Phantasmagoria 2024 - Review of "Falling Stars" by Gabriel Bienczycki and Richard Karpala

Coverage of Phantasmagoria 2024 – Review of "Falling Stars" by Gabriel Bienczycki and Richard Karpala

Witches in the City

Many folk horror films transport us to rural areas. Of course, the intersection between ancient legends and remote locations helps create the sinister atmospheres typical of this genre. In contrast, this low-budget, self-financed film presents an original and well-executed urban story centered around witches.

In The Purge (2013), you may recall, society must lock themselves in their homes each spring solstice (March 21) if they wish to avoid the purge set by the government, which allows citizens to purge their internal demons. For 24 hours, all services are disabled, and they are permitted to execute others without it being considered a crime. The "purge" has allowed crime rates to drop for the rest of the year. Quite macabre!

In the world of Falling Stars, a curfew has also been imposed, but to protect the population from the "falling stars" that descend during the full moon in October to capture souls. In this universe, which feels very close to our own, people coexist with the real and palpable existence of witches, who represent a true threat. Unfortunately, this threat no longer is limited to just one night. Therefore, instead of arming themselves with weapons like in The Purge, families here seek out special objects and rituals to counter the curses.

As the "Harvest" season approaches, a trio of siblings is exposed to danger due to curiosity when they are persuaded by their friend Rob to visit the body of a witch they managed to bring down the previous year and bury in the Californian desert. These witches, at the right moment, quickly descend from the sky and snatch unsuspecting and unprotected people before they even realize it.

As is typical for films in this genre, there are rules that must be followed strictly: Do not touch the body; do not take anything home; do not take photos; and above all, never stare at the dead witch for too long, as her spell transcends her lifeless body. An accidental event causes the siblings to desecrate the grave, unleashing evil with consequences not only for them but also for their closest loved ones.

Directors Gabriel Bienczycki and Richard Karpala reject following the conventions of commercial folk horror. Here, there are no witches turned into man-eating monsters, no loud noises, no jumpscares, or gore. Instead, what is explored is the drama. The witches remain omnipresent, act swiftly, and are difficult to see and catch. There is a collective sense of a hidden, inexplicable dark force that overpowers us, one that takes more and more people each year with no way of saving them. This effectively strips away the romanticized idea of looking at the night sky to clear your mind, dream, and count falling stars. Here, it is simply a disturbing activity.

Falling Stars maintains a nostalgic and tense tone that works to its advantage, while the terrifying witch hunt unfolds against a backdrop of siblinghood and protection. Gabriel Bienczycki and Richard Karpala demonstrate that not everything about witches has been told. Both the story and their reinvented way of telling it are truly unique.

Technical Details

Director: Gabriel Bienczycki, Richard Karpala
Screenplay: Richard Karpala
Genre: Folk Horror
Runtime: 80 minutes
Produced by: Gabriel Bienczycki, Richard Karpala
Cast: Piotr Adamczyk, Rene Leech, Orianna Milne, Andrew Gabriel, Diana Box Worman, Shaun Duke Jr., Greg Poppa, Samantha Turret, Lonny Curtis, Steve Gelder, J. Aaron Boykin
Cinematography: Gabriel Bienczycki
Editing: Richard Karpala
Music: Patrik Herman
Country: United States
Year: 2023

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