+++
title = "Dead by Dawn 2018"
lang = "en"
[taxonomies]
authors = ["harald"]
tags = ["Dead by Dawn", "film", "horror", "festival"]
[extra]
+++
{% figure(img="dbd-logo.png") %}
Dead By Dawn logo.
{% end %}
In April this year a group of friends organized a trip to the [Dead By Dawn]
horror film festival in Edinburg. This was a new festival to me, even though it
has been going strong for 25 whole years already! Landing in Edinburgh the day
before the festival, we got to see a bit of the city, and did the mandatory
intake of Haggis and Whisky. Nice town, and by the look of it, a perfect
location for a horror film festival.
<!-- more -->
The festival is organized by Adéle Hartley, and takes place at the Edinburgh
[Filmhouse]. A great location for this type of event, not at least because of
it's excellent bar. This became the natural place to hang out, mingle and get
to know other enthusiasts between the screenings.
The festival has a very personal and welcoming atmosphere. It's a bit like this
is Adéle sharing the films she loves with other horror and film fans. Given her
enthusiasm for the subject and the taste and connections she obviously have,
this is not a bad start. Add a great selection of films (a good mix of classics
and new productions,) interesting guests and passion for the genre. This was a
weekend that could not go wrong.
## Thursday, April 19
{% figure(img="siembamba-poster.jpg") %}
Siembamba aka The Lullaby movie poster.
{% end %}
The festival starts off with a screening of the original _[Nosferatu]_ (1922,
Germany) with a live piano score performed beautifully by Forrester Pyke. The
version they screened was the one released by Eureka on BluRay, which is way
better and has several scenes that's not present in my old DVD version. The
live score added a unique touch to the screening—a great start.
We go with the classics this evening, and the festival guest of honour, [John
Landis] introduces his classic _[Innocent Blood]_ (1992, USA). I had not seen
it before so it was a great opportunity to catch up. I think the film has aged
quite well. It definitely belongs among the other classics from Landis. After
the screening Landis answered questions from the audience, shared anecdotes
from the filming of Innocent Blood and some of his other films. A very
entertaining session.
First _new_ film this evening, and the last of the day, was the South American
film _[Siembamba]_, aka _The Lullaby_ (2017, South Africa). I liked this a lot!
A supernatural/psychotic film about birth psychosis. It reminds me a bit about
_[Still/Born]_ (2017, Canada), but definitely carries it's own weight. A well
made, and at times quite creepy film.
## Friday, April 20
Friday opens with _[Rabbit]_ (2017, Australia). An absolutely stunningly well
made film. This is dark and devastating. A film that is able to surprise at
many levels. In my opinion a very good film, and the highlight of the festival!
A slow burn that allows the devastation to really sink in. Go see it and enjoy!
Back to the classics! John Landis presented a double feature of
_[Frankenstein]_ (1931, USA) and _[Bride of Frankenstein]_ (1935, USA.) I
skipped the first session, but did see the _Bride of Frankenstein_. Again the
copy they had got hold of was a really good one, which made this quite a joy to
see as well. Landis is entertaining, and has a lot of insight into the
cinematic history where these films belong. The session was worth it for that
alone.
There's a short break before the next session so me and my travel companions
head over to the [Frankenstein Bar] for a quick beer and a bite. Nice and very
atmospheric bar, but the food was not impressive.
### Shorts: What you make it
Anyways, back at the Filmhouse I catch the first short-film programme at this
festival, named _"What you make it."_ The short films in this section were:
{% figure(img="underwater-poster.jpg") %}
Underwater poster.
{% end %}
* _[Nothing a little soap and water can't
fix](https://cargo.jenniferproctor.com/Nothing-a-Little-Soap-and-Water-Can-t-Fix)_
(2017, USA, 10 min): A collage of bathtub scenes from various horror films
combined into a sort of story on it's own. Quite interesting.
* _[Väg 13 (Road
13)](http://www.svenskfilmdatabas.se/en/item/?type=film&itemid=85966)_ (2017,
Sweeden, 7 min): A girl is on her way to the vet with her dog, and attracts
the attention of a neighboring car. Short and absurd, the way I like it.
* _[Underwater](https://en.unifrance.org/movie/42698/underwater)_ (2017,
France, 18 min): An investigator with some special abilities is summoned to a
surveillance operation in a criminal case. A very well told story, and
visually wonderful. I especially liked the use of effects to visualize the
parts of the story you otherwise could not see. One of the better short films
at this festival.
* _[Two bites](https://vimeo.com/275382038)_ (2017, Australia, 14 min): A
family gathers around the deathbed of their mother, hoping to put their best
face forward to secure their heritage. Things don't go as planned.
