THE BIG SCREAM 2024 - A Bristol Horror Film Festival
This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending The Big Scream . A two day horror film festival ran by Forbidden Worlds hosted at of the old IMAX screen at Bristol Aquarium. This was the second time I've attended so I knew what to expect, but things ran a little different and there was a theme...
Stranger Danger.
This year we also had a short film preceding each feature, made by a Bristol native. Some of the film makers were Bristol born and no longer living in the city, but everyone had roots to the gurt lush city.
Upon entering we were greeted by the volunteers and given the opportunity to buy a festival poster, Forbidden Worlds tee's, pin and grab a free sticker while grabbing your complimentary lanyard and pass. Everyone was super welcoming regardless of whether they knew you or not. I'm lucky enough to be friendly with a few of those involved with the festival, which definitely eased my anxiety about attending.
Expanding the festival there were also some extra vendors, and everyone was asked to leave the screen between each film to allow for cleaning but also encouraged everyone to browse and give the vendors real support. These small businesses had great support, but also it was a fantastic opportunity for everyone to connect with each other and the businesses and I'm sure new friends were made this weekend.
A new shop to Bristol, The Haunted Bookshop, sold a wonderful selection of books(duh) but also pins, stickers, candles and other spooky ephemeral. On the second day they were joined by a tarot reader if that was something that tickled your fancy. While I didn't indulge in the tarot reading I did take the opportunity to get some Christmas shopping done for my wife utilizing their literary recommendations.
The other physical goods vendor was Second City Comics. Their massive selection of second-hand dvds (exclusively horror), as well as comic books, statues and art books, were impressive. They were continually surrounded by customers who would constantly juggling stacks of films titles unheard of.
The remaining vendors dotted around were food. The aquarium itself sold soft drinks, chocolates and unfortunately slightly stale popcorn. Espensen Spirits sold horror themed cocktails which proved popular and many conversations took place with individuals with creepy cocktail sticks pointing in my teetotal direction.
Espensen Spirits also sold chilli and hot dogs, which I unfortunately didn't try. However my seat neighbour seemed to thoroughly enjoy. My food choice for the weekend was utterly smitten by Indian Summer Cafe who sold a selection of vegan and vegetarian kebab wraps. The sagg paneer wrap was so incredible, I had to double dip the second evening.
So that's the surrounding accoutrements to the festivities. Now to the films themselves.
Given my poor health and anxiety I knew such a long day would be exhausting and I knew it would be unlikely I would stay for the last films of the day. Thankfully I only missed the final film of day 2: When A Stranger Calls (1979), which thankfully I've already seen, and frankly didn't care for. However, seeing a film on the big screen and with a crowd really shouldn't be passed up lightly, as the experience can change your perspective dramatically.
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Festival Line Up
DAY 1.
Friday 11 October 2024
4.30PM
LÍS : Gabriela Staniszewska
"Stephanie is awful. A cheater and a liar all her life - she desperately wants to get ahead, and won’t allow anyone or anything to get in her way. She is a predator in a world full of idiot prey. But one night she takes a wrong turn and makes a deal she cannot get out of. with a predator far larger than her. Now she has to face the terrifying consequences."
Incredibly well shot and directed, with an interesting story. LÍS is a parenthood story just like her previous short Yummy Mummy, which I saw last year at a short film cinema outing. However this time the connection to real life is a little more abstract and I struggle to connect a bit. However it's worth noting I'll never full appreciate either film being a father and them being distinctly from the mothers perspective.
"Gabriela Staniszewska is a multi-award winning filmmaker from Bristol, UK. She works in horror, action and sci-fi, with a small local collective" https://www.
THE SHOUT (1978)
Mysterious and bizarre. I totally loved this assault on the senses. Truly unlike anything I've seen before.
7PM:
Stop Dead: Emily Greenwood
"When a workaholic police officer and her laidback partner try to stop a dishevelled girl staggering down the middle of a country road, they discover she’s being stalked by an unseen entity with a horrifying ultimatum: if you stop moving, you die.
A very slick short, that feels like it is destined to made into a feature from Blumhouse. A simple but creepy premise with no backstory given, allowed to play out in a fairly predictable manor. However it's executed incredibly professionally and in such a way that it feels all ready for its Hollywood debut.
