Review: Mayhem Film Festival, Day Two

County: USA

Director: Marianna Palka

Starring: Jaime King, Jason Ritter & Jason Maybaum

Running Time: 93 mins

Jason Ritter gives a performance packed with manic energy as a philandering father struggling to keep his family together after his wife, under the psychological strain of his lack of attention, breaks down and assumes the identity of a vicious dog. Ritter channels the smug vitality of Tom Cruise during a daytime TV interview as he first dismisses, then attempts to come to terms with his new role. In the space reserved for alternative film, Bitch was a film well-worthy of its place at Mayhem, kinetically pinballing from scene to scene, leaving the viewer in a constant state of entertained confusion as to what was possibly going to happen next. Ashley Carter

County: USA

Director: Trent Haaga

Starring: Matthew Gray Gubler, AnnaLynne McCord & Alisha Boe

Running Time: 93 mins

After his alpha-female girlfriend catapults him into the criminal world, reluctant armed-robber Chip embarks on a cross-country odyssey in this story of femininity, masculinity and risk. Writer/director Trent Haaga delivers a crowd pleasing film packed with action and humour, as Chip (Matthew Gray Gubler) finds himself descending further and further into chaos, struggling to find the backbone he needs to set himself right. Whilst 68 Kill is entertaining, it is hamstrung by some lazy dialogue and a striving for cult-status that exposes it as perhaps not being as cool as it thinks it is. Still, an enjoyable ride nonetheless. Ashley Carter

County: United Kingdom

Director: Simeon Halligan

Starring: Elliot Langridge, Rachel Richardson-Jones & Jessica Barden

Running Time: 90 mins

Possibly the most polarizing film of 2017 Mayhem, Habit, directed by Simeon Halligan, brings to life the sinister underbelly of Manchester and an interesting and ambiguous take on those that consume others. Protagonist Michael (James Elliot Langridge), is an out-of-work loser with a good heart who, on meeting fellow jobseeker Lee and her uncle Ian, gets caught up in the ins-and-outs (fnar) at Ian’s brothel Cloud 9, in an attempt to regain the sense of family that was taken from him in after his mother’s suicide. William Ash very much stole the show as Ian, though both Langridge and his right eyebrow - which seemed to carry most of the heavy acting - gave a strong performance. The story seemed to lose its way at points and the direction could have been tighter but ultimately it’s a pleasing hour and a half that gives some much needed screen time to a brilliant city. Love it or hate it, you’ll be intrigued. Penny Reeve

County: USA

Director: Steve Miner

Starring: Dana Kimmell, Tracie Savage & Richard Brooker

Running Time: 95 mins

A throwback to the classic franchise to celebrate Friday 13^th on the 13^th Mayhem Festival. It was a nice feeling of community within the screening. By this film, the festival wasn’t taking itself too seriously, the film didn’t take itself too seriously, and laughter flowed throughout the audience. The experience was given in oldschool 3D with red and blue paper glasses which was a nice touch. But despite the fun and frolics it is still a very ridiculous and pretty terrible film.

The acting is bad along with the plot but we expect little else from a Jason film: there are some friends who have sex and then die. But despite this, it was still nearly an hour before anything really happened. The main redeeming factor was that the 3D element was so utterly bizarre that it was often hilarious. Different things that could move towards one’s face were randomly shown throughout and regularly resulted in a punchline to a scene. But that did even get old eventually. Even so, the final showdown picked the film up again and on a whole it was a relaxing breather mid-festival. Matt Smith