by Victoria Potenza, Staff Writer

After almost a year of engaging with friends, family, and coworkers virtually I’m sure most people are feeling a decent amount of burnout. However engaging in events like The Final Girls Berlin Film Festival, is a great reminder of how connected we can be worldwide while we are sitting in our homes. Through their curated films, shorts blocks, discussions, and interactive hangout space, attendees were able to connect with a female and nonbinary horror community all over the world. 

The five feature films of the festival were geolocked to Germany but horror fans should keep an ear out if they are interested in knowing when these films will be available.

12 Hour Shift from director Brea Grant is a fascinating look into the life of a nurse who is involved in organ trafficking at her local hospital. This dark horror comedy was hilarious and a much wilder ride than one could have imagined going into it. Plus it stars the amazing Angela Bettis who is great in the lead role. I haven't laughed this hard watching something in a while, so check it out on Hulu.

Darkness is an Italian film from director  Emanuela Rossi. This film follows three sisters dealing with the apocalypse, an abusive father, and puberty. The lead performances and complicated relationships of the film create one of the most dark and sinister films of the festival. The horror of the film comes not from the impending doom that lays outside the door, but the more familiar danger of long term emotional and physical abuse. This is a film that really resonates with the state of our society and the history of men in power using their power to keep women down. My full review.

The Returned is a film from Argentina that comes from director Laura Casabé. The film draws on history and folklore to tell the chilling tale of a mother desperate to bring her baby back from the dead. This is a unique film both in its storytelling and format. This atmospheric supernatural horror film is beautifully shot and sucks you into its narrative. Similar in its power to suck you into its narrative was Time of Moulting, a German film from  Sabrina Mertens. This follows a young lonely girl who’s isolation leads her down a dark world of her making. This is an interesting piece that is sure to be a fascinating discussion piece for horror fans. My full review.

Finally there is The Stylist from Jill Gevargizian. This film follows a young hair stylist who’s strange predilections begin to unravel when she agrees to style hair for her clients wedding. The performances from Najarra Townsend and Brea Grant (director of 12 Hour Shift) were both great and really carried the film. Although this film felt like it could have easily taken on a humorous or thriller kind of tone, it opps to instead show what a tragic figure the stylist is. If anyone has felt like they do not quite fit in or have fears of opening themselves to others the stylist is a weirdly relatable story.

The shorts portion of the festival was a great way to see many interesting horror stories from a variety of countries and directors. The festival featured five shorts blocks all organized by overarching themes. Of the five I checked out the five that were most appealing to be “Young Bloods” featuring child led horror stories featured a stand out short called The Little Demon from direcrtor Carol Van Hemelrjick. The “Cabin Fever” block showcasing isolation horror had a stand out feature with Lose it from directors AJ Taylor & Maximilian Clark. And finally my favorite block was “An Eye for an Eye” featuring several fun revenge themed shorts. The stand out for me in this block would have to be a little flick called The Fourth Wall from Kelsey Bollig.

The festival ended with a day and a half of talks from some amazing women working, writing, and podcasting in horror. Alexandra Heller-Nicholas kicked off the event by showcasing the surprisingly long history of female directors in horror, much of the research she compiled when writing her book 1000 Women in Horror 1895-2018. They ended the talks with Annie Rose Malamet who explored the lesbian vampire in horror going to its origins to the stories out there today. Her podcast Girls, Guts, and Giallo is a must listen for more on this subject and others. 

Even with isolation making many of us feel stir crazy and like much of our life is on hold, there are some amazing women working on so much in the horror genre. It is inspiring and really made this reviewer feel more connected than she has to the genre in a long time. The festival may be over for now but there are still ways to stay engaged. You can donate to  the festival, purchase merchandise, and follow them on social media for more information. And on the plus side you do not have to wait a year, the 2nd part of the festival will be happening in the fall so keep an eye  out for those details.