CONTENTS Boo!..................................................................................3 Panavision Audience Award/Partners & Sponsors....4 Online Event & Ticketing..............................................5
LIVE TALK
Kiah Roache-Turner......................................................6
FEATURE FILMS
My Cherry Pie.................................................................8 Day Of Disappearance.................................................10 La Casa...........................................................................11 Lair.................................................................................12 Masking Threshold.......................................................13 Memory.........................................................................14 Red River Road.............................................................15 Shot in the Dark............................................................16 Struwwelerror...............................................................17 Sunod.............................................................................18 The Brilliant Terror......................................................19 The Turn Of The Screw................................................20 The Unsettling...............................................................21
SHORT FILMS
Australian Shorts Showcase........................................23 International Shorts Showcase 1................................26 International Shorts Showcase 2................................28 Credits............................................................. back cover Cover art by Matt Palmer @Inkii Originals
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A NIGHT OF HORROR October 18th–31st 2021
BOO!
I
became friends with A Night of Horror’s co-founders, Dean Bertram and Lisa Mitchell, in the festival’s third year, 2009. Over most of the next decade, I supported the festival as a film critic, and was its short film programmer, 2014–16. Last year, as co-director and head of programming, I staged the 12th edition with Enzo Tedeschi. Despite COVID–19 restrictions, we had a successful in-person event. This year, however, circumstances have forced us to make the 13th edition an online, virtual event. We have an awesome program for 2021’s A Night of Horror International Film Festival. Thirteen killer features — including a terrific documentary, three bloody awesome short film programs, and an exclusive kick-arse industry talk from the local legend that is Kiah Roache-Turner (WYRMWOOD), on the hard fun of DIY horror! We have a swag of premieres, from our “opening night”, Melbourne mischief-makers Addison Heath & Jasmine Jakupi’s blackly comic slasher, MY CHERRY PIE; the Filipino supernatural spookery of SUNOD from festival alumni, Carlo Ledesma (THE TUNNEL); The Chilean real-time tour-de-force, LA CASA, from Jorge Olguín; SHOT IN THE DARK, the brutal, noirshrouded debut of Keene McRae from the US; the darkly sensual, diabolical manifestations of MEMORY, from Austrian Tina-Maria Feyrer; the pandemic paranoia of RED RIVER ROAD, courtesy of the American Schuyler family; the intense Lovecraftian darkness of MASKING THRESHOLD from Austrian, Johannes Grenzfurthner; the razor-sharp satire of STRUWWELERROR from Germany’s Lenny Heller; THE UNSETTLING’s deep suburban haunting from Harry Owens, an African in America; Londoner Adam Ethan Crow and his self-appointed family of filmmakers’ vicious
demon shocker LAIR; the genuinely chilling found footage diary DAY OF DISAPPEARANCE, from Hawaiian filmmaker Ian Grant; Julie Kaufman and Paul Hunt’s rousing and hilarious look at US grassroots horrorphiles in the documentary, THE BRILLIANT TERROR; and last, but certainly not least, Alex Galvin’s seriously twisty Kiwi adaptation of Henry James’ classic Gothic tale THE TURN OF THE SCREW. Of course A Night of Horror is not complete without our sensational short film programs. This year we have TWO International Shorts Showcases, and an epic-length Australian Shorts Showcase, but, with the festival being an online event, your viewing options are not tied to the session’s duration! There are plenty of ticket and festival pass options to suit all viewing needs. Additionally to watching the films there are festival lounges (virtual chat rooms) set up for those keen to discuss the films they’ve just watched, get recommendations and make new friends! See the full viewing and ticketing information over page. Oh, and one more thing, please, please, do yourself a favour, honour the filmmakers, and make sure you watch the films on the biggest screen you have access to, with the lights down low, the sound turned up, popcorn and drink at hand, and no distractions … It makes all the difference. Many thanks to my family, my skeleton crew festival team, including the 2021 jury, all our loyal ANOH supporters, and fellow festival organisers, long live the new flesh! BRYN TILLY Festival Director
A NIGHT OF HORROR October 18th–31st 2021
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PANAVISION AUDIENCE AWARD
After watching the Australian Shorts Showcase vote for your favourite Aussie short film. Voting details provided to ticket holders
The winning film will receive a $3,500 rental package from Panavision Australia. Pananvision Australia conditions here: anightofhorror.com/panavision-audience-award-2021
PARTNERS & SPONSORS
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A NIGHT OF HORROR October 18th–31st 2021
VIRTUAL PLATFORM, TICKETS & PASSES A Night of Horror International Film Festival has partnered with Xerb.tv, a new and exciting online screening platform, to bring you our lucky 13th edition. Twelve features, one documentary, thirty-seven short films, and an exclusive live talk, across seventeen sessions, over fourteen days.
