A Night of Horror International Film Festival 2023 program

BOO!

Seventeen years ago, Dean Bertram and Lisa Mitchell hosted the very first edition of A Night of Horror. It was intended as a single night of short films, but the number of submissions meant the festival ended up screening over three days. The rest, as they say, is history. A Night of Horror quickly grew to become one of the most respected international genre film festivals, and is certainly Australia’s original and longest-running.

I’ve supported the festival since 2008, came onboard as a shorts programmer in 2014, and took over the reins as festival director and head of programming in 2020. It’s been a dark pleasure bringing my vision to such an important platform for genre cinema and emerging filmmakers, both local and international. With the cinema and film industry landscape so volatile and unpredictable, it’s never been a more important time to support independent filmmaking, film festivals, and the cinema-going experience.

A Night of Horror has always been about championing the community.

We are proud to present the festival’s 15th edition, a streamlined program spread across two days and four nights. Ten features and thirtyone short films from Australia, United States, United Kingdom, Spain, Austria, Lithuania, Brazil, Switzerland, France, Denmark, India, and New Zealand. Some of the very best horror and dark genre films to emerge post-pandemic.

For Opening Night, we are very excited to have the World Premiere of THE DEVIL’S WORK from Adelaidean festival alumna Ursula Dabrowsky, whose two previous features also had their WPs at ANOH and took out awards in 2009 and 2014

respectively. The other nine features are all Aussie Premieres, including another three from Australia, PUZZLE BOX, SAVING GRACE, and, for our Closing Night, VIOLETT.

Once again, we have the festival’s long-standing signature event, the AUSTRALIAN SHORTS GALA, exhibiting some of the very best new short films from down under, and a chance to meet the talented filmmakers before they become the next big thing, as well as the opportunity to vote for the Audience Award. A special mention to the (long) Aussie short MOTHER TONGUE, screening with THE DEVIL’S WORK on Opening Night. Elsewhere in the program we have a dedicated showcase of amazing international short films, as well as more terrific international shorts curated before each feature session.

A Night of Horror 2023 takes place over Labour Long Weekend, so make sure you black out those dates in your calendar and make Dendy Newtown your home away from home for the duration. It’s going to be special.

A massive thank you to my awesome festival team who go above and beyond, including our magnificent jury. Huge props to our terrific sponsors, wonderful volunteers, and loyal supporters — old and new! Hats off to our fellow independent festivals — we got this!

To quote one of my favourite nightmare movies, “Long live the new flesh.”

Oh, and keep your eyes peeled.

BRYN TILLY Festival Director

TICKETING & VENUE INFORMATION

All sessions unclassified MA15+

Standard session $20

Club Dendy Members $15

Opening & Closing Night $25

Online booking fee $1.95

10-Session Pass $125

(Purchase Pass in-person at Dendy Newtown and can be redeemed online. Save $75! Excludes Opening & Closing Night)

All sessions at Dendy Cinemas Newtown, 261-263 King Street, Newtown, NSW 2042 newtown.dendy.com.au/a-night-of-horror-international-film-festival-anoh Newtown train station is a 3-minute walk to the cinemas.

Sponsored by Panavision Australia

For our 15th edition we introduced a new creative initiative, open to Australian residents only. Filmmakers were invited to submit either a proof-of-concept single scene/montage or a teaser to a faux/fake film. For either feature or short. Three minutes or under. Judged by Brett Garten (producer RED CHRISTMAS) and Andrew Traucki (director BLACK WATER, THE REEF), the winning prize includes $3500 of gear hire from Panavision Australia. Entries have now closed. Finalists will be screened and the winner announced during the Festival Award Ceremony, Closing Night session.

Sponsors

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 6.30PM FOR 7PM START

THE DEVIL’S WORK

Dir: Ursula Dabrowsky/Australia/2023/84 min

A young couple’s romantic weekend away at a remote cottage turns into a harrowing fight for their lives when they are terrorized by an unhinged, homicidal sibling.

THE DEVIL’S WORK is the third instalment of Ursula Dabrowsky’s award-winning Demon Trilogy (FAMILY DEMONS - ANOH 2009, INNER DEMON — ANOH 2014) All three films stand alone, yet share similar themes of survival, revenge, and the loss of innocence. In an approach inspired by THE SILENT HOUSE, a film shot in an apparent single take, Dabrowsky elicits a star turn from Luca Sardelis, and expertly pulls the audience into a terrifying, nerve-shredding, all-consuming cinema experience that will linger long after the final haunting image fades.

