If a Tree Falls – Disturbing Horror from Southern Ontario!

Image from Black Fawn Films (http://www.blackfawnfilms.com/)

There are not many things in this world that I find more frightening than motiveless masked assailants. Say what you will about the movie The Strangers, but the trailer alone almost had me losing my mind. Also, this year at TIFF”s Midnight Madness I will be forced to sit through Adam Wingard’s You’re Next, whose animal-masked assailants will probably have me looking through the Yellow Pages for a good therapist when I get home.

Before I sat down to watch my DVD copy of If a Tree Falls I took a long look at the cover. Specifically, I was looking at the blindfolded woman running away in terror and the burly man wearing a fishnet tank top, and nylon panty hose as a mask, which has distorted his facial features grotesquely. I know what you’re thinking, you gotta be crazy as hell to wear a fishnet tank top!

Was it really a good idea for me to watch this alone?

Well, I did. In the name of art!

I probably won’t sleep too well for a while.

If a Tree Falls is a cool indie horror flick from Black Fawn Films and director Philip Carrer. It was also an offical selection from the 2010 Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal. The story revolves around two siblings, Brad (Ryan Barrett) and Lisa (Jennifer De Lucia), and two family friends, Will (Daniel Zuccala) and Vanessa (Breanne TeBoekhorst), who are setting out together for a road trip. After a creepy table-side encounter with a weirdo at a diner, the crew decide to setup camp for the night. Unfortunately for them, this is where the horror starts as the group is attacked in the night by a group of masked men. The friends are left with one seemingly impossible solution to their predicament. Get away!

The four leads do a great job of transforming from relaxed friends, enjoying a casual road trip, to suffering victims that just want to evade or at the very least understand why they are being pursued by masked assailants. Also, Jay Justin turns in a great performance as the creepy customer in the diner. The villains also do a great job with their terrifying, distorted faces and their complete lack of compassion.

On the technical side of things, the camera work is fairly solid throughout the film. It seems like a lot of work was done after shooting, as the film has a 70’s grindhouse feel to it. The picture quality was intentionally made to look like the reel had been forgotten on some dusty shelf for a few decades. The scratches and other artifacts are quite effective and greatly add to the film’s atmosphere. The soundtrack of original tunes is also quite good.

Finally, I think one of the hardest things to do in horror cinema in recent years is to walk that fine line between gut-wrenching suspense and downright torture. I feel that the most successful horror films are basically a well balanced tug-of-war between the heroes and the villains, while at the same time delivering the buckets of gore that modern audiences seem to crave. The struggle for power in If a Tree Falls leans a little heavily in the villains’ favour for my taste. However, with this imbalance of power comes an incredibly oppressive and upsetting atmosphere which will certainly appeal to many horror fans.

If a Tree Falls is definitely worth checking out if you are a fan of the gritty world of helpless victims and backwoods monsters. Also, it’s nice to see such a professional product that was shot in the small city of Guelph, Ontario. Normally this DVD would set you back about $15 from Black Fawn Distribution, but if you’re lucky enough to be attending Fan Expo this weekend, then pop by the Black Fawn Films booth and you can pick it up for only $10.

Don’t be Afraid of the Dark

Last night I was very excited to catch an advance screening of Don’t be Afraid of the Dark. The tickets were free, thanks to an online contest courtesy of the kind people at Alliance Films and the ghastly ghouls at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival. On a side note, I’ve read some interesting tweets about eight films (a total of 19 films will be at the festival)  that Toronto After Dark has announced at the currently running Fan Expo. If these reports are accurate, then we have some great films to look forward to! More on this when the films are officially announced.

Don’t be Afraid of the Dark is the latest offering from producer Guillermo del Toro. I’ve been a huge del Toro fan for a while now. He is the director of the fantastic Pan’s Labyrinth, the Hellboy films, the unsettling The Devil’s Backbone and he produced one of my favorite haunted house movies, The Orphanage. Basically, anything horror related with del Toro’s name on it should be good time.

Minor general plot SPOILERS ahead.

