When trying to program a horror (or “genre”) based film festival, you want to make sure you hit all the sweet spots that might be needed. One thing is for sure, The Furies definitely strikes “goriest film” off the checklist, and it’s wonderful.

Australia has been known for some of the horror films that have come out of there recently, such as Wolf Creek, The Loved Ones and even The Babdook which also played at the festival. And now they can proudly include The Furies.

The film opens with a women being carried away after two men in strange masks and holding weapons fight to death. Soon after we meet Kayla (Airlie Dodds) and Maddie (Ebony Vagulans). They are getting into a brief argument under a bridge about taking risks and breaking some rules. It turns out, Maddie has begun to be annoyed at having to protect Kayla. Soon after, they are both kidnapped and brought to the middle of nowhere. Not before Kayla slowly wakes up during a procedure.

When watching the film, the first thought that comes to mind, is it feels like The Hunger Games. Albeit, a bit more violent and gruesome than The Hunger Games. Kayla wakes up in a box that says “beauty.” Soon after, she encounters a few other women who have also been kidnapped. Enter the “beasts.” There are eight beauties, and eight beasts, and they’re connected.

The film is filled with a few twists and turns, some that I saw coming, and some that I didn’t. If you’ve seen enough Battle Royale or Hunger Games films, you have an idea of what’s going to happen. It doesn’t take away from the enjoyment of the film – as a lot of the fun really ends up being the deaths. Similarly to Saw, the deaths seem to try and one-up the previous one.

The film is a brutally good time. With every death, I winced in my chair unable to believe what was happening on screen. It’s a film that very much homages horror films from the ’80s. While at points, the masks remind me of the Mad Max world, which also hails from Australia. It also feels like they were trying to be compared to other movie killers.

A few moments made you wince, and others made you laugh. It’s a wonderful mesh at times. If you get the chance to see The Furies, I recommend it. If you like gore, that is.