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An initially intriguing thriller setup leads to something quite honestly disturbing in Adrián García Bogliano's Scherzo Diabolico, now available to watch via various Video On Demand platforms (and on DVD, too!). Opening with helicopter-style overhead shots, following a car as it winds its way through a wooded region on a two-lane highway, rather like Stanley Kubrick's The Shining, the movie then cuts to Aram (Francisco Barreiro). He's driving alone, though when he eventually returns home we learn that, like Jack Torrance, he's struggling to get along with his wife (Milena Pezzi). At least their only child, a son, doesn't have any supernatural inclinations. Aram is a fiercely dedicated worker who is more than willing to work many overtime hours. But then his boss Granovsky (Jorge...

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Stars: Francisco Barreiro, Daniela Soto Vell, Jorge Molina, Milena Pezzi, Vita Vargas, Evan Alducin, Pau Alva, Tito Guillén, Pablo Guisa Koestinger | Written and Directed by Adrián García Bogliano

Scherzo Diabolico, when squinted at from afar, might resemble one of the Coen Brothers’ crime-driven dark comedies. The story – about a kidnapping gone right which goes terribly wrong only after the victim has safely returned home – is at least unconventional enough for the standards of Joel and Ethan. However, the premise is all the film’s got going for it, and not long into proceedings I was praying for a more capable filmmaker (or filmmakers) to wrest it from writer/director Adrián García Bogliano’s hands.

The plot is preceded by a drone-filmed shot of a Mexican highway, fenced off on either side by trees and fields. The not-quite-bird’s-eye-view moves menacingly across the landscape and swoops in toward the cars on...

Earlier this week, we gave you details on first wave of special experiences and events taking place at the 2015 Stanley Film Festival. We now have details on their impressive slate of features, short films, and additional special events, including screenings of The Final Girls, Deathgasm, Stung, The Invitation, and We Are Still Here.

We're teaming up with the festival for live coverage and special opportunities for Daily Dead readers, so be sure to check back all month for contests, features, and more.

"April 2, 2014 (Denver, Co) - The Stanley Film Festival (Sff) produced by the Denver Film Society (Dfs) and presented by Chiller, announced today its Closing Night film, Festival lineup and the 2015 Master of Horror. The Festival will close out with The Final Girls. The film, directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson, is the story of a young woman grieving the loss of her mother, a famous scream queen from the 1980s,...