EIFF's Midnight Madness strand returned in style this year with the world premiere of Ben Wheatley's experimental sci-fi film Bulk, the long-awaited UK Premiere of Macon Blair's The Toxic Avenger remake and by far the weirdest of them all, Grace Glowicki's reimagining of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Dead Lover.
Shot entirely on 16mm film, using minimalist black-box sets, and inspired by the likes of Mel Brooks, Kenneth Anger, Monty Python and Saturday Night Live, the weirdness of Glowicki's opus should really come as no surprise, especially if you have seen the director's other works.
The picture follows a gravedigger (Glowicki) who, due to her pungent body odour, has never found love. That is, until she finds the love of her life, a poet named Swimmer (Ben Petrie), who loves the smell of her body. However, when Swimmer drowns at sea, only a severed finger is left of his body, and, naturally, the gravedigger goes to work, attempting to resurrect her dead lover from his finger alone.
Now, make no bones about it, Dead Lover is the type of movie that you will either love or hate. It is so weird and wacky that it is bound to put some people off, but it is so charming in its ridiculousness, and the 1930s style of horror that the picture is trying to emulate is so well done that, for the right audience, Dead Lover will be considered a masterpiece. Admittedly, though, there is somewhat of a middle ground that can be met as well.
The biggest issue with the feature comes in the form of excess. The film either gives you everything or nothing; there is no in between. It is so weird and strange that it becomes off-putting. There are so many jokes and so much physical humour that, eventually, the number of gags that land is lessened. And, perhaps worst of all, there is so much going on all the time that it becomes too much to keep up with, and the pacing is impacted as a result, meaning all the fun shenanigans eventually just become a bit of a drag.
Yet, on the opposite end of the scale, there are moments of brilliance, shining a light on Glowicki's genius. Much of this comes through in any of the sequences with the finger. The gravediggers' attempt to resurrect her dead lover results in hilarity, with a ridiculous three-foot-long finger that causes chaos anytime it is on screen. These moments are the culmination of the director-star's writing, comedic timing, and practical filmmaking, all coming together perfectly to enact her vision. Proof that there is method to the madness and a glimpse at just how brilliant the rest of the movie could have been.
Dead Lover is sure to be a hit with its target audience. With gorgeous, practical, black box sets and a wonderfully replicated visual style, there is a lot of charm to be found in Grace Glowicki's sophomore effort, but simply not enough to look past its flaws.
Dead Lover screened at Edinburgh International Film Festival
