Diabolique International Film Festival Reviews, Part II

For the past eight years, tucked away in Bloomington, Indiana, the Dark Carnival Film Festival has showcased the work of independent horror filmmakers. This year, the festival has expanded, taking international submissions and rebranding itself as the Diabolique International Film Festival.

In addition to the slate of films, the festival also features in-person visits and screenings with director Ti West ("House of the Devil"; "V/H/S") and Hoosier native Zack Parker ("Proxy").

The Film Yap crew has viewed several of the entries at DIFF, and has assembled something of a critical guidebook for the festival, which runs Sept. 19-20 at the IU Cinema in Bloomington. Here are their recommendations for the festival.

THE HEAT 1.5 Yaps

A menacing stranger (Rafal Fudalej) hounds a Michael Cera ringer (Alexander Sosinski) visiting a girl (Sara Bartkowska) on holiday in Polish filmmaker Bartosz Kruhlik’s grueling short. Patiently composed, cautiously acted and narratively intriguing to start, “The Heat” goes south so graphically, quickly and pointlessly that it renders the film a rancid piece of blunt-force exploitation with a willfully obtuse ending. Fans may argue it indicts teen sexuality and gives rare consideration to a villain’s vulnerability to Stockholm syndrome. Those feel less like thin shreds of authorial intent than straw-grasping justifications for enduring something that’s unforgettable for all the wrong reasons. —

Pity 3 Yaps

"Pity" has a narrative stylization similar to that of "Sin City". It's a tale of love gone wrong and festering revenge, which only further solidifies an image of a bullet-ridden, chain-smoking Mickey Rourke in my head. A short and sweet glimpse into the mind of a man at the end of his rope. It's a tension filled 5 minutes with an ending that leaves more to be desired.

--Pat Mitchell

Newborn 4 Yaps

"Newborn" is cryptic, eerie and surprisingly gripping given it's 11 minute runtime. The film reminds me of an untold "Grimm's Fairy Tale", the consequences of which are equally as dark. The lesson to be had here (as with most fairy tales) is to never lie and ti never dabble in the black arts whether it be willingly or otherwise. "Newborn" has a truly unforgettable creature to drive home these foundational life lessons.

--Pat Mitchell

"Odd One Out" 3 Yaps

"Odd One Out' is a quirky sci-fi fantasy short film that features an interesting blend of live action, animation, and composite miniature effects. The story takes place in a strange film noir world where the military industrial complex creates a powerful synthetic colossus to defend their nation from hostile attack, but this experiment goes awry with unexpected consequences. The film is a weird pastiche of a wide number of stylistic influences ranging from Stanley Kubrick's "Dr. Strangelove" to Robert Wise's "The Day the Earth Stood Still." With virtually no dialogue and minimal plot, the focus on surreal visual effects helps create an unsettling fugue that permeates the film. With a 21 minute run time the pacing of the film feels a bit slow, but fans of the cold war B-movie sci-fi genre and DIY practical effects films are sure to find plenty to hold their attention.

--Ben Johnson

La Llorona 3.5 Yaps

"La Llorona" is an adaptation of a long-standing Mexican folktale which speaks of a beautiful female ghost in search of the children who drowned at her own hands. Without having read the basis for the movie I would have been admittedly confused. Instead, I found there to be a surprisingly sinister element to "La Llorona", which is quite the feat given the short duration.

--Pat Mitchell

M.O.T.H. 4.5 Yaps

A British outbreak movie not unlike "28 Days Later", "M.O.T.H." is a condensed zombie flick with a lovely twist. In a genre where nearly every fringe element has been covered, "M.O.T.H." manages to take a refreshing take on a sub-genre that has long since been worn thin. The grandiose production value makes you almost forget you're watching a short film. Horror at its most basic.

--Pat Mitchell

Counter Parts 3.5 Yaps

Sharing is a lesson that parents try to instill in their children. Patrick Rea’s Counter Parts is a perfect example why our parents know best and how greed can have dire consequences. Counter Parts is the story of two sisters, Sandra and Alexis, both set on two different paths from a young age. After a car accident leaves Sandra injured, she turns to supernatural means to improve her life. Unfortunately, Sandra has to give a lot, for the little she took. Rea has crafted a fun, yet slightly flawed, revenge story that tells quite a bit of story thirteen minutes, without ever feeling over-stuffed or rushed. The cinematography and editing are spot-on, and help the short pack a powerful one-two punch. Rea also does a great job of keeping his audience surprised up until the very end.

--Joe Donohue

ENTITY 2.5 Yaps

“Entity” follows a female astronaut (Alias Hilsum) adrift in deep space and fighting to survive. No, no. It’s called “Ent-ity.” Even with this title’s inherent sci-fi slant, comparisons are inevitable — even more so given “Entity’s” technical panache. Visual effects are first-rate (especially one involving Earth) and as the first French short mixed in Dolby Atmos, “Entity’s” immersive sound makes you feel inescapably trapped in a collapsing wormhole. But for all its sensory wonders, director Andrew Desmon’s film is narratively inert and derivative of other movies besides the obvious. Ultimately, it engages and envelops us only in its ethereal beauty.

