IFI Horrorthon 2014

Liam McPoyle

Taken from the Horrorthon Facebook page.

IFI HORRORTHON FILM FESTIVAL 2014 (October 23rd - 27th)
Hi all ! Well, it's that time again, so here is a little taste of what is in store for next month's festival.

As the Horrorthon team finalises this year's programme we are delighted to announce that our guests include cult horror Writer / Director Frank Henenlotter, as well as Scream Queen Actress / Writer / Director Jessica Cameron. We will be screening three of Frank Henenlotter's classics "Basket Case, Brain Damage & Frankenhooker" along with his new documentary "That's Sexploitation". Jessica Cameron's Directorial debut is the multi award winning controversial festival hit "Truth or Dare". This one is not for the faint of heart. Ms. Cameron has even promised to bring along some "Sick Bags" to hand out to audience members.

Also, this year the team felt that the festival needed some exciting new additions to the event, so we've introduced a new category where we will honour a horror icon each year, and we kick off by honouring the late great Vincent Price. We will be showing three of his classic movies, "The Abominable Dr. Phibes, The Fall of the House of Usher, as well as a glorious 35mm print of Theatre of Blood". Another new addition will be horror story readings from the work of Ireland's greatest horror writers which is in association with The Bram Stoker Festival. Plus a screening of the silent movie "Hexen : Witchcraft Through the Ages" with a live music accompaniment.

We are also delighted to announce our fantastic opening and closing films. Opening night October 23rd we start with this year's most anticipated critically acclaimed horror hit "The Babadook", and we close this year with the brilliant crowd pleaser "What We Do in the Shadows".
We will be bringing you the full programme next week once everything is all finalised. We hope this wets your blood thirsty appetite for now !!!

The Babadook looks like a by the numbers horror a la Insidious, The Conjuring or any number of recent releases.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yADoJjCtmOE

Truth or Dare has piqued my interest, it looks to be a rip off of the Japanese shockers Red Room 1 & 2 but if its as fun and nasty as those then I wont complain.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cAecJPfOiE

Nice to see someone like Henenlotter as guest, he is a true horror icon unlike alot of the more recent guests.

The classic screenings are looking good too.

All in all its a very promising line up to start with so hopefully it will fill up nicely when the full line up is released.

Banjaxed82

Business Cat wrote: »

The Babadook looks like a by the numbers horror a la Insidious, The Conjuring or any number of recent releases.

I have to agree. It just looks like another creepy house/demon horror film. I've come across a lot of people who can't wait to see this. I don't see what the big swinging mick is

Liam McPoyle

Movies of that nature are flavour of the month.

In the mid-late 90s it was self referential slashers like Scream and Urban Legend.

In the early 00's it was J-horror and J-horror remakes.

Into the mid/late 00's it was gore movies like the Saw or Hostel franchises, possession & exorcism movies also peaked around then too.

Now its ghostly happenings.

Another year or 2 and something else will come along and people will lap it up and it will be followed by a slew of imitators.

Horror is pretty much the only genre that this phenomenon applies to.

I just keep my head down and ignore them tbh, its easier that way!

weiland79

This looks like a nice date night for my wife. She laps up every horror film she can, and will really watch any old ****e so long as It's scary and or gory.

jaykhunter

Absolutely can't wait for this! My brother's been asking me when new information is out on it. Hoping for some nice screenings with directors.

Please post whenever the film guide/times are out

e_e

jaykhunter wrote: »

Absolutely can't wait for this! My brother's been asking me when new information is out on it. Hoping for some nice screenings with directors.

Please post whenever the film guide/times are out

Full list is out October 1st.

laoisforliam

Heard some really good things about the Babadook.

http://www.slashfilm.com/the-babadook-is-a-hellishly-intense-tale-of-a-mother-consumed-by-grief-sundance-2014-review/

Gutted I missed its release in Australia. Hope the Blu Ray will be released in the next year.

Fysh

I'm intrigued by Babadook after seeing this review from Frightfest. I don't always share JP's opinions on horror films, but he knows his stuff and has a good eye for films doing something interesting and innovative.

I'm interested to see what folks on here make of it - I have zero interest in most of the haunted house/ghostly event films that have been out in the last few years as they don't seem to be my thing (I'm not a big fan of jumpscares as I find they're frequently used as a crutch to cover for poor narrative or character development), but if Babadook does something different with the premisr I'm game to check it out.

