Bristol’s Forbidden Worlds Festival: Stranger Danger

A brief history of Bristol’s secret IMAX

Not a lot of people know that Bristol has an IMAX screen. There’s a good reason for this. You can’t actually book to see standard cinema films there. Hence why most Bristolians make the trip across the border to Cardiff, to see whatever new release is being shown in IMAX there. Located at the back of Bristol Aquarium, the west country IMAX is mainly used for film festivals, specialised screenings and presentations.

You may be wondering why such a majestic screen, made with the sole purpose of showing films shot in IMAX, doesn’t actually show IMAX films. Well, it basically comes down to two things; timing and funding. Bristol was the third city in the UK to have an IMAX screen. But its success? Short-lived. Like the introduction of 3D, there simply wasn’t enough films shooting for IMAX and the ones that were didn’t utilise the format very well.

With a lack of interest there was also a lack of funding and although the IMAX screen is still there, rather ironically, no new films shot for IMAX are being shown. A great shame, because we are now at a point where the format is finally starting to gain traction. The evidence of little funding is plain to see when you enter the cinema. Although the screen still looks fantastic, the seats are in dire need of an upgrade and air conditioning is non-existent.

The Festival

However, the IMAX screen hasn’t been squandered completely, thanks to the three space hirers mentioned previously. The top of that list being the talented team behind the hugely popular Forbidden Worlds Festival. The brains behind the festival, who are also involved in the Bristol based Bad Film Club, struck upon the clever idea back in 2022. Whereby they would show a collection of films at the IMAX over the course of a few days, usually focused around a corresponding theme.

This is the third time I’ve visited Forbidden Worlds, and the second time experiencing a Halloween orientated slate of films. Technically, the films this year are a combination of thriller and horror as opposed to straight up scares, with the appropriate festival title: Stranger Danger.

Before delving into the thrilling, chilling cinematic mastery that is The Hitcher, the second film they screened on Friday, I just want to divert a little time to discussing the festival itself. Whilst i enjoy trips to the cinema, especially a screening with recliner chairs and adequate air conditioning. I often feel there isn’t that same level of love and appreciation for the craft of film, that you find at Forbidden Worlds.

Yes, the chairs are uncomfortable and admittedly it can sometimes feel like a sweat lodge in there during the summer, but the moment you step into the Aquarium entrance, you immediately imbibe the passion and excitement for all things film. This is a film festival run by film fans, really aiding the overall experience.

For those doing a whole day or two you get a swanky lanyard, there are awesome T – Shirts by local Bristol artist Jim’ll Paint It, and a selection of cocktails and mocktails with specific names tailored to the films you are about to watch.

In the screening itself each film has an introduction from one of the Forbidden Worlds team. Hearing these fans of the films talk passionately about the chosen title is a nice touch, adding another level of excitement for seeing it. Impressively, they also sometimes get a video introduction from the filmmaker themselves.

The Hitcher

The first film I saw The Hitcher is funnily enough focused around a hitchhiker. In this instance a man named John, played by none other than 80s legend Rutger Hauer. The film is told from the perspective of Jim Halsey, played by C. Thomas Howell, who stops to give John a ride. Not long after picking him up, Jim realises that something isn’t right about this mysterious hitchhiker.

What follows is a nail-biting cat and mouse affair where unlucky driver Jim tries to escape the clutches of deranged hitchhiker John, whose made it his personal mission to terrorise the young protagonist. It’s a simple concept executed excellently; no doubt aided by Hauer’s terrifying performance. Everything he does is menacing and unnerving, but it’s his freaky smile and crazy eyes that are the most impacting. Something he previously perfected in Blade Runner.

It was interesting watching this film on an IMAX screen. Even though I’ve experienced the film before, it felt brand new. This is partly due to only watching the film once when I was twelve, but mostly because of the screen itself. While The Hitcher still holds up on a smaller screen, there is a lot to be gained seeing it in a cinema setting. 

For a B movie, The Hitcher still looks surprisingly good for the most part. A little rough around the edges to begin with but well shot and edited together, considering the modest six-million-dollar budget. Like the rest of the films shown at the festival it is hybrid thriller/horror, but I would say it boasts elements of action and comedy as well.

Predominantly the film focuses on the thrills and chills, but there are a number of cheesy action chase sequences and shootout showdowns, scored to eighties synth. 

Both styles suit the setting of a large cinema screen. The action scenes are dramatic and exciting, if a little far-fetched, and the slower, more suspenseful sections are appropriately tense and unnerving. It also results in a great cinema atmosphere. The screening was absolutely packed and it was evident everyone was having a good time.

Tonally, The Hitcher manages to straddle the line between horror, thriller, action and comedy. It certainly veers more towards the horror near the tail end, but that definitely works in the film’s favour. After all, the most iconic scenes are the horror infused ones, where we see disturbing events play out while the camera slowly zooms in or floatily pans across a scene.

Cure

As much as it pains me, I do have to raise a slight criticism about the festival. There was an issue with the subtitles for Cure. Essentially, they were doubled up on both sides of the screen. We, the audience were able to circumvent this for the most part by choosing a side to focus on, but at certain points the two overlapped and merged.

