2015 was a busy year for Fessenden, Glass Eye Pix and all our assorted GEP Pals. Here are some year-end showings on various Best-Of 2015 lists….
THE FESSENDEN COLLECTION Blu-ray Box set of 4 Fessenden Films
Bloody-Disgusting: BEST BLU-RAY COLLECTIONS OF 2015
“Scream Factory had an incredibly impressive year, both on their own and from their partnership with IFC. Through all those great releases one truly stood out for me and that was The Larry Fessenden Collection (my review).”
L.A. TIMES: BEST BLU-RAYS OF 2015
“The Larry Fessenden Collection” (Scream! Factory/IFC/Glass Eye Pix): One of the best arguments for the continued existence of physical media is this box set spotlighting the work of one of America’s most original horror auteurs. Fessenden has quietly put together a body of features, shorts and experiments that make more sense when they’re gathered all in one place than when they’re scattered.”
TALES SEASON 3 by Fessenden and Glenn McQuaid / A Glass Eye Pix Production
AV CLUB: STAFF PICKS
“Larry Fessenden lives and breathes horror. Besides writing and directing a box-set worth of his own indie scare fare, he’s also acted in any number of fright flicks, mentored young horror mavericks like Jim Mickle and Ti West, and worked on the screenplay for this year’s slasher-movie-inspired video game, Until Dawn. One of his most interesting contributions to the genre, however, is the horror podcast Tales From Beyond The Pale, whose third season premiered on Black Friday. Produced and developed by Fessenden with regular collaborator Glenn McQuaid, the series resurrects the radio drama of early last century: Each episode is a one-act horror play, gamely performed by voice talent both recognizable and not, and written/directed by various artists of the genre, with Fessenden dropping in before and after to play old-school host. The content varies in quality, but especially in tone: Some episodes aspire to the creaky theatrical style of an old Boris Karloff segment, while others are distinctly modern in adult subject matter and language. What links them all, beyond uniformly excellent sound design, is an earnest interest in using pure audio techniques—foley effects, dialogue, creepy music—to elicit unease and create a whole world within listeners’ ears. The best of the bunch, such as season one’s unnerving surgery story “The Conformation,” serve as good reminders that what you can hear and imagine is sometimes much scarier than what you can see. It’s not surprising that Fessenden, a one-man champion of all things frightening, would understand that better than most. [A.A. Dowd]”
DARLING by Mickey Keating / A Glass Eye Pix Production
Iconsoffright: TOP 10 HORROR MOVIES OF THE YEAR
“#1 DARLING is in no way for everyone, that’s one thing I’ll get out of the way when talking about the film that is easily my favorite film of the entire year and in all actuality, my favorite film in quite a few years. It’s a complete descent into madness, told through flashing lights, long moments without dialogue and a Polanski-heavy vibe that is sure to turn some genre fans off. With all of that being said though, it’s also very simply, a film so close to being a perfect piece of cinema that it feels like an important thing, watching it.”
WE ARE STILL HERE by Ted Geoghegan, featuring Fessenden
Rolling Stone: 10 Best horror movies of 2015
“A peculiar New England terror with Lucio Fulci in its veins, Ted Geoghegan’s wintry haunted-house film defies the tired affectations of the standard ghost story. Its isolated pair of couples are melancholy, middle-aged, and terribly offbeat (see: the possession of Larry Fessenden and the space case of Lisa Marie). The specters on hand are as likely to thrust charred hands through a body, as they are to ominously lurk. And it’s all tied to a Lovecraftian home, a beast of a structure whose walls are the canvas for one of 2015s finest splatter-filled finales. SZ”
UNTIL DAWN, writers Graham Reznick and Fessenden / Sony Playstation
Engadget: These are our favorite video games of 2015
“Supermassive Games’ PlayStation 4 debut is unlike any big-budget game I’ve played in ages. Rather than sticking a gun in my hand, it sat me down in a director’s chair and essentially told me to craft my own horror movie. It could’ve been disastrous, but Supermassive intrinsically gets what makes for a good horror flick: the unknown, atmosphere, killer writing, and great performances from (mostly) unknown actors.”
Larry Fessenden, the on-screen kill guy, might be a recognizable name in horror-loving households, but Larry Fessenden, the director, may not. He may never be as celebrated as John Carpenter or George Romero, but his devotion to and knowledge of the genre – and of filmmaking in general – cannot be denied. That four of his best films have been gathered together in this collection doesn’t just make for a simple and tidy blu-ray package, but a rightful celebration of a director’s work, and of someone who doesn’t make typical horror films. In Wendigo, a father tells his son about Robert Frost, the poet who took the road less traveled and it’s made all the difference. That, right there, perfectly sums up the career of Larry Fessenden. (Plus he has really cool hair!) This set comes highly recommended.
