For me, a totally squeamish wimp, the very idea of a horror film festival is enough to make me cower under my seat, no matter how much grosser the stuff under the seat is than what's onscreen. (Used chewing gum vs. Saw-- take your pick) But for horror fans, the return of After Dark Horrorfest is probably a cause for celebration. The nationwide film festival is returning for a third time in January 2009, and has announced the latest film that will join its 8 Films to Die For line-up.
From Within is directed by Phedon Papamichael, a director of photography making his directorial debut, and includes in its cast Rumer Willis, that celebrity spawn who is becoming inexplicably famous. The movie, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, is about a small town that is suddenly plagued with a rash of suicides. Three more films will join the line-up before the festival debuts in early January.
Check the rest of the lineup below, or head to Horror Fest Online for everything else you need to know. Rule #1: Don't invite me. I'll just plug my ears and hum the songs from Enchanted to myself, and no one wants a big baby like me at a horrorfest.
The After Dark Horrorfest III Lineup to date: THE BROKEN
DIRECTOR: Sean Ellis
PRODUCER: Lene Bausager
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Franck Chorot
WRITTEN BY: Sean Ellis
CAST: Lena Headey, Richard Jenkins, Asier Newman and Melvil Poupaud
SYNOPSIS: The psychological thriller premiered in January at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. In The Broken, a successful radiologist (Lena Headey) has her life spiral out of control when she sees the spitting image of herself driving down a London street. While attempting to uncover who the imposter could be, she stumbles into a terrifying mystery that her family and closest friends are somehow involved in, leaving her with no one she can trust.
THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT: REVELATION
DIRECTOR: Seth Grossman
PRODUCERS: J.C. Spinks and A.J. Dix
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Courtney Solomon, Laura Ivey, Stephanie Caleb
WRITTEN BY: Holly Brix
CAST: Chris Carmack, Rachel Miner and Mistress Malice
SYNOPSIS: In the third installment of the popular franchise, The Butterfly Effect: Revelation revolves around a young man who discovers he has inherited the powers of "The Butterfly Effect" and attempts to solve the mystery of his high school girlfriend's death using his newfound ability, only to unwittingly unleash a vicious serial killer.
SLAUGHTER
DIRECTED BY: Stewart Hopewell
PRODUCED BY: Chris Milburn, Matthew Kuipers, Aimée Barth and Eryl Cochran Woodlief
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Courtney Solomon, Laura Ivey, Stephanie Caleb
CO-PRODUCER: Beau Genot
WRITTEN BY: Stewart Hopewell and Tim Long
SYNOPSIS: In Slaughter, a young woman thinks she is leaving her abusive life behind when she moves to Atlanta and ends up living at her friend’s family farm. But she quickly learns that abuse comes in even crueler forms.
PERKINS’ 14
DIRECTED BY: Craig Singer
PRODUCED BY: Chris Milburn, Matthew Kuipers and Jeremy Donaldson
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Courtney Solomon, Laura Ivey, Stephanie Caleb, Brett Icahn, Kenneth Woo
CO-PRODUCER: Beau Genot
WRITTEN BY: Lane Shadgett; Story By: Jeremy Donaldson CAST: Richard Brake, Patrick O'Kane, Shayla Beesley, Mihaela Mihut, Michale Graves, Katherine Pawlak, Trey Farley, Josh Davidson
SYNOPSIS: Perkins 14 is the winner of the After Dark Films and Massify.com venture dubbed “Ghosts in the Machine.” It’s the first feature film developed entirely via the internet and gave the Massify.com community the tools to create, submit and choose the idea for a unique motion picture. The winning pitch and audience selection was Perkins’ 14. The film revolves around the arrest of a suspected murderer and the bloodshed that follows.
