[News] FrightFest Announces its Lineup and Schedule for its Virtual 2020 Festival!

The UK’s most popular horror and fantasy film festival celebrates its 21st bloody year with a special Digital edition, showcasing twenty-five films, from Thurs 27th August to Mon 31st August, including seven world premieres and sixteen UK premieres. Ten countries are represented from four continents in a deadly, daring and diverse programme exclusively presented to UK audiences.

Passes and tickets will go on sale Sat 1 August and details on how to access the event and choose which films to watch are on the FrightFest website.

All film screenings will be geo-locked to UK audiences and only accessible from within the United Kingdom.

Blind

The menu of sinister treats and gory delights kicks off on the Thursday night with a LIVE STREAMED QUIZ, hosted by Mike Muncer, host and producer of ‘Evolution of Horror’ - the UK's #1 horror movie podcast. Mike will be putting your horror knowledge to the test. You can play as a team or as an individual. There will be several different rounds of horror and FrightFest-centric questions. Join in the fun at 8pm on the Evolution of Horror YouTube Channel. 

This is followed by the jawsome curtain-raising UK premiere of SKY SHARKS, Years in the epic making, the Nazi zombie piloted killer sharks are finally airborne!

On Friday there are four presentations: the world premiere of pulse-pounding action horror THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS VAMPIRES, the UK premiere of Brea Grant’s organ transplant shocker 12 HOUR SHIFT, from Alastair Orr comes the UK premiere of TRIGGERED, where game-playing is taken to an extreme new level, and finally, from director Patrick Rea, the world premiere of I AM LISA, a lycanthropic homage to Richard Matheson’s classic novel ‘I Am Legend’ and its 1964 movie adaptation The Last Man on Earth.

Sky Sharks

Saturday brings eight more deadly choices reflecting the internationally-flavoured line-up. The Netherlands gives us the shockingly fun, pitch black comedy of manners. THE COLUMNIST, from the US there is Ruben Pia’s wonderfully engaging genre documentary THE HORROR CROWD, plus Marcel Walz’s blood-soaked Hollywood nightmare, BLIND.

Then there’s the UK premiere of DARK PLACE, a ground-breaking Australian anthology feature telling a quintet of indigenous tales with indigenous casts. Canada is represented by the world premiere of the graphic, no-holds barred internet chiller DON’T CLICK, starring Valter Skarsgård and then it’s back to the US for the UK premiere of mind-bending THE HONEYMOON PHASE, a tense Fatal Attraction meets Black Mirror sci-fi horror. 

Two Heads Creek

The UK is represented by two ‘First Blood’ world premiere entries, now supported by the festival’s Broadcast sponsor Horror Channel. THEY’RE OUTSIDE is a highly original dark fairytale for adults, starring FrightFest favourites, Emily Booth and Nicholas Vince and PLAYHOUSE is a moody, haunted Scottish castle mystery from feature debut directors Toby and Fionn Watts.

Stewart Bridle, Horror Channel Manager, commentated: We're excited to continue our long-running partnership with FrightFest in 2020. This year’s digital edition is a proof that even these challenging times can't keep a great festival down. We're also especially proud to directly support 'First Blood', their important showcase of first-time feature directors - we can't wait for you to see this year's dark debuts. The future of genre film starts here”.

Horror Channel will continue to sponsor the strand through to the end of the year, culminating in an award to be presented at the planned October event.

Sunday sees carnage, cannibalism and contagion spread through the day’s line-up. The brilliant TWO HEADS CREEK is a cannibal comedy from Jesse O’Brien, executed in the best old school Ozploitation tradition, and there’s more exploitation from the director of Discopath, in his mad slasher riff AQUASLASH, Even more blood is spilled as a slaughter spree of mystically epic proportions has to be solved in Armando Fonseca’s SKULL: THE MASK and Evil Dead fans are served a treat with the international premiere of Steve Villeneuve’s documentary HAIL TO THE DEADITES, which explores the classic franchise's undying and ever-growing popularity.

