Florida’s Popcorn Frights Film Festival announces first wave films

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Popcorn Frights Film Festival is proud to announce their first wave of programming for the fourth annual celebration of genre-twisting cinema, occurring August 10 through 16, 2018. The Southeast United States largest gathering of genre films and fans will be hosted at the historic Savor Cinema in Fort Lauderdale, a state-of-the-art theater that in the 1940’s was a Methodist Church. 

Igor Shteyrenberg & Marc Ferman, Co-Founders & Co-Directors of the Popcorn Frights Film Festival said:

The Sunshine State is about to get a whole lot more badass and bloody as we unleash the most twisted, bold, breathtaking, hilarious, and downright wildest films in the world. It’s a collection of the weird and awe-inspiring from the most thrilling visionary artists and nightmare-makers on this planet. This summer will see a fury of cinematic terror unlike Florida has ever seen!

Popcorn Frights first wave of programming represents the latest and greatest in genre cinema from around the globe. Opening Night features a triple-bill of mayhem kicking-off with the World Premiere of HAVANA DARKNESS, touted as the first English language horror film to be shot in Cuba; the East Coast Premiere of the zombie holiday musical ANNA AND THE APOCALYPSE, which will also feature a live immersive musical performance by Infinite Abyss Productions; and the Florida Premiere of the gruesomely fun PUPPET MASTER: THE LITTLEST REICH. 

This year Popcorn Frights will also celebrate director Chuck Russell, who will host a night of 80’s terror with a special 30th Anniversary screening of his ooze-drenched remake THE BLOB as well as much-loved sequel A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3: DREAM WARRIORS. 

Other buzzworthy titles in the first wave lineup announcement include the Southeast US Premieres of the stunningly macabre THE DARK and the sci-fi thriller PROSPECT; the East Coast Premieres of Blumhouse’s BOOGEYMAN POP, Darren Lynn Bousman’s new nightmare ST. AGATHA and the audience award-winning documentary WOLFMAN'S GOT NARDS and the Florida Premieres of Colin Minihan’s brutal tale WHAT KEEPS YOU ALIVE and the chilling creepfest SATAN'S SLAVES. 

The second wave of Popcorn Frights 2018 programming will be announced in the coming weeks. Mayhem reigns!
 

FESTIVAL LINEUP (FIRST WAVE) 

ANNA AND THE APOCALYPSE | Directed by John McPhail |EAST COAST PREMIERE 

In this gleeful genre-mashing holiday horror musical a zombie apocalypse threatens a sleepy town at Christmas forcing Anna and her high school friends to fight, sing, and slash their way to survival with a fast-spreading undead horde in relentless pursuit. 

BOOGEYMAN POP | Directed by Brad Michael Elmore | EAST COAST PREMIERE

In this striking Blumhouse production set over the course of one summer weekend, a bat-wielding, masked killer in a rusted-out black Cadillac weaves in and out of three interlocking stories awash in sex, drugs, punk rock, black magic, and broken homes. 

THE DARK |Directed by Justin P. Lange |SOUTHEAST US PREMIERE 

In this blend of macabre storytelling, coming-of-age frankness, and shocking gore, a flesh-eating young girl haunts the woods where she was murdered. When she discovers an abused kid inside the trunk of a car after dismembering his guardian, her decision to let the boy live throws her existence into upheaval. 

HAVANA DARKNESS | Directed by Guillermo Iván | WORLD PREMIERE

Touted as the first English language horror film to be shot in Cuba! Traveling to Havana, Cuba, to investigate the origins of a mysterious manuscript supposedly written by acclaimed American novelist, Ernest Hemingway, three friends are thrust into a terrifying game of cat and mouse when they find themselves trapped inside an abandoned building nestled in the center of the country’s vibrant capital. 
 
PROSPECT |Directed by Chris Caldwell & Zeek Earl | SOUTHEAST US PREMIERE

A teenage girl and her father travel to a remote alien moon, aiming to strike it rich. They’ve secured a contract to harvest a large deposit of the elusive gems hidden in the depths of the moon’s toxic forest. But there are others roving the wilderness and the job quickly devolves into a fight to survive. 

PUPPET MASTER: THE LITTLEST REICH |Directed by Sonny Laguna & Tommy Wiklund | FLORIDA PREMIERE

During a road trip to a convention for the 30th Anniversary of the infamous Toulon Murders, a comic book nerd, his new girlfriend and his best friend come face to face with a set of sadistic Nazi puppets. All hell breaks loose when a strange force animates the puppets at the convention, setting them on a bloody killing spree that’s motivated by an evil as old as time. 
 
SATAN’S SLAVES |Directed by Joko Anwar | FLORIDA PREMIERE

When Mawarni, a famous Indonesian singer, dies of a mysterious illness, her husband and four children are left behind to pick up the pieces, only to discover that they are being haunted by a pack of rabid spirits headed by Mwarni herself. 
 
ST. AGATHA | Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman | EAST COAST PREMIERE

Horror film impresario Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II, III and IV) brings to life his latest nightmare, a period piece concerning a troubled woman running from her past who finds herself kept hostage by a coven of vicious nuns.  
 
WHAT KEEPS YOU ALIVE | Directed by Colin Minihan | FLORIDA PREMIERE 

Majestic mountains, a still lake, and venomous betrayals engulf a female married couple attempting to celebrate their one-year anniversary in this brutal tale of claustrophobic survival starring Brittany Allen and Hannah Emily Anderson. 

WOLFMAN’S GOT NARDS | Directed by Andre Gower | EAST COAST PREMIERE

A heartfelt documentary exploring the power of one of the strangest, scariest, and most iconic kids films to ever grace the silver screen — The Monster Squad — and its 30-year impact on its rabid fan base, the cast and crew, and the future of horror comedies. 

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3: DREAM WARRIORS | Directed by Chuck Russell 
 
It's been many years since Freddy Krueger's (Robert Englund) first victim, Nancy (Heather Langenkamp), came face-to-face with Freddy and his sadistic, evil ways. Now, Nancy's all grown up; she's put her frightening nightmares behind her and is helping teens cope with their dreams. Too bad Freddy's decided to herald his return by invading the kids' dreams and scaring them into committing suicide. Patricia Arquette and Laurence Fishburne co-star.
 
THE BLOB | Directed by Chuck Russell | 30TH ANNIVERSARY PRESENTATION 

Bigger. Better. Blobbier! In this remake of the 1958 horror classic, a gelatinous mass invades Earth and starts devouring people in the rural California town of Arborville. As it feasts, the blob grows bigger and bigger — and threatens to spin out of control. Starring Kevin Dillon and Shawnee Smith.

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All films will screen at Savor Cinema (503 SE 6th St, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301). Festival Premiere Badges are on sale for a limited time for $99 per person and $169 for couples. Single screening tickets will be available July 2. To purchase badges and view the Festival schedule visit www.popcornfrights.com.