Liam McPoyle

Fysh wrote: »

I'm intrigued by Babadook after seeing this review from Frightfest. I don't always share JP's opinions on horror films, but he knows his stuff and has a good eye for films doing something interesting and innovative.

I'm interested to see what folks on here make of it - I have zero interest in most of the haunted house/ghostly event films that have been out in the last few years as they don't seem to be my thing (I'm not a big fan of jumpscares as I find they're frequently used as a crutch to cover for poor narrative or character development), but if Babadook does something different with the premisr I'm game to check it out.

Still not enough to make me want to see it tbh, Ive been let down far too many times.

:mad:

Im quietly hoping that Eli Roths "The Green Inferno" gets a screening but I reckon I will prolly end up disappointed.

thrashmetalfan

weiland79 wrote: »

This looks like a nice date night for my wife. She laps up every horror film she can, and will really watch any old ****e so long as It's scary and or gory.

your missus is the same as me. I would happily sit through all kinds of guff so long as its horror. cannot wait for the babadook. I hear its great. I don't mind that horror has certain trends that lead the way every so often. there are always horror movies that are gamechangers and a lot more that are just knockoffs of that style of horror movie. the blatant copy cat movies can be quite good too!

ps3lover

Business Cat wrote: »

Im quietly hoping that Eli Roths "The Green Inferno" gets a screening but I reckon I will prolly end up disappointed.

I wouldn't count on it. I seem to recall reading a review for it at Frightfest and the reviewer said the distributor tried to pull it and don't want it shown at festivals anymore. Eli Roth had to intervien to get it shown.

Liam McPoyle

ps3lover wrote: »

I wouldn't count on it. I seem to recall reading a review for it at Frightfest and the reviewer said the distributor tried to pull it and don't want it shown at festivals anymore. Eli Roth had to intervien to get it shown.

Oh I know, I have a feeling that one is going to end up in limbo for quite a while yet. At least its finished though, not like The Profane Exhibit.
:mad:

Catcher7791

The full line-up is out:

http://www.scannain.com/irish/irish-events/horrorthon-2014

Liam McPoyle

The Hellraiser double bill and Truth or Dare are the ones I'm most interested in.

Squelchy

Had a look through the list last night but there was nothing that really grabbed me enough to want to spend 2 hours in the same building as that repugnant clique that frequent this festival.

Decuc500

Squelchy wrote: »

that repugnant clique

They're not that bad! I like the atmosphere at some of the screenings.

The line up is kind of underwhelming but I'll still go to a couple this year.

e_e

Squelchy wrote: »

Had a look through the list last night but there was nothing that really grabbed me enough to want to spend 2 hours in the same building as that repugnant clique that frequent this festival.

Ouch! I get why the atmosphere of the festival will put people off though and yeah I don't think I'll be going to as many films this year for said reason (some drunk heckling a short film with the guest in attendance was a real low point).

To be fair though in my experience it's not the "cliques" that are the problem there. It's the smaller groups of 2 or 3 who just use it as an event to drink at where there just happens to be a film on in the background. Cue the constant wandering in and out, checking of phones and being really loud. They've really tainted the experience of some of the films for me and make the other horror fans look bad too.

Squelchy

e_e wrote: »

Ouch! I get why the atmosphere of the festival will put people off though and yeah I don't think I'll be going to as many films this year for said reason

Most are OK, there's one particular crowd who treat the place like their living room every year though; reserving seats with possessions and yapping away loudly like we're privileged to hear their conversation.
Can't stand that bunch, no respect for anyone.

willmunny1990

Babadook has been getting pretty good reviews, is there a definitive release date for it? Nothing much about it online yet the whole plot is up on wiki.

When I raised the issue on their facebook about the drunken patrons and the small group who treat the place as if it's their living room I got a torrent of abuse from many of the members. Reviewed some vile messages about how they would rape my family members, strangle them and when dead dig them up and rape them again. Was some truly vile and twisted stuff and came from prominent members.

