Frightfest 2024: ‘Fright’ Review

Stars: Gwyneth Evans, Jill Priest, Daniel Tuite, Jamie Martin | Written and Directed by Warren Dudley

It’s a rare feat for a film to convincingly transport its audience back in time and believably sustain the world it builds, but that is exactly what Warren Dudley’s Fright achieves.

A love letter to 1950s cinema, Fright is a gothic horror film that follows Emily (Gwyneth Evans), who is on the cusp of adulthood. Yet, her liberation and personal freedoms are constrained by her agoraphobia as well as her domineering mother (Jill Priest), who is intent on keeping Emily confined to the house. At the brink of mental collapse, Emily is haunted by a malevolent force – a gnarled black hand that represents Emily’s trauma and will stop at nothing to use it against her.

Stories about a protagonist haunted by a ghostly apparition are not unique. Still, Dudley offers a fresh perspective on the gothic horror genre without relying on jump scares and other shock and awe tactics. The use of lighting and shadow, greyscale, soundscapes, and environmental storytelling is enough to create an unsettling yet undefined eeriness throughout the film’s runtime, making it reminiscent of Hitchcockian cinema.

Fright’s narrative is told through a series of monologues written from Emily’s perspective. As the movie progresses, Emily starts uncovering the macabre truths of her family’s history, furthering her mental decline. Gwyneth Evans does a brilliant job at capturing Emily’s insanity, while Jill Priest delights with her turn as Emily’s caring albeit emotionally exhausted mother.

It is fair to say that Fright is not for fans of the usual slasher movies. It does not rely on chunks of viscera to achieve any catharsis. It is a well-thought-out yet slow-burning psychological horror that utilises all the facets of traditional cinema, particularly leaning into the melodrama.

Some may say that this directorial choice detracts from the emotionality of the characters as modern audiences would likely find this more humorous rather than anything that punctuates the climatic tension, but that should not turn you off from giving Fright at least one viewing.

If you are interested in delving into a more traditional and sophisticated style of filmmaking, then Fright might be for you.

**** 4/5

Fright screened as part of this year’s Frightfest London.