Impending Horrors

Over the past several years, I've attended and re-attended the following festivals: Sundance / Slamdance in January, SXSW in March, Philadelphia in April, Toronto and Fantastic Fest in September. I aim to add a few more trips to that list, but only if they're stuff like Fantastic Fest: A non-stop week of almost nothing but horror flicks. I can watch, appreciate and review just about anything under the sun (I even reviewed a Fassbinder once, and was only barely up to the task), but horror flicks is my absolute passion.

So here's a bunch of titles that should be available semi-soon, all of which earn the Weinnerd Seal of Horror Geek Approval. And no, I don't like everything. I just kinda dismiss the ones I didn't like, cuz for all I know other horror freaks might really love something like Blood Trails or Trapped Ashes, and I wouldn't want to dissuade them from giving 'em a shot. Anyway keep an eye out for...

• All the Boys Love Mandy Lane -- Feels like it was found on a horror shelf circa 1985. Which is cool.
• Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon -- Even better the second time around.
  
• Black Sheep -- Very amusing monster-com about killer sheep and a few human zombie sheep.
• Borderland -- American kids run into some Mexican satanists. Dark and fun.
• Broken -- Starts out like a Saw retread and slowly gets a lot better.
  
• Bug -- Friedkin's best film in years.
  
• End of the Line -- Caught no attention whatsoever at Toronto '06, but I liked it quite a bit.
• Fido -- Leave it to Beaver meets Night of the Living Dead. Fun stuff.
  
• Frostbite -- Yet another Swedish vampire horror comedy.
• Grimm Love -- Moves real slow, but ends with a ... bang.
  
• Hatchet -- A movie made entirely of geeky talent and gorehound enthusiasm.
  
• The Host -- Coolest monster movie in years, even if it does run a bit long.
  
• The Last Winter -- Takes its time warming up, but a good cast and a creepy premise keep it interesting.
• Lie Still -- Surprisingly compelling Brit indie.
• The Living and the Dead -- As 1/3 of the Fantastic Fest jury, I voted to give this one top prize.
• Murder Party -- If you hate art school students, you'll definitely dig this one.
  
• Roman -- Not for all tastes, but I find it hard to dislike these McKee/Bettis projects.
  
• S&Man -- JT Petty's cleverly twisted doco really tries to mess with your head.
  
• Severance -- Two genres in one, and they're both great!
• Simon Says -- Standard slasher throwback, only this one stars Crispin Glover. 'Nuff said.
  
• The Signal -- Indie apocalypse awesomeness.
• Teeth -- Yes, the one about the girl with the teeth "down there." I really dug this one.
  
• Them -- 77 minutes long, none of 'em wasted.
• Trigger Man -- Moves real slow, but ends with ... several bangs.