FrightFest

8/10 - Predictable, but the rapidly rising body count kept things ticking along nicely. Good lead performance. Wondering how many of our audience have ever seen an episode of Downton Abbey (excluding Xmas with parents scenarios)?

Similar in tone to You're Next with its mix of humor, naturalistic dialogue action and brutal violence, but it lacks the tight script and strong central character that You're Next had. It's obvious from the start how the story is going to play out: the too-perfect guest is going to turn out to be a crazed killer, and the film never tries to hide this so the film has to rely on entertaining the audience by putting the characters in various scenarios. This is actually done very well; Dan Stevens is fantastic at being friendly and cool and then having a mad look creep over his face, and the other actors are generally good. As the film moves into the final third it all comes apart a bit: Stevens' actions are completely at odds with his actions before, they try to hand-wave it away by having his handler say "This is what he's programmed to do. He can't stop himself!" but it comes across as a lazy explanation. Then the ending plays out predictably. It's all scored to an eighties style synth soundtrack which works really well, and is in some ways the best part, evoking the feel of eighties slasher and action films. 5/10

Also, I've never seen Downton Abbey but I'm sure it would be immeasurably improved if Matthew Crawley went on a killing spree.

Sloppy plot in places but generally loved it! 8/10 Best film of Thursday

Dan Steven's is totally fit in this movie !!!!!!

Started strong, but began to unravel.
The military SWAT(?) team were conveniently incompetent in their pursuit of an armed fugitive.
How not to enter a building writ large.

ChrisReynolds wrote:
Also, I've never seen Downton Abbey but I'm sure it would be immeasurably improved if Matthew Crawley went on a killing spree.

Downtown Abbey : The Revenge - hmmm I like the sound of that

Solid start to the fest with this entertaining action thriller with blood spatters of horror. The plot is not the most original, but there is sufficient intrigue, humour & set-pieces to keep it ticking along nicely. 8 / 10

A fun opening film with a great villain. Some very funny moments as the guest dispensed his worldly wisdom to the kids. I thought it was let down by a redundant plot strand about him being part of a rather cliched "secret program" and by the horror maze finale which looked far too elaborate for a bunch of high school kids! These quibbles aside, I really enjoyed it and hope it turns into a big hit in the "mainstream"

That scene when he's just come out of the shower is a 10/10

The rest is an 8 for me.

A strong festival opener.

Bigcat wrote:That scene when he's just come out of the shower is a 10/10

"Downtown Absey" - Some random Frightfester on social media.

Really enjoyed this one, good strong start the the festival, even though it wasn't remotely horror. 8/10

Easily in my Top 5 of the festival.

Only thing that let it down was a rather plodding last 10 minutes or so.

Fun all around and good performances and set pieces.

This film also set the tone for a hell of a lot of "80's soundtracks" which seemed to be a theme for a lot of the films shown.

First post!

This years Frightfest was my first!

what an awesome weekend! Loved it

and The Guest was my first Frightfest film and I thoroughly enjoyed it. With the inappropriate advice from the mass murdering super soldier to the kids "So...take a knife to school with you. If they take your knife....go to their place while they're sleeping and burn the place down." Getting dark laughs

the brutality unleashed upon the school bullies in the bar.

The effort he puts in to help only to non chalantly except it was all for nothing and now he has to....well destroy the whole town apparently was dark and terrible and the body count continued to rise.

There was one eye rolling moment, already mentioned, the halloween maze for the school dance. But the soundtrack was amazing and helped the film stick together (I am now addicted to Annie- Anthonio Dublin remix. And you see on youtube "The Guest brought me here" as a testement to the films musical influence on viewers.)

Loved it. Watched it again at my local cinema with friends when it was released. Still loved it. Although the looks on the elderly peoples faces at the cinema said everything "this isnt downtown abbey????" Hilarious. But they didnt leave and they apparently enjoyed the film too. I did notice a few geratric smirks at the shower scene.

pervs.

lol

So although i didnt like the halloween maze cliche it was a film that gave props and shoutouts to other films. Which I like, terminator thumb, the writing on the wall in the maze, Halloween scarecrow. It's a cool thing to give other films nods of respect and approval. All imo obviously.

9/10

Though I could be biased due to it being the film that took my FF cherry

MrD wrote:First post!

Welcome to the forum Mr. D and Happy New Year.

Thank you!

Loved my first FrightFest and its good to be here

happy new year to you too

Currently on itvx, Plex and Icon.