Canadian horror screening collective announces March film fest lineup.
As we’ve discussed before, the historical Canadian city of Hamilton (located just half an hour outside of Toronto), is a hotbed for horror. This is the steel town in which Jonathan Frid, DARK SHADOWS’ original Barnabas Collins, was born in, raised in and returned to die in. There’s a wealth of strange cinema culture here and alumni living here, including MY BLOODY VALENTINE director George Mihalka.
And, at the center of it all is the Fright Night Theatre, an ongoing screening series and film festival that projects indie horror pictures from all over the world.
This March, FNT will be hosting its weekend festival, the Fright Night Theatre Film Festival (FNTFF) on March 11th-12th and they just let SHOCK know what 4 out of the 5 flicks will be (a special midnight screening will be announced soon) .
Highlights from this years lineup include the theatrical World Premiere of HARVEST LAKE by director Scott Schirmer (FOUND) and the Canadian Premiere of the Halloween-themed 80s homage and crowd-funding success THE BARN by director Justin M. Seaman.
The fest rolls out at Staircase Theatre in Hamilton, ON. Tickets, passes, and the full festival schedule go online the week of February 21st.
Here’s a look at the scheduled films:
HARVEST LAKE (World Premiere)
Dir. Scott Schirmer
USA
A group of campers on a birthday vacation to the lake fall under the erotic spell of a libidinous, otherworldly presence in the woods. Inhibitions drop and their behaviors become erratic as one by one they find their sexual identities and wills being subsumed by the creature’s power. One of the friends tries to escape the carnal free-fall, ultimately bringing him face to face with the source of a primal mystery that will change his life forever. This bold and “uncomfortably sexy” new film comes from director Scott Schirmer (Found) and producer Brian K. Williams (Time to Kill) with special FX by The Clockwerk Creature Company. Starring: Tristan Risk (American Mary), Ellie Church (Headless), Jason Crowe (Dead Moon Rising), Dan Nye (The Legend of Wasco), and Kevin Roach (The Confession of Fred Krueger).
THE BARN (Canadian Premiere)
Dir. Justin M. Seaman
USA
Its Halloween 1989, and best friends Sam and Josh are trying to enjoy what’s left of their final Devil’s Night before graduating high school. But the two pals and a group of their friends get more trick than treat when they take a detour on their way to a rock concert, finding an old abandoned barn and awakening a trio of Halloween demons inside. Now it’s up to Sam and Josh to find a way to protect their friends and defeat the flesh-hungry creatures that lurk within “The Barn.” THE BARN is the perfect retro throwback to classic 80s VHS horror like The Monster Squad, Halloween III: Season of the Witch, and Full Moon’s empire of direct to video features. Starring: Mitchell Musolino, Will Stout, Lexi Dripps, Cortland Woodard, Nikki Darling, Nickolaus Joshua, and Ari Lehman (the first Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th).
IDYLL (Canadian Premiere)
Dir. Toma Gorki?
SLOVENIA
After a night of carousing, amateur photo model Zina heads for a fashion shoot in the idyllic vistas of rural Slovenia, accompanied by the ambitious model Mia and their snobby photographer Blitcz. On their way to the location, they cross paths with a group of hideously disfigured and violent redneck moonshiners. Thus, an ordinary fashion shoot in the idyllic woods turns into a fierce fight for survival. Starring: Nina Ivanisin, Lotos Sparovec, Nika Rozman
SHE WHO MUST BURN (Hamilton Premiere)
Dir. Larry Kent
CANADA
The Baarkers, a family group of religious fanatics who believe they are God’s chosen ones, polarize a small mining town and force its residents to fight for their lives as their zeal turns murderous and the rule of law decays into brutish mob mentality. A controversial and timely look at the horrific results of religious zealotry from esteemed Canadian filmmaker Larry Kent. Starring: Sarah Smyth, Shane Twerdun, Jewel Staite
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOFxIm4UA60
