It would be an understatement to say 2020 has been a challenging year for everyone. However, the creativity and ingenuity shown by all the filmmakers this year was quite inspiring. Once again we were treated to a broad range of stellar film submissions.  Understandably many of the films were a bit more “serious” and “darker” this year. Picking just one is once again all the more challenging.  For what it’s worth, here are my own opinions…

Extensions II: Victory (2020 Version)
Great reworking of the original.  The 2020 version was both quite enjoyable as well as a more palatable experience to watch (clocking in just under 20 minutes). In a way both a “director’s cut” with some never before seen added footage as well thoughtful edits and omissions from the original.  Well done.

The First Tasting
It was a great pleasure and honor to be able to be a part of this project. Good to see the return of Steven Ghostly. However I think we are all wondering what happened to Gordon Stacks. Will we ever see him again? Looking forward to a potential sequel.
Sea Peoples
I quite enjoyed this one. Really well done. Good story and great camera work. And how could we forget that outstanding original soundtrack. Probably Mr. Benkerstein’s best film to date.

The Sleep Demon
A nice, succinct horror short.  A bit of a palate cleanser.  Felt like a movie trailer leaving me wanting to see more. Enjoyable.
The Will
Again, in keeping with a bit of a theme for the evening this one was a serious and rather dark work. It was again a great pleasure to be able to act in this film. I thought the script was very well done. Great soundtrack too. Not sure I completely understand the ending. Probably need to watch it a few more times.  Well done.

On the Transmigration of Marjorie Nolan
Nice little animated short.  Again another “palate cleanser”. As with “the sleep demon” could these ideas be flushed out into a feature length film?

The Tasting
In a way the two “tasting” films start out quite the same but then diverge in dramatically different directions.  While the first film veers more toward a rather comedic, light-hearted conclusion, this second film turns into more of a classic horror tale.I wonder if maybe in prior years without all the restrictions we now face the two films could have possibly been part of a larger story. The door is certainly open for a sequel. Either way it was both well done and enjoyable to watch.

When The Alarm Goes Off
I for one am always looking forward to seeing a new release from the F2 team, and once again they did not disappoint.  While there were some comedic elements at play in this film, there was also a tinge of sadness to the story.  I found this to ultimately be a rather melancholy and cautionary tale. Shout out to the grainy, black and white, silent ‘film within the film’. I almost thought that character was going to jump off the screen and enter the story.  It’s somewhat ironic that this is the favorite television show of the ‘struggling artist’.  I suppose it brings some solace to him during his dark days. When Saturday evening came to a conclusion I walked away thinking this was my favorite film. As I review all the films again a few days later my opinion has not changed.  Well done F2.

The Realization

It’s become a bit of a tradition that the final film of the evening is a compilation of random footage from the host. A compendium of the good times from throughout the year. As always there are some great nuggets. Always good for a few laughs and a nice way to see out the program.

The Haverhast: When the Alarm Goes Off
Runner up: Sea Peoples

Extensions Saturday official reviews:
Extensions II: Victory (2020 Version):
Though I’ve loved the stories of past extension films, this one could be the most entertaining thus far. The disjointedness keeps you on a roller coaster of break neck speeds leaving you in a sort of visual whiplash, though there was audio issues it’s also one of the things that makes me love vhs. The crackly film to the cracky sound are all something I enjoy and this encapsulates it beautifully. Also the end scene was truly horrifying. 7-10
The First Tasting:
Always love seeing the return of the gourmand society and always love playing the ever so entertaining Gordon stacks! Definitely more comedy than horror, but in today’s world maybe having a good hearty Gordon laugh is more important than being horrified. Brilliant acting performances all around, and great use of technology to show what  the world we are living in. 8-10
Sea People’s
My first original pick for Haverhast and I think we all know why. The moment it started my mouth was agape at the visual beauty. William’s acting was brilliant and his eye for detail is something I’ve always been envious of. The clarity of each shot and the intelligent design of filming can’t get enough praise from me. My only flaws are I wish this movie’s plot were as clear and determined as the visual technique he uses. Knowing a bit more of the story from acting in it and being briefed I could start to piece it together. This might be a clear example of needing  to make sure to assume the audience will not understand it til you spell it out for them. 9-10
girl with the most cake
Sadly this didn’t get played on extensions Saturday but it’s a quick delight nonetheless! I like the bizarre visuals and uncomfortable asmr! Also I’m all about mouth close ups so nothing like cake mouth!! 6-10
2020:
I am excited to see pepper is now acting in films! I hope their will be more footage of her in the future. Great use of sound effects making this 2020 walk very enjoyable as well as unsettling.. 5-10

