path: root/content/film/2017-08-19-ramaskrik-2016/index.md

+++
title = "Ramaskrik 2016"
lang = "en"

[taxonomies]
tags = ["film", "horror", "Ramaskrik", "festival"]

[extra]
author = "harald"
+++

{% figure(img="howl_front.jpg") %}
One of the attractions this year was the screening of Howl from an old train car at Oppdal station.
{% end %}

This report from the [Ramaskrik Horror Film Festival] of 2016 has taken way too
long to finish. My apologies for that. We're now only a about a month and a
half away from the next Ramaskrik, which I'm very much forwards to it! Anyways
here is my report from four days dedicated in full to horror films, beers and
socializing with other horror fans.

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One of the great things about this festival is it's location. A very small town
in the middle of Norway. (Yes, that sounds like "in the middle of nowhere" for
a reason.) [Oppdal] is a picturesque small town surrounded by mountains. A
popular skiing resort in winter time, and great for mountain trips in the
summer and fall.

Due to its small size the festival gets very social. Audience, producers,
directors, actors and the organisers of the festival mingle freely. Pretty much
everyone stays at the same hotel. The venue doesn't have any VIP area, and the
evening usually ends up at one of the local bars – either at the hotel or
somewhere else.

We (the audience) appreciate this, but it seems like the professionals present
do so too. We're all horror film enthusiasts in the end, and the atmosphere is
informal and very inclusive.

Right! Enough chit'chat, on to the report!

## Day 1 - Thursday

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Midtnorsk fortellerforum is making the train trip scarier.
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For me the trip kicks off with the Horror train from Oslo to Oppdal. This year
I volunteered to be the host of the trip from Oslo, so I don't feel I can
comment too much on how that experience was. Most of the other travelers were
familiar faces from last years trip with a few new ones added.

Also this year
we had people from [Midtnorsk Fortellerforum] (a storytelling society) come on
board and tell some macabre stories for us during the trip. This was a great
addition! We also had the horror quiz where the winners could gain glory,
fortune and prizes when we arrived at the hotel.

...which we did just in time to check in before going to see the opening film –
_[Train to Busan]_. An action packet and tight zombie film where most of the action is
on a train. After all, what could be more appropriate after a five hour train
trip from Oslo? A great start of an excellent festival! The director, Sang-ho
Yeon was not able to be at the screening himself, but had sent a video message
that introduced the film.

Next up was _[The Autopsy of Jane Doe]_ introduced by the director _André
Øvredal_. Øvredal is best known for his previous film _[Troll Hunter]_, and
said he wanted to make something completely different this time around. And he
definitely did.

_The Autopsy of Jane Doe_ is tight, dark and claustrophobic.  Extremely well
made, and plays very successfully on suspense and the primal fears of darkness
and dead bodies. I found that the story worked really well, and the atmosphere
gradually evolves from the mundane everyday attitude of morticians towards pure
dread. A film highly recommended!

{% figure(img="janedoe-poster.jpg") %}
_The Autopsy of Jane Doe_ poster.
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Due to the travel time from Oslo, two films was all I managed this first day.
However, a really strong start on the festival, and I think everyone is smiling
as we head back to the hotel bar for some beers. André Øvredal hangs around for
the evening, even though he has to get up early to get to the next festival (in
Stockholm) already the next day.

## Day 2 - Friday

First film for me on friday was _[31]_ by Rob Zombie. I'd read mixed reviews of
this film in advance, but wanted to give it a shot. We meet a crew of traveling
con artists that get caught up in a game of "31" where they play pawns for the
rich to place their bets on. The game is played by letting them loose in a
closed off industial labyrinth with hired killers trying to kill them off in
more or less imaginative ways.

This is an orgy of violence for the sake of violence itself. Still I think it
works. It's well executed, the setting is interesting, and both the hunters and
the prey are interesting characters. Perhaps not a favourite from the festival,
but absolutely worth watching if you're not turned off by this kind of
violence.

Before the next film _[Red Christmas]_, we got to see the short film _[Night of
the Slasher]_.

