FrightFest 2013: You're Next, Hatchet 3, VHS 2 & More Reviewed

100 Bloody Acres

rating: 3.5

Cameron and Colin Cairnes' outrageous Aussie horror revolves around two brothers, Reg and Lindsay, who run a bone fertiliser business in the outback, and due to a special, secret ingredient, they've managed to leave their competitors in the dust. The ingredient? Human remains, which are ground up and somehow boost the potassium levels of the fertiliser. Though their first experiment with a corpse was performed on someone who was already dead, Reg finds himself torn between business and humanity when he decides to give three city-slickers a lift to a musical festival, and they discover a corpse in the back of the van. Should Reg mince them up, or let them go? This is further complicated when the shy, retiring Reg falls for one of his hostages, the enticing if somewhat slutty Sophie (Anna McGahan). Benefiting from a grim sense of humour and fine performances, 100 Bloody Acres fires off in numerous directions and can therefore certainly not be classed as "boring" by any stretch of the imagination. There's a love rectangle as Reg and both of Sophie's co-hostages vie for her affections, as well as a riotous drug trip sequence, and one of the most disturbing sex scenes in recent memory. This is all not to discount the gore, which is plentiful and beautifully realised, both grisly and devilishly funny. Though the weirdly ambiguous ending is a little unsatisfying, it is the luminous presence of Anna McGahan that keeps this one bounding forward, and a potently satirical realisation of what "dog eat dog" business strategy really means.

For Elisa

rating: 3

Very much a film of two halves, Spanish horror For Elisa clocks in at a snappy 75 minutes, ensuring it doesn't outstay its welcome for even a moment. Student Ana is desperate to earn some cash, and answers a job advert from a middle-aged woman, Diamantina, who requires a nanny, but once the placement begins, she soon enough finds herself trapped inside the apartment, sedated and surrounded by antique toys, and shacked up with Diamantina's deranged daughter, Elisa. Though something of a surprising slow burn given its run-time, For Elisa is nevertheless consistently weird and unsettling, milking the inherent creepiness of human beings being "preserved" as pristine dolls. Ona Casamiquela proves a gorgeous, engaging lead, and the evocative cinematography of both the Spanish countryside and the icky interiors of Elisa's home add plenty of atmosphere. Though the minimalist approach in the movie's second half nearly digs its own grave, and one sequence borrows very blatantly from Rob Reiner's Misery - and just which sequence could that be? - there's just about enough here to make For Elisa a ride worth taking, even if the ending feels like a deliberate middle-finger to the audience.