Horrorfest 4 (2010)

(theater map)
The bad news is that, as of this writing (and it's less than a week away), Horrorfest 4 will not be coming to a theater within an hour's drive of my current location. And considering my schedule, I doubt it would be very worthwhile to make the drive to the nearest theater (and back, let alone on multiple days). I could do it if I wanted to, but as it is, the hassle probably wouldn't outweigh the benefits. Maybe if I had some close friends who were into it, and my schedule was more normal (jeez, you'd think they'd cater horror movies to the night owls), I could make like a day-long movie marathon road trip out of it and that would be fun, but I'm not doing it for myself. I'd just as soon wait and watch the movies in the comfort of my own home, at my leisure.

But, I couldn't help watching the trailers, which are now up (surprise! - trailers before the beginning of the festival!).

Dread

Recently, it was decided to take some of Clive Barker's classic stories from his Books of Blood compilation and make them into feature films. Dread is one of those, following on the heels of Midnight Meat Train, which was utterly shafted in its distribution, and that I still haven't had a chance to see. Dread is a great story about some university students who take their research on fear way too far. I'm really excited about this one, and it's a treat to see it as part of the Horrorfest lineup.

[Unlike Dread, the rest of the films I knew nothing about before watching the trailer and reading the synopses on horrorfestonline.]

Hidden

This one is about a man who returns to his hometown after the death of his mother (who was not a very savory character, it appears), only to uncover some secrets about his past (which affect his present, and maybe his future). From the trailer, this one looks interesting, and it also looks like this might be the one "doppelganger" movie for this year.

Kill Theory

The plot for this one is kind of hard to swallow - a bunch of young people trapped in a house, given a saw-like ultimatum: if one person is left alive by dawn, that person gets to go free, otherwise, they will all be killed. I mean, it's an interesting thing to think about - what would you do? And I guess, just because I think killing anyone, even under those kind of circumstances, would be simply out of the question, I guess that doesn't mean that everyone else in my party would agree. Who can you trust? So, at any rate, I am curious at how this one turns out.

Lake Mungo

Not too clear on the plot of this one - something about a girl who may or may not have drowned in a lake, and may or may not have led a double life - but it looks like it could be really interesting, and more of an arty horror film than the typical brainless coed slasher type fare. Thus, I am intrigued.

The Final

This one looks to be a must-see for me. The setup is thus: high school outcasts get revenge by trapping the popular kids at a fake party, so they can be tortured at the outcasts' whims. Excellent. Ignoring the fact that there is absolutely no way in hell that any of these actors or actresses could convincingly pass for high school aged kids, this looks like it could be a really fun movie, and perhaps a bit of catharsis. But since the outcasts are the torturers, I just hope to god that the popular kids don't find some way to win out in the end...

The Graves

Two sisters get lost in the desert and take a mine tour only to become prey for inbred locals. Essentially. It's funny how good this premise was back in the days of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, when you think about how incredibly tired and uninspiring this premise is these days. To be honest, I have very low expectations for this film, although the one reference in the trailer to Baby Please Don't Go was pretty hilarious.

The Reeds

A group of young people celebrating in a remote and foreign location (a surefire recipe for horror, I tell you) - in this case a river surrounded by reeds - have a potentially fatal run-in with some ghosts living in those reeds. Although the ghosts are kind of meh for me, judging from the trailer, this one has at least some potential for entertainment.

Zombies of Mass Destruction

This one is, obviously, a zomcom. (You know, zombie comedy?). Or else some form of parody. Zombie fan though I am, a comedy fan I am generally not. And though you can have fun with a zombie premise without taking yourself too seriously (see: Planet Terror), the trailer for ZMD left me little in the way of anticipation...

~~~

So, it goes without saying that I can't be sure which movies will be hits without actually seeing them, but judging only from what I have at my disposal right now:

Dread - definite must-see
Lake Mungo, The Final - have to see
Hidden - worth checking out
Kill Theory, The Reeds - could be interesting
The Graves, ZMD - might hold some surprises

Now then, it's too bad about the theaters...