Horror Highlights: MY (BEST FRIEND’S) HEAD EXPLODED, THE BECOMERS, DAYDARK

Horror Feature “MY (BEST FRIEND’S) HEAD EXPLODED” to Premiere in June: "Writer/Director Scott Bryan’s puppet-filled existential horror feature, “MY (BEST FRIEND’S) HEAD EXPLODED,” will have its two-weekend world premiere this June.

“My (Best Friend’s) Head Exploded” is a rebellious, existential, terrifyingly messy puppet feature made out of material things by actual people. It tells the story of Lydia, a coming-of-ageless vampire forced to deal with the loss of her best friend, Sam, after the pair conjures a moment of complete clarity which causes Sam’s head to explode.

In the aftermath, Lydia must contend with old ghosts, generational trauma, oppressive authority figures, and the confusing fear of infinity to set reality right and save her own sanity.

“I love making weird stuff that a studio would be afraid of and a computer couldn’t replicate,” Bryan said.

The film will show at the Salem Witch Board Museum in Salem, Mass. on June 3 during a double-feature with the shorts of filmmaker Jim McDonough, and again the following weekend to kick off the Bride of FrankenCon convention in Alcoa, Tenn. on June 9. The two-weekend premiere will be followed by screenings at festivals this fall.

Bryan and Producer/Star Emily Daniels have spent the last two years perfecting their DIY movie-making style.

Their creative, micro-budget shorts “My Monster and Me” and “The Confrontation” have screened in fright festivals all over the country and been nominated for Best Ohio Film (Nightmares Film Festival, 2021) and Best Visual Effects (New Jersey HorrorCon, 2021). The Confrontation also won Best Actor at FrankenCon Tennessee, 2022 (for Bryan) and 2nd Place in the Foundry Theater Horror Shorts Competition, 2022. "

For more information, including screening locations and dates, visit: https://filmfreeway.com/MyBestFriendsHeadExploded

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Yellow Veil Pictures Board Zach Clark’s THE BECOMERS Rounding Out Cannes Marché du Film Slate: "Yellow Veil Pictures announced today the acquisition of worldwide rights for celebrated American independent filmmaker Zach Clark’s (White Reindeer, Little Sister) latest, genre-bending comedy THE BECOMERS. The company will launch the film at the Marche Du Film this week.

THE BECOMERS tells the story of a body-snatching alien who comes to Earth, reconnects with their partner, and tries to find their way in modern America.

“During the pandemic, I binged the original Star Trek series for the first time and then I made this movie,” Clark said on his latest film.” It felt like life as we knew it was ending, but then again, it also felt like that might not be the worst thing either. The Becomers is a story of love, longing, and alienation. A kitsch-soaked, pathos-laden melodrama about our sad, sad planet. It's the weirdest thing I've ever made and I can't think of anyone better than Yellow Veil to get it out into the universe.”

Joe Yanick, Co-Founder of Yellow Veil Pictures added, “I’ve long admired Zach’s films and it’s especially fun to see him dive even further into the genre space with The Becomers, which is something his films have always circled. The Becomers is funny, weird, and at times gross, but what I like best is that it's a very relatable movie about love; and I think that’s a place where some of the best genre films emerge from. “

THE BECOMERS is written, directed, and edited by Clark and produced by Joe Swanberg (Happy Christmas, Digging for Fire), and Edwin Linker (Saint Frances, Queen of Earth) of Slasher Films. It stars Molly Plunk (Little Sister, Profane), Mike Lopez (All Jacked Up and Full of Worms, Crimes Against Humanity), Frank V. Ross (Drinking Buddies), Isabel Alamin, and Keith Kelly, and features the voice Russell Mael, lead singer of the explosive pop-rock band Sparks.

Best known for the critically acclaimed White Reindeer (SXSW) released by IFC Films, and Little Sister (SXSW), featuring Addison Timlin and Ally Sheedy, Clark is also a celebrated editor whose credits extend beyond his own films and include Sophia Takal’s Always Shine (Tribeca 2016), Hannah Fidell’s The Long Dumb Road (Sundance 2018), Michael Tully’s Don’t Leave Home (SXSW 2018), and Michael M. Bilandic’s indie cult film Jobe'z World."

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Introducing "Daydark": A Harrowing Thriller Unleashed at Cannes Film Market: "DayDark, the new thriller directed by Fabrizio La Monica (Dio Non Ti Odia), will be introduced on the international markets during this year Marchè Du Film of Cannes.

Shot in Italy and produced by Kalama Film in association with Sergio Stivaletti’s Apocalypsis, DayDark features Ferdinando Gattuccio, Marco Balzarotti (Italian voice dubbing for the Batman character and Saint Seyia) and renowned actor from the ‘70s Corrado Solari (Duck You Sucker, The Manhunt, The Tough Ones). Special make-up is provided by Italian master of horror Sergio Stivaletti (Demons, Demons 2, Phenomena), who also co-produces.

This is the eagerly awaited feature movie from director Fabrizio La Monica after Dio Non Ti Odia. In DayDark the lines between reality and nightmare blur as a grieving father becomes entangled in a sinister game of cat and mouse. When the phone rings and an anonymous caller reveals themselves as the murderer of his child, a twisted mind game ensues. The killer, with a cold, calculated voice, toys with the father's sanity, taunting him with cryptic clues and pushing him to the brink of madness. As the stakes escalate, the father is left with a haunting choice: to succumb to his fears or unravel the truth behind this sadistic game.

Winner of the Best Feature at the Abruzzo Horror Film Festival and at the Apulia Web Festival, the movie has been selected in over thirty prestigious film festivals such as Dracula FilmFest in Romania, Phoenix FearCon and Days Of The Dead Indianapolis, where it won the Best Villain Award. EuroObscura will handle international sales at the Cannes Film Market."