Exclusives
‘Johnny Frank Garrett’s Last Word’ Poster Guarantees Ghostly Revenge (SXSW)
In Simon Rumley’s supernatural vengeance thriller Johnny Frank Garrett’s Last Word, when a young man is executed for committing murder, he leaves behind a curse letter in which he promises to take vengeance on all those connected to his trial.
The thriller, starring Green Lantern‘s Mike Doyle, Bitch Slap‘s Erin Cummings, Devin Bonnée, and The Boondock Saints‘ Sean Patrick Flanery, is set to have its World Premiere at this weekend’s SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas.
Ahead of the premiere, Bloody Disgusting has the exclusive debut of the film’s one-sheet promising that revenge is a dish best served cold (as a spirit).
“Based on true events. Amarillo, Texas, Halloween, 1968, Sister Tadea Benz, a 76 year old nun is raped and murdered in her bedroom in her convent. A teenager from the wrong side of the tracks, Johnny Frank Garrett, is arrested but claims innocence. His trial is a farce and he is sentenced to death. On the day of his execution, Garrett writes a curse letter saying his spirit will return and kill not only those involved with his sentencing and death but the members of their families too. Sure enough, soon after, those involved in the execution start dying and it is left to one of the jurors to try to solve the riddle of who actually killed Sister Tadea Benz to save his son.”
Simon Rumley is one of the UK’s leading independent directors and has been making genre films for the last 10 years, explains the SXSW program. His films include The Living and The Dead, Red White & Blue and The Abcs of Death. He is currently in post on Crowhurst and in prep in Austin for his next film, Fashionista.
Midnighters, World Premiere
Johnny Frank Garrett’s Last Word
Sunday, March 13, 12mid, Alamo South Lamar
Tuesday, March 15, 11:45pm, Stateside
Saturday, March 19, 4:30pm, Alamo South Lamar
Exclusives
‘The Haunting of Pennhurst’ Exclusive Clip Trains Scare Actors For Historic Haunt in Tribeca Doc
The past and present collide in haunting, poignant ways in the genre documentary The Haunting of Pennhurst, which sees a Halloween haunt serve as a reclamation of true historic horrors.
Ahead of its world premiere at the 25th Tribeca Film Festival, we have an exclusive clip that sees scare actors in training for the Halloween season. The catch? This haunt is opening at the historic Pennhurst State School & Hospital site, a facility that caused immense harm to its disabled patients over decades of its operation.
In the documentary, “For over seventy years, Pennhurst State School & Hospital was called a place of care. What happened inside killed over half its population. It closed in 1987, leaving behind unmarked graves and an unresolved history. Today, on those same grounds, disabled performers – many living with the same conditions that once sent people to Pennhurst – put on their makeup, pull on their costumes, and prepare to scare people for a living.
“Through grit, compassion, and buckets of blood, the eclectic performers of the Pennhurst Asylum haunted attraction are wrestling with a space that is at once a lucrative business and a gravesite.”
The upcoming documentary hails from directing trio Nathan Stenberg, Mike Attie, and Katarina Poljak, who explore their socially-relevant subject through archival footage, first-hand accounts, and an immersive verité.
“Pennhurst has haunted us since we first passed through its dragon-tooth gates; the horrors of the institution echo through the site today. We are so grateful to bring this film to the Tribeca Festival, particularly the Escape from Tribeca section, which feels right for a story where past and present bleed together. We hope audiences leave unnerved and asking the same uncomfortable questions we did,” Attie, Stenberg, and Poljak said in a statement.
Watch the clip below that sees disabled and neurodivergent scare actors learning the ropes of a Halloween haunt, reclaiming the site’s grim history in the process.
Tribeca Screenings:
- Public 1 (Premiere) Screening – Friday, June 5 at 9:15PM at Village East by Angelika
- Public 2 Screening – Sunday, June 7 at 3:15PM at Village East by Angelika
- Public 3 Screening – Tuesday, June 9 at 6:15PM at Village East by Angelika
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