by Tori Potenza, Staff Writer

Last year I attended my first Brooklyn Horror Fest. If you are unfamiliar with the festival, it has been running in Brooklyn, since 2016 and curates a top tier selection of independent and international genre features alongside amazing shorts blocks, repertory screenings, and events for attendees to congregate and connect.

This year’s programming blew me away, of the many films I saw there was not one dud amongst the bunch. The festival was all housed at Nitehawk Cinema, which was a perfect location to watch films, grab some food, share drinks, and connect on all things horror. Having this centralized spot made it feel like we all had a location to feel comfortable and make connections with other horror lovers in a cozy, welcoming space. It is hard to foster this sort of environment, yet the collective efforts of Nitehawk and Brooklyn Horror staff did not go unnoticed in making us feel like we had a space to network.

Features Capsule Reviews

One aspect of the centralized location of the festival that was great, was that it was so easy to spend the day watching movies. I ended up attending many more screenings than I had in the past and enjoyed every single one of them. Amongst their repertory screenings I attended Maniac Cop that had a Q&A session and achievement award ceremony with director William Lustig. A great movie to see with a crowd and even better when you get to hear Lustig lovingly discuss his work. Another surprise was A Page of Madness, a 1926 silent lost film out of Japan. Not only was it amazing to see such a fascinating piece of film history but it was accompanied by a live score from The Flushing Remonstrance that was just as dreamy and nightmarish as the images on the screen. There were plenty of other screenings like this that you can check out on their 2023 film guide, but I think it is important to spend my time gushing over the amazing features that you will hopefully all get the chance to see in the coming months.

Kill Your Lover (dir. Alix Austin & Keir Siewert, 2023)

Kill Your Lover was the opening night film and set the tone for the rest of the festival. Alix Austin and Keir Siewert are a couple who wrote and directed a movie about one of the worst breakups ever. Kill Your Lover follows a woman named Dakota who is finally ready to leave the toxic relationship she has been in with her partner Axel. Unfortunately, the toxicity of the relationship begins to physically manifest in Axel turning their breakup into a violent and harrowing outburst. If you’ve ever been in a relationship where you’ve watched things turn sour or feel like you lost yourself and your identity in the throes of love you will find plenty to grasp onto with this story. While the film goes into full on body horror chaos, it is intercut with small but impactful scenes where you can see the red flags and little ways we change ourselves to fit another person. This made it a poignant viewing experience because it took the drama very seriously but was able to still have its fun horror moments alongside. The leads, Paige Gilmour and Shane Quigley-Murphy, are incredible and bring out so much raw human emotion in their performances. It also features some great angry girl music and if you are a fan of practical effects it also has one of my favorite kills of the year that feels like it was ripped out of a Mortal Kombat game.

Red Rooms (dir. Pascal Plante, 2023)

Red Rooms (Les chambres rouges) is one of the most chilling films I have seen in some time. I had a very physical and visceral experience watching this and remember squirming as the tension mounted. This is a French-Canadian thriller that follows a model who becomes obsessed with an ongoing serial killer trial. While the details of the trial are about as disturbing as they come, very little is actually shown but the reactions and descriptions alone are enough to make your blood run cold. The ability to make something this effectively terrifying with performances and writing alone is astonishing. The lead actor, Juliette Gariépy, is someone to keep an eye on, her performance as Kelly-Anne is so subtle yet so impactful to the story. Throughout the movie you have very little idea where it is going or what exactly they are building to which creates an uncomfortable tension as a viewer. I watch a lot of horror, so when something makes me have such a physical reaction I know I am watching something impressive. If this is not on your radar it should be so keep an eye out because you will not want to miss this.

