By: Kelly Kearney
Photo By Kenny MacLaughlin
Turn It Up! is a chaotic neon fever dream that crashes together indie rock angst, cosmic horror and queer romance into one gloriously strange ride. Written and directed by Sam Scott, the film follows a struggling punk band as they return to touring after a creative break. Exhausted from empty dive bars, drunk frat-boy requests for “Mr. Brightside” and the realization that passion alone is not enough to survive the indie music scene, the band agrees to play a show at an abandoned venue where success finally arrives with terrifying consequences. Playing like a mash-up of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and Phantasm, this 2026 Tribeca Film Festival selection blends camp humor, body horror, animation and music culture satire into a trippy docu-horror experience that constantly asks: what are you willing to sacrifice for your art?
Cursed Riffs and Nightmarish Ambitions
The film follows AC (Justine Nelson), the front woman of a struggling rock band desperate for a career breakthrough. Her fellow bandmates Berg (Jonathon Craig) and Russ (Xavier Lopez), as well as her bass playing friend and crush Court (Gwenlyn Cumyn), are ready to call it quits and focus on their day jobs after years of disappointing gigs that have offered little hope of making it in the music business. While suppressing her feelings for Court and the band’s uncertain future, AC throws herself into her music and tries to keep the increasingly frustrated band together. Their fortunes change after a strange encounter at a dive bar inspires AC to create an unforgettable guitar riff – one that appears to open a portal to obsession and interdimensional horror. What begins as the catalyst for the band’s long-awaited success soon spirals into something far more sinister. As their popularity grows, they discover that the riff carries a dark and seemingly supernatural power, forcing them to confront the terrifying consequences of ambition, creativity and fame. Blending body horror, psychological tension and sharp commentary on the music industry, Turn it Up! transforms a classic rise-to-stardom story into a nightmarish descent into obsession and terror.
Mind Blowing Performances
The film’s strongest moments come once the supernatural elements fully invade the band’s already unstable dynamic. A standout sequence unfolds during an eerie soundcheck at a desolate dive bar where a screaming mannequin-like woman (Bo Martynowska) interrupts rehearsal and sends lead singer AC spiraling into visions of fame and destruction. Another unforgettable moment features heads literally exploding from the power of AC’s cursed song, escalating from a single sound technician to an entire revival band in one gleefully over-the-top bloodbath. Beneath the gore and absurdity; however, the emotional center of the film lies in AC’s growing feelings for bassist Court. Their lesbian romance gives the story genuine emotional weight, grounding the madness in vulnerability, longing and fear of losing both love and identity to ambition.
Justine Nelson as AC delivers the film’s standout performance, balancing awkward vulnerability with unraveling rock-star obsession. Her portrayal of a musician torn between creative hunger, supernatural temptation and her feelings for Court gives the film emotional credibility even during its wildest moments. Playing off of Nelson’s lead, Gwenlyn Cumyn’s brings warmth and restraint to Court, creating chemistry that feels authentic amidst the chaos, while Jonathon Craig adds tension and comic friction as Berg. The dynamic between the four bandmates captures the exhaustion and desperation of artists who feel trapped between authenticity and survival. Rounding out the eccentric cast of characters are Miss Vee (Liv Collins), the mysterious manager with a history of disastrous bands, and the grief-stricken Dr. Pretorius (Julian Richings), who adds another layer of sinister intrigue to this industry commentary as success slowly transforms into something monstrous.
What keeps Turn It Up! from collapsing entirely into gore and screaming distortion, however, is its sharp sense of humor. The cast’s background in sketch comedy gives the dialogue an improvisational looseness that makes even the strangest interactions feel natural and funny. Whether the band is awkwardly debating how to revive their image or suffering through another humiliating dive-bar performance, the humor cuts through the darkness without undermining the horror. Cameos from Canadian comedy legends Aurora Browne and Bruce McCulloch add another layer of humor to this satirical look at the music industry. Their appearances help the film maintain a self-aware campiness that only adds to the absurdity of this psychedelic horror jam.
Animation, Direction and the Soundtrack Sends the Plot Into Overdrive
Along with the performances, one of the film’s most underrated strengths is its soundtrack from band Ace of Wands, which becomes the heartbeat of Turn It Up’s! descent into chaos. The music shifts effortlessly between gritty indie rock energy and eerie, synth-soaked distortion – reinforcing both the emotional vulnerability of the band, the insecure dynamics between Court and AC and the growing supernatural danger surrounding all of them. Every performance sequence feels alive with frustration, longing and desperation while the cursed melody itself carries an unsettling hypnotic quality that lingers long after it’s introduced. Ace of Wands’ score does more than accompany the film; it actively shapes its atmosphere, turning ordinary bandmate disagreements into emotional battlegrounds leading them to this psychedelic musical possession. Combined with the film’s aggressive sound design and animated visual flourishes, the soundtrack helps create the sensation that the music itself is deadly good.
Director Sam Scott embraces the film’s low-budget punk spirit and transforms it into a world that feels grimy, loud, surreal and alive. The film constantly blurs reality with hallucination, using animation by Anne Douris to visualize distorted thoughts, cursed frequencies, and blood-soaked psychological collapses. The hand-drawn sequences mixed with CGI textures and retro cartoon ZOINKS (reminiscent of 80s/90s era cartoons) create the sensation of a bad mushroom trip colliding with a late-night music video marathon. Cinematographer Kenny MacLaughlin captures the loneliness of endless touring through dim bars, neon-soaked parking lots and claustrophobic backstage spaces while the aggressive sound editing and distorted guitar work amplify the sense that evil itself is infecting the riffs pouring out of AC’s guitar. Every creative element works together to create a world where artistic passion becomes both salvation and self-destruction.
Turn It Up! at Tribeca, but Bring Earplugs
Turn It Up! will not be for everyone, but viewers willing to embrace its weirdness will find an ambitious indie horror film overflowing with personality. Equal parts campy midnight movie, queer romance, psychedelic horror and satire of the music industry, the film succeeds because it never loses sight of its central question: how much of yourself are you willing to destroy to finally be heard? Fans of experimental horror, underground music and offbeat genre mashups will find plenty to love in this blood-soaked descent into artistic obsession. Just make sure to pack a pair of earplugs before heading to the theater or else you might lose your head…literally!