CategoryFilm Festivals
Horror film festivals worldwide — lineups, awards and the titles that break out of the festival circuit.
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Darkland Distribution’s upcoming dark and disturbing British horror, Shepherd, is set to make its World Premiere this October at the BFI London Film Festival with its theatrical release to follow this November. To mark the occasion, the new trailer has been released, teasing a horror-filled film. Writer and Director of Shepherd, Russell Owen, was delighted with the news of the film’s selection, saying, “I’ve followed the BFI London Film Festival for decades, so to actually be a part of it is surreal and a massive honour. I can’t think of a better platform to bring Shepherd to an audience and I’m over the moon.” In the film, “running from grief after the mysterious death of his wife, Eric Black takes a job as a shepherd. Trapped alone on a majestic weather-beaten island with an ominous secret. One man’s spiraling madness meets a vengeful supernatural force. What starts as the perfect wind-swept escape becomes a race to save his sanity and
Continue reading →
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Arrow Video FrightFest celebrates Halloween with nine slices of cinematic scare-fare from around the globe, with aliens, creepy kids, locals gone loco, and much more. Following is the official press announcement. Following on from its hugely successful August five-day event, Arrow Video FrightFest is back at the Cineworld, Leicester Square with a bumper two-day Halloween event on Friday 29th Oct and Sat 30th October, presenting nine fear-packed premieres from around the world. The monstrous movie marathon embraces World, International and UK premieres, as we journey through an unholy celebration of mayhem, menace and murder. Kicking off the Black Friday gala ghoulishness is the UK premiere of THE SEED [pictured above], a gut-bursting alien creature feature from Screen International ‘Star of Tomorrow’ director Sam Walker. Walker will be attending, alongside the main cast – Lucy Martin, Sophie Vavasseur and Chelsea Edge – and SFX maestro Dan Martin. This is followed by the UK premiere of BARBARIANS with Game of Thrones star
Continue reading →
Film Festivals
Eyes of Fire American folk horror feature Eyes of Fire (1983) is an underseen gem that has been unavailable on home video for decades. The ambitious film should find a well-deserved wider audience with its beautiful new 4K restoration from Severin Films, which was overseen by writer/director Avery Crounse. In the colonial 1700s before America was established, Reverend Will Smythe (Dennis Lipscomb) is known for burning witches and living with multiple women including married woman Eloise (Rebecca Stanley) and the mysterious Leah (Karlene Crockett). When he escapes a hanging attempt by his fellow colonists, the trio steals the colony’s only raft and sets sail with Eloise’s two daughters and a few other people. Eloise’s woodsman husband Marion Dalton (Guy Boyd) tracks down the group, who find a group of abandoned cabins in a wooded area where the local Shawnee people refuse to go. The band of settlers soon find out why — an evil lurks in the forest, and it
Continue reading →
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Straight to VHS In the Uruguayan documentary Straight to VHS (Directamente para video; 2021), director Emilio Silva Torres chronicles his efforts to locate fellow countryman Manuel Lamas, the filmmaker behind the 1989 direct-to-video obscurity Act of Violence in a Young Journalist that became an obsession with some of those who have seen it. Clips of the movie shown in the documentary make apparent Act of Violence . . .’s non-existent budget — as do Lamas acquaintances who remember him borrowing equipment and not returning it — and its sometimes laughable content. Yet still, some Uruguayan cinephiles are engrossed with locating the creator of the film. Lamas is a difficult person to track down, and Torres finds that almost everyone involved with the making of the film wants nothing to do with being interviewed about it. Torres does not give up easily, though, which makes for an engaging quest. One frustrating element about Straight to VHS is that almost none of
Continue reading →
EventsFilm FestivalsNews
After joining together last year to present the NIGHTSTREAM online-only film festival, the four film festivals behind that project — Boston Underground, Brooklyn Horror, North Bend, and Overlook — have banded together again to present a 2021 edition from October 7th-13th. With 31 feature films and 4 blocks of short films scheduled, the virtual festival offers everything from world and virtual premieres of horror, science fiction, and other genres to a mouth-watering selection of retro fright-fare titles. Following is the official press announcement. NIGHTSTREAM is thrilled to unveil its program of films and special events set to take place virtually next month for U.S. audiences. Returning for a second edition, the celebrated online-only event formed as a banner uniting multiple U.S. genre festivals — Boston Underground, Brooklyn Horror, North Bend, and Overlook — will take place from October 7th-13th. All proceeds from the upcoming edition of NIGHTSTREAM will be shared with the filmmakers and artists involved, and further allocated toward
