After a year hiatus due to
the untimely passing of its founder and ringleader, Michael J Hein,
the NYC Horror Film Festival has bounced back with a stunning
array of films and special
guests for this November's festival. This year's festival is doubly
exciting for us at All Things Horror as a number of filmmakers and
movies we've grown to love via our own events have been accepted into
what we consider the best exclusively horror film festival in the
United States.
Two
very special guests will be on hand. On Friday November 9th
Rob Zombie will attend and accept the first Michael J Hein Award for
Personal Achievement in Direction. He'll also screen one of his films
with the odds on it being his latest The Lords of Salem.
The
following evening the festival honors master of horror Wes Craven
with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Along with a Q&A session
Craven will screen one of his classic films.
Of
course the main draw of the festival remains the opportunity to see
an orgy of ballsy, no holds barred horror features and shorts way
before the general public. This year promises to be no exception with
a damn fine line up:
Thursday
November 8th
Nailbiter
(dir.
Patrick Rea) Anyone who reads this site knows this was one of our
favorite screeners of the past year. The story of a mother and her
three daughters getting caught in a tornado seems like horror-lite
kid friendly fare (albeit the kind with a bucketload of charm) before
it takes a drastic swerve towards dark and horrific territory in the
last act. Throw in fantastic creature effects, a breezy score and a
final girl that evokes memories of Buffy Summers and you've got a
winner. Also playing are the short films Facing
Rupert and
Survivor Type
Spider
(dir. Tibur Takacs) I'm not
going to lie. I know nothing of this movie outside the poster art,
which features a massive spider dwarfing the city skyline. I could be
talking out my ass and be completely wrong that this is the right
movie. Also playing are the short films Night
of the Pumpkin, Dr. Grordbort Presents: The Deadliest Game and
Bug Chaser
Friday
November 9th
Nightscape
(dir. David W Edwards) The
extended trailer for this film plays like a gothic short all on its
own. What's odd is the trailer, which features a little girl
wandering first through barren woods before entering a dilapidated
murder shanty looks like it has nothing to do with the film's premise
where a drifter comes face to face with a supernatural killing
machine on four wheels. Also showing are the short films The
Captured Bird, Amelia and
Negative Image
TDB
Rob Zombie Film and Award Ceremony plus
the short films Deer Head
Valley, Sandwich Crazy, Plush and
Show Me
Saturday
November 10th
Game
of Werewolves (dir. Juan
Martinez Moreno) If I were on the fence at all, the trailer won me
over with its closing snippet where a group try to evade a hungry
pack of werewolves by tossing a stick and imploring them to “Fetch!”
This Spanish B-movie features a hell of a lot of men in rubber and
yak hair suits and looks like its going to be a cheesy, fun time.
Also playing are the short films Rotting
Hill,Torture Porn and
Hierarchy
It's
In The Blood (dir. Scooter
Downy) Another one of our favorites form the past year, It's In The
Blood features a prodigal son and his cantankerous father (Lance
Henriksen) attempting a reconciliation on a hunting trip after
tragedy drives them apart. They soon find themselves stalked and
trapped by unseen forces while the past comes up to a boil. This is a
film where the devil lies in the details, and despite its micro
budget Downy provides some stunning visuals. This one is going to win
over a lot of fans. Also playing are the short films Child
Eater, The Ribbon and
Mother Died
Gut
(dir. Elias) This looks like
the kind of slow burn that creeps into the corners of your brain only
to make itself known during the late hours of night when you're
struggling to find that peaceful frame of mind when trying to sleep.
Two friends-one married and settled into a comfortable but dull
middle class life and the other single and a bit of a dufus, come
across a series of DVDs that picture women strapped to a table then
tortured in slow, exquisite detail. The cumulative effects of these
videos take their toll on their state of mind and hamper their
surrounding relationships. Also showing are a pair of our favorite
short films Alice Jacobs
is Dead and Familiar
Unannounced
Wes Craven film, Q&A and Awards Ceremony plus
the short films Foxes
and Tell.
Sunday
November 11th
Mimesis
(dir. Douglas Schulze) I don't
know too much about this one, but from the look of the trailer it
appears that a group of friends head out for a party when chaos
breaks out and they begin living through scenes from their favorite
horror films. Lots of nods to Hooper and Romero in the trailer. This
might be the kind of comfort food that helps nurse one back from the
edge of a wicked hangover. Also playing are the short films Demented,
Love Bug, Testament of Karma and
Deviling
Devoured
(dir. Greg Oliver) I've wanted
to get my hands on this film for a while now. A young immigrant
mother with a sick child back hime takes a low wage job in a NY
restaurant to try and raise funds for his medication. Alone in the
city, harangued by her asshole boss and fearful of her child's well
being she begins to see a dark figure that follows her around at all
times. This looks like a moody, suspenseful chiller. Here's hoping it
delivers. Also playing are the short films Anorexia,
Between Friends, Sleepwalk and
Chucking Amy
Gallery
of Fear The NYC Horror film
fest seems to have a tradition of closing things out with a Z-Grade B
Movie in either the slasher or William Castle tradition. They're the
kind of films you'd turn your nose up at any other time, but given
the setting: a lubed up crowd all hopped up on a weekend of gore and
gristle, the choice makes for a fun communal experience. Gallery of
Fear, starring indie stalwart Debbie Rochon, looks like it continues
the tradition.
The
NYC Horror Film Fest will be held at the Tribeca Cinema. We'll post a
ticket link as soon as we know more.
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