TO REGISTER AND PURCHASE TICKETS OR PASSES: xerb.tv/channel/anightofhorror/virtual-events
Single session tickets...............................................................$12 Struwwelerror............................................................................. $9 Live Talk: Squibs, Screams & Monsters..............................$20 Early Bird — Wild Pass (until Oct. 3rd).............................. $75 Wild Pass (all sessions) (from Oct. 4th)............................... $96 8–Ball Pass (eight sessions)....................................................$69 Short Pass (three sessions)..................................................... $27
On the Xerb platform individual sessions are called virtual events. Once purchased you have the duration of the festival to watch the session, and can start and stop as often as you like. landing.xerb.tv/how-to-watch/ Please be aware the festival program will end at precisely midnight on October 31st, which means if you are still watching a film at that time it will be cut off abruptly, so don’t leave all your viewing to the last hours of Halloween night! On the Xerb platform take note of the Horror Hub lounge, a virtual chat room where festival patrons can meet friends, make new friends, discuss films they’ve just seen, make recommendations, and nerd out with likeminded folk.
VIRTUAL EVENT/ONLINE FESTIVAL – FAQ Can I watch the films outside of the festival dates (October 18th – 31st)? No, the online festival only allows viewing within the specified dates. Can I watch the films on demand during the festival dates? Yes, you have the luxury of watching the films at your leisure, but be wary of the end date, as it is a hard cut-off.
ticket per session, depending on the pass. See the section above the FAQ on the different passes available. Can I download the films to watch at another time? No, you only have the option of watching/ streaming the film from any device during the festival dates.
Can I buy an individual ticket or festival pass as If I buy a festival pass, can I watch any films/ a gift for a friend? sessions on demand during the festival? Yes, passes can be bought as a gift, you just need Yes and no, it depends on what festival pass you an email to transfer the pass to. purchase. Festival passes will provide you with one
A NIGHT OF HORROR October 18th–31st 2021
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LIVE TALK WITH Q&A
SQUIBS, SCREAMS AND MONSTERS: KIAH ROACHE-TURNER AND THE HARD FUN OF DIY HORROR Saturday, October 30th, 1pm/90 mins (60 mins live talk & 30 mins Q&A)
KIAH ROACHE-TURNER IS THE AUSSIE DIRECTOR of the iconic Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead, Nekrotronic, and the upcoming sequel Wyrmwood: Apocalypse. He’s made stars out of rising local actors, like Bianca Bradey, and coaxed a cheeky performance from Italian superstar Monica Bellucci. He’s also a dab hand at wrangling hordes of zombies. Join Kiah for an exclusive and intimate live-stream chat session as he waxes lyrical about the trials and tribulations of guerrilla filmmaking and making features on the smell of an oily rag, struggling
CLICK TO WATCH
against the confines of a studio picture, and the joyous return to the crazy Wyrmwood world. He shares all of this within the context of his love of cinema in all its glorious and grimy forms. A terrific opportunity to listen to and ask questions of a hugely talented, unpretentious, hands-on filmmaker, spilling “secrets”, telling tales, offering fascinating insight and a crucial perspective on doit-yourself filmmaking from the wilderness of the Australian film industry. Infused with dry wit and lots of heart, this is one talk you don’t want to miss. Bianca Bradey and Kiah Roache-Turner on the set of Wyrmwood
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A NIGHT OF HORROR October 18th–31st 2021
FEATURE FILMS
Art by Matt Palmer @ Inkii Originals
→
A NIGHT OF HORROR October 18th–31st 2021
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AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
8
A NIGHT OF HORROR October 18th–31st 2021
WINNER
BEST FEATURE, BEST GORE, BEST KILL, BEST MUSIC INDEPENDENT HORROR MOVIE AWARDS 2021
CLICK TO WATCH
MY CHERRY PIE Dirs: Addison Heath & Jasmine Jakupi/Australia/2021/80 mins/R18+
FRESH OUT OF PRISON, FREDDY (SOTIRIS Tzelios) hooks up with his partners in crime, Jack (Dylan Heath) and Green (Tim Jason Wicks). They create a bit of a stir, and then bugger off out of the city where they find themselves stranded in “bum-fuck nowhere” after their car breaks down. Befriended by a curious local, Edwin Crow (Glenn Maynard), who invites them back to the notorious old Pleasant Creek, where Crow dwells
My Cherry Pie is a BLOODY BLAST! — Tom McLoughlin (director of Friday The 13th – Part VI: Jason Lives)
with shy young Cherry (Trudi Ranik). But there’s a shadowy, grotesque figure stalking the grounds, and soon enough the cocktail of illicit drugs and all that stranger danger will collide with weird and brutal results! The hell-for-leather Melbourne team of Addison Heath and Jasmine Jakupi go full tilt 80s, serving up a retrolicious slasher with severed tongue lodged firmly in cheek. Incompetent crooks fall foul of a masked plague doctor in an abandoned hospital! You betcha! Ripe as a tart piece of fruit, and vivid as a bad dream, this bloody beauty definitely deserves a slice of the sequel pie!