Cannibal Mukbang (dir. Aimee Kuge, 2023)

If you like cannibal horror in the vein of Jennifer’s Body or Hannibal, you will want to make sure you check out Cannibal Mukbang. They say not to judge a book by its cover, but when a movie has a poster as good as this one it is hard not to be excited. Luckily, it exceeded my expectations. The movie follows a budding relationship between Ash (April Consalo) and Mark (Nate Wise). Ash is a beautiful and upbeat influencer who makes money eating meals online and Mark is a shy closed off introvert. As they spend more time together he realizes that Ash might be hiding something and that her meals might have some taboo secret ingredients. Between this and Kill Your Lover, the fest had some fascinating meditations on relationships. This is also a lot of fun to watch and the blossoming romance between the two is a sweet and tender element to a horrifying cannibal tale. This works so well because of the performances from the two leads as well as Clay von Carlowitz who gives a Christian Bale ala American Psycho vibe to his performance. Aimee Kuge is such a talented director it is shocking that this is her first film, so I look forward to her forthcoming projects. This is a dreamy, cute, and blood soaked feature that horror fans should add to their watchlists.

Stopmotion (dir. Robert Morgan, 2023)

Currently, Stopmotion is my number 1 movie of 2023, something I did not expect. While I was unfamiliar with Robert Morgan’s stop motion shorts, I was excited about a new stop motion feature especially after seeing Phil Tippett’s film Mad God last year. Not only was the animation incredible to look at, but the overall story ended up being a dark and vital exploration of the monstrous feminine trope. Ella (Aisling Franciosi) is a stop motion animator who has to cope with the death of her mother and the unfinished project the two were working on together. As Ella tries to finish the project it begins to turn into something much different than she expected and sends her down a path of violent internal struggles. Franciosi gave a heartbreaking performance in the 2018 Jennifer Kent film, The Nightingale, so it was exciting to see her in something a little less traumatic where she is able to revel in her darkness more. It is not often that you see stop motion animation coupled with live action in such an effective and eerie way and it is thrilling to see what an impressive feature debut he turns it into. The experience of watching the lead character explore the darkest most unforgivable parts of herself was something I didn’t realize I needed and I think horror fans who love the work of Barbara Creed will truly appreciate what this movie accomplishes.

Femme (dir. Sam H. Freeman & Ng Choon Ping, 2023)

2023 is the year of the re-emergence of erotic thrillers. Films like Sanctuary, Jezabel, Infinity Pool, and now Femme have promised a new kind of erotic thriller that veers away from some of the more problematic elements the subgenre had in the 90s. Although Femme succeeds at this in the most poignant and interesting way. Nathan Stewart-Jarrett plays Jules, a drag queen who is attacked by a homophobic man one night after work. Their paths cross again as a gay sauna but his attacker, Preston (George MacKay), does not recognize him without his makeup and clothes. This chance encounter gives Jules the opportunity to move past his trauma with a hefty dose of revenge. Nathan Stewart-Jarrett is going to be one of the next big names in film. He gives such a gorgeous performance in this complicated and morally murky story. George MacKay also gives a similarly impressive performance and the two have incredible chemistry. There is something very exciting about a film that makes one feel this complicated. I went through a full range of human emotions as the movie progressed. At times it was terrifying, deeply sad, sexy, and even cute. This is a testament to both the incredible performances and the impressive writing from Freeman and Ping. Femme will fill you with anxiety and leave you shocked by the end, in the most perfect cinematic way.

Where the Devil Roams (dir. John Adams, Zelda Adams, Toby Poser, 2023)

This year’s festival showcased several features that showcased multiple directors. It is an interesting trend and one that seems to challenge the traditional narrative about how films are made, and by who. The Adams family is a fascinating example of a mother, father, daughter directing combination who also fill in other roles both on screen and behind the scenes. The result is always something fascinating and unique to the indie horror landscape. Their 2021 film Hellbender was one of my favorite features out of Final Girls Berlin Film Fest when it was showcased, so I was certainly excited to see Where the Devil Roams. This movie follows a traveling carnival filled with many fascinating characters and steeped in darkness and murder. The directing trio brought in friends, family, and real carnival workers to populate this story and bring life to the world they build. As if that was not enough their musical chops are also front and center bringing a great score to the movie. It is always impressive to see how much they are able to pull off on such a small budget. The movie looks incredible and its stark contrasting color palette is still burned into my brain long after viewing. If you like cold New England horror tales like I do then this should be an enjoyable ride. It is creepy, has a great sense of humor, and its family-oriented themes both on and off screen make this a rather cozy horror movie.

