Nightstream Virtual Film Festival announces full program!

So this is cool! The NIGHTSTREAM Virtual Film Festival is the first ever collaboration between Boston Underground, Brooklyn Horror, North Bend, Overlook, and Popcorn Frights! Highlights will include the world premiere of the Sarah Paulson-led horror-thriller RUN, a showing of the French comedic creature-feature MANDIBLES, and a conversation with Nia DaCosta, director of the upcoming CANDYMAN film! The festival will run from October 8-11th, with select films available until October 14th!

Here's the official press release:

NIGHTSTREAM is thrilled to unveil its program of films and special events set to take place virtually next month. Formed as a banner uniting five US genre festivals — Boston Underground, Brooklyn Horror, North Bend, Overlook, and Popcorn Frights — who have all been affected by COVID-19, the initiative was first announced last month and will have scheduled programming from October 8-11th, with films available to view on the Eventive platform until the 14th.

The virtual festival will open with the world premiere of Hulu’s hotly-anticipated thriller RUN, starring Sarah Paulson (American Horror Story) and Kiera Allen and directed by Aneesh Chaganty, who helmed the breakout Sundance hit SEARCHING and close with the North American Premiere of MANDIBLES, the latest from Quentin Dupieux, the French filmmaker responsible for singular features such as RUBBER and DEERSKIN. The four-day festival includes a line-up of feature films selected by all five festival programming teams, alongside eighteen distinct short blocks and an impressive slate of events, panels, and masterclasses headlined by conversations with filmmakers Nia DaCosta on CANDYMAN and Mary Harron for the 20th anniversary of AMERICAN PSYCHO, as well as Beck/Woods, the screenwriting team behind A QUIET PLACE. Celebrated horror filmmaker Mick Garris will be recognized as festival honoree and host a very special Dinner With The Masters Of Horror event with guests that include Joe Dante, Mike Flanagan, John Landis, Ernest Dickerson, and more.

All proceeds from NIGHTSTREAM will be shared with the filmmakers and artists involved, donated to charities and businesses locally owned and operated in each festival’s home city, and help the founding festivals recoup losses incurred by COVID-19.

The festival will feature seven World Premieres, nine North American Premieres, and seven U.S. Premieres, alongside 164 short films and a spotlight on Indonesian Horror with a companion panel hosted by Sam Zimmerman, director of programming for Shudder. Highlights include the world premiere of Ryûhei Kitamura’s THE DOORMAN starring Ruby Rose, who will appear for a post screening Q&A, as well as the world premieres of Jesse Blanchard’s FRANK & ZED, Nicholas Payne Santos’ IT CUTS DEEP, Devereux Milburn’s HONEYDEW, Jake Mahaffy’s REUNION and Terence Krey’s AN UNQUIET GRAVE.

NIGHTSTREAM will bring the spirit of festivals to your screen with its exciting off-film programming, including a one-time-only event hosted by Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson, the directing duo behind beloved genre hits THE ENDLESS and SPRING, who will share an intimate and engaging look at their never-before-seen early work, joined by special guest Issa Lopez (TIGERS ARE NOT AFRAID). The fest will also feature iconic drag performer and horror expert Peaches Christ who will offer a deep-dive into campy horror history, in addition to hosting a glamorously blood-drenched festival party. Plus, every night will have a unique happy-hour social in Evening Rituals Presented by IFC Midnight, with a parade of hosts that include Elijah Wood beaming in virtually from their homes, and with a new delicious cocktail to share.

Access to film screenings will be geo-locked to the US with ticket bundles on sale on the website ($65 for 5 features or short film programs and $99 with 10 features or short film programs, both bundles come with unlimited access to events and panels, while event-only badges will be made available worldwide ($25) and a virtual festival social hub will be freely accessible to all. To order a badge, visit: https://nightstream.eventive.org/passes/buy

FEATURE FILMS

OPENING NIGHT

Run

World Premiere

United States | 2020 | 90 Min. | Dir. Aneesh Chaganty

Sarah Paulson and newcomer Kiera Allen shine in director Aneesh Chaganty (SEARCHING) nail-biting, Hitchcockian new thriller about a wheelchair-bound teenager whose fragile, isolated existence with her doting mother is threatened when she begins to notice strange occurrences around her house. A Hulu Original Film.

