Why can't we here in the U.S. have a horror film festival that spans 5 days and is packed with a ton of quality flicks? This lineup looks so amazingly sick, that I just threw up. Seriously, the list of films below that are premiering or being shown at this years Frightfest is insane.
For a complete list of films being shown, and all other things Frightfest, click this link: Film4 Frightfest 2009 lineup:
Thursday, August 27th-
Triangle OPENING FILM (World Premiere)- The Boat That Shocked! Film4 FrightFest is delighted to open this year’s festival with the first ever showing of British director Christopher Smith’s latest spellbinding horror fantasy. When Jess (Melissa George) hits a seagull driving to her local harbor little does she know it signals a harrowing omen for her yachting trip with friends. From epic ocean vistas to poignantly shocking finale, TRIANGLE is Smith’s best, polished and most mature work.
The Hills Run Red (UK Premiere)- Not since Scream has there been a better tribute to the slasher. Film student Tyler is obsessed with the infamous slasher film ‘The Hills Run Red’. No known print of the film exists, but he locates the director’s daughter and persuades her to take his film crew into the backwoods where the film was shot. Once there, they realize, too late, that the film never ended...
Infestation (UK Premiere)- Writer/director Kyle Rankin’s top-ranking comedy horror is an enormously entertaining creature feature starring Fanboys Chris Marquette as Slacker Cooper. Oversize insects have suddenly taken over the world and taking charge of a rag-tag group of survivors Cooper heads for the nest to destroy the colossal pests breeding within. Superb special effects continually propel this inventively shudder-some creepy-crawly action thriller.Friday, August 28th-
The Horseman- This unflinchingly violent thriller is compelling to the max. After learning of the suspicious death of his teenage daughter, Christian (Peter Marshall) is sent a pornographic video of what may have been her last hours alive. This leads him to track down those responsible and exact the most horrific forms of retribution imaginable. Grounded by Marshall’s incredibly moving performance, this discomforting road movie is an unforgettable experience. Be strongly forewarned!Beware the Moon (World Premiere)- Everything you ever wanted to know about John Landis’ classic chiller is here in this superb documentary written and directed by Paul Davis. There are Interviews with all the cast and crew, plus never-before-seen unused and test footage. Reminiscences from David Naughton, Griffin Dunne, Jenny Agutter, John Woodvine and even the cast of the porno film-within-the-film ‘See You Next Wednesday’ make this ‘Making of’ one of the most detailed and very best.
An American Werewolf in London- Director John Landis’ classic 1981 horror set the standard for the modern werewolf movie and is one of the most influential horror movies ever in terms of gory comedy horror, Now, fully restored and on the big screen just around the corner from where its stunning action climax was filmed in Piccadilly Circus, Film4 FrightFest will be assembling as many of the cast and crew we can muster on the Empire stage.
The Horde (Special Sneak Preview)- From executive producer Xavier Gens (FRONTIER(S) director) comes another major shock to the action horror system. In order to avenge the murder of one of their own by a group of ruthless gangsters, four corrupt Paris cops go on a rampage. Then the unimaginable occurs. Hordes of rage-fueled zombies suddenly appear. Let the end of days battle begin between cops, gangsters and the living dead in a world with no future.
Macabre (UK Premiere)- A gore galore shocker from The MO Brothers whose quest to crash-marry the sleekness of East-Asian horror movement with the stylishness of the American terror wave triumphs in this feature remake of their acclaimed short DARA. Dara is a woman of ageless enigma and horrifying tastes who has raised three deadly protégés in a cult of cannibalism. The bloodiest movie Film4 FrightFest has ever shown, MACABRE is a grisly masterpiece of unhinged mayhem.Saturday, August 29th-
Smash Cut (UK Premiere)- David Hess, star of THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (1972), gives a dizzying portrayal as Able Whitman, a troubled genre director, who rescues his fading career by killing people and using their body parts as props, When his new found ‘realism’ gets universally acclaimed it’s down to detective Isaac Beaumonde to stop Able’s string of stomach-churning murders. Also starring are splatter movie godfather Herschell Gordon Lewis and adult movie actress Sasha Grey.
Giallo (London Premiere)-From Dario Argento, the undisputed master of Italian horror, comes a startling thriller sporting a title referring to the genre of sex-studded violence he popularized in the 1970s with THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE. After being abandoned by his junkie prostitute mother at birth, the disfigured serial maniac known as Yellow chooses his victims based on their beauty. Fashion model Celine is his latest prey. When her sister Linda reports Celine missing she’s sent to Inspector Avolfi - who has made it his mission to bring Yellow to justice. Then Yellow sees Linda…Trick r' Treat (UK Premiere)-The quintessential haunted spirit of the autumn holiday is used with élan not seen since John Carpenter’s HALLOWEEN in writer/director Michael Dougherty’s winning horror anthology. Mirthful, nasty, poignant yet always sinister, terror tales involving vampires, zombies, werewolves and serial killers are given a wickedly EC Comic edge. as they intermingle during one night of costumed celebration in Smalltown USA. Fabulous direction, beautiful photography, stunning art direction and wonderful creepshow special effects mark this warm and delightful homage to the horror calendar date an instant classic.
Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl (UK Premiere) -After welcoming new flesh for old in TOKYO GORE POLICE, special effects genius/director Yoshihiro Nishimura goes for more splatter slapstick in this freaky face-off co-directed with Naoyuki Tomomatsu of EAT THE SCHOOLGIRL fame. Based on a manga by Shungiku Uchida, two ‘unearthly; schoolgirls pine for the same handsome student Mizushima. Let the fighting, beating, stabbing, chewing, clawing showdown high atop Tokyo Tower begin.Sunday, August 30th-
Dead Snow (UK Premiere)-When eight medical students go on a weekend ski trip to Øksfjord in Norway, the last thing on their minds is an army frozen Nazi zombies. Get ready for a goose-stepping gore-fest, with gruesome beheading's, snowmobile dismemberment, intestinal disemboweling aplenty and an awesome body count. Director Tommy Wirkola’s outrageous sub-zero shocker is a fast, furious and funny valentine to the early works of Peter Jackson and Sam Raimi.
Human Centipede (World Premiere)-You won’t have seen anything quite like Dutch avant-garde artist Tom Six’ totally bizarre off-the-wall oddity. Surgeon Dr. Josef Heiter has a vision for mankind’s future existence. He wants to remove the kneecaps so humans have to exist on all fours and then surgically graft them mouth-to-anus to form a centipede chain. When two stranded female Americans arrive at his luxury home-cum-hospital looking for help, his long-gestating plan swiftly moves into chilling action with a shocking force. The First Sequence in Six’s intended trilogy features an all-consuming mad doctor performance from German superstar Dieter Laser.
Night of the Demons (World Premiere)-From Adam Gierasch, director of AUTOPSY and co-writer with Jace Anderson of MOTHER OF TEARS, comes the highly anticipated remake of the 1988 cult classic. Maddie and her girlfriends are partying at the notorious Broussard Mansion in New Orleans But during the wild sex-and-drugs abandon it becomes clear supernatural forces are at work. The mansion is home to demons that need to possess seven vessels to break free of an ancient curse. Can Maddie make it through the night and keep evil forces from spreading into the world?Clive Barker's Dread (World Premiere)-Adapted by writer/director Anthony DiBlasi from the Clive Barker novella in ‘Books of Blood Volume II’ this psychological horror tale is intense, grim and nasty - the shock ending the stuff of appalling nightmares. Three Boston college students join forces to helm a Kinsey-style documentary study on the subject of fear. But two of the unholy trio are unaware the third is haunted by past demons causing chilling sociopath behaviour and a driven need to explore people’s innermost terrors to extreme limits.
Monday, August 31st-
The House of the Devil (UK Premiere)-From THE ROOST director Ti West comes old school psychological horror at its finest, freakiest and most fiendish. Answering a campus advert for a babysitter, student Samantha ends up at the old remote country home of a strange couple. But something is clearly wrong. There seems to be no child. A total lunar eclipse is about to further darken the night skies. And Samantha’s blood-freezing satanic panic begins…West’s occult chiller is eerily subtle before slamming home a tension-laden devilish finale. One of the best independent horrors of the year.
Case 39 (UK Premiere)-Family services social worker Emily Jenkins (Oscar-winning Renee Zellweger) thinks she’s seen it all when given her newest, most mysterious assignment. For troubled 10 year-old Lillith Sullivan seems to be the victim of horrendous child abuse at the hands of her mother and father. And Emily’s worst fears are confirmed when Lillith’s parents are caught trying to viciously kill their only daughter. But Emily’s quick intervention saves Lillith and she decides to take her in herself until the right foster family can be found. Then the stark, staring real horror begins…
Heartless (World Premiere)-From the director of THE REFLECTING SKIN comes HEARTLESS, a menacing and magical tale of Jamie (Jim Sturgess) born with a heart-shaped birthmark on his face. Shunned by those who find him repulsive, the photographer’s son lives in a part of London’s East End notorious for gang violence. When his mother is viciously murdered, Jamie realizes the thugs aren’t wearing disguises at all; they really are demons and hell on earth is beginning to plague the capital city. Yet all is not what it seems in terrible Ridley’s unique horror fantasy landscape ingeniously informed by the current climate of fear running through every strata of modern society.
The Descent Part 2 CLOSING FILM (World Premiere)-Terror mounts as fear cuts deeper in the chilling continuation to the globally successful horror hit THE DESCENT. Traumatized, Sarah Carter (Shauna MacDonald) emerges alone from the cave system where she confronted her darkest dread. With no rational explanation to what happened, the authorities force her back into the subterranean depths to help locate her five missing girlfriends. But as the rescue party enters further uncharted domains, flashbacks start haunting Sarah as shocking memories of the past hit home. For they are venturing into the habitat of a new tribe of Crawlers, even more viciously feral than Sarah faced before.
