🔍 Synopsis

In the deep of a new England town named Fairwood, a staff member calmly begins to peel and cut a potato, though in the chaos of an ongoing mayoral election some people are preparing for the 300th founder’s day celebration. But soon can spiraling tensions take a horrifying turn. A person dressed in a mask resembling an colonial judge sets off a series of gruesome murders that terrorizes the entire town. Assumptions start running rampant, with the need and urge of figuring out the identity of the killer before they are hosted with a bloodshed on their celebration.

🏆 Awards & Recognition

On August 18th, 2023, the first appearance of the film Founders Day was made at the Popcorn Frights Film Festival followed by The Toronto After Dark Film Festival where it claimed the title for ‘Film Most Want to See A Sequel To’ at the festival.

🎭 Cast & Crew

Naomi Grace as Allison Chambers
Devin Druid as Adam Faulkner
William Russ as Mr. Jackson
Amy Hargreaves as Blair Gladwell
Catherine Curtin as Commissioner Judith Peterson
Emilia McCarthy as Lilly Gladwell
Olivia Nikkanen as Melissa Faulkner
Jayce Bartok as Harold Faulkner
Director: Erik Bloomquist
Screenwriters: Erik Bloomquist, Carson Bloomquist

⭐ IMDb Rating: 4.7/10

💡 Personal Insights

The film Founders Day uses slasher political satire as the main themes, serving the viewer’s both thrills and drama on cruel small-town politics.

Elections and the horrors of a colonial judge masked into a slasher horror film is an idea that is fresh and fairly new.

Yet, while this idea resonates, the impact is somewhat different in each case. Some reviewers report that the movie has difficulty with both satire and the slasher pain. The plaintiff of Variety, Dennis Harvey, indicates that the strategy does not work which results in a film that, regardless of its seeming polish, does not effectively cohere.

Depending upon the age group of the public and the chaos in the town, the performances are decent, but Naomi Grace and Devin Druid gave better performances. Also known for his part in boy meets the world, William Russ also stars in the movie which is a great nod towards nostalgic viewers.

The celebrations also add an American small town vibe to the film and the effects of horror within the Founders Day film are unequally great too.

🌍 Global Significance

The current slashing at politics during election times is highlighted on Founders Day within the film in the context of community division. Mixing these elements with slasher style helps the movie expose the division and superficial tension in society.

Using a mask of a father to capture a child beneath for a celebration head is a representation of history is not violence, but deeply romanticized with the grave implications hidden under happy traditions that can rise up.