FRIGHTFEST 2024 brought breathtaking horror films to London — Moviejawn

The substance
Screenplay and direction: Coralie Fargeat
Running time 2 hours and 20 minutes

The highlight of the festival was the eagerly awaited and controversial premiere of the last film in Cannes. The substance. And the immediate reaction was as divisive as expected. I was a fan of Coralie Fargeat's film Revengeso I was looking forward to its successor. Although it didn't live up to my expectations, I still really enjoyed it. Much of the excitement surrounding it has been that there seems to be a gender gap between the opinions of female and male critics. Men seem to love it, women less so. I have my suspicions as to why that is, but I'll save that for another time.

This is full-body horror, but it keeps its bubblegum aesthetic. Fargeat is a great visual storyteller and manages to draw you into the world without verbal explanations. The film explores the self-loathing women often feel towards their bodies in a patriarchal society hell-bent on maintaining certain beauty standards. It also shows the lengths women will go to preserve their appearance so they are not forgotten. The lead role stars Demi Moore, who still looks incredible at 61. Horror is a genre that often offers more opportunities to women who have “outgrown” Hollywood, and it's an honor to have Moore join the team. And of course, Margaret Qualley can seemingly do no wrong with her career choice. Always entertaining and always weird. I look forward to reading the editorials and in-depth commentary on this film from other women's perspectives.

FrightFest certainly had some stunning films on its programme this year, even if there were a large number of more moderate films in between. Nevertheless, it was a pleasure to be there in person and to see how important this festival is to the UK horror film scene. Stay tuned for my full review of Azrael which will be released on Shudder and in select theaters in September.

Also, be sure to check out the FrightFest website to see this year's and past years' lineup. Look out for more events from the team throughout the year. It was a joy to be there, watch films, and spend time with friends and horror fans, and I hope to attend more FrightFests in the future.