Triggered

How to escape an insidious virus is the challenge for two women in the world premiere of Francesco Giannini’s HALL and continuing on current themes, there is a special live panel -  HORROR IN LOCKDOWN.  Hosted by Rosie Fletcher, UK Editor of Den Of Geek. the panel of special guests from the industry will discuss how the horror genre has been affected by the global pandemic. What does the shape of horror look like now we're all actually living in a real life horror film? How are the stories we want to hear affected by our changed world? And what might the genre look like on the other side? The panel will run live for 90 minutes, with a chance for viewers to ask questions at the end.

An equally challenging task for filmmakers is how to make an indie movie and CLAPBOARD JUNGLE: SURVIVING THE INDEPENDENT FILM BUSINESS is a fascinating insight into the life and career of independent filmmaker Justin McConnell (Lifechanger) as he documents the struggles of the low-budget film industry. Finally, for those who missed the

FrightFest Glasgow 2019 breakout hit A GHOST WAITS, here’s a chance to see the ghostly romance in a new cut.

Aquaslash

FrightFest climaxes on Monday in breathless, fast-paced, tradition with five UK premieres. There’s the grisly, hard-boiled honour killer thriller. AV: THE HUNT and writer/director Dean Kapsalis’ stunning feature debut THE SWERVE, a shimmering American take on Michael Haneke-style torment. Then we have five tales of gripping terror in DARK STORIES. a fantastic anthology from France, a savagely manipulative indictment of the internet  courtesy of Tyler Savage’s BLINDERS and mutant sci-fi thrills in the X-Men tradition in ENHANCED, And our headline sponsor, Arrow Video will present one of their popular podcasts with illustrious co-hosts – filmmaker and journalist Sam Ashurst and SFX guru Dan Martin.

The Short Film Showcases are back and will be available to watch on demand, and, of course, FrightFest wouldn’t be the same without some sneak previews and tantalising trailers. Plus they’ll be plenty of guests popping up to introduce their films and the FrightFest directors will be hosting some Q & A’s. Watch out for further news announcements soon.

Festival co-director, Alan Jones, said today: “We will desperately miss seeing all of you in person this August Bank Holiday but are looking forward to our virtual connection where we can say hello to the best family in the world, the FrightFest community. And if you’ve never experienced a FrightFest before, and have always yearned to join in with the fear, fun and fabulousness now is your chance to find out what you’ve been missing for 21 years”.

For full programme details, visit the FrightFest website.

FILM & EVENTS PROGRAMME

All film screenings will be geo-blocked to UK audiences and only accessible from within the United Kingdom

THURS 27 AUGUST

19:00 THE EVOLUTION OF HORROR FRIGHTFEST QUIZ (EVENT)

Do you know your Carpenter from your Craven? Your Halloween from your Hatchet? Join us for The Evolution of Horror FrightFest live pub quiz! Mike Muncer (host and producer of the UK's #1 horror movie podcast, The Evolution of Horror) will be live streaming and hosting this year's quiz and putting your horror knowledge to the test. All are welcome - you can play as a team or as an individual - just watch along with a pen and paper at the ready to jot down your answers. There'll be several different rounds of horror and FrightFest-centric questions! Join in on the Evolution of Horror YouTube Channel. 

21:15 SKY SHARKS (UK Premiere)

Director: Mark Fehse. With: Tony Todd, Lyn Lowry, Mick Garris, Barbara Nedeljakova. Germany 2020. 110 mins.

Synopsis: The sea is not enough! Deep in the ice of the Antarctic, a team of geologists uncover an old Nazi laboratory where dark experiments had occurred. In order to conquer the world, the Nazis created modified sharks, which were able to fly and whose riders were genetically mutated, undead superhumans. So a military task force known as ‘Dead Flesh Four’ – comprising reanimated U.S. soldiers who fell in Vietnam - is put together to prevent the universe from facing the jawsome menace again.

FRIDAY 28 AUGUST

ARROW VIDEO SCREEN

18:00 THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS VAMPIRES (World Premiere)

Director: Logan Thomas. With: Meg Foster, Raphael Sbarge, Emma Holzer, Maria Olsen. USA 2020. 81 mins. 

 Synopsis: Get ready for the Fright Night of your life as the opening frames of visual stylist Logan Thomas’ turbo-charged terror thunders into a breakneck chase that takes place over a thirty-six hour period. Stranger heroes, Joshua and Ariel, literally crash into each other along a dark road in the dead of night…and before long find themselves pursued across North America, the target of an unstoppable supernatural force.