{{ vimeo(id="127454533") }}

_Red christmas_, an australian slasher mixing the festive themes of christmas
with the ethical and political dilemmas around abortion, downs syndrome, human
selection etc. Quite a few people didn't like this one, but I found it
entertaining. The ethical aspects were present but not dominating, still they
added a small touch of uniqueness to what would otherwise be just another
slasher film. And legendary Deb Wallace does a good figure as the mother with a
dark past.

_[Seoul Station]_ was next on my agenda. But first we got the norwegian short
film _[The Absence of Eddy Table]_, a really absurd computer animated story
about a guy with a backpack that gets lost in a jungle of strange berries, huge
women and snail like creatures that will transform you to a monster by growing
a huge mouth in your neck. Voice talent provided by Mike Patton amongst others,
this was very enjoyable and a surreal ride!

_Seoul Station_ is an animated prequel to _Train to Busan_. Made by the same
director – Sang-ho Yeon. It's much slower than Train To Busan, and the fact
that it's animated rather than a real film distracts me a bit. It's also a tad
longwinded. Not a bad movie, but not really needed as a companion to Train to
Busan either.



{% figure(img="francesca-poster.jpg") %}
_Francesca_ poster.
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Fourth feature of the day was the Italian Giallo homage _[Francesca]_. This was
also a film that divided the audience a bit. I loved it, but others found it
too much a pastiche of it's genre.

The atmosphere is set right away, by a catchy prog-rock soundtrack, over
saturated colours and even the proper typefaces from the 70's in the title
sequence. The plot is admittedly thin, and you have to enjoy the aestethics of
the film and the genre for this to be worthwhile. On one level it felt more
like a long music video than a feature film.

_Francesca_ was preceeded by the short film _[Tunnelen]_ (The Tunnel) again by
André Øvredal (who also had _The Autopsy of Jane Doe_ on the festival.)

This is dystopian futurism, and we follow a family on their way home from a day
by the sea. On their way back into the city they have to pass though a tunnel,
and while everybody assures eachother there's no danger in passing the tunnel
we sense that they're just not showing their fear. Based on a short story by
Alice Glaser, this is again masterfully executed by Øvredal and not the least
by the actors. Very nice!


After this I team up with a couple of friends for a food break. Even though
that means missing _[The Rezort]_ which I had planned to see in this spot. Head
and stomach found it wiser to eat though, so off we went for a bloody beef!

...

Back at the venue I went for _[Pet]_. But first the hilarious short film
_[Death Metal]_ from Chris McInroy. A metal head with less than average guitar
skills is given a new guitar by his dad. The new guitar has some secrets
though, and some rules that need to be followed. Needless to say they're not,
and things take off differently than our guitar hero expects. Very funny and
lots and lots of blood!

_Pet_ was a film I liked very much. It starts off as more of a quirky romance
than a horror film, but it takes a different turn after about 20 minutes or so.
Then it takes different and unexpected turns several more times.

This was a film that managed to surprise me in a good way. The actors do a
great job, and the story is twisted but somewhat realistic. This is not a film
that aims to be scary, but it does tell an interesting story that's way darker
than what I first thought. Very much recommended!


{% figure(img="greasy-poster.jpg") %}
_The Greasy Strangler_ poster.
{% end %}

Last film for the day, and the one that it seems the entire day has built up
to, is _[The Greasy Strangler]_!

Jim Hosking's debut feature film is sleasy, greasy, and a hell of a lot of fun!
Don't expect a deep story, or for that matter a conventional film in any way.
This is as if someone put all the sleaziest parts of John Waters films, the
acting talent of a low budget Troma film, mixed them all with bucketloads of
grease and added disco! If that sounds great, this is your film! Don't say I
didn't warn you!

Three people from _Spectrevision_, the production company behind the film had
come over from Los Angeles to Oppdal for the occation. They were really funny
people with lot's of stories from the shooting of the film and other hilarious
anecdotes. The Q&A after the film had to be broken off because thay had so many
stories to tell. We all went to _Spisbar_, a nearby pub for beers and to let
the films of the day sink in. Most of us went to bed when the bar closed...

## Day 3 - Saturday

Saturday starts early! First with a Horror breakfast, where author _Jørgen
Brekke_ reads a couple of horror short stories.

