MOTELX 2024: STRANGE DARLING And HANDSOME GUYS Among Titles Rounding Out Program

MOTELX

Lisbon International Horror Film Festival

FULL PROGRAMME - 18th EDITION

10 - 16 SEP 2024

Lisbon - Cinema São Jorge

 

“Strange Darling”, “The Soul Eater”, “Continent”, “Sister Midnight” and “Handsome Guys” are some of the new titles that complete the 18th MOTELX programme in an edition that spans the globe to showcase the best of contemporary horror cinema

 

Over seven days, the Festival will feature over 100 films, offering terrifying and extraordinary experiences. This year, MOTELX introduces True Crime Night, debuting with the shocking documentary "The Lie", and a Surprise Session in partnership with FilmTwist.

 

The eagerly awaited start of another edition of MOTELX is just around the corner. From September 10 to 16, the Festival will transform Cinema São Jorge in Lisbon into the official home of horror, bringing together around 30 countries and more than a hundred works highlighting genre cinema's vibrant and dynamic nature.

 

After previously announcing the opening and closing films—“Speak No Evil”, by James Watkins, and “The Surfer”, by Lorcan Finnegan (starring the incomparable Nicolas Cage)—along with several other compelling titles, MOTELX now reveals the full programme for its 18th edition. The Festival continues demonstrating its ability to traverse diverse geographies and generations while embracing the infinite variety of subgenres that make up horror cinema.

 

The Room Service section includes several highly anticipated national premieres, such as the French films “The Soul Eater”, by Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury, which explores the resurrection of an ancient legend that awakens an evil creature, and “Animale”, by director Emma Benestan, which connects toxic masculinity with animal torture. European cinema at MOTELX is further represented by the philosophical and existential zombies in “Handling the Undead”, by Thea Hvistendahl (winner of the Méliès d'argent prize in Neuchâtel, Switzerland); the raw brutality of “One Night with Adela”, by Spanish director Hugo Ruiz; and the chilling revenge tale “The Last Ashes”, by Luxembourg's Loïc Tanson, who will also attend the Festival.

 

From across the Atlantic, the North American film “The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster”—the debut feature by Bomani J. Story—reimagines Mary Shelley's “Frankenstein” against a backdrop of police violence affecting the Black community in the USA; the Canadian film “Hunting Daze”, by Annick Blanc, once again explores the theme of toxic masculinity; and, from Brazil, “Birthright”, by João Cândido Zacharias, brings a unique queer horror that merges Giallo with telenovela, in its European premiere, and “Continent”, by Davi Pretto, offers a blend of social critique and classic horror.

 

Reflecting the strength of Indian cinema in the horror genre, the Room Service section also features the sharp, nightmarish humour of “Sister Midnight”, by Karan Kandhari, a hit at the last Directors' Fortnight in Cannes, and the social commentary of the hallucinatory road movie “Stolen”, by Karan Tejpal. These join the blood-soaked “Kill”, by Nikhil Nagesh Bhat, and other must-see Asian titles like “House of Sayuri” (Japan), by Kôji Shiraishi, “The Cursed Land” (Thailand), by Panu Aree and Kong Rithdee, “Do You See What I See” (Indonesia), by Awi Suryadi, and “Tenement” (Cambodia), by Sokyou Chea and Inrasothythep Neth.

 

MOTELX also offers two Double Sessions. The first takes place on Friday the 13th, featuring the Dutch film “Trauma Porn Club”, by Michael Middelkoop, and the American film “Strange Darling”, by JT Mollner. This six-chapter film subverts the serial killer role with cinematography by actor Giovanni Ribisi. The following day, the double bill includes “Handsome Guys”, by Nam Dong-hyup—a Korean remake of the horror comedy “Tucker & Dale vs Evil”—and “Do Not Enter”, by Hugo Cardozo, a found footage film from Paraguay.

 

The Doc Terror section begins with “Dario Argento: Panico” (UK, Italy), by Simone Scafidi, which delves into the rituals of the legendary Italian master of Giallo. “Alien Island” (Chile, Italy), by Cristóbal Valenzuela Berríos, depicts communication between amateur radio operators and an alien-inhabited island during the Chilean military dictatorship. “So Unreal” (USA), by Amanda Kramer, narrated by Debbie Harry, explores the portrayal of cyberspace and the dangers of technology. On September 16, the Festival introduces True Crime Night with “The Lie”, a harrowing documentary by British director Helena Coan about a young woman's disappearance in Auckland, New Zealand, offering a cautionary tale about the dangers of romantic relationships in the era of dating apps.

 

MOTELX concludes with a Surprise Session in partnership with FilmTwist and screens Richard Fleischer's “10 Rillington Place” (UK, 1971), the final film in the “For the Sake of the Nation: Horror Films Prohibited by the Portuguese Dictatorship” cycle.

 

“Fréwaka” (Ireland), by Aislinn Clarke, “In The Blind Spot” (Germany), by Ayşe Polat—both directors will be present in Lisbon—along with “Planet B” (France, Belgium), by Aude Léa Rapin, and “She Loved Blossoms More” (Greece, France), by Yannis Veslemes, join “The Devil's Bath” (Austria, Germany), by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala, and “Oddity” (Ireland), by Damian Mc Carthy, in the Méliès d'argent - Best European Feature Film 2024 competition.

 

Another highlight is the presentation of the books “Discomania” and “Starburst: The Complete Alan Jones Film Reviews 1977-2008”, by Alan Jones, a renowned horror film critic, artistic director of the FrightFest and Trieste Science+Fiction festivals, and former DJ for the Sex Pistols.

 

The epic trivia night, the MOTELquiz, also returns, offering a chance to test your knowledge of horror and pop culture (free entry, pre-registration required by emailing inscricoes@motelx.org).