Fantasia 2024 Reviews: Carnage for Christmas and Kryptic

As a connoisseur of the macabre and a seasoned festival-goer with over two decades under my belt, I must say that this year’s Fantasia International Film Festival has been a rollercoaster ride of cinematic delights!


As a gamer, I’m diving headfirst into the 2024 Fantasia International Film Festival, and let me tell you, it’s a cinematic adventure! ComicBook has just dropped some hot-off-the-press reviews from the festival’s genre and international film premieres. This time around, I’m dishing out my thoughts on two films that have left quite an impact: the campy, blood-soaked slasher flick titled “Carnage for Christmas” and the mind-bending, transcendental horror movie called “Kryptic”. Buckle up, folks! It’s going to be a wild ride.

Carnage for Christmas

In the recent work by director Alice Maio Mackay, maintaining the harmony among camp, melodrama, and slasher isn’t so much a refined dance as it is a skillful juggling act where one mood might linger longer than anticipated. It won’t take long for viewers of Carnage for Christmas, a queer slasher movie characterized by an unpredictable editing style and witty characters, to determine if they resonate with its unique rhythm in filmmaking; however, when it dwells excessively on one aspect within a scene, it might momentarily lose you, but it could quickly regain your interest with the next scene.

Over the holiday season, I’ve come back to my hometown after undergoing a transition and establishing myself as a renowned true-crime podcaster. This place has always been shrouded in urban legends, and it feels like those chilling tales are creeping back up. Mackay directs this film from a script we co-wrote with Ben Pahl Robinson, blending gruesome horror elements with over-the-top drama in an unusual mix that doesn’t always hit the mark. However, one thing that consistently makes me laugh is the portrayal of police incompetence – a theme that’s not just mentioned but vividly demonstrated through the disheveled attire each officer wears on screen.

As a horror enthusiast with a soft spot for low-budget films that push boundaries and offer unique storytelling, I must admit that “Carnage for Christmas” caught my attention from its intriguing title alone. Upon watching it, I found myself both impressed and somewhat disappointed.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Kryptic

Under the direction of Kourtney Roy, the film titled Kryptic presents Chloe Pirrie (noted for her roles in Black Mirror and The Queen’s Gambit) as Kay Hall, a woman who finds herself fascinated by a cryptozoologist who vanished along with the creature she was investigating. While this synopsis may seem simple, Kryptic is far from a conventionally structured movie. Instead, it draws inspiration from the surreal and enigmatic works of David Lynch, particularly Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me and Mulholland Drive. Occasionally, the cinematic style of David Cronenberg can also be discerned (rest assured, if you’re a fan of his distinctive blend of body horror and psychological thriller, this movie delivers abundantly).

As a game enthusiast diving into the world of cinema, let me tell you about my encounter with “Kryptic” – a chilling horror flick that’s got a sci-fi twist, but it’s so much more than that. It’s not just about being categorized; it’s like an enigma wrapped in a riddle. It’s eerie, not in the typical jump-scare way, but rather drowning in existential dread.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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2024-08-02 03:40