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Spoiler-Free Reviews: WHAT HAPPENED TO DOROTHY BELL? and FACES (Fantastic Fest)

Spoiler-Free Reviews: WHAT HAPPENED TO DOROTHY BELL? and FACES (Fantastic Fest)

What Happened to Dorothy Bell? An interesting investigation of familial trauma and mental illness through a horror lens, What Happened to Dorothy Bell? uses a combination of vintage-style footage (not found footage, to clarify, although the approach is similar) and present-day proceedings. Protagonist Ozzie (Asya Meadows) was attacked when she was a child by her titular grandmother (Arlene Arnone Bibbs). Now a young adult, Ozzie searches for answers to why that happened and also about her grandmother’s disappearance. As might be expected with a family as the focus in a horror film, skeletons lurk in the closet and the supernatural may well be at play. What Happened to Dorothy Bell? has the feel of a gateway horror film, with its surprises and shocks not approaching very scary levels nor reveling in gory effects work. Lingering shots of rooms in which something may or may not happen in the background and noises from other rooms make for most of the suspenseful

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Sep 27, 2024
Warner Bros. Announces Monster Number of Collections that are Conjuring Beetlejuice

Warner Bros. Announces Monster Number of Collections that are Conjuring Beetlejuice

Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products has unleashed a ghoulishly good surprise for fans of the iconic Tim Burton film. A monster number of new Beetlejuice Beetlejuice collections are coming soon, promising to bring a touch of the Netherworld to everyday life. These collections will surely delight fans of all ages. It features designs inspired by the film’s most beloved characters, including the otherworldly sandworm and Beetlejuice’s signature black-and-white suit. Get ready to add a spooky twist to your wardrobe, home decor, and more. There will be unique ready-to-wear apparel from fashion designer Rodarte. Let’s not forget the exquisite jewelry collection from Fabergé, the latter designed in partnership with Tim Burton and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice costume designer Colleen Atwood. Saks will debut an immersive window display at its iconic New York flagship store (later in August). Colleen Atwood also designed a “Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice” inspired fashion collection for retailer Primark, offering something for every fan. Amazon also has a dedicated product page

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Aug 6, 2024
Spoiler-Free Reviews: ELECTROPHILIA and ASTRO NOTS (Fantasia 2024)

Spoiler-Free Reviews: ELECTROPHILIA and ASTRO NOTS (Fantasia 2024)

Electrophilia (Los Impactados) Argentinian feature Electrophilia touches on body horror and eroticism involving electricity but never goes full-on with these themes, instead feeling more like a character study of its protagonist, veterinarian Amanda (Mariana Di Girólamo). The young woman is struck by lightning and after she recovers from a six-week coma, she begins to feel changes that have happened to her mind and now-scarred body. She falls in with a group of lightning-strike survivors under the care of Juan (Germán Palacios), a doctor who uses unorthodox methods to treat those under his care, and begins an affair with him. Amanda develops sexual kinks related to electrical charges and shocks, worrying her significant other Jano (Guillermo Pfening). Director Lucía Puenzo, who cowrote the screenplay with Lorean Ventimigila, leaves viewers hanging with plot points that seem to have no resolution, such as Jano secretly going into Juan’s office and finding the doctor’s file on Amanda but then that scene not being addressed

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Jul 27, 2024
Spoiler-Free Reviews: “Indera” and “Help, I’m Alien Pregnant” (Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival)

Spoiler-Free Reviews: “Indera” and “Help, I’m Alien Pregnant” (Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival)

Indera (Malaysia, 2024) Although Malaysian horror Indera is, according to the official film description, “set against the backdrop of the violent Memali Incident in 1985,” director Ming Jin Woo’s feature should work fine for viewers with little-to-no prior knowledge of the event. Handyman Joe (Shaheizy Sam) does his best to raise his young daughter Sofia (Samara Kenzo) after her mother (Ashira Shafinaz) — who was also his wife — died in a tragic accident. Penniless and evicted, Joe takes on the position of caretaker for an older Javanese woman (Ruminah Sidek) who is raising three young orphans. The locals give the woman a wide berth for mysterious reasons. Fans of supernatural cinema should find plenty to be impressed with here, with top-notch performances from the main cast members, and although Indera contains some tried-and-true horror tropes, it puts an intriguing local flavor on matters, and Woo directs with a fine sense of building mystery and delivering chills. Help, I’m Alien

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Jul 11, 2024
Spoiler-Free Reviews: “Listen Carefully” and “Princeton’s in the Mix” (Dances with Films 2024)