The film begins with young Sally (Bailee Madison) moving into a creepy historical fixer-upper with her architect father, Alex (Guy Pearce), and his interior designer girlfriend, Kim (Katie Holmes). The couple is currently working on restoring the home in order to revive Alex’s career. Shortly after discovering a sealed basement door, Sally begins to hear mysterious voices beckoning to her. She mistakes these voices as those of friends and sets to work trying to find their source. Unfortunately for Sally, she manages to unleash an archaic horror in the old house. Will she be able to convince Alex and Kim about the true nature of the unsettling events that begin to transpire in the home?

Going into Don’t be Afraid of the Dark I was expecting an atmospheric haunted house movie with a twist. The twist being the use of creatures instead of traditional ghosts. I will not go into details regarding the creatures, but I will say that the film delivers a type of monster not often seen seen in horror movies. Also, I was expecting the horror aspects to be rather tame, low on blood and high on jump-out-of-your-seat scare tactics. This was not the case. Although there are a number of ‘startle’ scares, there are also two to three scenes that are not for the squeamish. In particular, the opening and closing action sequences of the film are the two most thrilling parts. However, Don’t be Afraid of the Dark never commits to one type of audience. I feel that this decision hindered rather than helped the film.

The film suffers from a number of issues which prevent it from being as enjoyable as it could have been. The issues also made me feel like there was a Jekyll and Hyde battle going on behind the camera or during the script writing phase. For starters, the slow, creepy atmospheric build up and light horror fare places Don’t be Afraid of the Dark in a category with Joe Dante films like Gremlins or The Burbs (two of my favourite light horror films), not a bad category to be in. However, the more gruesome moments in the film shock the viewer out of this comfortable atmosphere, but they are far too few for the film to be considered a bloody or terrifying film. Also, the audience at times seemed to be confused as to whether they should laugh or not. Intentional and unintentional jokes in the film are very difficult to differentiate between. If the film committed to being a horror-comedy or straight horror, it would be stronger for it. Finally, the story had a major flaw in that it was not convincing why the characters would continue to stay in or return to this house. In one scene Sally is picked up in a car by her father and taken back to her home. The entire audience emitted a loud groan. Intelligent plot devices are a necessity if the main character returns to the scene of the horror time and time again.

I don’t think I will be watching Don’t be Afraid of the Dark anytime soon, but in the end I think that the film will find a group of movie-goers that will enjoy it. It is certainly for the casual horror fan as there is nothing truly terrifying about the film, however these casual horror fans should not be of the squeamish variety due to the few scenes that contain some uncomfortable moments.

Troll Hunter (Trolljegeren) – The Royal (Toronto)

Try to think of the world’s most dangerous job – go ahead, I’ll wait.

All done?

Did you come up with crocodile dentist? Bio-warfare experimental subject? Cyanide sommelier? They are all wrong. The correct answer is Troll Hunter.

It turns out that troll hunting isn’t as heroic as it sounds. The hours are long, the benefits are lousy and as I mentioned, it’s dangerous as hell. Also, don’t even bother applying if you’re a Christian, the trolls will smell you miles away.

Anyone keeping up with the maven lately knows that I have been on a horror movie tear. With Midnight Madness at TIFF approaching in September and the Toronto After Dark festival following in October, I can’t seem to satisfy my appetite for new horror flicks. That’s exactly why I was drawn out to The Royal (608 College St. , West of Bathurst) on a Saturday night, when I should have been going out on a date with my girlfriend or having some beers with the guys. However, there was a big problem with the latter two options…not enough trolls.

The Royal promised to deliver Troll Hunter at 9:15pm, and Troll Hunter assured that trolliness was going to be a top priority. They each delivered in spades.

I think that The Royal may quickly become one of my favourite theatres in the city. It’s right in the middle of Little Italy, so hungry and thirsty movie-goers don’t have to worry about wasting away from lack of sustenance. The interior is very clean and attractive, it even has angelic like figures adorning platforms to the left and right of the screen. And the chairs! The chairs have a lot of give, so if you really like to lean back during a movie, you will be in heaven. At $10 a ticket ($8 for students), I felt like I was being mistakenly treated like a VIP. If The Royal schedules more films like Troll Hunter, then I will be a regular fixture. On to the movie!

I hope it will not be considered a spoiler if I say that Troll Hunter contained trolls and that troll hunting was an activity the main characters partook in. The story begins with a few students from a College investigating news of a possible bear poacher in Norway. They eventually find the purported poacher and discover that he is in fact a troll hunter by occupation. However, the troll hunter has become somewhat disillusioned and decides that these College students should be allowed to film him on the job. This is quite the opportunity as troll hunting is a very secretive line of work, and as a result the College students jump at the chance.