Sleep Demon:
A short film that is truly horrific and I’m impressed the director would take this on in the 11th hour! Spooky visuals are to be had maybe this can inspire a new movie who was the witch? why the nightmare?! And what happened to the main character!?! 6-10

The Will:
One of my favorite scripts of the night, I like the departure into more of a dialogue based drama. The use of technology made me believe I was actually there on the zoom meeting hanging out, I couldn’t help but cheers for all the toast! I loved the grimness of the story and thought the acting was also amazing, all the characters seemed to perform their roles spot on. I just wish that this movie could’ve had the actors in person acting rather than the zoom meeting, I believe more cinematic, dramatic cuts could keep the story compelling and more engaging! I hope one day this can get reworked post covid because I really want to see this drama come to life and see more well written scripts like this. 9-10

On the Transmigration of Marjorie Nolan:
Just give me more fucked up cartoons! These are always great short sweet and look awesome! I almost want to give this a perfect score to inspire more of these to come in the future, but against the whole nights exemplary films I can’t be as careless to hinder my voting credibility. 7-10
The Tasting:
Another acting masterpiece, I loved dynamics of each character! The story is not so much comedy but true horror and fits an extensions Saturday perfectly maybe even truest to form! Again use of zoom but the characters being so different and with great soundtrack you can easily watch and enjoy. I like the idea of the having this paired with the first tasting as a way to see how maniacal Count Vræhalyse could actually be! 9-10
When the Alarm Goes Off:
Well this was a film I think a lot can relate to. The struggles to remain focused and creative in these times, and how easy it is to fall into bad habits. I’m very thankful Holly stepped it up and was able to be my true co-star in her first leading role without her this movie wouldn’t have been able to happen. After rewatch I’m happy with how it turned out but wish my creature could have been more engaging. only having a few hands on deck made it harder to pull off the creature effects! Dereks monologue was performed perfectly and was the profoundness I needed to push the film into something deeper than just a depressed man killing himself. And Frank’s contribution to the film was actually what inspired me to come through just as my character suffered in the movie from the noise of the day I to was feeling down and out. When frank provided (the now titled Mr. Pea) it was totally the jolt I needed! This was one of my favorite soundtracks to make seeing I was using a midi keyboard through GarageBand and I could actually play the music rather than type it in. Here’s the link to the full Mr. Pea brilliant comedy Tomothys favorite television show
https://youtu.be/xKD6fP9RI-Y
Let all strive for perfection and to remain forever AWAKE!! 8.5-10
The Realization:
As always the great palette cleanse of the evening! The collection of shorts with a great soundtrack is always a delight. The visuals to the labyrinth were beautiful as well as the ablutions, it’s a shame I missed them in person this summer, but with covid we know these sort of things are limited. I especially loved my radical leftist self duping you all and voting for our ACTUAL PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP!!! #stopthesteal. 7-10

Extensions II: Victory (2020 Version)

Excellent reimagining of the classic film. The new and inspired video and audio editing helped the pacing and made the film even more palatable for today’s times. Chapter headings helped guide the viewer through the madness. Particularly enjoyed the effects added to the musical performance, and the added soundtrack to the film’s climactic scene.

The First Tasting

Pleased to have been a part of this timely cautionary tale. A fine script and dedicated performers. Will this be the last of Gordon Stacks? One would hope not.

Sea Peoples

Really enjoyed this cinematic offering. Mr. Benkerstein’s talent seems to grow only greater with each film, and this one seems to be his finest to date in my opinion. It had a very professional look with excellent use of practical effects and some inspired lighting. Enjoyed the soundtrack as well.

The Sleep Demon

A fine horror short, enjoyed the lighting and the economical terror.

The Will

A pleasantly surprising serious and confident dramatic work. Impressive acting throughout and the script was very engaging, although the climax was a bit unclear as I was under the impression two of the characters had “set up” the others to benefit themselves until it was explained in the post-screening Q & A. Great soundtrack and a fine work all around.

On the Transmigration of Marjorie Nolan

Always enjoy Mr. Crudely’s animation offerings and this was no exception. I’ve always been curious about the afterlife, now I know.

