It's been a bit of a wait, but Adam Wingard's home invasion hoedown You're Next (our review) is finally being resuscitated. Although it was purchased after TIFF 2011, the film got caught in Lionsgate-Summit merger purgatory. It's now dated for August 2013, but the exciting news is that the film will make its triumphant return to the public eye with a midnight slot at SXSW 2013. Joining it will V/H/S/2 (somewhat disappointingly renamed from the clever S-VHS that premiered a few weeks ago at Sundance - our review), the world premiere of Vincenzo Natali's Splice follow-up, Haunter, and the reteaming of Pat Healy and Sara Paxton in E.L. Katz's Cheap Thrills. The Sundance premiering The Rambler (our review) and TIFF premiering Lords of Salem (our review) also make the list. See the full release below for more from the awesome midnight lineup.
But wait, there's more! The SXSW Shorts Program hit the wires today as well. Highlights include narrative shorts from Kat Candler, Amy Seimetz, and one co-directed by Brie Larson. Check out the full list below.
FEATURES
MIDNIGHTERS
Scary, funny, sexy, controversial - provocative after-dark features for night owls and the terminally curious.
Big Ass Spider!
Director:
Mike Mendez, Screenwriter: Gregory Gieras
When
a giant alien spider escapes from a military lab and rampages across the city
of Los Angeles, it is up to one clever exterminator and his security guard
sidekick to kill the creature before the city is destroyed. Cast: Greg Grunberg, Lombardo Boyar, Clare Kramer,
Ray Wise, Lin Shaye, Patrick Bauchau (World
Premiere)
Cheap Thrills
Director:
E.L. Katz, Screenwriters: Trent Haaga, David Chirchirillo
Recently
fired and facing eviction, the married father of a newborn has his life turned
upside down when he meets a wealthy couple who offer a path to financial
security...but at a price.
Cast: Pat Healy, Ethan Embry, Sara Paxton, David
Koechner, Amanda Fuller (World Premiere)
Haunter (Canada)
Director:
Vincenzo Natali, Screenwriter: Brian King
Lisa
Johnson is one day shy of her 16th birthday and will be forever. She and her
family are doomed to repeat the fateful day before they were all killed in
1985. Cast: Abigail Breslin, Stephen
McHattie,
Peter Outerbridge, Michelle Nolden, David Hewlett (World Premiere)
Kiss of the Damned
Director/Screenwriter:
Xan Cassavetes
Beautiful
vampire Djuna tries to resist the advances of human screenwriter Paolo, but
eventually gives in to their passion. When her sister Mimi comes to visit,
Djuna's love story is threatened, and the whole vampire community becomes
endangered...
Cast: Joséphine de la Baume, Milo Ventimiglia,
Roxane Mesquida, Anna Mouglalis, Michael Rapaport, Riley Keough, Ching
Valdes-Aran (U.S. Premiere)
The Lords of Salem
Director/Screenwriter:
Rob Zombie
From
the singular mind of horror maestro Rob Zombie comes a chilling plunge into a
nightmare world where evil runs in the blood. Cast: Sheri Moon Zombie, Bruce Davison, Jeff Daniel Phillips, Ken Foree, Patricia
Quinn (U.S. Premiere)
Plus One
Director:
Dennis Iliadis, Screenwriter: Bill Gullo
When
the party of the decade is disrupted by a supernatural phenomenon, the night
soon descends in to chaos. Cast: Rhys
Wakefield, Logan Miller, Ashley Hinshaw, Natalie Hall (World Premiere)
The Rambler
Director/Screenwriter:
Calvin Lee Reeder
After
being released from prison, a man known as The Rambler stumbles upon a strange
mystery as he attempts a dangerous journey through treacherous back roads and
small towns en route to reconnecting with his long lost brother.
Cast: Dermot Mulroney, Lindsay Pulsipher, Natasha
Lyonne, James Cady, Scott Sharot
V/H/S/2
Directors:
Adam Wingard, Gareth Evans, Screenwriters: Simon Barrett, Timo Tjahjanto,
Gareth
Evans,
Jamie Nash, Jason Eisener, John Davies
Searching
for a missing student, two private investigators break into his abandoned house
and find another collection of mysterious VHS tapes. In viewing the horrific contents
of each cassette, they realize there may be terrifying motives behind the
student's disappearance.
