Sure, we have film festivals in Athens and in Atlanta, but they're full of "films" and not movies. You know what I'm talking about. Stuff that'll put you to sleep, give you a headache, or flat-out confuse you...but rarely entertain. They seem to be more about artsy fartsy shit than fun. So I jumped at the chance to attend the first annual "Fright Fest" indie horror/sci fi film fest in Gainesville, about an hour's drive from Athens. I got up at 8 in the morning on a Sunday, put my wife Julie and my friend Matt in the car, and headed out.
There is nothing in between Athens and Gainesville, so the drive was scary. I saw more cows than I ever care to see again. When we got to Gainesville, it was hopping with some "Mule" street festival. Yes, there were donkeys and funnel cakes. More about that later. Anyway, my friend Dan met us in the parking lot, and we made our way to the real event.
We get inside the facility where the film fest is, and it's fairly empty. A coffin with a fake severed head, a lot of action figures for sale, a woman with a table full of redneck-y shirts, a guy trying to sell some cool-looking horror dvds (I only had enough $ to see the movies that were being screened), and the info counter. The organizers were very nice and made me feel welcome. It was a little after 11am but i was ready to see some movies, dammit. Now, on to the first one...
COME GET SOME
I'd heard great things about this one from my pal Kristy Langford at GATES OF GORE and was eager to check it out (the theater was nice and big and comfortable, by the way). Judging by the title of the movie, I expected some EVIL DEAD-isms, or possibly some DUKE NUKEM-isms. The beginning of the black & white movie was beautifully disgusting; a woman visiting a graveyard has her intestines ripped out by a zombie hand that emerges from the ground. Hell of an intro. This is a zombie movie, one of the most tired formulas in the low-budget film world, but due to some truly inspired writing and exceptional performances by the cast, it sets itself apart from all the others I've seen. Basic story, the government unleash some zombies and sends a bungling Bruce Campbell-like secret agent to "stop" them. Our hero unexpectedly meets up with a badass female gang that's feuding with a group of local rednecks called "The Warner Brothers", and you've got the setup for quite a unique flick. Is there gore? You betcha. Endless shots of zombies ripping guts out and eating them, heads crushed, limbs hacked off, you name it. The carnage sometimes went on for so long, I thought about the party scene in DEAD ALIVE! Is there nudity? Not much. There's a brief shot of a girl in a fantasy sequence wearing a see-through shirt, that's all. But any fan of FASTER PUSSYCAT KILL KILL is going to appreciate the way the girl gang behaves, and the way they're photographed. Is there comedy? HELL YEAH! That's where the movie really scores. The dim-witted hero absolutely hysterical, but the rednecks were the ones I laughed at hardest. Not only do they drive around knocking off people's heads with a baseball bat, but when confronted with a bunch of zombies, fall back on ridiculous wrestling moves that are perfectly executed for maximum comic effect.
COME GET SOME was a real crowd-pleaser indeed. We all cracked up many times. After the movie, I found the co-writer/producer/star of the film, Steven Grainger, in the theater lobby and congratulated him on a job well done. I was still somewhat speechless after the flick, so I didn't know really what to say except, "awesome movie, man!" or some such retarded shit. Grainger was really cool, seemed appreciative of my comments, and thanked me by giving me a cool-ass sticker for the movie. Go to the official COME GET SOME website for more info on the film itself. It's definitely worth seeing multiple times, and has "cult hit" written all over it.
Next, we headed over to the small screening room to see a block of short films. COME GET SOME was feature length, so we were getting hungry for lunch but I made everybody watch more movies anyway!
THE DAY THE DOLLS STRUCK BACK
Right out of the gate, this one had the audience roaring with laughter. It was a trailer for a movie series that doesn't exist, treated as part of an ongoing saga (the first 3 parts were supposedly made in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, respectively). The premise is just what it sounds like...plastic baby dolls wreak havoc on the world! This was some hilarious shit, let me tell you. The sets, effects, costumes, editing, all excellent quality. Total b-movie homage all the way, served with tongue firmly in cheek. Experimental genetically-altered spiders crawl into the dolls and turn them alive! How cool is that? The highlight for me was the reel from the 80s w/ the breakdancing doll.
SKUNK APE!
Oh my god...this movie is funny as shit! Apparently in Florida, there's a real legendary swamp creature called the Skunk Ape, which is kinda like Bigfoot only more gorrilla-like. A punk band with a vile attitude decides to rehearse their music in the swamp, and they disturb the peaceful habitat of the Skunk Ape. When the band leaves, the Ape hitches a ride with them to the city to teach them a lesson. All the actors are great and the editing is superior to most I've seen on this level, but the camera work stood out most for me. Excellent. There's plenty of shocking, gory moments, but really this one is a comedy all the way. Everyone I talked to said this was the best movie they saw at the fest, actually. The website for the film is here.
