Sydney, Australia’s Dark Nights Film Fest takes place on Saturday, October 10, 2026. We reviewed some of the Australian shorts screening there, and now we’ll take a look at the feature The Turkish Coffee Table and some more of the short films featured there. Synopses are from the festival’s official website. For more information, visit https://www.darknightsfilmfest.com/.
First, I reviewed The Turkish Coffee Table for a previous film festival, but I’ll present that review again here. It’s spoiler free, so no worries about reading it before watching.
THE TURKISH COFFEE TABLE (Turkey, 2025)
Official synopsis
A couple’s argument over a coffee table spirals into chaos when a simple mistake turns into a desperate web of lies, panic, deception, and the terrifying consequences of trying to cover up the truth. Time to remind you of the darkness underlying everything, one that forces you to look into the void with elegance, wit and sympathy.
Review
Director Caye Casas gave cinephiles perhaps the strongest candidate for “Feel-Bad Movie of the Year” in 2023 with his pitch-black Spanish horror comedy The Coffee Table (La mesita del comedor). It’s the sort of disturbing yet admirable film that is hard enough to sit through once, so who would be audacious enough to try a remake of it? Writer/director Can Evrenol (Baskin; Sayara) is no stranger to discomfiting fear-fare, and so says “Hold my missing screw” with his delivery of The Turkish Coffee Table (Cam Sehpa).
Besides putting a different cultural spin on the proceedings, Evrenol also ramps up the gruesomeness factor. Whereas The Coffee Table worked so effectively to make viewers squirm in their seats because of what wasn’t shown on screen, Evrenol has no qualms about showcasing the results of a jaw-dropping, heartbreaking accident using practical effects.
Ibrahim (Alper Kul) and Zehra (Algi Eke), parents of a newborn baby, are at odds over Ibrahim’s choice of a tacky looking coffee table — and from their arguing, it’s obvious that is not the only problem the pair is having. Ibrahim tries to cover up a tragic accident but the stalker teenage neighbor (Elif Sevinc) who is obsessed with him and the dinner date with Ibrahim’s brother (Ozgur Emre Yildirim) and his influencer girlfriend (Ece Su Uckan) escalate matters to a nightmarish pitch.
The Turkish Coffee Table follows the original rather closely but definitely adds enough new and different material to stand on its own. Kul and Eke are terrific, leading a strong cast. Like the original, I give the film a cautious recommendation. It’s an intriguing, impressive work that is solidly helmed and that boasts great production values, but some viewers will find it hard to make it through to the end.
And now for some more shorts capsule reviews . . .
Monkey (U.K., Directed by Charlotte Alexander)
Dark Nights Film Fest synopsis
A man in his new apartment discovers an intruder — but when he calls for help, the situation turns to a waking nightmare.
Review
Benjamin Aluwihare gives a fine performance as a man who has just moved into his new apartment with his girlfriend. Having already experienced racial prejudice, his life is about to become worse on writer/director Charlotte Alexander’s taut, unique spin on home invasion thrillers. Monkey delivers the genre-film goods along with plenty of food for thought in the social issues department.
Ol’ Silus (U.K., directed by Phillip Trow)
Dark Nights Film Fest synopsis
Following the awakening of an ancient curse the last two survivors form a suicide pact to prevent it spreading beyond the village.
Review
Writer/director Phillip Trow pulls off an incredible fright-fare feat in Ol’ Silus as he manages to place a complete folk horror tale in a single room with two people in the present day. Belinda Owusu and Ethan Lawrence give remarkable performances as two young adults facing the consequences of what was originally rumored to be a story to scare children about the titular character and an ancient curse. Trow wrings maximum suspense out of their predicament and the short features some impressive gore effects, too. I’d love to see more of Ol’ Silus’ backstory in a sequel short or, better yet, a feature length treatment.
Here are previews of some more shorts that I can’t wait to watch. Expect reviews of these in the near future. All synopses are from the Dark Nights Film Fest website.
Camp Omega (U.S., directors Alina Diaz & Mason Diaz)
At her family’s remote Christian summer camp, a teenage girl discovers strange symbols and a dangerous, secret cult.
Iurima – A Tale of Three Fishermen (Finland, directed by PV Lehtinen)
Three starving fishermen encounter something unexpected and ominous on a remote island in the 1890s.
Bestiary (France, directed by Anne Zinn-Justin)
In their isolated house at the edge of a forest, a mother and rebellious teenage daughter have only each other to rely on.
