PHOENIX ARTIST CLUB SCREEN – DISCOVERY SCREEN 8

FRIDAY AUG 28

13:00 AFTERDEATH (UK Premiere)

Directors: Gez Medinger, Robin Schmidt. Cast: Miranda Raison, Sam Keeley, Daniella Kertesz, Elarica Gallacher, Lorna Nickson Brown. UK 88 mins.

Five young people wake up on a beach washed up by the tide. Where are they? What brought them there, and what are the strange creatures that surround them? All this and more will be revealed in this beautifully executed, award-winning first feature, chock full of exciting new acting talent, from Gez Medinger and Robin Schmidt – future genre names to keep a sharp eye out for.

15: 40 THE UNFOLDING (World Premiere)

Director: Eugene McGing.  Cast: Lachlan Nieboer, Robert Daws, Nick Julian, Kitty McGeever, Lisa Kerr. UK. 87 mins.

It is 2016 and a fearful world seems to be on the brink of a nuclear catastrophe. A researcher in psychical events and his girlfriend travel to deepest Dartmoor to investigate a centuries-old building. What they unlock and discover is way more than they could have ever bargained for.  An exciting first feature from newcomer Eugene McGing, who expertly takes familiar tropes and gives them a fresh spin in this genuinely terrifying haunted house tale.

18:35 BODY (UK Premiere)

Directors: Dan Berk & Robert Olsen. Cast: Helen Rogers, Alexandra Turshen, Lauren Molina, Adam Cornelius, Larry Fessenden. USA 2015. 75 mins.

A tight, smart, gripping, funny thriller brought to life with strong performances and a sharp visual eye. Three girlfriends head out for a wild night during the Christmas holidays, but their jaunt is about to turn deadly. Cali suggests they crash her rich uncle’s mansion since he’s out of town and soon they’re partying the night away. However there’s something Cali hasn’t told her BFFs and a series of questionable choices leads to an accidental death. Soon the fear of possible reprisals finds the terrified trio embarking on a course of action from which there is no return.

20:40 THE SHELTER (European Premiere)

Director: John Fallon. Cast: Michael Pare, Lauren Alexandra, Rachel G. Whittle, Amy Wickenheiser, Gayle James. Canada 2015. 76 mins.

On a star-filled night, homeless Thomas seeks warm shelter. Still grieving his late wife, ruined and desperate, he comes across a vast house with the lights on and an inviting open front door. But the next morning, the premises will not let him leave. Destiny has brought Thomas to this place and now he must survive a very personal ordeal. For what appeared a safe haven turns out to be something far more malevolent. From Arrow in The Head blogger, writer and director John Fallon, a psychological horror show tapping into fears of the mind, body and soul. 

22:45 ZOMBIE FIGHT CLUB (UK Premiere)

Director: Joe Chien. Cast: Andy On, Jessica Cambensy, Michael Wong, Terence Yin, Abby Fung. Hong Kong 2014. 95 mins. 

The highly anticipated sequel to the splatterific ZOMBIE 108 finds stars Andy On and Jessica C escaping a zombie overrun apartment block in the corner of near-future devastated Taipei city. In the midst of this zombie holocaust, with all social structures on the brink of collapse, contaminated drugs cause hordes of rappers and strippers to become infected and join the aggressive flesheaters. When a SWAT team arrives on the scene, it seems the cavalry have arrived, but they only want the stash of drug cash in this boobs and blood mix of THE RAID and DAWN OF THE DEAD. 

SATURDAY 29 AUG

10:45 RESTORATION PREMIERE – TENDERNESS OF THE WOLVES

Director: Ulli Lommel. Cast: Kurt Raab, Jeff Roden, Margit Carstensen, Ingrid Caven, Wolfgang Schenck. Germany 1973. 82 mins.

Produced by wunderkind Rainer Werner Fassbinder, starring his German rep company and directed by Ulli Lommel who helmed THE BOOGEY MAN slasher classic. Art-house horror never looked so good than in this skilful tribute to the silent NOSFERATU and Peter Lorre’s M detailing the pre-Hitler case of police informer Fritz Haarman, the paedophiliac homosexual rapist who killed 25 boys and sold their flesh as meat on the black market after sucking their blood. A fascinating portrait of murderous obsession and portrayal of the decadent nightlife and squalor of depression-torn Hanover, this poem to neo-expressionism is a masterpiece of the macabre.

