Bloody Disgusting is excited to be a media partner of this year’s Chattanooga Film Festival (CFF), which is taking the event online for the first time ever. This means that, yes, all of you in the U.S. can attend from the comfort of your own home (full-access badges are only $30).

Chattanooga has announced today their jam-packed lineup of features, panels and live events set for May 22-May 25.

From the press release:

“Gracing the 2020 festival is a mix of iconic guests, including “Law & Order: SVU” star, hip-hop visionary, and frontman of the heavy metal band Body Count – Ice-T, who will be joining acclaimed filmmaker & cinematographer Ernest Dickerson (Do the Right Thing, Juice, Demon Knight, “The Walking Dead”), for a rare conversation revisiting their cult classic Surviving the Game.

“CFF also proudly welcomes the return of their patron saint Joe Bob Briggs for a timely talk with filmmaker/producer Mick Garris on the making of Stephen King’s pandemic classic: “The Stand”. Defying genres, CFF will also feature a most excellent discussion from acclaimed filmmaker Alex Winter (The Lost Boys, Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, Freaked), who will offer a deep dive into the years-long process of making his new documentary “Zappa”. Also in store is a one-of-a-kind appearance from GWAR, who will be taking live questions directly from the fans, as we honor the 30th anniversary of their legendary metal record Scumdogs of the Universe!

“One of the highlights of the festival this year is filmmaker Joe Dante, who will be presented with CFF’s Lifetime Achievement Award. With an iconic and beloved filmography, including classics such as The Howling, Piranha, Gremlins, Innerspace, Explorers, and The ‘Burbs, fans won’t want to miss the in-depth discussion of his storied career.

“On the features side, CFF is thrilled to present the world premiere of Nicholas Ashe Bateman’s The Wanting Mare. This hauntingly beautiful film revolves around an imaginary world and a line of women that pass a recurring dream down through multiple generations. Bateman will also present World-Building in Independent Film: Visual Effects tools for Low Budget Filmmakers, in which he will trace the production process and the digital journey of bringing The Wanting Mare to life.

“For the bloodthirsty crowd, CFF will be unleashing the world premiere of Skull. Born out of the pioneering genre festival Fantaspoa and their first ever marketplace, this mystical Brazilian bloodbath covers the Sao Paulo streets with splatter to spare. Filmmaker Kapel Furman channels his inner Jason Voorhees with the story of an ancient mask that possesses the human form to commit visceral sacrifices of vengeance for the incarnation of its God.

“The festival will be showcasing one of its favorite up and coming film distributors, Dark Star Pictures, with a selection of celebrated films that stand among the best and most unique works thus far in 2020. The first of those titles is Jumbo. Starring Noémie Merlant, a film that debuted at Sundance and earned rave reviews. The team behind Fantastic Fest, one of the world’s best genre festivals that has been like family to CFF, is on board to present an audience favorite from its 2019 fest, filmmaker Mickey Reece’s Climate of the Hunter.

“Longtime CFF collaborator Shudder is offering a special director’s commentary from FX legend Greg Nicotero on his “Creepshow” episode Gray Matter, and is also getting in on the act with a handful of frightening flicks including The Beach House. Jeffrey A. Brown’s film is the kind of smart sci-fi horror sure to please fans of Richard Stanley’s recent Color Out of Space adaptation and Stephen King’s The Mist alike.

And here’s something insanely cool as this event will have a horrific visual component created by the mind behind Mandy‘s “Cheddar Goblin”:

“Tim Reis, Paul Katzman, Mike Bremen, John Manfredi and Mike Morgan of Media Team will be collaborating with Silver Scream’s Shane Morton, (creator of Mandy‘s “Cheddar Goblin,”) to design and build an unforgettable set for the live studio and official HQ for virtual CFF.

Behind the scenes, CFF has also added Josh Goldbloom, founder of Cinepocaylpse as Artistic Director, whose passion for genre cinema is eclipsed perhaps only by his sense of anarchy.

Here’s a breakdown of the films that will be screening with details on packages and streaming partners below.