Emily Greenwood is an award-winning writer and director whose short films have screened at festivals across the world. ‘Stop Dead’ is her sixth short, created as a proof of concept for a feature-length horror film, to be titled ‘The Still Man’."
www.emilygreenwood.co.uk
THE HITCHER (1986)
The Hitcher was truly an incredibly tense horror film, before shifting into a more classic action. While still fantastic, the second half I found less engaging. Fantastic film making overall.
9.15PM:
THE BABKA: Michael Jenkins
"At an illegal Halloween rave, Zee and her friends discover an eerie, forgotten game – inspired by ciuciubabka, a Polish game of blind man’s bluff – that has deadly consequences if they dare to play it."
While the acting was good and it visually looked compelling, Babka just didn't keep my interest. I do believe I was getting tired at this point and this tainted this for me, but I just didn't care for what was happening. I felt like some of the direction was a bit hamfisted and obvious. There was some subtly lacking which I preferred. Although I will say there are some truly great elements too, and I applaud anyone who can bring together so many moving parts and make something creative.
"Michael Jenkins is an award-winning writer and director working in film and television, and the co-artistic director of the British School of Acting. ‘The Babka’ is his first horror film."
www.bymichaeljenkins.com
OPERA (1987)
Dario Argento's musical murder on the big screen found the audience laughing at the absurd dialogue and left me at time dizzy with the crow POV. With a hilarious introduction from "The Crow from Opera himself" aka a man in a crow costume. We all enjoyed this murderous romp.
All great as it is, the group viewing really highlights how dumb some of the writing is, made more so but the mostly dumbing.
The horror felt defanged as a result, not helped by the rock music tonal shift, which is a fun choice, but not one I totally understand.
Still, a fun time, and a truly iconic film.
DAY 2.
Saturday 12 October 2024
4PM:
CROCODILE Matt Harris-Freeth
Short and sweet, but lacking enough punch to end it, too truly make it memorable. However it's still a fun little short.
Originally another of Matt's films was planned to be shown but due to a delay in him finishing editing it, this older but on theme short was shown.
"Matt Harris-Freeth is an award-winning writer and director, working in commercials and music videos as well as short films. He is currently working on his next short and well as developing a number of features."
www.robot-dinosaur.co.uk
CURE (1997)
An unfortunate start to the day as a screening plagued with subtitle. Cure is in Japanese and the subtitles bizzarely decided to make every other character repeat themselves. Sometimes large sentences would start mid screen and run off the side only continue on the other side. Your eyes wouldn't know where to begin the sentence and if you didn't adapt quickly the film would have moved on.
The film paused to try and fix the issue and a few minutes later we started again for a collective discovery, that it was still the same. Later speaking to Tia one of organisers, he mentioned that in order to keep trying to fix it, the delay would be significant and they decide it better to push forward with the slightly frustrating subtitles. At least then, there was a chance people could get used to it, rather than delay the entire festival and disrupt the film more.
As for myself, I adapted fairly quickly and the film was so engaging that I was completely engrossed. Cure was the highlight of the festival. So bizarre, captivating and mesmerising.
7PM:
"A gay serial killer identifies a potential victim on a hook-up app."
A crowd favourite, Tapped was sleek and well crafted. While I think the majority of the crowd could guess where it was going, the ride was fun and didn't outstay it's welcome.
"Benjamin Brewer is a British expat living in Sydney, originally from Sea Mills! His passion to tell LGBTIQ+ stories has honed in on the horror and thriller genres, leading to ‘Tapped’, his debut solo project."
www.instagram.com/tapped_film
One of the 90's biggest and most influencial horrors, that truly helped define the teen slasher genre post Scream. The two films proving the genre's popularity and demand as well as inspiring countless film makers.
Watching with a crowd brought the film up in my estimations as my previous viewing left me a little dissatisfied as the cheesiness and overwhelmed me. The immersive experience of the old IMAX made the viewing so much better. While there was collective laughter for the dodgy delivery and cheesy moments, this was pure joy.
9.30PM:
" “In the past, masks were used as protection to ward off evil spirits." On Halloween, a psychic medium relays a vision of a maskless young boy pursued by a malevolent force. Is it too late to help?"
The final short of the festival was created by Paul Llewellyn someone I know in real life and actually lives in my neighborhood, so I stayed late specifically to see it. Of course this means I'm going to be biased on my viewing.
I honestly however have to say I think it's probably the best made short of the weekend. The cinematography particularly was fantastic, utilising some creative camera angles to ramp up anxiety. The soundtrack was minimal but hauntingly tense, giving an overall sound design that was incredibly effective alongside the persistent narrator.
