SPECIAL REPORT - Christina Critiques - 2026 GenreBlast Film Festival: Part 9
Title: PSYCHO SLASHER
Directed by: Ted Hogeman
Country: US Run Time: 5 mins
Synopsis: Killers are gonna kill, am I right?
Favorite line: “Claiming souls is my game and I’m on fire.”
Thoughts: Imagine IN A VIOLENT NATURE but make it funny and add a sprinkle of Dexter. Bloody and girl power fueled, the viewer is along for the ride of insanity and let me tell you, it’s a ride.
Actor to watch for: Psycho slasher - Kristen Hopkins
Title: MEGA BALL
Directed by: Max August
Country: Canada Run Time: 11 mins
Synopsis: What happens when Andrew can’t get over his latest relationship failure? Easy! Mark will show him how easy it is to move on… but it’s not going to be painless.
Favorite line: “She left me cuz I’m a loser.”
“You’re not the only one in the world who’s hurting.”
“Filmore hates homework so much he feels the need to be homophobic about it.”
Thoughts: On the surface, this is a funny take on exorcising the demons of relationships gone south. But it’s so much more than that. It’s community, friendship, and how to deal with emotions in a … constructive/destructive manner. (Special shoutout to the music department - I loved it!)
Title: WHERE THE RHODODENDRON GROW
Directed by: Erin Draxler
Country: US Run Time: 12 mins
Synopsis: An old group of friends come back together after going their own ways after a tragedy from their youth.
Favorite line: “It’s always good to be back.”
Thoughts: I LOVE shorts like this that not only entertain but also educate the viewer. It is beautifully shot but the juxtaposition of the situation that binds them is impressively done. I had to know more so I researched Strawderman House and it’s a complex story that Draxler shows with reverence and heartbreak.
Title: RUN NEXT DOOR
Directed by: Brenton Easton
Country: US Run Time: 9 mins
Synopsis: Help is right next door! … or is it…
Favorite line: “Only adulting class I had… was a boot in the ass.”
Thoughts: Parents can be so blinded by the love of their children and we won’t shut up about them either. Easton plays on this truth in part humor and part thriller. The ability to make the audience feel unnerved without knowing why until it’s time was so impressive. Think of the feeling you get with the winding of a jack-in-the-box…
Actor to watch for: Jeremy - Jesse Womack
… speaking of Jesse Womack…
Title: YOLKS
Directed by: Jesse Womack
Country: US Run Time: 4 mins
Synopsis: A man has internal and external forces keeping him from being happy.
Favorite line: “You really don’t I want to be fat, do you Johnny?”
Thoughts: Womack bamboozled me! YOLKS is a complete 180 from last year’s finalist and I couldn’t adore him more for that. With YOLKS, the viewer is put in an uncomfortable situation while John, the main male character, has to make tough decisions. We want to yell and his mom and girlfriend but much like real life, it’s not that easy. I cannot wait until his next one!
Actor to watch for: John - Tim Habla
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