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
Writer/director Randal Kamradt’s The Monsters Without (Philippines, 2021) is an interesting creature feature affair. It leans more toward fantasy and adventure than horror, but monster movie fans will want to check this one out for the wide range of supernatural beasts from Philippine folklore on tap, including the rather well-known flying, baby-eating Manananggal. In the English-language The Monsters Without, yablo (monsters) are real, and an ancient entity called Nameless (voice of Nick Medina) has risen to return the other yablo to their home dimension, a move that also threatens humanity. A Philippines-based team of scientists and soldiers called P.H.A.S.E. is the only hope to thwart Nameless’ evil plan. When Nameless kidnaps group leader Setsuko’s (Christina Yr. Lim) newlywed husband Rommel Romero (Jake Macapagal) — second in command at P.H.A.S.E. — matters get personal, and Sesuko and her teammates put themselves in harm’s way to try to rescue Rommel and save the world. Kamradt shows a deft hand at both action
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsNews
Provo, Utah’s FilmQuest film festival has announced its lineup of cinematic genre-cinema gems — including 14 feature films and dozens of short films from around the world— for its 2021 in-person lineup. The fest takes place from October 29–November 6. Following is the official press announcement. FilmQuest, one of the largest genre festivals in the country and one of MovieMaker Magazine’s 2021 “Top 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee,” announced its 8th annual edition. The 2021 in-person lineup is headlined by the Tim Blake Nelson, Angela Bettis, and David Arquette starring Ghosts of the Ozarks, Netflix’s The Old Ways, The Free Fall starring Andrea Londo and Shawn Ashmore, and the Slamdance Best Documentary winner Code Name: Nagasaki. Taking place October 29th–November 6th in downtown Provo, Utah, the festival is requiring all guests be vaccinated, following a model it was able to test run successfully in May. “We were able to host our postponed 2020 festival this past May in-person,
Continue reading →
EventsFilm FestivalsNews
Vampires, ghosts, slashers, and all manner of monsters — human and otherwise — descend on North Carolina as Wreak Havoc Horror Film Festival kicks off the Halloween season October 1st and 2nd, 2021, with award-winning independent horror features and short films from around the world. Following is the official press information. While most businesses and services have experienced shortages of both products and staff, this local horror film festival has not seen a shortage of blood, screams or terror. Seven years ago Wreak Havoc created a film festival and has cultivated a loyal following by hosting a festival of world premieres, new directors and writers, as well as fan favorites of the triad and surrounding areas. This year will be no different when we return to Marketplace Cinemas in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, October 1st and 2nd. Festivities and frights will begin Friday October 1st at 6pm with an introduction and exhibitions and a WORLD PREMIERE of Birthday Boy, a short
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignReviews
Director Jean Luc Herbulot’s Senegal/Congo coproduction Saloum is an insane mind-blower. This genre mash-up is as fun as it is suspenseful and poignant. Bangui’s Hyenas is a trio of mercenaries — Chaka (Yann Gael), Rafa (Roger Sallah) and Minuit (Mentor Ba) — on a mission to bring a cartel drug lord to Dakar, Senegal, with a load of gold on hand. When their plane encounters a problem, they are forced to land on the Saloum Delta. The four men seek shelter at a lodging camp run by a man named Omar (Bruno Henry), who Chaka claims to know, though Omar doesn’t recognize him. Minuit senses that Chaka is keeping a dangerous secret from the rest of the trio, and a mute woman guest named Awa (Evelyne Ily Juhen) complicates matters when she threatens to expose the men, who are going under aliases, to local police captain Souleymane (Ndiaga Mbow) unless they let her escape with them. Herbulot, who cowrote the
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsNews
Los Angeles’ Beyond Fest returns to indoor cinemas this year with a stellar lineup of horror, science fiction, and genre-film goodness. From September 29th–October 11th, the festival features cutting edge fear fare from around the globe including world and west coast premieres, 4K restorations of beloved classics, and much more. Following is the official press announcement. Beyond Fest, the highest-attended genre film festival in the US, is excited to announce its complete slate of 2021 programming comprising 39 features, including 8 world premieres, 4 US premieres, and 17 West Coast Premieres. Following a sold-out residency at the Mission Tiki Drive-In in 2020, Beyond Fest returns to theaters for 10 days of cinematic excess from Wednesday, September 29th–Monday, October 11th. Built in partnership with the American Cinematheque, Beyond Fest will screen at the Legion Theatre, Aero Theatre, and Los Feliz 3 with all ticket sales going to the 501c3 non-profit film institution. Attendance to all screenings require physical proof of vaccination