A NIGHT OF HORROR October 18th–31st 2021
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INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE
DAY OF DISAPPEARANCE
Dir: Ian Grant/US/2020/114 mins/M — adult themes, violence, and coarse language
CLICK TO WATCH
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A NIGHT OF HORROR October 18th–31st 2021
IN SEPTEMBER OF 2019, A YOUNG man named David Hall started a YouTube vlog. Three months later, December 1st, marked the last video on the account… and was the last time David was seen. This film is a compilation of his channel’s uploads. They are being released in this way, in an effort to bring awareness and to hopefully find David. The original, dated, uncut footage is still available on David's YouTube channel. You can find this and more about David and the missing persons here: www.finddavidhall.com/
Found footage horror flicks are a dime a dozen, but never before has there been a cyber-trail of bread crumbs documented in quite this way. Certainly we haven’t seen a level of chilling authenticity like this since The Blair Witch Project’s publicity campaign. Just how convincing is award-winning filmmaker Ian Grant’s documentation on the disappearance of David Hall, searching for the truth behind his own father’s mysterious vanishing — and that of numerous locals — on the island of Hawaii? Well, this one will seriously spook you.
AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
Starts as an eerie spook house tour and evolves into dark psychological horror — The Scariest Things
The feeling of a truly found object, something most found-footage horror films aim for, but rarely achieve — Bad Feeling Magazine
It never lets up and sneaks its terrifying tendrils around your heart and gives it a little squeeze” — Ghastly Grinning
Lean and mean — The Aisle Seat
LA CASA
Dir: Jorge Olguín/Chile/2019/75 mins/In Spanish with English subtitles/MA15+
CLICK TO WATCH
FOLLOWING AN UPSETTING CALL with his wife, and responding to a disturbance, a police officer, Arriagada (Gabriel Cañas), arrives alone at Casa Dubois, a creepy, abandoned mansion. He ventures inside and finds himself trapped, searching for an escape, as the diabolical forces inside try to drag him into hell. Not only must he face off against these evil spirits, but he must confront his own disturbing past. Inspired by events that took place in Santiago, 1986, during the Pinochet regime, and unfolding in real time, with long unbroken takes, The House is a tour-de-force of blood-curdling,
immersive cinema. Utilising a nerve-racking sound design and electronic score (both by writer/ director Olguín), and focusing on a central performance (the camera POV makes the audience feel like they’re the police officer’s silent partner), the movie packs a swift, brutal punch. Yes, there are jump scares, but Olguín catches us off guard time and time again, and the fear is truly palpable. OFFICIAL SELECTION SITGES FILM FESTIVAL 2020
A NIGHT OF HORROR October 18th–31st 2021
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AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
LAIR
Dir: Adam Ethan Crow/UK/2021/96 mins/MA15+
CLICK TO WATCH
WINNER
BEST PICTURE AND BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS
ACTION ON FILM INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2021
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A NIGHT OF HORROR October 18th–31st 2021
SELF-PROCLAIMED OCCULT expert and skeptic, Dr Steven Caramore (Corey Johnson), has his suspicions tested when a convicted friend, Ben Dollarhyde (Oded Fehr), insists he was possessed by something demonic. Caramore sets out to debunk the claim by outfitting his deceased father’s apartment with cursed items and surveillance equipment. He then rents the apartment to an unsuspecting LGBTQ+ family on a short city break. A chain of devastating events is set in motion.