PLUS: Q&A with writer/director Ursula Dabrowsky & Cassandra Kane

PLUS: Complimentary cocktail courtesy of Ester Spirits upon arrival

SCREENS WITH MOTHER TONGUE

Dir: Glenn Fraser/Australia/36 min

A childless couple desperate for motherhood turn to the dark arts to craft a most unique solution.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 7PM

PUZZLE BOX

Dir: Jack Dignan/Australia/2023/73 min

A young drug addict and her older sister arrive at a house in the woods to self-rehabilitate. While her sister documents the process on video, the house and their reality begin to shapeshift, trapping them inside a nightmarish, inescapable labyrinth.

Following up his award-winning debut feature AFTER SHE DIED (Best Australian Director & Best Performance in an Australian Feature — ANOH 2022) Jack Dignan returns with a riveting, deeply unsettling found footage purgatory tackling addiction and inner demons. Two sisters frantically race against time to try and piece together broken memories and break free from the evil clutches that threaten to consume them. You’ll be at the edge of your seat on this supercreepy, psychological ghost train ride that twists and turns with ferocious energy.

PLUS: Q&A with writer/director Jack Dignan & actors Kaitlyn Boyé, Cassandra Girard & Laneikke Denne

SCREENS WITH MERGER

Dir: Daniel Negret/UK/8 min

A man’s commitment to his job takes a dark and surreal turn for the worst.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 9.15PM

MOTHER SUPERIOR

Dir: Marie Alice Wolfszahn/Austria/2022/71 min/ German language with English subtitles

1975. A young nurse in a new position for an eccentric elderly aristocrat discovers they are bound by a shared longing, and as she becomes entangled in the Baroness’s secret SS past, she finds herself caught within a sinister realm of “völkisch” occultism.

Sumptuously shot with authentic period detail Marie Wolfszahn’s unique delve into witchcraft and folk horror is a sensual, atmospheric, phantasmagorical take on delusional ideologies and pagan esotericism with a remarkable central performance from Isabella Händler. At once vintage and modern, beautiful and bewitching, MOTHER SUPERIOR weaves its spell, a powerful and affecting debut feature with prescient themes, and style to burn.

SCREENS WITH ANTIQUES

Dir: Stephanie Paris/US/10 min

When a jaded shop girl discovers a vintage gold dress inside a mysterious case, a vengeful spirit is released.

TOAD BOY

Dir: Phillip J. McLaughlin/US/13 min

When an amphibian-obsessed boy comes into possession of a book with ancient occult secrets, his concerned principal intervenes.

WINNER - BEST FILM & BEST DIRECTOR BROOKLYN HORROR FILM FESTIVAL 2022

“Part Suspiria, The Witch, and Hereditary”

— Horror Society

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1PM

AUSTRALIAN SHORTS GALA

Short film program/105 min

The fresh Oz blood is spilled! A selection of the very best fright fare from Australia. These short films are guaranteed to prickle the hairs on the back of your neck. Join the fray and meet the talented filmmakers at our festival’s signature event. Get your tickets quick, ‘cos this session sells out fast, and vote for the Audience Award at the end of the session.

STREET NO. 4

Dir: Lark Lee/8 min

Determined to prove to her partner that their new eucalyptus house is perfect for their family, a pregnant woman discovers there’s more to the house than what was advertised.

ATTICUS

Dir: Kieton Beilby/16 min

When a young man is confronted by his demons, he turns to drugs to escape the dark secrets that hide within his home.

SIERRA-98

Dir: Jessica Trinity Fisher/15 min

After a deadly attack by an unknown creature out in the middle of the woods, a young park ranger tries to survive in her isolated cabin.

THE FOLLOWED

Dir: Emma Louise Leonard/9 min

When two best mates find themselves in a zombie apocalypse, staying relevant becomes a matter of life and death.

ANA

Dir: Vanessa Babic/12 min

A teenage girl must navigate her family and confront the fractured relationship with her mother, amid an eating disorder that has manifested into an unrelenting monster.

