When the Screaming Starts

When The Screaming Starts (Grimmfest 9th Oct 2021).

A down-at-heel documentary film maker begins to follow a cinema usher (and former black metal guitarist) who has decided to become a serial killer.

A terrifically entertaining black comedy utilising an energetic ensemble. Equally funny in highlighting the mundanities of everyday existence for the central anti hero and character clashes as the plot develops.

The synopsis makes it sound like Man Bites Dog or Behind The Mask but this flick is savvy in avoiding aping superficially similar productions and carving it's own path.

What's particularly impressive is how the performances and thoughtful editing ensure the film maintains its energy through the final act as the story moves away from humour and into grim irony.

Highly recommended.

Very obviously written, acted, and directed by local theater types, whose desire to act and be on stage or in film surpasses anyone's entertainment needs. The characters are cliche from conception to execution. Performances are competent, but nothing special. Very weak concept and the comedy is half hearted and middling. Hits every British sitcom comedy trope like knocking down bowling pins or checking boxes one at a time. Musical score is canned and intrusive. Just not funny or original. Works best at keeping the participants busy with their just barely on the right side of competent theater group aspirations, and worst at being engaging or entertaining, much less surprising or challenging an audience. Some of the ideas are not bad, and even get close to being interesting or clever, but the concept is so silly and underwhelming it gets in the way of scenes which on their own might be lightly amusing if not presented as part of such a weak, absurd and goofy concept.

There is one scene I love above all others. It caught me by surprise and I've watched it over and over again. I hope you love it too. It is set in a park and was totally unexpected. Yet, it provides the motivation for what preceded it. Yes, this next comment is out of context but I enjoyed the film's soundtrack. See the film and the forgoing will make sense.

The film starts out as a documentary. Aidan is the subject of Norman Graysmith's documentary. Graysmith explores the world of Aidan. Aidan is the man who approaches you in a pub and chats and you think ... I'll make an excuse and leave, with a mixture of pity and fear. The film follows the adventures of Aidan and his girlfriend and his 'family'. They form an eclectic mixture of the loveable through to the frighteningly scary. Okay, I thought the acting was superb. I imagine this was not the easiest film to direct with such a mixture of comedy and horror, yet, it is done masterfully.

One moment I was captivated by the humour of the interaction within the group ... the next hands shielding my face in terror. Get your popcorn and your choice of beverage, turn off the phone - this is a treat.

This movie is sort of like a 90 minute rogue comedy skit with a group of fair-to-middling comedians. I did laugh at a few scenes and I thought Amy was well-played. I thought as a whole the film relied far too much on worn stereotypes; for example, the "after party" was just stupid with balloons, little kids party hats, cookies and chips, and champagne. They could have made it much funnier by taking it to an extreme of making it like a child's birthday party gone horribly wrong but it just comes across as a weak throng of basics toasting their college friends' third wedding anniversary. The end does get quite dark and the amorality of the attitude towards murder is creepy, I will give it that much. I also thought presenting one of the main characters as a LARPing nerd in over his head and demanding all the credit as a white man for doing very little was a nice touch.

There is a fine line between laughing and crying. When The Screaming Starts straddles this line, gently rocking itself side to side, possibly whilst holding it's knees.

At a time when serial killer fetishism seems to be at an all time high, When The Screaming Starts pokes fun at the nature of the mastermind killer whilst making us ask questions of ourselves as the audience for why we find more interest in the murderers tale than the victims.

A deep reverence for horror is abundent throughout the film, whilst rarely falling into the outright horror genre itself.

FFO: What We Do In The Shadows, Deathgasm, Creep 2.