Eight new independent visions of terror await genre fans with the fourth go-round of the annual After Dark Horrorfest series. As devotees have discovered from past festivals, the Horrorfest lineup is usually hit or miss, with at least one standout and a few genuine dogs. The 2010 edition is no exception: depending on your taste for terror, the highlight will either be
Dread, a fairly harrowing if thinly dramatized take on producer Clive Barker's short story about a college project about fear going terribly awry, or
Lake Mungo, a bloodless but genuinely chilling ghost story done in a convincing documentary format. Norway's
Hiddenalso eschews gore for atmosphere; its glacial pace may put off some viewers, but the patient will find subtle scares in its tale of a troubled homecoming overshadowed by murders. If it's body counts you're looking for,
Kill Theoryand
The Finalhave them in spades--you'll just have to put up with heavy-handed proselytizing in the former (and some truly ugly scenes) and shopworn characters in the latter. Overly familiar plotting and personas also undo the UK import
The Reeds, a sluggish thriller that pits boaters against killer strays, and
Zombies of Mass Destruction, a broad political comedy that takes potshots at lame-duck conservative targets. Of course, for some, the horror movie is pure popcorn material, best enjoyed at top volume with the rowdiest of audiences, and comic book writer-creator Brian (
Evil Ernie) Pulido's debut feature
The Gravesdelivers exactly that in its B-movie bouillabaisse of nubile heroines, crazed killers (among them Bill Moseley of
The Devil's Rejectsand
Candyman's Tony Todd), and cursed towns.
Extras are fairly light throughout the set: a smattering of discs offer deleted or alternate scenes, while others offer nothing at all. Ironically, the two weakest films (The Final and The Graves) have the most supplemental features, including not one but two commentary tracks for The Graves. Clive Barker fans might find some nuggets of interest in his conversation with Dread director Anthony DiBlasi on that disc. --Paul Gaita
