TagBlood in the Snow Film Festival
10 stories
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
Peppergrass Eula Baek (Chantelle Han) and Morris Weiss (Charles Boyland) are in a relationship — and quite obviously not a happy one, judging from their constant sniping and bickering — and are driven to desperation during the COVID lockdown for her titular restaurant and his bar. They hatch a plan to scam veteran Captain Reuben Lom (Michael Copeman) — who lives in a very rural area and who was friends with Eula’s father — into giving them some valuable truffles that they can resell to try to make ends meet. Morris gets greedy and aggressive, and suddenly the three people are fighting for their lives. Peppergrass (Canada, 2021) toys with the “home invasion goes south” style of fear fare before diving headlong into survival horror, but rather than fully committing to the more grueling side of the latter, focuses instead on being more of a dread-filled mood piece with lots of wandering around in the woods. Codirectors Steven Garbas and
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
Writer/director Mark O’Brien’s The Righteous is a gripping, slow-burn gothic horror that examines the dark hearts of people and the secrets they hide. Conflicts in religious faith and the consequences of sins are at the forefront, with top-notch performances and brilliant use of light and shadow driving the film. Former priest Frederic Mason (Henry Czerny) left the church to marry his wife Ethel (Mimi Kuzyk). As the film opens, the two have just lost their young, adopted daughter in an accident. Frederic prays and seeks the advice of a practicing priest. Soon thereafter, a stranger who claims he is named Aaron Smith (O’Brien) shows up on the Mason’s property, injured and pleading for help. Frederic uncharacteristically allows him to spend the night in their home, even lying to a local police officer who the couple knows well, saying that the man is someone he knows. Ethel is shocked by Frederic’s invitation but soon becomes fond of the young stranger, who
Continue reading →
EventsFilm Festivals
Toronto, Canada’s Blood in the Snow Film Festival (BITS) hosts a hybrid edition this year, with a virtual festival running this weekend (information at https://www.bloodinthesnow.ca/) from October 29-31 and a just-announced in-theater lineup for November 18-23 at the Royal Cinema. From hilarious horror comedies such as Vicious Fun to darker offerings such as Canadian folk horror The Family and styles of fear fare in between are world, national, and local premieres of feature-length and short fright fare films. Following is the official press announcement. Blood in the Snow Film Festival (BITS), a unique and imaginative showcase of contemporary Canadian horror films, is pleased to announce the lineup for the in-theatre portion of this year’s hybrid festival taking place November 18—23 at the Royal Cinema. “After being forced to take a break from in-person gatherings due to the COVID 19 pandemic and pivoting to a virtual format with the help of Super Channel in 2020, we are thrilled to be able
Continue reading →
EventsFilm FestivalsForeignMoviesNews
Super Channel and Blood in the Snow Film Festival (BITS) — a top-notch fest featuring an incredible array of Canadian horror and science fiction films — are teaming up again for a hybrid edition of this year’s BITS with a Halloween weekend virtual portion. Following is the official press announcement. Super Channel and Blood in the Snow Film Festival (BITS), a unique and imaginative showcase of contemporary Canadian horror films, are pleased to announce that they have joined forces once again to bring a hybrid edition of the upcoming 2021 BITS to Canadian horror film fans across the nation. This year’s festival is sure to shock and delight horror lovers with the virtual portion running on Super Channel Fuse over Halloween weekend from Friday, Oct 29 – Sunday Oct 31, and the in-person festival returning to the Royal Cinema November 18 to 23. “We are proud to be partnering once again with Kelly and the incredible team at BITS to
Continue reading →
Film Festivals
Blood in the Snow Film Festival (BITS), Canada’s premiere fear-fare fest, is going digital and nationwide this year with a tantalizing 11-night lineup. From the excellent Anything for Jackson and its devil-worshipping grandparents to the appealing documentary Hail to the Deadites and its celebration of The Evil Dead fandom, to Bloodthirsty and its lycanthropy tale, and beyond, BITS promises to deliver shocks and shivers galore across Canada. Following is the fest’s official press announcement. The BLOOD IN THE SNOW FILM FESTIVAL (BITS) unleashed its newest batch of Canadian terror, which takes over Halloween this October 28 to November 7 on Super Channel for 11 incredible nights. For the first time, horror and sci-fi fans across the country can experience all the thrills and chills BITS has to offer with a must-see creepy collection of 10 features and 4 shorts programs airing on Super Channel Fuse. The festival kicks off with ANYTHING FOR JACKSON, (dir. Justin G. Dyck) which sees elderly
