FrightFest

6/10. Offbeat cine-literate two-hander about a man who checks into a hotel with the intention of murdering a prostitute and a woman who's infinitely more fucked up than he is who ruins his meticulous planning. Based on a novel by Audition writer Ryu Murukami, this is always unpredictable, if a little meandering and difficult to get a handle on, its two main protagonists proving elusive. This is no doubt intentional though. Nicolas Pesce, who also directed the strange and alluring The Eyes of My Mother, wears his Euro Horror influences on his sleeve. The soundtrack features the main themes from both Profundo Rosso and Tenebre and giallo junkies will have fun playing spot the theme tune while trying to keep up with the pervy, twisted logic of Piercing.