FrightFest 2015 Announced: WE ARE STILL HERE, CHERRY TREE, SCHERZO DIABOLICO, DEATHGASM And More
Some of the highlights that I have seen and recommend: Ted Geoghegan's chilling ghost story We Are Still Here, Montreal trio Francois Simard, Anouk Whissell & Yoann-Karl Whissell's post-apocalyptic homage to 80s cinema Turbo Kid, Adam Egypt Mortimer's disturbing Some Kind of Hate, Adrian García Bogliano's outstanding Scherzo Diabolico, Bruce McDonald's surreal Hellions, and in the retrospective section, Philip Ridley's classic film of love and haunting, The Reflecting Skin.
Some of the titles I'm eagerly anticipating: the opening and closing night films, Cherry Tree and the anthology Tales of Halloween, respectively. Ruth Platt's The Lesson, psycho-thriller Deathgasm, Isabel Coixet's Another Me (this might be the first time such as legendary auteur of more 'serious' cinema has had a film in a genre festival, which is amazing), Takashi Miike's Over Your Dead Body, and a special screening of the documentary Future Shock! The. Story of 2000AD.
Plus, the Duke Mitchell Club returns with a special evening of films from the golden age of Turkish Cinema. As well, due to incredible popularity last year, the short film showcase has expanded to three screenings, and those will be announced in the coming weeks.
But there is so much horror and fantastic film goodness, it is melting my brain (or that could be the Madrid heat). The full list is in the press release below.
Bigger, bolder, bloodier...Film4 FrightFest 2015 marks its 16th year with its largest line-up ever. From Thurs 27 August to Mon 31 August, the UK's leading event for genre fans will return to the Vue West End, Leicester Square to present seventy-six films across five screens, plus a host of special events. There are eighteen countries representing five continents with a record-breaking sixteen European premieres and twenty-six UK premieres. In addition, there is a further 'Discovery' strand at The Prince Charles Cinema, signalling a welcome return to FrightFest's spiritual home.
FrightFest always takes great pride in platforming the brightest British and Irish talent and 2015 is an outstanding year. Apart from opening with David Keating's CHERRY TREE, there is the world premiere of Steve Oram's hilarious and very disturbing AAAAAAAAH!, Dominic Brunt's sharp-edged female revenge saga BAIT, Ben and Chris Blaine's sexually charged zom-rom-com NINA FOREVER, Mark Murphy's tale of twisted minds, AWAITING, Paul Hyett's much-anticipated HOWL, Adam Levins' sinister family drama ESTRANGED, Howard J. Ford's pulsating child-abduction thriller NEVER LET GO, Corin Hardy's Sundance sensation THE HALLOW, Ruth Platt's morally-challenging chiller THE LESSON, Liam Regan's gruesome revenge saga BANJO, Eugene McGing's supernatural haunter THE UNFOLDING and finally AFTERDEATH, a hellish thriller by new directors Gez Medinger and Robin Schmidt.
The Main screens shine brightly with a vivid, stellar mix of the monstrous, the macabre and the must-see. Apart from our closing anthology TALES OF HALLOWEEN and our 'gorious' festive attraction A CHRISTMAS HORROR STORY, there is Iain Softley's cleverly vicious CURVE, Bernard Rose's stylishly affecting FRANKENSTEIN, Adrian Garcia Bogliano's masterpiece SCHERZO DIABOLICO, Abner Pastoll's deranged ROAD GAMES, Alistair Legrand's genre-bending shocker THE DIABOLICAL, Ted Geoghegan's well-received ghost story WE ARE STILL HERE, Adam Schindler's agoraphobic SHUT IN, Francois Simard, Anouk Whissell & Yoann-Karl Whissell's post-apocalyptic romp TURBO KID, Bruce McDonald's Halloween horror HELLIONS and Levan Bakhia's explosive LANDMINE GOES CLICK. Plus, the Israeli Paz Brothers put the grim in pilgrimage with JERUZALEM, director Adam Egypt Mortimer gives us his cutting-edge "feminist slasher movie" SOME KIND OF HATE, first-time director Eric Hannezo gives us his version of RABID DOGS, STUNG lets loose a battalion of giant wasps and Australian director Ursula Dabrowsky bring us her highly unusual shocker INNER DEMON. Completing the main screen mayhem is splatstick psycho-thriller DEATHGASM, suburban shocker SLUMLORD, the brilliantly unnerving EMELIE, the stark, gore-filled NIGHT FARE and JAMES WAN'S DEMONIC.
