For those lucky enough to haunt the streets of Brooklyn this month, be sure to check out the most horrifyingly brilliant festival running between 17th – 24th October.
The Brooklyn Horror Festival is a celebration of this bloody brilliant genre, boasting a diverse selection of horror films both old and new. The festival will also host special events such as panel discussions, comedy nights and live music.Whether you’re looking for an informative documentary to delve deeper into a genre you love, or just a good old fashioned scare, there’s plenty on offer at this year’s festival.
Festival director, Justin Timms, explains he started this horror festival because there “was no festival in NYC that was showing the type of film I was interested in”. Now that in recent years, the horror genre has experienced a revival of sorts (or, more accurately, wider audiences are finally starting to pay the genre it’s due respect), Timms says that, “it makes for an exciting future as filmmakers (both established and emerging) are being given a chance to take more chances, and explore more topics, and not be outlawed to a niche”.
Tickets are on sale online and there’s a vast catalogue of films to explore on their website, but here’s a small synopsis of just a few events on offer this week.
Swallow
19th Oct; Dir. Carlo Mirabella-Davis
Housewife, Hunter, becomes disillusioned with her life and the news of an unplanned pregnancy triggers a case of pica – a disorder which causes her to consume inedible objects. The more her husband and family tries to control her tendencies, the more she rebels and the more gruesome her tendencies become. A film ripe with psychological and body-horror, there’s plenty of metaphors to sink your teeth into.
Karen Arthur in Conversation
19th October
Pioneering director and producer, Karen Arthur, paved the way for female filmmakers in an industry filled with men. Arthur’s film debut, Legacy, was a landmark feminist film and launched a career in film and TV that continued to view women and their psychosis through the female lens. This talk will reflect on Arthur’s experiences working in the industry and delve into discussions brought up in her work concerning sexual assault and toxic masculinity.
This is Our Home
19th October; Dir. Omri Dorani
Couple, Reina and Cory, are quarreling about a difficult decision surrounding the loss of their unborn child. Later that night, they are awoken by a knock at their door. It’s a young boy claiming to be their son. This is Our Home explores unresolved grief, the tribulations of relationships, and regret.
Gas Station Horror
19th October
Comedy show, Gas Station Horror, takes clips from horror flicks and lets NY’s finest comedians improvise a new and hilarious ending. If comedy isn’t a big enough incentive, the show also includes free candy, prize raffles and fun horror facts.
Koko-di Koko-da
20th October; Dir Johannes Nyholm
Swedish filmmaker, Johannes Nyholm, creates a new morbid spin on Groundhog Day in this horror. In wake of tragedy, couple Elin and Tobias embark on a camping trip, which is soon invaded by a gang of homicidal deviants. As if this isn’t bad enough, our couple can’t escape their torment as they are forced to relive their brutal encounter again and again. A sad and horrifying examination of grief.
Blood Machines
20th October; Dir. Seth Ickerman
A “sci-fi facemelter” inspired by ‘80s films and music and powered by a killer synthwave score from artist Carpenter Brut. The 50-minute film follows two space hunters tracking down a machine but these hunters are soon transfixed by the emergence of the ship’s soul which has taken the form of a woman.
Slayed! LGBTQ horror shorts
20th October; Dir. various
Queer horror is coming out of the closet of subtext and rejoicing in the limelight! These various LGBTQ+ shorts examine issues of safe sex, religious persecusion, identity confusion and closeted fears.
Blood & Flesh: The Reel Life and Ghastly Death of Al Adamson
21st October; Dir. David Gregory
B-movie director Al Adamson earned infamy for his no-budget horror schlock that equal measured delighted and shocked audiences. However, Adamson’s legacy became tainted by his strange passing in 1995. Blood and Flesh is a true-crime analysis of Adamson’s career and death and has proven to be captivating and fascinating for audiences.
Girl on the Third Floor
23rd October; Dir Travis Stevens
A demented and entertaining haunted house feature and directing debut from indie horror producer, Travis Stevens. When Don Koch moves into a decrepit house desperately in need of some remodeling, his efforts are waylaid by the house’s goo-dripping walls and troubled history. Soon the house’s demons awaken the demons within Don and what follows is chaos.
Sea Fever
24th October; Dir. Neasa Hardiman
First-time feature director Hardiman dedicates their debut to the tale of Siobhan, a marine biology student on an educational sea excursion. Siobhan’s research soon gets interrupted when their vessel strikes an unseen object, which oozes a mysterious force into the vessel. An innocent research trip becomes a fight to survive as the unsettling and claustrophobic environment threatens our young protagonist.
There are dozens more terrifying events on offer this week, so check out their website and see what tickles your fancy and your spine.
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