexander Hellonious’s evocative score fits the proceedings perfectly. Beal kicks things off right away with one of the most imaginative demises you’re likely to see this year. The cast members do a fine job with their committed performances, led by Jessica Bell as Sister Trista. Beal does assured work at the helm, and as he did with his previous film Bloodsucker’s Planet, displays an affinity for and knowledge of classic old-school Eurohorror. Most everything about Marginalia belies its lower budget as the creativity, cleverness, and verve on display far outweigh any quibbles about the film. Marginalia is Beal’s first film since 2019’s science fiction feature Bloodsucker’s Planet. Here’s hoping that we can see his next film with a much shorter wait!
BURNT FLOWERS (U.K., 2024)
Official synopsis: Detective Franc Alban is visited by a mysterious femme fatale who leads her to a 1960s serial killer who was never caught, a violent gangster, and ultimately herself. Past crimes and love collide in this haunting and surreal Horror-Noir.
Writer/director Michael Fausti follows his psychosexual thriller debut feature Exit (U.K., 2020) with Burnt Flowers, a decades-spanning horror outing filled with crime, film noir, and mystery elements. Enigmatic proceedings are the order of the day as Alice Kyteller (Ayvianna Snow) hires detective Franc Alban (Amber Doig-Thorne) find her husband Austin (Carmelo Viviani, AKA Adrian Viviani), who has been missing for eight years — though this is only the first time she has reported his disappearance. Meanwhile, local crime boss Tony Rose (Fausti) has escaped from prison and is also interested in Austin’s whereabouts and in the people seeking him. The proceedings are all tied in with a series of 1960s unsolved serial killer murders. Danger, death, and sexual intrigue abound, bathed in giallo-inspired lighting and set to a fantastic rock score by Nick Burns, who also did fine work on the sound mix and sound design. Kemal Yildirim captures the events well, and stylish performances from a large cast that includes Andrew Elias, Roe Haven, Dean Kilbey, Alice Stevenson, and Laurence R. Harvey make for a compelling watch. The mysteries thicken as Burnt Flowers unfolds. Viewers who go in cold and give in to Fausti’s unique vision should find themselves entranced as they follow the twisted rabbit holes that his film offers.