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THE ANTENNA | Director Orcun Behram

Turkey, 2019

In a dystopian Turkey, the Government begins installing new TV antennas to homes throughout the country. Mehmet, a superintendent at a crumbling apartment complex, has to supervise the installation of the new antenna. When the broadcast it transmits begins to menace the residents of the apartment complex. Mehmet must seek out the spiteful entity.

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ATTACK OF THE DEMONS | Director Eric Power

USA, 2019

The year is 1994… For centuries, a demonic cult has been plotting the destruction of mankind. When a small Colorado town is overrun by a legion of mutating demons, three non-demon hunter friends must use every skill their minds can fathom to stave off the demon apocalypse.

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THE BEACH HOUSE |  Director Jeffrey A. Brown

USA, 2019

A romantic getaway for two troubled college sweethearts turns into a struggle for survival when unexpected guests – and the surrounding environment – exhibit signs of a mysterious infection.

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BEING NATURAL |  Director Tadashi Nagayama

Japan, 2019

Caring for his uncle with dementia, Taka lodges in an idyllic thatched cottage in the countryside. When the uncle’s son Mitsuaki returns, his quiet life of caring and bongo-playing seems in doubt, until he and childhood friend Sho are reunited in friendship. But unwelcome visits by a nature-obsessed family from Tokyo threaten to overturn this bucolic existence. At heart a gentle pastoral comedy and satire of romanticized country life, in the hands of Tadashi Nagayama (director of 2016’s Journey of the Tortoise), events start to take a very unexpected direction.

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BERSERKER | Director Jef Richard

USA, 1987

Presented by Vinegar Syndrome

Six people renting a cabin in the woods of Utah run afoul of a legendary viking warrior who dons the claws and mouth of a bear, with no help in sight.

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CLIMATE OF THE HUNTER | Mickey Reese

USA, 2019

Presented by Fantastic Fest

Two sisters, Alma and Elizabeth, along with a dog who’s described as a “philosopher,” have come to Alma’s remote house to reconnect with Wesley after 20 years. Alma is recently divorced, Elizabeth is a workaholic in Washington, D.C., and Wesley lives in Paris dealing with a wife recently struck with a fatal disease. When the three come together for dinner, it has all the makings of a lovely adult melodrama about loneliness, and the desire to connect and share our lives with someone … but we must add to the mix one otherworldly piece of information: Wesley could be a vampire.

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DEMENTER  |  Director Chad Crawford Kinkle

USA, 2019

After fleeing a backwoods cult, a woman tries to turn her life around by taking a job in a home for special needs adults, only to discover she must face her dark past to save a Down syndrome girl.

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DIRTY GOD | Director Sacha Polak

Netherlands/United Kingdom/Belgium/Ireland, 2019

Jade is a young mother in the prime of her life when an acid attack leaves her severely burned. While her face has been reconstructed, her beauty is lost beneath the scars. Descending a self-destructive path with relationships crumbling, Jade must take drastic action to reclaim her life.

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EAT BRAINS LOVE  |  Director Rodman Flender

USA, 2019

An ordinary lunch hour explodes in an orgy of spurting blood and flying organs when stoner Jake Stephens and cheerleader Amanda Blake suddenly gut-munch half their class in the school cafeteria. Afflicted with a zombie virus, they hit the road in search of a cure while outrunning Cass, a telepath charged with hunting and killing the infected. Can Jake and Amanda find love while eating their way through the national sex offender registry? The director of IDLE HANDS delivers an outrageous gore-soaked zom-rom-com.

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FULCI FOR FAKE | Director Simone Scafidi

Italy, 2019

The first biopic about Lucio Fulci, with never seen before footage, photos and interviews.

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HELL RIDERS |  Director James Bryan

USA, 1984

Presented by Vinegar Syndrome

The ‘Hell Riders’ are the most vicious members of a southern California biker gang; so extreme in their activities that they’ve been pushed out of their gang and are now on their own, roaming the countryside on the lookout for people to terrorize. After attacking a stranded woman, who manages to escape to a nearby town, the Hell Riders decide to pursue her, eventually ending up in the town as well and begin violently taking out anyone who has the misfortune of ending up in their bloodthirsty path.

