Tag: Three Corpse Circus

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Winner of Second Annual “Impy” for Short Form Cinematic Horror: “I Owe You”

The Winner of the Second Annual “Impy” award for Cinematic Excellence in Short Horror is “I Owe You” directed by Mike McNeese for Hands Off Productions of Columbus, Ohio. We state pretty clearly in our rules that the Impy recognizes excellence in Midwest Snob Horror for films screened at the Three Corpse Circus, defining “Midwest” by a list of qualifying states “with the possible exception of Ohio.” However, we at the DailyNightmare, based in Ann Arbor, MI, are over-joyed to make an exception for this fine film. I hope the talented folks at Hands Off don’t mind that, in lieu of a cash prize this year, we’re offering a gift certificate at the M Go Blue Gift Shop.

All kidding aside, let me enumerate the glories of this cinematic gem. “I Owe You” is a taut thriller, telling the story of two friends estranged for five years whose paths cross again after a tragic event. Will they settle old debts or seal their own doom?

Impy2“I Owe You” features a great economy of effect, like the best thrillers. The camera work is masterful without being showy or mannered. Smooth tracking shots give energy to the scenes. Each shot matters to the narrative whole. The actors are all solid, especially the two principals, Brian Spangler and Johnny Diloretto, who convey a believable repartee and character mannerisms. They sold every line.

And each line in “I Owe You” matters. Many films at the Three Corpse Circus had an equally strong visual sensibility and some even had acting of a similar excellence. What propelled “I Owe You” to the forefront, in our judges’ opinion, was the clean storyline and the spare expressiveness of the script, penned by Randall Greenland. I sincerely didn’t see it coming.

For its uncluttered look and feel, great performances and killer screenplay, we at DailyNightmare.com are extremely proud to award this year’s Impy award to “I Owe You.”

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Events Movies

The Three Corpse Circus has come to town!

A hard core crowd of horror fans and film lovers braved the autumn rains to attend the Three Corpse Circus retrospective bash Terrors & Treats at Bona Sera last night. Festival mastermind Chris Anderson screened a selection of highlights from the last five years, choice shorts from around the world. Since I am a die-hard attendee of the Circus, I’d seen many of these works before but another viewing felt like seeing old friends. The films ran the gamut from stylized Brazillian weirdness to body horror, from amusing to unsettling but a dozen different kinds of horrific fun.

Did you miss out on this party? No worries. The Circus is in town all week with various events.

Tonight, at the B-Side in Ann Arbor, Three Corpse Circus and First Friday present Lights Out, a horror film festival, followed by music with Byrdrock and Tek-Mazter. Admission is $5, but the first 25 people get in free.

And later tonight is Circo de Tres Cadaveres Extravaganza, a MIDNIGHT MOVIE of the quite insane Spanish-language horror films from the past five years showing at the State Theater. This stuff is crazy.

Saturday is an afternoon showing of the Greek feature film, The Runaway Day, at the State Theater at 1:30pm. It’s not your mega-mart horror, not even Hollywood genre horror. This is a different look at the end of the world.

Saturday night is another MIDNIGHT MOVIE at the State Theater, this time featuring the best splatter and gore films from the past five years. Honestly, this style isn’t my favorite but there are a couple true gems in here that I can’t resist.

Sunday of course is the Big Top, the full day of horror films, puppets, fashion and fun at the Michigan Theatre. The three blocks of movies start at 2pm, 5pm, and 8pm.

Festival passes will get you into all of the festivities. You can get your tickets ahead of time or at the door and put some Three Corpse Circus into your weekend!

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Movies

Come One, Come All to Three Corpse Circus, 2014

The Three Corpse Circus, that annual festival of international short horror films, is rolling into Ann Arbor this week with several days of entertainment.

The Big Top event, so to speak — a whole day of short horror — happens on Sunday, October 5th at the historic Michigan Theatre. The Opening Ceremony kicks off at 2pm, followed by a block of films; the “Animated and Weird” films begin at 5pm and “Grindhouse II” block starts at 8pm. This year, the delightful marionettes of Dreamland Theatre will be performing in the lobby. Tickets are on-sale now and at the door.

