PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Cinepocalypse 2017 is on its way, running from November 2 – 9, and they’re offering up what look to be amazing films! Luckily for us, we will be covering the festival and get to report back to you on how great (or not so great) they are. Here are some of the films that we can’t wait to see.
The Crescent (November 5th)
- Directed by Seth A. Smith
- Written by Darcy Spidle
- Starring Britt Loder, Dankia Vandersteen, and Andrew Gillis
Synopsis:
A young widow and her two-year-old son take shelter in a massive, creepy seaside house after the sudden death of her husband. But rather than follow the tropes of standard jump-scare storytelling, The Crescent places a unique focus its child star, some truly impressive visual touches, and a consistently ominous sound design. This creepy Canadian import, which premiered in TIFF’s Midnight Madness program and was called a ghost story about loss, is guaranteed to get under your skin.
Downrange (November 4th)
- Directed by Ryûhei Kitamura
- Written by Ryûhei Kitamura and Joey O’Bryan
- Starring Kelly Connaire, Stephanie Pearson, and Rod Hernandez
Synopsis:
A merciless, enigmatic sniper takes aim at a car filled with college kids, disabling their vehicle on a desolate country road and methodically picking them off, one by one. A perfect exercise in minimalist simplicity and slow-burn hysterical panic, this latest, nail-biting offering from genre veteran Ryuhei Kitamura (The Midnight Meat Train, Versus) contains the filmmaker’s trademark creeping tension, sudden violence, and extreme nihilism. In other words, things get pretty dark, especially when a second car shows up to provide relief, but only results in upping the body count.
Snowflake (November 4th)
Directed by Adolfo Kolmerer and William James
Written by Arend Remmers
Starring Reza Brojerdi, Erkan Acar, Xenia Assenza
Synopsis:
Take a dash of Tarantino, a splash of Coen brothers, a metric ton of pretzel-logic self-awareness, and a fast-paced series of humorously violent misadventures, and you’re halfway to grasping the magnificent German madness of this bizarre import. Hunting down the murderer of their families in a near-future Berlin, a gang of lowlife characters all want revenge on each other, but along the way they must contend with a myriad of wicked fairytale types—assassins, madmen, a blood-covered angel, and an electric-powered superhero—all apparently come to life through a screenplay written by a demented but clueless dentist. Must be experienced to be believed, and guaranteed to twist your mind.
Charismata (November 4th)
Directed by Andy Collier and Toor Mian
Written by Andy Collier and Toor Mian
Starring Sarah Beck Mather, Jamie Satterthwaite, and Andonis Anthony
Synopsis:
A rookie female detective, struggling to find acceptance in a police department defined by a culture of bullying and intolerance, watches as things go from bad to worse as her chief suspect in a series of brutal ritualistic murders takes a personal interest in her. A game of cat and mouse degrades the detective’s grasp on reality and, as she spirals out of control, this young woman must suddenly fight for her sanity, life… and maybe even her soul.
The Terror of Hallow’s Eve (November 3rd)
Directed by Todd Tucker
Written by Todd Tucker and Ronald L. Halvas
Starring Caleb Thomas, Sarah Lancaster, Annie Read
Synopsis:
Timmy Stevens is a socially awkward 15-year-old, obsessed with horror movies and frequently beaten up by high school bullies. Timmy’s wish for vicious revenge unwittingly unleashes a particularly nasty creature known as The Trickster on Halloween Night. Genre veteran Doug Jones (Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy) provides an amazingly evil creature performance, but the real stars here are the array of surprisingly effective creature FX and affection for old-school ’80s mayhem.
This is just the tip of the iceberg for this festival, but they’re certainly the films we’re most looking forward to reviewing. Which ones do you think we should review first? Let us know in the comments!