Cast: Adam Wingard, Lawrence Levine, L. C. Holt,
Kelsy Abbott, Hannah Hughes
You're Next
Director:
Adam Wingard, Screenwriter: Simon Barrett
A
fresh twist on home-invasion horror. A gang of masked murderers descend upon a
family reunion, and the victims seem trapped...until an unlikely guest proves
to be the most talented killer of all.
Cast: Sharni Vinson, Nicholas Tucci, Wendy Glenn,
AJ Bowen, Joe Swanberg
SHORT FILMS
NARRATIVE SHORTS
A
selection of original, well-crafted films that take advantage of the short form
and exemplify distinctive and genuine storytelling. The winner of our Grand
Jury Award in this category is eligible for a 2014 Academy Award nomination for
Best Narrative Short.
THE AUDITION
Director:
Celia Rowlson-Hall
A
young woman auditions for the role of "Clipboard Woman"
Black Metal
Director:
Kat Candler
After
a career spent mining his music from the shadows, the actions of one fan
creates a chain reaction for the lead singer of a black metal band.
Boneshaker
Director:
Frances Bodomo
An
African family, lost in America, travels to a Louisiana church to find a cure
for its problem child.
Cavalier
Director:
Steven Schardt
An
alcoholic father, recently served restrictive custody papers, kidnaps his son
to go on a road trip.
Chiralia (Germany)
Director:
Santiago Gil
Around
an isolated lake, the experience of a tragedy travels like a wave through space
and time, from person to person, from memory to imagination.
Dotty (New
Zealand)
Directors:
Mick Andrews, Brett O'Gorman
A
stubborn old lady struggles to send a text message to her daughter.
Ellen Is Leaving (New Zealand)
Director:
Michelle Savill
On
the eve of departing overseas, Ellen makes the fateful decision to gift her
boyfriend a new girlfriend.
Indoor (UK)
Directors:
Simon Atkinson, Adam Townley
An
eleven year old boy, unable to fly his kite alone, befriends a peculiar girl
who can not leave her caravan.
It's Not You, It's Me
Director:
Matt Spicer
A
young woman's relationship takes a dark turn when every sound her boyfriend
makes starts to annoy her.
Kelly
Directors:
Nathan Honnold, Alex Zhuravlov
Kelly,
a female entrepreneur, gives personal advice and insight into business and
beauty. She finds inspiration in her personal experiences and in her role model
Mary Kay.
LaDonna
Directors:
Nathan Honnold, Alex Zhuravlov
An
elderly couple finds excitement in breaking and entering.
MOBILE HOMES (USA/France)
Director:
Vladimir de Fontenay
MOBILE
HOMES tells the story of a young woman, trapped in sex trafficking, and her son
who explores an unlikely way out.
MOUSSE (Sweden)
Director:
John Hellberg
What
could be easier than robbing a small bookie place on the outskirts of town?
Natives
Director:
Jeremy Hersh
Rachel,
a young Manhattanite, is so in love with her girlfriend's Native American roots
that she begin to lose sight of their relationship.
Necronomica
Directors:
Kyle Bogart, Cliff Bogart
A
friendship is tested as two Black Metal bandmates lose hope that they will ever
achieve their ultimate goal: To be the most evil band in the world.
#PostModem
Directors:
Jillian Mayer, Lucas Leyva
#PostModem
is a comedic satirical sci-fi pop-musical based on the theories of Ray Kurzweil
and other futurists. It's the story of two Miami girls and how they deal with
the technological singularity, told in a series of cinematic tweets.
SEQUIN RAZE
Director:
Sarah Gertrude Shapiro
Behind
the scenes of a hit reality TV show, a jaded producer and a spurned beauty
queen face off in mental mortal combat. One driven by cash rewards and
ambition, the other clinging to her last shred of dignity. Only one can leave
victorious.
Shale
Director:
Jed Cowley
John,
a stubborn shale pit owner, and his once dutiful wife, Sheila, have a grave
confrontation after months of separation.
Si Nos Dejan
Director:
Celia Rowlson-Hall
If
they let us, we will love each other all our lives.
SKIN
Director:
Jordana Spiro
A
child taxidermist, an outsider in his small town, is entranced by a girl who
finds his work beautiful.
But
just as their relationship begins to progress, he does something that
drastically changes everything.
