10/18-10/22

Amanda Kramer's GIVE ME PITY

The horror illustrator Trevor Henderson, writing on SKINAMARINK and THE OUTWATERS, described both as "sensory experiences deep into the depths of wretched hyper-specific hells." I thought a lot about that when watching this

Robbie Banfinch's THE OUTWATERS //

David Prior's AM1200 (short)

Creepy number made with evident visual panache. I appreciate the brisk runtime, especially because if you look closely you can see a few moments where this feels ever so slightly padded: a killjoy could point out that you probably don't need the whole subplot where the protagonist is on the run after having embezzled money from his employer—the film would work just as well if he were just a random traveler who ends up embroiled in a series of unfortunate events. However, one could say the same of PSYCHO, so maybe this problem isn't a problem. Plus you'd lose Ray Wise if you cut that material, and nobody wants that. Overall I had a good time, and this earns bonus points for being one of those films where the director does his own sound design.

Christian Turner's WHAT HAPPENS TO THE MOUNTAIN (short)