WINNER
BEST ART DIRECTOR AND BEST FIRST TIME DIRECTOR EUROPEAN CINEMATOGRAPHY AWARDS 2021
Successful screenwriter Adam Ethan Crow and “a family of filmmakers” deliver a supernatural rollercoaster ride on their debut feature, aided by the spectacular work of special effects whizz, Tristan Versluis, and a terrific cast. Twisting the usual horror tropes into something altogether new and promising, Lair is part of a proposed trilogy, and Crow and company are dead-set on frightening the bejesus out of us!
WINNER
BEST MALE ACTOR & FEMALE ACTOR, BEST FEATURE, BEST DIRECTOR, BEST MAKE-UP FX SOMETHING WICKED FILM FESTIVAL 2021
AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
MASKING THRESHOLD Dir: Johannes Grenzfurthner/Austria/2021/90 mins/R18+
CLICK TO WATCH
CONDUCTING AND commenting across a series of elaborate experiments in his claustrophobic makeshift home-lab, a skeptic IT worker (director Johannes Grenzfurthner) tries to cure his harrowing hearing impairment. But where will his research lead him? What dark truths will he discover? When will the suffering end? Combining elements of a chamber play, a scientific procedural, an unpacking video, and a DIY YouTube channel, director and
co-writer Grenzfurthner captures the micro/macro world of his cynical, nameless protagonist (compellingly voiced by Ethan Haslam) with a finely-tuned and hypnotic montage style, infusing the narrative with a Lovecraftian sense of paranoia. Indeed, this is a surreal and demanding study of dread and is by no means for the faint of heart, and yet, while the level of existential pain and physical decay escalates inexorably, there also resonates a pitch-black sense of humour.
Something unique and extraordinary — Savage Planets
OFFICIAL SELECTION FANTASTIC FEST 2021
WINNER
BEST FEATURE FILM AND BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY INDIE FEST FILM AWARDS 2021
Don’t be like my protagonist. Be better — Johannes Grenzfurthner
A NIGHT OF HORROR October 18th–31st 2021
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AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
MEMORY
Dir: Tina-Maria Feyrer/Austria/2020/90 mins/German with English subtitles/contains a scene with strobe effects/R18+
CLICK TO WATCH
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A NIGHT OF HORROR October 18th–31st 2021
THERE IS A BEWITCHED PARK IN Austria where people hear voices, see strange things or disappear without a trace. According to ancient folklore, you can meet the devil in this forest at night. This is where four young filmmakers find themselves, as part of a reality show, ”Director’s Cut”. As they embark together on an excursion to an occult stronghold in the forest, they start to doubt their own perceptions, their shadows shrouding their desires, fuelling dark fantasies, amidst the poetry of disappearance.
Imagine the stylistics of Andrei Tarkovsky, David Lynch, and Nicolas Winding Refn, but from a strong female gaze. Viennese filmmaker Tina-Maria Feyrer fashions an avant-garde, dream-like narrative that weaves multiple threads through a physical and psychological landscape. Darkness becomes deeply sensual, and sexuality becomes its own volatile creature. What cannot be controlled becomes dangerous, diabolical even.
AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
RED RIVER ROAD
Dir: Paul Schuyler/US/2020/90 mins/M — adult themes, violence, and coarse language
CLICK TO WATCH
A FAMILY OF FOUR IS IN AN enforced summer home isolation against an aggressive pandemic virus that spreads through the internet and smartphones and robs you of your ability to perceive reality — sometimes violently. They begin to unravel when they suspect one or all of them might be infected. Paranoia and unreliable memories collide with nightmarish results. Pivoting from a stalled production due to a COVID–19 lockdown writer/director Paul Schuyler
mined his various filmmaking talents, household resources, and the multi-tasking skills of his own family — wife Jade, and sons Quinn and Shaw — to make a tightly-paced, brilliantly shot thriller. Addressing the most basic fears we face as a society under threat of control, and the jagged spectres of infection and delusion, it gives a darker new meaning to the term mutant strain, and raises the bar high for DIY productions.