The Slaughter
Director:
Jason B. Kohl
A
pig farmer tests his unemployed son's resolve to join the family business.
Social Butterfly (France/USA)
Director:
Lauren Wolkstein
A
30-year-old American woman enters a teenage party in the South of France. Some
of the guests wonder who she is and what she is doing there.
Top Floor
Director:
Aaron David DeFazio
When
Ron, a high powered hedge fund manager, finds out that his biggest investor may
be pulling out of the fund, his world begins to collapse on him, as he juggles
fatherhood, his ex-wife, and one very big secret.
Weighting
Directors:
Dustin Bowser, Brie Larson
A
relationship ends.
When We Lived in Miami
Director:
Amy Seimetz
Filmed
in Miami during Hurricane Isaac, When We Lived in Miami is a
hypnotic short about the lengths one woman will go to keep her family from
falling apart.
DOCUMENTARY SHORTS
Unfiltered
slices of life, from across the documentary spectrum.
After (UK)
Director:
Lukasz Konopa
'After'
is a film about contemporary life in Auschwitz. In an observation from dusk
till dawn, it portrays the theatre of everyday life around the grim confines and
captures the energies and activities of a world fascinated by this former
concentration camp.
Contents of C______'s Box, in no particular
order
Director:
Ian Berry
An
exploration of a failed relationship through a box of mementos.
Endless Day (Germany)
Director:
Anna Frances Ewert
This
film is about an insomniac's inner journey through a sleepless night.
Flutter (USA/Canada)
Director:
Dara Bratt
"Flutter"
is a short observational documentary about an ordinary man obsessed with the
extraordinary.
I Kill
Directors:
David White, Paul Wedel
The
kindest slaughter: a short documentary about one man's bloody job.
Introducing: Bobby.
Director:
Roger Hayn
A
character portrait of a debt-ridden man with a violent past in pursuit of a
fresh start.
The Knife Maker
Director:
Keith "keef" Ehrlich
Writer
turned knife maker Joel Bukiewicz discusses the human element of craft-the
potential for a skill to mature into an art. In sharing his story, he alights
on the real meaning of handmade--a movement whose riches are measured in people,
not cash.
KRS ONE: Brooklyn to the Bronx
Directors:
Brimstone, Joshua Moise
Hip
Hop pioneer, KRS-One, takes us through his years as a homeless teenager in New
York City. Traveling from Brooklyn to the Bronx, he begins to visualize his
steps to becoming an MC.
Magnetic Reconnection (Canada)
Director:
Kyle Armstrong
A
short documentary film contrasting the Northern Lights with the harsh
landscapes and decaying manmade debris littered throughout the northern
Canadian town of Churchill, Manitoba.
The Other Dave
Director:
Pasquale Greco
Life
changes people; especially when it involves 1 billion volts of electricity.
"Super Dave" Manning, was on his way to a pro golf career when
lightning struck and permanently changed his perception of reality.
Recollections (Japan)
Director:
Nathanael Carton
A
community of tsunami survivors hold onto their existence through pictures
recovered from the debris.
The Roper
Directors:
Ewan McNicol, Anna Sandilands
A
black man with hip-hop and zydeco roots hard-grafts through the local, all-white
rodeo circuits in the Deep South as he dreams of competing in the National
Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas.
SLOMO
Director:
Josh Izenberg
Depressed
and frustrated with his life, Dr. John Kitchin abandons his career as a
neurologist and undergoes a radical transformation into SLOMO, trading his lab
coat for a pair of rollerblades and his IRA for a taste of divinity.
The Village (Brazil)
Director:
Liliana Sulzbach
The
daily life of the dwellers of a microtown in the the south of Brazil which is
about to vanish.
Vladimir Putin In Deep Concentration
Directors:
Dana O'Keefe, Sasha Kliment
Vladimir
Putin is the most powerful man in the world
ANIMATED SHORTS
An
assortment of stories told using a mix of traditional animation, computer-generated
effects, stopmotion, and everything in-between. The winner of our Grand Jury
Award in this category is eligible for a 2014 Academy Award nomination for Best
Animated Short.
The Blue Umbrella
Director:
Saschka Unseld
It
is just another evening commute until the rain starts to fall, and the city
comes alive to the sound of dripping rain pipes, whistling awnings and gurgling
gutters. And in the midst, two umbrellas--one blue, one not--fall eternally in
love.
