Popcorn Frights Announces U.S. Premiere of SHELL As Its 2025 Closing Film

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July 23, 2025

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Events | Film Festivals | Movies | News

Written by Joseph Perry

Joseph Perry is the Film Festival Editor for Horror Fuel; all film festival related queries and announcements should be sent to him at josephperry@gmail.com. He is a contributing writer for the "Phantom of the Movies VideoScope" and “Drive-In Asylum” print magazines and the websites Gruesome Magazine, Diabolique Magazine, The Scariest Things, B&S About Movies, and When It Was Cool. He is a co-host of the "Uphill Both Ways" pop culture nostalgia podcast and also writes for its website. Joseph occasionally proudly co-writes articles with his son Cohen Perry, who is a film critic in his own right. A former northern Californian and Oregonian, Joseph has been teaching, writing, and living in South Korea since 2008.

Florida’s Popcorn Frights Film Festival already promises thrills and chills galore — check out the fest’s first wave and second wave announcements — but the festival keeps the excitement going with the announcement of this year’s closing film: the U.S. premiere of body-horror dark comedy Shell! Following is the official press release. Popcorn Frights is going out with a high-gloss scream as it proudly announces the U.S. Premiere of SHELL as its official Closing Night selection. Directed by Max Minghella (TEEN SPIRIT), this genre-bending vision will cap off the 11-day horror celebration taking place August 7-17, 2025, across South Florida and online nationwide. SHELL stars Elisabeth Moss and Kate Hudson in a deliciously twisted take on the beauty industry, fame, and self-reinvention. Down on her luck actress Samantha Lake (Moss) is invited into the ultra-glamorous world of Zoe Shannon (Hudson), CEO of health & wellness company Shell. But when Shell patients start to go missing, Samantha realizes Shell may be protecting a monstrous secret. Following its World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, SHELL’s Popcorn Frights debut marks its first U.S. screening, further cementing the festival’s reputation as a premier destination for bold, visionary genre cinema. Recognized by MovieMaker Magazine as one of the “25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World,” Popcorn Frights returns for its eleventh edition with a hybrid format, presenting 58 feature film premieres, immersive experiences, and special presentations with appearances by iconic filmmakers and stars. A Third Wave of programming announcements is still to come, promising even more cinematic mayhem! Individual tickets and All-Access Badges for the in-theater experience—hosted at Savor Cinema Fort Lauderdale and Cinema Paradiso Hollywood—are now available. Virtual All-Access Passes can also be purchased for streaming access to the full digital lineup. To order an In-Theater All-Access VIP Badge, click here, to order a Virtual All-Access Pass, click here. The eleventh edition of the Popcorn Frights Film Festival is made possible with the support of its generous sponsors, including AGFA, Blue Underground, Celluloid Dreams, Fangoria, Flick Direct, Kino Cult, MVD, Paramount Scares, Radiance Films, Troma, and its loyal fans. For more info about Popcorn Frights, visit PopcornFrights.com