Coverage for Salem Horror Film Festival
DIRECTORS: BLAKE DOUGLAS (segment “Sore Throat”), ETHAN GOMEZ ZAHNLEY (segment “Welcome Week”), LENNY IBARRA (segment “Fresher’s”), GORY CORY MCCULLOUGH (segment “Falling into Place”), JACK MCDERMOTT (segment “Welcome Week”), RYAN RANC (segment “Blood Stream”)/2024
Directed by a collaborative team including Jack McDermott, Ethan Gomez-Zahnley, Ryan Ranc, Blake Douglas, Léonidas Ibarra, and Cory McCullough, Welcome Week is a fresh take on the horror anthology genre that adeptly blends collegiate anxieties with gruesome storytelling. The film’s central narrative follows Andrew Cross, a college freshman marked by a harrowing family legacy—each of his four siblings tragically died during their first weeks at college. Alongside his roommate Josh, Andrew navigates a perilous freshman year as they try to thwart a masked killer intent on claiming their friend as the next victim.
The structure of Welcome Week stands out in the realm of anthology films. Rather than presenting disjointed stories, this film smartly uses Andrew’s tragic backstory as a springboard, allowing the tales of his siblings’ deaths to branch naturally from the main storyline. Each segment, directed by a different filmmaker, maintains its unique style and thematic focus, ranging from intense slasher sequences to deeply disturbing body horror. This format keeps the narrative fluid and engaging, avoiding the segmented feel typical of many anthologies.
One of the standout aspects of Welcome Week is its homage to classic horror tropes, with one story in particular very creepily diving into the terror of body horror, with all of it seamlessly woven into a modern college setting. The killer, a sinister presence with echoes a mix of the killers from Happy Death Day‘s and Terror Train‘s, provides a compelling central mystery that keeps viewers guessing. The use of different directors for each sibling’s story adds a rich variety of horror sub-genres, from visceral gore to eerie psychological suspense, making each segment feel like a distinct, yet connected, piece of the larger narrative puzzle.
However, like many anthologies, Welcome Week experiences uneven moments. Some stories might resonate more profoundly with the audience than others, and the shifts in tone and style, although creative, can sometimes disrupt the pacing and coherence of the overarching plot. Despite these occasional hiccups, the film’s innovative approach and the directors’ ability to keep the thematic threads intact across various storytelling styles are commendable.
Overall, Welcome Week is a bold experiment in the horror anthology format that largely pays off. It provides not only spine-chilling entertainment but also a thoughtful exploration of the fears and myths surrounding the college experience. For fans of innovative horror and viewers looking for a fresh take on the anthology structure, Welcome Week is definitely worth a watch. Its blend of suspense, mystery, and horror makes for a compelling film that is as unnerving as it is captivating.