For the very first time, Elements of Madness will be remotely covering the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival. In the run-up to the event, we wanted to highlight 10 films screening during the festival that we’re either most excited to see *or* can’t wait for others to see.
The Brooklyn Horror Film Festival runs from Thursday, October 13th, through Thursday, October 20th, in Brooklyn, New York at Nitehawk Cinema – Williamsburg and Williamsburg Cinemas.
For more information on their full program, head to the official 2022 schedule.
Give Me An A
Why EoM Recommends It:
Having seen this via Fantastic Fest 2022, EoM founder Douglas Davidson can unequivocally say that audiences will feel all the rage, all the sorrow, all the grief, and all the fight that project creator Natasha Halevi and her project partners have within them. The 15 shorts that make up Give Me An A jump from comedy to horror to sci-fi to drama with little warning, so prepare for a bit of whiplash, but don’t miss it.
Official Synopsis:
A feature ANTHOLOGY of 15 short films REACTING to THE OVERTURNING of ROE V WADE. This is a STATEMENT, a SCREAM and an OUTLET – our films explore the undeniable pain we’re experiencing as our reproductive rights are taken across the country. HELP US FIGHT FOR OUR RIGHTS!
Screening Sunday, October 16th, 2022.
Huesera
Why EoM Recommends It:
Each time Huesera hits a festival, there’s nothing but positive talk that follows. After a while, all that does is raise one’s curiosity. Distributed by XYZ Films, a studio/distributor with an eye for creative talent and folks who know their international horror, Huesera is bound to live up to the hype.
Official Synopsis:
Valeria’s joy at becoming pregnant with her first child is quickly taken away when she’s cursed by a sinister spirit. As danger closes in and relationships with her family become fractured, she’s forced deeper into a chilling world of dark magic that threatens to consume her. A group of witches emerge that could be her only hope for safety and salvation, but not without grave risk.
Screening Friday, October 14th, 2022.
Jethica
Why EoM Recommends It:
EoM senior critic Hunter Heilman checked out Jethica when it screened during SXSW 2022. His reaction alone is reason enough to place the film on a “must-see” list.
For a film about dealing with stalkers and ghosts from a double-wide trailer, there’s a gentleness that comes with this, and it deals out far more sympathy to the ‘villains’ than a film of a more cynical variety would do. That’s an admirable sense of forgiveness that this film holds close to its heart, one that doesn’t excuse or minimize the hurt done by these characters to each other, but rather makes peace with the traumas they are left to deal with as a result. We stand to learn something from Jethica, maybe not in an objective ‘This is how you should handle this type of situation’ manner, but more in how to approach forgiveness and grief in a time where it’s much easier to stay angry forever. I like that, and could stand to listen to its words myself.
Official Synopsis:
Jessica lives in fear of a man named Kevin who follows her everywhere she goes. While on a road trip, she reconnects with Elena, an old friend she hasn’t seen since high school. Elena has been hiding out at her deceased grandmother’s ranch in New Mexico.
When Kevin mysteriously appears at the ranch, Jessica and Elena seek help from beyond the grave to get rid of him for good. But Kevin is different from other stalkers and won’t move on so easily.
Screening Friday, October 14th, 2022.
Mother, May I?
Why EoM Recommends It:
2020’s Porno proved to be a perfect addition to the midnight movie rotation: weird, a little gratuitous, and plenty of blood. Now the co-writer and executive producer of Porno, Laurence Vannicelli, is stepping back into the director’s seat for Mother, May I?, a psychological thriller that seeks to take the phrase “mommy issues” to new heights. Add actor Kyle Gallner into the mix and you’ve got yourself the potential of something unique and, likely, quite disturbing.