GET HOME SAFE

Dir: Noah Janssen/15 min

A girl walks home alone at night. A killer in red follows. You think you know the story.

SVENGALI

Dir: James Robert Woods/18 min

An eloquent Sydney real estate agent manoeuvres his way to the top.

SOMETHING TO CHEW ON

Dir: Ryan Casey/5 min

When the son of a middle-class Satanic family confesses that he must give up cannibalism to pursue higher education, he must convince them that dentistry serves Satan too.

THE DAM

Dir: Andrew Sully/7 min

Flo likes Jesse, the boy at the neighbouring farm. Down at the dam, first love becomes a last rite.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 3PM

DID I?

Dir: Sarah Tice/US/2023/101 min

A young woman attempts to navigate her life with DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder), but begins to see flashbacks of memories she had no part in creating. Nervous of how dangerous she may be, she descends into psychological hallucinations as she approaches the origin of her trauma.

With her debut feature, and in close collaboration with husband Zachary Beckler, Sarah Tice has fashioned the best-looking micro-budget film of the year, a whip-smart, giallo-inspired study of alter personalities and the effects of trauma on the mind, body, and soul. Tightly constructed (and deconstructed!), tense and twisted, DID I? spins a spiraling mystery that unravels around the superb central performance(s) of Alexandra Pica (a name to watch), right to its brilliant, subversive end.

— Film Threat

SCREENS WITH RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY

Dir: Sebastiano Pupino/UK/13 min

Haunted by strange visions and nightmares, a young woman receives a mysterious call from a long-lost friend who hides a dark secret from their past.

OFFICIAL SELECTION FLORIDA FILM FESTIVAL 2023 CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS

“Never a dull moment … A must-see movie”

— Women in Horror

“Not just refreshing; it’s absolutely chilling”

— Morbidly Beautiful

“Mindbending, in the best possible way”

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 5.10PM

SAVING GRACE

After discovering her patient has passed away, a live-in carer decides to start a new position in a more remote location. She is assigned to look after an elderly woman who is bed-bound and mute, with a suspicious gardener as company. Soon she starts to have strange visions and has no choice but to face her demons head-on.

Featuring a fierce, compelling central performance from Kirsty Mckenzie, SAVING GRACE begins as a drama, quickly evolves into a psychological thriller, then veers in an increasingly unpredictable way, tearing at a more potent nightmare fabric. A portrait of a woman plagued by her own inner torment desperate for release and threatening to consume her, it’s a bold, slick, and surprising debut feature that belies its modest budget.

PLUS: Q&A with writer/directors

Gareth Carr & David Sullivan & actor Gary Boulter

SCREENS WITH NIGHTCAP

Dir: Corey Benson Powers/US/8 min

A couple end their first date by going to his place for one last drink. After the young man claims it’s his aggressive dog locked up in his office, the young woman’s curiosity gets the better of her.

Dirs: Gareth Carr & David Sullivan/Australia/2022/89 min

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 7.30PM

WHAT YOU WISH FOR

Dir: Nicholas Tomnay/US/2023/102 min

A chef with gambling problems flees to the Latin American villa of an old friend who appears to be living an extravagant life. Envy soon turns to greed and then to something deeply unsettling for the chef when he assumes his friend’s identity and discovers the darkest of truths.

Former Sydneysider Nick Tomnay’s fifteen-year career as a commercials editor and director serves him superbly on his second feature, a spellbinding neo-noir thriller with a bite like a croc. Slick and tangy, it’s a sly morality tale roasting greed, told with crisp efficiency, and laced with the sharp smack of horror. Cult fave Nick Stahl (BULLY, SIN CITY, IN THE BEDROOM) holds fort, but there’s strong support, including another ex-pat Aussie, Penelope Mitchell. We heartily recommend you chow into this one as cold as gazpacho.

SCREENS WITH THE QUEUE

Dir: Michael Rich/US/11 min

An internet content moderator confronts the darkness within the videos he screens.

“A very twisted thriller with a dark sense of humour … 4 stars”

— Sean Kelly on Movies

“Will leave the viewer fully satisfied … 4 stars”

— The Hollywood News

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 9.40PM

PENSIVE

Dir: Jonas Trukanas/Original title: Rupintojelis/ Lithuania/2022/87 min/Lithuanian language with English subtitles

After classmates destroy life-sized wooden folkart statues during a wild high school graduation party on a remote rural property, a mysterious killer starts picking the students off one by one.

