2024 DARK NIGHTS FILM FESTIVAL: PREVIEW

Sydney’s new ritualistic celebration of independent horror and dark genre cinema, Dark Nights Film Fest, has offered up a challenging inaugural program that is certain to rattle all but the most hardened of horror fans when it explodes upon the Randwick Ritz screens from October 11th-13th.

“Themes of ‘family’ – the bonds that tie us together and can be torn apart – are present in many of the films in our first program, yet it has tickled our dark fancy that much of Volume One is made up of classic monsters,” explains festival director, Bryn Tilly, “We’ve got zombies, vampires, ghosts, demons, psychos, each representation with its own twist, its own bite, its own terrifying cackle.”

Nine features and eighteen short films, including five World Premieres, three International Premieres, and nine Australian Premieres, from all across Europe, the Americas, and Australia's own vibrant horror filmmaking culture, will be screened at in what is the an impressive first-up roster from the fledgling event.

Opening the festival will be Isaac Ezban's PÁRVULOS, an epic tale of three young Mexican brothers caught up in the wilderness during the zombie apocalypse. Vampirism is portrayed with a hard-edged elegance in Kasper Juhl’s Danish shocker, BLOODSUCKER – think PUSHER meets THE ADDICTION, with lots of blood; Elric Kane’s first narrative feature, THE DEAD THING, from the US, is a darkly sensual, haunting parable on the perils of modern dating with a mesmerising performance from Blu Hunt; and, Turkey delivers the savage tour-de-force that is SAYARA, the latest from BASKIN director Can Evrenol.

 

Ludwig Gür’s debut feature, GUDSTJÄNST, is a gripping and disturbing Swedish crime thriller, where a troubled and desperate priest falls foul of unholy and devastating influences; the nightmarish and Fulci-esque 1978, from Argentinean brothers Luciano & Nicolás Onetti, sees Hell on Earth erupt in a remote detention centre; and the insidious shadows of history rear their heads in SOLVENT, from Austrian Johannes Gerzfurthner, a faux-doco tapping deep into existential paranoia and body-horror.

Closing Night features the festival’s awards presentation followed by WITHIN THE PINES, a taut, nail-biting thriller from South Australian Paul Evans Thomas, that does for forests what JAWS did for the ocean.

 

Capping off the killer program is a special presentation of two landmark New Zealand films; the 35th anniversary of Alison Maclean’s brilliant, monochromatic nightmare short KITCHEN SINK, followed by the 40th anniversary of David Blyth’s insane, splatterpunk feature DEATH WARMED UP in all its uncut, deep trash glory. 

Collectors will dig the Dark Nights Movie Boutique, a collection of retail booths that will be set up on the Ritz mezzanine on Saturday and Sunday, with stallholders spruiking their high art and deep trash cinema merchandise for the cashed-up curious, with Blu-rays, DVDs, books, magazines, posters, and much more for sale.

 

TICKETS and SESSION DETAILS can be found at the RANDWICK RITZ Official Website.

AUSSIE ZOMBIE KANGAROO FILM ‘THE RED’ IN CINEMAS OCTOBER 31

Radioactive Pictures is excited to announce the theatrical release of THE RED, an outrageous comedy horror set in the Australian outback, starring what promises to be Australia’s next iconic personality: Rippy—the giant Zombie Kangaroo. Rippy is your average bloke by day, and a terrifying Zombie Kangaroo by night.

In ‘The Red’, this unforgettable character is hell bent on terrorising the remote town of Axehead, and is set to become a beloved fixture in the international comedy/horror genre. Alongside Rippy, the film features an all-star Aussie cast, including Terminator and Alien legend Michael Biehn, Australian acting royalty Angie Milliken, Mystery Road’s Aaron Pedersen, and rising star Tess Haubrich.

