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NIGHTSTREAM has been a fantastic experience thus far. We have been able to see quite a lot of what we wanted to. However, it is impossible to talk about everything in separate categories, because we are thrilled with everything we have seen so far. We want to take everything we saw and turn it into “best of” or “must-see/remember” posts. They’ll discuss a few things we’ve seen or watched or done that were memorable or we hope to get in the next or another festival. Our first day was filled with nostalgia “retro” and international horror.
1. Def By Temptation (1990)
Def by Temptation is a classic but such a good movie. Although it is not a release of 2020, the film ranks highest in featuring black characters in a horror (sci-fi) setting. The film is by James Bond III and the coolest damn movie you’ll ever see in terms of style, originality, and color. Released in 1990, Def By Temptation proves how far horror has come for the Jordan Peele‘s of the world. Essentially, Def by Temptation (1990) walked so Get Out (2017) could soar. Those movies laid the foundation for much of the output of the Black horror genre, and it’s great to see how excellent it can be. While it has evolved much from Def, it still ranks supreme.
While this is an older film, we do not want to ruin it too much—if you have yet to see the film and planned to for some spoopy season viewing. While each individual aspect of the film is fantastic, my personal favorite aspects are the color palette, directing, and cinematography. The colors drip with elegance, even though it is a horror movie. Plus Kadeem Hardison plays such a stellar part, how can you say no? If you want to watch a nostalgic feature, this is it.
Check this out at NIGHTSTREAM if you can, you won’t regret it. While the graphics and CGI are not perfect by any means, it is still quite good to be a 1990 film. Granted, I’ve seen worse from this same cinematic period. So in light of that, enjoy it and its nostalgic features.
2. “Horror Camp!”
The best part of festivals is the live streams. Why? Because it still puts us in the festival mindset without having to be there. The panels are many festival-goers favorite aspects. You tend to gravitate toward your inspiration as they say or talk about the thing or things you love. It is incredibly thrilling, and in a “real-life” situation, you are able to ask questions personally. The panels tend to be superb.
“Horror Camp!” was one of the first we saw at NIGHTSTREAM. We were greeted with Peaches Christ (All About Evil) and converse about the most iconic and memorable campy entries of horror film canon. This live stream was a lot of fun to participate in, particularly because we got to have some fun. Just hearing the conversations, hearing the stories, it all makes you feel a bit heartwarming when you are in quarantine for 8 months straight (depending on where you are). Nonetheless, talking about campy horror is always a blast and listening to others talk about it is what makes spoopy season fantastic to celebrate.
Again, without going into much detail, as we want to keep these somewhat under wraps, even with the embargo. In case you want to watch these, we don’t want to be the one ruining the conversation, the topics, the unveils… etc. But we will say… this was incredibly fun to watch and enjoy. It was a panel that you could see everyone got a chance to talk, I think those panels are important even through this new form of “media.” It is always nice to hear each and every voice and this panel, being the first, was one of the ones that did that. It gave a sufficient introduction to the panels we were watching following it. If you are interested in LGBTQIAX+ content, as we are, it’s a fascinating live stream conversation.
Panelists Include:
- Renée “Nay” Bever (Attack of the Queerwolf);
- Stacie Ponder (writer, Final Girl) ;
- William O. Tyler (Theater of Terror: Revenge of the Queers).
3. Darkness (2019; Emanuela Rossi)
If you have a taste for international horror movies, such as we do, then you might enjoy this feature. One of the most thrilling and outstanding features of the festival, I (personally) found. It reminded me of Dogtooth by Yorgos Lanthimos. Another international director who makes American films (The Killing of a Sacred Deer is one of my absolute favorites). The 2019 film, Darkness is a 98-minute feature by Emanuela Rossi. The film is Italian/Italy so it does use subtitles, if you hate subtitles I am sorry. I am the minority that loves them on everything (it is a personal preference).
Stella (Denise Tantucci) is 17-years-old and all she and her sisters are aware of is that civilization is ending on the outside – at least outside of their house. They can’t see it for themselves, but they know. During the father’s reign, the children are never permitted outside, so they are forced to stay inside with all of the views of the outside blocked off. Stella suspects something is awry about her father’s reign, so she intends to learn what the outside entails.
Director/co-writer Emanuela Rossi ingeniously exploits the guise of post-apocalyptic paranoia to investigate both domestic abuse and the determination required to dissipate it. The film’s direction is stunning. One of the highest qualities of the film is the direction immerses you in the setting. With international cinema, one often becomes aware of cultural differences, such as in dialogue or the way people act and react. The directing is fantastic and keeps you within the environment for the entire film. The color palette – much of what is seen in the above picture – is quite elegant. What makes this film a must-see is the fact that… nothing is as it seems. Nothing.
Cast & Film Information:
- Director: Emanuela Rossi
- Screenwriter: Emanuella Rossi, Claudio Corbucci
- Producer: Claurdio Corbucci (Courier Fims)
- Cast: DENISE TANTUCCI VALERIO BINASCO GAIA BOCCI OLIMPIA TOSATTO ELETTRA MALLABY FRANCESCO GENOVESE
- Cinematographer: MARCO GRAZIAPLENA
- Editor: LETIZIA CAUDULLO
Tune In With NIGHTSTREAM…
If you want to check out more, just you wait because we have more to discuss. If you want to check out more without waiting, NIGHTSTREAM is the place to be. The Daily Fandom has been having a blast checking out the features, keeping a few on our personal radar, even if we are not able to catch them. If you want to check any of these out, check out NIGHTSTREAM. However, Def by Temptation should be available elsewhere as it is a “NOSTALGIC RETRO” feature.