Filmmaking in the Age of Terror: A Report from the Fearless Tales Film Festival

By Heidi Martinuzzi • Mar 24th, 2004 • Category: Editorials

“September 11th, 2001 rocked the very foundations of American society and put the entire world on notice that no person or thing is safe. We now live in an age when fear lurks within our everyday life, and Horror has a duty to reflect these concerns in a way that other genres are unable to, just as it has done in times past.” – Calum Waddell, Horror Journalist and Fearless Tales Panelist

On March 11th –15th in San Francisco at the Victoria Theatre, Fearless Tales Genre Fest (http://www.fearlesstales.com/) showed some of the most innovative, and truly fearless, independent films that have been made since the tragedy of 9/11 and other catastrophic and violent events of recent years.

Fearless Tales Genre Fest was created by Michael Davidson, a Bay Area filmmaker with a passion for connecting filmmakers with distributors and venues. His invaluable efforts in creating Fearless Tales enabled many genre filmmakers a chance to show their violent, gory, or disturbing films to a world that is still repairing itself from the dramatic terrorist attacks of a few years ago.

Noteworthy films shown included Justin Hennard’s Moonlight by the Sea (http://www.moonlightbythesea.com/ ), an intellectually complex science fiction story set in a time when big business and government are the same thing; I’ll Bury you Tomorrow,( http://www.illburyyoutomorrow.com/) Allan Rowe Kelly’s seventies-era slasher flick about madness, sorrow, and the destruction of the family unit (not to mention some great axe-chopping scenes); and Killer Me (http://www.killerme.com/) by Zachary Hansen, about a man who inflicts pain and violence on others around him uncontrollably.

The most disturbing, and most phenomenal film was the Australian submission Razor-Eaters (http://www.razoreaters-themovie.com/). Director Shannon Young brings to the screen a tale of domestic terrorism in Australia when five angry young men take out their aggressions on society through murders, vandalism, and violence. Based on true events, Razor-Eaters is a stunning and moving film of terrifying proportions that was actually denounced by the Victoria Police as “unethical.” Truly the most indicative of filmmaking in the “Age of Terror,” Razor Eaters is destined for greatness because of its brilliant storyline, amazing acting, and powerful message about dissatisfied youth.

Tobe Hooper was in attendance to receive the first Fearless Vision Award for his contribution to fearless filmmaking. Creator of the classically disturbing Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Funhouse, Salem’s Lot and the mainstream Poltergeist, Hooper also premiered his new film Toolbox Murders, another fearless horror film about urban legends in old Hollywood.

Jack Hill, creator of seventies exploitation films such as Coffee, Foxy Brown, and Switchblade Sisters, showed an uncut version of his 1964 demented family film Spider Baby. As disturbing now as it was then, it depicts the madness that occurs from isolation, inbreeding, and excess.

Fearless Tales was a great success in bringing about an awareness of some of the lesser-known and gutsier films that are being made today. With so much soft, unmoving, and sugar-coated filmmaking going on today, especially in the mainstream, it’s refreshing to see a film festival that not only allows, but praises, the efforts of talented filmmakers who actively disturb, question, and interpret the fears of society.

Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.