Festival-Provided Synopsis:
Emmett (Kyle Gallner, JENNIFER’S BODY, DINNER IN AMERICA) enters into a nightmarish game of therapy with his wife Anya (Holland Roden, Teen Wolf, Channel Zero) who has inexplicably taken on the persona of his estranged and recently-deceased mother. Bizarre and creepy in equal doses, this psychological thriller from director Laurence Vannicelli (co-writer/EP of 2019’s PORNO) will keep you guessing if this is truly possession or just a twisted battle of wills? —Joseph Hernandez
Screening Wednesday, October 19th, 2022.
Next Exit
Why EoM Recommends It:
EoM founder Douglas Davidson had the great fortune to check out Mali Elfman’s debut feature-length debut film, Next Exit, when it premiered at Tribeca, and it rules. Not only does it offer a heady concept that walks the line between genres very well, it offers an a hauntingly beautiful performance from scene partners and film leads Katie Parker and Rahul Kohli. Don’t miss this road trip sci-fi dramedy.
Official Synopsis:
When a research scientist makes national news proving she can track people into the afterlife, Rose sees a way out and Teddy sees his chance to finally make it. These two strangers, both harboring dark secrets, race to join the doctor’s contentious study and leave this life behind. While Rose is haunted by a ghostly presence that she can’t outrun, Teddy is forced to confront his past. As these two misfits humorously quarrel their way across the country, they meet people along the way who force them to reckon with what is really driving them.
Screening Tuesday, October 18th, 2022.
Nocebo
Why EoM Recommends It:
XYZ Films is a distributor/studio with its finger on some of the most original films released in the last few years: Mandy (2018), The Execution (2021), The Last Thing Mary Saw (2021), Iké Boys (2021), Gatlopp: Hell of a Game (2022), Dual (2022), and Hypochondriac (2022), to name a few. Add in a cast that includes Eva Green and Mark Strong, doesn’t matter what the premise is, EoM founder Douglas Davidson is there. Ahead of its premiere at BHFF, Nocebo has been picked up by RLJE Films and Shudder with a theatrical release of November 4th and VOD/digital release of November 22nd.
Official Synopsis:
Successful fashion designer Christine (Eva Green, Penny Dreadful) is plagued by a baffling ailment that causes a myriad of issues including paralyzing muscle spasms, memory loss and terrible hallucinations. Much to her surprise, a mysterious Filipino caretaker named Diana arrives on her doorstep claiming Christine hired her to help with the house. When Diana begins to use traditional folk remedies to heal Christine, she causes a rift between her and her husband Felix (Mark Strong, 1917, THE KINGSMAN franchise) and slowly unravels the disturbing truth behind Christine’s illness. Brooklyn Horror is proud to welcome back Lorcan Finnegan to the fest, director of eco-horror WITHOUT NAME (BHFF 2016 Best Feature winner) and psychological thriller VIVARIUM. Based on the Nocebo Effect—the idea that negative thinking will lead to negative results—NOCEBO is a mind-bending folk horror stunner with haunting real-world implications. —Joseph Hernandez
Screening Thursday, October 13th, 2022.
Run Sweetheart Run
Why EoM Recommends It:
At first, director Shana Feste’s Run Sweetheart Run seems like any other hunter/slasher film that pits a final girl-type against a male aggressor. But the trailer, released by Prime Video on October 6th, suggests that there’s more going on under the hood than one might believe. It’s not just that Pilou Asbæk’s Ethan seems to move faster than any normal human and that the trials Ella Balinska’s Cherie goes through suggest a certain ferocity, it’s that it breaks the fourth wall in a way that terrifies. Depending on how much that’s used in the film, there’s a chance that it’ll speak to the audience’s complicity as they do nothing to jump in. If that’s the case, Run Sweetheart Run could be something special this horror season.
