Celluloid Screams, the Sheffield horror film festival, is back for another year. Taking place at the Showroom Cinema over the weekend of 24-26th October, it’s safe to say that the line-up for Celluloid Screams 2014 is the strongest yet. Here’s just a few of the highlights:
Opening Gala – The Editor with Q&A
Rey Ciso was once the greatest editor the world had ever seen, but after a horrific accident left him with four wooden fingers on his right hand, he’s had to resort to cutting low budget trash pictures. When the lead actors from the film he’s been editing turn up murdered at the studio, Rey is fingered as the number one suspect. As the bodies continue to pile up, Rey struggles to prove his innocence and learn the sinister truth lurking behind the scenes.
Housebound
Kylie Bucknell is forced to return to the house she grew up in when the court places her on home detention. Her punishment is made all the more unbearable by the fact she has to live there with her mother Miriam – a well-intentioned blabbermouth who’s convinced that the house is haunted. Kylie dismisses Miriam’s superstitions as nothing more than a distraction from a life occupied by boiled vegetables & small-town gossip. However, when she too becomes privy to unsettling whispers & strange bumps in the night, she begins to wonder whether she’s inherited her overactive imagination, or if the house is in fact possessed by a hostile spirit who’s less than happy about the new living arrangement.
Creep
Looking for work, videographer Aaron (played by director Patrick Brice) comes across a cryptic online ad: $1,000 for the day. Filming service. Discretion is appreciated. Low on cash and full of naiveté he drives to a cabin in a remote mountain town where he meets Josef (Mark Duplass), his cinematic subject for the day. Josef is sincere and the project seems heartfelt, so Aaron begins to film. But as the day goes on, events take a disturbing turn and it becomes clear that Josef may not be who he claims to be.
Chocolate Strawberry Vanilla
In this brilliantly unique psycho thriller, awkward ice cream van driver Warren Thompson’s only respite from his drab existence comes in the form of gorgeous soap star Katie George. Besotted with the young actress, Warren can’t help but imagine what life would be like with Katie at his side. After suffering another in a long line of savage beatings from local thugs, Warren’s fragile psyche cracks under the strain, and his infatuation with Katie turns into psychotic obsession. As the lines between reality and fiction blur, Warren’s quest to make Katie his will have catastrophic implications for all who populate his simple world.
Starry Eyes
Determined to make it as an actress in Hollywood, Sarah Walker spends her days working a dead-end job, enduring petty friendships and going on countless casting calls in hopes of catching her big break.
After a series of strange auditions, Sarah lands the leading role in a new film from a mysterious production company. But with this opportunity comes bizarre ramifications that will transform her both mentally and physically into something beautiful… and all together terrifying.
From the producer of Cheap Thrills and Jodorowsky’s Dune, Dennis Widmyer & Kevin Kolsch’s Starry Eyes is an occult tale of ambition, possession, and the true cost of fame.
What We Do In the Shadows
Flatmates Viago, Deacon, and Vladislav are three vampires who are just trying to get by in modern society; from paying rent and sticking to the housework roster to trying to get invited in to nightclubs, they’re just like anyone else – except they’re immortal and must feast on human blood.
When their 8000 year-old flatmate Petyr, turns 20-something human hipster Nick, into a vampire, the guys must teach him the ropes and guide him through his new found eternal life. And in return they are forced to learn a thing or two about modern society, fashions, technology, and the internet. But it’s the introduction of Nick’s human friend, Stu, that really changes the vampire’s lives and attitudes towards the ever-changing world around them.
When Stu’s life is threatened, the vamps show us that maybe humans are worth fighting for, and that even though your heart may be cold and dead, it doesn’t mean you can’t feel anything.
Suburban Gothic
Raymond has a prestigious MBA, but he can’t find work. Whilst he can channel the paranormal, but chatting with a cute girl mystifies him. Kicked out of his big city apartment, Raymond (Matthew Gray Gubler) returns home to his overbearing mother, ex-jock father, and beer-bellied classmates. But when a vengeful ghost terrorizes the small town, he recruits Becca (Kat Dennings), a badass local bartender, to solve the mystery of the spirit threatening everyone’s lives.
The ABCs of Death 2
ABC’s OF DEATH 2 is the follow-up to the most ambitious anthology film ever conceived with productions spanning from Nigeria to UK to Brazil and everywhere in between. It features segments directed by over two dozen of the world’s leading talents in contemporary genre film. The film is comprised of twenty-six individual chapters, each helmed by a different director assigned a letter of the alphabet. The directors were then given free rein in choosing a word to create a story involving death.
If you’ve never been to the festival before then you’re in for a treat. You can relax and soak up the friendly welcoming atmosphere, and if you’re brave enough experience the Sci-fi Shocks Allnighter featuring Bride of Re-Animator, Maximum Overdrive, Night of the Creeps and Killer Clown From Outer Space.
Visit the website for further info. Passes and tickets for the allnighter are available to book now from the Showroom. Individual tickets will go on sale later in the month.
