If you’re not going trick-or-treating this Halloween, might we suggest watching a scary movie to stay in the holiday spirit? Perhaps the strange 21-minute horror film that Arcade Fire have thrown together?
The indie-rock giants released a short film called Festi on Friday, and while the YouTube description calls it, “A look back at the Arcade Fire summer festival tour, 2011,” it’s really a low-budget, but star-studded, scary movie. Or at least, it’s supposed to be scary. After a little bit of legitimate behind-the-scenes festival footage, the plot gets into gear. It’s multi-instrumentalist/composer Will Butler’s 27th birthday, and it looks like fates are conspiring to make the musician a member of the dreaded 27 Club. Pretty soon people start dying, and spooky Jim Morrison’s ghost pops in to haunt the word of the living.
To be honest, it’s all a little hard to follow, but it’s fun. Festi is clearly the type of thing that was a blast to make, and despite (or perhaps, because of) its slipshod nature, the enjoyment is infectious. It certainly helps that there are a bunch of cameos. James Murphy, Slash, Andrew Garfield, Peter Gabriel, the National, and Fleet Foxes all make appearances — and Slash plays himself in a pivotal role. Watch it above, if you dare.
