This Thursday, which is appropriately Halloween of course, sees the launch of this years MAYHEM FILM FESTIVAL, presenting a host of fantastic horror themed movies, and what a line up they have in store.
Things kick off on All Hallows Eve with acclaimed British director Nicholas Roeg on hand for the screening of two of his films.
Starting things off will be a showing of his 2007 movie PUFFBALL at 5.45pm, which includes a Q&A with the director, the movie, which is an adaptation of the novel by Fay Wheldon, tells the tale of a young architect who moves to an isolated Irish village. When she becomes pregnant she finds herself fighting for her life as the locals take against her and her unborn child.
Following that there will be a showing of the director’s 1973 horror classic DON’T LOOK NOW which the director will attend the screening which will take place in the grounds of St Mary’s Church – adding to the Halloween creepiness. The movie follows a grieving married couple who travel to Venice and find themselves in the midst of a murder hunt, the couple meet two sisters, one of whom is a psychic and brings a terrible warning from beyond. Starring Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland and based on a story by Daphne Du Maurier, the movie has been described by Time Out as “Superbly chilling”.
Finally on Thursday you can catch a screening of HAUNTER, the new movie from Vincenzo Natali, director of Splice and Cube, which has been described as a “reverse ghost-story”. Starring Abigail Breslin and Stephan McHattie tells the story of a teenager who, years after dying, reaches out to the land of the living in order to save somebody from the same fate.
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On Friday you start your evening with a screening of THE STRANGE COLOUR OF YOUR BODY’S TEARS, the latest movie from the directors of Amer, which tells the story of a businessman who returns home to find his apartment locked and his wife mysteriously missing.
Special guest, director Brian Netto will be on hand at 8.15pm to present a screening of his latest movie DELIVERY. An exciting take on the “found-footage” style of movie. The film is based around the story of a never-aired reality show episode which follows a couple trying for their first baby, things take a dark twist when the mother begins to suspect her unborn baby may be possessed.
Finally it’s a mixture of dance and death on Friday night with Canadian director Renaud Gauthier’s tale DISCOPATH, set in the mid-70’s it tells the tale of a timid New Yorker who is exposed to the pulsating sounds of a new music genre: Disco. The man is then unable to control the murderous impulses caused by a childhood trauma and is exiled to Montreal.
What’s more this movie will be followed by a free death disco party in the cafebar.
Saturday kicks off at noon with THE DEMON’S ROCK, directed by, and starring, James Sizemore. After making a childhood pact with a demon a grown up Roscoe returns from the underworld blessed with mystical powers. However he finds himself being pursued by a trio of demons; one who can control the minds of all she crosses, another with the power to turn man to beast and a third who commands an army of the undead.
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KISS OF THE DAMNED, at 2pm, tells the story of young vampire Djuna who, having sworn off humans, finally finds peace with her new partner, only for less hung up sister to invade her tranquility and threaten the whole vampire community.
Director Elliot Goldner and producer Jennifer Handorf will be on hand for the screening of their movie THE BORDERLANDS at 4pm on Saturday. Starring Gordon Kennedy and Robin Hill the story follows a couple of Vatican investigators who head to an isolated country church to report on supernatural activity, only to find much more than they bargained for. Co-written by James Moran, screenwriter for Brit horror hit Severance.
From 6.30pm there will be a series of short movies from directors across the globe, including BIO-COP from Astron-6, the team behind last year’s hit Manborg.
The latest offering from director Caradog James THE MACHINE will be showing at 8.30pm, with the director in attendance, along with producer John Giwa-Amu. Set in a near-future cold war, Britain is on the brink of developing a game-changing weapon, The Machine. However, when the machine runs amok scientist Vincent McCarthy decides to create a fully conscious killing machine.
Finally on Sunday will be a screening of LIFEFORCE, the 1985 movie from Texas Chainsaw Massacre director Tobe Hooper. Naked space vampires hitch a ride on a space shuttle to London where they embark on sexily sucking the life force out of everyone and nakedly creating a horde of shambling undead.
Sunday and once again we kick off at noon with the Donald Pleasance starring WAKE IN FRIGHT, a long lost masterpiece about a disgruntled teacher who descends into a degrading and brutal hell after finding himself stranded in an outback town. This 1971 masterpiece, described by film critic legend Roger Ebert as “Powerful, genuinely shocking and rather amazing” has been fully restored and remastered for your enjoyment.
PAINLESS, at 2.15, is a 1930’s set movie from Spanish director Juan Carlos Medina in which a group of children who feel no pain are discovered and sent of to a sanatorium to be isolated and experimented on.
At 4pm on Sunday there will be a special BAFTA presented screening of IN FEAR, which will feature special guests from the production. The film is directed by Jeremy Lovering, who directed the series opener of Sherlock, who took the unusual step of withholding the script from the cast, which includes Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D star Iain De Caestecker, preventing them from knowing what was coming next. The story follows a young couple driving and lost in the Irish countryside who start to suspect someone is tormenting them.
That’s followed by a very special screening of classic 20’s horror movie THE UNKNOWN at 7.30pm, the story of a murderer on the run who hides out in a circus is considered one of the most influential horror movies of all time and features Lon Chaney, the man of a thousand faces, in his greatest role as the crazed Alonzo, the armless knife thrower!
For this special screening of Tod Browning’s movie Nottingham group 8MM ORCHESTRA will provide a specially commissioned live accompaniment to the film.
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At 9pm David Flint, creator of the excellent Strange Things Are Happening, will present his Quiz of Fear – THE FLINTERROGATION. Form teams and try your luck at the brain-twisting quiz of the festival.
Wrapping up four days of horror movie mayhem will be BIG BAD WOLVES at 10pm on Sunday, the latest from the duo of Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado, the directors behind cult hit Rabies, Israel’s first ever horror movie. Big Bad Wolves tells the story of a meek teacher who is strapped to a chair and tortured by a revenge seeking father and a cop turned vigilante.
So there you have it a fantastic line up for all to enjoy, but wait there is a bit more on top, as a bonus, on Monday 4th, there will be a special FREE TO ALL event in the cafebar.
LIVE HORROR FOR HALLOWEEN will feature original horror stories from members of Nottingham Writer’s Studio, with horror novelist Nikki Valentine and guests.
All in all this promises to be a weekend full of horror fun, sadly, for those who haven’t yet snapped one up, full weekend passes are all sold out, however day passes, starting from just £13.50 are still available – head over to the official Broadway website for more
