The Art is Alive Festival Wrap-Up: Cults, Canines, and Crystal Lake

The curtains have closed on the Art is Alive Film Festival, an indie circuit staple that wrapped up in mid-December 2025. While the red carpets are rolled up, the films are just beginning their journey into the ether. I managed to catch a handful of titles that range from the deeply disturbingly satirical to the satirically meta.

Let’s address the elephant in the projection room: Yes, I know how late this coverage is. If my editorial calendar was a film production, we’d currently be in “development hell.” But let’s just say I’ve been practicing the “slow cinema” approach to journalism, letting the festival experience marinate until the flavors were just right. Or, perhaps, I just got lost in a marathon of 80s slashers and lost track of time. Either way, indie film waits for no one, but it certainly deserves to be seen.

The Underbelly of Influence: Highlights from Art is Alive 2025

The Art is Alive Film Festival delivered an eclectic mix of 2025 releases that reminded me why we scour platforms like FilmFreeway in the first place. From meta-horror commentaries to deep dives into identity, here are the highlights you need to put on your radar.

How to Start a Cult in 5 Easy Steps

Director: Wes Clark | Writer: Wes Clark Cast: Haulston Mann, Lew Temple, Thérèse Azzara

There is a specific kind of desperation that smells like stale coffee and rejection letters. How to Start a Cult in 5 Easy Steps lives in that exact olfactory zone. We follow Thomas Varley (Haulston Mann), a debt-ridden graduate who, after bouncing his mouth off a wall of rejection in an HR office, decides that if you can’t join the workforce, you should probably just exploit it.

The premise is ripe for the picking: create a religion to solve your financial ruin. It’s a concept that screams 2025, echoing the hollow charisma of online “alpha” gurus like Andrew Tate, who monetize male disconnection. Director Wes Clark aims to showcase how easily the lost can be led by the confident, even if that confidence is entirely fabricated.

There are moments where the film finds a groove, mostly thanks to Lew Temple (Uncle Ed), who brings a chaotic, wacky energy alongside Mann’s Thomas. Temple’s presence is a jagged little pill of fun in a narrative that otherwise drags its feet. Thomas fills the role well, though, a presense that, despite being unlikable, really did a great job at filling these shoes.

However, the execution is a test of patience. We watch Thomas spout his spiel about “the world not knowing anything,” donning his followers in pink onesies and forcing them to make their beds. It’s intended as satire, a mirror held up to the absurdity of modern worship, but the reflection is often too dull to see clearly. Thomas plays the victim to a priest and then victimizes others, and while unlikable protagonists are a staple of great cinema, there needs to be a hook. Here, the hook feels blunted.

The film serves as an interesting Rorschach test for the audience. Where some might see a charming, “culty” anti-hero hustling a broken system, others (myself included) might just see a guy in need of a moral compass and a better editor. It’s a polarizing watch, essentially asking you to buy into the cult just long enough to enjoy the movie. I didn’t quite drink the Kool-Aid, but I can see the flavor they were going for.

Filmmaker Stamp: Wes Clark seems fascinated by the architecture of manipulation. His direction focuses heavily on the “why” of the follower, why people stay when the red flags are waving. He frames the narrative through a lens of dusty realism rather than high-gloss comedy, grounding the absurdity in a gritty, almost uncomfortable atmosphere.

If you are curious about the mechanics of manipulation, you can stream it, buy it, or just find out more yourself at the film’s official website.

For other movies about cults, follow this tag for a whole list: Cult Themed Movies

The Commission (2024)

Director: Jason Read | Cast: Adrienne King, David Barry

If you are a horror fan, specifically of the Camp Crystal Lake variety, The Commission is a love letter written in blood and wax. This meta-short features horror royalty Adrienne King (the original final girl from Friday the 13th) playing herself. She travels to a quaint English village to have a waxwork commissioned by a mysterious sculptor, Dudley (David Barry).

The film garnered significant buzz, sweeping up 10 awards at The Hollywood Blood Horror Festival. It’s a treat for fans who love Easter eggs, keep an eye out for a yellow rain mac and listen for that iconic Ki Ki Ki, Ma Ma Ma.

As noted by Fleapits and Picture Palaces: “Adrienne King is clearly having fun playing herself (even sporting her original ‘Alice Hardy’ hairstyle) whilst referencing her own visual artistry and of course her most iconic film role… [It] delivers with such a deftness of touch and an affectionate nod and a final girl wink to horror fans.” Read the full Art is Alive Film Festical 2025 review here.

No Dogs Die (Art is Alive Film Festival)

Director: William Christopher Watson

Sometimes a title tells you exactly what you need to know, and for animal lovers, No Dogs Die is a promise. This vigilante thriller introduces a masked murderer with a very specific code: he kills anyone who abuses dogs. It falls to Detective Williams to unravel the pattern.

In a genre often obsessed with grim outcomes, No Dogs Die offers a title that acts as a soothing balm for animal lovers, even if the content is a tense thriller. A masked murderer is taking out anyone who abuses dogs. It flips the script on the standard procedural; instead of hunting a monster, Detective Williams (William Christopher Watson) is hunting a vigilante who is essentially doing the Lord’s work, depending on your moral compass. It raises ethical questions about justice and cruelty without getting too preachy, anchored by a detective who clearly prefers canines to humans.

I missed the screening for this one, but the premise of flipping the script on victims, where the audience might find themselves rooting for the “bad guy”, is fascinating. The film also supports a real-world cause via The “No Dogs Die Fund,” administered by the Miami Foundation.

Overly Honest Reviews praised the film’s moral complexity: “Rather than serving up a typical whodunit, the film questions the nature of justice, highlighting the thin line between avenging wrongdoing and committing wrong… The film’s refusal to simplify or overtly guide viewers toward moral conclusions is commendable.” Read the full review here.

Staycation (Feature) Streaming in the USA under Apocalypse Death Party

Director: Russ Emanuel

Year: 2024 | Runtime: 94:00 | Genre: Horror, Comedy Cast: Olivia d’Abo, Sean Kenney, Kelli Maroney, Laurene Landon, Tracee Cocco, Catherine LaSalle, Lilly Ivring, Gilles Stricher, Eileen Dietz, Bailey Sorrel

Also known by the title Apocalypse Death Party, Staycation is the feature-length expansion of the narrative. The story widens its scope to include roommates Britt and Marnie, who are forced to live together. At the same time, characters Matt and Cathy must deal with their newfound realities during the government-mandated quarantine.

Streaming Availability: This feature is currently available to stream. Please click the link below for direct viewing options.

Apocalypse Death Party, Staycation (2025) is streaming on:

Quarantine (Short)

Director: Russ Emanuel

Year: 2024 | Runtime: 14:16 | Genre: Horror, Thriller, Drama Cast: Olivia d’Abo, Sean Kenney, Bailey Sorrel, Gilles Stricher, and Bill Victor Arucan

Quarantine offers a condensed, intimate look at a world collapsing under the weight of a global pandemic. As noted in a review by Mikel Fair, the film features lead virologist Edward Bellows playing tête-à-tête with hard-hitting journalist Grace Baxter. Meanwhile, the emotional core lies with Matt and Cathy, a couple separated by continents and stuck in lockdown, as they attempt to keep their bond alive via webcam. Watch a review from Mikel Fair here.

Quarantine was the short film that led to the feature film Apocalypse Death Party, streaming now.