The first is _Gulebjørn_ (Yellowteddy,) one of his own stories. Since we hade
some time left, he also read _The Oval Portrait_ by Edgar Allan Poe. Both
stories are very enjoyable, but he clearly had not practiced reading the second
story, so that felt a bit stuttering. His own story worked much better. Still a
great start.

First film on my schedule for saturday was _[Ouija - The origin of evil]_, one
of the more commercial films on the fetival.

But first the short film _[Closet Space]_ by David F Sandberg. I've been
following this promising director and the shorts he's made with his wife since
I first came accross the original short _[Lights Out]_. I haven't been able to
catch his full length version of Lights Out yet, but his shorts are allways
refreshing and innovative. If you don't know his films, do check out his
channel on [Vimeo](https://vimeo.com/ponysmasher) or
[YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/user/ponysmasher).

{{ vimeo(id="156095543") }}

As for _Ouija_, I found it to be really good. It builds up nicely and is
extremely well made. Also the young actress playing the gifted child does a
very good job! All in all a very enjoyable movie.


{% figure(img="the-similars-poster.jpg") %}
_The Similars_ poster.
{% end %}

Next up was the mexican production _[The Similars]_ (Los Parecidos). It was
very different than what I expected from the liner notes. A highly original
film, and with a story that manages to surprise at many levels. I liked it a
lot, while it could proabably have worked just as well with a shorter running
time.

The Norwegian short _Hunden_ (The Dog) was screened just before _The Similars_.
A quietly told drama from the norwegian countryside. Very well executed, the
minimal dialogue accentuates the quietness of the countryside. While the
twist at the end is not really that surprising it comes with a great punchline.
Definitely worth watching!


Another mexican film, _[The Untamed]_ (La Región Salvaje) was again quite an
original one. Alejandra is left alone to care for her child after her husband
is taken to prison. By means of a female patient of her brother who is a nurse,
she is introduced to a mysterious creature in a cabin which gives intense
sexual pleasure.

It works well on some levels, but not quite as well on others.  It feels a bit
long. It's not really much of a horror film, but neither does it work as a
science fiction. Still the parts that work is well worth it, and the story is
interresting and fairly original.

As with last years outdoor screening of _Villmark II_, Ramaskrik had organised
a special screening this year too. This time it was the train/werewolf flick
_[Howl]_ that was screened in an old train car at the Oppdal train station.

While the film was far from the highlight of the festival, and a train car
really does not lend itself that well to watching movies, the overal experience
was great! It was a fun thing to do, and the setting did help the film in my
opinion.

As for the film itself? It falls for the classic mistakes of revealing the
monster too soon, too often, and too much. Outside of the action it really
didn't have much of a story to tell, and the characters seemed too
stereotypical to be interesting.

{% figure(img="night-of-the-living-deb-poster.jpg") %}
_Night of the Living Deb_ poster.
{% end %}

Back at Oppdal Kulturhus I go for _[Night of the Living Deb]_, with the
somewhat similarly named _[Dawn of the Deaf]_ as the pre-film short. As the
organisers explained, they were placed together for their tounge-in-cheek
names, not their content. The short was light on the horror elements, but had
an interesting twist that leads well into it at the end.

_Night of the Living Deb_ was rollercoster of a zombie-romance-apocalypse.
Somewhat in the style of _[Shaun of the Dead]_, but with a woman as the leading
role and a romantic backstory to drive the film. In other words, quite
different. This was a refreshing and at times hilarious mix that makes this
film really stand out among the rest. Highly recommended!

After a short break with an aborted quiz (due to the quiz being longer than the
break!) I was ready for the last film of the day: _[Scare Campaign]_.

A TV crew needs to spice up their horror reality concept to stand a chance at
attracting viewers against the competition from underground internet snuff
crews. This is a film that could go both ways, but it twists around a few times
in interesting ways. I enjoyed it a lot, and recommend that you check it out!

{{ vimeo(id="138946032") }}

Before _Scare Campaign_ though, we were presented the short film _Invaders_. A
couple of guys argues about what masks to wear for a home invasion. They've
picked out a nice house where a family is gathered for their thanksgiving
dinner. Thing's don't go as planned...