Spoiler-Free Reviews: “Listen Carefully” and “Princeton’s in the Mix” (Dances with Films 2024)

Listen Carefully (U.S., 2024) Writer/director/star Ryan Barton-Grimley’s feature Listen Carefully follows a harrowing night in the life of Assistant Bank Manager Andy (Barton-Grimley), and it’s an entertaining, sometimes head-scratching, ride. As Andy’s wife Allie (Simone Barton-Grimley) skeptically leaves her husband in charge of their baby for a girl’s night out with his promise that he will prioritize the wellbeing of their child ahead of his work from home, Andy’s job anxiety becomes the least of his worries after the baby is kidnapped. A mysterious voice (Ari Schneider, who costarred with with Ryan Barton-Grimley in the latter’s writing/directing feature Hawk and Rev: Vampire Slayers) on the other end of a baby monitor sends Andy on a wild quest to gather enough money — in an illicit, dangerous manner — for ransom. Listen Carefully sends both Andy and viewers down a path in which reality and dreams intermingle to the point of being unsure which is which. Ryan Barton-Grimley keeps Andy’s anxiety

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Jun 25, 2024
Spoiler-Free Reviews: “They’re Here” and “The Hongfu Hotel” (Tribeca Festival 2024)

Spoiler-Free Reviews: “They’re Here” and “The Hongfu Hotel” (Tribeca Festival 2024)

They’re Here (U.S., 2024) Codirectors Daniel Claridge and Pacho Velez offer an unusual, thoroughly captivating take on the UFO experiencer phenomenon in their documentary They’re Here. The filmmakers focus on a small group of New Yorkers who claim to have had close encounters with extraterrestrial crafts and sometimes their occupants. Interview subjects include Cookie, a woman who claims to have been abducted by aliens multiple times; Twon, a stand-up comedian who bombs telling jokes about extraterrestrials; Dave, who made the local news by allegedly filming a UFO on his cell phone while under the influence of mushrooms; and Steve, a man who feels that he had a UFO experience but has difficulty remembering any details about the encounter, and who agrees to hypnosis to try to recall what happened. Claridge and Velez approach their subjects with both skepticism and affection, allowing them to fully express themselves knowing that many people don’t believe their stories. They’re Here takes an unusual route

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Jun 18, 2024
Spoiler-Free Reviews: “Beacon” and “A Family Guide to Hunting” (Tribeca Festival 2024)

Spoiler-Free Reviews: “Beacon” and “A Family Guide to Hunting” (Tribeca Festival 2024)

Beacon (U.S., 2024) Last year, Tribeca gave the world a top-notch tale of two strangers, a man and a woman, stuck in an isolated location with a suspenseful mystery about who might be dangerous to the other with You’ll Never Find Me. This year, the fest serves up another such pressure cooker with director Roxy Shih’s Beacon. Emily (Julia Goldani Telles), a young woman who comes from a family with a love for sailing, sets off to circumnavigate the globe, but fate in the way of a huge storm strands her at a remote lighthouse. Ismael (Demián Bichir), the lone lighthouse keeper, attempts to help the injured Emily, who is naturally suspicious of him. Questions surrounding Ismael’s ability to communicate with the outside world and his obsession with the mythological creature known as the siren complicate matters further. Shih, working from a screenplay by Julio Rojas, paces the drama and suspense wonderfully. The main drawing point of the film for

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Jun 18, 2024
Horror Fuel's Highly Recommended Fright Fare for Tribeca 2024

Horror Fuel’s Highly Recommended Fright Fare for Tribeca 2024

New York City’s Tribeca Film Festival is renowned for showcasing incredible films from around the world, created by established filmmakers and new voices alike. Horror and related genre fare are always in strong supply at the fest, as evidenced by its presentation of two of my absolute favorite films of last year, The Seeding and You’ll Never Find Me, along with many other great features and short films. This year’s edition, which runs June 5–16, promises more incredible cinema of the fearful and the fantastic. I was privileged to get an early look at the following chillers and thrillers before the fest, and though I can’t publish reviews until after the films make their Tribeca premieres — watch for my thoughts here on Horror Fuel soon after that — I can, at this time, highly recommend them to fright-fare aficionados as must-see viewing! Read on for press release descriptions for each film — in alphabetical order, by genre — with

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Jun 3, 2024
Romford Film Festival Spoiler-Free Film Reviews: “Kill Your Lover,” “Ill Fares the Land,” and “Have a Good Day”

Romford Film Festival Spoiler-Free Film Reviews: “Kill Your Lover,” “Ill Fares the Land,” and “Have a Good Day”

