Hallow Road (2025) is a surprisingly intense film given it's isolated setting and small cast. Almost the entire film is shot in a car while driving along a country road at night.

A couple is woken in the middle of the night by a phone call from their daughter who says she has been in a car accident after leaving their house after an argument. They get in their car to go to site of the accident, and we follow them in real time on their journey.

As the story and drama unfolds, it becomes clear that there's a lot more under the surface than what the introduction would have us believe.

This is not a film that will give you a clear cut story or explanation of what's going on. It's definitely open to interpretation, although there are clues throughout – not all of which points in the same direction. There's disturbing hints that may point towards supernatural folklore, but it's also a deeply psychological thriller. As said, this is intense, but also dark, tight and really well performed and directed. Absolutely one worth watching in my opinion.

I watched it at the Ramaskrik Horror Film Festival 2025 in Oppdal, Norway.

#horror #film #movie #ramaskrik #ramaskrik2025

Dooba Dooba (2024, USA) is one of those rare films that manage to surprise and keep the suspension from start to finish. We follow Amna (Amna Vegha) as she arrives at a remote house to babysit for Monroe (Betsy Sligh), a teenager with social anxiety and behavioural issues.

Things starts off awkward, and quickly turn from just awkward to absurd and uncomfortable as well.The film is shot through what is supposed to be surveillance cameras throughout the house, and has a grainy and authentic feel to it. The story unfolds mostly through the interaction between Amna and Monroe, and over time reveals that things may not be quite as they first appear.

This may not be a film for everyone, but personally it was one of my favourites from this years Ramaskrik festival.

#horror #film #ramaskrik #ramaskrik2025

Om noen tenker deg på Kino i helga, så kan jeg anbefale Exit 8. En snurrig japansk film om en fyr som blir fanget i en endeløs vandring gjennom en T-banestasjon hvor den samme passasjen gjentar seg igjen og igjen. Den eneste måten å slippe ut er å oppdage avvik i løpet av vandringen. Ellers havner man tilbake til start.

Basert på dataspillet med samme navn, men filmen er langt mer interessant – og intens – enn hva beskrivelsen gir den ut for. Absolutt en original kinoopplevelse.

Jeg så den på Ramaskrik forrige helg.

#film #skrekkfilm #ramaskrik #norsk #japan #exit-8

Strange Darling was chosen for the official opening screening at this years Ramaskrik festival. And I'd say it was definitely a worthy opener. It's a well told story that offers quite a few surprises along the ride. It is also beautifully shot on 35mm film, which helps give it the slightly gritty proper cinema feeling.

I won't go into any details about the story line here. The film is really based on a number of plot twists along the way. The less you know, the better the film will be! Just suffice to say, it is a film well worth watching!

(And sorry for being a bit late with this review. I try to get them out before the films have their general release, but I don't always make it.)

#horror #film #ramaskrik #ramaskrik2023 #StrangeDarling

To my surprise I had to admit that one of my favourites (among many) at this years Ramaskrik festival was a film starring Hugh Grant!

In Heretic he does an excellent interpretation of the older grandfather-like figure with a keen interest in the more esoteric sides of religion. When the two other main characters – two young members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) out to spread the gospel of their faith – knocks on his door, he is well prepared.

This is solid character drama from all the three main actors, with a surprising amount of deep theological discussion that drives the plot. Perhaps not what you would think of as entertaining, but that's exactly what it is. The twists as the story unfolds and the dynamic between the characters keep it interesting and constantly surprising throughout the duration of the film.

Absolutely a film well worth watching!

#horror #film #ramaskrik #ramaskrik2024 #heretic #Hugh Grant

El Instinto is a low budget independent Spanish horror film about a well respected architect that, a bit involuntarily, accepts the help of a neighbour to try to help overcome his agoraphobia. Unsurprisingly, this does not go quite as planned.

I really liked this film! It manages to make something unique out of the home invasion genre by mixing in a good portion of psychological horror. It's also able to stay unpredictable while doing so. The general plot outline is not surprising in itself, we get plenty of forewarning that warn us things will go bad, but it still manages to surprise in how things go bad, and how bad things go. The intensity builds up naturally from the start, and when you think they can't push this any further now – that's exactly what they do!

Tight direction, a good script and excellent performances by the actors makes this film stand out, and again shows that a good story can be told very well without big budgets. Highly recommended!

I watched this at the Ramaskrik Horror Film Festival, where it was introduced by the producer Pedro J. Poveda who also answered questions from the audience after the screening.

#horror #film #spain #ramaskrik #ramaskrik2024

The Damned is a slow and atmospheric horror film set in a small 19th century phishing outpost on the coast of Iceland. Isolated and low on supplies by a harsh winter, the widow of the outposts founder has to manage the starving crew as best as she can. When a large ship sinks right outside their shore, there's some hard decisions to make.

This is beautiful in all aspects. The story is told with warmth and life, in stark contrast to the cold and harsh environment surrounding the crew. The cinematography is stunning, and captures both the intimacy of the small phishing crew, and the wide, cold isolation of the outpost as a whole.

The story is somewhat predictable, but interesting and well told. The dynamic between the various crew members is allowed to evolve in a pace that feels natural without loosing intensity.

The one thing that would improve the film, in my opinion, was if it was done with Icelandic speech instead of Irish. That's a minor gripe, however. Other than that, stellar performances by all actors, and a film well worth watching!

#horror #film #iceland #ramaskrik #ramaskrik2024

The french film MadS is an intense, chaotic and surreal ride through a night of drugs, partying and a virus outbreak that turns people into flesh-eating monsters. It's shot entirely in one take, where the camera seamlessly follow tight on the backs of the various main characters of the film. The fast pace, a lot of the time running, gives it an intensity that hardly let you catch a breath from the very start to the end credits roll. It's almost like we're inside the movie, rather than just watching it.

The intensity, and at least some of the party scenes reminds me a lot of Gaspar Noé's Climax (2018), another really intense, psychedelic horror film.

MadS definitely stands firm on it's own, though, pushing the boundaries of how film can be experienced. Highly recommended – it's not often films like this come about.

#horror #film #filmfestival #Ramaskrik #Ramaskrik2024