Continue reading →
More from Film Festivals
Film FestivalsMoviesNewsThrillerTrailers
Darkland Distribution’s upcoming dark and disturbing British horror, Shepherd, is set to make its World Premiere this October at the BFI London Film Festival with its theatrical release to follow this November. To mark the occasion, the new trailer has been released, teasing a horror-filled film. Writer and Director of Shepherd, Russell Owen, was delighted with the news of the film’s selection, saying, “I’ve followed the BFI London Film Festival for decades, so to actually be a part of it is surreal and a massive honour. I can’t think of a better platform to bring Shepherd to an audience and I’m over the moon.” In the film, “running from grief after the mysterious death of his wife, Eric Black takes a job as a shepherd. Trapped alone on a majestic weather-beaten island with an ominous secret. One man’s spiraling madness meets a vengeful supernatural force. What starts as the perfect wind-swept escape becomes a race to save his sanity and
Continue reading →
EventsFilm FestivalsNews
Arrow Video FrightFest celebrates Halloween with nine slices of cinematic scare-fare from around the globe, with aliens, creepy kids, locals gone loco, and much more. Following is the official press announcement. Following on from its hugely successful August five-day event, Arrow Video FrightFest is back at the Cineworld, Leicester Square with a bumper two-day Halloween event on Friday 29th Oct and Sat 30th October, presenting nine fear-packed premieres from around the world. The monstrous movie marathon embraces World, International and UK premieres, as we journey through an unholy celebration of mayhem, menace and murder. Kicking off the Black Friday gala ghoulishness is the UK premiere of THE SEED [pictured above], a gut-bursting alien creature feature from Screen International ‘Star of Tomorrow’ director Sam Walker. Walker will be attending, alongside the main cast – Lucy Martin, Sophie Vavasseur and Chelsea Edge – and SFX maestro Dan Martin. This is followed by the UK premiere of BARBARIANS with Game of Thrones star
Continue reading →
Film Festivals
Eyes of Fire American folk horror feature Eyes of Fire (1983) is an underseen gem that has been unavailable on home video for decades. The ambitious film should find a well-deserved wider audience with its beautiful new 4K restoration from Severin Films, which was overseen by writer/director Avery Crounse. In the colonial 1700s before America was established, Reverend Will Smythe (Dennis Lipscomb) is known for burning witches and living with multiple women including married woman Eloise (Rebecca Stanley) and the mysterious Leah (Karlene Crockett). When he escapes a hanging attempt by his fellow colonists, the trio steals the colony’s only raft and sets sail with Eloise’s two daughters and a few other people. Eloise’s woodsman husband Marion Dalton (Guy Boyd) tracks down the group, who find a group of abandoned cabins in a wooded area where the local Shawnee people refuse to go. The band of settlers soon find out why — an evil lurks in the forest, and it
Continue reading →
EventsFilm FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
Straight to VHS In the Uruguayan documentary Straight to VHS (Directamente para video; 2021), director Emilio Silva Torres chronicles his efforts to locate fellow countryman Manuel Lamas, the filmmaker behind the 1989 direct-to-video obscurity Act of Violence in a Young Journalist that became an obsession with some of those who have seen it. Clips of the movie shown in the documentary make apparent Act of Violence . . .’s non-existent budget — as do Lamas acquaintances who remember him borrowing equipment and not returning it — and its sometimes laughable content. Yet still, some Uruguayan cinephiles are engrossed with locating the creator of the film. Lamas is a difficult person to track down, and Torres finds that almost everyone involved with the making of the film wants nothing to do with being interviewed about it. Torres does not give up easily, though, which makes for an engaging quest. One frustrating element about Straight to VHS is that almost none of
Continue reading →
EventsFilm FestivalsNews
After joining together last year to present the NIGHTSTREAM online-only film festival, the four film festivals behind that project — Boston Underground, Brooklyn Horror, North Bend, and Overlook — have banded together again to present a 2021 edition from October 7th-13th. With 31 feature films and 4 blocks of short films scheduled, the virtual festival offers everything from world and virtual premieres of horror, science fiction, and other genres to a mouth-watering selection of retro fright-fare titles. Following is the official press announcement. NIGHTSTREAM is thrilled to unveil its program of films and special events set to take place virtually next month for U.S. audiences. Returning for a second edition, the celebrated online-only event formed as a banner uniting multiple U.S. genre festivals — Boston Underground, Brooklyn Horror, North Bend, and Overlook — will take place from October 7th-13th. All proceeds from the upcoming edition of NIGHTSTREAM will be shared with the filmmakers and artists involved, and further allocated toward