Troll Hunter delivers on a number of levels, albeit it does take about twenty minutes to get into the hunting itself, which is by far the highlight of the film. The film is a great adventure. As a member of the audience you really feel as if you are part of a special expedition, and without any previous knowledge, you learn the job on the fly. Also, there are some excellent comedic moments during the film. Unlike other films utilizing the shaky cam or ‘reality’ documentary style, such as Blair Witch or Cloverfield, Troll Hunter has a sense of humour. There were multiple scenes that had the entire audience cracking up. Lastly, the trolls were incredible! I actually dislike CG LESS because of this movie. The trolls are awe inspiring and it is impossible to do anything but tremble when their ferocity is on display.

I wasn’t a big fan of Blair Witch style films when I went in to Troll Hunter, and coming out, I’m still not. However, Troll Hunter is a unique breed of film. It borrows from previous films but manages to feel totally unique. I can’t wait to watch it a second time. That said, this is a film that demands to be seen in theatres. A TV, no matter how big, just wouldn’t do it justice.

Troll Hunter is on at The Royal until Thursday, August 25th. In case you don’t like shaky cam movies, I should say that I didn’t find the picture to be that shaky.

Tucker & Dale vs. Evil – Toronto Underground Cinema

Tucker & Dale vs. Evil has a lot in common with hillbilly slasher flicks like Texas Chainsaw Massacre and the Wrong Turn series. However, there a couple major differences: The hillbillies are the good guys and the film is hilarious! My sides and face are still aching this morning, that’s how funny it is!

I caught Tucker & Dale at the Toronto Underground Cinema (186 Spadina Avenue, just North of Queen). Fresh off my outing to see Little Terrors #2 at the Projection Booth, I was hankering for another horrific cinema experience with an audience that would appreciate it.

I was not disappointed.

When I arrived at the Underground, 30 minutes in advance, I was surprised to see a ticket lineup in a very long hallway that almost extended to the doors. I experienced some very mixed emotions:

People actually love horror movies in this city!

Uh oh, would I get in?

Upon speaking with the friendly ticket vendor I learned that the line had to extend out the doors and down to the Mcdonald’s before I had to worry.

After entering the theatre and taking our seats, the audience was welcomed by one of the guys from Rue Morgue (these guys are everywhere). He had a few announcements for us regarding the upcoming Festival of Fear (http://www.rue-morgue.com/rmp_fof.php), which sounds like a blast, and some trivia for the audience, complete with prizes. This was a great way to start off the night and get the audience involved. Although, as horror movie fans we were not a typical audience. The behaviour of the trivia winners as they claimed their prizes resembled that of racoons finding some food only to be startled back into the shadows of the night.

We’re a unique crowd.

After the exciting introduction provided by Rue Morgue we heard a word from a representative of the upcoming Toronto After Dark film festival (http://torontoafterdark.com/2011/) . I’m planning to attend it this year and would recommend it for any horror fans out there. They even have a Zombie Appreciation Night, where anyone resembling the undead receives a discount. Let’s hope everyone is actually wearing makeup.

There is a wonderful sense of community amongst horror film fans in Toronto. I’m thrilled to have found it and I can’t wait to become a more active member. On to the movie!

Tucker & Dale tears down one of the most consistent stereotypes in all of horror cinema, that of the hillbilly, redneck or woodsman as a deranged psycho killer. Tucker and Dale are some of the nicest guys you could hope to meet. Sure, they are a little rough around the edges and they may have a lower social IQ than any member of the Jersey Shore, but they couldn’t even hurt a fish, let alone a human being.

The story starts out with Tucker and Dale setting out for a fishing trip and to check out Tucker’s new vacation home, a bit of a fixer upper, when they run into a group of College kids that have similar plans. Dale tries to strike up a conversation with one of the attractive College girls, but unfortunately the encounter comes off as a bit creepy, as the kids perceive Tucker and Dale to be your typical backwoods villains. Through a series of egregious misunderstandings, Tucker and Dale begin to fit this mould.

