I have a secret addiction that I am not sure I have ever shared with you. I simply love watching movie trailers.
It does not matter where I am during any given time. It could be in the theatre, on the computer or more recently, using the couch surfing ease of AppleTV. I simply love watching these bite-sized previews of our celluloid future, effectively showcased with great editing skill.
Recently, while reviewing press releases for the upcoming week, I came upon the list with links for the upcoming
Thriller! Chiller! Film Festival, returning once again to Wealthy Theatre this weekend.
It is worth noting that this festival, devoted to a genre that inspires one’s blood to run cold in the most artful of ways, was previewed by me as the clock struck the witching hour.
Needless to say, as with most horror or suspense films, you know you should look away from the screen. But in the end, you are dying to see what happens next so you keep looking. (BOO!) Thriller! Chiller! is so much more than just a devotion to one genre. The festival's programming really is about the art of suspenseful storytelling and its programming reflects this mission as they defy being pigeonholed.
As the trailers from the Thriller! Chiller! YouTube site rolled seamlessly in what I fantasized as the ultimate pre-show event at my favorite Cineplex sans the popcorn, I found myself with an elevated heart rate often reserved for the treadmill. But the unwillingness not to look away involves more than the suspense element. It's also fed by the diverse subject matter of this year’s festival.
This year's program includes films from local to international productions, reflecting an oft overlooked fact that this event is slowly creeping up on Grand Rapids in importance as filmmakers are making the trek to our city to attend.
As a person who has traveled to many film festivals over the past two decades, from the Independent Feature Film Market to Los Angeles Film Festival to Sundance Film Festival, I can say with confidence that when you start to see filmmakers travel to attend, you might want to get that weekend pass before it becomes the must-have ticket that you cannot get because the festival's attendance numbers have really taken off.
Over the course of three days at Wealthy Theatre, 78 films which breaks down as 61 shorts, 14 features and 3 cult classics. 18 Michigan-made films are included in that total. For the cost of less than three feature films at the local IMAX, you can see them all.
All of the films are especially solid this year, including a shorts program where the award for best short film will bet more hard-fought competition than in any other year because each film is truly spectacular.
In the shorts competition, there are a couple real standouts including "Side Effects," featuring a plot about a man being forced to relive a day over and over again. (If you say, Groundhog Day with Bill Murray, then I am going to have to bring out the gimp.)
Another breakout short is from Detroit filmmaker Matt Cantu whose film "The Zombie Factor"depicts a reality show where nine contestants compete through dangerous and gut-wrenching challenges with everyone’s favorite undead.
Zombies will also show up in the late-night retro cinema presentation of "Night of the Living Dead" happening coincidentally at the same time as Civic Theatre is in the middle of their run of a musical by the same name, based on this classic horror film.
"Absentia," the film that is coming in with the most buzz this year, is made by filmmaker Mike Flanagan who debuted his short film “Oculus” at the very first Thriller! Chiller! Film Festival in 2006.
The story of "Absentia" revolves around an abandoned young bride, Tricia, and her sister, a recovering drug addict, who begins to question the grieving bride about the possible link between a mysterious tunnel and a series of disappearances. And no matter how many times you may scream, "Don't go in the tunnel," you kind of know what happens next. (Or do you?) This is not a film to be missed!
When a filmmaker like Flanagan returns with such a powerful debut feature, it gives the programmers a bit of pride to see talent progress, which also solidifies the festival’s street cred as the best place to see emerging talent in this genre.
The documentary “Reflections of the Past” will be shown on Friday night. The film documents the real-life examination of the crime story made popular in the visually-rich Peter Jackson film, "Heavenly Creatures." This story is about the murder of Honora Mary Parker by her teenage daughter, Pauline, with help from her best friend Juliet Hulme in Christchurch, New Zealand.
“If you haven't had a chance to see the film, the one thing that's really important to stress is that even though it's a true crime story, it is approached in an extremely sobering and thoughtful manner,” said Shirley Clemens, one of the festival’s programmers. “Reflections of the Past is a thoughtful, analytically-minded conversation about who the two girls behind these murders actually were.”
This film is being presented in partnership with Until Love Is Equal and West Michigan Pride, because the groups feel the fascination and fixation on gays in the bedroom often overlies and clouds judgment for those who are LGBT in society. Don’t think so? Look at the videos from the Holland City Council meetings where the anti-equality folks obsessively talk non-stop about sex.
Films like this are always worth catching because they point to the power of the genre that is especially chilling when handled with such skill. As an added bonus, “Reflections of the Past” filmmaker Alexander Roman will be at this screening to answer questions immediately after the showing.
A Thriller! Chiller! individual feature ticket is as low as $5, but for $30, you can enjoy all the films as you come and go to each screening like a Hollywood mogul.
Before venturing out, be sure to view the impressive
43 Thriller! Chiller! trailers on the YouTube site and than plot your weekend path to Wealthy Theatre. If you need someone to walk you to your car after the movie ends, I am sure that can be arranged; just take the pulse of the person before you venture out.
‘Tis the season for Zombies, aaaaghh aaaaagh, aaaaggghhhh. (SPLAT!: sound of bloody brain hitting the earth.)
The Future Needs All of Us (Thriller! Chiller!)
Tommy Allen, Lifestyle Editor
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