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
Writer/director Randal Kamradt’s The Monsters Without (Philippines, 2021) is an interesting creature feature affair. It leans more toward fantasy and adventure than horror, but monster movie fans will want to check this one out for the wide range of supernatural beasts from Philippine folklore on tap, including the rather well-known flying, baby-eating Manananggal. In the English-language The Monsters Without, yablo (monsters) are real, and an ancient entity called Nameless (voice of Nick Medina) has risen to return the other yablo to their home dimension, a move that also threatens humanity. A Philippines-based team of scientists and soldiers called P.H.A.S.E. is the only hope to thwart Nameless’ evil plan. When Nameless kidnaps group leader Setsuko’s (Christina Yr. Lim) newlywed husband Rommel Romero (Jake Macapagal) — second in command at P.H.A.S.E. — matters get personal, and Sesuko and her teammates put themselves in harm’s way to try to rescue Rommel and save the world. Kamradt shows a deft hand at both action
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsNews
Provo, Utah’s FilmQuest film festival has announced its lineup of cinematic genre-cinema gems — including 14 feature films and dozens of short films from around the world— for its 2021 in-person lineup. The fest takes place from October 29–November 6. Following is the official press announcement. FilmQuest, one of the largest genre festivals in the country and one of MovieMaker Magazine’s 2021 “Top 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee,” announced its 8th annual edition. The 2021 in-person lineup is headlined by the Tim Blake Nelson, Angela Bettis, and David Arquette starring Ghosts of the Ozarks, Netflix’s The Old Ways, The Free Fall starring Andrea Londo and Shawn Ashmore, and the Slamdance Best Documentary winner Code Name: Nagasaki. Taking place October 29th–November 6th in downtown Provo, Utah, the festival is requiring all guests be vaccinated, following a model it was able to test run successfully in May. “We were able to host our postponed 2020 festival this past May in-person,
Continue reading →
EventsFilm FestivalsNews
Vampires, ghosts, slashers, and all manner of monsters — human and otherwise — descend on North Carolina as Wreak Havoc Horror Film Festival kicks off the Halloween season October 1st and 2nd, 2021, with award-winning independent horror features and short films from around the world. Following is the official press information. While most businesses and services have experienced shortages of both products and staff, this local horror film festival has not seen a shortage of blood, screams or terror. Seven years ago Wreak Havoc created a film festival and has cultivated a loyal following by hosting a festival of world premieres, new directors and writers, as well as fan favorites of the triad and surrounding areas. This year will be no different when we return to Marketplace Cinemas in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, October 1st and 2nd. Festivities and frights will begin Friday October 1st at 6pm with an introduction and exhibitions and a WORLD PREMIERE of Birthday Boy, a short
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignReviews
Director Jean Luc Herbulot’s Senegal/Congo coproduction Saloum is an insane mind-blower. This genre mash-up is as fun as it is suspenseful and poignant. Bangui’s Hyenas is a trio of mercenaries — Chaka (Yann Gael), Rafa (Roger Sallah) and Minuit (Mentor Ba) — on a mission to bring a cartel drug lord to Dakar, Senegal, with a load of gold on hand. When their plane encounters a problem, they are forced to land on the Saloum Delta. The four men seek shelter at a lodging camp run by a man named Omar (Bruno Henry), who Chaka claims to know, though Omar doesn’t recognize him. Minuit senses that Chaka is keeping a dangerous secret from the rest of the trio, and a mute woman guest named Awa (Evelyne Ily Juhen) complicates matters when she threatens to expose the men, who are going under aliases, to local police captain Souleymane (Ndiaga Mbow) unless they let her escape with them. Herbulot, who cowrote the
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsNews
Los Angeles’ Beyond Fest returns to indoor cinemas this year with a stellar lineup of horror, science fiction, and genre-film goodness. From September 29th–October 11th, the festival features cutting edge fear fare from around the globe including world and west coast premieres, 4K restorations of beloved classics, and much more. Following is the official press announcement. Beyond Fest, the highest-attended genre film festival in the US, is excited to announce its complete slate of 2021 programming comprising 39 features, including 8 world premieres, 4 US premieres, and 17 West Coast Premieres. Following a sold-out residency at the Mission Tiki Drive-In in 2020, Beyond Fest returns to theaters for 10 days of cinematic excess from Wednesday, September 29th–Monday, October 11th. Built in partnership with the American Cinematheque, Beyond Fest will screen at the Legion Theatre, Aero Theatre, and Los Feliz 3 with all ticket sales going to the 501c3 non-profit film institution. Attendance to all screenings require physical proof of vaccination
Continue reading →