Nothing short of spectacular
— The Scariest Things
WINNER
SPIRIT OF INDEPENDENT FILMMAKING STONY BROOK FILM FESTIVAL 2021
Absolutely phenomenal. The Schulyer’s have created a timeless sci-fi thriller —Love Horror
Stunning, sobering, and wholly compelling — Pop Horror
A NIGHT OF HORROR October 18th–31st 2021
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AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
SHOT IN THE DARK
Dir: Keene McRae/US/2021/82 mins/R18+
CLICK TO WATCH
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A NIGHT OF HORROR October 18th–31st 2021
TWO YEARS AGO, WILLIAM Langston (Kristoffer McMillan) met Lili (Christine Donlon). He made a mistake that would drastically alter the course of his life, and hers. Now, with a serial killer loose in his hometown, body parts turning up in boxes, and his close circle of friends struggling to deal with his sullen behavior, William faces his greatest fears, as well as his own mortality.
Actor/Director Keene McRae delivers one of the year’s best debut features, from a cracking script he’s co-written with McMillan and Lane Thomas. It’s a contemporary noir, writhing with a brutal and jagged spine of horror, superbly performed by its charismatic cast. Brilliantly edited too, the dual timeline flicking back and forth, forming a serpentine, nihilistic study of violence and loss. Oh, and an ending that’ll blindside you.
AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
STRUWWELERROR Dir: Lenny Heller/Germany/2020/45 mins/German with English subtitles/R18+
CLICK TO WATCH
THREE BRIGHT TEENAGERS, Luca (Caroline Hartig), Maxine (Flora Thiemann), and young Theo (Jannie Wetzel) are left alone at home. Their parents have gone on holiday and deprived them of internet access by disabling the router. Shock! Horror! The teens are forced to entertain themselves, and as insecurity and vanity rear their ugly heads, their curiosity and bad behaviour escalates, as does their delusion. There’ll be tears (and bloodletting) before bedtime!
A social satire as dark as midnight on a moonless night. Writer/director Lenny Heller’s cracked portrait of the madness of millennials — the Z-Generation — is one modern fable that’s funny and prescient as all hell (breaking loose). Charismatic and perverse, like only the Germans can be, the boundaries of reality and fantasy are blurred, revealing a hot mess of emotions and much physical turmoil. Short, sharp schadenfreude. Parents beware!
A NIGHT OF HORROR October 18th–31st 2021
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AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
SUNOD
Dir: Carlo Ledesma/Philippines/2019/105 mins/Tagalog & Filipino with English subtitles/MA15+
CLICK TO WATCH
Festival alumni Carlo Ledesma, OLIVIA (CARMINA VILLARROEL) is desperate to find a cure to who directed the Sydney underground creep-fest The the illness that is plaguing her Tunnel (ANOH 2011), delivers teenage daughter, Annelle (Krystal Brimner). Debt-ridden she takes a a slickly-woven, darkly-coloured tale of supernatural intrigue set in job at a call centre, in order to pay for her daughter’s extended hospital his Filipino homeland (“Sunod” stay. The call centre is in a historic, translates as “Followed”). What dilapidated building undergoing begins as a sombre relationship renovation. Whilst dealing with drama soon descends into the pressures of the job and its an increasingly arcane and company boss Karen (Mylene nightmarish web of horror. Dizon) she discovers the building hosts the spectral form of a little girl Nerisa (Rhed Bustamante) Rich and gothic in atmosphere who masks a sinister secret. — Windows on Worlds WINNER
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY AND BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN METRO MANILA FILM FESTIVAL 2019
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A NIGHT OF HORROR October 18th–31st 2021
A dynamic, nail-biting watch with many twists and turns
— Asian Movie Pulse
Polished from start to finish — Rappler
INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE
THE BRILLIANT TERROR Dirs: Julie Kauffman & Paul Hunt/US/2021/78 mins/MA15+
CLICK TO WATCH
A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT grassroots horror filmmakers in the US. These are the trials and tribulations of micro-budget genre filmmaking. Observe the obsessive lengths to which people will go to bring their greatest fears to life on screen — and why. Shot over the course of seven years, and mostly following the endeavours of small-town auteur Mike Lombardo as he writes, directs, shoots, reshoots (and reshoots) his short The Stall.
Along the way there are interviews with fierce women filmmakers, other grassroots directors, horror experts, and misunderstood fans who bring fascinating diversions and unexpected viewpoints. It’s not just about blood and boobs, zombies and vampires, and it’s not only for horror fans, this is a doco for anyone who has ever felt like an outsider, had a dream (nightmare) they refuse to let die. An absorbing, entertaining, tightly-paced affirmation for making horror films.