* _[La fille
accordeon](https://www.pifff.fr/2017/court-135-La-Fille-Accordeon-en)_ (2017,
France, 4 min): A trapped girl tries to escape from her captors. A simple
premise with a surprising execution. Different and a quite sweet film.
* _[Das Mädchen im
Schnee](http://www.swissfilms.ch/de/film_search/filmdetails/-/id_film/2147032209)_
(2017, Switzerland, 7 min): A foley artist adds the finishing sounds to a
scene. A fascinating process, and perhaps a surprising end. Slow and very
well made film.
* _[Through the Haze](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6484260/)_ (2017, Australia,
11 min): The newest kid on a construction job has to go through the rituals
to become one of the guys. A hilarious take on drunken logic and what could
possibly go wrong when combining heavy machinery with excessive drunkenness.
---
After the short films we get another new film, _[Knuckleball]_ (2018, Canada)
by Canadian director _Michael Peterson_. Peterson was present and both
introduced the film and answered quastions after the screening.
The film relies heavily on the performance by 12 year old actor _Luca Villacis_
(who handles the job like a pro!) and _Michael Ironside_. The film definitely
has references to both classic comedies like the Home Alone films, but also
some classic horrors. It's a times quite dark, but is not quite as convincing
as it could have been. I enjoyed it for the atmosphere and the performance by
the actors, but felt it never manages to build the scare that it tries to.
The last event of the day is the much anticipated taste-along to _[Evil Dead II]_
(1987, USA.) I've never been a fan of the film, but this sounded like a lot of
fun, and that's just what it was!
The event was done in cooperation with _[The Conjurers Kitchen]_, who had made,
packaged and transported a huge amount of treats and candy shaped like elements
from the film. At certain iconic scenes the film was frozen and you had to find
and eat the treat that looked like whatever was on the screen. This was great
fun, and the creativity and madness that has gone into making these treats
deserve admiration! 10/10 - would eat again!
{% figure(img="evil-treats.jpg") %}
The treats of the Evil Dead II taste-along. Made by The Conjurers Kitchen.
{% end %}
## Saturday, April 21
### Shorts: It's your funeral
Saturday kicks off with a short film session named _"It's your funeral."_ A
great collection of short films about approaching death in more or—most
likely—less dignified ways. The films in this session was:
{% figure(img="som-ein-reier-still.jpg") %}
Still from _You've made your bed, now lie in it_.
{% end %}
* _[You've made your bed, now lie in
it](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXHY6OcRYlE)_ (2016, Norway, 15 min): A
farmer is told by a psychic who has so far never been wrong, that he is to
die on thursday. We follow the farmer in his solemn struggle to prepare his
own funeral. A slow, atmospheric film from the slow norwegian countryside.
Excellent! Do watch it!
* _[The Mother Situation](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5996448)_ (2016,
Australia, 8 min): Again we meet the potent mix of family, death and
inheritance. A different take this time, and a very entertaining one at that.
* _[Cold fish](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6722198)_ (2017, New Zealand, 12
min): An old man is about to give his life to the waves, but is disturbed by
a young and quite annoying kid. A reflective piece more than anything. Still
quite enjoyable.
* _[Salvatore](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7784418/)_ (2017, The Netherlands,
11 min): Salvatore is in an old peoples institution, but tries to live his
life in as much beauty as he can. The only disturbance in the rather annoying
male nurse, so he decides to do something about that. I enjoyed this a lot,
and got quite fond of Salvatore and his way of life during the few minutes I
got to share with him.
* _[RIP](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6441412)_ (2017, Spain, 16 min): What do
you do when you have invited simply _everyone_ to the funeral of your husband,
and then he wakes back up to life? A hilarious film about prestige, status
and love – in that order. Great film!
---
{% figure(img="trench-11-poster.jpg") %}
_Trench 11_ poster.
{% end %}
Next up is the WWI thriller _[Trench 11]_ (2017, Canada.) A film that does a
lot out of little. It plays on the dynamic between trust and distrust when
either could be fatal if you chose wrongly. Good, original story, and very well
executed. Highly recommended!
### Shorts: We're not in Kansas anymore
Another short film programme followed, _"We're not in Kansas anymore."_:
* _[Amy](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7549990)_ (2017, USA, 7 min): We meet a
girl being tenderly taken care of by an older nurse. Or perhaps it's not
quite as it seems. A well executed short film that takes you to the edge of
your seat.
* _[Crying Bitch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0lSsS0TGv0)_ (2017, Japan,
15 min): A young successful man has a woman for every day, while his caring
wife is waiting at home with dinner and love. Except, behind the surface and
hidden from her husband the wife has learned martial arts. Great fun, lots of
(well deserved) groin kicks, and over all an action packed revenge short.
* _[Milk](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7281172)_ (2017, Canada, 10 min):
Getting up for a glass of milk in the night may be scarier than you think.