BLOODSHOT
The director and star of this one were in the room when it showed, so that was cool, but it was a lot different from the other shorts that played. It had big hollywood production value, at least to my eye. The story involves a vampire hitman who is hired to exterminate some terrorists who plan on blowing up the world or something. A cop is on the hitman's tail, but later must join forces with him to battle the terrorists. While definitely well-acted and well-produced, I felt the tone was really uneven. On the one hand, you had gritty action and cool characters, but the when the comedy happened, it seemed really forced and out of place. All the terrorists were your stereotypical arab types, but most looked to be white people with big fake noses and brown faces, juggling bombs and whatnot (there was even a midget terrorist who had dynamite strapped onto his body). One guy gets kicked in the crotch so hard that he spits up his own testicles, then desperately tries to swallow them back. I dug it for the quality and craftsmanship, but thought the other shorts were more to my taste in entertainment. The guy in the picture plays the vampire, and he's one big motherfucker. Scary-looking to. My friend Matt went into the men's room right after him. I wouldn't have done that shit. The site for the movie is here for you to see.
Unfortunately, Ed Brisson's LIVING WITH THE DEAD was supposed to show, but didn't. DEATH OF SOME SALESMAN, a short made in 1995, was the last short in the group, and it was wonderful. A car salesman tries to cheat death by selling the grim reaper a used auto. I loved it when the skeleton foot kicked the tire and fell apart. Nice.
After that, we ventured outside to see what we could rustle up for lunch. The Mule Fair going on outside looked like it yielded nothing but funnel cake and cotton candy, NOT what you want in your stomach. We spotted a Quizno's Subs down the street, and walked all the way down only to find it closed. Luckily there was a Subway close by, so we got food there. The ladies took forever to make my sandwich, and there was a giant grasshopper on the wall that scared the shit out of a bunch of little kids that were inside with us.
We walked back to the festival site and ate right by a window, where outside there was a band playing on a small stage. I didn't care for the music, but it was great to see children jamming out to the band, swinging their babydolls around and stuff. I noted to Dan, Julie and Matt that I was so glad to not be playing in a rock band anymore. Filmmaking is so much better, and the people you meet are twice as cool...such as...
ROBYN GRIGGS, whom I spotted in the lobby w/ her very tall friend. I introduced myself, and before I could get it all out, she gave me a hug and was extremely friendly. Robyn is a former daytime soap actor who recently stepped into the world of independent horror films, and has quickly proven herself an extremely strong supporter of the scene. This woman is amazing! None of the movies she's made were showing in the festival, yet she flew down to Georgia anyway, just to lend her support. Incredible. Go on over to her website to get the low down on her current projects. Awesome, awesome lady.
Since we took too long for lunch, we missed the next block of short films and the beginning of Donald Farmer's BODY SHOP MASSACRE, so it was Julie's idea to go back outdoors and see just what the Mule Fair was about. This is exactly the stereotype that small southern towns have. A city square full of all types of folks walking around, several booths with gifts and stuff, a few amusement rides of the type that pop up in strip mall parking lots (complete with screaming kids), and of course, puddles of vomit every few feet or so. I spotted a particularly chunky one that was pink, white and red. Rather festive. We began to sweat (gotta love Georgia in goddamn mid-October) and promptly made our way back to the film fest.
CORPSES ARE FOREVER
Who's that in the picture right there? Why, it's Debbie Rochon! Yes indeedy. Not only did she have a rather sizeable role in the film, but so did Brinke Stevens and Linnea Quigley! Can you believe it? Two-thirds of the NIGHTMARE SISTERS, back in action. This confusing but cool movie also stars Richard (BAD DREAMS) Lynch as Satan, Don (RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD) Calfa as a CIA operative, and Felissa (SLEEPAWAY CAMP) Rose as a girl who's slowly turning into a zombie. Basically I just watched it to see Debbie and the other ladies, because I'm a huge fan of their work and I'll watch anything they do. They add a certain something to every film they're in...they flat-out rock. Seeing Debbie in such good company (she has scenes with Brinke) warmed my heart, because I know she respects their work like I do. Word is this one has been picked up for distribution, so I hope to get it on DVD and watch it again so I can figure out what happened. Go to the official site for details.
As much as I wanted to see FILTHY, a short film playing later that evening, my companions needed to get back home, have supper, and go to bed (I didn't have to be @ work in the morning either) so we decided to bail after CORPSES. I sincerely hope that Fright Fest happens again next year, because we sorely need something of its kind in Georgia. Horror films are always nudged out of film fests like Dahlonega, Kudzu, and Green Lantern in favor of more critically "respectable" fare, so this is the only chance I get to see some really entertaining stuff and meet some of the people involved in making the movies I love so much. I had a great time, and I definitely plan on going again and seeing even more stuff next time.