CategoryFilm Festivals
Horror film festivals worldwide — lineups, awards and the titles that break out of the festival circuit.
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EventsFilm FestivalsNews
SLASH, Austria’s premiere festival for fantastic film, presents its annual SLASH ½ edition from May 5–7, 2022, at Vienna’s Filmcasino, and the fest has just announced the first wave of feature titles. Check out the fine options so far! Following is the official press announcement. This year’s SLASH ½ features films once again showcasing the dazzling range fantastic cinema has to offer. What these eleven movies share is the core theme of resistance. Already an act of resistance in and of itself—against the mainstream, against good taste, against all that is established and agreeable—fantastic cinema is uniquely suited to illustrate the many facets of revolt in our society. The films of this year’s SLASH ½ often revolve around self-empowerment and protest but also revenge and vigilante justice. After decades of neglect and complacency, nature has also come to collect its dues from us for abusing and exploiting it. Now is its time to strike back with full force, in the
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
South African offering Wesens (2020) is one of the more thoughtful found footage features in recent memory, focusing on the single-day investigation by four intelligence agents of a mysterious, unidentified object that fell from the sky onto remote farmland. Morné Visser plays the businesslike, skeptical head of the foursome; Pietie Beyers portrays a more open-minded character who becomes mesmerized by the dark, egg-shaped object; and Conradie van Heerden and Randy Januarie round out the group as assistants. As the men record their findings on what seems to be Super 8mm and 16mm film, the object begins to have weird, and possibly dangerous effects, on them. Wesens is wonderfully shot by cinematographer Tom Purcell, who thankfully avoids much of the shaky-cam trappings of the found-footage subgenre. Writer/director Derick Muller invests his science fiction film with elements of folk horror and psychological horror, and with the aid of his crackerjack cast members, serves up a thought-provoking film that addresses historical and political
Continue reading →
EventsFilm FestivalsForeignMoviesNews
If almost 200 slices of fear-fare and related cinema sounds tantalizing to you, check out the just-revealed full lineup for Brazil’s Fantaspoa Fantastic Film Festival, which takes place from April 15 to May 1, 2022. From cutting-edge premieres to splatter-ific genre favorites, Fantaspoa offers something for horror fans of every stripe. Following is the official press announcement. After revealing the first batch of titles from its upcoming lineup last month, Brazil’s Fantaspoa Fantastic Film Festival is proud to announce the remaining selection of features appearing in its eighteenth edition. The full Fantaspoa 2022 lineup will consist of 90 features and 97 shorts – equaling 187 incredible movies, shown in five theaters around Porto Alegre from April 15 to May 1 of this year. The festival’s selection of feature films is divided into five competitive sections: International; Ibero-American; Brazilian; Animation; and “Mondo Bizarro”. While the first three are based on the geographic origin of the productions, the others are built solely
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsMoviesReviews
I’m in no way a fan of watching YouTubers, TikTokers, and the like, nor am I very big on films that use the social influencer method of storytelling or that have influencers, would-be or otherwise, as their protagonists. So when I say that I was bowled over by Deadstream and had a fun-tastic time watching it, it is no small compliment. This horror comedy from codirectors/cowriters Joseph Winter and Vanessa Winter is an absolute blast, paying homage to The Evil Dead, Evil Dead II, and similar 1980s horror movies boasting wicked practical effects work and makeup. Joseph toplines as Shawn Ruddy, a disgraced and demonetized former internet star trying to make a comeback. He plans to livestream as he investigates a haunted house, with the caveat that if he doesn’t investigate mysterious noises or occurrences, he will lose his new potential sponsors. Joseph gives a hilarious performance as Ruddy, with his revved-up internet persona giving way to screaming and cowardice
Continue reading →
EventsFilm FestivalsNews
Panic Fest, Kansas City’s superb film festival filled with fright fare and thrillers galore, is back on the big screens this year, and The Last Drive-In‘s Joe Bob Briggs and Darcy the Mail Girl, as well as Sleepwalkers director Mick Garris, will be on hand to help celebrate 10 years of the renowned film festival. Panic Fest also has a jaw-dropping, drool-worthy lineup of fear-fare cinema, of course! Following is the official press announcement. The Last Drive-In‘s Joe Bob Briggs and Darcy the Mail Girl are kicking off the 10th annual Panic Fest with a special 20th anniversary screening of Don Coscarelli’s Bubba Ho-Tep on Thursday, April 28 at 7pm CST at Screenland Armour Theatre. Panic Fest co-founder Tim KC Canton says, “We couldn’t be more thrilled to bring Panic Fest back to the masses for our 10th festival! Can’t wait to see everyone back at the theater and kick things off with Joe Bob while celebrating so many great