The Tasting

A sort of re-telling of the night’s earlier work, with a dramatically different outcome. While the previous film went for comedy, this one went from eeriness to uncomfortable (unwatchable?) horror. The end reveal was very effective.

When The Alarm Goes Off

F2 at it again, this time to tell the harrowing tale of a writer’s block under quarantine. But the film is not without comedy, as the main character’s favorite tv show provided the most laughs of the night for me. But those laughs would turn to tears as the main character’s downward spiral lead to a most unsettling end. Enjoyed the projection effects, especially during the “trip” sequence, and F2 can always be counted on for high quality practical effects. Loved seeing the artist at work and the end result was impressive. Well done all around once again.

The Realization

Quality random compilation with some fine cinematography particularly during the sunset (sunrise?) ablution. Soundtrack was inspired as well.

My nomination for The Haverhast: Sea Peoples

I must say that I’m continually impressed with the upward spiral of creativity in the works of Extensions Saturday. Although I haven’t submitted an original work in some time now, I am ever inspired by the artists to someday return to the director’s chair and attempt to somehow rise to the level of quality presented each year.

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So, email your reviews and I will post them!

“Extensions II: Victory (2020 Version)”
Although this was radically cut and re-imagined this 2020 version of the film still holds true to the original concept of being an abstract, disjointed and disturbing film. That finalé will always hail as one of the grimest ever filmed, thanks to my 1973 Ford Econoline (which provided me a little over three months of daily nightmares in 1986/7). With all that was going on in the film, including the very creative reworkings, the film became, oddly enough, more lucid. I only wish the audio could’ve been preserved a little bit better… ah VHS …

Why it should win The Haverhast:

The concept of it’s re-imaging combined with the “Conversation at the Aloha”.

“The First Tasting”

The third installment in the “Next Nightmare“ series, moreover a “Gourmand Society Story“, offers us a taste into being creative with the technology at hand during this strange time we share. Some audio glitches and some clear mess ups from the director made it a very exciting piece to cobble together. Mercifully the brilliant performances from Mr Y, Beachmont Frank, and Visitor Blim catapulted this zoom Theater into the oft sought domain of horror art.

Why it should win The Haverhast:

As ever, the script of VH is always unparalleled.

“Sea People’s”

The return of Willhelm Benkerstein! One the most beautiful films of the evening. Exquisite film making.
And, like his other works, we are left with more questions than answers.
Intensely vague to the point of …?

Why it should win The Haverhast:

Benkerstein’s acting was a tour de force!

“2020” and “girl with the most cake” by Cherry Marashino
Sadly, the filmmaker had to leave early at the world premiere so we did not get to this part of the program live. But, both these short visual delights are well worth the watch.

Why it should win The Haverhast:

Seeing that cake get destroyed!

“Sleep Demon” and “On the Transmigration of Marjorie Nolan”

These two shorts from Reek Crudely were both stunning in their look and harrowing in their message.

Why it should win The Haverhast:

Their brevity!

“The Will”

by Reek Crudely. Again Reek wreaks havoc, but on a deep, dark, sophisticated and, I dare say, spiritual level. By far the most serious and somber film of the evening. The cast delivered, although firewater was clearly on hand, extremely sober characters of a most mature gravity. Extremely subtle soundtrack juxtaposed with silence added further tension to this film. Seeing the Professor take a turn at some acting only increased the stature of the solid work.

Why it should win The Haverhast:

The scale of profundity being reached for, advanced by the gravitas of the acting, makes this a winner.

“The Tasting”

Yet another installment of the “Next Nightmare” series and another Gourmand Society story. This one was actually created first as part of a one time trilogy aspiration. I think the two offerings worked quite well as they were and sufficiently. This one did feature a bit of a twist that left us all scared as hell. This one was filmed right around the time of the summer solstice and we were Still deep in the first part of the pandemic and lockdown was a reality. This and “The First Tasting” featured the music by The Professor – stunning.

Why it should win The Haverhast:

The make up on Count Vræhalyse.

“When the Alarm Goes Off” by Frank Mulone

This film gives Wilhelm Benkerstein a run for the money in terms of how good it looked. Beachmont Frank did a tremendous job with this one, I think it’s my favorite film of his to date. More over, that sequence from Frank LeClaire was as entertaining as Tomothy’s experience of it.

Why it should win The Haverhast:

The puppet was cool, but Tomothy’s painting was … a masterpiece!

“The Realization”

Why it should win The Haverhast:

Seeing the labyrynth in action!

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