She is Conann (dir. Bertrand Mandico, 2023) & Breathing In (dir. Jaco Bouwer, 2023)

While I enjoyed both of these movies they are so dreamy and experimental I had a tough time figuring out how much to write so I thought I might pair the two. Both come from genre directors that have brought us some memorable projects. Bertrand Mandico is a French director and the mastermind behind movies like After Blue and The Wild Boys. Jaco Bouwer on the other hand is a South African filmmaker who directed the 2021 eco-horror film Gaia.

She is Conann is a loose reimagining of Conan the Barbarian which gender swaps the protagonist and changes the actor playing Conann frequently as their story progresses. If you have seen a Mandico movie before then its loose narrative, dreamy imagery, and overarching sexual/bodily fluid themes will not shock you. Of the Mandico filmography I have seen, this one works the best for me both through its performances and its theme around metamorphosis and change. On the other hand Breathing In is a big departure from Bouwer’s last feature Gaia. It functions as a chamber piece that follows a wounded general who takes refuge in the home of an elderly woman and her beautiful daughter. As he spends more time there it appears that this may not be such a chance encounter and there might be a more sinister reason for their kindness. This was a late night screening and its repetitive loose nature was effectively disorienting and strange. That being said it was a fascinating world to be dropped into and I look forward to future watches. More than that it is exciting to see Bouwer do something so different in his latest feature making me eager to see what his future projects will look like.

Shorts & Events

Typically I flock to the shorts blocks at festivals, and last year’s blocks were so well curated that I was looking forward to going to more. Unfortunately I got so swept up in all of the incredible features I was unable to attend the blocks, however a few of the filmmakers I chatted with were kind enough to send me their work and they were both so incredible I wanted to give them a shout out. Leaving Yellowstone from director Kayla Arend is a picturesque survival story set in Yellowstone National Park. The nature photography alone is incredible but then you also get to enjoy a great horror story to boot. Angela Wong Carbone gives an amazing central performance as Tessa, she has such a stunning screen presence and I hope to see her in more projects. The other short I got to see was In Your Hands from Luigi Sibona. This is a sexy queer horror short that helped me confront (and maybe even sexualize) my deep seeded fear of men shaving their faces. Frankie Wilson gives a terrifying performance and Darryl Foster simply pops off the screen. I am very excited to see the features that Arend and Sibona get to make in the future.

While films are the main reason we all come to these festivals, the effort that Brooklyn Horror Fest puts into scheduling events and opportunities to connect are really what help to build the strong community and connections they have. Director Ted Geoghegan and Michael Gingold brought their Final Exam Horror Movie Trivia night to Brooklyn Horror so fans can test their love of the genre. Matt Donato and Matthew Monagle came back with another live episode of their podcast Certified Forgotten. This year their special guest was indie horror legend Larry Fessenden whose new film Blackout was also premiering at the fest. Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies also came by to bring a fascinating lecture entitled Nightmares of War: Haunted Scientists in RINGU and GOJIRA. Professor Sigmund Shen led the lecture and his unique insight was a reminder as to how essential studying and discussing horror in a social context is. Fangoria was even kind enough to sponsor a happy hour so folks had a chance to get to know each other and make some lasting connections. These events and others were a delight and important for us horror lovers who do not get the opportunity to be surrounded by like minded folks most of the year.

The energy of this year’s festival was so impactful for me, and many of the other attendees I spoke with. It was intimate, fun, and full of all the horror you could want. Dates for next year’s festival have already been set so mark your calendars for October 17-24, 2024. Submissions have also opened for filmmakers so make sure to check their page to submit, learn more about the fest, secure passes, or learn more about the fest and the quality of their programming. You can also support, spread the word, and buy some merch to help support their efforts and make sure that there continues to be a space like this for film lovers to look forward to.