Fantastic Fest 2023 reviews: Pet Sematary: Bloodlines, There’s Something in the Barn, Visitors

With another stellar edition of Fantastic Fest behind us, we’re taking a bite-size look at three buzzy titles from this year’s edition; Pet Semetary: Bloodlines, There’s Something in the Barn, and Visitors (Complete Edition). 

You can find all of our Fantastic Fest coverage here.

Pet Semetary: Bloodlines

Reactions to the 2019’s Pet Semetary reboot were mixed (we were fans), and while “sometimes dead is better,” that logic never applies to horror franchises. Four years on from that film comes Pet Semetary: Bloodlines, a direct-to-streaming reboot that aims to expand the mythology of the mysterious burial ground in the sleepy town of Ludlow, Maine.

Set in 1969, the film follows a young Jud Crandall (Jackson White), who has big dreams of escaping his hometown. Yet before he and his girlfriend can even leave the town’s borders, they’re brought back and forced to confront a figure from Jud’s past and uncover his family’s connection to the burial ground that brings the dead back to life in terrifying ways.

The feature debut by Lindsey Anderson Beer, Pet Semetary: Bloodlines has a lot going for it. The cast is very strong (including E.T.’s Henry Thomas and an underused David Duchovney), and the film dives deeper into the mythology of the burial ground and how it connects to Jud’s family and the town itself. That said, the film quickly devolves into a rote horror film with muddly effects and an entirely forgettable final act.

As far as horror franchise sequels go, Pet Semetary: Bloodlines does an admirable job of world-building but there’s simply not much story underneath the gore and questionable period-setting. At the very least, the film is streaming now on Paramount+, which makes this a fairly easy recommendation for a chilly Saturday night in October.

There’s Something in the Barn

If you transported Gremlins from small-town America to the mountains of Norway, you might end up with something akin to There’s Something in the Barn. 

Martin Starr (Freaks and Geeks, Silicon Valley) stars as an affable dad who moves his family, including his girlfriend (Amrita Acharia, Game of Thrones) and his two teenage children from the US to their remote new home in Norway. Before the Nordheim family even has a chance to settle in, their son (Townes Bunner) discovers a barn elf living on their new property. The family soon learns that barn elves are very resistant to change, and will defend their way of life by any means necessary, putting the Nordheim’s on a collision course with a crew of mischievous and ultra-violent rampaging elves.

Directed by Magnus Martens (SAS: Red Notice), There’s Something in the Barn is a solid addition to the Christmas horror canon. Skillfully navigating between comedy and full-blown horror, the film makes the most of the Americans abroad motif while delivering a fun and bloody xmas horror romp.

Visitors (Complete Edition)

Japanese filmmaker Kenichi Ugana (Love Will Tear Us Apart) expands upon his short film of the same name with Visitors (Complete Edition), a gory yet sweet zombie tale.

When their friend Sota suddenly disappears, his bandmates converge at his home to discover Sota hiding out from the world. Soon enough, a demon infests the crew, but Visitors is far from your typical zombie film. Instead, Ugana is more preoccupied with how the band’s friendship continues to evolve, even as some of the tight crew become flesh-eating zombies.

A bloody and disarmingly heartfelt tribute to the gory golden age of Troma-style low-budget horror (Troma President Lloyd Kaufman even makes a cameo), Visitors features some truly disgusting practical effects but its the twisted humour at the heart of the film that will linger with you.