Continue reading →
EventsFilm FestivalsNews
Brazil’s renowned genre film festival Fantaspoa makes its triumphant return to the big screen from April 15–May 1after two years of online editions. With plenty of fear fare on tap, ranging from F. W. Murnau’s 1922 classic silent vampire film NOSFERATU: A SYMPHONY OF HORROR to the reimagining of Stephen King’s The Langoliers mini-series THE TIMEKEEPERS OF ETERNITY, with an amazing bounty of science fiction, thrillers, and other movies offering the weird and the wild. Following is the official press announcement. After two years of successful online editions, the 18th edition of the beloved Brazilian genre festival Fantaspoa will return to the cinemas from April 15th through May 1st. This year, attendees will discover a very different Fantaspoa from its last on-site edition (a very distant 2019): instead of its usual two venues, the fest will take place simultaneously in five cinemas, with part of its program also being available online, geo-blocked for viewers within Brazil. The poster for this
Continue reading →
EventsFilm Festivals
Atlanta’s Buried Alive Film Festival returns to the big screen from March 31–April 3 this year for its 15th edition, and quite a lineup is in store for fear-fare aficionados! With four frightening features and a bevy of terror-ific shorts on tap, the 7 Stages Theatre will be home to a four days of incredible horror cinema. We here at Horror Fuel are excited about the full slate of films at Buried Alive Film Festival, but we can’t help but drool over the four features scheduled for this year. First up is the Friday night feature Duyster, a Belgian film in which three students film a documentary about Johannes Duyster, Antwerp’s 17th century executioner. Fans of found-footage horror know that things are bound to go horribly wrong for the trio. Saturday afternoon serves up the anthology film What Happens Next Will Scare You, from the imaginative creative team that brought the world the WNUF Halloween Special. The official description of
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsMoviesReviews
Writer/director Addison Heimann brings an unflinching look at a mental breakdown using body horror, psychological horror, and some truly dark comedy to his latest feature, Hypochondriac. The result is an intense effort that serves up some mind-boggling imagery. Will (Zach Villa) is a potter who has experienced enough trauma in his life to successfully help a coworker calm down from a panic attack. His mother (Marlene Forte) has mental health issues, including trying to kill Will when he was a child. The two have not spoken in 10 years but she is now trying to contact him at a rapid clip, causing his stress levels to rise and for him to experience physical pain including not being able to use his hands. His boyfriend Luke (Devon Graye) wants to help, but Will prefers to remain closed off and not discuss his past, including the situation with his mother. As Will’s conditions worsen, he becomes increasingly suspicious and paranoid, and begins
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
Australian horror comedy Sissy is a delight, addressing social media culture and bullying as it delivers large shares of laughter and gore. Cecilia (Aisha Dee) has 200,000 followers on her self-help “Sincerely Cecilia” channel, on which she leads meditation practices and plugs paid sponsors. When she randomly runs into childhood best friend Emma (Hannah Barlow) at a pharmacy, she is obviously uncomfortable, though Emma seems genuinely glad to see her, and invites Cecilia — formerly known as Sissy — to her hens party (bachelorette party). Cecilia arrives, only to find out that Alex (Emily De Margheriti), who bullied Cecilia as a child, is also in attendance. A violent occurrence between the two took place when they were youngsters, and Alex isn’t about to let “Sissy” forget it. Humor ranging from the uncomfortable to the jaw-dropping ensues, as old wounds are opened — quite literally, in one scene — and one deadly deed leads to another. Codirectors/cowriters Barlow and Kane Senes
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviewsThriller
Some Like It Rare French horror comedy Some Like It Rare (Barbaque; 2021) finds that bickering, sexless married couple true-crime-addict Sophie (Marina Foïs) and couch-potato Vincent (writer/director Fabrice Eboué) Pascal have fallen on hard times with their butcher shop, but an incident involving one of a group of vegans who trash their business turns into accidental success when some of the victim’s body parts are accidentally sold to customers. This new item — which Vincent dubs “Iranian pork” — becomes an instant hit. How can the Pascals capitalize on this financial rejuvenation? You can probably guess, but knowing where things are headed in that instance doesn’t hurt Some Like It Rare one bit. Loaded with great-looking gore gags and dark humor, this terrifically acted and directed effort keeps the laughs and shocks coming at a steady pace. Eboué serves up plenty of social satire, with all sorts receiving a good, often well-deserved skewering. The Ledge Climbing enthusiasts may find some