The Pride of Strathmoor 4.5 Yaps

I was absolutely enthralled by "The Pride of Strathmoor." The USC thesis film from Einar Baldvin is mesmerizing to watch with the images dancing around the screen like Ralph Steadman's illegitimate ink droppings. And trust me that's a compliment. Fields' film follows Pastor John Deitman slide into madness during the summer of 1927 in Georgia. Geoffrey Gould voices the pastor, whose creepy hushed whisper does nothing but make this film more disturbing. You never really get a grip on all that is happening, but that just adds to the delusional element of the short.

--Caine Gardner

KVISTUR 2.5 Yaps

Taking its title from the Icelandic word for “twig” (not from the name of an atmospheric B-side by the band Sigur Rós), Alexandre Roy’s Canadian film pays herky-jerky homage to both Jim Henson’s detailed puppetry and Jan Švankmajer’s sinister stop-motion animation. In it, a group of burlap-sack creatures (whose cinched-sack faces make them resemble mole rats) beset a poor convenience store clerk who is unwittingly sucked into their world. Daniel Auclair’s puppet design and movement is consistently mesmerizing, but “Kvistur” is otherwise a frustrating abstraction that indulges in too much WTF-ery of the Shane Carruth (“Primer” and “Upstream Color”) variety.

Timothy 3.5 Yaps

Do you remember when you were a little kid and you wished, more than anything else in the world that your favorite television character would come to life? Well, Marc Martinez Jordan’s short film, Timothy, will make you regret about ever having those thoughts. Timothy is the story of Simon, a little boy, who wants nothing more than to watch ‘Timothy’s Show.’ Unfortunately, Simon has to deal with is annoying babysitter, Sonia. That same night Simon will receive an unexpected visitor in, Timothy and what starts off as an ordinary night will quickly become a night that Simon will never forget. Jordan’s short is extremely creepy and perfectly takes childhood innocence and twists it into a macabre tale. Timothy is sure to be a pleasure for all horror fans.

--Joe Donohue

DIVE 4.5 Yaps

An opening Nietzsche quote sets “Dive” up to drown in pretentiousness. However, Iranian/Canadian director Kaveh Nabatian honors the lofty epigram in this fever dream suffused with touches of Christopher Nolan, Gaspar Noé and Dario Argento. This moody meditation on xenophobia follows a man’s (Jacques Poulain-Denis) pursuit of a mysterious woman (Erin Agostino) in a world where humans and gradually defined “others” are segregated. Mathieu Laverdiere’s cinematography weds synesthetic giallo bursts, grainy thermal imagery and soul-stained desaturation. Meanwhile, Nabatian and co-writer Mylene Simard serve up story in confident courses, its flavors all coming together in this intriguing metaphor for ethnic politics.

Evil Twin 3 Yaps

Albeit visually stunning, "Evil Twin" lacks the coherency that makes for a truly great short film. Consisting entirely of a series of fight scenes strung together, "Evil Twin" is expertly choreographed with a fringe time travel element thrown in for good measure. The only thing missing is an intelligible storyline.

--Pat Mitchell

LIEBE 4 Yaps

Go into “Liebe” as cold as you can. In fact, don’t even read the program description. Just know writer-director Cameron MacGowan’s clever, laugh-out-loud funny and aesthetically unsettling short is easily a highlight of its timeslot. In three expertly crafted minutes, it offers both a visual cross between a Nicholas Sparks adaptation and a Nine Inch Nails video and an unexpectedly sadistic spin on a romantic sonnet.

MINERAL 3 Yaps

“Oh, for fuck’s sake!” It’s the only dialogue in “Mineral” and a sentiment you might echo in its demented denouement. That’s no slam; as intentionally nasty body horror goes, “Mineral” is a credibly competitive entry in a quest to make “The ABCs of Death 2.” A slob passes a kidney stone only to discover a monster in his apartment. By virtue of brevity, “Mineral” lacks the subtext of the sorta-similar “Bad Milo.” But it’s meant to trigger gag reflexes, not brain cells. Some horrifyingly vivid birth footage simultaneously distracts you from, and foreshadows, the finale. Oh, for fuck’s sake, indeed.

SNOWY HILL 2.5 Yaps

Thomas Kinkade and Stephen King collide in this animated film from co-directors Michael Hoeft and Adam Ferry. Snowy Hill is a quiet mountain town “where life is precious” (as the description reads), and it feels like a part-time hobbyist’s Christmas tabletop tableau. There’s a certain tactile arts-and-crafts charm to Hoeft and Ferry’s stop-motion approach, and the film’s conclusion (reminiscent of “Bambi Vs. Godzilla”) suggests succinctly, if slightly: Some savagery simply can’t be soothed.