I walked out of Amer a few years back as it was impossible to enjoy the film thanks to the audience input. It wouldn't be too bad if it was say a one off but it's became part and parcel if the supposed experience. You'll see people boasting about how they're on their tenth beer of the day and bragging about how drunk they are going to be during the screening. The odd thing is that generally, genre festivals are known to have some of the best audiences. Frightfest screenings talk place in silence bar when audience reaction is expected. There's no heckling, no one providing commentary and no ass with their phone.

AnonoBoy

Deleted User wrote: »

When I raised the issue on their facebook about the drunken patrons and the small group who treat the place as if it's their living room I got a torrent of abuse from many of the members. Reviewed some vile messages about how they would rape my family members, strangle them and when dead dig them up and rape them again. Was some truly vile and twisted stuff and came from prominent members.

Are you serious? People posted that sort of stuff under their own names?

I'd seriously make complaints about that. Possibility of getting them barred?

Imagine the look on their smug faces when they find they're actually banned from the festival.

AnonoBoy

AnonoBoy wrote: »

Are you serious? People posted that sort of stuff under their own names?

I'd seriously make complaints about that. Possibility of getting them barred?

Imagine the look on their smug faces when they find they're actually banned from the festival.

Not worth the hassle, just blocked them and reminded myself that nit bithering with the festival was a wise move.

AnonoBoy

Deleted User wrote: »

Not worth the hassle, just blocked them and reminded myself that nit bithering with the festival was a wise move.

You're probably right but that's horrendous stuff.

It's one thing arguing with folk online - that sort of thing is just ridiculous though. I would not be able to just let that go.

e_e

Deleted User wrote: »

The odd thing is that generally, genre festivals are known to have some of the best audiences. Frightfest screenings talk place in silence bar when audience reaction is expected. There's no heckling, no one providing commentary and no ass with their phone.

It's the strangest thing. I've been to all sorts of film festivals in Dublin and the audiences have almost always been a model of what cinemagoers should be but when it comes to several Horrorthon screenings I've been in it's like open season on how to act in a cinema.

For something that is so well tailored to genre fans it baffles me how outright disrespectful they can be at times. It's like the opposite scenario to what Kermode describes of Frightfest here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWF05RMq04Q

...and yeah rereading over this thread and recalling when I've gone to this fest and had my experience outright ruined by somebody else I realize that I really can't be bothered to go this year.

Squelchy

It wasn't my intention to derail this thread with posts about negative experiences at the festival, that said, sod it; it's comforting to know I'm not the only one who finds the atmosphere so off-putting. Trouble is, the people causing all the issues are spending a lot of beer money too, so I doubt the IFI could give a crap if a few people are choosing not to bother anymore.

pixelburp

Wow. Honestly, I had the fullest intention of attending some screenings this year, particularly The Babadook, having procrastinated for the longest time about these kind of genre festivals. Reading those testimonies though, particularly Darko's and the frankly outrageous treatment of him, I'm going to pass.

Bipolar Joe

Same. I'm real disappointed . Was thinking about getting a full pass next year. Guess not, now.

Decuc500

I’ve been attending the Hororthon since the very first year (I’m not part of any clique) and I can safely say that the odd bit of moronic behaviour wouldn’t stop me going back.
It can be a boisterous crowd at times, especially the late night screenings, but that’s really about it.
I quite simply can’t remember any incident that made me want to leave a screening.

I’m not defending any bad behaviour people have experienced at this festival.
There’s nothing worse than drunk people at movies and that facebook abuse experienced is obviously not acceptable.

If you’re not going to go based on what you’re reading here I would advise giving it a chance and then making your mind up.

ps3lover

Deleted User wrote: »

I walked out of Amer a few years back as it was impossible to enjoy the film thanks to the audience input. It wouldn't be too bad if it was say a one off but it's became part and parcel if the supposed experience. You'll see people boasting about how they're on their tenth beer of the day and bragging about how drunk they are going to be during the screening.

I went back and checked the thread for the year Amer showed to see people's reaction at the time, no one seemed to complain back then about the audience. You yourself Darko claimed you didn't even go that year.

I was there that year only went to two films that year, was a last minut thing. Only been back to one screening since and that was equally disrupted m.

ps3lover

Deleted User wrote: »

I was there that year only went to two films that year, was a last minut thing. Only been back to one screening since and that was equally disrupted m.

Really because in the 2011 thread (one year after Amer) you again claim you've never been bothered to make the trip down to the festival.