The Sundance ’08 Horror, Thriller Slate

Hell Ride, Funny Games premiering



Come January, all eyes will be on Park City, Utah where the Sundance Film Festival kicks off on January 17th. As promised yesterday, we have an update for you on the event’s out-of-competition selection. Here are the genre films participating in the Park City at Midnight program:

The Broken/ U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Sean Ellis) – On a busy London street a woman sees herself driving by in her own car. Stunned, she trails the mystery woman as events take an eerie turn into a living nightmare. Cast: Lena Heady, Richard Jenkins, Asier Newman. World Premiere

George A. Romero’s Diary of the Dead/ U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: George A. Romero) – When a group of film students making an indie horror film find themselves trapped in a world being consumed by flesh-eating zombies, they cleverly switch gears and use the camera to document the world crumbling around them. Cast: Nick Alachiotis, Matt Birman, George Buza, Wes Craven, Stephen King, Quentin Tarantino, Guillermo del Toro. U.S. Premiere

Donkey Punch/ United Kingdom (Director: Olly Blackburn; Screenwriters: Olly Blackburn, David Bloom)— After meeting at a nightclub in a Mediterranean resort, seven young adults decide to continue partying aboard a luxury yacht in the middle of the ocean. But when one of them dies in a freak accident the others argue about what to do, leading to a ruthless fight for survival. Cast: Robert Boulter, Sian Breckin, Tom Burke. World Premiere

Funny Games/ U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Michael Haneke) – A family settles into its vacation home, which happens to be the next stop for a pair of young, articulate, white-gloved serial killers on an excursion through the neighborhood. Cast: Naomi Watts, Tim Roth, Michael Pitt, Brady Corbet, Devon Gearhart.

Hell Ride/ U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Larry Bishop) – Quentin Tarantino presents this bloody, sexy tale of motorcycle revenge. It’s a modern-day take on 1960s motorcycle flicks, with bikers who hit the road to avenge the death of one of their “old ladies” at the hands of a rival motorcycle gang. Cast: Larry Bishop, Dennis Hopper, Michael Madsen. World Premiere

Otto; or, Up with Dead People/ Germany/ Canada (Director and Screenwriter: Bruce LaBruce) – A lonely gay zombie searches for love and meaning in contemporary Berlin. Cast: Jey Crisfar, Katharina Klewinghaus, Susanne Sachsse, Marcel Schlutt. World Premiere

Time Crimes/Spain(Director andScreenwriter:Nacho Vigalondo) – A man



accidentally travels back to the past, only to meet himself there. He also encounters a series of mysteries – pieces of an unpredictable jigsaw puzzle of terror, drama, and supsense – that all lead to an unthinkable crime. Cast: Karra Elejalde, Candela Fernández, Bárbara Goenaga.

Also screening out-of-competition…

Transsiberian/ Spain (Director: Brad Anderson; Screenwriters: Brad Anderson and Will Conroy) – A Trans-Siberian train journey from China to Moscow becomes a thrilling chase of deception and murder when an American couple encounters a mysterious pair of fellow travelers. Cast: Woody Harrelson, Emily Mortimer, Kate Mara, Thomas Kretschmann, Eduardo Noriega and Ben Kingsley. World Premiere

Baghead/ U.S.A. (Directors and Screenwriters: Mark Duplass and Jay Duplass)— As previously done in their last film THE PUFFY CHAIR, the Duplass Brothers explore the minutiae of relationship dynamics in this in-depth study of a group of desperate actor friends. And a bag. And a head. Cast: Steve Zissis, Ross Partridge, Greta Gerwig. World Premiere

Red/ U.S.A. (Director: Trygve Diesen; Co-Director: Lucky McKee; Screenwriter: Stephen Susco) – An older, reclusive man’s best friend and inspiration for living is his 14-year-old dog named “Red.” When three troublesome teens kill the dog for no good reason, the grieving man sets out for justice and redemption by whatever means available to him. Cast: Brian Cox, Tom Sizemore, Kim Dickens. World Premiere

Fear(s) of the Dark (PEUR(S) DU NOIR)/ France (Directors: Blutch, Charles Burns, Marie Callou, Richard McGuire, Pierre Di Sciullio, Lorenzo Mattotti Screenwriters: Jerry Kramsky, Pirus, Romaine Slocombe, Artistic Director: Etienne Robial) – Ten leading graphic artists and cartoonists have breathed life into their phobias and nightmares in this animated feature. North American Premiere

Shock will be heading to Sundance (we’re keen on seeing how Hell Ride turns out) so keep it here for future updates!

Source: Sundance Institute

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