Continue reading →
More from Film Festivals
EventsFilm FestivalsNews
SLASH, Austria’s premiere festival for fantastic film, presents its annual SLASH ½ edition from May 5–7, 2022, at Vienna’s Filmcasino, and the fest has just announced the first wave of feature titles. Check out the fine options so far! Following is the official press announcement. This year’s SLASH ½ features films once again showcasing the dazzling range fantastic cinema has to offer. What these eleven movies share is the core theme of resistance. Already an act of resistance in and of itself—against the mainstream, against good taste, against all that is established and agreeable—fantastic cinema is uniquely suited to illustrate the many facets of revolt in our society. The films of this year’s SLASH ½ often revolve around self-empowerment and protest but also revenge and vigilante justice. After decades of neglect and complacency, nature has also come to collect its dues from us for abusing and exploiting it. Now is its time to strike back with full force, in the
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
South African offering Wesens (2020) is one of the more thoughtful found footage features in recent memory, focusing on the single-day investigation by four intelligence agents of a mysterious, unidentified object that fell from the sky onto remote farmland. Morné Visser plays the businesslike, skeptical head of the foursome; Pietie Beyers portrays a more open-minded character who becomes mesmerized by the dark, egg-shaped object; and Conradie van Heerden and Randy Januarie round out the group as assistants. As the men record their findings on what seems to be Super 8mm and 16mm film, the object begins to have weird, and possibly dangerous effects, on them. Wesens is wonderfully shot by cinematographer Tom Purcell, who thankfully avoids much of the shaky-cam trappings of the found-footage subgenre. Writer/director Derick Muller invests his science fiction film with elements of folk horror and psychological horror, and with the aid of his crackerjack cast members, serves up a thought-provoking film that addresses historical and political
Continue reading →
EventsFilm FestivalsForeignMoviesNews
If almost 200 slices of fear-fare and related cinema sounds tantalizing to you, check out the just-revealed full lineup for Brazil’s Fantaspoa Fantastic Film Festival, which takes place from April 15 to May 1, 2022. From cutting-edge premieres to splatter-ific genre favorites, Fantaspoa offers something for horror fans of every stripe. Following is the official press announcement. After revealing the first batch of titles from its upcoming lineup last month, Brazil’s Fantaspoa Fantastic Film Festival is proud to announce the remaining selection of features appearing in its eighteenth edition. The full Fantaspoa 2022 lineup will consist of 90 features and 97 shorts – equaling 187 incredible movies, shown in five theaters around Porto Alegre from April 15 to May 1 of this year. The festival’s selection of feature films is divided into five competitive sections: International; Ibero-American; Brazilian; Animation; and “Mondo Bizarro”. While the first three are based on the geographic origin of the productions, the others are built solely
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsMoviesReviews
I’m in no way a fan of watching YouTubers, TikTokers, and the like, nor am I very big on films that use the social influencer method of storytelling or that have influencers, would-be or otherwise, as their protagonists. So when I say that I was bowled over by Deadstream and had a fun-tastic time watching it, it is no small compliment. This horror comedy from codirectors/cowriters Joseph Winter and Vanessa Winter is an absolute blast, paying homage to The Evil Dead, Evil Dead II, and similar 1980s horror movies boasting wicked practical effects work and makeup. Joseph toplines as Shawn Ruddy, a disgraced and demonetized former internet star trying to make a comeback. He plans to livestream as he investigates a haunted house, with the caveat that if he doesn’t investigate mysterious noises or occurrences, he will lose his new potential sponsors. Joseph gives a hilarious performance as Ruddy, with his revved-up internet persona giving way to screaming and cowardice
Continue reading →
EventsFilm FestivalsNews
Panic Fest, Kansas City’s superb film festival filled with fright fare and thrillers galore, is back on the big screens this year, and The Last Drive-In‘s Joe Bob Briggs and Darcy the Mail Girl, as well as Sleepwalkers director Mick Garris, will be on hand to help celebrate 10 years of the renowned film festival. Panic Fest also has a jaw-dropping, drool-worthy lineup of fear-fare cinema, of course! Following is the official press announcement. The Last Drive-In‘s Joe Bob Briggs and Darcy the Mail Girl are kicking off the 10th annual Panic Fest with a special 20th anniversary screening of Don Coscarelli’s Bubba Ho-Tep on Thursday, April 28 at 7pm CST at Screenland Armour Theatre. Panic Fest co-founder Tim KC Canton says, “We couldn’t be more thrilled to bring Panic Fest back to the masses for our 10th festival! Can’t wait to see everyone back at the theater and kick things off with Joe Bob while celebrating so many great
