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Fantasia 2022 review: ‘The Breach’ is gooey and gruesome.

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The Breach

Just before he leaves for the big city, Chief of Police John Hawkins (Allan Hawco) is asked to consult on a strange case. A body is found in a boat on the Porcupine River with unsettling wounds.

Director Rodrigo Gudiño brings the gross and engrossing to Fantasia 2022 with The Breach. A genre mash-up of sorts that’s as gooey as it is mindboggling. When a body washes up on shore, the small-town Chief of Police follows the clues that lead him to an isolated house in the woods. With his pseudo-girlfriend and her ex in tow, the mystery grows deeper (and weirder) with strange writings, the home in shambles, mutilated bodies, and supernatural happenings. 

The film begins with a bang. Sweeping shots of a seemingly abandoned canoe quietly floating down the river. The title is reminiscent of classic horror films like The Blob. We become familiar with the townspeople pulled into this bizarre case. Suddenly the pace feels like it goes off a cliff. 

Here is where I struggled. In the film’s final third, the screenplay takes three very different concepts and tries to mash them together. It was a real head-scratcher for me, as I was all in with the body horror ala The Fly idea. Everything sort of implodes from there. Ian Weir and Craig Davidson‘s screenplay is based on an audible original of the same name by Nick Cutter. (Cutter is Davidson, Davidson is Cutter) It makes me want to go back to the source material to compare the work. 

The best performance comes from Natalie Brown as Laura. She is a mother mired in grief and desperate for answers from her physicist ex-husband. Her vulnerability, anguish, and badassery should be applauded.

Yes, that kickass music you hear is by executive producer and rick legend, Slash. It’s nothing short of epic. Arguably the best aspect of The Breach is the design team. The main set is a spectacularly dressed mess with peeling wallpaper and inches of dust. Practical FX and makeup are literally gag-worthy. These are the things Fantasia audiences eat for breakfast.

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Grimmfest (2021) review: ‘Shot In The Dark’ has a brilliant and bloody storytelling structure.

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SHOT IN THE DARK

Two years ago, William Langston made a mistake that would affect the course of his life. Now, with a killer loose in his home town and his circle of friends falling away one at a time, William faces his greatest fears as well as his own mortality.

Shot In The Dark is emotional and physical torture porn driven by incel behavior and extreme toxic masculinity. But, it’s also a relationship film. Keene McRae and Lane Thomas’ screenplay slowly gives you insight into William’s circle of friends and how their social dynamics have decayed over time. The small-town mayhem takes a personal turn very early on. While some minute details still left me with questions, I was captivated by the script’s structure.

Austen Hubert plays the role of Josh Ferrel. He gives a nuanced performance. Christine Donlon, as Lili, hits you right in the heart. She’s charming and earnest. You are invested in the relationship between William and Lili. Kristoffer McMillan, as William, is a fully fleshed-out, honorable man. This character is the life-breath of this film. Depression has consumed him, and that darkness becomes his fatal flaw. His tragic backstory is the catalyst for a psychopath. McMillan, who is also a co-writer, owns every frame.

GRIMMFEST 2021 audiences will be taken aback by this film, no doubt about it. The ending will shock and infuriate you. Shot In The Dark is a hell of a feature debut for Keene McRae. With a script like this, we’ll all be clambering for whatever comes next.

[Available October 15, 2021, 1:30 – 11:30 PM] Watch now online…