20:45 12 HOUR SHIFT (UK Premiere)

Director: Brea Grant. With: Angela Bettis, David Arquette, Chloe Farnworth, Mick Foley. USA 2020. 86 mins.

Synopsis: It’s 1999, the Y2K bug crisis is news, and at a seedy Arkansas hospital, junkie nurse Mandy (MAY’s Angela Bettis) is about to work a double shift. But patient care is not top of her agenda. She’s in the organ trafficking business with her erratic cousin Regina who is about to pick up a kidney from her and take it to the dealers. But the kidney gets misplaced, and Mandy must find another source, or else she’s toast. Then her brother and a convicted killer are brought into the ER. What else could possibly go outrageously and gruesomely wrong?

HORROR CHANNEL SCREEN

19:00 I AM LISA (World Premiere)

Director: Patrick Rea. With: Kristen Vaganos, Jennifer Seward, Manon Halliburton, Carmen Anello. USA 2020. 92 mins.

Synopsis: A vicious and corrupt small-town sheriff and her deputies brutalize Lisa and leave her for dead in the nearby woods. There she is bitten by a werewolf and bestowed with supernatural abilities. Can Lisa retain her humanity as she exacts revenge and cedes herself more and more to the wolf side of her personality? A creature feature primed to bullseye the current female empowerment zeitgeist.

21:30 TRIGGERED (UK Premiere)

Director: Alastair Orr. With: Reine Swart, Sean Cameron Michael, Liesl Ahlers, Craig Urbani. South Africa 2020. 90 mins

Synopsis: Nine friends, all harbouring a dark secret, go camping in the woods. After a wild night of partying, they wake up with Suicide Vests strapped onto their chests. All have varying times on their countdown clocks. At first they decide to work together, find out how to disarm the bombs and look for help. But then they discover they can 'take' one another's time by killing each other. Let the Battle Royale begin…

SATURDAY 29 AUGUST

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12:00 THE COLUMNIST (UK Premiere)

Director: Ivo van Aart. With: Genio de Groot, Katja Herbers, Rein Hofman, Bram van der Kelen. The Netherlands 2019. 86 mins.

Synopsis: Newspaper columnist and writer’s blocked author Femke Boot (Katja Herbers from ‘Westworld’) is suddenly flooded with anonymous nasty messages and death threats on her social media pages.  Who is responsible and why are they doing it? When she finds out her revenge is swift and unfortunately deadly. And her mission in life becomes crystal clear.

15:00 THE HORROR CROWD (World Premiere)

Director: Ruben Pla. With: Russell Mulcahy, Lin Shaye, Darren Lynn Bousman, Ryan Turek. Mike Mendez, Brea Grant USA 2020. 92mins.

Synopsis: DRACULA, FRANKENSTEIN, THE WOLFMAN, THE EXORCIST, JAWS, ALIEN…What made the creators of these films dream up the nightmares that kept us up at night? Were they as strange and twisted as their creations? And what about today’s creators of horror? Who are the minds behind the macabre of the present day? A revealing, intimate documentary from veteran actor insider Ruben Pla spotlighting the Hollywood horror community, covering such wide-ranging topics as Being The Weird Kid, Sparking The Imagination, Women In Horror, Race Relations, Helping Each Other, Film Festivals, and The Dark Side.

18:00 BLIND (UK Premiere)

Director: Marcel Walz. With: Sarah French, Jed Rowen, Caroline Williams, Tyler Gallant. USA 2020. 88 mins.

Synopsis: Faye is a former actress who lost her vision, and starry career, due to botched laser eye surgery. Struggling to put her lonely and panic-stricken life back together while living alone in her Hollywood Hills dream house, she’s supported by her visually impaired friend Sophia, and her mute physical trainer, Luke. However, what none of them are aware of is the infatuated stranger secretly living in her basement. And the masked Pretty Boy doesn’t wait until dark to finally make his move. 

