We Are The Weirdos 2019

We are the Weirdos, a collated collective of short feminist horror films woven together by The Final Girls, is now in its second year and continues to torment, terrify and transfix with each of the nine films showcased in its latest incarnation. Featuring films from Finland, Mexico, Ireland, South Korea, the US and UK, the full length and breadth of the intersection of feminism and horror globally is splattered across the screen in the collection.

This second instalment of We Are The Weirdos is a cunningly crafted set of films that demonstrate the talent and infinite imaginations of female-driven casts and creative teams within the horror genre. It’s an intelligent glance at interwoven issues of femininity and patriarchal oppression that manages to firmly plant the intersection of feminism and horror into an important space within film as, in The Final Girls’ own words, "who said girls weren’t scary?"

Catcalls

Hair Wolf

#EATPRETTY

'Catcalls' sinks its claws into verbal harassment and rape culture while the camp and kitschy 'Hair Wolf' addresses the fetishisation of black culture in mainstream media through its humorous references to 70s screamers and the melodramatic horror conjured by Chester Algernal Gorden’s inventive hair and costume design. Both pay homage to debates being waged in and around intersectional feminist circles and directly utilise vicious visuals to deliver a rich dark fantasy of feminine power. The morphing mistresses of 'Cartcalls' patriarchal destruction target their harassers with gruesome gumption and although we are denied more than a glimpse of their feline form in a Ginger-Snaps-esque monstrosity, Kate Dolan’s masterful direction manages to capture a thrilling sense of unease nonetheless. 'Hair Wolf’s monsters are altogether more recognisable as white Instagram influencers pawing at the panes of a hair salon with zombie-like zeal to try and get their hands on, as one girl drawls in an unending undead one note ‘braaaiidss’. Mariama Diallo’s script is peppered with insightful takes on appropriation and a dry humour that connects with the film’s campy aesthetic, making this piece one of the smarter horror flicks in the showcase. Similarly, '#EATPRETTY' uses horror as a genre to fuel fascination for current obsessions with beauty standards, perfection and the male gaze, though with more of a bent on the living lens of social media. Abigail Halley’s voiceovers for Roseanna Frascona’s maniacal shuttercock image fantasies are languid and soothing, creating bizarre juxtaposition for Frascona’s hungry obsession and deterioration.

Blood Runs Down

Goodnight

Cerulia

'Blood Runs Down' delivers memorable miasmic aestheticism within its Louisiana setting and monochrome design. Candlelight spills from every surface and Jesse Ray Guillory’s production design guiles us into a tapered tapestry of white linens and gentle luminescence. While a southern storm rages outside, psychological possessions are padded with whispers and piano chords inside, creating a delightful undercurrent of distress. The atmosphere is brilliantly set thanks to Sultana Isham’s soundtrack and Zac Manuel’s cinematography but sadly Zandashé Brown’s screenplay falters in its progression of a compelling storyline.
The image of a small girl in a white dress wielding a baseball bat is a wonderful reclamation of girlhood as something other than delicate candlelit delights and the overall attempt at addressing intergenerational trauma and the long lasting effects of loss is a poignant one but the film fails to arrest its audience with anything other than scintillating visuals. 'Goodnight', directed by Diane Michelle, features an exploration of psychosexual nightmares and gender in the family unit. Its jump scares and picture perfect family place it firmly in the realm of Hollywood horror, yet the disturbing direction the piece takes in exploiting childhood fears and twisting them into a thing with carnivorous connotations shows there’s more to 'Goodnight' than meets the eye.y

Inseyed

Puppet Master

The Lady From 406

Other manifestations include Sofia Carillo’s illustrative stop animation 'Cerulia' featuring truly original abominations that plague the mind and senses. Two identical girls play strange games with badly taxidermied animals to escape their lonesome reality in a delightfully delectable reference to 'The Shining', while the heads of grandparents emerge from leaf piles in the greenhouse demanding stories be read and hair be combed. It’s a surrealist delirium that plays on the volatile imaginations of children and it is by far the most perplexing and perturbing of the set. 'Inseyed' in contrast is a short sharp little animation that delves into the discomfort of daily life whilst featuring a small sharp toothed creature peering out from the inside of a rotting skull. It is as offbeat as it is adorable and makes for a gratifying interlude from duller offerings such as 'Puppet Master' which also takes aim at objectification and the male gaze in the form of a metamorphosis from human woman to puppet. This silent exploration of obsession explores our relationship with art as possession in a reverse Pinocchio plotline that occasionally drags and would seem more at home on a stage rather than a screen. Last in the lot is director Lee Kyoung’s 'The Lady from 406' which, with its mesmerising myriad of shots that circle about the tenement building in which our protagonist finds herself agonisingly attempting to rid her apartment of her neighbour’s cigarette smoke, creates less of a horrific hellscape and more of a sage sanatorium. The overall effect is one of heightened suspicion and sense of utter confusion.

Review by Jordana Belaiche.