Quite a well made film, but I felt it got too predictable and left too much
unfulfilled.
* _[We together](https://vimeo.com/175191424)_ (2016, USA, 7 min): Dancing
Zombies. What more is to say, this is as feelgood as a zombie flick ever
gets. Fun and different!
* _[Smashed](https://youtu.be/UB2OSDsXM90)_ (2017, Australia, 13 min): A gang
of teenagers kidnap a friend to get to his girlfriend. Not the best of ideas,
and not the best of results. Quite a good movie, but again a bit too
predictable. Still worth seeing.
* _[Homesick](https://www.homesickfilm.com/)_ (2017, USA, 13 min): A
beautifully filmed and very well told story. A young boy is abandoned by
his parents, and coping as best he can in what's left of his home. A slow paced
film, but one you definitely should watch. The cinematographer and director
was present at the festival, and I'm happy they seem to be working on a
feature length project together. If this short is anything to go by, I'll
definitely be on the lookout for that.
* _[Daemonrunner](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyNF7mXH3aY)_ (2017,
Australia, 5 min): Daemons rage in cyberspace and are being hunted down by a
special task force to keep everyone safe. Quite well made and an interesting
concept.
* _[We summoned a demon](https://vimeo.com/230488802)_ (2017, USA, 6 min): Fun
and entertaining. A couple of guys summon a demon to be cool. Not the
brightest kids on the dark side, but at least they summoned a demon!
* _[Wyrmwood: Chronicles of the dead
(teaser)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5NVs9zyZdM)_ (2017, Australia, 7
min): This one didn't catch me at all. Too slick, too much focus on effects,
and does not manage to catch my attention. It has some good moments though,
but over all this feels like a commercial series to cater too the gaming
crowd.
---
{% figure(img="the-slaughtered-lamb.jpg") %}
From _An American Werewolf in London_.
{% end %}
After a break John Landis is again on the stage, this time introducing his
classic _[An American Werewolf in London]_ (1981, USA.) Again it's time to
catch up on the classics for my part. It becomes very clear why this is
regarded as such a classic as it is. It was great to finally see this on a big
screen, and both the introduction and Q&A with John landis would be worth the
price alone. Nobody is able to make nerdy film trivia as entertaining as this
guy!
Next up is _[Spookers]_ (2017, New Zealand.) A documentary about a haunted
house operation outside Auckland. Entertaining enough, but at that time my head
is starting to get overloaded, so I don't feel I'm able to appreciate it as
well as I could. This is a slow film, that I think would work much better as an
opener rather than this late in the program.
I had been looking forward to the double bill, all-nighter _[The Living Dead at
the Manchester Morgue]_ (1974, Italy/Spain) and _[Dellamorte Dellamore]_ (1974,
Italy/France/Germany,) but I was simply too tired to even try! A couple of cask
ales from the pub was consumed and then it was the long way back to the hotel
for my part.
## Sunday, April 22
Sunday started with the fresh, and pretty lighthearted _[Dave Made a Maze]_ (2017, USA.) A
hilarious ride, and a perfect start after three days of gore, glory and horror.
It's a bit of a strech to call this a horror, but it is a great and well made
comedy aimed at horror fans! Original, captivating and plain old silly fun from
start to finish! This is the kind of film you can show to your non-horror
friends and still have fun, although the horror fans will have even more fun!
Bring pizza!
### Shorts: 2D & Deranged
The last of the short-film programmes of the festival, the _"2D & Deranged
programme"_ was entirely focused on animations. The wonderful thing about
animations are that they allow for a great deal of surrealism, something which
definitely was the case in this session.
The session starts with a number of clay animations from _[Lee Hardcastle]_. These
range from 60 sec claymation summaries of classic horror films and video games,
as well as some other pieces. Check out his website or
[youtube-channel](https://www.youtube.com/leehardcastle) for a glimpse into his
twisted world.
The rest of the short films in this session were:
{% figure(img="beastly-things-poster.jpg") %}
_Beastly things_ poster
{% end %}
* _[In one drag](https://vimeo.com/167923570)_ (2016, Germany, 4 min): A stop
motion animation about when the sigarette butts takes revenge.
* _[L'Aria del Moscerino](http://oliverkrause.com/l-aria-del-moscerino.html)_
(2017, Germany, 5 min): A fruit fly with a taste for the good things in life
– sweet fruits and opera. Great 2D animation and a fun, though not entirely
unsuspected twist.
* _[The Death, Dad & Son](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7036616)_ (2017, France,
14 min): A wonderful clay animation about the warm relationship between Deah
and his son. Check this out if you get the chance!
* _[Belial's dream](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtWSyIRJ_qw)_ (2017, UK, 5
min): A disturbing and surreal nighmare made into film by Rob Morgan.
