Cristian Ponce

For the first time ever we here at Film Combat Syndicate had the privilege of covering the annual Fantaspoa Fantastic Film Festival. This is Brazil’s long-running fest and this year was number seventeen!
This year’s edition was supported by the Brazilian government and renewed the festival’s partnership with the streaming service Darkflix. The festival ran from April 9 to 18 and featured over 100 shorts and 50 feature films from over 35 countries.
If you haven’t already read FCS’s coverage of films by Cathy (Cemetery of Lost Souls) and Vance (One Grave for Three Men), you should. You might find a new film for you to try.
I was able to watch History of the Occult, which was not what I expected. Honestly, at first I thought I had clicked on the wrong screener because it opened with a mysterious conversation then turned into a political situation. There was a small group of people who were watching a TV show that was airing its last episode and were trying to see if information was released about a conspiracy theory. As I said, it was not what I expected, but I was intrigued anyway. Since this movie did not move along in the usual storyline, let me take you through some of my reactions and thoughts in “real time”:
Opening scene: Who are these people and what are they talking about?
Ten minutes in: There is an image of a dead body surrounded by unknown symbols. Ah, there is the occult part…but then we go back to the people in hiding who are talking…it sounds like in code. Was there something I missed? Should I be listening to their conversation?
Twenty-eight minutes in: Ah, there is another mention of the occult, but how is the study of dark arts connected to these people and this TV show they are so concerned about?
About 40 minutes in: Now one of them is talking about a drug. So are they involved in the occult? Or are they trying to expose a political leader who is involved in the occult?
You get the idea. I do not want to keep going because eventually it all makes sense and is a satisfying black and white ride into the noir film style.
Written and directed by Cristian Ponce, this horror film was a great addition to Fantaspoa. One of the highlights of a film fest is being able to see different styles and learn about new-to-me writers and directors.
This film was part of Fantaspoa, which ran for free on the streaming platform Darkflix, from April 9 to 18. All film screenings are geo-blocked to Brazil, with additional details available at www.fantaspoa.com.

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