Kill Your Lover (U.K.; 2023) The fractured relationship between former rock musician Dakota (Paige Gilmour) and her manipulative, much more conservative boyfriend Axel (Shane Quigley-Murphy) is toxic in more ways than one in codirectors/cowriters Alix Austin’s and Keir Siewert’s feature Kill Your Lover, winner of Romford Film Festival’s Best British Feature Film award. Just as Dakota is ready to finally break things off with Axel, he develops a contagious condition that causes him to develop strange markings on his skin, vomit, and cause acidic burns to anyone he touches. Flashbacks show the relationship from its beginnings to yellow and red flags developing to the horrific present. Gilmour and Quigley-Murphy give super performances as two very different people who somehow found themselves in a relationship that both probably should have known better than to start. The body horror is as strong as the psychological torture on display, for which Hair & Makeup Designer/Prosthetics Designer/Special Effects Makeup Artist Rebecca Wheeler and her

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
May 29, 2024
Spoiler-Free Short Film Reviews: “Bookworm,” “Hevel,” “Souling,” “Dark Mommy,” “Spooky Crew,” “I Could Just Die, and That Would Be Alright” (Overlook Film Festival)

Spoiler-Free Short Film Reviews: “Bookworm,” “Hevel,” “Souling,” “Dark Mommy,” “Spooky Crew,” “I Could Just Die, and That Would Be Alright” (Overlook Film Festival)

Following is a capsule review roundup of six of the short-film shockers that screened at this year’s edition of New Orlean’s Overlook Film Festival. Bookworm Bookworm (Ratón de biblioteca; Spain, 2023) from director Javier Yañez envelops viewers in a phantasmagorical vibe before suddenly ramping up the visceral shocks. Irene (Aria Bedmar in a wonderful performance) is a young librarian in 1979 Spain who wants to become a writer, much to her mother’s dismay. Irene and her fellow librarian often see the ghost of a young man — though they can’t quite catch a glimpse of his face — browsing books. Determined to try to make contact with this potential soulmate, Irene sets out to find out what his visage looks like. With beautiful set design and cinematography, Bookworm both charms and chills. Hevel In writer/director David Grace’s Hevel, devout Jewish woman Edra (Mor Cohen) begins a Shabbat service. A dybbuk has other plans for her, however, in this demonic possession

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Apr 16, 2024

More from Short Films

Spoiler-Free Reviews: WHAT HAPPENED TO DOROTHY BELL? and FACES (Fantastic Fest)

Spoiler-Free Reviews: WHAT HAPPENED TO DOROTHY BELL? and FACES (Fantastic Fest)

What Happened to Dorothy Bell? An interesting investigation of familial trauma and mental illness through a horror lens, What Happened to Dorothy Bell? uses a combination of vintage-style footage (not found footage, to clarify, although the approach is similar) and present-day proceedings. Protagonist Ozzie (Asya Meadows) was attacked when she was a child by her titular grandmother (Arlene Arnone Bibbs). Now a young adult, Ozzie searches for answers to why that happened and also about her grandmother’s disappearance. As might be expected with a family as the focus in a horror film, skeletons lurk in the closet and the supernatural may well be at play. What Happened to Dorothy Bell? has the feel of a gateway horror film, with its surprises and shocks not approaching very scary levels nor reveling in gory effects work. Lingering shots of rooms in which something may or may not happen in the background and noises from other rooms make for most of the suspenseful

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Sep 27, 2024
Warner Bros. Announces Monster Number of Collections that are Conjuring Beetlejuice

Warner Bros. Announces Monster Number of Collections that are Conjuring Beetlejuice

Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products has unleashed a ghoulishly good surprise for fans of the iconic Tim Burton film. A monster number of new Beetlejuice Beetlejuice collections are coming soon, promising to bring a touch of the Netherworld to everyday life. These collections will surely delight fans of all ages. It features designs inspired by the film’s most beloved characters, including the otherworldly sandworm and Beetlejuice’s signature black-and-white suit. Get ready to add a spooky twist to your wardrobe, home decor, and more. There will be unique ready-to-wear apparel from fashion designer Rodarte. Let’s not forget the exquisite jewelry collection from Fabergé, the latter designed in partnership with Tim Burton and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice costume designer Colleen Atwood. Saks will debut an immersive window display at its iconic New York flagship store (later in August). Colleen Atwood also designed a “Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice” inspired fashion collection for retailer Primark, offering something for every fan. Amazon also has a dedicated product page

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Aug 6, 2024
Spoiler-Free Reviews: ELECTROPHILIA and ASTRO NOTS (Fantasia 2024)

