Fair warning: There is no actual warning from Hell in writer/director Danny Pang’s latest feature, Malaysia/Taiwan/Thailand coproduction Warning from Hell. There are, indeed, some ghostly goings-on, and revenge seeking of […]
Tag: Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival
[Review] SWALLOW [Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival]: A Vain Actress Learns a Shocking Beauty Secret in Atmospheric Horror Short
Competition in the acting business can be a cutthroat affair, and the lengths to which some people will go to have an edge on their rivals is the subject of […]
“Stay Strange” with South Korea’s BIFAN Film Festival As It Celebrates Its 25th Birthday
My highlight of Korea’s hot, humid summers is attending South Korea’s Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN), which I have done every year that I have lived in Korea since […]
South Korea’s Genre Film Showcase Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival Announces Its Hybrid Approach for 2020
COVID-19 can’t keep South Korea’s Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN) — Asia’s largest genre film fest — down, as the fest has officially announced that it will take what […]
[Film Festival] Reviews of Boar, Ruin Me, and Summer of 84 (BIFAN, 2018)
South Korea’s Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN), Asia’s largest genre film fest, once again served up more than 200 films from around the globe this summer. Between July 12 […]
The 21st Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival: Top 10 Most Anticipated Films
My favorite film festival here in South Korea, the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BiFan), kicks off its 21st edition this week on Thursday, July 13. The fest runs through […]
“20 Matches” (BIFAN 2016): Mesmerizing Serial Killer Tale Told with Impactful Spareness
Writer/director/producer Mark Tapio Kines’ short film 20 Matches (United States, 2016) is simplicity at its most effective. Using only one actress and the titular matchsticks, the short delivers a terrifying […]
“Creepy” (BIFAN 2016): Japanese Thriller Lives Up to Its Title Thanks to a Disturbing Villain
Teruyuki Kagawa gives a masterful, absolutely chilling performance as an unnerving yet hypnotic villain in director Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s remarkable psychological thriller Creepy (Japan, 2015). The famed director of Japanese horror […]
“They Will All Die in Space” (BIFAN 2016): Drifting Spaceship Crew Turns to Desperate Measures in Science Fiction Short
Writer/director/producer Javier Chillon offers up helpings of both tension and dread in his science fiction/horror short film They Will All Die in Space (Spain, 2015). Although the short’s title gives […]
“Thorn” (BIFAN 2016): Unnerving Practical Effects and First-Rate Acting Highlight Psychic-Horror Short
Body and psychic horror abound in the Japanese horror short Thorn (2015) as a cactus with supernatural powers brings tragedy to a family. Writer/director/editor/special makeup effects artist Soichi Umezawa has […]
“The Master Cleanse” (BIFAN 2016): Retreat Goers Let Out the Monsters Inside Them
Often the things that frighten us most are creations of our own making, yet when given the opportunity to rid ourselves of these fears and frustrations, many of us are […]
“Don’t Breathe” (BIFAN 2016): Home Robbery Goes Haywire in Pulse-Pounding Thriller
American horror thriller Don’t Breathe is a fast-paced, nerve-wracking ride filled with suspense. I hadn’t felt as tense watching a film on the big screen in too long a time […]
“The Similars” (BIFAN 2016): Love Letter to Classic Science Fiction Boasts Plenty of Suspense and Absurdist Humor
Writer/director Isaac Ezban’s The Similars (AKA Los Parecidos; Mexico, 2015) is a valentine to science fiction television and cinema of the 1950s and 1960s, with special emphasis on The Twilight […]
“The Phoenix Incident” (BIFAN 2016): By-the-Numbers Story and One-Dimensional Characters Hamper Found-Footage Science Fiction Effort
Video game director Keith Arem makes his feature film writing and directing debut with the faux documentary/found footage science fiction film The Phoenix Incident; unfortunately, the film doesn’t offer much […]
“I Survived a Zombie Holocaust” (2015): Cheekiness and Charm Abound in New Zealand Horror Comedy
Since Peter Jackson’s early films, along with efforts from other filmmakers such as those behind Black Sheep (2006), New Zealand has had a solid track record with producing horror comedies […]