We've safely crossed into September! That means it's Halloween season at the movies. To celebrate, Popcorn Frights' Wicked Weekend 2024 will thrill horror-movie lovers with its "annual celebration of all the eerie, weird, wild, and strange things that go bump in the night!"
That quotation comes from the official release, which is so good that I can't help but copy and paste their official description: "The event, running September 25-29 at the historic Gateway Theater, will feature eight film premieres and special presentations highlighted by new nightmares featuring some of the most beloved women in genre cinema, including Sarah Paulson, Samara Weaving, Heather Langenkamp, Barbara Crampton, Julia Garner, and Oscar-winner Ariana DeBose."
Which films, you might ask? As spotlighted in our headline, Apartment 7A, a prequel to Rosemary's Baby that stars Julia Garner and Dianne Wiest; psychological thriller It's What's Inside, which premiered at SXSW and is heading to Netflix; and House of Spoils lead the way, the latter "starring Euphoria's Barbie Ferreira and Academy Award-winner Ariana DeBose as an ambitious chef working at a remote estate who is haunted by a mysterious presence that threatens to sabotage her at every turn."
The official release continues: "The program will also feature Searchlight's hauntingly tense and anxiety-inducing frightfest Hold Your Breath, a supernatural and psychological thriller set during the dust storms of 1930s Oklahoma starring Sarah Paulson as a mother trying to protect her daughters from deadly windstorms and a sinister presence threatening her family."
But that's not all! "Hitting the scuzz and sun capital for its Florida Premiere is the year's most zany, gonzo, blood-soaked musical, Chainsaws Were Singing, a decade in the making Estonian murder-fest about lovers split up by a chainsaw-wielding killer.
"Rounding out the program are Florida Premieres of Shudder's V/H/S/Beyond, the biggest, maddest, bloodiest V/H/S ever in its seventh installment featuring six new bloodcurdling tapes from the likes of Kate Siegel, Mike Flanagan, and Justin Long; the pulse-pounding, dialog-less, post-apocalyptic vision Azrael from writer Simon Barrett and starring Samara Weaving as a desperate woman who is being hunted by a tenacious cult of mutes determined to use her in a sadistic ritual; and the unflinching tale Little Bites, starring the first ladies of horror Barbara Crampton and Heather Langenkamp, and featuring a powerhouse performance from Krsy Fox as a mother desperately trying to protect her daughter from the grips of a fiendish, flesh-eating monster."
We've already reviewed some of those films, which are linked below, so click there to read more. If you are planning to travel to Florida, be advised: "Access to Popcorn Frights' Wicked Weekend in-theater experience is available through an all-access pass, which will provide an all-inclusive experience for films and special events hosted at the historic Gateway Theater in Fort Lauderdale. To order an all-access pass, click here."
One more thing about the image at the top of this article: "The official poster for this year's Popcorn Frights Wicked Weekend was created by South Florida artist Jason Sheppard, who has been crafting imagery for the event over the past four years." Looks smashing, as does the entire program of events. Florida residents and travelers, I envy you.