About us
Guelph Film Society [GFS] is a safe space for anything and everything film, in the Guelph, KW, Cambridge and surrounding area.
Our goal is to unite all cinephiles in our community, no matter your level of expertise or experience. We want to foster a space to educate about the wonderful world of cinema, all the while having fun in the process. Think of the group as basically a book club, but for movies!
Our personal focus is primarily on art, indie, foreign, and world cinema, however we are open to others' interests as well (suggestions and requests are always welcomed).
We meet a few times a month at the Red Brick Cafe (8 Douglas Street) in the heart of downtown Guelph. Occasionally I or one of our wonderful members will arrange movie outings as well.
What you can expect:
Every meetup, we discuss our Film of the Week (which we watch on our own before the discussion), any film criticism/video essays we shared prior to the discussion, as well as propose future films we may want to watch/discuss. I share video essays and related content for each Film of the Week on its respective event page; feel free to share anything relevant as well!
I'm always open to feedback and new ideas, so if there's something you'd like to share with me directly or want me to share with the group, don't hesitate to send me a message or email.
Be sure to follow us on Instagram (@guelphfilmsociety) for more updates: https://instagram.com/guelphfilmsociety?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Happy watching!
Upcoming events
3
THE EVIL DEAD (1981) and EVIL DEAD (2013)
Red Brick Cafe (Downtown), 8 Douglas Street, Guelph, ON, CA"The extreme nature of the gore isn't beside the point - it is the point. Raimi goes so far over the top in presenting these displays that they take on a campy, almost humorous appearance. It's impossible to take all this blood seriously. So, instead of being sickened, we're strangely amused - and this is all intentional." James Bernardinelli (ReelViews)
"Then the carnage comes, and when it does, it delivers on all promises and more, with a parade of gushing wounds, demonic howls, and oceans of gore which approach the line of good taste, toe it, then gleefully dance across." Zack Handlen (The A.V. Club)
"Effective scares, respectful nods to its inspiration and a few new twists make the question of whether this new Evil Dead succeeds in matching its inspiration superfluous. This is one remake that succeeds on its own blood-soaked terms." Ian Buckwalter (NPR)
"Alvarez triumphs because he made one crucial decision: Avoid digital animation and use only practical in-camera special effects. He uses every trick from classic Hollywood and invents a few of his own." Tirdad Derakhshani (Philadelphia Inquirer)
*****
Shelly: Why does she keep making those horrible noises?
Ash: I don't know!
Shelly: Look at her eyes. Look at her eyes! For God's sake, what happened to her eyes?
*****
Abomination Mia: I will feast on your soul!
Mia: Feast on this, motherfucker.
*****
[Steve]
ahoy folks. and now for something completely different. welcome to Classics + Remakes month! we'll be exploring some cult/indie classics that changed the face of horror cinema. i thought it would be interesting to contrast horror classics with their remake counterparts, especially films that made significant or noticeable changes to their original incarnations.
first up is the classic campy, low-budget horror debut THE EVIL DEAD by the acclaimed American writer/director Sam Raimi. a combination of supernatural horror, possession, gorno/splatter, and cabin-in-the-woods subgenres, THE EVIL DEAD is considered by some to be one of the earliest comedy-horror films. Raimi, however, has gone back and forth on the intentionality of the comedic elements with this initial entry, often changing his mind publicly about the film's intended genre.
a group of five twenty-something university students head out to a cabin in the woods for a little weekend getaway. as they approach the cabin, one bad omen after another presents itself, which they shrug off as merely momentary setbacks. little do they know, they're about to awaken some serious evil via the Naturom Demonto, aka the Book of the Dead.
filled with cheap practical effects, spooky demonic possessions, some truly inventive camera work, co-edited by then unknown Joel Coen of the soon-to-be-well-known The Coen Brothers, and the birth of one of horror cinema's most memorable heroes, THE EVIL DEAD delivers on all fronts, even if it's a little cheesy and campy at times (err, most of the time).
*****
EVIL DEAD, however, is an entirely different beast. the premise is essentially the same, but the overall tone and presentation are significantly altered. with a much higher budget and three decades of sensibility shifts, EVIL DEAD is the darker, more metal version that Raimi always intended to make.
much like Raimi himself, Uruguayan writer/director Fede Alvarez also made his debut with an EVIL DEAD film. this updated remake was produced by Raimi and THE EVIL DEAD star Bruce Campbell, who both gave their blessings to Alvarez's vision and we're on set overseeing the production.
with some minor and major character changes, a timely allegory added in that plays out surprisingly tastefully, and possibly the highest amount of fake blood ever used on-screen (an estimated 70,000 gallons/ 260,000 litres!), EVIL DEAD lives up to its name and then some.
*****
we'll continue Classics + Remakes month with THE FLY (1958) by Kurt Neumann + THE FLY (1986) by David Cronenberg on October 25, and conclude with RINGU (1998) by Hideo Nakata + THE RING (2002) by Gore Verbinski on November 1.
hopefully you'll JOIN US for our first Groovy discussion on Sunday, October 18 at 10am at the Red Brick Cafe.
you can stream THE EVIL DEAD on Crave and Starz (thru Prime). you can rent it on Apple TV, Prime, and YouTube. there's also a DVD copy available at the Guelph Public Library. you can watch it for free here: https://fsharetv.cc/w/the-evil-dead-episode-1-tt0083907
you can stream EVIL DEAD on Starz (thru Prime). you can rent it on Apple TV, Prime, and YouTube. there's also a DVD copy available at the Guelph Public Library. you can watch it for free here: https://fsharetv.cc/w/evil-dead-episode-1-tt1288558
happy watching... 😈
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