Cicada Princess
Director:
Mauricio Baiocchi
Cicadas
spend a long time planning...
The Event (USA/UK)
Director:
Julia Pott
Love
and a severed foot, at the end of the world.
The Gold Sparrow
Director:
Daniel Stessen
In a
black and white world artists must defend their color.
In Hanford
Director:
Chris Mars
In
Hanford is artist Chris Mars's fantastic exploration of real incidents in
Hanford, Washington, where the local environment was poisoned as a result of
cold war era nuclear arms manufacture.
Kishi Bashi - ''I Am The Antichrist To You''
Director:
Kishi Bashi
A
surreal stop motion collaboration between avante-pop/violinist Kishi Bashi and
acclaimed animator Anthony Scott (Coraline, Paranorman). An abandoned puppy
awakes in a post-apocalyptic world with vivid memories of his love and all that
he lost.
Marcel, King of Tervuren
Director:
Tom Schroeder
Greek
tragedy enacted by Belgian roosters.
Oh Willy... (Belgium/France/ Netherlands/Luxembourg)
Directors:
Emma De Swaef, Marc James Roels
Forced
to return to his naturist roots, Willy bungles his way into noble savagery.
Old Man
Director:
Leah Shore
For
more than 20 years Charles Manson has refused to communicate directly with the
outside world. Until Now.
The Places Where We Lived
Director:
Bernardo Britto
A
man wakes up with a weird feeling. His parents are selling his childhood home.
Shelved (New
Zealand)
Director:
James Cunningham
Two
loser robots discover they are being replaced... by humans
MIDNIGHT SHORTS
Bite-sized
bits for all of your sex, genre, and hilarity needs.
The Apocalypse
Director:
Andrew Zuchero
Four
uninspired friends try to come up with a terrific idea of how to spend their
Saturday afternoon. The Apocalypse.
BOY FRIENDS
Director:
Hugo Vargas-Zesati
A
man disturbed by a dream awakens to realize his unconscious has called his
self-awareness into question. When confronting himself, misfortune brings the
temporal world into perspective.
Cats
Director:
Michael Reich
A
master groomer explains the sensual methods of dog grooming to his young and
beautiful apprentice. Her mind begins to wander into a profane dream that melds
the grossness of dog bathing with voyeuristic and domineering sexuality.
Child Eater (USA/Iceland)
Director:
Erlingur Thoroddsen
A
simple night of babysitting takes a horrifying turn when Helen realizes the
boogeyman really is in little Lucas' closet.
Dance Till You Drop
Directors:
Eric M. Levy, Juan Cardarelli
She
thought the house was safe, but under the right circumstances, anything can be
dangerous. Even a dance montage.
Follow
Director:
Owen Egerton
Follow
is a dark thriller centered on a young couple's dangerous bedroom games.
Hell No
Director:
Joe Nicolosi
Hell
No is a new type of terror, a reality-based horror film that pits real smart
people in terrifying horror situations...
Play House
Director:
Brandon LaGanke
Harold's
crumbling family is bound only by his unconditional love for them.
Root
Director:
Caleb Johnson
A
young woman has an affair that leaves a hideous mark. Her attempts to remove it
only make it
worse.
Two Fingers - 'Vengeance Rhythm' (UK)
Director:
Chris Ullens
This
is the story of a very angry teddy bear.
Under the Lion Crotch (Hong Kong)
Director:
Wong Ping
Daily
life living in Hong Kong.
MUSIC VIDEOS
A
range of classic, innovative, and stylish work showcasing the scope of music
video culture.