CLOSING NIGHT

Mandibles

North American Premiere

France | 2020 | 77 Min | Dir. Quentin Dupieux

Visionary director Quentin Dupieux (RUBBER, DEERSKIN) returns with his most accessible and hilarious film to date, a tale of two simple-minded friends who find a giant fly stuck in the trunk of a car and set themselves up to train it to earn money with it. Originally set to premiere at the Telluride Film Festival. A Magnolia Pictures Release.

32 Malasaña Street

North American Premiere

Spain | 2020 | 105 Min. | Dir. Albert Pintó

The Olmedo family gets more than they bargained for when they move into a suspiciously low-priced apartment in Madrid, circa 1976, and quickly find themselves in a living nightmare in this intense and stylish Spanish answer to James Wan’s THE CONJURING. A Shudder Original Film.

Anything For Jackson

U.S. Premiere

Canada | 2020 | 97 Min | Dir. Justin G. Dyck

Satanists Audrey and Henry Walsh had the best of intentions when they kidnapped a young pregnant woman in the hopes of performing a resurrection ritual for their recently deceased grandson. What could go wrong?

Av: The Hunt

North American Premiere

Turkey | 2020 | 87 Min | Dir. Emre Akay

To escape the murderous wrath of her oppressive and patriarchal family after being caught with her lover, Ayse must go on the run through the backroads of modern-day Turkey in his absurdly primal fight for survival.

Black Bear

USA | 2019 | 104 Min. Dir. Lawrence Michael Levine

Punctuated with outstanding performances from Aubrey Plaza, Christopher Abbott, and Sarah Gadon, Lawrence Michael Levine’s Kaufman-esque BLACK BEAR tells the story of a filmmaker who arrives at a rural retreat and discovers that the unpredictable behavior of her hosts will be the source of her most inspired work yet. A Momentum Pictures release.

Bleed With Me

Canada | 2020 | 79 Min. | Dir. Amelia Moses

A lo-fi and subtly creepy chamber piece, Amelia Moses’ debut BLEED WITH ME follows Rowan, an insecure girl spending a wintery retreat at a remote cabin with her best friend, Emily, and Emily’s boyfriend, Brendan. When Rowan’s anxiety around being an unwanted guest starts to get to her, mounting paranoia gives way to hallucinations, making this trip into something chillingly sinister. An Epic Pictures release.

Bloody Hell

North American Premiere

Australia, USA | 2020 | 95 Min. | Dir. Alister Grierson

In this relentlessly energetic, pitch-black horror-comedy, an ex-bank robber fleeing the country after a video of him goes viral, heads to Helsinki only to find there’s something in store for him there that is much more difficult to escape.

Boys From County Hell

North American Premiere

Ireland | 2020 | 89 Min. | Dir. Chris Baugh

The tourist-pranking antics of a group of hardy Irish road workers are turned against them when they discover that they’ve accidentally awoken an undead bloodsucker sleeping beneath the town’s soil in this uproarious and freaky horror-comedy. Originally scheduled to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Breaking Surface

U.S. Premiere

Sweden, Norway, Belgium | 2020 | 81 Min. | Dir. Joachim Hedén

An emotional deep-water diving trip for two sisters turns disastrous when a landslide causes one of them to be pinned to the ocean floor in this heart-rending and fear-inducing survival thriller. A Doppelganger Releasing Film.

Climate Of The Hunter

United States | 2020 | 90 Min. | Dir. Mickey Reece

Prolific underground director Mickey Reece’s oddball humor and otherworldly retro flair are on full display in this delightful tale of two sisters whose love-hate relationship is stirred up when they reunite with a childhood friend who they suspect may or may not be a vampire. A Dark Star Pictures release.

Come True

U.S. Premiere

Canada | 2020 | 105 Min | Dir. Anthony Scott Burns

In this ambitious sci-fi gem, a troubled teenager tormented by nightmares enters into a mysterious sleep study that unlocks the truth about her surreal dreams and the dark shadowy figure within them.

Darkness

U.S. Premiere

Italy | 2019 | 98 Min. | Dir. Emanuela Rossi

Under their father’s tyranny, three siblings are forced to remain indoors, with all views of the outside world blocked off, leaving the eldest to suspect something isn’t right in this cleverly constructed look at domestic abuse under the guise of post-apocalyptic paranoia.

