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Fantasia 2020: ‘The Oak Room’ is a Nuanced, Layered Thriller

A guy walks into a bar. What follows is a rural neo-noir that stacks its stories like winning cards on a table, each tale trumping the last. The Oak Room is the latest from the fine folks over at Black Fawn Films, decidedly more of a subdued thriller than their usual horror fare, but it shows a level of maturity and restraint that speaks to the team’s evolving range. Directed by Cody Calahan (Antisocial, Let Her Out) and written by Peter Genoway, The Oak Room is a deep study in storytelling with a hard-hitting finish.
During a raging snowstorm, a drifter returns home to the blue-collar bar located in the remote Canadian town where he was born. When he offers to settle an old debt with a grizzled bartender by telling him a story, the night’s events quickly spin into a dark tale of mistaken identities, double-crosses and shocking violence.
So, that guy walks into a bar, who tells the story of a guy who walks into a bar, who tells a story — it’s like a barfly’s Inception, with equally dreamlike qualities the deeper you go. Jeff Maher’s cinematography moves with just the right energy, sidling up to the bar in times of casual conversation and drifting through dreamscapes as memories unfold. The camera keeps the flow moving, which is of the utmost importance in a film that focuses mainly on two men talking. Though the characters vary, that’s really the heart of the film; an open dialogue that uses interruptions and sidetracks to play with the pacing.
The lighting is cold, delicate and precise. The music (by Steph Copeland) prompts the audience, shifting between homespun tunes that feel right at home in their dimly-lit settings and a haunting, moody score that soars over the proceedings, an unknown witness in the events that unfold. Serene, but with a dull edge that keeps you engaged.
The bar set serves double-duty, but you could never tell. Changes to the set decoration, lighting, layout, and camerawork are distinct in each location. Consistently, Black Fawn’s roster of behind-the-camera talent proves to be impressive; they know how to work together, and they know how to build a cohesive final product. Every element finds the melody and builds a perfect harmony.
Based on a play of the same name (also written by Genoway), The Oak Room carries a theatrical sensibility in its structure. The dialogue, the pacing, it all feels like it’s being run in one go on a stage. Because essentially, that’s what they did. Running long takes — up to 15 minutes at a time — the actors chew through their lines and keep the pace moving at a consistent clip as they lay it all down. The film was even shot chronologically. It orchestrates tension that ebbs and flows, ever building to the weighted, dramatic climax.
Peter Outerbridge (Saw VI) and RJ Mitte (Breaking Bad) carry the film with sarcastic banter that we continually circle back to. In the actual Oak Room, Ari Millen (Orphan Black) and Martin Roach (Cube Zero) pull their fair share of the weight with their snarling square-off. Each performance is nuanced, yet open; there’s a lot of tension boiling under the surface of the casual dialogue.
The main story studies loss and the relationship between father and son. These themes — this unspoken hurt — anchors the film, but it’s easy to get caught up in the spinning yarn. Though there’s a slow build and a fair bit of meandering, each layer of story leads you a bit further down the road, creeping closer to its payoff.
The Oak Room is clever and beautifully made, with engrossing and inventive storytelling that stands out in a bar crowded with cookie-cutter thrillers. If you’re looking for a unique story with creative execution, then settle in and grab a drink.
The Oak Room is playing as part of Fantasia 2020, which has gone digital so you can watch from the safety and comfort of your own home. Check it out next on Monday August 31 at 11:30PM EST.

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Spirit Halloween Unveils ‘Horror Babies’ Including Ghostface, Pennywise, and More

Spirit Halloween is unveiling the goods a bit earlier than usual this year. For example, these little horror babies that give us infantile versions of Ghostface, Leatherface, Pennywise and Sam from Trick r’ Treat. We were already excited when they announced all-new Killer Klowns From Outer Space items, but these horror babies are making sure that they bring the goods even earlier.
The breakdown of Spirt Halloween Horror Babies goes like this:
- Trick’ r Treat Sam Horror Baby: Equipped with his signature lollipop, this Sam baby will never get fussy – as long as his new family follows the rules of Halloween.
- Scream Ghost Face Horror Baby: Perfect for classic slasher fans, this sweet Ghost Face baby comes equipped with a prop bloody knife for a baby so cute he’s to die for.
- Texas Chainsaw Massacre Leatherface Horror Baby: Featuring his signature mallets, fans will need to be careful to pacify this Leatherface baby if they want to avoid getting whacked.
- IT Pennywise Horror Baby: Straight from the sewers of Derry, this Pennywise baby is sure to give any guests a sweet scare.
Horror Babies are looking fantastic and bring that very cool bit of nostalgia with them. From Ghostface to Pennywise the lineup is looking fantastic.
Each of these hauntingly adorable Horror Baby is available for purchase for $49.99 on SpiritHalloween.com, now while supplies last.




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‘Talk to Me’ A24 Trailer is Chilling Us to the Bone With New Approach to Possession

The very chilling, Talk to Me reinvents the possession genre by turning the entire genre on its ear and dropping the beat on the terror. Each moment spent in the trailer is very intense and full of atmosphere.
There is a bit of Breakfast Club combined with this intensely moody possession thriller.
The synopsis for Talk to Me goes like this
When a group of friends discover how to conjure spirits using an embalmed hand, they become hooked on the new thrill, until one of them goes too far and unleashes terrifying supernatural forces.
The film stars Sophie Wilde, Miranda Otto, Alexandra Jensen, Joe Bird, Otis Dhanji, Zoe Terakes, and Chris Alosio.
Talk to Me arrives July 28, 2023.
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Nicolas Cage Plays a Very Wicked Devil in ‘Sympathy for the Devil’ Trailer

Joel Kinnaman plays alongside the very wicked Nicolas Cage! Why so wicked you ask? Well cause this time around he is playing none other than the devil himself and he is bringing all of his wicked charm and red hair with it. That’s right, the first trailer for the very off the wall Sympathy for the Devil is here.
Okay, is he really the devil? Well, you are going to have to watch to find out. But, it doesn’t change the fact that this whole thing looks like its a blast out of hell and a ton of fun.
The synopsis for Sympathy for the Devil goes like this:
After being forced to drive a mysterious passenger (Nicolas Cage) at gunpoint, a man (Joel Kinnaman) finds himself in a high-stakes game of cat and mouse where it becomes clear that not everything is as it seems.
Sympathy for the Devil arrives July 28, 2023!