Fangoria x Monster Fest
During the Halloween season, Fangoria x Monster Fest hosted an epic celebration across Australian capital cities with featured screenings of horror movies, paying homage to international cult cinema. Taking on the themes of horror, fantasy, science-fiction, crime, noir, drama, black comedy and erotica, Fangoria x Monster Fest was the perfect way to round out the Halloween season.
I was lucky enough to score myself some tickets to the Fangoria x Monster Fest here at the Capitol City Cinemas in Manuka, Canberra. Settling in my popcorn and fellow horror movie lovers a like I was treated to an array of 2019 alternative style horror movies that meet the Fangoria fanbase of lovers of campy gore flicks. Technically I watched some of these at the start of November, so none of these movies could be used in my October 31 Days of Horror Movies Challenge, but it was worth the shout outs for these. Here are some of the movies worth checking out if it comes your way. Please note that this contains spoilers.
Porno
Porno is a 2019 movie stuck in the gross out horror comedy era of the 80's. Featuring a tale of five Christian teens up against a demonically sexy succubus that emerges from an unearthed 35mm skin flick, Porno is strange. There was a lot of dismembered penis' in this film (peni?), which while I applaud the idea of showing more penis to tits and vagina then what would be usual in a horror movie - but also a man's balls exploded and you watched in graphic detail as they tried to put his nutsack back together. I don't really understand where some of the characters went at the very end, and the ritual that the two remaining ushers decided to try seemed a bit unlikely to work, and not to mention the fact that they were all such squares Porno was at least a fun way to spend the afternoon!
Riot Girls
This was a hard pick, as both Riot Girls and Bliss were on at the same time and I wanted to watch both, but the dystopian version of 1995 won out in the end. If you call, a mysterious virus wiping out all of the adult population winning. This directorial debut of Jovanka Vuckovic showcased two rival gangs pitted against each other in a brutal war for territory, resources and survival, showcasing the hardened survivors of teen gangs looking for new turf.
Satanic Panic
There is nothing I love more than adding together Beverly Hills style fabulousness with the dripping blood of gore, and Satanic Panic delivers. Starring real life model Rebecca Romjin and her husband Jerry O'Connell, this horror comedy is about a satanic cult who attempt to sacrifice an unwitting virgin of a pizza delivery driver, only for her to escape and discover help isn't on the way. Satanic Panic was brilliant. It was gross, it was funny, it was weird, it was full of skulls and demons from the dead. There was a giant mechanical vibrating drilldo (a drill dildo) so that's all you really need to know on the topic.
Bliss
A brilliant painter facing the worst creative block of her life turns to anything she can to complete her masterpiece, spiraling into a hallucinatory hellscape of drugs, sex, and murder in the sleazy underbelly of Los Angeles. Bliss is a hyper-coloured, through-the-looking-glass type of adventure that sparks danger and discontent, and takes the viewers on a hyper 'Requiem for a dream' style ride, injecting both realism and fantasy simultaneously.
The Furies
The Furies has a lot of hype, especially here in Canberra, because it was shot right here! This local film follows a woman who find herself the unwilling participant in a game of survive-or-die with a gang of masked killers. As one of the Canberra MonsterFest openers, The Furies was met with extreme fan fair, complete with Q&A's conducted by the creators and the cast, as well as fantastic giveaways and special features. The showing of The Furies was what a real MonsterFest Horror Movie Marathon really looks like!
Blood Vessel
Something that looks like a mix of Nazi-drenched warship and blood smeared survivors is sure to a epic, and Blood Vessel lives up to that name. Set in the North Atlantic in 1945, survivors from a torpedoed hospital ship float in a life raft with no chance of survival, only to come in contact with an abandoned Nazi warship. Faced with certain death of the sea, the survivors climb on board, only to be met with an ancient horror that wracks the ship looking for its next victims. Blood Vessel is actually directed by Justin Dix, a special effects hero that puts his skills to extremely good use.
Want more MonsterFest? Check out the website for when it might be near you!
