Horror Highlights: “Terror in the Square” Screenings, THE BOAT, SINGLE FAMILY HOME, First Wave of Programming for Ithaca Fantastik 2018, PSYCHO THERAPY

After Dark and The Salt City Horror Fest announced their brand new screening series "Terror in the Square." Beginning October 7th at The Museum Of Science & Technology in Syracuse, the series will feature remastered screenings of Don Coscarelli's Phantasm and John Carpenter's Halloween, as well as SXSW darling The Ranger. Also in today's Highlights: premiere details for The Boat, Single Family Home production news, Ithaca Fantastik 2018's first wave of programming, and the East Coast premiere info for Staci Layne Wilson's short film Psycho Therapy, starring Brooke Lewis.

Terror in the Square Event Details: "After Dark and The Salt City Horror Fest is proud to announce the new “Terror In The Square” series at The Bristol Omnitheater at The MOST in Armory Square. The new series brings both classic and newly released horror films to the big screen at The Museum Of Science & Technology. Along with the screenings will be special vendors, beverages, and more creepy surprises.

The series is set to kick off this October 7th with a special remastered screening of “Phantasm” with director/writer Don Coscarelli. Coscarelli will be also doing a VIP meet and greet and book signing for “True Indie: Life And Death in Filmmaking” which hits shelves just 5 days prior. Prior to “Phantasm”, Coscarelli’s “Bubba Ho-Tep” starting Bruce Campbell of Evil Dead fame will show.

Next, on October 17th, there will be a special 40th Anniversary digitally remastered screening of John Carpenter’s “Halloween” on the eve of the newest installment of the Halloween franchise debuting nationwide in theaters. Prior to “Halloween”, the SXSW 2018 official selection slasher “The Ranger” will make its Syracuse debut.

Schedule and Info:

Sunday, October 7th
“PHANTASM” & “BUBBA HO-TEP” with writer/director Don Coscarelli
Book signing & Meet and Greet: 6 p.m. Doors open to the public at 7:10 p.m. First film on at 8 p.m. 16+ admitted / under 16 with a guardian. Tickets are $20 for the screenings, $45 for VIP meet and greet / book signing (a copy of “True Indie: Life And Death In Filmmaking” included)

Wednesday, October 17th
“HALLOWEEN” 40th Anniversary Screening and “THE RANGER”
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. First film at 7:30 p.m. 16+ admitted / under 16 with a guardian. Tickets are $10 in advance.

Tickets for both events can be purchased now on www.afterdarkpresents.com or at The Sound Garden in Armory Square."

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The Boat Fantastic Fest Premiere Details: "Latina Pictures and Carnaby International are proud to announce the world premiere of Winston Azzopardi's The Boat. The longtime producer makes his directorial debut alongside his son and collaborator, Joe Azzopardi, who co-wrote and stars in the film. The Boat will screen for the first time at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar, preceded by the short film Albatross Soup.

Building on a tradition of eerie, ghostly British tales, The Boat is a menacing thrill ride that pits a violent survival drama against the supernatural. In the leading role, Joe Azzopardi stars as the fisherman, a practical man whose quick thinking and sea-faring experience ensure that his fight against the unnatural force is more than even.

A lone fisherman, lost in the deep mist, boards an abandoned sailboat. Finding no signs of life, he emerges back on deck only to discover his own boat has disappeared. What follows is a nightmarish journey in which he becomes imprisoned inside as the boat presses on into unknown waters."

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Single Family Home Production Details: Press Release: "Synopsis: New homeowners Nicholas and Li unpack as they get their house in order for the arrival of their long-awaited adoptive child. In their haste to provide a loving home, they have asked to move into the house a few days before the close of escrow to have the weekend to get ready. To add to their unease they hear strange sounds. More than just an old house settling, they feel another presence is with them. They are being watched.

But it’s not spirits haunting Nicholas and Li. It’s Ruth, the previous owner. She still lives in the house, carrying with her a painful past and casting a dark cloud over this seemingly peaceful home. The unexpected squatter claims she cannot leave because of her “condition”, an acute agoraphobia. Nicholas and Li realize that Ruth never intended to move out and no amount of bribery or threats will convince her to go. She gradually forces a wedge between the young couple. Bitter feelings they thought they had buried long ago emerge as they see their family unraveling before it’s even begun. Ruth forms a childlike attachment to the couple, and especially to Li. The hopeful mother-to-be seizes the opportunity to manipulate Ruth, comforting her through her reoccurring and growing nightmares.

Li steadily gains her trust, but when Nicholas gets impatient and tries to physically remove her, Ruth has a horrific meltdown, revealing just how fragile she really is. With time running out, Nicholas and Li are forced to choose between the child they’ve always wanted and their humanity. Pushed to the edge, they contemplate the unthinkable.

Artists' Statement:

Story by Tara C. Hall and Bel Deliá: Indirectly we met as finalists in the Women in Horror Film Festival. With a mutual admiration for each other’s work, we decided pretty quickly that we would collaborate on a project. Over many coffee meetings and out of many ideas pitched back and forth, the story that eventually became Single Family Home was born. It’s the lovechild of two horror filmmakers.

We asked ourselves, what if a couple, moving into their first house, anticipating the arrival of their adoptive daughter in a few days, were suddenly stuck living with the previous owner of the house? And what if that owner, Ruth, an agoraphobic shut-in, expected the couple to take care of her? It’s a set of circumstances that blends drama, psychological thriller, surrealism, and satire. And it’s the ultimate metaphor for parenthood. We chose universal themes, surrounding the family dynamic so that we could deconstruct and really examine them. Is it human nature to care for and nurture others? The dark truth of it is, we are all capable of inhumanities against each other and the very instincts we use to protect and nurture our loved ones could unintentionally harm others. Where do we draw the line between helping someone in need and turning our back on them to save our family or tribe?