I’ve viewed some of the offerings and I can honestly say this is the best crop of submissions thus far. The Three Corpse Circus show on Sunday will feature 30 films from 13 countries– the Corpse’s widest reach to date.

TheImpie
I’ll be on-hand –wearing my purple suit– to award the second annual Impy Award for cinematic excellence. This prize is a handsome statue by sculptor Jeremy Haney plus a cash award. Wanna know who wins this year? Take your seat.

But there’s also a long midway of fun leading up to the festival.

On Thursday the 2nd at Bona Sera Underground in downtown Ypsilanti, the festival kicks off with Terrors & Treats, a free showing of highlights from the first 5 years of the Three Corpse Circus and party.

On Friday, Oct 3 at 7pm, Three Corpse Circus and the B-Side present Lights Out, ahorror film festival followed by music with Byrdrock and Tek-Mazter. Admission is $5, but the first 25 people get in free.

On Friday at midnight at the State Theater, the Three Corpse Circus will present a MIDNIGHT SHOWING of Spanish-language horror shorts in their Circo de Tres Cadaveres Extravaganza! For some reason, Spain has been cranking out inventive, twisted visions and this program will give the audience a peek into that storehouse. I have always depended upon the kindness of subtitles.

Saturday at the State Theater at 1:15pm , 3CC will sponsor the showing of its first feature film, The Runaway Day. This is NOT a traditional genre “horror” movie, though this movie from Greece promises to leave the audience chilled and mystified.

On Saturday, at midnight, follow the Circus to the State Theatre for another MIDNIGHT SHOWING of splatter films. I am normally NOT a fan of this sub-genre but I’ve seen a couple of the pieces that will be screened and I’m impressed. A low budget sometimes forces a clever take on stunts, special effects and cinematics. Prepare for cringes and chuckles mixed in with this block.

For more details, check out the Three Corpse Circus on the web and on Facebook. The Circus comes to town but once a year — get your tickets and settle back for a great show.

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Doktor Movies

Winner of First Annual “Impy” for Short Form Cinematic Horror: “Other”

gallery_promotionalmaterial_thumbnail_01Let the joyous news be spread: “Other” by Daniel Delpurgatorio takes home the first annual “Impy,” the DailyNightmare prize for Midwest Snob Horror selected from short films screened at Three Corpse Circus. The 9″ award statue and CASH prize are on their way to the director in loving appreciation of this gem. Competition was stiff and we’ll laud other entries in coming days but for the moment, let all the glory rest on “Other.”

How do we love “Other?” Let us count the ways:

“Other” probes the under-expoited subgenre of body horror, with themes made particularly relevant by current health care debates in the US. A maverick doctor, Patrick, is struck with a terminal condition which provokes radical and risky procedures for self-medication with unintended consequences. “Other” weighs in a just 15 minutes long but we wouldn’t have wished it a moment longer. The piece recalls favorable memories of Cronenberg, especially The Fly and Aronofsky, especially Pi.

The mood of “Other” is controlled and consistent featuring an ambience that felt cramped, echoing the death sentence inflicted by the illness, and cluttered with the bizarre medical equipment that Patrick has desperately cobbled together. We at the Dailynightmare are not generally fans of voice-over but the technique works to great effect here, especially with the touch of irony that the doctor’s comments are recorded on cassette tape. The sound work is also impressive ranging from jarring to nearly uplifting as the true consequences of the experiment are understood. Though the Impy goes to the director — yes, yes, we’re mired in 20th C auteurist presuppositions over here, get over it — but “Other” features actual honest-to-goodness acting by David Steiger. The appearance of, y’know, real dramatic portrayal of character is rare enough in horror films, but it is double-plus wonderful to find in a single actor screenplay. Steiger as Patrick is by turns desperate, exhultant, smug, tortured and deranged, and all he has to react against is some cleverly blinking bits of set dressing and a glob of nauseously pulsing tumor. The prosthetics and make-up were, frankly revolting, but demonstrated an internal logic beyond the mere gross-out. As Patrick peers into a mirror in the closing moments, the wounds on his torso range from fresh and seeping to ones that have scarred over and have started to heal. Well-done… and yuck!

For its attention to detail, intriguing themes and, oh yeah, disgustingly thought-provoking premise, we at The DailyNightmare.com are extremely proud to award the very first Impy to “Other.”