Detention

Taiwan | 2019 | 103 Min. | Dir. John Hsu

Set during the Tawainese martial law of the 1960s, this shockingly gruesome and terrifying coming-of-age drama based on a hugely popular video game sees two classmates who go looking for their missing friends and teachers, all of whom took part in an illegal book club, only to come face to face with ghosts and deformed monsters that have taken over their school.

Dinner In America

United States | 2020 | 106 Min. | Dir. Adam Carter Rehmeier

A punk rocker arsonist on the run (Kyle Gallner, Veronica Mars) and his number one fan embark on a series of misadventures through suburbia, finding unexpected love along the way in this absolutely electric, thoroughly anarchic, misfit stoner rom-com you didn't know you needed.

The Doorman

World Premiere

United States | 2020 | 93 Min. | Dir. Ryûhei Kitamura

As visually stylish as it is graphically violent, this punishing action-thriller from the legendary Ryûhei Kitamura (VERSUS) stars Ruby Rose (JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 2, Batwoman) as a former Marine turned doorman at a luxury New York City high-rise who must outsmart and battle a group of art thieves and their ruthless leader (Jean Reno, LÉON: THE PROFESSIONAL) — while struggling to protect her sister’s family. A Lionsgate release.

Ema

Chile | 2019 | 107 Min. | Dir. Pablo Larrain

In the latest from acclaimed Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larraín (JACKIE) adoptive parents Ema (Mariana Di Girolamo) and Gastón (Gael García Bernal) are artistic free spirits in an experimental dance troupe whose lives are thrown into chaos after their son is involved in a shockingly violent incident. A Music Box Films release.

Frank & Zed

World Premiere

United States | 93 Min. | Dir. Jesse Blanchard

Lovingly crafted entirely with hand puppets, this hilarious, blood-drenched practical marvel sees the peaceful, secluded lifestyle of two monsters threatened when a group of desperate villagers come to repay an age-old pact to a wretched demon.

Honeydew

World Premiere

United States | 2020 | 106 Min. | Dir. Devereux Milburn

A couple, Sam (Sawyer Spielberg) and Riley (Malin Barr), on a backwoods road trip find themselves descending into a hallucinatory hell when they accept auto repair help from an elderly farmer and her peculiar son in this unhinged and unforgettable directorial debut. Originally set to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Hunted

U.S. Premiere

Belgium, France, Ireland | 2020 | 96 Min. | Dir. Vincent Paronnaud

Acclaimed filmmaker/comic artist Vincent Paronnaud (director of Cannes Jury Prize and Academy Award nominee PERSEPOLIS) returns to the screen with an exhilaratingly ferocious survival horror flick that follows Eve, a woman who encounters a seemingly charming man at a bar, only to uncover that his true sociopathic nature will spark a dire, life-or-death chase through the wilderness. A Shudder Original Film.

It Cuts Deep

World Premiere

United States | 2020 | 77 Min | Dir. Nicholas Payne Santos

While on Christmas vacation, Sam’s world begins to close in around him in horrifying and hilarious ways when his girlfriend’s announcement that she wants to start a family coincides with the sudden reappearance of an old acquaintance who alludes to Sam’s violent past. A Dark Sky Films Release.

Jumbo

Belgium, France | 2020 | 93 Min. | Dir. Zoé Wittock

Noémie Merlant (PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE) gives a fearless performance as a shy amusement park worker whose life changes when a new star attraction shows up and immediately enthralls her with “his” magnificent machinery in this fantastical and heartfelt debut from writer/director Zoe Wittock. A Dark Star Pictures release.

Lapsis

United States | 2020 | 108 Min. | Dir. Noah Hutton

In order to pay for his ailing brothers’ medical bills, a seasoned scam artist takes a not-so-above-board job running a new kind of sophisticated cable through miles of wood, only to discover dire truths about this new vocation in this prescient and grounded science-fiction feature. A Film Movement release.

Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist

United States / Spain | 2020 | 105 Min. | Dir. Alexandre O. Phillippe

In perhaps his most penetrating interview ever, director Alexandre O. Phillippe (78/52) ploughs deep into the filmmaking process of director William Friedkin through the tumultuous and terrifying production of one of the most iconic horror films ever made.