Δ (Alt-J) - ''Breezeblocks''
Director:
Ellis Bahl
CHRISTEENE - "Big Shot"
Director:
PJ Raval
Daniel Bedingfield - ''Secret Fear''
Director:
Daniel Bedingfield
Flying Lotus - ''Until The Quiet Comes''
Director:
Kahlil Joseph
Foster The People - ''Houdini''
Director:
DANIELS
HEALTH - ''Tears''
Directors:
David Altobelli, Jeff Desom
Keaton Henson - ''Small Hands''
Director:
Joseph Mann
Killer Mike - ''Reagan''
Directors:
Daniel Garcia, Harry Teitelman
Lushlife - "Magnolia"
Directors:
Jesse Lamar High, Nik Harper
Mikhael Paskalev - ''I Spy''
Director:
André Chocron
Modeselektor - "Evil Twin"
Director:
Dent.De.Cuir
Moones - ''Better Energy"
Director:
Peter Sluszka
Righchus - ''Stroker's Row''
Director:
Taylor Engel
Rudimental - ''Feel The Love''
Director:
Bob Harlow
Slugabed - ''Sex''
Director:
Chris Ullens
Sóley - "Bad Dream"
Directors:
Ellen Ragnarsdóttir, Raam Reddy
Starcadian - ''HE^RT''
Directors:
Rob O'Neill, Starcadian
The Shoes - ''Time To Dance''
Director:
Daniel Wolfe
Wax Tailor Feat Aloe Blacc - "Time To Go"
Directors:
Darcy Prendergast, Seamus Spilsbury
Vitalic - ''Stamina''
Director:
Saman Keshavarz
Wild Belle - ''Keep You''
Director:
Melina Matsoukas
Willow - ''Sweater''
Director:
Filip Sterckx
TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL SHORTS
Texas
High School students offer a glimpse of a bright future for Texas filmmaking.
Adam Mosley - Who I Am
Director:
Jake Wangner
Adam
Mosley is an amateur Fort Worth skateboarder. He spends his days rolling across
the pavement learning new tricks. Take a quick look into his daily life.
Again
Director:
Jade Basinski, Pearl Basinski
A
sweet lullaby.
The Benefactress
Director:
Alina Vega
Everything's
coming apart at the seams.
CaNnibal
Directors:
Sophia Haid, Ivan Kumamoto
The
can man can.
Charlie Hughes
Directors:
Kyle Matthew, Hirsh Elhence
What
did you do to mom?
The Cigarette Burns Slowly
Director:
Connor Clift
Two
individuals who work the night shift together decide to take a cigarette break.
Chemistry unfolds.
Don't Be Afraid Ashley
Director:
Makena Buchanan
Don't
be afraid Ashley, It's just a dark empty theater, there's no one here but your
friends.
Drop
Director:
Zenzele Ojore
"Drop"
is an experimental narrative that tells the story of a young drowning victim,
her journey through the "in-between" and the many memories of her past to reach
her alternate peace.
Dropoff
Director:
Conner Miller
A
man on the run--but from what?
THE EXCHANGE
Director:
Louis J. Zylka
One
night, a robbery took place at a museum and someone got murdered. It's up to
Detective Bones to solve this crime.
Gas Giant
Director:
Andrew Haworth
Gas
Giant is a stop motion animated short about a man who wakes up on his lawn and
realizes he's 50 feet tall.
GBFF
Director:
Atheena Frizzell
More
than anything else in the world, Reese wants a gay best friend. She sets out to
get one but her plan goes terribly awry.
The Magic Lasso
Director:
Amy Harvie
The
Magic Lasso is a thriller about a young girl who wakes up from a coma in a
post-apocalyptic hospital and the abandoned characters she discovers there.
Obsession
Director:
Stephen Mendoza
Obsession
is a thriller about a disturbed young woman who finally has the evening she has
been dreaming of with the object of her affection.
Outbreak
Director:
Maddison Lopez
What
would the average high school student do to survive a zombie apocalpyse?
Partner
Directors:
James Bradford, Max Montoya
Girl,
you'll be a woman soon.
Robert Cossman, Deceased
Director:
Alexander Marking
The
story around a mysterious briefcase
Sir Gawain & the Green Knight
Directors:
Callan Harrison, Aidan Anders
Sir
Gawain & the Green Knight is a hand cut paper animation chronicling the
adventures of Sir Gawain and his attempts to uphold the code of chivalry.
Skin To Bone
Directors:
Taha Dawoodbhoy, Brandon Torio
Skin
To Bone is a fan made music video to the song "Skin To Bone" by
Linkin Park. The video delves into the dark meeting behind the song.
TRAPPED (A Slenderman Short Film)
Directors:
Jonathan Munoz, Kyle Curtis
An
adaptation to the Slenderman urban legend. Inspired by the hit PC game SLENDER
True Story
Director:
Miles Andres
Based
on a true story.
Zipper
Director:
Rachel Davis
A
girl find a body and a zipper catches her attention....