Prolific genre director Erik Bloomquist has returned with a slasher in the mould of Scream and Urban Legend.
He took a more supernatural route with the fantastically entertaining She Came From the Woods, but here Bloomquist has sprinkled his feature with more political commentary.
To say Founders Day has some twists and turns is an understatement, to the point you feel like it blows the lid off with just over an hour gone, but there is an assuredness which means there is still plenty to reveal.
The local mayoral elections are looming in the small town of Fairwood, and a killer, dressed as a judge, using some interesting modified weapons starts a bloody killing spree with the daughter of one of the candidates.
What makes Founders Day a cut above the average slasher, is the fact Bloomquist gives us a host of interesting and complex characters who could all be the killer or a potential victim at some stage.
When it comes to the kills, there are some outstanding set pieces, including a brutal execution in a film theatre which involves broken glass, plus one in the mayor’s office. Founders Day is a bloody affair and revels in the grande guignol of the carnage being created.
The film is angry, having takes on the ‘thoughts and prayers’ buzz line plus the falsehood of politicians in the face of crisis’ such as a killer cutting through your town.
In Founders Day, politics is a killer, and anyone could be the next on the chopping block.
Founders Day screened as part of Toronto After Dark Film Festival 2023.
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