For the last of my New York City Horror Film Festival posts for 2016, I wanted to discuss three of the feature films from the line-up. The festival offered something for every kind of film fan. Not every film worked for me, but the variety impressive and well-curated. I would definitely return next year to see what else they choose to showcase. And now onto the films…
Shortwave
Isabel Harris (Juanita Ringeling) and her husband Josh (Cristobal Tapia Montt) had their idyllic lives destroyed when their young daughter was abducted in Shortwave, written and directed by Ryan Gregory Phillips. In the process of returning to some sense of normalcy, they move to a secluded hillside home where Josh and his research partner Thomas (Kyle Davis) have been hard at work on a secretive project involving a mysterious shortwave radio signal. The signal starts to affect Isabel in unexpected ways. Perhaps the only thing more alarming than the danger the signal poses to Isabel is the discovery of who or what is sending it.
Shortwave is a captivating sensory experience. The beautiful cinematography and aggressive score and sound design collide with jarring but effective results. Sometimes dizzying, other times hypnotic, the film rarely relents. And relentless is precisely how it feels once the violence starts to build. Prepare to squirm–or giggle if you’re twisted soul like me. To its credit, the film is light on exposition and heavy on mood. If you do not get the opportunity to experience it in the theaters, I recommend any home viewing be with the lights off and the volume loud.
It was the recipient of Best Cinematography, Best Sci-Fi, and Best Sound Design at the festival, all of which were well-deserved distinctions.
Found Footage 3D
According to writer/actor Derek (Carter Roy), the only way to make splash in the horror genre is to be the first to do something. Much to the chagrin of his friend and director Andrew (Tom Saporito), that means shooting their ultra-low-budget found footage film in 3D, even if that makes little sense. Derek’s wild idea isn’t the only obstacle Andrew must contend with; Derek’s ex-wife (Alena von Stroheim) is the other lead and Derek just hired an attractive young production assistant (Jessica Perrin) with no experience whatsoever. Oh, and they happen to be filming at an actual haunted cabin in Found Footage 3D, the debut feature by writer/director Steven DeGennaro.
I wanted to like this film and went in with an open mind despite fairly heavy fatigue from self-referential, meta horror. The novelty on which the film is relying isn’t strong enough to carry it. There’s way too much winking at the camera (figuratively) and it took me out of the film. An unfortunate distraction came from trying to decide if some of the shots in which the foreground figures are blurry and the background crystal clear were in fact a deliberate commentary on the shoddiness of found footage, actual poor shooting with a 3D camera, or a bad projection in the theater. Something like that shouldn’t be ambiguous. If you’re going to satirize a genre (or subgenre in this case), the product has to be airtight. This film wasn’t.
Scott Allen Perry‘s portrayal as the sound operator Carl was one of the film’s saving graces. The performances were strong overall, but he stood out and nailed the material. Additionally, the final act, once it eschewed its commentary on final acts, was tense, bloody, and exciting in all the ways it should be. I’d be willing to give this film another shot sometime, but can’t enthusiastically recommend it. However, it was award Best Screenplay at the festival.
White Coffin
Virginia (Julieta Cardinali) is determined to do whatever is necessary to rescue her abducted daughter. Not even dying in a car accident will stop her. Granted a day-long reprieve from death, Virginia searches for clues to the mysterious circumstances behind her daughter’s capture in White Coffin, directed by Daniel de la Vega. Made in Argentina, the film has that unique manic and weird energy only found in Latin American works. It can’t be emulated and is often difficult to describe. All bets are off and you can quite guess what will happen next (thanks to the strong screenplay from Adrián García Bogliano and Ramiro García Bogliano), but you can’t help but buy into it every step of the way. Cardinali is fabulous as the frantic, undead Virginia. Her performance, as well as the film itself, is an exercise in momentum, like a runaway train building speed until ultimately crashes, inflicting maximum damage. I’m skimping on details, because it’s best to experience it for yourself.