Embracing the ever-burgeoning independent arena, this year's increased number of films in the Discovery Screens illustrates the growing global investment in the genre. From Australia and France, Mexico and Russia, Argentina and Peru, FrightFest showcases the most electrifying examples, including world premieres for Jaron Henrie-McCrea's CURTAIN, Russell Friedenberg's WIND WALKERS, Padraig Reynolds' WORRY DOLLS and Benjamin Moody's LAST GIRL STANDING. There are European premieres for Ben Cresciman's SUN CHOKE, Kyle Rankin's NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEB, Valentin Javier Diment's THE ROTTEN LINK, John Fallon's THE SHELTER, Adam Mason's HANGMAN and Brian James O'Connell's BLOODSUCKING BASTARDS. UK premieres score highly too with Mickey Keating's POD, Perry Blackshear's THEY LOOK LIKE PEOPLE, John Knautz's GODDESS OF LOVE, Anthony DiBlasi's MOST LIKELY TO DIE, Alberto Marini's SUMMER CAMP, Rodney Ascher's THE NIGHTMARE, Zak Hilditch's THESE FINAL HOURS, Pavel Khaleev's III, April Mullen's FARHOPE TOWER, Jeffrey Lando's SUSPENSION, Isaac Gabaeff's monster mash-up THE SAND, Eduardo Schuldt's Peruvian horror THE ENTITY, Tyler Shields' feature film debut FINAL GIRL 14 year-old French director Nathan Ambrosioni's HOSTILE, Takashi Miike's OVER YOUR DEAD BODY, David Gelb's THE LAZARUS EFFECT, Dan Berk & Robert Olsen's BODY, Isabel Coixet's ANOTHER ME, Chad Archibald's BITE, Joe Chien's ZOMBIE FIGHT CLUB, and Josh Forbes' CONTRACTED: PHASE II. There is also a special screening for Paul Goodwin's FUTURE SHOCK! THE STORY OF 2000AD. This selection is bound to cause much heated debate and ecstatic discussion.
If
the Discovery Screen Strand has increased in popularity, so has the
Retrospective selection. This year audiences will be able to discover an
eclectic programme straddling grindhouse to art-house with brand new
restorations of the classic HELLRAISER, the giallo masterpiece YOUR VICE IS A LOCKED ROOM AND ONLY I HAVE THE KEY, the exploitation duo MADMAN and THE MUTILATOR, the cult Hammer Horror CAPTAIN KRONOS: VAMPIRE HUNTER, the high camp HAWK THE SLAYER and the high-end horrors TENDERNESS OF THE WOLVES and THE REFLECTING SKIN.
Plus the Duke Mitchell Film Club is back with a rare screening of REMAKE, REMIX, RIP-OFF a crazy experience of the golden years of Turkish cinema, where demand was high, technical know-how low and copyright law non-existent! And the popular Duke @ Frightfest Film party is back too.
This year's other special events, the growing guest list and the expanded Short Film Showcase entries will be announced in the coming weeks.
Alan Jones, Festival co-director, said today: "It is with great pride that we announce the line-up for the UK's biggest, best and most renowned genre festival which is now a globally recognised brand. Our sixteenth year sees yet another enhancement of its core mission to bring the finest in home grown and international fear to the dark heart of London's West End.
Embracing everything outstanding about the horror fantasy genre, whether it be from mainstream mayhem or director's daydream to quirky independents and major talent detection, the Temple of Terror that is Film4 FrightFest returns with a vengeance to the flagship Vue Cinema in London's Leicester Square."Festival and day pass sales will go on sale Sat 4 July at noon and will only be available online at advanced ticketing. A festival pass costs £185. Day passes are: Thursday £30, Friday and Saturday £60, Sunday and Monday £50.
Single tickets are £13.25 and will go on sale on Sat 25 July.
