Revealed in its entirety this week, Nightmares Film Festival has outdone even its most legendary stuffed-to-bursting programs with 2019’s lineup, which will pack 190 of the world’s best features and shorts from around the world into this year’s four-day event in Columbus, OH from October 24th to 27th.
One of those films is none other than Jörg Buttgereit‘s infamously banned necrophilic exploitation film Nekromantik, which I had the immense pleasure of reviewing earlier this year as a part of Cult Epics' Sex Murder Art box set. In my review I stated: "On it's surface, the film seems like one made with the sole purpose of disgusting its audience, but with further understanding of the film's creation, one will find that there is much more to this production than all that. Made over the course of two years, before the wall came down in West Berlin, Nekromantik reflects the darker side of social decay and was created as a big middle finger in the face of Germany’s censorship laws."
As a fan of Buttgereit‘s films, it's great to see them still receiving the attention they deserve. Major props to Nightmares Films Fest!
The remainder of the lineup includes features from both beloved horror filmmakers and important new voices in genre film. Included are Hammer Films’s The Lodge, from the makers of Goodnight Mommy; Daniel Isn’t Real, from the producers of Mandy and The Greasy Strangler; VFW, from the director of Almost Human; Eat Brains Love, adapted from the popular novel; and closing night film Z, from the creators of It Stains the Sand Red and Still/Born. The brand new horror comedy anthology Scare Package, She Never Died, the sequel to the 2015 Henry Rollins action-horror film He Never Died, the Carpenter Brut-scored Blood Machines, the world premiere of FX artist Marcus Koch's (We Are Still Here) documentary on the history of extreme cinema, Beyond Horror and the world premiere of Tommy Faircloth (Dollface)’s newest film, A Nun’s Curse.
Read on for more info from the official press release:
One of Nightmares Film Fest's best known traditions, the "Late Night Mind Fuck," returns this year with two world premieres. First is The Obsessed from Italian extreme director Domiziano Christopharo (previous NFF winner Torment), a body horror freak-out based on the manic descent of Bjork’s stalker. And at 2 a.m. is the dark, harrowing and sexually explicit 29 Needles.
The festival’s reputation for presenting the best curated shorts blocks on the planet continues with a lineup of 150+ horror, thriller, midnight and horror comedy short films, including dozens of world premieres. Its Recurring Nightmares blocks are also back, highlighting NFF audience favorites returning with new work, and its Ohio shorts blocks will offer up some of the best locally made films.
Nightmares has also named the 13 finalists in its short and feature screenplay contests. These screenwriters will be given the chance to connect with selected filmmakers to explore production of their scripts through the NFF FinaLIST matching service.
All selected competition films and screenplays vie for a coveted Night Mare statuette, representing the dark horses of genre. The Night Mare is sculpted and painted by renowned toy and figure creator Tony Simione (Marvel, Star Wars, Godzilla, Alien).
Nightmares Film Fest returns to the Gateway Film Center in Columbus. Get your tickets today!
A complete list of features, shorts and screenplay finalists follows below.
NIGHTMARES FILM FESTIVAL 2019 PROGRAM
FEATURE FILMS
The Lodge Swallow The Girl on the Third Floor VFW Nekromantik Eat, Brains, Love Daniel Isn’t Real She Never Died Blood Machines A Nun’s Curse Reckoning Antrum 1BR To Your Last Death Making Monsters Z Beyond Horror Slaughterhouse Slumber Party Ghost Killers vs Bloody Mary The Obsessed Scare Package 29 Needles Puppet Killer Lake Michigan Monster
SHORT SCREENPLAY FINALISTS
Bathwater – Kevin Talley Demon Inside Me – Brandon Rutherford Gender Reveal Party – Alison Parker Hush Little Baby – Ricardo Bravo Cave of Tits – Stephen Stull Vuorwro – Ron Riekki Boogeyman Bait – Kay Phillips Field Test – Chris Hicks Love as a Practice for Dying – Shayna Connellly Mary, Dispossessed – Kristy Walsh The Garden – Guillermo Ortiz The Squirrels in the Attic – Rachel Thomas-Medwid Who Wants Dessert? – Venita Ozols-Graham
FEATURE SCREENPLAY FINALISTS
Night People – Søren Budge Mom Died – Michael Klug The Chamber – Sergio Pinheiro Timmy Cooke: A Cannibal Love Story – Aaron Barrocas Persona – Jeffrey Howe The Mothman – Jackson Murray No Overnight Parking – Meg Swertlow Serial Killers Anonymous – Robert Forsberg Daughters of Virtue – Michael Escobedo, Greg Sisco Third Date – Avishai Weinberger He Brings The Night – Kevin Donner Monger – David Axe Girl Trouble – Devi Snively
HORROR SHORTS
Boo Trust Me Melody In Sound, We Live Forever The Tattooist To Enter You Must Off Fleek Atomic Ed Steve And The Dead Girl Creaker She Must Vanish Inferno Piggy Lippy A-Symmetry The Burden Destroyer of Worlds Room 106 The Vicious Water Horse How To Be Alone Night Crawl Nest Plainsong Tick Twig Portraits of Fright Z-GOAT: First Bleat Asian She – Competitive Mourning The Third Hand She Fell Songs My Mother Taught Me Attention MJ Tagged Ferine A Doll Distorted I Learned How to Drive at the End of the World Limbo Headcleaner Check The Orchestra
THRILLER SHORTS
Feeder Nineteen Ninety Nine Cassandra Lili Gaslight The Taste of Blood A Clown’s Tale Man in the Corner Prefigured It Came Nameless in Spring Mutiny The Housesitters We Die Alone September Maggie May
Communication is Key Broadside SICK Chickens One Bad Night The Automaton A Noise That Carries Lock and Key Buffalo & Trout The Itch Playtime’s over Catfight
MIDNIGHT SHORTS VR Food Adams Hot Dog Existential Donut Bennifer Valerio’s Day Out Demons Cured Together Malacostraca The Program Herman Mannequins Changeling Stucco Little Willy The Outsider Farsight Five Course Meal The Animator Imagine a World Sasquatch Breathe The Guy The Contract Unholy ‘Mole Diddie Wa Diddie Daughter of Dismay I See Through You A Night Without Dad Jackie
HORROR COMEDY SHORTS
Killer Date Dead Teenager Séance Bad Fun OverKill Exhibit Man NeckFace Inflatio Possessions Zebra We Got a Monkey’s Paw Half-Cocked We Follow You Ghost Turd Reunion SHHHH Blow Out Scary Stories: Bloody Mary Sleep Tight
OHIO SHORTS
Winter’s Blood Forgive Me Look Twice Where The Shadows Fall Drainage Unknown Number Madness’ by Black Liquid Tea Time for Lions Wake Up Mark The Coffin Benito’s Brew The End of the World: An Update Tethered Weight The Things With The Glowing Green Eyes