Spoiler-Free Reviews: ELECTROPHILIA and ASTRO NOTS (Fantasia 2024)

Electrophilia (Los Impactados) Argentinian feature Electrophilia touches on body horror and eroticism involving electricity but never goes full-on with these themes, instead feeling more like a character study of its protagonist, veterinarian Amanda (Mariana Di Girólamo). The young woman is struck by lightning and after she recovers from a six-week coma, she begins to feel changes that have happened to her mind and now-scarred body. She falls in with a group of lightning-strike survivors under the care of Juan (Germán Palacios), a doctor who uses unorthodox methods to treat those under his care, and begins an affair with him. Amanda develops sexual kinks related to electrical charges and shocks, worrying her significant other Jano (Guillermo Pfening). Director Lucía Puenzo, who cowrote the screenplay with Lorean Ventimigila, leaves viewers hanging with plot points that seem to have no resolution, such as Jano secretly going into Juan’s office and finding the doctor’s file on Amanda but then that scene not being addressed

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Jul 27, 2024
Spoiler-Free Reviews: “Indera” and “Help, I’m Alien Pregnant” (Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival)

Spoiler-Free Reviews: “Indera” and “Help, I’m Alien Pregnant” (Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival)

Indera (Malaysia, 2024) Although Malaysian horror Indera is, according to the official film description, “set against the backdrop of the violent Memali Incident in 1985,” director Ming Jin Woo’s feature should work fine for viewers with little-to-no prior knowledge of the event. Handyman Joe (Shaheizy Sam) does his best to raise his young daughter Sofia (Samara Kenzo) after her mother (Ashira Shafinaz) — who was also his wife — died in a tragic accident. Penniless and evicted, Joe takes on the position of caretaker for an older Javanese woman (Ruminah Sidek) who is raising three young orphans. The locals give the woman a wide berth for mysterious reasons. Fans of supernatural cinema should find plenty to be impressed with here, with top-notch performances from the main cast members, and although Indera contains some tried-and-true horror tropes, it puts an intriguing local flavor on matters, and Woo directs with a fine sense of building mystery and delivering chills. Help, I’m Alien

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Jul 11, 2024
Spoiler-Free Reviews: “Listen Carefully” and “Princeton’s in the Mix” (Dances with Films 2024)

Spoiler-Free Reviews: “Listen Carefully” and “Princeton’s in the Mix” (Dances with Films 2024)

Listen Carefully (U.S., 2024) Writer/director/star Ryan Barton-Grimley’s feature Listen Carefully follows a harrowing night in the life of Assistant Bank Manager Andy (Barton-Grimley), and it’s an entertaining, sometimes head-scratching, ride. As Andy’s wife Allie (Simone Barton-Grimley) skeptically leaves her husband in charge of their baby for a girl’s night out with his promise that he will prioritize the wellbeing of their child ahead of his work from home, Andy’s job anxiety becomes the least of his worries after the baby is kidnapped. A mysterious voice (Ari Schneider, who costarred with with Ryan Barton-Grimley in the latter’s writing/directing feature Hawk and Rev: Vampire Slayers) on the other end of a baby monitor sends Andy on a wild quest to gather enough money — in an illicit, dangerous manner — for ransom. Listen Carefully sends both Andy and viewers down a path in which reality and dreams intermingle to the point of being unsure which is which. Ryan Barton-Grimley keeps Andy’s anxiety

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Jun 25, 2024
Spoiler-Free Reviews: “They’re Here” and “The Hongfu Hotel” (Tribeca Festival 2024)

Spoiler-Free Reviews: “They’re Here” and “The Hongfu Hotel” (Tribeca Festival 2024)

They’re Here (U.S., 2024) Codirectors Daniel Claridge and Pacho Velez offer an unusual, thoroughly captivating take on the UFO experiencer phenomenon in their documentary They’re Here. The filmmakers focus on a small group of New Yorkers who claim to have had close encounters with extraterrestrial crafts and sometimes their occupants. Interview subjects include Cookie, a woman who claims to have been abducted by aliens multiple times; Twon, a stand-up comedian who bombs telling jokes about extraterrestrials; Dave, who made the local news by allegedly filming a UFO on his cell phone while under the influence of mushrooms; and Steve, a man who feels that he had a UFO experience but has difficulty remembering any details about the encounter, and who agrees to hypnosis to try to recall what happened. Claridge and Velez approach their subjects with both skepticism and affection, allowing them to fully express themselves knowing that many people don’t believe their stories. They’re Here takes an unusual route

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Jun 18, 2024
Spoiler-Free Reviews: “Beacon” and “A Family Guide to Hunting” (Tribeca Festival 2024)