THE RED follows the story of young police officer Maddy (Tess Haubrich; pictured, right), who is determined to live up to her deceased father's legacy. Her courage is put to the test when locals are found brutally ripped to shreds by the zombie kangaroo. As the undead beast leaves a trail of carnage, Maddy, with the help of her eccentric uncle Schmitty (Michael Biehn) and resilient aunt Donna (Angie Milliken), must embark on a high-stakes battle to save the town.

Producer Jessica Butland promises, "A wild ride from start to finish, delivering everything creature feature fans would expect from such an outrageous concept! It also delivers for mainstream audiences with its throw back to classic Aussie slang and pop-culture.”

Director Ryan Coonan says, “THE RED is a horror comedy film influenced by classic creature features such as THE THING, AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON, JAWS and RAZORBACK."

THE RED is distributed in Australia and New Zealand by Radioactive and will be in cinemas across Australia and New Zealand this Halloween.

UMBRELLA AND SHUDDER PARTNER ON SLASHER ‘IN A VIOLENT NATURE’ FOR ANZ RELEASE

Leading Oz indie distributor Umbrella Entertainment has partnered with premium streaming service, Shudder, to release writer/director Chris Nash’s slasher hit In a Violent Nature in cinemas in Australian and New Zealand on August 1, 2024.

It is the latest co-branded release between Umbrella and Shudder following their collaboration on past genre titles You’ll Never Find Me, The Demon Disorder and Late Night With the Devil.

Following its premiere in the Sundance Film Festival ‘Midnight’ strand on January 22, In a Violent Nature released theatrically on 1,426 screens in the US and grossed $3 million USD in its first week. Nash’s chilling, gruesome feature debut has been praised as a one-of-a-kind horror experience best enjoyed on the big screen. The New York Times called the film, “an ambitious blend of art house and slaughterhouse.”; Globe and Mail labelled it, “the most thrilling, terrifying, gross and often quite funny reworking of the slasher genre in ages.”

The film follows a resurrected killer, played by the imposing Ry Barrett, who goes on a rampage in the Canadian wilderness, with the slayings presented via the murderer’s perspective. It currently boasts a very positive 84% fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes with audience members reporting scenes so gory and gruesome, that they started to feel unwell in the audience.

Ari Harrison, General Manager of Umbrella Entertainment said: “After the success of the theatrical release in the US, we jumped on a call with Shudder to see what we can do to get this film in ANZ Cinemas. We are very happy to be working with Shudder and bringing it to cinemas on August 1. Horror fans, you do not want to miss the “Yoga Scene” on the BIG screen!”

Emily Gotto, Senior Vice President of Acquisitions and Production for Shudder said: “We are delighted to have Umbrella on as our theatrical partners in ANZ to bring In A Violent Nature to the big screen in the territory. They are passionate supporters of the genre and great partners to IFC Films and Shudder.”

DARK NIGHTS FILM FEST ANNOUNCES INAUGURAL JURY MEMBERS

Australia’s new horror and dark genre film event, Dark Nights Film Fest has revealed the esteemed jurors onboard for its first three-day event, to be held at the iconic Randwick Ritz cinema from October 11-13.

The festival is calling for submissions from emerging and established Australian and international filmmakers and screenwriters to help the organisers celebrate the best new independent visions from the more tenebrous corners of cinema.

Feature film judges include rising Latino filmmaker Gigi Saul Guerrero, whose short El Gigante led to a first-look deal with Hollywood horror studio Blumhouse; Australian director Andrew Traucki (pictured, right), whose creature features Black Water and The Reef have garnered critical and commercial success globally; and, prolific U.S. producer and documentarian Sylvia Caminer, whose debut narrative feature Follow Her won Best Film honours at the prestigious Fantasporto festival in 2022.

Short film judges are Natalie Richards, the founder and director of Australian youth horror festival Bloodfest; horror expert and genre academic Dr. Tara Lomax; and movie freak-geek, cinephile and podcaster, Adam Lovett.

