Popcorn Frights Film Festival is proud to announce its second wave of programming for the annual celebration of all things genre. The complete lineup features more than 50 film premieres from 15 countries and promises more thrills than ever before as the Festival rages through South Florida from August 10-16.
“We’re thrilled to unleash these bad ass and daring films, each presenting a uniquely innovative, visionary, defiantly weird, utterly unnerving, and of course, bloody as all hell tale for every bloodthirsty horror fanatic. For seven terrifying nights unholy cinematic mayhem will reign in the Sunshine State!” said Igor Shteyrenberg & Marc Ferman, Co-Founders & Co-Directors of the Popcorn Frights Film Festival.
As the Southeast United States largest gathering of genre films and fans, Popcorn Frights is bringing the latest and greatest in genre cinema from around the globe to the Sunshine State. Popcorn Frights keeps the scream-machine churning with a Closing Night triple-bill of rampage featuring the East Coast Premiere of the psycho-sexual thriller Piercing starring Mia Wasikowska and Christopher Abbott, the North American Premiere of the gruesomely creepy Deadly Still, and the Southeast US Premiere of the cheerfully gory Japanese zombie comedy One Cut of The Dead.
Rounding out the feature film lineup is the World Premiere of the supernatural thriller Cursed Seat; the Florida Premieres of Jenn Wexler’s wildly energetic slasher The Ranger and Issa López’s award-winning nightmare Tigers Are Not Afraid; the Southeast US Premiere of the joyously gory Framed; the East Coast Premiere of the disturbingly insidious tale The Farm; the Florida Premieres of Xavier Gens’ Lovecraftian creature feature Cold Skin and Michael Tully’s atmospheric psycho-religious chiller Don’t Leave Home; and the South Florida Premiere of the coming-of-age thriller Summer of ’84.
Popcorn Frights is also proud to present for a second year its “Homegrown: 100% Pure Fresh Squeezed Florida Horror” program that is dedicated to renewing and reinvigorating the audience's engagement with Florida’s local filmmakers and homegrown talent. This platform is designed to be a springboard for new filmmakers from Florida and a space that helps forge a new direction for Florida’s genre scene by further cultivating and nurturing its growing film community. Films headlining the program include the World Premiere of The Stag and the Horse, the US Premiere of Riley Was Here, and the Borscht Corp produced Möbius.
Besides the Homegrown short film program, Popcorn Frights will present an additional 30 short film premieres from 10 countries, furthering its commitment to providing a fertile ground for new and emerging filmmakers.
It's time for rampage. It's time for chaos. It's time for Popcorn Frights!
FESTIVAL LINEUP (SECOND WAVE)
FEATURE FILMS
COLD SKIN Directed by Xavier Gens Spain-France | 108 minutes | 2018 FLORIDA PREMIERE. In this Lovecraftian creature feature that tells the tale of isolation and madness set on a desolate island, a young man on his way to assume the lonely post of weather observer finds a deranged castaway who has witnessed a horror he refuses to name.
CURSED SEAT Directed by Nadezhda Mikhalkova Russia | 95 minutes | 2018 Russian with English subtitles WORLD PREMIERE. In this gruesome shocker, a group of teens are haunted by evil forces that’s set to claim their lives.
DEADLY STILL Directed by Anton Zenkovich Russia | 80 minutes | 2018 Russian with English subtitles NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE. A chilling-to-the-bone creepfest about an antique camera that appears to hold the power of life and death over those who use it.
DON’T LEAVE HOME Directed by Michael Tully USA | 86 minutes | 2018 FLORIDA PREMIERE. Intrigued by an Irish urban legend, an American artist ends up in danger after traveling to the ramshackle estate of a priest responsible for a work of art containing the image of a girl who has vanished, along with her likeness in the painting.
THE FARM Directed Hans Stjernswärd USA | 80 minutes | 2018 EAST COAST PREMIERE. The classic horror tale of a young couple who take a wrong turn and stumble into a small town full of people with nefarious intentions is turned on its head in this disturbing ode to blood, guts, and human flesh.
FRAMED Directed by Marc Martínez Jordán Spain | 80 minutes | 2018 Spanish with English subtitles SOUTHEAST US PREMIERE. A group of friends at a going-away party are taken hostage by masked strangers who force them to play an increasingly sinister game that makes them objects of unimaginable torture for a viral streaming show.
ONE CUT OF THE DEAD Directed by Ueda Shinichiro Japan | 96 minutes | 2018 EAST COAST PREMIERE. In this cheerfully gory horror comedy, a low-budget film crew about to shoot a zombie movie at a desolate warehouse is suddenly attacked by real zombies. The uncompromising director forces them to confront the living dead head-on for the sake of capturing it all in one single take, with no consideration for their lives.