12:50 & 15:15 GRINDHOUSE DOUBLE BILL RESTORATION – MADMAN + THE MUTILATOR

MADMAN director Joe Giannone.  Cast: Gaylen Ross, Tony Fish, Harriet Bass, Seth Jones, Jan Claire. USA 1982. 88 mins.

THE MUTILATOR directors: Buddy Cooper, John Douglass. Cast: Matt Mitler, Ruth Martinez, Bill Hitchcock, Connie Rogers, Frances Raines. USA 1985. 86 mins.

Submerse yourself in Grade A 1980s exploitation with this lip-smacking Double Bill the way they used to show them back in the wild and wicked days during the Golden Era of Grindhouse. First thrill to the kills at the North Sea Cottages summer camp for gifted children as the urban legend of axe-murderer Madman Marz comes to life. And the stalk-and-slash continues as a young boy who accidentally killed his mother with a shotgun grows up to face his crazed father during a Fall Break.  With vintage trailers shown during an intermission to complete your nostalgia experience.

18:00 CONTRACTED: PHASE II (UK Premiere)
Director: Josh Forbes. Cast: Alice Macdonald, Matt Mercer, Najarra Townsend, Elisha Yaffe, Charity Daw. USA 78 mins.
In 2013 Film4 FrightFest premiered the ferocious body horror CONTRACTED to great acclaim. In this shocking sequel the fear escalates as the sexually transmitted outbreak worsens and threatens to engulf all humanity. Prepare for some wince-inducing sequences of body horror and beyond which will have you squirming in your seat.

20:30 REMAKE, REMIX, RIP-OFF (London Premiere)
Forget the crazy Ozzies and the mad flavours of the Philippines – it’s now time for the Turks to show you exactly how it’s done. The Duke Mitchell Film Club is proud to present a story so crazy that it could only be true. Come and experience the golden years of Turkish cinema, where demand was high, technical know-how low and copyright law non-existent! Meet the maverick band of filmmakers who, armed with nothing more than a handful of cameras and written on the run scripts, remade some of the biggest blockbusters of the century (The Exorcist, Star Wars and more).

22:45 THE DUKE @ FRIGHTFEST FILM PARTY: THE SEQUEL!       
You demanded it so it’s back! The party to end all parties is back at Film4 FrightFest with a sequel: after last year’s sell out show, The Duke decided the only way forward was to make things even more mind-blowing: more guests, more rare trailers, weird horror clips, games, surprise previews and further, this guaranteed to blow your mind event will be THE talking point for the rest of the festival. So get your tickets early and make sure you’re ready to keep your date with The Duke because he’s prepared to take you for a ride through the far-reaching corners of cinematic madness that you will NEVER forget.
SUNDAY AUG 30

11:15 SPECIAL EVENT (tba)

Want to get your dream project/film career up and running without going the studio route? If considering crowdfunding, what should you bear in mind to get a successful Kickstarter campaign off the ground? And where do the pitfalls lie? Join producer Catherine Bray (BEYOND CLUELESS, FEAR ITSELF), directors Ben and Chris Blaine (NINA FOREVER) and Film4’s Creepy Pasta personnel for an in-depth discussion on navigating your way through the ever-changing business models and micro-management maze of film production and self-distribution. Total transparency is guaranteed during this lively debate – if they know the answer to any question so will you.   

14:00 FARHOPE TOWER (UK Premiere)

Director: April Mullen. Cast: John White, Tim Doiron, Evan Williams, April Mullen, Laurie Collins. Canada 2015. 82 mins.

Five paranormal investigators venture into the infamous Farhope Tower, known for its dark history of unexplained suicides, with dreams of landing a Reality TV deal. But they get more than they bargained for when they enter the strangely ever-changing layout, lair of the most powerful spirits they’ve every faced. For once inside the derelict structure an omnipresent evil begins manipulating the team, and the higher they climb the more everything spirals out of control. For heaven’s sake, don’t go up! From the filmmakers behind 88 and DEAD BEFORE DAWN 3D comes a classy chiller to leave you super-creeped out.