The slasher flick might’ve been done to death, but there’s a vibrant pulse to be found in EasternEuropean Jonas Trukanas’ clever subversion of the usual slice’n’dice tropes. Tackling social responsibility and identity roles in a very contemporary vein the result is a tightly-wound shocker, with terrific characterisation and performances, witheringly sharp dialogue, brutal kills, and finished with a wicked sense of humour. The scourge and suffering of young adulthood hits the nail slyly on the head, as the US title hints, We Might Hurt Each Other.

— Josh at the Movies

SCREENS WITH RED

Dir: Santiago Saba Salem/US/11 min

A dancer at the top of her class is accosted during a lonely night of rehearsing by a shadowy figure wearing red gloves.

MY SCARY INDIAN WEDDING

Dir: Ramone Menon/US/11 min

A bridesmaid has to forcefully get married to her soulmate before dawn in order to escape the wrath of a vengeful demon.

GLOVES

“Checks all the boxes on its way to slasher royalty … 4 stars”

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1PM

INTERNATIONAL SHORTS SHOWCASE

Short film program/114 min

A selection of the creepiest, freakiest new short films from around the world. Guaranteed not only to raise the hairs on your neck, but pluck them straight from your cold, damp skin. These filmmakers are the emerging nightmare-mongers. Be prepared to shiver, shudder, squirm and scream!

RIDE BABY RIDE

Dir: Sofie Somoroff/US/7 min

This 1978 Camaro was her dream car. Now it’s her nightmare.

SPELLBOUND

Dir: Robin Rippmann/Switzerland/11 min

A young man’s dull daily routine is disrupted by a strange apparition that begins to haunt him in his waking moments and dreams alike.

IN YOUR HANDS

Dir: Luigi Sibona/UK/12 min

An awkward stranger becomes enamoured with a charming barber, but things take a turn when the stranger sees the barber shaving and charming another customer.

VALLEY OF SOULS

Dirs: Edileuza Penha de Souza & Santiago Dellape/ Brazil/15 min

A family tries to defend their land against invaders but gets caught between a mischievous witch and a tortured spirit eager for revenge.

HIGH FUN

Dir: Adesh Prasad/India/13 min

A desperate young man seeks the one vice that may not solve all his problems, but can at least numb or distract him for a while.

MANTRA

Dirs: Stef Meyer & Pascal Bourelier/France/17 min

After her partner leaves on a work trip a woman is left alone in an old mansion and develops a strange bond with a praying mantis.

SURGICAL PRECISION

Dir: Adam Harvey/NZ/11 min

A doctor researching the medical uses of telekinesis finds his Hippocratic Oath challenged when his home is invaded by those seeking to exploit his ability.

IHRUQAX

Dir: Rasmus Safarnia/Denmark/12 min

When a young blind woman visits her father, she finds him obsessed with something through his telescope that is making him delusional.

MIRA

Dir: Eva Louise Hall/US/11 min

A dejected street musician gets a taste of recognition and more after meeting a charismatic performer who takes an interest in her talents.

ALICIA

Dir: Tony Morales/Spain/6 min

A mother will have to deal with the childhood fears of her daughter who has just gone blind and believes that an old woman lives in her room.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 1, 3PM

THE COFFEE TABLE

Dir: Caye Casas/Original title: La Mesita del Comedor/ Spain/2022/90 min/Spanish language with English subtitles/Warning - content may disturb

A married couple going through a difficult time in their relationship have just become older parents. They find themselves in a furniture warehouse where the new father is captivated by a gaudy gold and glass coffee table, and ends up purchasing it. A decision that will change their lives irrevocably.

Without doubt the most shocking, tense film you’ll see all year, perhaps ever! But also, the darkest, most pitch-black comedy you’ve ever been confronted with (if you’ll allow yourself that comic relief). This extraordinary piece of work balances farce, melodrama, tragedy, and absurdism… and, of course, horror. Oh, God, the horror! You won’t be prepared for where THE COFFEE TABLE goes, suffice to say, you have been warned, and it works best knowing as sweet little as possible. A truly unique, taboo-breaking film that despite its nature and content succeeds due to the exceptional writing, direction, and performances.

