Evil Thread - Festival Review

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We've heard of killer tomatoes, cars, tyres, beds, lawnmowers, Christmas trees and even possessed and blood-thirsty condoms. Now, Newcastle-based filmmaker Benny J. Smith presents a killer jumper on a mission to create ultimate carnage… 

'Evil Thread ', Smith's debut feature film, sees a maniacal cable knit go on a rampage of death and destruction, forging mayhem that is most definitely unlike anything horror fans have ever seen before. 

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A horror staple, aka the gloriously effective cold open, sets the stage for what's to come as a couple sits watching a spooky film on the box. Right as a jump scare plays on the TV, sending popcorn soaring through the air, the doorbell suddenly rings. After its bloodied introduction, showing us that this evil jumper truly means business, we meet our main character, Mindy Lou Kazoo (Eleanor Beck), an aspiring fashion student with larger-than-life dreams to design clothing that tells a story. Her self-proclaimed passion for the grittiness that couture has to offer sees her desperate to leave the confines of her small town life, a dream on the brink of collapse after her boyfriend Fred (Nathan McGowran) gifts her a jumper with a hellish secret. Forced into a deadly fight for survival, Mindy must tackle this evil thread and send the malevolent force back to Hades once and for all. 

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Evil Thread refuses to fall into the pitfalls of modern comedy-horrors that take their irreverence and humour far too seriously, where tightly scripted dialogue and the landing of potential jokes become wound up in a try-hard atmosphere. Alternatively, Evil Thread acknowledges its hilarious silliness. It makes fun of the genre and its own bonkers narrative, delivering witty one-liners and amusing physical comedy in every scene. Jokes amass, and tension builds as hell is unleashed in the form of a mysterious, anonymous and vengeful jumper whose mission is proclaimed in a baffling but side-splitting series of quips and jest-filled banter. Simply, the demonic jumper narrates its diabolical mission all whilst enacting a smorgasbord of brutal murders that become increasingly cruel as the film goes on. All of this curious and sporadic hysteria is one of the film's biggest crowd-pleasers, as the jumper's continuous shenanigans become infectiously entertaining to witness. 

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Considering its satirical roots and drive to create absurd hilarity, the film is made with the evident goal of being as farcical as possible. Finding meaning in the sentience of an inanimate object and conjuring a deeper philosophy within Evil Thread is the complete opposite of what the film's intentions are. Sourcing conviction has no place throughout this contemporary B-movie; instead, this popcorn-horror goes full-throttle on the fun-factor, creating a thoroughly enjoyable and highly rewatchable film. 

Evil Thread's countless instances of gore, gooey viscera, torn limbs and displays of shredded organs walk the line between schlock and slapstick, ensuring that the ante is never slowed, but rather escalated, with each killing becoming more gross-out and bloodied than the last. In amalgamating the myriads of grisly effects played for laughs and the keenness to show the obscure antics of a possessed jumper, the final product is one of pure madness. This one-of-a-kind essence of do-it-yourself horror is proudly worn like a badge of honour throughout the film. Spirited filmmaking and the tactility of tremendous quantities of gore are what make Evil Thread the absolute blast that it is, where audiences can feel the amusing energy emanate from the entire production. 

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It's this cleverly timed vulgarity and fashionably bad taste that meld with a meta-commentary and a genuine passion for fleshing out all that the horror genre has to offer to create this unique, must-see indie fright-fest.

Catch Evil Thread's world premiere with an exclusive Q&A at this year's Dead Northern Film Festival on Sunday 27th September at 12:30 am

You can grab your tickets to watch Dead Reset at this years Festival here!

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