Spoiler-Free Reviews: “Beacon” and “A Family Guide to Hunting” (Tribeca Festival 2024)

Beacon (U.S., 2024) Last year, Tribeca gave the world a top-notch tale of two strangers, a man and a woman, stuck in an isolated location with a suspenseful mystery about who might be dangerous to the other with You’ll Never Find Me. This year, the fest serves up another such pressure cooker with director Roxy Shih’s Beacon. Emily (Julia Goldani Telles), a young woman who comes from a family with a love for sailing, sets off to circumnavigate the globe, but fate in the way of a huge storm strands her at a remote lighthouse. Ismael (Demián Bichir), the lone lighthouse keeper, attempts to help the injured Emily, who is naturally suspicious of him. Questions surrounding Ismael’s ability to communicate with the outside world and his obsession with the mythological creature known as the siren complicate matters further. Shih, working from a screenplay by Julio Rojas, paces the drama and suspense wonderfully. The main drawing point of the film for

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Jun 18, 2024
Horror Fuel's Highly Recommended Fright Fare for Tribeca 2024

Horror Fuel’s Highly Recommended Fright Fare for Tribeca 2024

New York City’s Tribeca Film Festival is renowned for showcasing incredible films from around the world, created by established filmmakers and new voices alike. Horror and related genre fare are always in strong supply at the fest, as evidenced by its presentation of two of my absolute favorite films of last year, The Seeding and You’ll Never Find Me, along with many other great features and short films. This year’s edition, which runs June 5–16, promises more incredible cinema of the fearful and the fantastic. I was privileged to get an early look at the following chillers and thrillers before the fest, and though I can’t publish reviews until after the films make their Tribeca premieres — watch for my thoughts here on Horror Fuel soon after that — I can, at this time, highly recommend them to fright-fare aficionados as must-see viewing! Read on for press release descriptions for each film — in alphabetical order, by genre — with

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Jun 3, 2024
Romford Film Festival Spoiler-Free Film Reviews: “Kill Your Lover,” “Ill Fares the Land,” and “Have a Good Day”

Romford Film Festival Spoiler-Free Film Reviews: “Kill Your Lover,” “Ill Fares the Land,” and “Have a Good Day”

Kill Your Lover (U.K.; 2023) The fractured relationship between former rock musician Dakota (Paige Gilmour) and her manipulative, much more conservative boyfriend Axel (Shane Quigley-Murphy) is toxic in more ways than one in codirectors/cowriters Alix Austin’s and Keir Siewert’s feature Kill Your Lover, winner of Romford Film Festival’s Best British Feature Film award. Just as Dakota is ready to finally break things off with Axel, he develops a contagious condition that causes him to develop strange markings on his skin, vomit, and cause acidic burns to anyone he touches. Flashbacks show the relationship from its beginnings to yellow and red flags developing to the horrific present. Gilmour and Quigley-Murphy give super performances as two very different people who somehow found themselves in a relationship that both probably should have known better than to start. The body horror is as strong as the psychological torture on display, for which Hair & Makeup Designer/Prosthetics Designer/Special Effects Makeup Artist Rebecca Wheeler and her

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
May 29, 2024
Spoiler-Free Short Film Reviews: “Bookworm,” “Hevel,” “Souling,” “Dark Mommy,” “Spooky Crew,” “I Could Just Die, and That Would Be Alright” (Overlook Film Festival)

Spoiler-Free Short Film Reviews: “Bookworm,” “Hevel,” “Souling,” “Dark Mommy,” “Spooky Crew,” “I Could Just Die, and That Would Be Alright” (Overlook Film Festival)

Following is a capsule review roundup of six of the short-film shockers that screened at this year’s edition of New Orlean’s Overlook Film Festival. Bookworm Bookworm (Ratón de biblioteca; Spain, 2023) from director Javier Yañez envelops viewers in a phantasmagorical vibe before suddenly ramping up the visceral shocks. Irene (Aria Bedmar in a wonderful performance) is a young librarian in 1979 Spain who wants to become a writer, much to her mother’s dismay. Irene and her fellow librarian often see the ghost of a young man — though they can’t quite catch a glimpse of his face — browsing books. Determined to try to make contact with this potential soulmate, Irene sets out to find out what his visage looks like. With beautiful set design and cinematography, Bookworm both charms and chills. Hevel In writer/director David Grace’s Hevel, devout Jewish woman Edra (Mor Cohen) begins a Shabbat service. A dybbuk has other plans for her, however, in this demonic possession

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Apr 16, 2024
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