The majority of the actors do a decent job in Tucker & Dale, although three in particular stood out for me. Tyler Labine as Dale, and Alan Tudyk as Tucker could not have been cast any better. These two carry the film and are completely believable as benevolent hillbillies. The gags throughout the film are fresh and most are not predictable. In particular, there is a scene with Tucker and a chainsaw that may go down as one of the funniest moments in horror comedy cinema. I swear some people had tears in their eyes at the end of this one, I know I did. Jesse Moss as Chad, the unofficial leader of the College kids, also did a fabulous job as an over-the-top jock, the type of character in horror movies that is usually responsible for convincing the others not to call the police. You have never seen a ‘victim’ leader quite like Chad. He thinks the world of himself and has about one hundred reasons why everyone else is a ‘pussy’.

I have not had such a good time with a comedy in ages. The laughs fly rapidly at the audience for the entire first half and you almost do not have enough time to recover for the next gag. Like all comedies, I’m sure Tucker & Dale will benefit greatly from a packed house and may not seem as side-splitting to someone who watches it at home. Although it should be said that the second-half of the film is not nearly as funny as the first, it does a good job advancing and resolving the story. The film as a whole is a great success and a refreshingly unique take on hillbilly horror.

It seems like Tucker & Dale vs. Evil will be getting a limited theatrical release on September 30th. Keep your eyes open and get to the theatre, even if you don’t love horror movies.

I guarantee you will enjoy Tucker & Dale vs. Evil.

Little Terrors – Short horror film series (The Projection Booth, Toronto)

Image is the art work of Kevin Hutchinson (http://www.secondskincreations.net/)

Last night I took a trip down Gerrard Street in Toronto, away from the busy downtown core. There’s not a lot to do on Gerrard and there’s not a lot to see, but if you’re patient and ride the streetcar to 1035 Gerrard St. E., you will find one of the coolest theatres in town. The Projection Booth.

The interior of the Projection Booth looks like it may have been decorated by blind ascetic monks and the theatre may be be as cold as a coffin, but don’t worry, that’s not why you’re here. You’re here for the friendly and knowledgeable staff, the $2.50 bag of popcorn, and most importantly, you are here because the Projection Booth will show films that no other theatre in town will show. For those of us that have had our fill of wand toting teenagers and superhero origin movies, this is a godsend!

On this particular night, thanks to Rue Morgue and Unstable Ground, I was able to attend an event like no other event I had ever attended before. Two hours of short horror films, up on the glorious big-screen. I wasn’t sure exactly how much to expect from a prolonged viewing of shorts, after all, I particularly enjoy getting happily lost in a feature length film for a few hours. Imagine my surprise when the evening was not only good, but excellent.

Little Terrors Volume 2 consisted of a wide variety of horror shorts of different subject matter, style, country of origin, run time (6 – 21 minutes), you name it. If you are a fan of horror then you would have had a blast. Since here at the maven I try to focus on the best of the best, I will only discuss a couple of the shorts I watched, although it should be said that the majority of them were quite enjoyable. Remember, if you find yourself watching a short that you don’t particularly like, don’t worry, it will be over soon.

For me the highlights of the program had to be Geoff Redknap’s ‘The Auburn Hills Breakdown‘ and Jerome Sable’s ‘The Legend of Beaver Dam‘. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you too much about these short, as the surprise they punch is probably why I found them so enjoyable.

I think that Auburn Hills caught the entire audience off guard. A clever script combined with the knowledge of how to make an effective film on a, presumably, very small budget must be the secret to Auburn Hills‘ success. I have to hand it to the actors as well, they did a great job.

Now on to Beaver Dam. This has to be the most innovative film, short or feature length, that I have seen in a long time. Also, if you are a fan of Sean Cullen, he is fabulous as the bullying scout leader/camp counselor character. Again, the less you know about it, the more pleasurable the experience will be, but if you need a sneak peak, check out the trailer below.

I’m going to make it a point to be in the audience next month when Little Terrors – Volume #3 is put on the big screen. If you’re a fan of horror and looking for something interesting to do then get your butt over to the Projection Booth in September and add Little terrors (http://www.facebook.com/littleterrorstoronto) or the Projection Booth (http://www.facebook.com/ProjectionBoothEast?ref=ts) to your Facebook account to keep an eye on the date.

It’s gonna be scream!