Florida’s Popcorn Frights Film Festival Offers Horror Thrills of the Retro and Modern Varieties
By Joseph Perry
This year's Popcorn Frights Film Festival, the seventh annual installment of this outstanding Florida horror film fest tradition, will be a hybrid experience offering both in-theater and virtual film offerings from August 12-19, 2021, and Mike and Joseph are thrilled to bring you both print and podcast reviews from the fest! Uphill Both Ways listeners and readers can join in on the fright-fare goodness with Popcorn Fright’s nationwide virtual version. That’s right, true believers --- you can bring this highly acclaimed horror film festival smack dab into your own homes! The virtual program highlights include eight feature film World Premieres, Popcorn Frights’ first-ever Virtual Reality experience, a Sneak Preview of Alex Proyas’ new short film set in the DARK CITY universe, and a record-setting 68 film premieres!
Following is information from the official press announcement with just a few of the Popcorn Frights offerings that Mike and Joseph are most looking forward to. Regular listeners know that Mike loves his slasher movies, Joseph is partial to supernatural fare, and they both love creature features — and Popcorn Frights nails all three of these subgenres, and more!
There are loads more amazing features and shorts scheduled, too. For more information about both in-person screenings and the virtual version, and to see the festival’s full lineup, please visit www.PopcornFrights.com
The History of Metal and Horror
World Premiere
United States | 2021 | 100 Min. | Dir. Mike Schiff
Filled with countless clips and entertaining moments, THE HISTORY OF METAL AND HORROR is a nostalgia trip of some of the most iconic horror films through the perspective of visionary artists in both the metal and horror worlds, including John Carpenter, Tom Savini, Gunnar Hansen, and Sid Haig, as well as musicians such as Kirk Hammett, Rob Zombie, Dave Mustaine, Alice Cooper, and many more.
Howling Village
US Premiere
Japan | 2020 | 108 Min. | Dir. Takashi Shimizu
Best known as the creator of the Japanese Ju-on series and The Grudge franchise, Takashi Shimizu returns with this new nightmare about a village at the end of a forgotten tunnel from which no one has ever returned alive.
It Came from Below
World Premiere
United Kingdom | 2021 | 81 Min. | Dir. Dan Allen
In this riveting, claustrophobic nail-biter, a caving expedition goes horribly wrong as the explorers become trapped and ultimately discover that they are not the only dwellers of these ominous caverns.
Keeping Company
East Coast Premiere
USA | 2021 | 82 Min. | Dir. Josh Wallace
This bloody, brutal, breakneck, black-hearted treat follows a fateful chain of events that begins to unravel after two brash insurance salesmen go knocking on the wrong door and find themselves trapped in a stranger’s basement, who is actually a cold-blooded serial killer.
Lair
East Coast Premiere
USA | 2021 | 95 Min. | Dir. Adam Ethan Crow
In this chilling story of terror, murder and unknown evil, a fractured family is forced to face their demons as they unwittingly become embroiled in a man’s attempt to prove the existence of the supernatural in order to overturn a friend’s murder conviction.
The Last Matinee
Florida Premiere
Uruguay | 2021 | 88 Min. | Dir. Maximiliano Contenti
Set in Montevideo, Uruguay, this ultra-violent neo-Giallo slasher follows a serial killer who slashes up an audience one by one during the final showing of a horror film in a small downtown cinema.
The Wild Man
World Premiere
USA | 2021 | 95 Min. | Dir. Ryan Justice
In this Florida moc-doc, a young student journalist and her friends travel to a small town in Central Florida to collect documentary footage about the Skunk Ape (aka The Wild Man or Bigfoot), a legendary local monster who they believe is behind the disappearance of many young women.
Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched
East Coast Premiere
USA | 2021 | 194 Min. | Dir. Kier-La Janisse
Filled with thoughtful commentary, lush visuals, and a myriad of perspectives, this landmark film is the first feature-length documentary on the history of folk horror and a resplendent treasure for horror lovers.
The Yellow Wallpaper
East Coast Premiere
USA-Ireland | 2021 | 99 Min. | Dir. Kevin Pontuti
This dark, visually rich, and disturbing contemporary adaptation of the well-known and controversial gothic feminist horror story is a chilling and boldly original vision of a woman suffering from hysteria.
VIRTUAL FEATURE FILM LINEUP
The Accursed
World Premiere
United States | 2021 | 86 Min. | Dir. Elizabeta Vidovic & Kathryn Michelle
Inspired by Eastern European folklore, this shocking thriller stars Yancy Butler (Kick-Ass, Hard Target) as a matriarch who spends twenty years suppressing a maleficent curse that was placed upon her bloodline, only to have a family member knowingly release it forcing her to kill or to be killed.
Apps
North American Premiere
Chile-Argentina | 2021 | 94 Min. | Dirs. Sandra Arriagada, Camilo León, Lucio Rojas, José Zúñiga, Samot Marquez
An anthology of four short but terrifying tales of the macabre told with great style and pulpy, grisly thrills.
Blood Conscious
Florida Premiere
United States | 2021 | 81 Min. | Dir. Timothy Covell
This shocking tale reflecting racial and social tensions of our time centers on vacationers who turn the tables on an unhinged killer who claims to be fighting demonic forces.
Dashcam
World Premiere
United States | 2021 | 81 Min. | Dir. Christian Nilsson
This stunning psychological thriller follows a video editor at a local news channel who is inadvertently sent secret dashcam video evidence that points to a possible conspiracy and government coverup.
Dawn Breaks Behind the Eyes
World Premiere
Germany | 2021 | 72 Min. | Dir. Kevin Kopacka
Equally mesmerizing and erotic, this Euro-horror-inspired tale centers on a couple who spend eternity in a castle until their reality starts to shift and unimaginable horrors ensue, deteriorating their fading sanity.
Also scheduled for the Virtual Feature Film Lineup:
The Ex
North American Premiere
Russia | 2021 | Dir. Evgeniy Puzyrevskiy
The History of Metal and Horror
World Premiere
USA | 2021 | Dir. Mike Schiff
House at the End of the Forest
Florida Premiere
Sweden | 2021 | Dir. Jonathan Katzeff
Howling Village
US Premiere
Japan | 2021 | Dir. Takashi Shimizu
It Came from Below
World Premiere
United Kingdom | 2021 | Dir. Dan Allen
Keeping Company
East Coast Premiere
USA | 2021 | Dir. Josh Wallace
Lair
East Coast Premiere
USA | 2021 | Dir. Adam Ethan Crow
The Last Matinee
Florida Premiere
Uruguay | 2021 | Dir. Maximiliano Contenti
Night at the Eagle Inn
World Premiere
USA | 2021 | Dir. Erik Bloomquist
Stoker Hills
North American Premiere
USA | 2021 | Dir. Benjamin Louis
Tin Can
US Premiere
Canada | 2021 | Dir. Seth A. Smith
Val
World Premiere
USA | 2021 | Dir. Aaron Fradkin
The Wild Man
World Premiere
USA | 2021 | Dir. Ryan Justice
Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched
East Coast Premiere
USA | 2021 | Dir. Kier-La Janisse
The Yellow Wallpaper
East Coast Premiere
USA-Ireland | 2021 | Dir. Kevin Pontuti
For all further details please visit www.popcornfrights.com
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ABOUT POPCORN FRIGHTS FILM FESTIVAL
Popcorn Frights Film Festival presents the best of contemporary genre cinema from across the world as it celebrates the art of horror. The seven-day festival is Southeast U.S.' largest genre film festival and prides itself on premiering films from emerging and established filmmakers, enabling the industry and general audiences to experience the power of storytelling through genre film.
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