PIERCING Directed by Nicolas Pesce USA | 82 minutes | 2018 EAST COAST PREMIERE. Mia Wasikowska and Christopher Abbott star in this lusciously filmed adaptation of Ryū Murakami’s novel that delves into the darkest domains of human nature with a color-saturated tale of deviant desire and unspeakable urges.
THE RANGER Directed by François Simard, Anouk Whissell, and Yoann-Karl Whissell Canada-USA | 105 minutes | 2018 FLORIDA PREMIERE. Pursued by the police, punk rocker Chelsea and her lawbreaking friends decide to lay low at her uncle's backwoods cabin but soon find themselves facing an even bigger problem: an ax-wielding forest ranger with homicidal intentions.
SUMMER OF ‘84 Directed by Kevin Phillips USA | 100 minutes | 2017 SOUTH FLORIDA PREMIERE. The directing trio behind cult favorite Turbo Kid deliver a startling throwback to 80’s classics in this eerily resonant coming-of-age horror flick
TIGERS ARE NOT AFRAID Directed by Issa López Mexico | 83 minutes | 2018 Spanish with English subtitles FLORIDA PREMIERE. In this tragic and engulfing nightmare that’s populated with eerie fairytale imagery, a young girl with a missing mother joins a band of street misfits in an effort to survive amidst rampant cartel violence in modern-day Mexico City. SHORT FILMS ACIDE Directed by Just Philippot France | 18 minutes | 2018 French with Engish subtitles
SOUTHEAST US PREMIERE. An ominous cloud is taking shape and it’s slowly moving inland, forcing people to run for cover. As the cloud keeps on moving forward inescapably, panic strikes. That cumulus is acid.
AMY Directed by L. Gustavo Cooper USA | 7 minutes | 2017
FLORIDA PREMIERE. A surreal and distorted glimpse into a killing spree that captivated a nation in the early 1900s set against the backdrop of the deadliest heat wave in recorded history.
ARTURO Directed by Alessandro Bavari Italy | 7 minutes | 2017
SOUTHEAST US PREMIERE. Let the rhythm get into your head.
BEASTLY THINGS Directed by Zev Chevat USA | 5 minutes | 2017
FLORIDA PREMIERE. A young street artist encounters a group of local schoolchildren and learns what really makes monsters.
BEC Directed by Tony Morales Spain | 12 minutes | 2018 Spanish with English subtitles
FLORIDA PREMIERE. Since 1998 the appearances of the BEC has been constant, and the consequences of looking directly into their eyes has been irreversible.
BFF GIRLS Directed by Brian Lonano USA | 13 minutes | 2018 English and Japanese with English subtitles
SOUTH FLORIDA PREMIERE. Three dorky American girls magically transform into beautiful Japanese Superheroes and fight a tampon monster as they begin their journey into womanhood.
BLAZING WORLD Directed by Carlson Young USA | 13 minutes | 2018
FLORIDA PREMIERE. Margaret has been plagued with dreams of a strange world since she was a little girl. After a mysterious man with a map visits her one night, she decides to give in to the incessant calls of The Blazing World.
THE BLOODY BALLAD OF SQUIRT REYNOLDS Directed by Anthony Cousins USA | 7 minutes | 2018
FLORIDA PREMIERE. The kids at Camp Nawgonamakit are about to find out the tragic tale of Squirt Reynolds is more than just a legend.
COYOTE Directed Lorenz Wunderle Switzerland | 10 minutes | 2018
FLORIDA PREMIERE. A coyote loses his family to a vicious attack by wolves. Tormented by fear, anger and grief, he sees a chance to avenge their deaths…
GOD BLESS AMERICA Directed by Michelle Brost & Dane Cree USA | 4 minutes | 2017
FLORIDA PREMIERE. An unhealthy competition — the American pastime.
THE GREEN GIANT OF ZANZUKI Directed by Alex Greenberg USA | 8 minutes | 2017
FLORIDA PREMIERE. A deranged Soviet scientist has stolen an ancient relic from the lost island of Zanzuki to harness the power of the weather. Little did he know, it would awaken a horrible creature who stops at nothing to retrieve the magical artifact.
HEARTLESS Directed by Kevin Sluder USA | 12 minutes | 2018
FLORIDA PREMIERE. Based on Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart,” an overlooked associate struggles to complete a corporate presentation as a horrific secret gnaws at her conscience.
THE HORSE AND THE STAG Directed by Jonathan Cuartas USA | 10 minutes | 2018
WORLD PREMIERE. After being abducted by Edith, Carson is held captive in her motor home.
HORSES: HAPPY HOLIDAYS Directed by Leah Shore USA | 1 minute | 2017
FLORIDA PREMIERE. Good times! There’s more than one way to skin a…
HOT DOG HANDS Directed by Matt Reynolds USA | 6 minutes | 2017
SOUTH FLORIDA PREMIERE. This woman can’t stop growing fingers.
