Popcorn Frights revealed the second-wave line-up for their 2021 film festival. This time, the slate is focused on their virtual programming and features a hefty amount of premieres, shorts, and an exciting virtual reality line-up.
Spooky season starts early this year with Florida’s upcoming genre film festival, Popcorn Frights. The Seventh Annual Popcorn Frights Film Festival will be a hybrid experience with both in-theater and virtual film offerings from August 12-19, 2021. The Southeast U.S.’ largest genre film event will offer its virtual programming nationwide and run parallel to its in-theater program (August 12-15) and through the duration of the festival until August 19.
The virtual portion will have seven feature film World Premieres including thrill rides like The Accursed, a paranoid thriller entitled Dashcam (co-starring Larry Fessenden), a Euro-horror inspired film called Dawn Breaks Behind the Eyes, the claustrophobic and suspenseful It Came From Below, a horror mystery called Night at the Eagle Inn, the devilish dark comedy Val, and moc-doc horror called The Wild Man which was a home-grown Florida production.
Documentary films are also a part of this frightful cinematic feast. Audiences will be treated to the World Premiere of The History of Metal and Horror, a nostalgia trip of some of the most iconic horror films told through candid conversations with John Carpenter, Tom Savini, Kirk Hammett, and Rob Zombie, among many others. Festival darling, and the first feature-length documentary on the history of folk horror, Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched will also make its East Coast Premiere at the festival.
Other highlights include the North American Premieres of the Spanish horror anthology Apps, the supernatural-thriller The Ex, and the brutal shocker Stoker Hills which stars Tony Todd and is directed by Florida native Benjamin Louis. There will also be US Premieres of Takashi Shimizu’s (creator of the Ju-on series and The Grudge) new nightmare Howling Village and the timely sci-fi-thriller Tin Can. East Coast Premieres include the dark comedy Keeping Company, the gleefully creepy Lair, and the boldly original The Yellow Wallpaper. Blood of Conscious, House at the End of the Forest, and the Bloody Disgusting x Dark Star Pictures collaboration The Last Matinee will all have their Florida Premieres.
But Wait There’s More!
Popcorn Frights’ will hold its first-ever Virtual Reality world experience created in partnership with the O Cinema, an independent non-profit based in Miami. Hosted on AltSpaceVR, the Virtual Reality environment will feature live events and the premieres of an exclusive selection of short films. The platform will be free to all audiences and available through Quest or STEAM headsets or on PCs.
How to Watch
Virtual offerings are geo-locked to the United States and are available to view on the Eventive platform until August 19. The platform functions on multiple internet browsers as well as Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast, and other connective devices.
Access to virtual film screenings is available through individual tickets or an all-access virtual pass, which provides an all-inclusive experience for the festival’s entire virtual program. Separate individual tickets and all-access badges are also available for Popcorn Frights’ in-theater program, which is exclusively hosted at the Silverspot Cinema Coconut Creek. You can purchase an In-Theater All-Access Badge here and Virtual All-Access Passes can be purchased here.
On top of all of this amazing information, a portion of all proceeds from the festival will go to benefit those impacted by the building collapse in Surfside, FL.
Check out the complete list of Second Wave film announcements below:
Feature Films 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.
The Ex
North American Premiere
Russia | 2021 | 87 Min. | Dir. Evgeniy Puzyrevskiy
The screws are tightened in this wickedly entertaining, juicy supernatural-thriller about the vengeful spirit of an ex-girlfriend who makes life hell for the man who scorned her.
The History of Metal and Horror
World Premiere
United States | 2021 | 100 Min. | Dir. Mike Schiff
Filled with countless clips and entertaining moments, this documentary 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.
House at the End of the Forest
Florida Premiere
Sweden | 2021 | 84 Min. | Dir. Jonathan Katzeff
In this boundary-pushing frightening tale, a traumatized woman who was previously a victim of a brutal attack by a stranger is stalked by a killer in her summer cabin.
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.
Night at the Eagle Inn
World Premiere
USA | 2021 | 70 Min. | Dir. Erik Bloomquist
Fraternal twins embark on a pilgrimage to a remote inn to investigate the last known whereabouts of their father who mysteriously disappeared the night they were born — their exploration leading to shocking revelations as the property’s dark secrets ensnare them in a hellish labyrinth they must escape before dawn.
Stoker Hills
North American Premiere
USA | 2021 | 91 Min. | Dir. Benjamin Louis
Three students filming a horror movie stumble upon something much worse, and their only hope for survival is two detectives who find the camera that was left behind.