Official Synopsis:
Initially apprehensive when her boss insists she meet with one of his most important clients, single mom Cherie (Ella Balinska) is relieved and excited when she meets charismatic Ethan (Pilou Asbæk). The influential businessman defies expectations and sweeps Cherie off her feet. But at the end of the night, when the two are alone together, he reveals his true, violent nature. Battered and terrified, she flees for her life, beginning a relentless game of cat-and-mouse with a bloodthirsty assailant hell-bent on her utter destruction. In this edge-of-your-seat dark thriller, Cherie finds herself in the crosshairs of a conspiracy stranger and more evil than she could have ever imagined.
Screening Sunday, October 16th, 2022.
Slash/Back
Why EoM Recommends It:
EoM contributor Lindsey Dunn checked out Slash/Back when it premiered during SXSW 2021, even speaking with director Nyla Innuksuk and members of the cast. She describes the film as a, “…humorous horror which shows its heroes kicking ass and having a blast.” That’s sounds like reason enough to check it out.
Official Synopsis:
The sleepy village of Pangnirtung wakes up to a typical summer day. No School, no cool boys (well… except one), and 24-hour sunlight. But for Maika and her ragtag friends, the usual summer is suddenly not in the cards when they discover an alien invasion threatening their hometown. These teenagers have been underestimated their whole lives but, using makeshift weapons and their horror movie knowledge, they show the aliens you don’t f*** with the girls from Pang.
Screening Friday, October 14th, 2022.
Something in the Dirt
Why EoM Recommends It:
EoM founder Douglas Davidson was lucky enough to see co-creator Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead’s Something in the Dirt when it premiered during Sundance 2022 and has been raving about it ever since. Up until RRR, Dirt held the top spot for his favorite film of 2022 and he suspects it will resonate with others in a similar manner. This product is nothing else like what they’ve done before and it shows off why audiences never know what Benson and Moorhead are going to hit audiences with until they drop it on us. Don’t miss this one.
Official Synopsis:
When neighbors John and Levi witness supernatural events in their Los Angeles apartment building, they realize documenting the paranormal could inject some fame and fortune into their wasted lives. An ever-deeper, darker rabbit hole, their friendship frays as they uncover the dangers of the phenomena, the city and each other.
Screening Saturday, October 15th, 2022.
The Weird Kidz
Why EoM Recommends It:
Just because something is animated doesn’t mean it can’t push boundaries. Look toward 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse for how the medium can absolutely blow the doors off an audience with the spectacle of imagination while also keeping things grounded within the narrative’s world. Same can be said for 2022’s Unicorn Wars, a hypnotic and beautiful yet profoundly grotesque anti-war story which takes full advantage of the freedom animation provides in order to delve into the depths of our souls. Described as a “labor of love,” director Zach Passero’s The Weird Kidz sounds like the kind of adventure that’ll thrill and chill via a method that only animation can provide.
Official Synopsis:
Zach Passero’s animated feature film debut is a labor of love, eight years in the making. Written and single-handedly animated by Passero, The Weird Kidz is a horror-inflected creature feature and an ode to ’80s coming-of-age films and favorite late night cinema tales. When three pre-teen boys and an older brother and his girlfriend take off for a weekend campout, none of them could imagine the horrors (and laughs) awaiting them in a remote desert inhabited by a legendary night creature and crazed townfolk. Puberty and adventure await…along with terror, amputations and midnight cult rituals!
Screening Friday, October 14th, 2022.
About the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival:
Bringing the best of domestic and international genre cinema to New York City since 2016, the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival is a premier East Coast genre festival that embodies the eclectic spirit of its namesake.
Brooklyn Horror not only provides the nightmare fuel that audiences expect but also prides itself on challenging those expectations, spotlighting films that push the boundaries of what is normally deemed horror.
Taking place in venues throughout the borough every October, BHFF compliments its ambitious features and shorts programming with exciting and unique live events, crafting a must-attend festival experience for industry members and film fans alike.
Running from October 13-20, 2022 with screenings at Nitehawk Cinema Williamsburg and Williamsburg Cinemas.
Share this:
Categories: Coming Soon, Films To Watch, Recommendation
Leave a Reply