Those fine folks at the After Dark Horrorfest are working their tails off to get everything ready for the 2010 film fest. At the moment, they’re narrowing down their final choices for 2010’s 8 Films To Die For, and today I have information on four of them for you.
As I’m sure you all know, the annual After Dark Horrorfest, a week-long nationwide celebration of independent horror flicks, is going in to its fourth year. Each year, they present a selection of eight films—some good, some not so good. Of the four I’m focusing on today, I’m somewhat jazzed about three of them. So that’s not bad, right? If nothing else, they all have some pretty nice one-sheets. And as we all know: In horror, a cool poster is half the battle.
Dread is the second film in Clive Barker’s Book of Blood franchise. The action follows three college students who set out to produce a documentary about fear, only to find themselves the subjects of an experiment in terror. Anthony DiBlasi, a producing partner of Barker’s on such films as Book of Blood and Midnight Meat Train, makes his directorial debut with Dread, working from his own screenplay. Jackson Rathbone (Twilight Saga and The Last Airbender) stars alongside Shaun Evans (Boy A), Hanne Steen and Laura Donnelly.
Hidden is the story of Kai Koss, who returns to the small town he ran away from 19 years ago. He is left in charge of the family home and the dark secrets that come with it. Kai soon finds himself tangled up in a series of murderous events that are beyond anyone’s control, and his troubles begin to overwhelm him. He has spent the past two decades trying to forget a tortured past, only to find that there are some things that you just can’t run from. Pål Øie (Dark Woods) directed from a script he co-wrote with Brio Flint. The film stars one of Norway’s most prominent actors, Kristoffer Joner (Next Door and upcoming Pax), who leads a cast including Cecilie Mosli, Anders Danielsen Lie, Bjarte Hjelmeland and Karin Park.
In Lake Mungo, 16-year-old Alice Palmer drowns while swimming in the local dam. When her body is recovered and a verdict of accidental death returned, her grieving family buries her. The family then experiences a series of strange and inexplicable events centered in and around their home. Profoundly unsettled, the Palmers seek the help of psychic and parapsychologist Ray Kemeny. Ray discovers that Alice led a secret, double life. A series of clues leads the family to Lake Mungo, where Alice’s secret past emerges. The supernatural mystery is written and directed by Joel Anderson, making his feature debut. Talia Zucker, Rosie Traynor, David Pledger and Martin Sharpe star.
In teen revenge thriller The Final, the scenic Workley Ranch in Rocky Branch, TX, becomes the setting for retribution and revenge. In the midst of a wild costume party, five previously powerless and picked upon students are giving a “Final Exam” with just one question: “What did you do to deserve this?” Joey Stewart makes his directorial debut working from a script written by Jason Kabolati. The film stars Marc Donato (Degrassi: The Next Generation), Jascha Washington, Whitney Hoy, Lindsay Seidel and Justin Arnold.
~Theron Neel
Tags: 8 Films To Die For, After Dark Horrorfest, Book of Blood, Clive Barker, Dread, Hidden, Lake Mungo, Midnight Meat Train, Slammed & Damned, The Final, Theron Neel, Updates & Teasers