To their credit the Forbidden Worlds team did try to rectify the issue by downloading another subtitle track to use, but unfortunately this ended up either being the same file, or simply having the same problem.

Subtitle issue aside, Cure was the most interesting and thought-provoking film out of everything I saw at the festival. Cure is a detective film with a twist. Koji Yakusho plays lead Detective Kenichi, who is trying to solve a series of bizarre murders and apprehend the serial killer responsible. The twist comes in the form of the killer, who is using hypnosis or ‘Mesmer’ as the characters refer to it, on his victims.

The key aspect to address about Cure is the pacing. This is quite important, as it possesses a very unique and unusual pace. Cure is a slow burn, perhaps too much in the first half. However, that isn’t to say it’s not engaging. The storyline is very intriguing and investing, and what made me keep watching despite the gradual pace.

There is also a good reason for this. As with many thriller/horrors it’s to build suspense and tension. Initially, I rather felt its overly slow nature lessened the necessary tension but that’s where the film’s real mastery lays.

It lulls you into a false sense of security. I became complacent that nothing shocking was going to happen, and then when it finally did it was far more impacting. The whole concept of a serial killer using mind control over others is suitably freaky, but what really creeped me out was the occasional use of the jump cut.

Furthermore, the scenes that we are forced to jump cut to are incredibly disturbing and visually arresting. Not necessarily violent, although one key scene certainly is, but more deeply unsettling. The jump cut is sparingly used, but again feeds into the devious pacing and editing. There isn’t a consistent rhythm to Cure, making you the viewer feel as powerless as the characters on screen.

Cure is a film that you have to watch in its entirety to appreciate. Although a slow burn, it’s much better to see on an IMAX screen, simply because it is the definition of an atmospheric film. There is an oppressive nature throughout, reinforced by the bleak subject matter, odd performances, lingering camerawork, unnerving score and unpredictable editing.

I Know What You Did Last Summer

This classic 90s slasher is focused on four teenagers who commit a terrible deed and create a pact, agreeing to keep their heinous act a secret. A year later, they all start to be stalked and terrorised by a hook wielding maniac. I Know What You Did Last Summer is more slasher than horror. One that technically has a fair amount of jump scares, but with very few of them actually making you jump. In fact, I only suffered one and that was ironically a fake out.

What it does do well is entertain. Although it admittedly has a few atmospheric, tense and well put together scenes, me and the surrounding cinema goers spent much of the time chuckling away. Whether this tongue and cheek style is intentional or not is unclear, but either way it does make for a mostly fun watch.

I say mostly because there are points where I Know What You Did Last Summer misses the mark slightly. This is mainly the middle section of the film where Julie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) and Helen (Sarah Michelle Gellar) are trying to uncover the masked killer tormenting them.

The mid-section is far too sluggish. In another thriller/horror this would be fine, but it doesn’t work in the context of a slasher film. It tries too hard to create suspense and mystery, when all it really needs to do is continue to present audiences with scenes of people getting brutally murdered and teens flipping out at one another.

What I think does work very well here is when it hones its focus on the horror elements. The best scenes of the film are when the characters get attacked by the hook wielding killer. The camerawork is competent but it’s the locations and the environments that stand out the most prominently.

The film is set in Southport, North Carolina with the majority of events taking place near the docks or by some other body of water. I always enjoy when a location or environment feeds into the plot. There is a consistent theme of water running (excuse the pun) throughout I Know What You Did Last Summer. Even the opening shot is a great sweeping helicopter shot of the ocean. It starts with bad deeds happening around water and ends with it.

My favourite scene is set in a warehouse on the docks, where a side character is attacked whilst picking crabs. It’s cliched but well executed. Furthermore, the end of the film features a fantastic chase and showdown between Julie and the killer on a boat. Admittedly, the lead characters make a number of dumb decisions but it does serve for an immensely entertaining horror infused sequence.

Out of all the films shown at the festival, this was the crowd pleaser. A lighter venture that is fun and nostalgic but without a great deal of depth. It was placed in the schedule, following Cure and preceding When a Stranger Calls to add a bit more variety and provide a few laughs amidst the thrills and chills. There was a great atmosphere in the screening, as everyone enjoyed the 90s nostalgia, slightly hammy acting and over the top violence.

Final Forbidden Thoughts

I came away from the ‘Stranger Danger’ themed festival suitably satisfied with the films I chose to watch. I can’t comment on the other two they showed, but the ones I did see were a neat mixture of titles. Cure stood out most prominently for me, as in true Japanese style it was unlike anything else I’ve seen before.

However, I thought it was a very clever decision to follow it up with I Know What You Did Last Summer. Something a bit easier and fun to experience after the intensity of the previous film. Then you have The Hitcher which tonally lands somewhere in the middle. It combines elements of crowd-pleasing cheesiness and dark humour, with nail biting tension and disturbing horror elements.

Forbidden Worlds is a festival I would highly recommend to film fans. With its mix of cult classics, lesser well known indie titles and popcorn inclusions there is something for everyone. Often the films released coincide with an anniversary or restoration, which is a welcome touch. Most importantly the festival is a platform for people to show films that they hold dear to them for whatever reason, and at the end of the day, that’s what movies are all about.