Tackling the unproduced screenplays are script guru Anthony Egan, whose work includes such genre pics as Needle, Crush, Wanted, The Devil’s Work, Mortal Fools, and Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley’s Island of Dr. Moreau;, author and commentator Emma Westwood, co-host on Triple R's weekly Plato's Cave radio show and author of books that examine David Cronenberg's The Fly, John Frankenheimer's Seconds and James Whale’s Bride of Frankenstein; and, Dr. Adam Daniel, a filmmaker and Associate Lecturer in Communication at Western Sydney University.

The winning feature film and short film screenwriters in the unproduced screenplay competition will be given the opportunity to be mentored by Robbie Miles, an internationally experienced producer and development executive, and an AFTRS alumnus. 

“We want audiences to immerse themselves in an atmosphere that redefines and pushes boundaries and leads them into new, unknown or lesser-known territory. Not just visceral horror, but psychological thrills, dark fantasy, cosmic dread, neo-noir, other kinds of dark genre vibes,” states Dark Nights’ festival director Bryn Tilly (pictured, left).

THE WELL

Stars Lauren LaVera, Claudia Gerini, Linda Zampaglione, Yassine Fadel, Gianluigi Galvani, Melanie Gaydos, Jonathan Dylan King and Courage Osabohine.
Writers: Federico Zampaglione and Stefano Masi.
Director: Federico Zampaglione

Official Selection - FANTASPORTO 2024; FRIGHTFEST GLASGOW; SITGES; TRIESTE SCIENCE+FICTION FILM FESTIVAL.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ½

 The structure is lean but the frights are plentiful in The Well, a gruesome, gleeful throwback to the Italian film sector’s heyday as the prime purveyor of Europe’s grisliest B-pics.

Unburdened by real-world logic but positively oozing imagery straight out of the most vivid nightmares, director Federico Zampaglione’s latest is certainly a polished production. That said, The Well would not have been out of place during the VHS boom, when producers kept dialogue to a monosyllabic minimum and revved up the splatter effects to appease gorehounds (and sales agents) in the vast foreign markets.

With co-writer Stefano Masi, the always reliable Zampaglione (Shadow, 2009; Morrison, 2021) wastes no time setting up the premise. In a slick first act, we meet our heroine, Lisa (blossoming scream queen, Lauren LaVera; pictured, above), an art restoration expert bound for an Italian castle; camping backpackers Tony (Gianluigi Galvani), Madison (Courage Osabohine) and Tracy (Taylor Zaudtke), each destined for various moments of unpleasantness; and, a two-tiered narrative that balances the unfolding mystery of a cursed artwork with the bloody resurrection of an horrific demon and his minions.

Overseeing the restoration and with one foot in the supernatural otherworld is the icy blonde castle keeper Emma, played with scenery-chewing flair by the terrific Claudia Gerini, reteaming with Zampaglione after starring roles in A Dream House Nightmare (2007) and Tulpa: Demon of Desire (2012). As Emma’s teenage daughter Giulia, a mysterious presence who befriends Lisa and clues her into the details of what’s going on in the building’s depths, is the compelling Linda Zampaglione - daughter of the director and Gerini.

As Lisa polishes off hardened layers on the (frankly, hideous) painting, the monstrous images beneath have fresh life breathed into them; soon, Lisa is tormented by visions from the canvas as she sleeps. Most visually arresting amongst them is ‘Dorka’, played by model/actress Melanie Gaydos (pictured, above), whose uniquely beautiful features are a result of a genetic condition called ectodermal dysplasia. 

Equally striking, although infinitely more repellent, is Lorenzo Renzi as a drooling, grunting sadistic cell guard, grease-painted in clown makeup (echoing ‘Canio’, the murderous clown from the opera Pagliacci), who butchers his prisoners in imaginatively disgusting ways to appease the grotesque creature in the well (Stefano Martinelli).

The Well isn’t deep, but committed turns from all involved both behind and in front of the camera ensures it effectively conjures the psychological dread and harrowing horrors for which the best Italian shockers are renowned.