Who would have thought the Canberra bush would lend itself so well to horror? Devilish festival darling, Sissy, has made its rounds this year; from opening at South by Southwest Film Festival, to coming home to delight and disturb local audiences at this year’s Capital Film Festival.

A nightmarish reflection of our friends, our city, and the self-victimising child within all of us, the film follows Cecilia, played by The Bold Type’s Aisha Dee, and Emma, played by one half of directing power couple, Hannah Barlow, and Kane Senes. Once childhood BFFs, the pair were pried apart by school bully Alex (Canberra actress Emily De Margheriti).

As an adult, Cecilia is a viral health and wellness influencer, supplementing her aloneness with dopamine shots from comments and likes. The commentary this adds does well to separate Sissy from your typical gumtree horror.

After bumping into Emma, Cecilia agrees to attend her hens party at a remote cabin in the forest, where glitter-and-gore hell breaks loose. Shot entirely in Canberra, with visual effects by the Academy of Interactive Entertainment, Sissy takes us from 88 Miles Per Hour, to Travolta Falls, making us unnervingly breathless at every pit stop. As Senes said, “the world is so bizarre, it’s easy to satirise”.

Verdict: While the biting social commentary might give the initial impression of a psychological thriller, Sissy is a horror through and through, with an 8/10 gore factor and genuine watch-through-your-fingers moments. 4 stars.

Viewed at Dendy Cinemas Canberra

Get all the latest Canberra news, sport, entertainment, lifestyle, competitions and more delivered straight to your inbox with the Canberra Daily Daily Newsletter. Sign up here.