20:45 DON’T CLICK (World Premiere)

Directed by G-Hey Kim. With: Valter Skarsgård, Mark Koufos, Catherine Howard, Ry Barrett. Canada 2020. 90 mins

Synopsis: Some things you can’t unsee…After returning from a late night out, Josh finds his college roommate, Zane, has gone missing. All that remains is his laptop with the screen flashing on a graphic pornography website. As the flashing intensifies, Josh too blacks out, only to suddenly wake up beside Zane in a dank, surreal cellar with no apparent way out. As Josh tries everything he can to save both his friend and himself from a vengeful entity that begins to take control of their bodies and minds, he realizes his biggest challenge to escape may be himself.

HORROR CHANNEL SCREEN

13:00 THE HONEYMOON PHASE (UK Premiere)

Director: Phillip G. Carroll Jr. With: François Chau, Tara Westwood, Ione Butler, Mike Sutton.  USA 2020. 89 mins.

Synopsis: Struggling young lovers Tom and Eve lie about being married so they can enter ‘The Millennium Project’. For a fee of $50,000, the 30-day scientific study analyzes the relationships of participating couples while they reside in clinically futuristic, secluded smart homes. Run by a mysterious researcher and his associate, the experiment leads Eve into a violent descent of madness questioning her lover’s trust. Is Eve suffering from cabin fever? Or is it just part of the study Tom’s in on? For he might not be the man she thinks he is.

14:00 PLAYHOUSE (World Premiere) FIRST BLOOD

Directors: Toby Watts, Fionn Watts. With: Julie Higginson, James Rottger, Helen Mackay, Rebecca Calienda.  UK 2020. 87 mins. 

Synopsis: Reckless Jack Travis is an irreverent horror writer notorious for scaring audiences. But as he obsesses over creating a new theatre show set in a haunted Scottish castle, demonic disturbances from deep within the walls begin to prey on his troubled daughter. When the alarming supernatural forces start to close in on him too, Jack is forced to reckon with the terrifying consequences of creating such a dark and macabre play.

19:00 THEY’RE OUTSIDE (World Premiere) FIRST BLOOD

Directors: Airell Anthony Hayles, Sam Casserly. With: Emily Booth, Nicholas Vince, Tom Clayton-Wheatley, Chrissy Randall. UK 2020. 83 mins.

Synopsis: Max Spencer, a YouTube celebrity psychologist, host of the show ‘Psychology-Inside/Out’, sets himself the challenge of getting an intensely agoraphobic woman to leave her home in just ten days. However, as the minutes, hours and seconds count down, a creepy local legend about the black magic practicing Green Eyes that holds the town in its grip, starts to become a horrifying reality...

21:30 DARK PLACE (UK Premiere)

Directors: Kodie Bedford, Liam Phillips, Robert Braslin, Perun Bonser, Bjorn Stewart. With: Nelson Baker, Katherine Beckett, Shakira Clanton, Bernard Curry.  Australia 2019. 75 mins.

Synopsis: A ground-breaking anthology feature that approaches post-colonial Aboriginal Australian history through the though-provoking lenses of historical parallels, horror, gore and fantasy. Female oppression and revenge take centre stage in Kodie Bedford's punchy ‘Scout’. An insomniac questions her sanity in Liam Phillip's suspenseful ‘Foe’. Supernatural forces visit a housing commission estate in the gritty ‘Vale Light’ by Rob Braslin. Gothic horror shrouds the woods in Perun Bonser's atmospheric ‘The Shore’. And Bjorn Stewart brings outback zombies sharply into the frame in the rollicking splatter comedy ‘Killer Native’.

SUNDAY 30 AUGUST

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12:00 SKULL: THE MASK (UK Premiere)

Directors: Armando Fonseca, Kapel Furman. With: Natalia Rodrique, Tristan Aronovich, Guta Ruiz, Eduardo Semerjia.Brazil 2020. 

Synopsis: In the year 1944, desperate Nazis find a South American artifact with supernatural powers they use in a last-ditch military experiment. But they have no idea how powerful the Mask of Anhangá actually is. The barbaric experiment fails and now the cursed mask has turned up in Sao Paulo to possess victims who commit visceral sacrifices and shocking bloodbaths, Beatriz Obdias is the policewoman in charge of solving the series of brutal crimes, a slaughter spree of mystically epic proportions, and ones that will challenge her whole belief system.

15:00 HAIL TO THE DEADITES (International Premiere)

Director: Steve Villeneuve. With: Patricia Tallman, Ellen Sandweiss, Kassie Wesley DePaiva, John Fallon. Canada 2020. 79 mins.