Terrific, insightful, intelligent, and thought-provoking … One of the few docs I’ve seen to actually put across exactly what it’s like to be a horror fan/director, why the genre is important to us and its community bond
OFFICIAL SELECTION FRIGHTFEST 2021
— Alan Jones (FrightFest founder)
A NIGHT OF HORROR October 18th–31st 2021
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AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
Fans of classic horror and gothic horror will find plenty to adore and be delighted with.
— Horror Fuel
Ambitious and clever take on a classic tale. — Stuff
THE TURN OF THE SCREW Dir: Alex Galvin/New Zealand/2020/87 mins/M — adult themes
CLICK TO WATCH
WINNER
BEST HORROR FILM
L’AGE D’OR INTERNATIONAL ARTHOUSE FILM FESTIVAL 2020
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A NIGHT OF HORROR October 18th–31st 2021
JULIA (GREER PHILIPS) FINDS herself as a last-minute replacement in a stage play adaptation of Turn of the Screw. Arriving at the empty theatre late at night, she is immediately thrust into a dress rehearsal, opposite Mrs. Grose (Jane Waddell), Miss Jessel (Sarah Munn), The Uncle (Ben Fransham), and her two orphaned charges, young Flora (Ella Olssen) and Miles (Alex Usher), with just the director (Ralph Johnson) loitering in the wings. It isn’t long before Julia begins to believe the terrifying truth… that the theatre itself is haunted!
WINNER
AUDIENCE AWARD
ANOTHER HOLE IN THE HEAD GENRE FILM FESTIVAL 2020
Adapted from the famous 1898 Henry James novel, and set entirely in an empty theatre over the course of one evening, director Alex Galvin pulls off a remarkable feat, capturing the Brechtian minimalism of Lars Von Trier’s Dogville, but layering a novel and twisty element of psychological torment, enhanced by a terrific sound and lighting design. There have been many versions of this well-etched tale, but this Kiwi spin is the best one since The Innocents (1961).
WINNER
BEST DIRECTOR, BEST FEATURE, BEST ORIGINAL SCORE, BEST ACTRESS, AND BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS TERROR IN THE BAY FILM FESTIVAL 2020
AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
THE UNSETTLING
Dir: Harry Owens/US/2021/93 mins/M — adult themes, violence, and coarse language
CLICK TO WATCH
ABENA (ZEPHANI IDOKO) AND Kwame (Bambadjan Bamba) are struggling to recover from a devastating tragedy. They’ve arrived in Los Angeles for a vacation and are hoping it will help them find their way back to one another. During an awkward dinner with estranged friends, Vivian (Libby Munro — Bullets for the Dead, ANOH 2015) and Anthony (Benedikt Sebastian), Abena is terrorised by an evil presence, possessing the house, that continues to haunt her. As her terror grows, the evil ultimately engulfs all four with horrifying consequences.
Writer/director, Harry Owens, an ex-pat Anglo-Ghanaian, transplants his world of African cinema into new surrounds, raising the profile of his dark roots and edging the cultural traditions into the modern horror lexicon by designing classic supernatural tropes experienced by Africans, with Western appeal. The result is a powerfully acted, incredibly eerie and unnerving haunted house tale that reverberates through the darkness of night and into broad daylight, long after the final ominous image fades.
A NIGHT OF HORROR October 18th–31st 2021
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SHORT FILMS
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A NIGHT OF HORROR October 18th–31st 2021
S T R O H S N A I L A R T AUS E S A C W O SH ins/R18+
ram /158 m Short film prog
CLICK TO WATCH
Fifteen of the most hair-raising homegrown horror tales in one epic session! Australia’s hot new blood is showcased for your nightmarish pleasure, and YOU get to vote for the one that will be crowned with the awesome Panavision Audience Choice Award. Prepare to be knocked dead by the local talent.
JANE
Dir: Noel Vinson/12 mins
Mr. Gordon, an invalid, struggles to make sense of his carer, Jane, who intrudes on his daily life. As Gordon’s behaviour causes Jane to reach her breaking point, memory lapses become the least of the old man’s worries.
BARNACLE FACE
Dir: Jean-David Le Goullon/6 mins
His friends are early, the bathroom isn’t clean, and Karl has something under his skin…
GOLEM
Dir: Ryan Cauchi/4 mins
Nazi-occupied Prague, 1939. A group of German soldiers search for a fugitive rabbi in the basement of an abandoned synagogue, unaware of the horror awaiting them.
