Is it spooky season already? The Overlook Film Festival starts Halloween early with a variety of eerie titles to keep your blood pumping. After the jump, check out our full coverage of this exciting genre fest!
Films
EXHUMA
(Written by Intern, Sean Barry) Korean horror popularity has grown exponentially in the past decade. With Exhuma, another heart-pounding entry has been added to the ever-expanding canon. Sang-deok (Choi Min-sik) and his small team of experts work to prepare burial sites and relocate graves without angering ancestral spirits, but when the wrong casket gets opened, vengeful spirits prowl in search of retribution. Each member acts their own part, like Hwa-rim (Kim Go-eun), a shaman deeply connected with the spiritual realm, or Yeong-geun (Yoo Hae-jin), a mortician who knows every aspect of proper burial. Writer/director Jang Jae-hyun impeccably blends horror and drama together, crafting astonishing supernatural thrills without ever delving too far into unrealistic territory. Divided into six chapters, each portion grows progressively more sinister. Nothing seems out of place during the comparatively mundane opening about morticians solving problems. When chapter two starts, bizarre camera angles and haunting musical cues instantly manufacture an unsettling atmosphere. Terror comes to full fruition in the third chapter, and one cannot help but marvel at the grotesque creature effects and actors performing physically transformative roles. Unfortunately, after the halfway mark, scares gradually plateau, and many scenes meander towards the climax. Suspense does not build as masterfully, leaving the audience to wonder if fear will return. Nonetheless, exemplary attention is paid to blending cultures, particularly concerning the paranormal. Occult beings are taken very seriously in many Asian cultures, and Hwa-rim recognizes the different threats posed between a Korean spirit and a Japanese spirit. It serves as a reminder that people from all cultures must face their own demons in various ways. Although Exhuma never reaches the true potential of its richly constructed narrative, quality frights and careful attention to detail guarantee it a place alongside other recent hits of the genre.
HOOD WITCH
Written and directed by Said Belktibia, Hood Witch definitely emerges as one of the more unique titles in 2024’s Overlook Film Festival lineup. Nour (Golshifteh Farahani) struggles to work as a single parent, doing whatever she can to ensure her son, Amine (Amine Zariouhi), has a happy and healthy life. Nour’s line of work certainly strays from the traditional: she smuggles exotic reptiles and animals, using them to cure diseases, and taps into her inner “hood witch” to conduct a “rokya” invocation. Once she develops an app to expedite her services, things seem headed in the right direction. Nour agrees to help one of Amine’s friends, Kevin (Mathieu Belkhadra), as his erratic behavior and severe seizures have evolved into a serious nuisance for the boy’s worried father. Hood Witch ties social media into the equation once Nour’s attempts at healing Kevin go horribly awry. Can Nour truly be blamed for tapping into supernatural forces? While it starts strong, Belktibia’s feature eventually runs out of steam. The trappings of so many carbon copy exorcism movies also plague Hood Witch. Nour’s story fades from relevance the further it edges toward a predictable conclusion. If only the final act had been as strong as the preceding elements.
I DON’T UNDERSTAND YOU
Full review at the link.
INFESTED
Full review at the link.
For more information about the Overlook Film Festival, head on over to the official website. We look forward to discovering new movies, and connecting with so many interesting horror filmmakers. Until next time, stay spooky!