The Horrors of Tribeca – Part 1: Summer of Blood, Super Duper Alice Cooper, In Order of Disappearance, The Canal
The 2014 Tribeca Film Festival is winding down, and it’s time for Part 1 of our wrap-up of the horror films we took in this year with a look at Summer of Blood, Super Duper Alice Cooper, In Order of Disappearance, and The Canal.
Are we knee deep in film festival season or at the tail end, transitioning from film geekery to… well, just plain geekery with a comic convention every weekend til August? It’s hard to keep track these days. Lucky for you, Dread Central sends henchmen to every event worth talking about.
Today I fill those shoes as we run the streets of New York City to catch the freakier films of the Tribeca Film Festival alongside Heather Buckley (on interview duty) and Drew Tinnin (backing us up on all points). As we head toward the close of the event, we thought we’d give you a taste of what we’ve been taking in.
LET’S BEGIN!!
Erik (Tukel) swims in a sea of apathy, also known as the streets of New York City. He’s one of those people that needs to experience a life-changing event to set him on his proper path and just maybe make him a better man. Could a chance encounter with a vampire give Erik that gentle nudge he needs? Will un-death bring him new life? Probably not.
Summer of Blood is the coming of age movie for the middle-aged and aimless. It’s like “Seinfeld” with vampires and is genius in its ability to fill time with hysterical conversations about absolutely nothing.
A young, long haired Nomad once thrilled a classroom full of unsuspecting students with a report on the rock god known as Alice Cooper. Much of the presentation included clips from live stage shows wherein Alice fought monsters, menaced women, and was killed before the masses. All my research only scratched the surface of what you’ll find in this jaunty, highly informative documentary. Perhaps “jaunty” is the only problem here, as the tone of this piece doesn’t mirror the attitude and horrific fun of Alice’s live shows and, essentially, what made him the mega-star we know and love.
Historically accurate and unflinchingly (albeit gently) truthful? Yes. Fun? Not so much.
Nils (Stellan Skarsgård) leads a simple life, charged with keeping a section of road clear of snow in a zen-like act he performs almost daily. When his son suddenly turns up dead at the hands of a drug cartel, the acts become bloody.
Skarsgård gives a spectacular performance as a man driven to murder with frighteningly flawless ease against a remarkably beautiful Norwegian backdrop shot to perfection. Incredibly clever, darkly funny, and profoundly heartfelt in total silence.
A man, a woman, a small child, and a new house with a history of death. You can see what’s coming. The Canal takes its time to build up the creep factor with plenty of “WHAT WAS THAT?!” going on, wrapped around our lead character who might be going mad… or might be plagued by a vengeful spirit who would like to see him kill all those around him like a mini, indie The Shining.
What the filmmakers behind The Canal borrow from our rich history of horror films is forgiven, as they prove they’ve learned those lessons well and deliver some fantastically creepy moments that could have you leaving the lights on as you crawl into bed hours later.
The 13th edition of the Tribeca Film Festival takes place from April 16 to April 27, 2014. For more info visit the official Tribeca Film Festival website, “like” the Tribeca Film Festival on Facebook, and follow Tribeca Film Festival (@TribecaFilmFest) on Twitter and join the conversation by using the hashtag #TFF2014.