SCREENS WITH JANELLE’S BABY

Dir: Michael Squid/US/10 min

A young woman’s desire to have a baby takes a very dark turn when she finds out she’s infertile.

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS

WINNER — WHITE RAVEN PRIZE BRUSSELS INTERNATIONAL FANTASTIC FILM FESTIVAL 2022

WINNER — BEST FILM

TALLINN BLACK NIGHTS FILM FESTIVAL “REBELS WITHOUT A CAUSE” 2022

“Wickedly funny”

— Dirty Movies

“The cinematic experience of this film is nothing short of sublime”

— Mother of Movies

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 1, 5PM

THE MOOR

Dir: Chris Cronin/UK/2023/120 min

A woman is approached by the father of her murdered childhood friend to help investigate the haunted moor he believes to be his son’s final resting place. With the help of two others, they find more than just the ghost of dead children — something dark and evil stirs beneath their feet.

Harnessing the ominous shroud of the vast English moors of the Yorkshire region, this creeping tale of guilt, grief, and obsession is as visceral and compelling as the harsh landscape is unforgiving. Pushing the boundaries of folk horror (and found footage format) into Lovecraftian territory, the atmosphere is thick with dread. Excellent performances from the small cast, in particular Sophia La Porta, Elizabeth Dorma-Phillips, and Bernard Hill, leading to a profoundly horrifying epilogue that fuses the icky otherworldliness firmly to the tendrils of genuine nightmare fuel.

SCREENS WITH STOP DEAD

Dir: Emily Greenwood/UK/8 min

When detectives try to stop a disheveled girl staggering down the middle of a country road, they discover she’s been stalked by an unseen malevolent entity.

“Haunting ... harrowing ... an exceptional feature debut”

— The Hollywood News

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 1, 6:45PM FOR A 7:15PM START

VIOLETT

Dir: Steven John Mihaljevich/Australia/2023/102 min

A series of strange child disappearances have plagued a small rural town. A mother fears the unspeakable evil will soon snatch her young daughter. Disconnected from her husband the mother’s paranoia escalates and bizarre and disturbing visions threaten her sanity. Soon she will discover the whole ghastly truth.

One of the most striking Aussie debut features (not yet snatched up by A24), a surreal exploration of trauma, abject grief, and destructive selfpreservation, constructed like a poetic puzzle, it operates like a dark and dangerous dream, shards of which pierce the reality of the unhinged woman’s existence. Stunningly lensed, with an extraordinary central performance from Georgia Eyers, Steven Milhaljevich’s sophomore feature is a gorgeous purgatory funneling toward a shattering denouement.

PLUS: Q&A with writer/director Steven John Milhaljevich & actor Georgia Eyers

PLUS: Festival Awards Ceremony, incl. CUT! Teaser Trailer Competition finalists & winner - sponsored by Panavision Australia

PLUS: Complimentary glass of Angus Brut sparkling wine upon arrival

SCREENS WITH THE UNDOING

Dir: Cameron Gallagher/US/5 min

When a teenage slumber party reveals hidden jealousy for one girl, a spell book promises her a tempting opportunity to change her life.

— The Movie Sleuth

— Reel Reviews

“One of the most potent horror films in recent memory … A poisonous knockout”

“Modern masterpiece of terror … 5 stars”

FESTIVAL TEAM

Director & Programmer

Coordinator

Bryn Tilly

Robert Gadsbey

Tech Peter Humble

Key Artist

Graphic Designer

Trailer Editor

Matt Palmer

Craig Carroll

Michael O’Rourke

Teaser Elisa Iljinskij

Marie Dittrich

Lena Eggeling

Ida Leier

Kevin Haul

Special Thanks

Katherine Berger

Richard Kuipers

Liliana de la Rosa

Publicity Kabuku

Features Kiah Roache-Turner

Lauren Grimson

Sam Curtain

Shorts

Cassandra Magrath

Doug Turner

Sara Elizabeth Joyce

Unproduced Screenplays

Ally Burnham

Benjamin Jung-Clarke

Lynnaire MacDonald

A Night of Horror International Film Festival | Edition Fifteen | 2023 anightofhorror.com