The Only One

Night of the Living Heg

Really cool to see the World Premiere of this one at Monster Fest. Congrats to all involved + bravo for using practical effects.Definitely noticed the nods to My Bloody Valentine and Argento. Shades of Obsession from a female perspective. 31 days of horror number #2

🎃 RoB 🎃 👻 “Sp💀💀kY” 👻 🎃 PoVeY 🎃3.0

Maybe it was just being the palate cleanser after whatever the fuck that short film that preceded it was, or the fact that the production values and a couple broadly recognisable faces amidst the cast made this look like an actual movie compared to most of the local fare that typically makes its way into the homegrown strands of MonsterFest, but I had fun with this one… 🤷🏻I love me a slasher, I love me a subversive ‘rom/rom-com’, and I love when I can actually say nice things about a new Australian film, so I’m landing on a mostly positive note here. I do wish the kills were a bit gnarlier and more gleeful/plentiful, because when they started to ramp up, that’s when the movie started really hitting the sweet spot. Also didn’t love how far it leaned into the comedy, because that was the weaker element for me — but I’m notoriously hard to please with horror-comedies, as they really need to hit a very specific tone. Definitely on the higher end of a 3/5, but IDK if I’m quite ready to commit to a 3.5, ya know? Was cool getting to see the world premiere with an enthusiastic audience who all seemed to be lapping it up, though. Wish I had the energy to stay for the post film Q&A which might have taken me up ever higher on it after hearing the cast and crew talk, but sadly grandpa needed his rest, and the session started a bit later than advertised, then the usual opening night intros speeches and that godawful pre-film short all took up precious further time…

BEYOND HORROR3.5

Monster Fest 2026 - Film #1 (in cinema)What a great film for the opening night of Monster Fest 2026! I went into The Only One completely blind and I'm so glad that I did. This is such a fun Aussie slasher. A sub-genre that I feel is severely lacking in Australia. Impressive practical effects paired with a story that perfectly balances the horror and comedy elements. The Monster Fest audience ate this movie up. Casting-wise, there was not a weak link within the entire talent pool. Mel Jarnson, Saphira Moran, Aaron Glenane, Ben O'Toole, John Kim, Sam Delich, Lincoln Younes; the list goes one. Each and every one of these cast members deserve to take a bow. Together, we receive a film that delivers grounded, honest dialogue in spades. The killer design was truly awesome. It felt reminiscent to that of the John Fawkes design featured in Thanksgiving. This mascot was so fucking creepy. Straight up chills. Overall, The Only One is a much-needed addition to Australian genre films, and slashers in general. After the screening, the audience was treated to a Q&A featuring Lincoln Younes, Saphira Moran, Aaron Glenane, John Kim, as well as director Michael Schwarz, producer John Schwarz, and writers Martyn Pedler and Marek Polgar. Learning and hearing stories about the film's creation only served me to enjoy the movie more than expected. Aussie! Aussie! Aussie! Oi! Oi! Oi!