July 18th: My last day at MIFF, and a big day for documentaries from and about Maine. Featuring seven documentary short films from local filmmakers and a feature-length love letter to a hardcore music venue that doubled as a refuge for outcast teens. A long day, but a high note on which to end. Maine…
July 17th: The penultimate day of my time at the festival, and the last day for fiction. Featuring a clever comedy about romance and ghosts, seven narrative short films from Maine artists, and a gross yet lovable film about a prostitute trying to free herself from a curse. Mallory’s Ghost (2026) Director: Arabella OzScreenwriter: Arabella…
July 16th: Featuring three very different films directed by women. We’ve got a directionless bartender taking a life changing modeling job, a teen coming to terms with her sexuality and her father’s addiction, and a jilted middle school theater teacher enacting an increasingly dark and absurd revenge plot. In Transit (2025): Director: Jaclyn BethanyScreenwriter: Alex…
July 15th: A light day, in terms of the number of movies watched. In terms of subject matter, we’ve got a lurid silent epic charting a convent girl’s journey from kidnapping victim to brothel madam, followed by a heartbreaking documentary about processing private grief while reckoning with the Rwandan genocide. Queen Kelly (1929): Director: Erich…
July 14th: Big day for serious drama. Featuring a realistic story of addiction and recovery in Ohio, infidelity and attempted murder in 1920s China, and inter-generational conflict between rural midwives in the Andes. Union County (2026): Director: Adam MeeksScreenwriter: Adam MeeksProducers: Brad Becker-Parton, Ellyn Daniels, Martha Gregory, Tim Headington, Will O’Connor, Theresa Steele Page, Will…
July 13th: My first full day at MIFF. Featuring another fantastic performance from Greta Lee, a stylish lucid dream of a film from the Philippines, and a riveting account of doomed arctic exploration by hot air balloon. Late Fame (2026): Director: Kent JonesScreenwriter: Samy Burch, based on the novella by Arthur SchnitzlerProducers: Christine Vachon, Pamela…
July 12th: Day One for me was actually Day Three of the festival. That’s what I get for having a day job. I got off to a very strong start with the world premiere of indie horror gem Still Ohio, followed by new-to-me Oscar nominee Past Lives. In a way, both movies are about not…
Or, “What I Did on My Summer Vacation”*. As I’m sure our twelve dedicated readers will remember, I posted a rare non-Octoberween review last week (Still Ohio, check it out). I saw that film at the Maine International Film Festival (MIFF). Run by the Maine Film Center in Waterville, ME, the festival showcases work from…
That’s right, folks. Your favorite mostly-defunct Halloween blog is attending the 29th Annual Maine International Film Festival (MIFF). I won’t be reviewing every movie I see—Past Lives has already gotten its laurels—but I couldn’t wait until Octoberween to tout this future horror classic. Still Ohio (2026 MIFF Premier): The Plot: College freshman Ana (Fernanda Lopez)…
It’s Halloween, and we’re bringing our most jam-packed Octoberween in years to a close. Second Breakfast shared a delightful double feature with two very different takes on Frankenstein. I roamed across time and tone to bring you reviews of 28 Years Later; Fido; Good Boy; Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack; Lake…
Today’s Dracula vampire is brought to you by France (by way of Russia). The Vourdalak (2023): The Plot: The Marquis d’Urfé (Kacey Mottet Klein), an emissary of the King of France, takes refuge with a strange peasant family after being waylaid by bandits in 18th-century Eastern Europe. Told to seek aid from the elderly Gorcha…
Dracula’s Daughter (1936): The Plot: Immediately following the events of Dracula (1931), Dracula’s “daughter”, Countess Marya Zaleska (Gloria Holden), searches in vain for a cure for the vampire’s curse, which lingers even after the Count’s death. Meanwhile, Professor Von Helsing (Edward Van Sloan and yes, it really is Von Helsing in the movie) is arrested…
Rooster Illusion 