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TIFF Review: ‘Blood Quantum’ is a Zombie Film With Serious Bite

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Blood Quantum

In 1981, a small community is rocked by the outbreak of a zombie virus. The locals are biting and turning in record time, but on the nearby Mi’kmaq reserve of Red Crow, the Indigenous residents are immune to the disease. Thus begins Blood Quantum, the second feature film written and directed by Jeff Barnaby. It’s a full-bodied and well-bloodied zombie movie, but more importantly, it’s a damning commentary on the history and treatment of Canada’s Indigenous population. 

Before making Blood Quantum, Barnaby was introduced to the idea of films being a form of social protest with the documentary feature Incident at Restigouche. The film chronicles the events of two raids on the Mi’kmaq Restigouche reserve by the Quebec police force in an attempt to impose new restrictions on salmon fishermen in the Mi’kmaq community. As a young child on the reserve in 1981, he was witness to these raids. In an interview with CBC host George Stroumboulopoulos, Barnaby shared his memories of the experience:

“Think about being a young man and you know nothing about the outside world, but the outside world comes knocking at your door and they come armed to the teeth and looking to bust your head. And that was my first definition of what non-Native Canadians thought about Indians. That stuck with me.”

Barnaby’s frustration and anger translate onto the screen in the film’s poignant interactions. One particular post-outbreak scene shows a man and his sick daughter arriving on Red Crow’s doorstep. As the Algonquin survivors discuss the fate of these new arrivals in Mi’kmaq, the stranger yells at them to “speak English”. His sick (and possibly infected) daughter is wrapped in a blanket, drawing comparisons to the germ warfare that started a smallpox epidemic in native communities in 1763.

This anger is also voiced through the character of Lysol (Kiowa Gordon, The Red Road). Lysol is not fond of the idea of letting outsiders into the reserve, and he expresses his objections at every turn. While his father, Traylor (Michael Greyeyes, True Detective), and half-brother, Joseph (Forrest Goodluck, The Revenant), are open to helping those in need, Lysol firmly believes that these outside survivors are a danger to their community.

Speaking on Blood Quantum as a zombie film, there’s plenty of bite. The Mi’kmaq survivors are positively badass, blazing through zombie lairs with discipline, precision, and a cache of highly effective weapons. The undead are quickly dispatched by chainsaw, shotgun, katana, and an inventive use of a wood chipper. It all adds up to create one deeply satisfying batch of bloody horror. 

These zombie kill effects are practical and exceptionally bloody. This is a visceral film that would do Tom Savini proud, with moments that pay homage to one of the more brutal scenes in Dawn of the Dead. The indigenous survivors are all immune to the virus, so they can get up close and personal when they’re on the attack. With vicious efficiency, they dismember, decapitate, and destroy all in their path, as geysers of blood gush across the screen.

The cinematography by Michel St-Martin is stunning; shots are beautifully framed and filmed. His use of lighting and color adds a naturalistic grit. Outside of Red Crow, uncomfortable interiors — such as the police station and the hospital — have a yellow hue that makes them feel sickly. It subconsciously puts the audience ill-at-ease, whereas the scenes on the reserve feel more open. 

Blood Quantum challenges its audience by forcing us to confront the historically problematic treatment of the Indigenous community in Canada. It’s a proud celebration of native culture — from the symbolic artwork to the soaring score — that builds a creatively unique addition to the zombie genre. If you’re looking for something fresh that you can really sink your teeth into, be advised; this film bites back. 

 

For more from TIFF, click to read our review of Color Out of Space and Synchronic.

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Editorial

7 Great ‘Scream’ Fan Films & Shorts Worth a Watch

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The Scream franchise is such an iconic series, that many budding filmmakers take inspiration from it and make their own sequels or, at least, build upon the original universe created by screenwriter Kevin Williamson. YouTube is the perfect medium to showcase these talents (and budgets) with fan-made homages with their own personal twists.

The great thing about Ghostface is that he can appear anywhere, in any town, he just needs the signature mask, knife, and unhinged motive. Thanks to Fair Use laws it’s possible to expand upon Wes Craven’s creation by simply getting a group of young adults together and killing them off one by one. Oh, and don’t forget the twist. You’ll notice that Roger Jackson’s famous Ghostface voice is uncanny valley, but you get the gist.

We have gathered five fan films/shorts related to Scream that we thought were pretty good. Although they can’t possibly match the beats of a $33 million blockbuster, they get by on what they have. But who needs money? If you’re talented and motivated anything is possible as proven by these filmmakers who are well on their way to the big leagues.

Take a look at the below films and let us know what you think. And while you’re at it, leave these young filmmakers a thumbs up, or leave them a comment to encourage them to create more films. Besides, where else are you going to see Ghostface vs. a Katana all set to a hip-hop soundtrack?

Scream Live (2023)

Scream Live

Ghostface (2021)

Ghostface

Ghost Face (2023)

Ghost Face

Don’t Scream (2022)

Don’t Scream

Scream: A Fan Film (2023)

Scream: A Fan Film

The Scream (2023)

The Scream

A Scream Fan Film (2023)

A Scream Fan Film
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Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

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Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

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Part Concert, Part Horror Movie M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Trap’ Trailer Released

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In true Shyamalan form, he sets his film Trap inside a social situation where we aren’t sure what is going on. Hopefully, there is a twist at the end. Furthermore, we hope it’s better than the one in his divisive 2021 movie Old.

The trailer seemingly gives away a lot, but, as in the past, you can’t rely on his trailers because they are often red herrings and you are being gaslit to think a certain way. For instance, his movie Knock at the Cabin was completely different than what the trailer implied and if you hadn’t read the book on which the film is based it was still like going in blind.

The plot for Trap is being dubbed an “experience” and we aren’t quite sure what that means. If we were to guess based on the trailer, it’s a concert movie wrapped around a horror mystery. There are original songs performed by Saleka, who plays Lady Raven, a kind of Taylor Swift/Lady Gaga hybrid. They have even set up a Lady Raven website to further the illusion.

Here is the fresh trailer:

According to the synopsis, a father takes his daughter to one of Lady Raven’s jam-packed concerts, “where they realize they’re at the center of a dark and sinister event.”

Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, Trap stars Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills and Allison Pill. The film is produced by Ashwin Rajan, Marc Bienstock and M. Night Shyamalan. The executive producer is Steven Schneider.

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