Grimmfest is known for showcasing some of the best new and upcoming horror movies, and writer-director Tom Botchii is no stranger to this, having previously had his feature directorial debut with the horror movie Artik at the festival. This time, he is taking a slightly different route and dipping his toes into the action genre – don't worry, though, this is a blood-soaked thrill ride that will still satisfy the horror fan.

Syphon follows the story of Teddy (Jeffrey Decker), who targets rich elite Jun (Shuhei Kinoshita) in a home invasion. Jun does a lot to protect himself as well as his home, but is eventually caught and tied up by our protagonist. As the story unfolds, we soon discover the motives behind Teddy's actions, and we soon switch sides to who we should be rooting for. Eventually, you are left not on either party's side; both Teddy and Jun are the hero and the villain of their own stories.

Botchii doesn't hold back on the violence; we are almost immediately thrown into it from the very start, and for the first act at least, it doesn't hold back any punches and immediately draws the audience in. He has also taken his own spin on the action genre, disregarding the typical stereotypes that we are used to and creating something more raw and real. There are no far-fetched explosions or guns being shot into the sky; it's simply two men, both desperate for revenge.

Once the violence has seemingly calmed and we move into the second act, we start to gain an understanding of both characters' motives, and the audience flip-flops between who we should be supporting. Both have lost everything in one way or another, but the senseless acts both parties are vomiting don't outweigh the other. The use of sound is incredible; you feel every punch and every bone break, which really draws the audience further into the story. The scene that stands out the most, however, is the carwash scene, an utterly fantastic use of raw violence and a sprinkling of comedy with an added bonus of a cameo from Human director Matt Stuertz.

Overall, Syphon is a fantastic and fresh addition to the action genre. It takes the elements that we love from action and creates something new. It's full of blood and gritty violence that isn't too over the top. There are no action heroes here, just two men fighting it out against each other, both with their own arguably important political message.

Syphon had its world premiere at Grimmfest 2025 on 11 October