Absolutely worth a watch, though it may not be everybody's cup of tea.
Personally I loved it!
* _[Coyote](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7846672)_ (2018, Switzerland, 10 min):
A coyote seeks revenge on a pack of wolfs after they killed his family.
Classic revenge/drama in a quite unconventional wrapping. Highly recommended!
* _[Beastly things](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7259008)_ (2017, USA, 5 min):
A beautifully hand-drawn animated film about a young street artist that needs
to deal with a crew of bullies. Very nicely made and a well told story
without dialogue.
---
With the early part of the days programme mostly on the light hearted side it
was time to kick it up a notch. The Taiwanese film _[Mon, Mon, Mon, Monsters]_
(2017, Taiwan) (meant to be pronounced in the voice of Scooby Doo,) was quite a
nice change of pace. Despite the tounge-in-cheek name, the film was quite an
interesting one about a theme that a lot of horror fans probably can feel at
home in–bullying. Well made, interesting story, and a few surprising twists
made this a very welcome addition to the "have seen"-list. Highly recommended!
_[Aj Zombies]_ (2017, Peru/France) was next up on the agenda. Also a film that
was able to surprise in a positive way. We're back in the rather lighthearted
horror/comedy segment again, but it has a nerve that keeps it interesting
throughout. Here I think the characters and cast really carry the film, and
help give what could be just shallow and silly some more substance. Grab a
beer, invite some friends, and you'll have a great evening with this one!
Before the last film of the festival, there was a closing ceremony. This was
another fun twist with this festival. The films that had been collected for the
_Shit-film amnesty_ throughout the festival was presented and the shittiest of
them all was awarded. The lucky person who submitted the worst film was awarded
the entire collection. It sounded like he would have hours of really cheezy
watching to do! There was also a gift ceremony where gifts were passed around
the audience while some music played, and the ones who still had a package when
the music stopped was to keep it. I didn't win this time...
{% figure(img="downrange-poster.jpg") %}
_Downrange_ poster.
{% end %}
Enough fun and games, the last film of the festival was the drama _[Downrange]_
(2017, USA/Japan.) If the day until now had been light hearted and fun, this
film brough balance to the tabs. This was a deep dive into the pure unmotivated
brutality that the human mind can display.
A very simple premise, an almost static setting, but so well executed and with
such intensity that it ends up as one of the most memorable films of the
festival. Highly recommended!
...and then it was over. A few more cask ales in the Filmhouse pub, a few
goodbyes to new friends and many great memories that needs to be processed.
A big shoutout to Adéle Hartley who organizes this amazing festival. This is
definitely _her_ festival, and just the fact that she puts so much of herself
into it gives the festival a very unique and personal touch. Also the rest of
the staff, both of the festival and the Filmhouse (and the pub) all helped make
this a memorable and extremely positive experience. And of course to all the
people I met, had a quick chat with or shared a toast with: I'll see you again!
[Dead By Dawn]: http://deadbydawn.co.uk/
[Filmhouse]: http://www.filmhousecinema.com/
[Nosferatu]: https://horrorpedia.com/2012/06/23/nosferatu-1921-german-horror-film-f-w-murnau-overview-review/
[Innocent Blood]: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104511
[Siembamba]: https://horrorpedia.com/2018/01/30/the-lullaby-reviews-horror-movie-film-south-african-2018-siembamba-overview-plot/
[Still/Born]: https://horrorpedia.com/2017/05/07/stillborn-2017-canadian-horror-film-movie-cast-plot-reviews/
[John Landis]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Landis
[Rabbit]: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3415358
[Frankenstein]: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0021884
[Bride of Frankenstein]: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0026138
[Frankenstein Bar]: http://www.frankensteinedinburgh.co.uk/
[Knuckleball]: https://horrorpedia.com/2018/04/19/knuckleball-reviews-movie-film-horror-thriller-2018-overview-cast-plot/
[Evil Dead II]: https://horrorpedia.com/2012/10/07/evil-dead-ii-1987-horror-movie-sam-raimi-overview/
[The Conjurers Kitchen]: https://www.conjurerskitchen.com/
[Trench 11]: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5033290
[An American Werewolf in London]: https://horrorpedia.com/2012/11/16/an-american-werewolf-in-london-reviews-1981-comedy-horror-movie-film-overview-cast-plot/
[Spookers]: http://www.spookers.co.nz/spookers-movie.html
[The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue]: http://thezombiesite.com/the-living-dead-at-manchester-morgue-1974/
[Dellamorte Dellamore]: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109592
[Dave Made a Maze]: http://davemadeamaze.com
[Mon, Mon, Mon, Monsters]: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6648404
[Aj Zombies]: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7592928
[Downrange]: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6138228
[Lee Hardcastle]: http://www.leehardcastle.com/