THE WRITER
Dir: Margaret M. MacDonald/6 mins
A writer confronts his demon... literally. A NIGHT OF HORROR October 18th–31st 2021
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CORRIDOR
WOULD NEVER DIE
Florence and Sandra are closing up the school for the night, but dark forces are at work.
A young man recalls his recent visit to a mysterious and decrepit seaside town.
Dir: Kenny Foo/4 mins
SMILE
Dir: Natalie Simonov/15 mins/episode 6 in a six-part web series
Faith is a young woman with disturbing secrets. Powerless to stop the terrible discipline her parents inflicted on her beloved sister Grace, abuse that she herself used to suffer, she scrambles to find peace in her isolation… but she snaps.
Dir: Shaun Hume/5 mins
EXQUISITE CORPSE
Dirs: Amelia Foxton, Kirsty McKenzie, Rebekah Mowbray, Chiara Gizzi, Sylvia Keays, Erin Connor, Kya Stewart, Lauren Hamilton Neill/16 mins
These are the eight volatile guises of Lilac, an isolated novelist deep in the existential throes of writer’s block.
REMEMBRANCE
Dir: Miguel Nieto Montenegro/8 mins
Emotionally numb, Matthew goes through the motions, day after day, when one afternoon he finds a bloody, unconscious body on the floor of his home, and, in shock, he dials the emergency line. 24
A NIGHT OF HORROR October 18th–31st 2021
A GIRL’S BEST FRIEND Dir: Alex Dona/12 mins
A couple, deep in love, make quite unusual requests of one another.
CLICK TO WATCH
PREY SCHOOL
THE STRAWMAN
Join Adam and Lucy as they learn to count, that it's okay to be scared, and how to live through a global pandemic.
Whilst taking care of their vegetative father, Ada, and her half-sister Fay, will find themselves in a fight for survival when their dad unwillingly transforms into a horrifying scarecrow.
Dir: Angus Middleton/7 mins
ANOXIA
Dir: Jamie Zin/17 mins
Dir: Alex Linder/5 mins
THE FAMILIARS
A young woman relives her worst experiences with the murky, recurring phenomenon known as sleep paralysis, as she descends deeper into the recesses of her mind.
When a sceptical teenage girl inherits a mysterious heirloom she must decide whether to use it to protect herself from her destructive mother.
Dir: Millicent Malcolm/16 mins
EFFIGY
I CALL UPON THEE
What happens when cryptid internet predators evolve to use this technological dependence against the keyboard warriors who hide in the dark! Be careful who you are online.
Two sisters from a broken family chant a summoning ritual in the hope it might improve their bleak lives, but they do not anticipate the irreversible consequences of what they summon.
Dir: Connor Clarke/8 mins
Dir: Michael Anthony Kratochvil/14 mins
A NIGHT OF HORROR October 18th–31st 2021
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S T R O H S L A N O I T A N INTER ASE 1 SHOWC R18+
ram/125 mins/
Short film prog
Mondo macabre! Freaky frights and ghastly sights from all across the globe. These ten shorts have been cherry-picked for your sinister pleasure (and the occasional cackle), from the creepiest nightmare shadows to the glaring horrors of reality. The future feature scaremongers are right here, right now!
EXIT
THE ODDS
A small team of construction workers isn’t too happy to find an anomaly in the house they’re renovating. Especially one that breaks the laws of physics. Finder’s fee… or nightmare fuel?
A young couple have been abducted and brutally restrained. They’re forced to fight for their lives in an agonising game of Russian Roulette, knowing that only one of them may survive.
Dir: Ivan Basov/Russian Federation/21 mins
Dir: Matt Sharp/New Zealand/7mins
BECKY MY EX IS A MONSTER Dir: Grace Presse/US/6 mins
Break-ups are rough. Especially when your ex loves to watch you suffer. 26
A NIGHT OF HORROR October 18th–31st 2021
Dir: Nicole Ihasz/US/13 mins
Becky, a bullied teen, wants to be Steph and Ariel’s friend, but when she learns that these popular girls are responsible for a nasty rumour about her father, she seeks revenge.
CLICK TO WATCH
AZULSCURO
CUTTER
After her sister’s mysterious death, Sofia comes across new evidence that might enlighten the case, while demoniac entities lurk in the darkness.
