Mutant Girls Squad (Japan, 2010, 85 minutes, 18ª)
What do you get when you cross the hilarious gore and mayhem of Evil Dead with the Japanese kiddie action of Sailor Moon? Mutant Girls Squad, of course! When 16-year-old schoolgirl Rin discovers she is a “hiruko” mutant, she is identified by the school nurse and embarks on a defensive killing spree. Wh the town demands her blood, she is brought under the protective and educational wing of a secret hiruko clan where she learns how to embrace her uniqueness and use it to her full violent advantage. Surrounded by other mutant teen girls with their own form of biological weaponry, she demonstrates her natural prowess and potential to the group’s leader. However, she isn’t fully on board with the extremist fundamentals of the clan and soon there is a mutiny on the Mutant Girls Squad. Who will come out on top - Rin, with her bio-mechanical, indestructible claw hand? Or the squad, whose assassins include a cheerleader with an unfortunately located chainsaw? Regardless, copious amounts of blood with be shed before a champion rises. The acting is approached with reckless abandon, and the crew is not shy about mussing up the camera lenses. Loaded with arterial spray, splitting heads, and a cast of young girls driven mad by their changing bodies, Mutant Girl Squad is a riotous good time.
The Corrupted (Canada, 2010, 75 minutes, 14ª)
The premise of this Canadian feature (which could rightfully hold a place on the Late Night Line-Up as well) is one familiar to fans of films like I Know What You Did Last Summer, and Cabin Fever. A group of university friends spend their vacation at a remote cabin deep in an Albertan forest, isolated and alone, with only the sporadically-appearing forest ranger to check up on them. In true Canuck-style, they drink around the fire, hang out by the lake, and spend their holiday hooking up in the dense Canadian wilderness. The impending disaster is foreshadowed by one ambitious drunk’s comment: “Tonight, we see which one of us drops first!” Soon things begin to go wrong - cars won’t start, injuries begin to appear, campers begin acting strangely, and creepy figures are seen lurking the woods. It soon becomes clear that someone, or something, does not want these students to make it to graduation. The film boasts impressive moments of exciting cinematography and creative dialogue, and a realist, hand-held aesthetic that reiterates the down-to-earthness of Canadian Cinema.
Personally, my favorite of the two is Mutant Girls Squad - but the beauty is, you don’t have to choose if you don’t want to! The films play at separate times, making it easy for shock-seekers to catch both in one day. This is the last opportunity to raise your arm-hairs before the film festival concludes for another year, so make the most of it and treat yourself to a generously gruesome Saturday at CIFF.
The Corrupted plays Saturday, October 2nd at Eau Claire #1 at 9:15 PM. Get your online tickets here.
Mutant Girls Squad plays Saturday, October 2nd at The Plaza at 11:30 PM. Get your online tickers here.
