The Filmcraziest Show – Robert Benjamin and Ben O’Toole, “Bloody Hell”

On this episode of The Filmcraziest Show I chatted with writer Robert Benjamin and actor Ben O'Toole for their new film Bloody Hell, which premiered on demand on January 14 (here are some options for rent or purchase) and will be available on Blu-Ray and DVD on  January 19.  The plot: Rex Coen (Ben O’Toole) finds himself in a crazy situation during a bank robbery and decides to take the opportunity to play hero and save the hostages. Instead, he’s hailed by a hero by some and a lunatic by others and is sent to jail. Once he’s released, he leaves this mysterious past behind for better pastures in Finland. But in Bloody Hell, Finland is way worse. The film is directed by Alister Grierson, written by Robert Benjamin, and stars Ben O'Toole (pictured in the featured image), Meg Fraser, Caroline Craig, Matthew Sunderland and Travis Jefferey. 

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Filmcraziest Interviews – Paul Komadina, “Abduction” (Short)

On this episode of Filmcraziest Interviews I am joined by Australian filmmaker Paul Komadina to discuss his new short film Abduction, which recently played as part of the North Bend Film Festival at Nightstream. The short film stars Alexandra Nell as Mathilda, a woman who after waking up in the middle of a field with no memory faces a streak of judgment and cruelty. The film is directed by Paul Komadina and written by Frances Elliott.

Filmcraziest Interviews – Terence Krey and Christine Nyland, “An Unquiet Grave”

Welcome to another episode of Filmcraziest Interviews and for this episode I chatted with Terence Krey (writer, director and producer) and Christine Nyland (writer and star, pictured in the featured image) for their new film An Unquiet Grave, which had its World Premiere on Oct. 11 at the Nightstream virtual film festival. The film stars Jacob A. Ware as Jamie, a widow one year removed from the death of his wife. One night, he enlists the help of his sister-in-law Ava (Christine Nyland) to help him bring her back from the dead. It’s a two-actor chamber horror directed by Terence Krey, and written by Krey and Nyland.

Filmcraziest Interviews – Austin Rourke for his short A Strange Calm (2020)

On this episode, I chat with AFI alum writer and director Austin Rourke for his short film A Strange Calm, which  had its Canadian Premiere at the Fantasia Film Festival last month (and this is when we conducted this interview), and played at the Nightstream virtual film festival this past weekend, as a part of …

Nighstream Film Festival Recap

With the first edition of the Nightstream Virtual Film Festival winding down, many of the events are still available on-demand until tomorrow, Oct. 14, and the same can be said for many of the festival’s on-demand titles, too! You can find those tickets and films still available here. I wanted to do a link round-up post for the films I was able to watch at this year’s Nightstream that are still available on demand, as well as some of the same films that are playing at Nightstream that I caught at Fantasia in August, and some of the short films that are playing at this year’s festival, as well, and the ones I’m highlighting will have played at Fantasia.

Nightstream Review: An Unquiet Grave (2020)

This is another tale in the “what would you do for your family?” horror cannon, which has seen some good features, even at this year’s Nightstream with Anything for Jackson and My Heart Can’t Beat Unless You Tell it To. Here, An Unquiet Grave is carried by two great performances by Jacob A. Ware and Christine Nyland, who also co-writes this film with director Terence Krey. And when I say the film's carried by these two performances, they're virtually the only ones in the film and are there in every scene. With that said, it's great that these performances are so compelling. Ware captures the grief of his character well, as does Nyland, and Nyland’s performance is the standout here as it’s unpredictable, and I would give kudos to a unique aspect of her performance but that would border on spoilers. But with what happens in the film and what results from the ritual is fascinating and creates such a cool dynamic, and makes for such an interesting concept. 

Nightstream Review: Dinner in America (2020)

If you’ve ever wanted a movie with the abrasive punk rock attitude of Green Room, or the quirky comedy of films like Napoleon Dynamite, you need to look no further than Dinner in America. Simon as a character is in-your-face, abrasive and offensive, and just everything that’s cool about punk rock. Patty is everything sweet and nice but gets bullied for not being the smartest person. She doesn’t even get bullied at school – she’s a 20-year-old who gets picked on by high schoolers because they’re on the same bus route. She totally seems like a character that could fit in that Napoleon Dynamite world, but she’s totally her own person.

Nightstream Review: Frank & Zed (2020)

Sometimes watching a film, it’s easy to forget just how much craft goes into creating it. With the super unique gorefest Frank and Zed, though, it’s also easy to appreciate the effort that writer/director Jesse Blanchard – and the whole team, really – put into this nutty puppet spectacle that took seven years to make. Two reanimated corpses – the titular Frank and Zed but known more commonly as Frankenstein and Zombie – have lived a peaceful life for the past 200 years in a castle by a nearby village. In that village, 200 years ago, they were attacked by a monster, and to save the people, the King made a pact with a demon to protect them. In exchange, when the royal bloodline ended, the villagers would have to fulfill an ancient prophecy called The Orgy of Blood. Nudging this into action are two power-hungry villagers who trick the others into attacking the castle where Frank and Zed live.

Nightstream Review: Reunion (2020)

A pregnant woman named Ellie (Emma Draper) returns to her childhood home after the death of her grandparents to close the estate and sell it. There, she reunites with her estranged mother, Ivy (Julie Ormond), as we learn the long-buried secrets of this family that slowly come to surface. The aptly named Reunion combines family drama and mystery with haunted house horror, as Ellie is tormented by childhood memories throughout the film. This brings a non-linear structure as Ellie’s memories with her sister Cara (Ava Keane), and other memories, are triggered by events in the present, as the pacing feels similarly to Netflix mini-series The Haunting of Hill House.

Nightstream Review: Anything for Jackson (2020)

Editor’s note: Okay, full transparency on this one, I actually caught this Anything for Jackson at Fantasia Film Festival in September for its World Premiere and I enjoyed it so much I wanted to watch it again. It was such a great surprise then as a brilliant reverse exorcism film, and I really wanted to see how it holds up on second viewing. I didn’t read my first review of the film over so I don’t know how much I repeat, but this is written from the perspective of how it plays on second viewing.