The bloodiest and goriest event in the Irish film calendar, IFI Horrorthon, will return for its most exciting line-up ever from October 25th to 29th. This year’s festival will open with the Irish premiere of the J.J. Abrams-produced World War II action-horror Overlord, directed by Julius Avery, and will also feature the Irish premiere of Luca Guadagnino’s hotly-anticipated remake of Dario Argento’s Suspiria on Sunday 28th, starring Dakota Johnson, Mia Goth, Chloë Grace Moretz and Oscar winner Tilda Swinton.
The festival will welcome a number of high-profile guests including legendary writer-director Mick Garris, who will take part in a Q&A following a screening of new anthology film Nightmare Cinema starring Mickey Rourke; Garris will also introduce a double-bill of classics The Fly II and Critters 2 and his adaptation of Stephen King’s Sleepwalkers. Bestselling author John Connolly will launch his new book about Gene Martin’s 1972 film Horror Express, accompanied by a screening of the Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee classic, while renowned author Sir Christopher Frayling will give a talk on seminal horror Frankenstein novel, before a screening of the Terence Fisher’s Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell.
OverlordThis year’s festival is the biggest and most exciting in many a year. With so many tent-pole films to choose from, we are delighted to include everything a horror fan could want and more. Great films, great guests – this is one year you won’t easily forget!
Mick Fox, Spokesperson – Horrorthon
Also scheduled to appear are directors Aislinn Clarke of new Irish film The Devil’s Doorway, and Adam Marcus of Secret Santa. Another Irish production, Killers Within from directors Paul Bushe and Brian O’Neill, will screen on Sunday 28th.
The Devil’s DoorwayOther highlights of this year’s slate include John McPhail’s horror-musical Anna and the Apocalypse, which will screen on Saturday 27th; André Gower’s Wolfman’s Got Nards, a new documentary which focuses on the beloved 1980s horror-comedy The Monster Squad; Nicolas Pesce’s Piercing, starring Mia Wasikowska and Marin Ireland; Andy Palmer’s Camp Cold Brook, which comes from executive producer Joe Dante and stars Danielle Harris; and Darren Lynn Bousman’s St Agatha. Crazy Rich Asians star Constance Wu headlines All the Creatures Were Stirring which will screen as a late show on Thursday 25th.
Perennial festival favourite, the Horrorthon Surprise Film, will return this year in its regular Sunday evening slot; last year’s film was Chris Peckover’s home invasion thriller Better Watch Out. Previous Surprise Films have included classics such as The Witch, The Others, The Machinist, and Paranormal Activity.
One Cut of the DeadFinally, Shin’ichirô Ueda’s kinetic One Cut of the Dead, which opens with a single 37-minute take and has been called the best horror comedy since Shaun of the Dead, will close the festival on Bank Holiday Monday.
Individual tickets for Horrorthon films are on sale now in person at the IFI Box Office, by phone on 01-6793477, or online at www.ifi.ie/horrorthon. Multiple film deals are available priced at €45 for 5 films, or €80 for 10 films, while a range of passes ranging from one- to five-day passes are also on sale either in person at the IFI Box Office or by phone.
FULL FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
Thursday, October 25th
19.00 Overlord
21.15 What Keeps You Alive
23.10 Boar
23.15 All The Creatures Were Stirring
23.15 Camp Cold Brook
Friday, October 26th
13.00 The Cleaning Lady
14.50 Framed
16.30 Knuckleball
18.20 The Devil’s Doorway + Q&A
20.20 Nightmare Cinema + Q&A
23.00 Double Bill: Critters 2 / The Fly II + guest
23.10 Double Bill: The Axiom / Living Space
23.20 Double Bill: Road to Hell / The Tokoloshe
Saturday, October 27th
13.00 Horror Express + guest
15.00 Wolfman’s Got Nards
17.00 Lifechanger
18.50 Secret Santa + guests
20.45 Anna and the Apocalypse
22.50 Book of Monsters + guests
23.00 Lady Frankenstein
23.10 Lust
Sunday, October 28th
13.00 Sir Christopher Frayling – On Frankenstein + Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell
16.00 St. Agatha
18.05 Surprise Film
20.20 Suspiria
23.00 The Dark
23.10 Killers Within + guest
23.20 Sleepwalkers + guest
Monday, October 29th
12.00 Short Film Showcase
14.00 Ravers
15.45 Videoman
17.40 Piercing
19.20 Await Further Instructions
21.10 One Cut Of The Dead