Continue reading →
Film Festivals
Following is the official press release from Canada’s superb Blood in the Snow Film Festival about its plans to show select festival features and shorts that will premiere exclusively on Super Channel Fuse from October 28 to November 7. Super Channel and the Blood in the Snow Film Festival (BITS), a unique and imaginative showcase of contemporary Canadian horror films, are pleased to announce that they have partnered to bring a virtual edition of the upcoming 2020 BITS to Canadian horror film fans across the nation, with the Blood in the Snow Film Festival presented by Super Channel. The virtual festival, which is slated to run Oct 28 to Nov 7, will bring a selection of Canadian horror features and shorts to Super Channel Fuse, just in time for Halloween. Dedicated to promoting the best in independent Canadian horror cinema, BITS is known by fans and filmmakers alike as one of the premier horror festivals available in Canada. For the
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsNews
Alberta director Brandon Christensen and his film Z claimed the awards for Best Feature and Best Director at Blood in the Snow Film Festival’s 2019 Bloodies Awards ceremony, held with the presenting partnership of Hollywood Suite. The festival ran November 21–26, 2019, at the Royal Cinema in Toronto, Canada. Z tells the story of a young boy and his supposedly imaginary friend, and the havoc that the latter wreaks on the child’s family. Dead Dicks (reviewed here) took three awards including Best Screenplay, Best Actor for lead actor Heston Horwin, and the Montreal-based co-directors Chris Bavota and Lee Paula Springer were recognized as 2019’s Rising Stars. The 2019 Vanguard award went to Toronto director Audrey Cummings, whose film She Never Died was her third feature to screen at Blood in the Snow. The Vanguard award is presented in recognition of an individual or group who is a trailblazer in the independent Canadian horror industry. She Never Died star Oluniké Adeliyi
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeign
Imagine slowly beginning to find out that almost every major conspiracy theory for the past several decades was not only true, but somehow connected to the Roswell crashed flying saucer incident. This is the reality that debunker, skeptic, and video blogger Pippa Bernwood (Paula Brancati) is beginning to have to take into consideration in the Canadian science-fiction chiller Majic. Initially an atheist who believes nothing without concrete evidence, she finds her world turning upside down after meeting with elderly Anderson (Richard Fitzpatrick), who claims to have worked for a secret agency during the Cold War. Though the man seems confused and disoriented at times, he weaves a fascinating, complex tale that intrigues Bernwood enough to continue meeting him. The more she goes down the rabbit hole, the more her view of reality gets distorted and baffling. Director Erin Berry, who cowrote the screenplay with David Pluscauskas, weaves a gripping tale that should be enthusiastically welcomed by lovers of such fare
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsMovies
Canadian horror comedy Puppet Killer delivers in both the gore and gags departments. You know what you are in for pretty early on when the lead character, a high school student, is portrayed by a 50-year-old actor, taking the “they look to old to be high schoolers” trope to beyond its normal range. Aleks Paunovic toplines as that student, Jamie, who lost his mother (director Lisa Ovies) to cancer when he was a youngster. His stepmother tried to trash both his VHS horror movie collection that he watched with his mom and his beloved pink hand puppet Simon, and this being a fright flick, you can imagine how that turned out for her. Ten years later, Jamie and a group of his classmate friends plan to return to the cabin where the stepmother was slaughtered, against the wishes of his psychiatrist and reluctant father. Jamie’s girlfriend Jessie (Lisa Durupt) finds Simon hidden away, and after she brings him out, very
Continue reading →
IndieNewsReviewsTrailers
In Andrew Moxham’s survival horror film, ‘White Raven’, four friends set out on their yearly boys-only camping trip in a remote area. As one the group gradually loses his mind, the trip takes a turn for the worse as the other three friends must now fight for survival. ‘White Raven’ Stars Cindy Busby, Sarah Smith, Catharine Michaud, Andrew Dunbar, Shane Twerdun, Aaron Brooks, Steve Bradley, Preston Vanderslice and Missy Cross. The film was written and directed by ‘2012’ actor Andrew Moxham. The indie film gets its name from the Pacific Northwest Native American creation legend of the White Raven. ‘White Raven’ will premiere at Toronto’s Carlton Cinema on November 29th as part of the annual Blood in the Snow Film Festival.