Continue reading →
EventsFilm FestivalsNews
Brazil’s renowned genre film festival Fantaspoa makes its triumphant return to the big screen from April 15–May 1after two years of online editions. With plenty of fear fare on tap, ranging from F. W. Murnau’s 1922 classic silent vampire film NOSFERATU: A SYMPHONY OF HORROR to the reimagining of Stephen King’s The Langoliers mini-series THE TIMEKEEPERS OF ETERNITY, with an amazing bounty of science fiction, thrillers, and other movies offering the weird and the wild. Following is the official press announcement. After two years of successful online editions, the 18th edition of the beloved Brazilian genre festival Fantaspoa will return to the cinemas from April 15th through May 1st. This year, attendees will discover a very different Fantaspoa from its last on-site edition (a very distant 2019): instead of its usual two venues, the fest will take place simultaneously in five cinemas, with part of its program also being available online, geo-blocked for viewers within Brazil. The poster for this
Continue reading →
EventsFilm Festivals
Atlanta’s Buried Alive Film Festival returns to the big screen from March 31–April 3 this year for its 15th edition, and quite a lineup is in store for fear-fare aficionados! With four frightening features and a bevy of terror-ific shorts on tap, the 7 Stages Theatre will be home to a four days of incredible horror cinema. We here at Horror Fuel are excited about the full slate of films at Buried Alive Film Festival, but we can’t help but drool over the four features scheduled for this year. First up is the Friday night feature Duyster, a Belgian film in which three students film a documentary about Johannes Duyster, Antwerp’s 17th century executioner. Fans of found-footage horror know that things are bound to go horribly wrong for the trio. Saturday afternoon serves up the anthology film What Happens Next Will Scare You, from the imaginative creative team that brought the world the WNUF Halloween Special. The official description of
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsMoviesReviews
Writer/director Addison Heimann brings an unflinching look at a mental breakdown using body horror, psychological horror, and some truly dark comedy to his latest feature, Hypochondriac. The result is an intense effort that serves up some mind-boggling imagery. Will (Zach Villa) is a potter who has experienced enough trauma in his life to successfully help a coworker calm down from a panic attack. His mother (Marlene Forte) has mental health issues, including trying to kill Will when he was a child. The two have not spoken in 10 years but she is now trying to contact him at a rapid clip, causing his stress levels to rise and for him to experience physical pain including not being able to use his hands. His boyfriend Luke (Devon Graye) wants to help, but Will prefers to remain closed off and not discuss his past, including the situation with his mother. As Will’s conditions worsen, he becomes increasingly suspicious and paranoid, and begins
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
Australian horror comedy Sissy is a delight, addressing social media culture and bullying as it delivers large shares of laughter and gore. Cecilia (Aisha Dee) has 200,000 followers on her self-help “Sincerely Cecilia” channel, on which she leads meditation practices and plugs paid sponsors. When she randomly runs into childhood best friend Emma (Hannah Barlow) at a pharmacy, she is obviously uncomfortable, though Emma seems genuinely glad to see her, and invites Cecilia — formerly known as Sissy — to her hens party (bachelorette party). Cecilia arrives, only to find out that Alex (Emily De Margheriti), who bullied Cecilia as a child, is also in attendance. A violent occurrence between the two took place when they were youngsters, and Alex isn’t about to let “Sissy” forget it. Humor ranging from the uncomfortable to the jaw-dropping ensues, as old wounds are opened — quite literally, in one scene — and one deadly deed leads to another. Codirectors/cowriters Barlow and Kane Senes
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviewsThriller
Some Like It Rare French horror comedy Some Like It Rare (Barbaque; 2021) finds that bickering, sexless married couple true-crime-addict Sophie (Marina Foïs) and couch-potato Vincent (writer/director Fabrice Eboué) Pascal have fallen on hard times with their butcher shop, but an incident involving one of a group of vegans who trash their business turns into accidental success when some of the victim’s body parts are accidentally sold to customers. This new item — which Vincent dubs “Iranian pork” — becomes an instant hit. How can the Pascals capitalize on this financial rejuvenation? You can probably guess, but knowing where things are headed in that instance doesn’t hurt Some Like It Rare one bit. Loaded with great-looking gore gags and dark humor, this terrifically acted and directed effort keeps the laughs and shocks coming at a steady pace. Eboué serves up plenty of social satire, with all sorts receiving a good, often well-deserved skewering. The Ledge Climbing enthusiasts may find some
Continue reading →