Tin Can
US Premiere
Canada | 2020 | 104 Min. | Dir. Seth A. Smith
As the world faces a deadly plague, a frontlines parasitologist is imprisoned in a life-suspension chamber. To escape she must destroy the last of her kind.
Val
World Premiere
USA | 2021 | 90 Min. | Dir. Aaron Fradkin
A criminal on the run breaks into the home of a high-class escort, only to discover that you get more than you bargain for with Val – short for “Valefar” – a demon who offers to make all his problems disappear if he agrees to follow her rules.
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 Reality Experience Lineup
Short films premiering in Popcorn Frights’ VR world experience are:
Body of the Mined
South Florida Premiere
USA | 2021 | 15 Min. | Dir. Eric Jungmann
A quiet, young woman moves into a new building and meets a reclusive engineer at the brink of completing a bizarre, extraordinary machine.
I’m A Vampire
Florida Premiere
Mexico | 2021 | 15 Min. | Dir. Sofia Garza-Barba
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, 8-year-old Jackie is so confused by her bewildered parents’ behavior that she thinks she’s turning into a vampire.
MeTube: August Sings “Una Furtiva Lagrima”
Southeast US Premiere
Austria | 2020 | 8 Min. | Dir. Daniel Moshel
The intergalactic music nerds August and Elfi conquer the opera stage and orchestrate an extraordinary adventure in an opulent manner.
The Wheel
East Coast Premiere
USA | 2021 | 15 Min. | Dir. Nikhil Bhagat
A woman is terrorized by a cursed antique.
Short Film Lineup
Short Film Headliner
A special presentation of Alex Proyas’ new short film Mask of the Evil Apparition, which was made entirely with virtual production and is uniquely set in the Dark City universe. Accompanying the screening is a Q&A with Alex Proyas hosted by filmmaker Joe Lynch (Mayhem, The Movie Crypt podcast).
Mask of the Evil Apparition
Sneak Preview
Australia | 2021 | 20 Min. | Dir. Alex Proyas
A young woman lost in a nocturnal, dreamlike city, with twin psychic brothers who try to help her find her way home as she is pursued by a shadowy cult known as The Mysterious Ones.
Animation Domination
The endless possibilities of genre animation are on dazzling display in this retina-reeling, round-the-world showcase of some of the medium’s most innovative, boundary-pushing, and mind-enhancing short films:
Le Cri dirs. Charlotte Chouisnard, Ninon Dodemant, Baptiste Leclerc, Solène Michel, Justine Parasote, Anouk Segura-Diaz (France)
The Expected dir. Carolina Sandvik (Sweden)
Expedit, dir. Baptiste Boutin (France)
Tio, dir. Juan Medina (Mexico)
Mum’s Sweater, dirs. Anand Varma, Yi Chen Hsiao, Mauriziana Gualdrini, Ugo Offner, James Mann (France)
International Midnighters
A celebration of some of the year’s most fantastic international short films from new emerging voices and established filmmakers:
Ad Lib, dir. Joseph Catté (France)
Familiar, dir. David J. Ellison (United Kingdom)
I Call Upon Thee, dir. Michael Anthony Kratochvil (Australia, World Premiere)
Salmon Pink, dir. Jamy Steele (Canada, World Premiere)
Sweet Mary, Where Did You Go?, dir. Michael Anthony Kratochvil (Australia, World Premiere)
The Thing That Ate the Birds, dirs. Sophie Mair & Dan Gitsham (United Kingdom)
Under the Lather, dir. Olivier Briand (France)
Midnighters
A celebration of new works from cinematic scaremongers that bring nightmares into waking hours with thrills, chills, and spills:
#NoFilter, Dir. Nathan Crooker (USA, World Premiere)
Cutter, dir. Dan Repp & Lindsay Young (USA)
Every Time We Meet for Ice Cream Your Wole F*cking Face Explodes, dir. Anthony Cousins (USA, World Premiere)
Jumpin’ Jacob, dir. Alexander Deeds (USA, World Premiere)
Koreatown Ghost Story, dir. Minsun Park & Teddy Tenenbaum (USA)
Nagual: The Sin Eater, dir. Dan Lazarovits (USA, World Premiere)
Nightmare of the Dog, Dir. Hans Stjernsward (USA, World Premiere)
Poor Glenna, dir. Jean-Paul DiSciscio (USA)
Significant Other, dir. Quinn George (USA)
Snapper: The Man-Eating Turtle Movie That Never Got Made, dir. Jon Campopiano (USA)
Specter of Weeping Hill, dir. Matthew & Nathaniel Barber (USA, World Premiere)
The Tip of the Spear, dir. Travis Oberlander (USA, World Premiere)
Wich, dir. Anthony Williams (USA)
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