MIDNIGHT DELIVERY Directed by Nathan Crooker USA | 10 minutes | 2018
FLORIDA PREMIERE. A mysterious gift is delivered to an unsuspecting woman’s door at the stroke of midnight. The woman’s morbid fascination entices her to examine the gift, unleashing a sinister evil from within.
MILK Directed by Santiago Menghini Canada | 10 minutes | 2018
FLORIDA PREMIERE. On a late night, a young teen goes into the kitchen for a glass of milk. Upon encountering his sleepless mother, he quickly realizes things are not as they seem.
MÖBIUS Directed by Sam Kuhn Canada-USA | 15 minutes | 2017
FLORIDA PREMIERE. A moth-eaten tale of magic and mutation half-remembered by a teen poet whose beloved lies lifeless in a stream.
NATURAL MIRACLE Directed by Noah Malone USA | 2 minutes | 2018
FLORIDA PREMIERE. Morality grows on trees.
NIGHTHAWK Directed by Špela Čadež Slovenia-Croatia | 9 minutes | 2017 Slovenian with English subtitles
EAST COAST PREMEIRE. Attempting to remove an unresponsive badger from a dark road, a police patrol soon realizes that the animal is not dead but rather dead drunk. Things take an even stranger turn when the creature wakes up.
PREY Directed by Bill Whirity USA | 5 minutes | 2018
FLORIDA PREMIERE. While on a first date, a young couple finds themselves being pursued by more than just each other.
REWIND Directed by Rubén Pérez Barrena Spain | 12 minutes | 2017 Spanish with English subtitles
SOUTH FLORIDA PREMIERE. On Halloween night during a thick fog, a college girl finds herself suddenly harassed by a terrifying unknown presence.
RILEY WAS HERE Directed by Mike Marrero & Jon Rhoads USA | 15 minutes | 2018
US PREMIERE. Humankind narrowly avoided an apocalyptic event but some of those who survived struggle to move on after their horrific losses.
ROBHOT Directed by Donato Sansone Italy | 6 minutes | 2017
US PREMIERE. Two cyborg warriors face off in a battle to the death.
SHADOWMAKER Directed by Ben Meinhardt USA | 2 minutes | 2018
FLORIDA PREMIERE. He’s some kind of hero.
SHE CAME FROM THE WOODS Directed by Erik & Carson Bloomquist USA | 12 minutes | 2017
SOUTH FLORIDA PREMIERE. A campfire story comes to life for a group of counselors on the last day of the summer of 1987 at Camp Briarbrook.
SOCKMONSTER Directed by Wesley Alley USA | 4 minutes | 2017
SOUTH FLORIDA PREMIERE. A young mother deals with the loss of her young daughter but refuses to give up on her. As she searches for her, she finds something much worse and soon discovers where socks go when they go missing in the dryer.
THE SERMON Directed by Dean Puckett UK | 11 minutes | 2018
SOUTHEAST US PREMIERE. In an isolated church community in the English countryside, a powerful hate preacher prepares to deliver a sermon to his flock, but his daughter has a secret that could destroy them all.
THIRD WHEEL Directed by Daniel DelPurgatorio USA | 4 minutes | 2017
FLORIDA PREMIERE. Susan has more than just skeletons in her closet.
THURSDAY NIGHT Directed by Gonçalo Almeida Portugal-UK | 8 minutes | 2017
FLORIDA PREMIERE. An elusive stranger pays Bimbo a visit in the middle of the night to deliver a vital message.
TWO PUDDLES Directed by Timothy Keeling UK | 6 minutes | 2018
FLORIDA PREMIERE. Confronted by two radically unusual puddles on a woodland retreat, three family members are forced to make outrageous decisions.
VIOLA VS. THE VAMPIRE KING Directed by Kevin Fermini USA | 8 minutes | 2018
FLORIDA PREMIERE. Everyone’s favorite Super 8 vampire kung-fu revenge film.
WE SUMMONED A DEMON Directed by Chris McInroy USA | 6 minutes | 2017
SOUTH FLORIDA PREMIERE. They just wanted to be cool. Instead, they got a demon.
TICKET SALES:
Festival Premiere Badges are on sale for a limited time for $99 per person and $69 for couples, and single screening tickets are available for $12. To purchase badges or tickets and view the Festival schedule, visit www.popcornfrights.com
LOCATION: All films will screen at Savor Cinema (503 SE 6th St, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301).
MORE INFORMATION:
Follow the Popcorn Frights Film Festival on Facebook (/popcornfrights), Twitter (@popcornfrights), or Instagram (@popcornfrights) for updates with the latest information about the Festival. Join the conversation using the hashtag #popcornfrights on social media.