The Gold Coast Film Festival has continued on with a solid line-up of horror, action, scares and psychological mind-benders. Here’s a look at two more films on the schedule.
Dead of the Nite
If you’re on the look-out for some cheesy horror fun, make sure you check out Dead of the Nite playing during the GCFF. Briefly starring ‘Candyman’s Tony Todd, ‘Dead of the Nite’ revolves around a few hapless British ghosthunters who spend the night in the old Jericho Manor – of course the scene of a family slaughter back ye’ olden times. Being the stubborn youngins’ that they are, the group venture into the house where eventually yes, they are all slaughtered (we find this out in the introduction). Yes, the acting from the young cast is a bit amateur and the plot doesn’t really extend more than various people being slaughtered in various ways, but there are certainly a few scares to be had. A particularly creepy Ouija board scene, and mass lurking around dark hallways is always conducive to a few good jumps – something a particular demographic gets a kick out of. The characters are all relatively pompous (with the exception of the innocent producer) so watching them die isn’t too heartbreaking, but the sickening cracks and crunches of their various deaths is quite irksome. The camera quality is a little naff but once it switches to night mode (the majority of the film) this obviously doesn’t matter. This movie is all about making you jump, with a nice little twist at the end in which the killer actually makes some very solid arguments. If you’re looking for some mindless horror then this is the one for you.
All Superheroes Must Die
First of all, this is a fantastic concept. Four superheroes kidnapped by their arch nemesis ‘Rickshaw’ whose had enough of his plans being foiled and decides to turn the tables. He forces them into a series of rounds, which generally involve fighting for their own lives whilst trying to save the countless civilians rigged to blow at various locations. Oh and their powers have been zapped away by some mysterious implanted device. Like I said, original and awesome. The execution is definitely above average, with some great costuming, make-up and practical effects in place of the usual CGI – however there are some elements that display a certain amateurish nature which I’m sure will improve with their next project. James Remar’s cackling villain is certainly entertaining, but some of his dialogue is a little awkward (putting ‘fuck’ in for the sake of something to say) and the grayscale flashbacks, whilst I understand their necessity in portraying backstory, come off a little melodramatic. However this feature proves that a lot can be done with a little (working with a $20,000 budget) and that with a little more practice this team can pump out some more polished and developed originality.
Interviews
Having a quick chat with creators/stars Jason Trost and Lucas Till, it was obvious that what was portrayed in the poster was not the film I was about to see. “There’s no buildings, there’s no helicopters, pretty much nothing in the poster is in the movie except for us.” True – the film screams action when really All Superheroes Must Die is at its heart a psychological story, which the duo chose to make simply because “no-one had made it yet.” It was a labour of love, with a 15 day shoot and the $20,000 budget funded entirely out of Till’s own pocket – “I [Jason] would be feeding people, Lucas would be in the corner making costumes”, everyone moving out of their comfort zones so the final product could be achieved. Having been on the festival circuit for a short time, Lucas and Jason are enjoying their time on the Gold Coast but unfortunately haven’t made it to our famous beaches yet – “we came so close!”
Dead of the Nite and All Superheroes Must Die screened at the 2013 Gold Coast Film Festival, running April 18-28th. To check out this year’s program and purchase tickets for future films, please visit www.gcfilmfestival.com.au
– Danielle Muir