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HOLLYWOOD HORROR HOUSE  | Director Donald Wolfe

USA, 1970

Presented by Vinegar Syndrome

An aging actress living in her Hollywood mansion with a retinue of elderly servants employs a new, mentally disturbed, personal assistant who schemes to take over the large estate.

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HOMEWRECKER | Director Zach Gayne

Canada, 2019

Michelle is in her early 30s. Linda is in her late 40s. Michelle is an interior designer and newlywed to Robert. Linda lives alone; she fills her days with painting and exercise classes. Seeking a new friend, Linda pursues Michelle after one of their classes together, insisting the young designer come over to asses Linda’s self-described dump. Played out as an attempt to cheer Michelle up about her doubts on marriage, Linda, rippling with an undercurrent of startling jealousy and delusion, begins an intricate game of cat and mouse between she and the younger woman – a woman she doesn’t intend to let go of anytime soon.

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JUMBO | Director Zoé Wittock

France, 2020

Based on a true story, the film follows Jeanne, a shy young woman who lives at home with her uninhibited mother and works as a cleaner at an amusement park. During her late-night shifts, she begins spending time with the alluring new Tilt-A-Whirl ride that she decides to call Jumbo — and she strikes an intimate bond with the ride. She ends up being seduced by “his” red lights, smooth chrome and oily hydraulics. As a result, she wants to pursue a thrilling new relationship with Jumbo.

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KILLER QUEEN  |  Director Ramin Fahrenheit

Canada, 2019

Two transients, a drug dealer and a lonely Girl cross paths over a drug meetup, but their similarities lead to an unusual affair. With the insistence of the Girl, one night the Boy takes her to a carefully planned robbery, but they choose the wrong victims—a sinister middle-aged couple with the passion of researching poisonous plants. The incident reveals a dark secret about the Girl—a disturbed sociopath and an active serial killer.

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KOKO DI KOKO DA  |  Director Johannes Nyholm

Sweden, 2019

As a couple goes on a trip to find their way back to each other, a sideshow artist and his shady entourage emerge from the woods, terrorizing them, luring them deeper into a maelstrom of psychological terror and humiliating slapstick.

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SCARE PACKAGE  |  Directors Baron Vaugjm, Courtney Andujar, Hillary Andujar, Anthony Cousins, Emily Hagins, Aaron Koontz, Chris McInroy, Noah Segan

USA, 2019

We’ve all seen horror anthology films, but nothing quite like SCARE PACKAGE, which blends a generous helping of comedy into the mix. Each director worked with a different horror sub-genre, taking aim at the tropes and cliches that populate the genre. The result, says horror website BloodyDisgusting, is a film “charmingly aware of the tropes that make up the genre it cherishes, and it leans into them with heart, blood, entrails and laughs.”

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SKULL  |  Director Kapel Furman

World Premiere, Brazil, 2020

Born out of the pioneering genre festival Fantaspoa and their first ever marketplace, SKULL is a mystical Brazilian bloodbath covering the Sao Paulo streets with splatter to spare. Easily this year’s most insane midnighter, filmmaker Kapel Furman channels his inner Jason Voorhees with the story of an ancient mask that possesses the human form to commit visceral sacrifices of vengeance for the incarnation of its God. Hell yeah.

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RED WHITE AND WASTED  |  Directors Andrei Bowden Schwartz, Sam B. Jones

USA, 2019

A documentary with an unapologetic immersion into Florida’s redneck mudding culture. Video Pat is a mudding enthusiast who must question his passion, and maybe his entire way of life, when the last mudhole in Orlando is shut down.

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THE RINGING BELL  |  Director Casey T. Malone

World Premiere, USA, 2020

Judah is a young man with a condition – he dreams while he’s still awake. His imagination makes it difficult for him to process the loss of an important person in his life, so when his cousin contacts him with a ridiculous scheme to get at the riches of their eccentric Uncle Airmid who has disappeared, Judah agrees to go along with it.

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THE VICE GUIDE TO BIGFOOT  |  Director Zach Lamplugh

USA, 2020

The debut feature from director Zach Lamplugh (Adult Swim); This paranormal comedy follows a hopelessly millennial reporter on the most important assignment of his career: Bigfoot. But after following a prominent cryptozoologist into the Appalachian foothills, he’s forced to answer the question “is a good story worth dying for?”

