September | 2023 | MR GEEKY

PRE-FESTIVAL PREMIERE SNEAK PEEK

A NEW FILM FROM PROLIFIC BRITISH INDIE FILMMAKER

A SPOILER-FREE REVIEW

M.W. Daniels has released several short films since 2018. Most are psychological horror, but his latest offering is very different.

LIZZIEHEAD is a romcom… of sorts.

Lizzie Barnett seeks her long-lost father and her mother holds all the information Lizzie wants but her mother’s past haunts Lizzie still and causes a divide between the two of them.

Flouting romcom tropes and clichés right from the opening scene it signposts that we will venture into unexpected places. A flip-side and darker BRIDGET JONES could be the best way to even come close to describing it. Now to be perfectly honest I am not a fan of romcoms, but I really enjoyed LIZZIEHEAD and would happily re-watch, and have a few times at the time of writing.

By far this is writer, director, producer, and composer Daniels most assured film to date. The realism grounds this somewhat of a character study with a screenplay which throws in out-of-the-blue curveballs. At one point, myself not knowing anything of the plot, it teasingly seems to become a horror film. Yet that being said in numerous scenes it goes in the direction of “It’s not is it!?” And does, with many a laugh-out-loud, shocking, gobsmacking scene and… well that would be giving away far too much.

Starring an impressive Charlotte Gould as Lizzie, who in a committed performance, makes what could have been an unappealing character likeable and engaging, and most of all delivers some hilarious moments. She has some wonderful, and at times cringe-making, scenes with Tom Coulston as her prospective boyfriend, Renee Eskildsen as her best friend, and Kathy Griffiths as her Mum.

Daniels says of the film’s conception, “The idea initially was inspired by Charlotte who I’ve worked with on two of my older films. She’s so naturally funny off camera that I was inspired to write the character with her in mind.” Alongside Daniels is regular collaborator Nicolai Kornum, who with both his cinematography and editing, and Daniels’ score combine to create a befitting aesthetic for Lizzie’s world that also both emulates and skewers the romcom.

At 40 minutes long this is Daniels longest film to date and benefits LIZZIEHEAD as it allows more room for character development. It could certainly be expanded to feature length, but also quite easily be a pilot for a series. Both of which I would welcome.

Daniels says that the inspirations range from THE LEAGUE OF GENTLEMEN, INSIDE NO.9, FLEABAG, the first series of BLACK MIRROR, and CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM. So without a doubt, if any of these are your thing like most are mine, and even for those that are not fans of romcoms there is much enjoyment to be had.

Overall, Daniels and Kornum have produced a fun ride with substance, and Gould created a memorable lead which leaves me wanting more.

LIZZIEHEAD has its world premiere at THE WORLD INDEPENDENT CINEMA AWARDS LOS ANGELES and soon will also be on AMAZON PRIME.

All stills by Nicolai Kornum

A BLOODY ASYLUM SPOILER-FREE REVIEW

A NEW RELEASE FROM JAY REEL

AN AWARD-WINNING SHORT FILM CURRENTLY SCREENING ON THE FESTIVAL CIRCUIT

Writer/director/producer/editor Jay Reel is an independent DIY filmmaker based in the US who over the last 20 years has produced a feature and short movies with friends and locals within his home town of Mexia, Texas. My introduction to his work was a few years ago and DAWN YEAR SEVEN (the prequel to his 2003 feature DAWN), a distinctive vision of the vampire genre that forgoes expected tropes and cliches. This was followed up by the multi-award-winning short SHE MADE A MONSTER – without a doubt my favourite of his films. A laugh-out-loud, crazy, fun creature feature that I have rewatched several times. Both can be found on YouTube and I reviewed. While the production values are inevitably limited, what typifies them both is heart and soul, alongside Reel’s obvious passion for moviemaking no matter the challenges and hurdles.

His latest is yet another change of pace with CHRISTAL. A surprisingly touching and reflective supernatural revenge film. Wherein we first meet the titular character’s father as he is dealing with the grief of her murder when she appears to him as a ghost and wanting to lead him to her killer.

Reel told The Bloody Asylum of the inspiration, “Honestly, this one came to mind after my best friend Barry passed away last December. I was working on a ghost story at the time and the focus changed to a story about life and death and good and evil. The feeling was I also needed to add some levity so I didn’t depress the audience too much.”

CHRISTAL is a very personal piece to Reel, which can be felt throughout. In the process effectively eschewing the usual jump scares, blood, gore, and splatter for a more dramatic approach. With a cast of non-professional actors who doing just enough, especially with dialogue heavy scenes, to make the narrative engaging. Megan McGuffee as Christal has a convincing chemistry with Bruce Fitch as Christal’s father, with both sharing riveting third act scenes with Parrish Randall, where the twist took me by surprise.

The choice of black and white gives an appropriate melancholic, moderately dreamlike feel enhanced by co-producer Fitch’s beautiful score. Reel says of this monochromatic choice, “My first film DAWN I started filming in color but after a test knew it had to be a black and white film as it seemed to fit the story and look.” Adding, “Some of my favorite images were captured in this film [CHRISTAL] . Megan (Christal) walking down barefoot on a blazing hot road top. Her peaking up at the foot of the bed, that smile as blood sprays in her face. And the hand coming out of the grave.”

CHRISTAL is unconventional genre fare and does not fall squarely into the horror bracket, which sets it apart from many horror films. While there is no denying it has shortcomings, due to expected budgetary constraints and the non-professional actors, its strength lies in its distinctiveness, substance, heart, and soul at the core. Those who favour independent films of this type and something different, as I do, will appreciate and find much to admire.

In conclusion, CHRISTAL is a fairly gripping, engaging, dramatic character-driven supernatural horror that I will happily return to.