## Day 4 - Sunday

All good things must come to an end, and so also this edition of Ramaskrik! Up
way too early again judging by the beer-bill from yesterday. But hey, the
breakfast at the hotel is really good so off we go!

{% figure(img="windmill-massacre-poster.jpg") %}
Poster for _The Windmill Massacre_.
{% end %}

I got to see two films before heading back to the train station for the ride
home. The first one, _[The Windmill Massacre]_ was a very enjoyable piece from
the land of windmills – the Netherlands. I think I enjoyed this for two
reasons, it really captures the Dutch friendly pragmatism in a good way, _and_
it had a good story.

We meet a number of random people that happen to meet on a guided tour to view
some of the old Dutch windmills. The tour bus breaks down at some desolate
place, and as things unfold it may seem that the collection of people weren't
as random as we first thought.

I really liked the way the story unfolds in this film. Also the director, Nick
Jongerius was present and talked about the film and answered questions after
the screening.

I was unsure if I was going to be able to finish the next film before having to
run off to catch the train home. Luckily other people are better at calculating
in their head than I am, so we went for it and finished the festival with
_[Don't Breathe]_.

Again a fairly commercial film which has been hyped quite a bit in advance. I
liked it though! It's intense and well played. It doesn't really hold any
surprises, but is an enjoyable film nonetheless. Sometimes the simple recipe is
all that is needed.

{{ vimeo(id="193729267") }}

Before _Don't Breathe_ we got the short film _The Procedure_. This short film
really defies any attempt to describe it. Just watch it! It's a must see, and
it can not be unseen!


## Winding down...

A really great festival has come to an end. Again I've enjoyed every moment. A
lot of films were seen, quite a few beers were drunk and people were met, talks
were had and opinions were shared. All in all a great time!

The organizers did an amazing job, both with the selection of films and
organizing the event itself. At least from a visitors perspective everything
was super smooth from start to finish. The hotel had again done an amazing job
decorating and preparing for the event, and as far as I could see it was only
smiles and happy faces the entire weekend.

16 feature films and 9 shorts was what I managed to see this time around. As
allways there was too many films that I did not get to see due to timing or
clashes with other films, but that's only to be expected with a program as
tight and as well put together as it was on this festival.

See you in October!

{% figure(img="hotelldekor1.jpg") %}
By tradition the hotel has decorated the main floor where guests for the
festival is staying.
{% end %}

{% figure(img="hotelldekor2.jpg") %}
...and the elevator, for sports sake.
{% end %}

{% figure(img="beer.jpg") %}
A well deserved beer between the screenings.
{% end %}

{% figure(img="kulturhuset.jpg") %}
The venue
{% end %}

[Ramaskrik Horror Film Festival]: https://ramaskrik.no/
[Oppdal]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oppdal
[Midtnorsk Fortellerforum]: http://fortellerforum.no/
[The Windmill Massacre]: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2923088/

[Train to Busan]: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5700672
[The Autopsy of Jane Doe]: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3289956/
[Troll Hunter]: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1740707/

[31]: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3835080/
[Red Christmas]: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5120400/
[Night of the Slasher]: https://vimeo.com/127454533
[Seoul Station]: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3845670/
[The Absence of Eddy Table]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aJGfTL2a5Y

[Francesca]: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4958596/
[Tunnelen]: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4583446/
[The Rezort]: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3923662/
[Pet]: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1183374
[Death Metal]: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5640904/

[The Greasy Strangler]: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4381236/
[Ouija - The origin of evil]: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4361050/
[Closet Space]: https://vimeo.com/156095543
[Lights Out]: https://vimeo.com/82920243

[The Similars]: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3949658/
[The Untamed]: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5265960/
[Howl]: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2393827/
[Night of the Living Deb]: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/nightofthelivingdeb/179690844
[Dawn of the Deaf]: http://www.dawnofthedeafmovie.com/
[Shaun of the Dead]: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0365748/

[Scare Campaign]: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4467626/
[The Windmill Massacre]: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2923088
[Don't Breathe]: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4160708/