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THE WANTING MARE |  Director Nicholas Ashe Bateman

World Premiere, USA, 2020

In Whithren, a line of women pass a recurring dream through multiple generations.

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THE WAVE  |  Director Gille Klabin

USA, 2019

An insurance lawyer (Justin Long) goes out on the town to celebrate an upcoming promotion with his co-worker, Jeff (Donald Faison). But their night takes a turns bizarre when Frank ingests a hallucinogen that completely alters his perception of the world.

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SPECIAL SCREENINGS

CREEPSHOW  |  Greg Nicotero and John Harrison

USA, 2019

Creepshow, the new anthology series based on the 1982 horror comedy classic, is still the most fun you’ll ever have being scared! A comic book comes to life, exploring terrors from murder to the supernatural and unexplainable. In this exclusive preview of the series opener provided to CFF by our friends at Shudder, there are two tales of dread: “Gray Matter,” directed by Greg Nicotero (The Walking Dead) and starring Adrienne Barbeau (Escape from New York, The Fog) and Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul), and “The House of the Head,” starring Cailey Fleming (The Walking Dead). In “Gray Matter,” after the death of a loved one, Richie’s drinking habit gets out of control. And in “The House of the Head,” Evie must protect her dollhouse companions from an unexpected, murderous visitor. This episode features an audio commentary with “Gray Matter” director Greg Nicotero and co-writer Philip de Blasi and “The House of the Head” director John Harrison.

COWBOY WHO SEASON 2  |  Jeff Green

In 1990, children’s theatre performers Robert Eastland and Mike Cormier collaborated with radio producer Jeff Green on a deranged TV pitch to a Canadian broadcaster that was trying to fulfill its educational programming commitments. Against all odds, their pilot was greenlit, and the three embarked on the production of one of the most bizarre, yet innovative children’s shows ever made. Its first season began as a riff on THE HOWDY-DOODY SHOW but mutated into an array of surrealist sketch comedy, experimental video art, and biting satire. Proceeding as if Douglas .Adams, Mark Frost and The Kids in the Hall were showrunning WONDER SHOWZEN with the resourcefulness of MST3K’s KMTA years, the second season catapults its hosts into space and pits them against an evil Interstellar Broadcast Empire. This remix preserves the Season 1 finale and first 12 episodes of Season 2, condensed by The Laser Blast Film Society to a feature-length run time for economized, yet maximized mind meltage.

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LIVE EVENTS, WORKSHOPS + PODCASTS    

2020 VIRTUAL PITCH SESSION  |  David Lawson

In this year’s Pitch Session, Producer David Lawson (THE ENDLESS, SHE DIES TOMORROW, AFTER MIDNIGHT, SYNCHRONIC) will listen to five minute pitches from 7 hand selected winners. From those Top 7, one winner will be selected to get a one-on-one video meeting with Lawson to discuss their project.

DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS LIVE

PRESENTED BY CRITICAL BITS PODCAST

Learning the art of storytelling and world building has long been something that fascinated us at CFF. It’s our belief that one of the greatest ways to learn and refine these skills is through playing the game Dungeons & Dragons. Last year’s live D&D event at CFF was such a hit we’ve decided to reprise it, only this time, placing it squarely in the maniacal hands of game master/CFF BFF Joel Ruiz.

JUNKFOOD CINEMA PODCAST

CFF Fan Favorites critic Brian Salisbury and Marvel Studios writer C. Robert Cargill (DOCTOR STRANGE, SINISTER)  return to present a live edition of their popular film podcast.

SCREEN DRAFTS PODCAST

The podcast where experts and enthusiasts competitively collaborate on the creation of screen-centric “best of” lists! Hosted by Clay Keller and Ryan Marker will be holding a special CFF edition focused on the great horror films of the 1970’s.

SCRIPTS GONE WILD

Led by filmmaker Billy Ray Brewton Scripts Gone Wild presents live readings of beloved screenplays with wildly reimagined casts to hilarious results. For CFF’s virtual edition we’ll be mounting a production of John Carpenter’s immortal classic THE THING.

