Official Synopsis
An indie rock band struggling to make its mark finds a possible meal ticket in an infectious new guitar riff. Unfortunately, it’s also a cursed melody that just so happens to open a portal to another, much scarier dimension.
Review
Writer/director Sam Scott mashes up horror elements, weird science, and razor-sharp comedy in the Canadian feature Turn It Up!. The result is a fun, frenetic film that boasts some cool rock numbers to accompany its frenzied goings-on.
Alternative rock group members AC (Justine Nelson), Berg (Jonathan Craig), Court (Gwenlyn Cumyn), and Russ (Xavier Lopez) are doing the unsigned band grind when a song that may or may not be called “The Odyssey” — depending on which member you talk to — catches the attention of famous manager Miss Vee (Liv Collins). She promises them their way to a big break, but this being a genre film, naturally she has ulterior motives.
Scott delivers a nice twist on the Faustian pact trope, with the evil forces at work here being different than the expected satanic ones. The humor hits well, with music jokes sharing screen time with fear-fare and sci-fi humor.
Scott paces the proceedings wonderfully, and treats viewers to some fun gore gags and mind-warping visuals including animated wildness. He is aided by a super cast that includes several Canadian horror film stalwarts including Craig (Cult Hero; The Hyperborean), Ry Barrett (Cult Hero; In a Violent Nature), and Julian Richards (It Feeds; Honey Bunch), and seasoned comedy actors such as Browne (Baroness Von Sketch Show), Kids in the Hall member Bruce McCulloch, and Kris Siddiqi (I Woke Up a Vampire).
Turn It Up! sets out to entertain, and does just that. It’s a rock-fueled ride that comes recommended for genre film aficionados of all stripes.
Turn It Up!, from Yellow Veil Pictures, had its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival, which takes place June 3–14, 2026 in New York City.
