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Review: Women in Horror Film Festival

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Filmmakers from around the globe converged on Peachtree City, Georgia this weekend to celebrate the second annual Women in Horror Film Festival.

After an opening night VIP party and their official “Dead Carpet” ceremonies, screenwriters, directors, and fans filled the auditorium at the Crowne Plaza hotel to settle into the first day’s festivities.

Co-founders Samantha Kolesnik and Vanessa Ionta Wright put together a fantastic roster of unforgettable films and panels designed to entertain, terrify, and in many cases, provide fodder for deeper discussions about gender, race, sexuality, and so much more.

In fact, one of the crowning achievements of the Women in Horror Film Festival was that discussion often spilled out of the theater and into the hallways, and it was fascinating to watch filmmakers become fans of other filmmakers and  the seeds of future partnerships and collaborations planted.

It would be impossible to review every single film and its effect, but certain moments stand out in my memory…

Young Farrah Martin, not yet a teenager, representing the film Blood Runs Down, with an effervescent grace and a wide-eyed untainted joy that people loved her work in the haunting film.

A room full of people laughed until tears ran down their faces at Brendan Pollecutt’s revenge-horror-comedy, Keloid, when his leading lady Libby (Taylor Cathcart) decided to take back everything she’d given her ex-fiance.

The laughter continued as Sarah K. Reimers showed us what could happen if a dog was bitten by a werewolf and the effects of that transformation.

That hysterical laughter turned to utterances of “hell yeah” and “damn right” as Laura Vail’s character, Jo, in What Metal Girls are Into tells a man “You are not entitled to our attention.”

An entire audience sat enraptured at the almost painful beauty of an entire block of science fictions films, a new addition at WIHFF this year, that challenged notions of what it meant to be a woman or man, what it means to fight even when you no longer feel you can, and how we must evolve and change in order to survive as a species.

A panel on diversity and visiblity spoke about the inherent need for equal representation in filmmaking to a crowded room where no eyes were rolled and no dismissive attitudes pervaded.

But even more palpable as the weekend grew was the feeling of belonging and acceptance that each and every participant felt. It was a privilege to feel completely safe to be one’s self in this carefully cultivated environment where women, people of color, LGBTQ folks, and straight male allies could share their stories with each other and find common ground.

It’s a feeling that can be sorely lacking at many festivals and conventions, and I hope that they’re paying attention to what Sam, Vanessa, and the entire crew at the Women in Horror Film Festival are doing..

Submissions are already open on FilmFreeway for next year’s Women in Horror Film Festival and I cannot encourage female genre filmmakers enough to enter their work so that you too can experience everything that this one of a kind festival has to offer.

The Winners of this year’s Lizzie Awards at the Women in Horror Film Festival

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Watch ‘The Burning’ At The Location Where It Was Filmed

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Fangoria is reporting that fans of the 1981 slasher The Burning will be able to have a screening of the film at the location where it was filmed. The movie is set at Camp Blackfoot which is actually the Stonehaven Nature Preserve in Ransomville, New York.

This ticketed event will take place on August 3. Guests will be able to take a tour of the grounds as well as enjoy some campfire snacks along with the screening of The Burning.

The Burning

The film came out in the early ’80s when teen slashers were being churned out in magnum force. Thanks to Sean S. Cunningham’s Friday the 13th, filmmakers wanted to get in on the low-budget, high-profit movie market and a casket load of these types of films were produced, some better than others.

The Burning is one of the good ones, mostly because of the special effects from Tom Savini who had just come off of his groundbreaking work on Dawn of the Dead and Friday the 13th. He declined to do the sequel because of its illogical premise and instead signed on to do this movie. Also, a young Jason Alexander who would later go on to play George in Seinfeld is a featured player.

Because of its practical gore, The Burning had to be heavily edited before it received an R-rating. The MPAA was under the thumb of protest groups and political bigwigs to censor violent films at the time because slashers were just so graphic and detailed in their gore.

Tickets are $50, and if you want a special t-shirt, that will cost you another $25, You can get all the information by visiting the On Set Cinema webpage.

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‘Longlegs’ Creepy “Part 2” Teaser Appears on Instagram

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Longlegs

Neon Films released an Insta-teaser for their horror film Longlegs today. Titled Dirty: Part 2, the clip only furthers the mystery of what we are in for when this movie is finally released on July 12.

The official logline is: FBI Agent Lee Harker is assigned to an unsolved serial killer case that takes unexpected turns, revealing evidence of the occult. Harker discovers a personal connection to the killer and must stop him before he strikes again.

Directed by former actor Oz Perkins who also gave us The Blackcoat’s Daughter and Gretel & Hansel, Longlegs is already creating buzz with its moody images and cryptic hints. The film is rated R for bloody violence, and disturbing images.

Longlegs stars Nicolas Cage, Maika Monroe, and Alicia Witt.

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Exclusive Sneak Peek: Eli Roth and Crypt TV’s VR Series ‘The Faceless Lady’ Episode Five

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Eli Roth (Cabin Fever) and Crypt TV are knocking it out of the park with their new VR show, The Faceless Lady. For those unaware, this is the first fully scripted VR horror show on the market.

Even for masters of horror like Eli Roth and Crypt TV, this is a monumental undertaking. However, if I trust anyone to change the way that we experience horror, it would be these two legends.

The Faceless Lady

Ripped from the pages of Irish folklore, The Faceless Lady tells the story of a tragic spirit cursed to wander the halls of her castle for all of eternity. However, when three young couples are invited to the castle for a series of games, their fates may soon change.

So far, the story has provided horror fans with a gripping game of life or death that doesn’t look as if it will slow down in episode five. Luckily, we have an exclusive clip that may be able to satiate your appetites until the new premiere.

Airing on 4/25 at 5pmPT/8pmET, episode five follows our final three contestants in this wicked game. As the stakes are raised ever higher, will Ella be able to fully awaken her connection with Lady Margaret?

The faceless lady

The newest episode can be found on Meta Quest TV. If you haven’t already, follow this link to subscribe to the series. Make sure to check out the new clip below.

Eli Roth Present’s THE FACELESS LADY S1E5 Clip: THE DUEL – YouTube

To view in the highest resolution, adjust the quality settings in the bottom right corner of the clip.

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