Screamfest, the preeminent horror festival in the country, and what the LA Weekly calls “the best place to get a jump on tomorrow’s cult hits” kicks off its 12th annual event in Los Angeles on October 12 through October 21 at LA Live Regal Cinemas (1000 W. Olympic Blvd. LA, CA).

This year’s films include Morgan O’Neill’s long delayed The Factory (check out the first ever images inside!), starring John Cusack, Jennifer Carpenter and Mae Whitman, as well as several other interesting selections including the incredible Canadian thriller Resolution (review), and the Twisted Twins’ awesome American Mary!

Check out the first wave title highlights appearing at Screamfest 2012 (more titles to be added shortly)…

· The Factory (US) – Directed by Morgan O’Neill, starring John Cusack (1408, The Raven) and Jennifer Carpenter (“Dexter,” Quarantine and The Exorcism Of Emily Rose) and Mae Whitman (“Parenthood,” “Arrested Development”). “Present. Buffalo. The unforgiving winter. A killer roams the streets, abducting women on cold, quiet nights. All prostitutes, missing persons with no one to miss them. He leaves behind no traces, no clues; nothing. Detective Mike Fletcher (John Cusack) is the one cop on the force bent on bringing him to justice. Mike sees the tragedy in all of this: that these poor women are alone in life, and in death. They have no one to stand up for them – no one except him.”

· On-Air (Germany) World Premiere – “A man (Markus Knuefken) runs a pirate radio station “Nighthawk“ from the basement of his house. Every Saturday night he goes “On Air” as Doc Rock. One night, a serial killer called “The Night-Slasher” (Charles Rettinghaus) calls the show, and Doc has to stop him from killing his next victim. The struggle for survival is ON…AIR.”

· True Love (Italy) US Premiere – “On the surface, Kate and Jack are happy. But like everyone, they carry secrets that neither is prepared to reveal. After their wedding, they awake from a deep sleep, each alone in a sealed room with no doors or windows – only images projected on the walls and a monitor with two buttons: a “yes” and a “no.” As the horror of their situation unfolds, surveillance films showing their life together appear on the wall, while the monitor starts asking terrifying questions. It soon becomes apparent that a bizarre test of their relationship is underway, and the secrets revealed lead them deeper and deeper into what could not just destroy their love, but threaten their lives.”

· Would You Rather (US) starring Jeffrey Combs (Re-Animator), Brittany Snow (Prom Night), Eddie Steeples (“My Name Is Earl,” I Know Who Killed Me). “Desperate to help her ailing brother, a young woman agrees to compete in a deadly game of “Would You Rather,” hosted by a sadistic aristocrat.”

· Fear of Water (Canada) – “Rosalie Richard is found savagely raped and murdered at the foot of a cliff in the Magdalen Islands. The sordid crime wreaks havoc on the quiet life of Sergeant André Surprenant of the local Sûreté du Québec detachment. While the shy Surprenant starts the hunt for the killer, his life is in shambles as his marriage is crumbling, his teenage daughter rejects him, his psychologist is trying to help him overcome his phobias, and the Sûreté is trying to push him aside by bringing in another officer to lead the investigation.”

· Thale (Norway; review) – “Two crime scene cleaners discover a mythical tailed, female creature in a concealed cellar. She never utters a word, but the pieces of the puzzle soon come together – she’s been held captive for decades for reasons soon to surface.”

· American Mary (Canada) – “The story follows medical student, Mary Mason, as she becomes increasingly broke and disenchanted with the surgical world she once admired. The allure of easy money sends Mary into the world of underground surgeries, which ends up leaving more marks on her than her so called ‘freakish’ clientele.”

· Eddie: The Sleepwalking Cannibal – (Canada) – “Lars Olafssen, once a young celebrity in the art world, is slipping away fast into the land of has-beens. His long-time art dealer, Ronny, is now an ungracefully aging hipster who desperately wants his meal ticket back. But Lars refuses to paint. His creativity comes at too high a cost – his inspiration is carnage – blood, guts and limbs. Not surprisingly, this lead to a dreadful breakdown in the past. Nevertheless, an eager Ronny arranges a teaching job for Lars at an art school in a small Canadian town in the middle of nowhere. It’s a “therapeutic” measure for Lars – a means to conquer his need to paint in the “safety” of a country retreat… That is, until Eddie comes into his life.”

· Crawlspace – (Australia) From producers of Wolf Creek and Red Hill. “A group of elite soldiers infiltrate Australia’s top secret underground military compound. They quickly discover all is not as it seems and the facility is a testing ground for something far more sinister.”

· Resolution (US) – “Michael is committed to getting his best friend Chris to sober up and put his life back on track. But what begins as an attempt to save his friend’s life quickly takes an unexpected turn as the two friends confront personal demons, the consequences of past actions, and forces beyond their control. Expertly balancing dark humor, heart, and thrills, Resolution is an utterly unique cinematic experience that defies genre classification.”