SHOCKWAVES

Blumhouse Productions presents SHOCK WAVES: Join your hosts Rob Galluzzo (Acquisitions and Development for Fangoria), Elric Kane (This Week In Horror, Inside Horror), Rebekah McKendry (Former editor In Chief: Blumhouse.com, Fangoria) and Ryan Turek (VP of Development at Blumhouse Productions) for a weekly discussion and analysis of all facets of the horror genre! SHOCK WAVES puts the focus on the latest horror films, retrospectives on classic titles and welcomes very special guests for all aspects of the industry to tackle a variety of topics and give listeners candid insight into how some of the best genre films are made. SHOCK WAVES is here to quench your insatiable thirst for all things horror! SHOCK WAVES  is presented by Blumhouse and the FANGORIA Podcast Network.

THE PUMPKIN PIE SHOW  |  Clay McLeod Chapman

For more than 20 years, author Chapman and his rigorous storytelling session The Pumpkin Pie Show have offered a view into the minds of the most depraved Southern Gothic monstrosities. Sometimes darkly humorous, sometimes strangely heartbreaking, and most definitely always in your face, these tales of madness and macabre explore the domestic horrors of every day, finding terror within our very own households. This one-of-a-kind performance delves deep into the darkest recesses of those madmen and women who drift along the periphery of humankind.

VINEGAR SYNDROME UP ALL NIGHT PAJAMA PARTY

CFF is proud to team up with our favorite archeologists of awesome ass arcane cinema VINEGAR SYNDROME on a triple feature of three bizarre and beautiful cinematic delights: HELL RIDERS, HOLLYWOOD HORROR HOUSE and BERSERKER. Put on your pandemic pjs and join in on the fun with host Liz Howell and special music guests UNDEATH who’s disgusting slabs of death metal will help you shake off them sleepies and ROCK ALL NIGHT.

WORLD- BUILDING IN INDEPENDENT FILM: VISUAL EFFECTS TOOLS FOR LOW BUDGET FILMMAKERS  |  Nicholas Ashe Bateman

Director Nicholas Ashe Bateman explains the largely digital journey of bringing The Wanting Mare and its fictional world to life. Through the film’s earliest concept stages into production planning, filming, and its years-long execution of over 500 visual effects shots, Bateman makes a case for the boundless possibilities afforded by easily accessible modern technology and software. Intended for both filmmakers and fans of genre cinema alike, ‘World Building in Independent Film’  promises to be an entertaining testament to the power of visual myth, maps and magic.

WRITING/STORYTELLING WORKSHOP  |  Clay McLeod Chapman

Come join Clay McLeod Chapman, author of The Remaking and Marvel Comics’ ongoing series Scream: Curse of Carnage, to discuss the hunting and gathering of new narrative material to tell our own spooooky stories. Whether it’s for film or fiction, comics or something even crazier, this workshop lays down a very simple foundation for spinning out a yarn around the campfire, no matter what the medium may be.

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This virtual edition of CFF 2020 is possible thanks to Microsoft and its partners, MediaKind, Evergent, VisualOn, Media Team and Slalom. As previously announced, features and short films will be streamed through MediaKind’s MediaFirst TV Platform hosted on Azure and Microsoft Teams live events will power post-film Q&As, panels, and live events. Supported by integrations with Evergent and VisualOn, the film community and cinephiles in the United States will be able to purchase badges that allow them access the event from their computers and interact with many of the filmmakers and guests mentioned above.

Single-Day Access badges will be available for $10 and are good for 24 hours from the time of purchase. On Friday, May 22, the CFF 2020 Virtual Fest will go live at chattfilmfest.org, where badge holders will log in and watch features, shorts and live events with their peers.

Single Day Access is available for $10, All Access Badges for $30, and a VIP option for $100 that comes with some additional titles and special events.

Single-Day Access badges will be available for $10, and are good for 24 hours from the time of purchase. On Friday, May 22, the CFF 2020 Virtual Fest will go live at chattfilmfest.org, where badge holders will log in and watch features, shorts and live events with their peers.

To sign up to be alerted when badges go on sale, head to chattfilmfest.org.

It’s also important to note that the festival is divvying up a portion of the proceeds back to participating filmmakers.