Lucky

U.S. Premiere

United States | 2020 | 81 Min. | Dir. Natasha Kermani

Self-help author May Ryer finds herself the victim of increasingly violent home intruder attacks that no one, including her husband, seems all that worried about. What results is a cut-throat feminist thriller from director Natasha Kermani and screenwriter/star Brea Grant where May must face down the threat alone.. Originally set to premiere at the SXSW Film Festival. A Shudder Original Film.

May The Devil Take You Too

International Premiere

Indonesia | 2020 | 110 Min. | Dir. Timo Tjahjanto

Director Timo Tjahjanto returns for more propulsive and chaotic possession horror with this direct sequel to his hit MAY THE DEVIL TAKE YOU. This time, series-star Alfie is once again forced to wage war against hell's dark forces when a group of teenage orphans unleash the demonic spirit of their former caretaker. A Shudder Original Film.

My Heart Can’t Beat Unless You Tell It To

North American Premiere

United States | 2020 | 90 Min. | Dir. Jonathan Cuartas

Dwight (Patrick Fugit, ALMOST FAMOUS, GONE GIRL) and Jessie (Ingrid Sophie Schram) go to unimaginable, morally decrepit lengths to medicate their sick younger brother Thomas (Owen Campbell, SUPER DARK TIMES), who desperately needs blood to survive. Originally set to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. A Dark Sky Films release.

The Nest

Italy | 2019 | 103 Min. | Dir. Roberto De Feo

A young boy, suffering from paraplegia and trapped away in an isolated mansion under the rule of his domineering mother, has his life turned upside down when the arrival of the new teenage maid exposes him to his family’s darkest secrets in beautifully shot, Italian Gothic horror.

The Night

North American Premiere

United States | 2020 | 105 Min | Dir. Kourosh Ahari

Kourosh Ahari's transfixing submission to the ranks of hotel-stay-from-hell horror canon is an endlessly unnerving tale of a couple and their infant forced to confront their darkest secrets after choosing the wrong place to sleep for the night. An IFC Midnight release.

The Obituary of Tunde Johnson

United States | 2019 | 104 Min | Dir. Ali Leroi

Director Ali Leroi and screenwriter Stanley Kalu present one of the best and most radical uses of the time loop narrative device in the story of a gay black teenager forced to continuously relive May 28th, a date in which, no matter what he does differently, Tunde Johnson finds himself unarmed and shot by the police at the end of the day.

Pelican Blood

Germany, Bulgaria | 2019 | 121 Min. | Dir. Katrin Gebbe

Nina Hoss delivers a daring performance as a mother who suspects there are sinister supernatural forces at play when her newly adopted daughter turns from shy and charming to menacing and dangerous, threatening her idyllic country life in Katrin Gebbe’s (NOTHING BAD CAN HAPPEN) engrossing and cerebral horror-drama.

The Queen of Black Magic

Indonesia | 2019 | 99 Min | Kimo Stamboel

In this terrifying and gory tale of supernatural revenge from two of Indonesia’s modern masters of horror, Screenwriter Joko Anwar (SATAN'S SLAVES) and director Kimo Stamboel (HEADSHOT), a middle-class family journey to visit the terminally ill director of the orphanage where the father was raised as a child, only to encounter sinister and terrifying events as the dark history of the children’s home begins to reveal itself.

Reunion

World Premiere

United States | 2020 | 95 Min | Dir. Jake Mahaffy

A pregnant woman reconnects with her estranged mom (Julia Ormond) in this emotionally charged and quietly audacious psychological horror chiller that slowly and brutally lays bare the dark and horrific sins from a family’s shared history. A Dark Sky Films release.

The Returned

North American Premiere

Argentina | 2019 | 92 Min | Dir. Laura Casabé

In 1919 South America, a landowner’s wife, desperate to have a child after several miscarriages, decides to pray to a mythical deity to resurrect her stillborn son, unleashing something truly evil in this impactful horror allegory that gives power to the oppressed through eerie supernatural storytelling.

