Panic Fest 2025 Round-up Part 2
Once again, here are the links to the 16 full movie reviews that comprised our coverage of Panic Fest 2025…as well as the link to yesterday’s first part of the Festival Round-up:
There are still four more movies in need of some attention. These films don’t all quite fit the horror genre…but are worth sparing a note or two, nonetheless. From a documentary about a town embracing its 15 minutes of fame to a sci-fi prison colony for two…Panic Fest 2025 was so loaded with films to cover…we needed two round-up columns to get to it all.
Rolling
Directed by Robert DeBoucher and Ethan Spotts
Written by Rober DeBoucher and Ethan Spotts
Starring Cora Cleary and Vaune Suitt
Plot Summary – A young couple confront their landlord over rent, only to find themselves in over their heads when unexpected events spiral out of control.
Rolling was a fun diversion from the mostly horror-centric festival. Two likable leads stumble their way through a dangerous situation involving drugs, a hitman, a crime family and a few deaths along the way. One accidental death serves as the film’s inciting incident. A slew of deaths at the hand of standout character Smiley the hitman breathe life into the story. There are plenty of amusing moments early…but Rolling seems to drop that after a while. It brings it back around in the end, however. Rolling has a unique energy to it that makes it an easy recommend for anyone looking for something a little different.
Self Driver
Directed by Michael Pierro
Written by Michael Pierro
Starring Nathanael Chadwick
Plot Summary – Facing mounting expenses and the unrelenting pressure of modern living, a down-on-his-luck cab driver is lured on to a mysterious new app that promises fast, easy money. As his first night on the job unfolds, he is pulled ever deeper into the dark underbelly of society, embarking on a journey that will test his moral code and shake his understanding of what it means to have freewill. The question becomes not how much money he can make, but what he’ll be compelled to do to make it. If you’ve got nothing to lose, how far would you go?
Self Driver is one of the more interesting non-horror related offerings at this year’s Panic Fest. It positions its lead character into a passive role…following tasks to earn money and dodging deductions for failing to perform those tasks correctly. The shadier the situation around him becomes…the more we begin to wonder if he will ever take an active role in the story. His tasks range from driving people to abduct women to punching a client in the face repeatedly. Eventually…a line will be crossed, and the driver must decide how much money is worth one’s soul. Self Diver is a good one…and an easy recommendation to all.
The Silent Planet
Directed by Jeffrey St. Jules
Written by Jeffrey St. Jules
Starring Briana Middleton and Elias Koteas
Plot Summary – Follows two inmates in the near future who are sentenced to a lifetime of hard labor on a distant planet. As things unravel, they become increasingly paranoid and start to lose a sense of who they are and their past lives.
Two excellent lead performances make The Silent Planet to feel bigger than it is. Although it’s set on a distant planet…this is a purposefully modest, human story. Secrets are revealed…memories can’t be trusted. Something in the planet’s fog seems intent on pitting the two prisoners against one another. It’s a bit on the slow side…but it takes the time to do right by its main characters. Briana Middleton and Elias Koteas are terrific in a story that gives them a lot to chew on…even if it isn’t giving them a lot to do. Prison planets are like that. Recommended for anyone who likes a hefty amount of character drama in their science-fiction stories. The actors find the emotion through fog.
The Spirit of Halloweentown
Directed by Brett Whitcomb and Bradford Thomason
Plot Summary – What kind of people live in a town that revolves around Halloween? In Oregon, the picturesque town of St. Helens was home to the filming of the Disney Channel’s youthful horror-lite film HALLOWEENTOWN in the 1990s. After it became a surprise hit—and now a cult classic—the town decided to capitalize on this starring role and invites tourists to celebrate the film and Halloween with them every year.
We don’t cover a lot of documentaries. Usually, it’s because a classic horror film is being given a deep dive. The Spirit of Halloweentown isn’t about that. It’s about how St. Helens, Oregon is clinging to the fifteen minutes of fame provided by a 90s Disney TV movie having been shot there. The documentary isn’t as cynical as that last sentence is…but it does find its best moments when examining how rough this venture is for many of the people involved. I could see it working as a Blu-ray extra. The problem is that Halloweentown isn’t even on Blu-ray despite that being the leading physical media format for about two decades now. That’s about the relevance of Halloweentown. Another step removed…we have The Spirit of Halloweentown. I felt like I learned nothing about the movie…and only slightly more about the town that won’t let it go. I certainly didn’t learn if the people there thought this was all worth it.
