Nothing irks a horror fan more than seeing the Yueltide season's slinking takeover of store shelves even before Halloween has come and gone. You will forgive us for bringing up something Christmas related this soon, but we do so with good reason.
Usually around this time of year we would be deep into the heart of CDMX ready to celebrate another Morbido film festival, as our social media feeds draw up memories of festivals' past. Because of the health crisis we already knew that this wasn't going to happen in the traditional way but the festival would adapt to the current surroundings and still host an event in some form and fashion.
As Halloween and Dia del los Muertos drew near (the traditional dates for Morbido) we hadn't heard 'boo' from our friends so we began to wonder what was going on. Turns out they've been working at the alternative and for this year the festival will take on a hybrid version, with online, physical and drive-in screenings, in December.
Yes. Morbido will move this year towards a Christmas-time date and to honor the horrorday tradition this year's poster features an amazing rendition of everyone's favorite character of folklore, Krampus. I mean, wow. Looks like it was pulled right from the cover of a Scandinavian children's book that parents bring out once and a while to remind their offspring to behave.
Morbido alumni Joe Dante will help celebrate the horrorday season with a celebration of the 30th anniversary of Gremlins 2. The filmography of Spanish cult director Alex de la Iglesia will be highlighted this year. One more alumni Gigi Saul Guerrero will present the LatAm premiere her new short film Misstress of Bones and a retrospective of other Luchagore short films.
The press release follows and in the gallery below we have included a couple images of mi padre del terror, Morbido festival director Pablo Guisa, in full yueltide regalia. Just look at him! Magnificant!
MORBIDO FILM FEST will take place from December 10 to 13th,a new way of celebrating Christmas.Mexico City, October 2020. Directed by Pablo Guisa, Mórbido Film Festival will take place in Mexico City from December 10 to December 13th. Making Christmas its central theme."Christmas presents a dual side to us: while everything appears to be all about happiness and joy, there's also a deeply dark side about it. There's many examples in real life and in cinema as well; there's "Krampus" who punishes wayward children, then there's Victorian England where horror stories were told on Christmas Eve and another example would be a Santa Claus film directed by Rene Cardona where the devil appears" - Pablo Guisa."Each year, we are witness to how Christmas begins to arrive earlier each year through decorations, stores and streets, for this reason alone we have decided to extend Halloween all the way until December" - Pablo GuisaThe Festival's image is based upon KRAMPUS, a demonic creature of folklore from the alps who punishes naughty children during the Christmas season, in contrast with Saint Nicholas who rewards good children with gifts and presents. It is said that Krampus catches particularly naughty children with a sack and takes them with him to the depths of hell where he devours them whole. As it is with every year, the poster was created by Mexican artist Rafael Gallur, a comic book living legend.The Festival will be realized in hybrid form, taking place at the Cinepolis Diana, Autocinema Coyote (a Drive-in Cinema) and Morbido TV.Among this year's guests will be Film Director Joe Dante of the classic christmas horror movie "Gremlins" and there will be a "Gremlins 2" 30th anniversary celebration.We'll also have as a guest Spanish Filmmaker and Producer Alex de la Iglesia who consolidated himself with another Christmas-themed horror film: The Day of The Beast (El Día de La Bestia) which will be presented in a 4K remaster format and who will have a tribute to his long body of work which includes films such as: Acción Mutante (Mutant Action), 800 Balas (800 Bullets), Perdita Durango, Muertos de Risa (Dying of Laughter), La Comunidad (Common Wealth), Balada triste de Trompeta (The Last Circus), Las Brujas de Zugarramurdi (Witching & Bitching), El Bar (The Bar), Perfectos Desconocidos (Perfect Strangers), and the 30 Coins series (30 Monedas). De la Iglesia is currently filming his latest film: "Veneciafrenia".The official feature length selection will be released at the end of November, once the selection process has finished which will include many new national releases.The oficial 2020 Short Film Selection will be televised through Mórbido TV, from October 31t till November 15th, where we will present 83 shorts within 11 thematic blocks from 25 countries that will offer a cathartic experience where the power of short films as a powerful expression platform will be demonstrated.Submerge within these blocks and allow Mórbido to tell you nightmarish stories and the dark fantasies imagined by its creators.1. Bitter Bird of Youth2. The Unmistakable Charm of the Extreme3. When That Which is Solid Disintegrates4. See How I Die5. Strangeland6. Meta-Horror in Service of The Community7. The Watery Versatility of Fluids8. The Hardened Homeland9. The Stink of New Normality10. The Delicacies of OthernessFor block 11. Luchagore Retrospective: Mistress of Bones.A retrospective inspired by the works of Gigi Saúl Guerrero, a Mexican girl who dreamt of making movies and now she's a force within horror cinema. We invite you to discover the bloody universe of Gigi Saúl Guerrero and her production company Luchagore Productions, though her short-films and an exclusive interview between Gigi Saul Guerrero and Valeria Villegas Lindval, specialized writer in horror cinema. And as the final act of this block, we'll have the LatinAmerican premiere of her latest Luchagore short-film, produced by CRYPT TV: MISTRESS OF BONES.And finally, to start-off celebrations Morbido style, we'll launch on November 1st with our traditional luchas afternoon, but this time from the comfort of your car. AAA and Mórbido unite to present from Autódromo Hermanos Rodriguez two Auto-Luchas showings at 17:30h and 20:30h, tickets are available and ready through Ticketmaster Live.