Rose Plays Julie

Ireland, UK | 2020 | 100 Min. | Dir. Christine Molloy, Joe Lawlor

What begins with a young woman persistently tracking down her birth mother takes a dark tonal shift as she turns her sights to her odious blood father (Aidan Gillen, Game of Thrones) in this eerie thriller. A Film Movement Release.

Survival Skills

United States | 2020 | 84 Min. | Dir. Quinn Armstrong

Presented as a lost police training video from the 1980s, an at-first comedic look to the early days on the force for a newly-minted, naive officer quickly turns into a dark, satirical critique on the way our society and law enforcement institutions fail us in this timely, clever and unexpectedly sobering examination of a broken system.

Time of Moulting

U.S. Premiere

Germany | 2020 | 80 Min | Dir. Sabrina Mertens

Spanning over ten years in 1970s Germany, this chilling debut from Sabrina Mertens follows Stephanie as she’s raised in isolation by her cold father and emotionally distraught, bedridden mother. Suffocated by the weight of her family’s lifestyle, Stephanie’s mind gradually veers towards darker thoughts and, inevitably, troubling habits and actions.

An Unquiet Grave

World Premiere

USA | 2020 | 72 Min. | Dir. Terence Krey

Unable to come to terms with the death of his wife, a man and his sister-in-law return to the scene of the car accident to perform an ill-fated ritual in this two-handed chamber horror that terrifyingly shines a light on the dangers of extreme grief: unrelenting desperation, loss of self and the evil that exists in our darkest moments of despair.

NIGHTSTREAM RETRO

Bloody Muscle Body Builder In Hell

Japan | 1995 | 63 Min. | Dir. Shinichi Fukuzawa

This 8mm Japanese splatterfest poses the question – What if THE EVIL DEAD’s Ash was a bodybuilder whose ex-girlfriend researches haunted houses and, as such, asked him to join her on a special investigation of his dead father’s supposedly ghost-ridden home? Courtesy of Wild Eye Releasing.

Deadline

Restoration World Premiere

Canada | 1980 | 90 Min. | Dir. Mario Philip Azzopardi

A decadent horror author living on the edge desperately works through writer’s block by conjuring the most shocking and gross scenarios this side of EC Comics in this jaw-dropping piece of Canuxploitation. Restoration courtesy of Vinegar Syndrome and the American Genre Film Archive.

Def By Temptation

United States | 1990 | 94 Min. | Dir. James Bond III

After becoming a target of a stunning succubus on the prowl in 1980s Brooklyn, a divinity scholar undergoing a crisis of faith must enlist the help of a drunken cop with a penchant for supernatural investigation if he’s going to stay alive. Restoration courtesy of Troma Entertainment and the American Genre Film Archive.

Shock Value: How Dan O’Bannon and Some USC Outsiders Helped Invent Modern Horror

Catch a rare glimpse into the earliest ideas from John Carpenter, Dan O'Bannon, and their peers before they changed genre forever in this one-of-a-kind, feature-length compilation of five historic student shorts from the late 60s/early 70s curated by USC archivist Dino Everett and author Jason Zinoman (Shock Value), with a conversation to follow, moderated by KJ Reith (UCLA FIlm & TV Archive).

PANELS, PODCASTS, AND CONVERSATIONS

credit: Erik Tanner

Virtual Fireside with Nia DaCosta

Since her exceptional 2018 debut feature LITTLE WOODS, Nia DaCosta has quickly risen to be one of the top directorial voices in Hollywood, gaining the attention of Jordan Peele, Marvel, and many more to helm exciting new projects in the genre space. Moderated by journalist Hunter Harris (New York Magazine), we’ll take a deep dive into the state of the industry as well as hear about her highly anticipated film CANDYMAN.

20th Anniversary Celebration of AMERICAN PSYCHO with Mary Harron

Celebrate the 20th Anniversary of AMERICAN PSYCHO with a candid, in-depth conversation with filmmaker Mary Harron as she revisits every facet of this modern cult-classic. Moderated by Katie Rife (The A.V. Club).

Adventures in the Screen Trade with Scott Beck & Bryan Woods

A conversation with screenwriters/directors Scott Beck & Bryan Woods (collectively known as Beck/Woods) about their adventures in the Hollywood screen trade, from their early hard knocks culminating in their megahit screenplay A QUIET PLACE. Moderated by journalist Joshua Rothkopf.