This year’s edition of the Tribeca Festival takes place in New York City from June 7th–18th, 2023, and the lineup is loaded with horror, science fiction, fantasy, dark comedy, and other genre delights! New and premiere films from around the world abound. Here are four slices of fright-fare from the fest that we here at Horror Fuel highly recommend. Official press and festival descriptions follow, with comments from yours truly in italics. You can check out full listings and ticket information at https://tribecafilm.com/festival.
You’ll Never Find Me (Midnight)
Official synopsis: An isolated man living in the back of a desolate caravan park is visited by a desperate young woman seeking shelter from a violent storm. As the savage storm worsens, these solitary souls begin to feel threatened — but who should really be afraid? A bold directorial debut from filmmaking duo Josiah Allen and Indianna Bell.
I was privileged to get a sneak peek of You’ll Never Find Me, and though I can’t give a review until after the film’s June 10 Tribeca premiere — watch for my review here on Horror Fuel soon after that — I can say that this is one film that fear-fare fans should consider absolutely required viewing!
https://tribecafilm.com/films/you-ll-never-find-me-2023
The Seeding (Midnight)
Official synopsis: When a hiker gets lost in the desert, a gang of feral children propelled by haunting legacies traps him in a sadistic battle for survival with a frightening endgame.
I was honored with an early look at The Seeding too, which is also under embargo for reviews until after its June 11 Tribeca premiere. Look for my review soon after that, because this chiller stayed with me for days after watching it the first time!
https://tribecafilm.com/films/seeding-2023
Final Cut (Escape from Tribeca, Midnight)
Oscar® winner Michel Hazanavicius’ remake of Shin’ichirô Ueda’s cult hit One Cut of the Dead follows a director (Romain Duris, L’Auberge Espagnole) charged with making a live, single-take, low-budget zombie flick in which the cast and crew, one by one, actually turn into zombies. Featuring hysterically unhinged performances from Oscar® nominee Bérénice Bejo (The Artist), Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz (Revenge), and Finnegan Oldfield (Corsage), Final Cut is a sly love letter to the art of filmmaking and a blood-soaked, hilarious genre farce with a meta-to-the-max premise.
This remake of director Ueda’s surprise 2017 Japanese hit One Cut of the Dead puts a French spin on the original, to great effect. For those who love the original and those who simply dislike the thought of remakes, having watched and reviewed Final Cut for a previous festival, I feel that writer/director Hazanavicius’s feature succeeds quite winningly in bringing a film into a new cultural setting. As Final Cut begins, director Remi (Duris) is having great difficulty getting one of the lead characters in his low-budget zombie movie to nail her final scene. In a crazy effort to get the reality he wants, he reveals that he has raised actual zombies that are invading the film set. Learn nothing more than that because going in as cold as possible will reward viewers marvelously. Whether or not you have seen One Cut of the Dead, I highly recommend that you put Final Cut on your can’t-miss list!
https://tribecafilm.com/films/escape-from-tribeca-final-cut-2023
The Horror of Dolores Roach (Tribeca TV)
The Horror of Dolores Roach, based on the hit Spotify podcast series of the same name, is a contemporary Sweeney Todd-inspired urban legend of love, betrayal, weed, cannibalism, and survival of the fittest. Dolores Roach (Justina Machado) is released after an unjust 16-year prison sentence, and she returns to a gentrified Washington Heights. Dolores reunites with an old stoner friend, Luis (Alejandro Hernandez), who lets her live and work as a masseuse in the basement under his empanada shop. When the promise of her newfound stability is quickly threatened, “Magic Hands” Dolores is driven to shocking extremes to survive. The Blumhouse series The Horror of Dolores Roach premieres on July 7 on Prime Video, with its first three episodes debuting at Tribeca.
The official description for The Horror of Dolores Roach had me at“Sweeney Todd.”This weekend, I’ll be debating whether I should give the podcast a listen first or go in completely cold to the series. I think either way is a winning strategy.
https://tribecafilm.com/films/horror-of-dolores-roach-2023