My only problem was the actual narrative, which I'm not 100% sure I understood at it's final conclusion. I'm going to have to give it another watch when I'm less tired. After so many films, I was struggling physically and mentally.
"Paul Llewellyn is a Bristolian filmmaker with a passion for genre cinema. After many years in corporate video, he's now focused on making features. He is currently shooting his first film, ‘Ex-Rental’, a no-budget love letter to the video shop era, and writing the feature-length version of ‘Guise’."
https://www.instagram.com/
I AM COOKED
The decision was made long before. During Cure, I had to stand and stretch for a long period and I'm exhausted. I stay to see Guise, but I'm headed home.
Content and tired.
Overall, i'm proud of myself for leaving the house and proud for actually speaking to some people. Everyone was so warm and welcoming particularly the staff and volunteers.
I also had the pleasure of speaking to Gabriela Staniszewska the director of LÍS and got to gush in person about her last film Yummy Mummy and how much it connected with me and a father. She was wonderful and just lovely to chat with.
Forbidden Worlds returns in May and The Big Scream with hopefully return again next October.
An unfortunate start to the day as a screening plagued with subtitle. Cure is in Japanese and the subtitles bizzarely decided to make every other character repeat themselves. Sometimes large sentences would start mid screen and run off the side only continue on the other side. Your eyes wouldn't know where to begin the sentence and if you didn't adapt quickly the film would have moved on.
The film paused to try and fix the issue and a few minutes later we started again for a collective discovery, that it was still the same. Later speaking to Tia one of organisers, he mentioned that in order to keep trying to fix it, the delay would be significant and they decide it better to push forward with the slightly frustrating subtitles. At least then, there was a chance people could get used to it, rather than delay the entire festival and disrupt the film more.
As for myself, I adapted fairly quickly and the film was so engaging that I was completely engrossed. Cure was the highlight of the festival. So bizarre, captivating and mesmerising.
7PM:
TAPPED Benjamin Brewer
"A gay serial killer identifies a potential victim on a hook-up app."
A crowd favourite, Tapped was sleek and well crafted. While I think the majority of the crowd could guess where it was going, the ride was fun and didn't outstay it's welcome.
"Benjamin Brewer is a British expat living in Sydney, originally from Sea Mills! His passion to tell LGBTIQ+ stories has honed in on the horror and thriller genres, leading to ‘Tapped’, his debut solo project."
www.instagram.com/tapped_film
I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER (1997)
Watching with a crowd brought the film up in my estimations as my previous viewing left me a little dissatisfied as the cheesiness and overwhelmed me. The immersive experience of the old IMAX made the viewing so much better. While there was collective laughter for the dodgy delivery and cheesy moments, this was pure joy.
9.30PM:
GUISE: Paul Llewellyn
" “In the past, masks were used as protection to ward off evil spirits." On Halloween, a psychic medium relays a vision of a maskless young boy pursued by a malevolent force. Is it too late to help?"
The final short of the festival was created by Paul Llewellyn someone I know in real life and actually lives in my neighborhood, so I stayed late specifically to see it. Of course this means I'm going to be biased on my viewing.
I honestly however have to say I think it's probably the best made short of the weekend. The cinematography particularly was fantastic, utilising some creative camera angles to ramp up anxiety. The soundtrack was minimal but hauntingly tense, giving an overall sound design that was incredibly effective alongside the persistent narrator.
My only problem was the actual narrative, which I'm not 100% sure I understood at it's final conclusion. I'm going to have to give it another watch when I'm less tired. After so many films, I was struggling physically and mentally.
"Paul Llewellyn is a Bristolian filmmaker with a passion for genre cinema. After many years in corporate video, he's now focused on making features. He is currently shooting his first film, ‘Ex-Rental’, a no-budget love letter to the video shop era, and writing the feature-length version of ‘Guise’."
https://www.instagram.com/
WHEN A STRANGER CALLS (1979) - Not watched
I AM COOKED
The decision was made long before. During Cure, I had to stand and stretch for a long period and I'm exhausted. I stay to see Guise, but I'm headed home.
Content and tired.
Overall, i'm proud of myself for leaving the house and proud for actually speaking to some people. Everyone was so warm and welcoming particularly the staff and volunteers.
I also had the pleasure of speaking to Gabriela Staniszewska the director of LÍS and got to gush in person about her last film Yummy Mummy and how much it connected with me and a father. She was wonderful and just lovely to chat with.
Forbidden Worlds returns in May and The Big Scream with hopefully return again next October.
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