FILM list.co.uk/film
FRIGHTFEST Low-budget fi lmmaker Ti West prepares to scare Glasgow
‘H orror is one of those things I wasn’t allowed to see when growing up, so of course I was totally drawn to it. It’s like a magic trick, you can experience this feeling of being scared despite being in a totally safe environment,’ explains Ti West the writer / director of a series of wonderfully understated slow-burn horror movies including The House of the Devil and The Innkeepers. He’s also guest of honour at the Glasgow Film Festival’s annual horror spectacular FrightFest.
West will be appearing in conversation with one of FrightFest’s founders, Alan Jones, alongside the Scottish premiere of his latest film, The Sacrament. ‘I’ve always been fascinated with cults in general and particularly the Peoples Temple and what happened at Jonestown.’ Famously, over 900 cult members committed mass suicide in
52 THE LIST 20 Feb–20 Mar 2014
1978 under the direction of charismatic leader Jim Jones. ‘A lot of the issues that drew people to the Peoples Temple in the 70s are still very relevant today. It’s a polarising movie and it’s very grim.’ This year’s celebration of screen terror also features Wolf Creek 2, Almost Human, Killers, Proxy, Torment and Mindscape. ‘The genre is the star: you don’t need big name actors, people are coming to see the horror,’ adds West. ‘There’s always been something counter culture about it: if people like something subversive they always seem to really embrace it.’ (Henry Northmore)
Ti West in Conversation, GFT, Glasgow, Thu 27 Feb; FrightFest, GFT, Glasgow, Fri 28 Feb & Sat 1 Mar (repeat screenings Cineworld, Glasgow, Sun 2 Mar). For more coverage see list.co.uk
HITLIST THE BEST FILM RELEASES & EVENTS
✽ Nymphomaniac Volumes I & II Lars von Trier’s erotic double bill may be deliberately provocative but it’s also an enthralling examination of sexuality in all its guises. See review, page 56. Limited release from Sat 22 Feb.
✽ FrightFest See preview, left. GFT, Glasgow, Fri 28 Feb & Sat 1 Mar;
Cineworld, Glasgow, Sun 2 Mar. Part of Glasgow Film Festival.
✽ Under the Skin Jonathan Glazer’s unsettling adaptation of Michel Faber’s Scottish-set sci-fi is guaranteed to leave a lasting impression. See feature, page 12 and five-star review, page 55. GFT, Glasgow, Sun 2 Mar as part of Glasgow Film Festival. Limited release from Fri 14 Mar.
✽ The Grand Budapest Hotel Wes
Anderson’s joyful interwar caper features a seemingly never-ending list of fantastic actors. See review at list.co.uk. GFT, Glasgow, Thu 20 Feb, as part of Glasgow Film Festival. General release from Fri 7 Mar.
✽ Only Lovers Left Alive Jim Jarmusch’s ‘anti-vampire vampire film’ marks an
awesome return to form. See review, page 54. GFT, Glasgow, Fri 7–Thu 13 Mar.
✽ Stranger by the Lake Atmospheric thriller set in a gay cruising spot in rural France. See review, page 55 and interview, page 57. Limited release from Fri 7 Mar.
✽ The Hippodrome Festival of Silent Cinema Taking place in the 100-year-old
Bo’ness Hippodrome cinema, this four-day event is a unique celebration of silent film. See feature, page 53. The Hippodrome, Bo’ness, Wed 12–Sun 16 Mar.