Synopsis: An entertaining and informative documentary about THE EVIL DEAD and the 1981 cult classic shocker’s continuing cultural impact. Through interviews with the cast, crew, collectors, freaks and geeks, HAIL TO THE DEADITES seeks to illuminate the darkest reaches of director Sam Raimi’s brainchild and its undying and still-growing popularity, an esteem that has spawned four films, a TV series, comic books, figurines, and surpassed even its creator's wildest dreams. Putting the spotlight on the fans that cultivated and spread this groovy pop-culture infection, join the celebration of those who've celebrated one of the most admired fear franchises of all time. 

18:00 HALL (World Premiere)

Director: Francesco Giannini. With: Carolina Bartczak, Yumiko Shaku, Mark Gibson, Bailey Thain. Canada 2020. 85 mins.

Synopsis: When a hotel hallway is ravaged by a dreadful airborne virus, pregnant Japanese runaway wife Naomi is tragically thrust into the fight of her life. After getting infected, she is forced to crawl her way through other helpless victims to escape. In the room next door to her is Val, a mother trapped in a toxic marriage, who must also navigate her way out of the hotel corridor, desperately looking for her young daughter Kelly. Will these two women avoid the debilitating sickness and get out alive?

20:45 A GHOST WAITS (English Premiere)

Director: Adam Stovall. With: MacLeod Andrews, Natalie Walker, Sydney Vollmer, Amanda Miller. USA 2020. 79 mins. 

Synopsis: Jack's job is to fix up the house. Spectral agent Muriel's eternal task is to haunt it. They should be enemies, but they become fascinated by one another and eventually smitten, leading them to question everything about their work, lives, and decisions. But as pressure mounts for them to fulfill their duties, something’s got to give for the time together they both so desperately want.

HORROR CHANNEL SCREEN

13:00 CLAPBOARD JUNGLE: SURVIVING THE INDEPENDENT FILM BUSINESS (European Premiere)

Director: Justin McConnell. With: Guillermo del Toro, Buddy Giovinazzo, Charles Band, Frank Henenlotter.  Canada 2020. 98 mins.

Synopsis: Following five years in the life and career of independent filmmaker Justin McConnell, this documentary aims to understand the struggles of financing, attracting the right talent, working with practical effects and selling the finished product in the hope of turning a profit. Interviewing everyone from Guillermo del Toro, Paul Schrader, Dick Miller, Mick Garris, Tom Holland, Sid Haig and a hosts of other genre luminaries, not only are technical aspects and interpersonal skills discussed but also the emotional stamina and little known tips needed to survive in the low-budget film industry.  

16:00 TWO HEADS CREEK (UK Premiere)

Director: Jesse O’Brien. With: Kerry Armstrong, Kathryn Wilder, Gary Sweet, Stephen Hunter.  Australia 2019. 93 mins.

Synopsis: After the death of their adoptive Polish mother, a timid butcher and his drama queen twin sister leave post Brexit UK and take an adventure into the Australian outback in search of their biological mother. But the seemingly tolerant townsfolk of the sleepy Two Heads Creek backwater are hiding a sinister, meaty secret and the pair must reconcile their sibling differences in a fight for their lives.

19:00 PANEL: HORROR IN LOCKDOWN (EVENT)

Hosted by Rosie Fletcher, UK Editor of Den Of Geek our panel of special guests from the industry will discuss how the horror genre has been affected by the global pandemic. What does the shape of horror look like now we're all actually living in a real life horror film? What do filmmakers do when productions have to be shut down? How are horror writers coping with lockdown? How are the stories we want to hear affected by our changed world? And what might the genre look like on the other side? The panel will run live, for 90 minute in total with a chance for viewers to ask questions at the end.

21:30 AQUASLASH (UK Premiere)

Director: Renaud Gauthier. With: Nicolas Fontaine, Brittany Drisdelle, Lanisa Dawn, Nick Walker. Canada 2019. 92 mins. 

