[Fantaspoa Fest] CEMETERY OF LOST SOULS IS A BLOODY, MYSTICAL HISTORY LESSON

Cipriano (Renato Chocair)

 CEMETERY OF LOST SOULS

Directed by Rodrigo Aragão
Written by Rodrigo Aragão
Starring Renato Chocair, Allana Lopes, Diego Garcias, Caio Macedo, Clarissa Pinhei

Evil can’t be controlled

Introduction

The present is formed by history and battles started hundreds of years ago are still waging on. Brazilian writer-director Rodrigo Aragão’s newest film, O Cemitério das Almas Perdidas (The Cemetery of Lost Souls, 2021) is an engrossing and dark fantasy that uses the fight between the shamanism of Brazil’s indigenous people and the staid, oppressive and exploitative Catholicism of the Portuguese colonists. The movie opens with a dedication to José Mojica Marins, Brazil’s most well-known horror icon: Zé de Caixão/Coffin Joe. AragãoIs is telling the audience to prepare themselves for a history lesson through the lens of horror.

[Review] WITNESS INFECTION (2021) SERVES UP A FRESH DISH FROM CINEMATIC LEFTOVERS

Director: Andy Palmer
Writers: Carlos Alazraqui, Jill-Michele Melean (as Jill-Michele Meleán)
Stars: Robert Belushi, Jill-Michele Melean, Vince Donvito, Errin Hayes, Bret Ernst, Monique Coleman

“Always leave one in the head!”

 -- Serrelli Family Motto

“It smells like death in here.”

Witness Infection (2021) is like a delicious repast made from leftovers. While the ingredients are familiar, mobster movies, rom-coms, zombie invasion films, they get mixed together into a unique dish. Occasionally the meal devolves  into an overcooked, tasteless mess by relying on overused stereotypes, this liberally spiced gangster-zombie-romcom is saved by a quick witted, funny script and over-the top gore. There are plenty laughs, thrills and even a little pathos to balance it all out. Some viewers may left hungry  for more substance, over all, it is a fun meal to feast on. 

When Clemenza schools Michael on the art of cooking for 20 in The Godfather, Francis Ford Coppola forever linked together Italian families and food in cinema. Director Andy Palmer and co-writers Carlos Alazraqui and Jill-Michele Melean continue that tradition with a skilled cast of veteran comedy actors to create a movie about food, family, and the intestines that tie them together.

BATHED IN BLOOD

A Legacy of Brutality

Many fans of the horror genre are curious about the bizarre, the violent, and above all, the bloody and frightening. The prospect of a journey into the abject, that terrifying place where there are no boundaries and everything is hostile and alien, is an irresistible draw to us.   History is one of many resources available to help satisfy that curiosity.  Its frightful stories of monstrous men and women captivate our imaginations. One such pair who have left an indelible mark on public consciousness appeared in Eastern Europe along the bridge of the 15th and 16th centuries and their impact is strongly felt today!

[REVIEW] LUCKY (2020): A DARK AND HORRIFYING REFLECTION OF OUR OWN WORLD

 LUCKY (2020)

Director: Natasha Kermani
Writer: Brea Grant 
Stars: Brea Grant, Hunter C. Smith, Kausar Mohammed, Dhruv Uday Singh, Yasmine Al-Bustami

“ I am not lucky I just work really really hard”

The Brea Grant Appreciation Society will come to order

People who are obsessed with horror movies are also obsessed with the people that make them. Many horror fans keep lists of favorite personalities such as Stephen King,  John Carpenter and George Romero to name a few. After watching the excellent 12 Hour Shift, I added the name Brea Grant to my list. Ms Grant is a thought-provoking writer and innovative director. In addition to writing and directing, she is also an exceptional actress, having appeared in several notable films and TV series. The year 2021 is starting out to be a big year for her as well. March of this year will feature the release of two new projects that she has been intimately involved with; she stars in Jill Gevargizian’s The Stylist, and she wrote and starred in director Natasha Kermani’s Lucky (2020).

[REVIEW]FRIG YOU, GOLDEN GLOBES! IT’S PSYCHO GOREMAN (2020)

PSYCHO GOREMAN

Director: Steven Kostanski
Writer: Steven Kostanski
Stars: Steven Vlahos, Matthew Ninaber, Kristen MacCulloch, Nita-Josee Hanna, Owen Myre, Alexis Kara Hancey, Timothy Paul McCarthy

Psycho Goreman: The horrors you have just witnessed cannot be unseen. Your young minds will carry this until it consumes you in a miserable death.
Mimi: Cool.

On February 3rd, 2021, the Hollywood Foreign Press announced their nominees for the 78th Golden Globe awards, to spotlight excellence in film and television. I would like to address what I consider to be a grievous error of omission on their part. Their failure to nominate Stephen Kostanski’s Psycho Goreman (2020) as Best Intergalactic Feature is an unbelievable oversight and needs to be addressed!