16:20 SHORTFILM SHOWCASE 2

19:00 SPECIAL EVENT (tba)

Horror film poster artist extraordinaire Graham Humphreys is launching the book ‘Drawing Blood’ dedicated to his groundbreaking work in October through Alex Proud press. And because he’s also responsible for our Film4 FrightFest trademark look, we couldn’t let that event pass us by. Graham single-handedly dragged the moribund design industry into creatively new and exciting dimensions in the 1980s with his signature artwork for THE EVIL DEAD and A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET franchises, something he continues to do today with his Arrow Films DVD covers. Graham will be talking about his entire career in depth and with Alan Jones. 

21:15 SPECIAL EVENT (tba)

From soap opera star to iconic Scream Queen, Film4 FrightFest’s guest of honour this year has done it all. Barbara Crampton grew up on the carnival circuit and began acting on stage in New York before moving to Hollywood where her career really took off thanks to daytime television. Her film appearances began with a cameo in BODY DOUBLE before gaining the attention of genre enthusiasts worldwide in Stuart Gordon’s cult horrors RE-ANIMATOR and FROM BEYOND. Gracing FrightFest 2015 with a total of four amazing performances, Barbara talks about her life in movies in this enlightening and informal conversation piece. 

MONDAY AUG 31

10:45 BANJO (World Premiere)

Director: Liam Regan. Cast: Laurence R. Harvey, Dan Palmer, James Hamer-Morton, Dani Thompson, Vito Trigo. UK 2015. 82 mins.

Meet Peltzer Arbuckle, a bullied office employee, humiliated by his megalomaniac boss, teasing colleagues and cheating partner. Stuck in his mundane reality, once news about an embarrassing sexual accident circulates the workplace, Peltzer decides to put up with his misery no more, and conjures up his childhood imaginary friend Ronnie who manipulates him to exact gruesome revenge on his tormenting co-workers. As the body count rises, Peltzer must either run away from his past or take control of his future, battling between sanity and madness in a twisted tale of infidelity, revenge and snapped banjo strings.

13:00 HOSTILE (UK Premiere)

Director: Nathan Ambrosioni. Cast: Julie Venturelli, Luna Belan, Shelley Ward, Anatolia Allieis, Nathan Ambrosioni.  France 2015. 90 mins.

The New Wave of French horror cinema has arrived and at its vanguard is 14 year-old director Nathan Ambrosioni. Meredith Langston always longed to have children. She finally makes this happen when she adopts two young adolescent girls. However, her now idyllic world sours rapidly and dream veers to nightmare when she quickly finds that she is unable to cope with their increasingly strange behaviour. Desperate, she seeks the help of two television journalists working for a local station, SOS Adoption. Unfortunately it is all for nothing, especially when the reporters discover that there is another presence in the house.

15:35 BITE (UK Premiere)

Director: Chad Archibald. Cast: Elma Begovic, Jordan Gray, Annette Wozniak, Denise Yuen, Lawrence Denkers. Canada 2015. 90 mins.

While on her hen party getaway to exotic Costa Rica, bride-to-be Casey gets a seemingly harmless bite from an unknown insect while bathing in an idyllic jungle pool. But after returning home with matrimonial cold feet, she starts exhibiting alien behaviour as what crept under her skin starts taking hold. Between physical transformation and wedding anxiety, Casey succumbs to her new instincts and begins creating a hive that not only houses her translucent offspring, but also feeds on flesh. Cronenbergian body horror returns to the genre with a bang in this fearless fusion of slime, shivers and shock.  

18:25 CURTAIN (World Premiere)

Director: Jaron Henrie-McCrea. Cast: Danni Smith, Tim Lueke, Martin Monahan, Rick Zahn, Preston Lawrence. USA 2015. 74 mins.

Danni moves into a New York apartment and starts sprucing the place up. She doesn’t know the previous tenant committed suicide in very strange circumstances. Nor does she know there’s a mysterious portal to another dimension in the bathroom that’s hungry for….  shower curtains!  But where does this unusual gateway hidden behind the white tiling lead? That’s what Danni and her ‘Whale Saver’ chugger workmate Tim decide to find out. It’s an investigation into a unique phenomenon full of surprise and unimaginable horror as they both enter The Yonder in a stunningly directed, creatively devised and quirky oddball gem. 

The Unfolding

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