Founders Day

When a small town in America is hit by series of murders during a tight and competitive mayoral campaign, it triggers as series of decisions by the main protagonists that split the town.

Lovers Alisson (Naomi Grace) and Melissa (Olivia Nikkanen) are saying their goodbyes as Melissa is off to study out of town when they are harassed by someone. The high-beam lights obscure who the person is but taking them on Melissa is attacked and her body thrown into the river. Alisson is traumatised only for several other school friends to be killed.

This has a macabre effect on the politicians of the town; one calling for the 300 hundredth anniversary of the town (Founders Day) to be cancelled while the killer is loose. The other trying to take advantage of the situation for their own political ends. All of this looked on by the police and the sagely, savvy teacher Mr Jackson (William Russ).

What director Eric Bloomquist with co-writer Carson Bloomquist have produced is a deeply cynical observation of the political and social life of small-town America – that could be traduced nationally – using stalk and slash tropes.

It’s not the most subtle of satires taking from Jaws the town-must-stay-open selfishness of the incumbent mayor vying with her rival to get some leverage from the tragedy. There’s a neat twist midway that injects some impetus as it is starting to lag which further complicates matters though there is a full explanation of the killer’s motives towards the end.

It does feel as if the politics of the situation were higher in the minds of the writers, than building suspense, as there’s little in the way of tension though horror wise the violence and gore factors are quite high.

Founders Day received its International Premiere at London FrightFest 2023.