Continue reading →
More from Blood in the Snow Film Festival
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
Peppergrass Eula Baek (Chantelle Han) and Morris Weiss (Charles Boyland) are in a relationship — and quite obviously not a happy one, judging from their constant sniping and bickering — and are driven to desperation during the COVID lockdown for her titular restaurant and his bar. They hatch a plan to scam veteran Captain Reuben Lom (Michael Copeman) — who lives in a very rural area and who was friends with Eula’s father — into giving them some valuable truffles that they can resell to try to make ends meet. Morris gets greedy and aggressive, and suddenly the three people are fighting for their lives. Peppergrass (Canada, 2021) toys with the “home invasion goes south” style of fear fare before diving headlong into survival horror, but rather than fully committing to the more grueling side of the latter, focuses instead on being more of a dread-filled mood piece with lots of wandering around in the woods. Codirectors Steven Garbas and
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
Writer/director Mark O’Brien’s The Righteous is a gripping, slow-burn gothic horror that examines the dark hearts of people and the secrets they hide. Conflicts in religious faith and the consequences of sins are at the forefront, with top-notch performances and brilliant use of light and shadow driving the film. Former priest Frederic Mason (Henry Czerny) left the church to marry his wife Ethel (Mimi Kuzyk). As the film opens, the two have just lost their young, adopted daughter in an accident. Frederic prays and seeks the advice of a practicing priest. Soon thereafter, a stranger who claims he is named Aaron Smith (O’Brien) shows up on the Mason’s property, injured and pleading for help. Frederic uncharacteristically allows him to spend the night in their home, even lying to a local police officer who the couple knows well, saying that the man is someone he knows. Ethel is shocked by Frederic’s invitation but soon becomes fond of the young stranger, who
Continue reading →
EventsFilm Festivals
Toronto, Canada’s Blood in the Snow Film Festival (BITS) hosts a hybrid edition this year, with a virtual festival running this weekend (information at https://www.bloodinthesnow.ca/) from October 29-31 and a just-announced in-theater lineup for November 18-23 at the Royal Cinema. From hilarious horror comedies such as Vicious Fun to darker offerings such as Canadian folk horror The Family and styles of fear fare in between are world, national, and local premieres of feature-length and short fright fare films. Following is the official press announcement. Blood in the Snow Film Festival (BITS), a unique and imaginative showcase of contemporary Canadian horror films, is pleased to announce the lineup for the in-theatre portion of this year’s hybrid festival taking place November 18—23 at the Royal Cinema. “After being forced to take a break from in-person gatherings due to the COVID 19 pandemic and pivoting to a virtual format with the help of Super Channel in 2020, we are thrilled to be able
Continue reading →
EventsFilm FestivalsForeignMoviesNews
Super Channel and Blood in the Snow Film Festival (BITS) — a top-notch fest featuring an incredible array of Canadian horror and science fiction films — are teaming up again for a hybrid edition of this year’s BITS with a Halloween weekend virtual portion. Following is the official press announcement. Super Channel and Blood in the Snow Film Festival (BITS), a unique and imaginative showcase of contemporary Canadian horror films, are pleased to announce that they have joined forces once again to bring a hybrid edition of the upcoming 2021 BITS to Canadian horror film fans across the nation. This year’s festival is sure to shock and delight horror lovers with the virtual portion running on Super Channel Fuse over Halloween weekend from Friday, Oct 29 – Sunday Oct 31, and the in-person festival returning to the Royal Cinema November 18 to 23. “We are proud to be partnering once again with Kelly and the incredible team at BITS to
Continue reading →
Film Festivals
Blood in the Snow Film Festival (BITS), Canada’s premiere fear-fare fest, is going digital and nationwide this year with a tantalizing 11-night lineup. From the excellent Anything for Jackson and its devil-worshipping grandparents to the appealing documentary Hail to the Deadites and its celebration of The Evil Dead fandom, to Bloodthirsty and its lycanthropy tale, and beyond, BITS promises to deliver shocks and shivers galore across Canada. Following is the fest’s official press announcement. The BLOOD IN THE SNOW FILM FESTIVAL (BITS) unleashed its newest batch of Canadian terror, which takes over Halloween this October 28 to November 7 on Super Channel for 11 incredible nights. For the first time, horror and sci-fi fans across the country can experience all the thrills and chills BITS has to offer with a must-see creepy collection of 10 features and 4 shorts programs airing on Super Channel Fuse. The festival kicks off with ANYTHING FOR JACKSON, (dir. Justin G. Dyck) which sees elderly
