Last Friday morning, when my eyes popped open, I was immediately ready to take on the day. I stretched, let the dog out, poured myself a cup of coffee, and made my way to the Chattanooga Film Festival. Only I didn’t have to drive two hours and past Ruby Falls to get there. The festival was going to happen in my house. I gathered my snacks and started to plan out my day.
Chattanooga Film Festival: Features
FULCI FOR FAKE (2019): I kicked off the virtual film fest with Fulci For Fake. The film is the very first biopic of arguably one of the most admired horror filmmakers of all time, Lucio Fulci. The fun twist though is that we are following an actor who is set to portray Fulci in the biopic. So, we are watching this guy research and prepare for the movie that we are already watching. It was a fun meta aspect that I haven’t seen done for one of these informational films before. I truly believe that Fulci himself would have appreciated the strange approach on a movie about his life.
If you’ve seen any of Fulci’s works (Zombie, The House by the Cemetery, The New York Ripper), then you are familiar with his taste for bloody gore and violence. In Fulci for Fake, we explore the raw, darker side to his real life as a parallel. We listen to the people who were closet to him, filmmakers and family alike, talk about his wife’s suicide and what kind of impression that left on him as both a filmmaker and father.
Countless filmmakers relive their first and final experiences they had with Fulci. However, the most enriching interviews in Fulci for Fake are with his two daughters. Camilla Fulci, his youngest, gushes about her father and the times they were able to bond and make movies together. She also doesn’t hold back about his complicated, and frankly misogynistic, relationship with women. His oldest, Antonella makes a late appearance in the film and touches on Fulci’s last years as a grandfather to her son.
I loved getting to know Lucio Fulci outside of the films I’ve treasured for so long. Like I mentioned, he was a complicated man, but he was most beloved by his family, colleagues, and fans.
SCARE PACKAGE (2019): Dating back all the way to The Canterbury Tales in 1972, anthologies have had a quirky yet perfect fit in the world of horror. Scare Package is no different, and it offers some of the most entertaining horror comedy that I’ve ever seen. The impressive gore, practical effects, and tongue-in-cheek stories reflect all of the filmmaker’s love for the genre in a beautiful homage. A video store called Rad Chad’s Horror Emporium is the constant link throughout Scare Package, and the nostalgia narrative literally oozes off the screen. There are also a few cameos that were just delightful. I LOVED this movie!
EAT BRAINS LOVE (2019): Keeping with the upbeat theme of horror comedy, I decided to watch Eat Brains Love next. The title is fun, and I’m honestly never going to turn down a zombie movie. Although, the fact that this is a Rodman Flender (Idle Hands) directed movie is what really intrigued me. I always want to know how the filmmakers are going to set the story apart from films that came before them. Although I fully enjoyed this movie, I felt like it used many tropes and plots that I’ve seen countless times. I believe I described it as Warm Bodies meets Superbad. Eat Brains Love has all the essentials: a stoner, a hot girl, government meddling, misunderstood zombies, hot girls with weapons, a love triangle, psychics, STDS, naked man buffet. The usual stuff. But, Eat Brains Love works and sets off to entertain you with just the right amount of gore and romance.
BERSERKER (1987): I wanted to mix it up a little bit and check something out that was a bit older. Brandon Vick, our resident film critic, mentioned he thought Berserker was exactly my speed. He wasn’t wrong. This film had all the makings of a strange 80s cult flick. A group of rambunctious college kids travel up to a campground that is being terrorized by a bear. But, also, maybe it’s not really a bear? The mystery is solved by the end of the film, but not without the proper amount of casualties. Also, lots, and lots, and lots of spooky fog to set the right kind of mood. I’m now searching for this movie on VHS.
Brittany Fernandez is a Lifestyle Writer for SoBros Network as well as one half of the Haunted Home Video team. She’s a Nashville native covering events on the local scene, B-movie horror reviews, and everything in between. Her go-to karaoke song is “No Diggity.” Follow on Twitter: @brittbutspooky
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