Merrick here...


Fantastic Fest is over, but a few reviews are still coming in. Like this write-up of day 8 of the fest, from The Beef.

DAY 8

ZOMBIE GIRL

If there's one kind of documentary that I enjoy nothing more, it's watching a documentary where the subject makes me feel really shitty about myself and my lack of ambition. ZOMBIE GIRL is such a documentary.
Emily Hagins is your typical horror movie fanatic. She goes to all of the local film events, along with her mother, and has numerous friends in the circuit of the Austin, TX film geekdom. However, unlike the rest of the unambitious film nerds Emily has real aspirations of making her own film, and by golly she is going to do it. So, she writes a feature-length script, hires some actors (many of them friends), makes some props, and begins filming her way into the recordbooks. What makes this event so historical? Well, Emily is twelve.
With the popularity of Ainticoolnews and the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, TX there are few people a part of that community that don't know Emily Hagins. Not necessarily on a personal level, but a good majority of people at least know of her, and her insanely supportive mother Megan. I am one of those people, and therefore it's difficult for me to watch a documentary that has so many people in it that I know of and not be entertained, so I may not be the best kind of person to write about this film. However, despite my knowledge of the people involved in the documentary I can't imagine anyone who is a lover of films not to be smitten watching a 12 year old girl struggle through 2 years of no budget filmmaking. Two years is an incredible amount of time to invest in one project, and it's even more incomprehensible to think that a 12 year old with the aid of her mother is able to focus and endure for that period of time on one single film, and they aren't doing it for money because they'll get none. No, they're doing it simply for the satisfaction of being able to say, "Yeah, I'm a filmmaker." If that doesn't tickle your fancy, then go replace your fancy.
A film like ZOMBIE GIRL is the perfect kind of film to challenge one's perception of today's youth. It seems ever since my generation the view towards the Y-generation in the U.S. is that we're lazy, unintelligent slackers with no direction, and no future. A twelve year old girl seeing the creation of a film through to the end is hardly going to change the world, but if Emily can make a feature-length horror film at the age of twelve (no small feat) imagine what else a pre-pubescent child child could be capable of with a little bit of guidance and motivation. Even one from this generation.

MARTYRS

A little girl is running out of a warehouse, full of cuts and bruises. That's where the films starts. That's all you should know.

Honestly, no joke, to know the story of MARTYRS I can only imagine will hinder the experience, because where it starts is different than where it goes, and where it goes is different than where it ends. I know I'm being vague, and I'm not intentionally trying to raise any kind of word-of-mouth must-see thoughts by being ambiguous, but MARTYRS really is not a film that you write about to people that haven't seen it. It's a film that you discuss with people that have.

I can apply adjectives though. The film is intense. It's brutal. Cringe-inducing. Occassionaly terrifying. And, ultimately, conversation provoking.
The thing of it is MARTYRS combines three different types of horror sub-genres into one coherent plot, and one style. I'd like to say that it's schizophrenic, but I don't know if that really applies. It doesn't jump between the different sub-genres, it just tends to go there to service the story.

To fans of horror films I have to say that the film is a must-see, but at the same time I can't guaranty that you will like it. I did, but you may not. However, what's great about a film like MARTYRS is that it's the kind of film that will spark the kind of debate where each side's conflicting views of the material actually holds water. One person may love the film for a particular reason, and someone else may hate the film for the exact same reason.

Fans of horror films owe it to themselves to see it if for no other reason so that you can offer insight to the discussions. Discussions that I can foresee people still having this time next year, which I'm personally looking forward to being a part of.

Thanks,

The Beef

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On a sidenote, I'd like to thank the festival programmers and the Alamo staff for an incredible 8 days. I get one oppurtunity each year to escape the repetitiveness of my everyday life and meet up with an army of film geeks to see an incredible number of films, and have intelligent discussions of each one. I met some interesting people this year, people I hope to see again next year and throughout the year at the various events, and I saw some amazing films, most of which I wrote about. Leading me now to my thank you to the AICN staff for humoring me by posting those write-ups on the site each time I submitted them. I did see all of the secret screenings, none of which I wrote about initially but fully plan to (there's only so much writing someone can do in an 8 day span), so if you choose to use them, cool, if not , cool too. I'll see you guys around at the events, and I've officially started my countdown to next year's festival as of right.....................now.

Keep an eye on the offical Fantastic Fest website (HERE) for details on next year's fest.