Synopsis: The Wet Valley Water Park welcomes high school students celebrating their graduation in all their unleashed libido glory. However, in the midst of the ribald romping revels, a black-gloved murderer is tinkering with the water slides and sabotaging the swimming pools. Thrills, chills, spills and screwball comedy meet splashy shocks and gory dismemberment in a chlorine and blood drenched murder mystery

MONDAY 31 AUGUST

ARROW VIDEO SCREEN

12:00 ARROW VIDEO PODCAST (EVENT)

With the Arrow Video Podcast now entering its fourth year, join illustrious co-hosts – filmmaker and journalist Sam Ashurst (Frankenstein’s Creature) and SFX guru Dan Martin (Lords of Chaos, The Girl on the Third Floor) – for a live recording of an upcoming episode. Expect some insider gossip, very special guests and previews, plus exclusive Arrow Video announcements. They promise to be more professional this time.

15:00 AV THE HUNT (UK Premiere)

Director: Emre Akay. With: Ahmet Rifat Sungar, Baki Kaymaz, Yagizcan Konyah, Billur Melis Koç. Turkey 2019. 86 mins.

Synopsis: A young couple are making love when suddenly a cop barges in. Young and athletic Ayse escapes but her lover is murdered. Now all the men in her strict family are chasing her around the city and the countryside to kill her in order to avenge their honor. Ayse’s only key for endurance is to become as ruthless as those pursuing her. A gruesomely realistic chiller depicting a young woman’s fight and evolution from hunted to hunter in a patriarchal society combined with a strong feminist message.

18:00 DARK STORIES (UK Premiere)

 Directors: François Descraques, Guillaume Lubrano. With: Clément Crochet, Jonas Dinal, Pierre Henri Toubas, Dominique Pinon. France 2019. 75 mins.

 Synopsis: What if Demons, the Living Dead, Evil Dolls, Djinn and other Extra-terrestrial creatures came to haunt our apartments, houses, cafes, museums and other places of daily life? DARK STORIES tells five tales of gripping terror in a fantastic anthology where horror, suspense and humor intertwine with stark reality to make us shiver with fear! Join us for a Ghoul’s Feast, the Last Judgment before the impending Apocalypse, a surprise package from the deliveryman, a forensic scientist confronted by his zombie victim and the worst Moroccan monster nightmare.

HORROR CHANNEL SCREEN

13:00 ENHANCED (UK Premiere)

Director: James Mark. With: George Tchortov, Alanna Bale, Adrian Holmes, Chris Mark. Canada 2019. 99 mins.

Synopsis: George belongs to a powerful secret unit dedicated to hunting down illegal mutants after an experiment goes bad. David, an unstoppable ‘Enhanced’, claiming vengeance against the corrupt government who used him, tracks down other similar mutants to join his mission. But when he starts to eliminate them, getting stronger each time he kills others just like him, his true psychopathic plans are revealed. For he is planning world domination of a transformed kind. Now George must join forces with an unlikely partner, Anna, a mutant he captured to end David’s killing spree.  

16:00 BLINDERS (UK Premiere)

Director: Tyler Savage. With: Christine Ko, Vincent Van Horn, Michael Lee Joplin, Dusty Sorg. USA 2020. 90 mins.

Synopsis: We now live in a world where fake news is reality, where the bad guys win because they manipulate our collective vulnerabilities. Meet Andy Escobedo, starting fresh after a messy break-up, relocating from Austin to Los Angeles. Eager to make new connections, he befriends Roger, an unusual rideshare driver. But when Roger’s behaviour gets too strange for comfort, Andy dumps him, choosing to focus on a budding relationship with Sam instead. But Roger has no intention of being ditched that easily…

19:00 THE SWERVE (UK Premiere)

Director: Dean Kapsalis. With: Azura Skye, Bryce Pinkham, Ashley Bell, Zach Rand. USA 2018. 95 mins.

Synopsis: In writer/director Dean Kapsalis’ stunning feature debut, a shimmering American take on Michael Haneke-style torment, a woman battles depression, rodents, guilt and more in a superbly acted slow burner certain to leave a haunting impression. Holly is a wife, mother, teacher, and daughter whose psychosis starts to crumble after she’s part of a deadly car accident. But did that actually happen or not? Just one of many things on her disintegrating mind, along with her difficult two sons, her very distant husband, a student in class who shows inappropriate interest and her ‘perfect’ sister who returns to the fold.