Continue reading →
Film Festivals
Following is the official press release from Canada’s superb Blood in the Snow Film Festival about its plans to show select festival features and shorts that will premiere exclusively on Super Channel Fuse from October 28 to November 7. Super Channel and the Blood in the Snow Film Festival (BITS), a unique and imaginative showcase of contemporary Canadian horror films, are pleased to announce that they have partnered to bring a virtual edition of the upcoming 2020 BITS to Canadian horror film fans across the nation, with the Blood in the Snow Film Festival presented by Super Channel. The virtual festival, which is slated to run Oct 28 to Nov 7, will bring a selection of Canadian horror features and shorts to Super Channel Fuse, just in time for Halloween. Dedicated to promoting the best in independent Canadian horror cinema, BITS is known by fans and filmmakers alike as one of the premier horror festivals available in Canada. For the
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsNews
Alberta director Brandon Christensen and his film Z claimed the awards for Best Feature and Best Director at Blood in the Snow Film Festival’s 2019 Bloodies Awards ceremony, held with the presenting partnership of Hollywood Suite. The festival ran November 21–26, 2019, at the Royal Cinema in Toronto, Canada. Z tells the story of a young boy and his supposedly imaginary friend, and the havoc that the latter wreaks on the child’s family. Dead Dicks (reviewed here) took three awards including Best Screenplay, Best Actor for lead actor Heston Horwin, and the Montreal-based co-directors Chris Bavota and Lee Paula Springer were recognized as 2019’s Rising Stars. The 2019 Vanguard award went to Toronto director Audrey Cummings, whose film She Never Died was her third feature to screen at Blood in the Snow. The Vanguard award is presented in recognition of an individual or group who is a trailblazer in the independent Canadian horror industry. She Never Died star Oluniké Adeliyi
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeign
Imagine slowly beginning to find out that almost every major conspiracy theory for the past several decades was not only true, but somehow connected to the Roswell crashed flying saucer incident. This is the reality that debunker, skeptic, and video blogger Pippa Bernwood (Paula Brancati) is beginning to have to take into consideration in the Canadian science-fiction chiller Majic. Initially an atheist who believes nothing without concrete evidence, she finds her world turning upside down after meeting with elderly Anderson (Richard Fitzpatrick), who claims to have worked for a secret agency during the Cold War. Though the man seems confused and disoriented at times, he weaves a fascinating, complex tale that intrigues Bernwood enough to continue meeting him. The more she goes down the rabbit hole, the more her view of reality gets distorted and baffling. Director Erin Berry, who cowrote the screenplay with David Pluscauskas, weaves a gripping tale that should be enthusiastically welcomed by lovers of such fare
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsMovies
Canadian horror comedy Puppet Killer delivers in both the gore and gags departments. You know what you are in for pretty early on when the lead character, a high school student, is portrayed by a 50-year-old actor, taking the “they look to old to be high schoolers” trope to beyond its normal range. Aleks Paunovic toplines as that student, Jamie, who lost his mother (director Lisa Ovies) to cancer when he was a youngster. His stepmother tried to trash both his VHS horror movie collection that he watched with his mom and his beloved pink hand puppet Simon, and this being a fright flick, you can imagine how that turned out for her. Ten years later, Jamie and a group of his classmate friends plan to return to the cabin where the stepmother was slaughtered, against the wishes of his psychiatrist and reluctant father. Jamie’s girlfriend Jessie (Lisa Durupt) finds Simon hidden away, and after she brings him out, very
Continue reading →
IndieNewsReviewsTrailers
In Andrew Moxham’s survival horror film, ‘White Raven’, four friends set out on their yearly boys-only camping trip in a remote area. As one the group gradually loses his mind, the trip takes a turn for the worse as the other three friends must now fight for survival. ‘White Raven’ Stars Cindy Busby, Sarah Smith, Catharine Michaud, Andrew Dunbar, Shane Twerdun, Aaron Brooks, Steve Bradley, Preston Vanderslice and Missy Cross. The film was written and directed by ‘2012’ actor Andrew Moxham. The indie film gets its name from the Pacific Northwest Native American creation legend of the White Raven. ‘White Raven’ will premiere at Toronto’s Carlton Cinema on November 29th as part of the annual Blood in the Snow Film Festival.
Continue reading →
