London Film Festival Days 9 & 10: Nocturnal Animals, Lo And Behold, Aquarius & More
2. Bodom
An entertaining Finnish riff on the 80s camp slasher movie, Bodom is a loving ode to the likes of Friday the 13th and Sleepaway Camp while also gleefully turning the tables on audiences with some highly subversive twists on genre formula.
A remarkably well directed, atmospheric effort from filmmaker Taneli Mustonen, it lifts affectionately from the genre's best tropes while shrewdly discarding the worst. Doubling down on strong character work while benefiting from a terrific cast of youngsters, the drama is pretty much as engrossing as the inevitable blood-letting.
Tight cinematography and a pulsing score further elevate a film that already has so much going for it, even if it very occasionally does surrender to the cliches it devotes so much effort to avoiding.
Rating: A possible cult hit in the making, Bodom is a riotously entertaining horror flick that should please fans of the genre. 7/10