The Fantastic Fest Death Squad Awards

Just as Fantastic Fest gives out a number of film awards, we wanted to take a moment to give out our own accolades by category. For this part of our festival recap, we each chose a winner in the following categories:

• Best Fantastic Feature: Comprising the dramas, action films and otherwise uncategorizable.
• Best Horror Feature: This one seems rather self-explanatory.
• Best Gutbuster Comedy Feature: From the Fantastic Fest comedy category.
• Best Documentary Feature: Otherwise known as the Christopher Campbell Award.
• Best Scene We Saw at Fantastic Fest: From any film that played during the festival.
• Best Short We Saw at Fantastic Fest: Shorts played before films, as part of three well-curated programs, so we pick our favorite one.
• Audience Award: The film we found to be the most talked-about film around the fest.

Some of the writers even threw in their own special categories. You can find picks from the entire team below:

Rob Hunter

• Best Fantastic Feature: Blackout
• Best Horror Feature: …category should be canceled this year
• Best Gutbuster Comedy Feature: Vulgaria
• Best Documentary Feature: The American Scream
• Best Next Wave Award: Crave
• Best Scene We Saw at Fantastic Fest: The 12-minute anime “trailer” in Lee’s Adventure
• Best Short We Saw at Fantastic Fest: Crush the Skull
• Audience Award: Holy Motors (haven’t seen it yet but people would not shut up about it)

Brian Salisbury

• Best Fantastic Feature:  Antiviral
• Best Horror Feature: Come Out and Play
• Best Gutbuster Comedy Feature: The History of Future Folk
• Best Documentary Feature: The American Scream
• Best Scene We Saw at Fantastic Fest: The diner confrontation between old Bruce and young Bruce in Looper
• Best Short We Saw at Fantastic Fest: Crush the Skull
• Audience Award: I Declare War
• Most Offensive Closing Night Party Costume: Tim League as Kim Jong-il

Luke Mullen

• Best Fantastic Feature: Vanishing Waves
• Best Horror Feature: Come Out and Play
• Best Gutbuster Comedy Feature: The History of Future Folk
• Best Documentary Feature: The American Scream
• Best Scene We Saw at Fantastic Fest: The accordion interlude from Holy Motors
• Best Short We Saw at Fantastic Fest: Bobby Yeah
• Audience Award: The History of Future Folk
• Best Next Wave Film: Flicker (Flimmer)

Michael Treveloni

• Best Fantastic Feature: I Declare War
• Best Horror Feature: American Mary
• Best Gutbuster Comedy Feature: Hellfjord
• Best Documentary Feature: The American Scream
• Best Scene We Saw at Fantastic Fest: The animated action sequence in Lee’s Adventure
• Best Short We Saw at Fantastic Fest: Advantageous
• Audience Award: Here Comes the Devil and The Conspiracy (tie)
• Best Next Wave Film: Crave

Adam Charles

• Best Fantastic Feature: Lee’s Adventure
• Best Horror Feature: Berberian Sound Studio
• Best Gutbuster Comedy Feature: Blackout
• Best Next Wave Film: Combat Girls

Neil Miller

• Best Fantastic Feature: Blackout
• Best Horror Feature: American Mary
• Best Gutbuster Comedy Feature: The History of Future Folk
• Best Documentary Feature: The American Scream
• Best Scene We Saw at Fantastic Fest: The “farm house incident” in Looper
• Best Short We Saw at Fantastic Fest: Le Lac Noir
• Audience Award: I Declare War
• Best Next Wave Film: Combat Girls