Are you ready for a spine-chilling global avalanche of Indian zombies, Israeli oldboys, vengeance-crazed Vikings, Swedish mesmerists, Irish telekinesis, Argentine undead, Aussie bone-crushers, murderous Mormons and Chilean assassins?
Film4 FrightFest 2013, returning for its 4teenth year, is delighted to unveil its biggest line-up in history. From Thurs 22 August to Monday 26 August, the UK’s leading event for genre fans will be at the Empire Cinema in London’s Leicester Square to present 51 films on three screens. Empire 1 will house the main event while the Discovery strands will play in Empires 2 & 4. The new FrightFest Xtra strand, also in Screen 2, will allow fans to catch up with sold-out performances of the most popular attractions.
This year there are eleven countries representing five continents with a record-breaking thirty-three UK or European premieres and ten world premieres.
The world premieres include our opening night attraction THE DEAD 2: INDIA from the Ford Brothers, BANSHEE CHAPTER, produced by Star Trek’s Zachary Quinto, Kit Ryan’s startling DEMENTAMANIA, the epidemic shocker ANTISOCIAL the Argentinean post World War Z drama THE DESERT and the retro Spanish chiller FOR ELISA. European premieres include Don Mancini’s CURSE OF CHUCKY, Anthony Di Blasi’s MISSIONARYand Steven R. Monroe’s I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE 2.
The UK premieres feature our closing night film, the most want-to-see 2013 title BIG BAD WOLVES, Jim Mickle’s appetising WE ARE WHAT WE ARE, Vincenzo Natali’s HAUNTER, Ryuhei Kitamura’s NO ONE LIVES, Lasse Hallstrom’s THE HYPNOTIST, the Pastor Brothers’ THE LAST DAYS, the VHS documentary REWIND THIS!, Bobcat Goldthwait’s horror-comedy WILLOW CREEK, producer Adam Green’s HATCHET III, acclaimed anthology V/H/S/2, the fantasy thriller ODD THOMAS, rural horror romp 100 BLOODY ACRES, compulsive chiller THE CONSPIRACY, Renny Harlin’s mystery thriller THE DYATLOV PASS INCIDENT & Marina De Van’s high-voltage shocker DARK TOUCH.
The Brits are once again proving that the genre is in fine form. Aside from the aforementioned THE DEAD 2: INDIA and DEMENTAMANIA, there is Christian James’ toilet-humoured STALLED, Jeremy Lovering’s white-knuckle ride IN FEAR, Farren Blackburn’s axe-murderous HAMMER OF THE GODS, Kate Shenton’s human suspension doc ON TENDER HOOKS, THE PARANORMAL DIARIES: CLOPHILL, from the Zombie Diaries duo, Michael Bartlett & Kevin Gates, Kieran Parker’s latest in the zombie action franchise OUTPOST: RISE OF THE SPETSNAZ and THE BORDERLANDS., a paranormal chiller from Elliot Goldner.
Keynote previews include THE GRIEF TOURIST starring Michael Cudlitz and Melanie Griffith, and Carlos Medina’s award-winning PAINLESS.
Crowd-pleasers have always been at the heart of the FrightFest experience, so audiences can sit back and thrill to the roof-raising YOU’RE NEXT, the incredible CHEAP THRILLS, the mutant-tastic FRANKENSTEIN’S ARMY and a Special Preview of the Hollywood blockbuster R.I.P.D. starring Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges. And we have included two of our February FrightFest Glasgow draws – the fabulously trashy grindhouser BRING ME THE HEAD OF THE MACHINE GUN WOMAN.and Michael Stephenson’s hugely entertaining doc THE AMERICAN SCREAM.
Expanding the Discovery Strand means there are double the treats to sample this year, including the nerve-shredding SNAP, the smart horror-fantasy HANSEL & GRETEL & THE 4:20 WITCH, Sonny Laguna’s ferocious WITHER, Israeli war fantasy CANNON FODDER, Scream-styled homage SADIK 2, James Sizemore ‘s demonic THE DEMON’S ROCK, David McCracken’s story of small-town child abuse DAYLIGHT & sex-disease horror CONTRACTED. There is also a first-time screening of three episodes of Adam Green and Joe Lynch’s TV series HOLLISTON.
Plus, there’s a chance to discover an eclectic mix of Premiere screening restorations : Ozploitation classic – WAKE IN FRIGHT, a tribute to Hammer Horror icon Peter Cushing – CORRUPTION, the first Roger Corman Edgar Allan Poe masterpiece – THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER, and the genre landmark that is F. W. Murnau’s NOSFERATU.
With Andy Nyman’s ever-popular ‘Quiz From Hell’ now in its 4th year, the announcement of the ‘666 Short Cuts To Hell’ competition winners, in association with Horror Channel and Movie Mogul, the ‘Turn Off Your Bloody Phone!’ entries and the usual bloody red carpet gathering of stars, directors and surprise guests, Film4 FrightFest 14 looks set to raise the roof. Let the screaming begin!
Alan Jones, Festival co-director, said today: Fourteen years down the line from our seminal start in 2000, the ambitions of the Film4 FrightFest remain exactly the same: to promote horror and fantasy in all its rich and varied ways, to foster the latest in world genre cinema, to highlight our vibrant home-grown independent sector and to invite an international array of directors, actors and filmmakers to discuss their work. For that reason we have remained at the vanguard of the genre”.
Julia Wrigley, Head of Film4 Channel4, added: ‘“We are thrilled to return for the 7th year in a row as the headline sponsors of Film4 FrightFest. Once again, the line-up includes a great range of British films, including the relentlessly terrifying Film4 Production In Fear. Our FrightFest fortnight on Film4 is packed with channel premieres, festival favourites and some classics from the crypt”.
The guest line-up and 2013 Short Film Selections will announced shortly.
Festival & day passes go on sale from 29 June. Tickets for Individual films are on sale from 27 July.
Bookings: 08 714 714 714 or www.empirecinemas.co.uk
Oh my that is a fine line-up. Can’t wait!