A self-harming teenager in recovery and her overbearing mother are haunted by a ghost who seeks to keep them at odds.
THE REFLECTIVE SHADOW
UPSTAIRS
A monster comes to terms with itself.
Jennifer Saint’s adamant a dark and sinister family secret resulted in her father’s death, but will anyone heed her warning, “Don’t go upstairs”.
Dir: Evandro Caixeta & João Gilberto/Brazil/15 mins
Dir: Joshua James/US/7 mins
WEIRDO
Dir: Ashlea Wessel/Canada/8 mins
When an odd boy is confronted by a bully, conflict leads to a grim conclusion.
Dir: Dan Repp & Lindsay Young/US/15 mins
Dir: Phillip Trow/UK/17 mins
DIABLA
Dir: Ashley George/US/15 mins
After surviving an assault, an enigmatic 17-year-old Mexican girl finds retribution through her untapped female power and local witch culture. A NIGHT OF HORROR October 18th–31st 2021
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S T R O H S L A N O I T A N INTER ASE 2 SHOWC R18+
ram/130 mins/
Short film prog
Mo’ mondo macabre! Eleven more freaky frights and spooky sights from all across the globe, cherry-picked for your terrifying, horrifying delight (with a few dark chuckles too, if you dare to breathe!) The future feature scaremongers are right here, right now!
SHE. PICKED. ME.
Dirs: Jason Wilkinson & Jeremiah L. Scott/US/11 mins
Things are not as they seem as a young girl flees from a mutilated maniac. Desperation, delusion, and determination are on brutal display in this twisted slasher.
BOSS BITCH MARY Dir: Lucy Swope/US/1 mins
After an over-confident girl boss thinks Bloody Mary has failed to show up, she learns what it really means to be ghosted.
SELF-ACTUALIZATION OF THE WEREWOLF WOMAN Dir: Conall Pendergast/Canada/4 mins
A werewolf thinks she has her life figured out until a late night chance encounter changes her mind.
WOODLAND CEMETERY
Dir: Niels Bourgonje/Netherlands/10 mins
A photographer on assignment sees an old woman placing a lantern on a grave and shoots a picture of this very private moment, but soon finds out the haunting image is more haunted than she bargained for. 28
A NIGHT OF HORROR October 18th–31st 2021
KNOCK-KNOCK Dir: Nate Irvin/US/3 mins
Exhausted after hosting a party, a young woman gets a knock at her apartment door from an unknown and otherworldly visitor come to mock her.
CLICK TO WATCH
MUDMONSTER
WEEE WOOO
In a remote country house, a young girl, struggling to connect with her family after the loss of her father, is repeatedly visited by a mud monster, and begins to suffer from a sudden, mysterious illness.
A young woman wakes in the dead of night to a world devoid of sound. Yet, through the silence, she hears a mysterious call that draws her deep into the dark woods…
TINDER TANGO
ABRACITOS
A dreamy Tinder match. Two tango aficionados meet for the first time and it turns out to be a hell of a date!
A phone call in the middle of the night shakes Laura’s world, while her little sister Ainara plays in her room. But there is another presence, something unknown, something terrible.
Dir: O. B. De Alessi/Italy/29 mins
Dir: Cecilia Robles/US/7 mins
MINIMALLY INVASIVE
Dir: Adam Harvey/New Zealand/10 mins
An anxious patient fears his concerns are being ignored when his routine operation yields unexpected findings.
Dir: Charlie McWade/US/9 mins
Dir: Tony Morales/Spain/11 mins
THE ALTRUIST
Dir: Matt Smith/US/30 mins
Two characters are forced to navigate a stark and brutal calculus in hunger, sex and death when routine facility maintenance veers wildly towards conflict and the instinct for self-preservation. A NIGHT OF HORROR October 18th–31st 2021
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FESTIVAL TEAM Director & Programmer Bryn Tilly Coordinator Robert Gadsbey Tech Assist Peter Humble Key Art Matt Palmer Program Design Craig Carroll Special thanks Dean Bertram Enzo Tedeschi Katherine Berger Simon Foster
JURY Features Alexandra Heller-Nicholas Josh Reed Ashley C. Williams Shorts Adrian Martin Jill Gevargizian Richard Kuipers Screenplays - Unproduced Victoria Madden Shayne Armstrong Faith Guoga
A Night Of Horror International Film Festival 13th Edition | 2021 anightofhorror.com ANightOfHorror
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