The couple, Nicholas and Li, who has been trying for years to have a child, are suddenly faced with the reality of caring for another person and it is not at all what they expected. Their myths about parenthood are tested and the romantic notion that by becoming parents, they will become better people is shattered. The reality is their deepest flaws bubble to the surface, revealing their true natures and as fans of dark stories and genre films, we never shy away from exploiting these character’s dark sides. We also developed the characters in such a way that you cannot simply cast anyone as a “good guy” or a “bad guy”. We will take these roles into uncomfortable and even frightening places, to uncover raw performances and find the best and worst of all of them.

Directors' Statement: Bel Deliá & Joshua M. Johnson: Our treatment of the visual and the soundscape of this film will mirror the landscape of the emotional journey. The intimate lens will gradually push into the claustrophobic space that these three occupy. We visually move through the circular floor plan of the craftsman house with them as they shed layers of civility, literally and metaphorically going in circles. The visual will become tense and more rigid, the space more sparse and progressively more void of warmth and softness, until the air is thin and cold. Because the piano introduces Ruth, the score will be a minimalist piano composition that resonates with the central theme in the form of an eerie lullaby. Single Family Home will be a film that stays with you and challenges your beliefs about what it means to nurture another soul."

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Ithaca Fantastik 2018 First Wave of Programming: "Ithaca Fantastik is proud to announce the first wave of programming for the 7th edition of our upstate NY celebration of genre film, electrifying music, and dynamic art. Returning to our home base at Cinemapolis, IF embarks on our 10-day event October 26th - Nov 4th.

Forging ahead with their mission to bring audiences the best fantasy and vanguard movies from around the world, the IF team presents Quentin Dupieux’s newest work KEEP AN EYE OUT! (Au Poste!), an uproariously absurd piece of cinema as only the maker of the fondly remembered tire-on-a-rampage comedy RUBBER could deliver. Keep an eye out (!) for the Cannes critics week winner DIAMANTINO, directed by Abrantes and Schmidt, with its layers of magical realism and social commentary seen through the eyes of the titular character—a star footballer who sees giant fluffy puppies surrounded by a pink mist… but only when he’s ready to score!

Aaron Schimberg’s NYC indie festival fav CHAINED FOR LIFE challenges the perception of the viewer by creating a cinematic meta-reality where the notion of image and personality is blurred against the backdrop of a horror movie set. Kalik Allah’s BLACK MOTHER will take you on an anthropological journey into Jamaica to reveal a tale that is truly larger than life. Following their academy award winning film EMBRACE THE SERPENT Gallego and Guerra are back with BIRDS OF PASSAGE (Pájaros de Verano), which depicts tribal life and the destruction of the social fabric of the 1970s la Guaija, Colombia as the drug trade begins in South America.

A pitch-perfect statement on our narcissistic Western society Alexandros Avranas’s LOVE ME NOT, on par with the best work from Lanthimos, but without the fluff, and we promise it will punch you in the guts with it’s foreboding and uncompromising premise. Incorporating similar visual language, Nicolas Pesce’s sophomore film PIERCING offers a colorful descent into the deranged mind that excites the senses while shocking the heart with its unflinching bleakness.

Yann Gonzales continues to awe and impress audiences with his formidable second feature KNIFE+HEART (shot on 35mm) is the ultimate modern-day Giallo with the alluring setting of the 70s Paris pornography scene. Similarly, Japanese ‘geki-mation’ pioneer Ujicha delivers more of his unique animation blend of child-like innocence and ultra-violence in his own highly stylized second film, VIOLENCE VOYAGER!

Spicing up our selection with a little bit of French irreverent je ne sais quoi, IF is pleased to present three delightfully demented BobbyPills productions starting with the vibrant and utterly off-the-wall CRISIS JUNG, that takes audiences on an epic journey and feast of visual extravaganzas à la Fist of the North Star with a dash of smutty humour. BobbyPills scores again with VERMIN, an anthropomorphized buddy cop film with a stench of Peter Jackson’s skin crawling musical freak fest MEET THE FEEBLES… What can go wrong? To add a charmingly irreverent cherry on top, viewers can revel in unrestrained positive sexuality with an exclusive look at Bobbypills’ new series, PEEPOODO AND THE SUPER FUCK FRIENDS—come to learn, and you won’t be disappointed! René Manzor’s glorious new transfer of GAME OVER (3615 Père Noël) rounds out our curation of crazy French cinema —an earlier, darker, take on the genius-child-defending-his-home holiday thriller that (adult) fans of Christmas classic Home Alone will devore with love!

The second wave of programming for Ithaca Fantastik 2018 will be announced in early October, along with more details for this year’s special retrospective: The Wildling, as featured here in artwork by illustrator and long-time fest collaborator Steve Ellis. Stay tuned!

Keep an Eye Out! (Au Poste!) East Coast Premiere
Quentin Dupieux / 2018 / France / 73min
When Fugain trips over a dead body in front of his condo, his first impulse is to report it to the police—as any good, logical citizen would. He quickly realizes his mistake when he learns that the obsessive Captain Buron will gleefully grill him until he cracks.

Black Mother Regional Premiere
Khalik Allah / 2018 / USA / 77min
The history of Jamaica retold through the framework of a woman’s pregnancy, Black Mother is a heartfelt look at Jamaican identity that transcends its documentary form to offer an unusual and unique exploration of humanity.

Birds of Passage (Pájaros de verano) Regional Premiere
Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra / 2018 / Colombia / 125min
In La Guija, Colombia in the 1970s, an indigenous Wayuu family gets swept up in the newly-booming marijuana trade. When greed and passion overtake their tribe’s honor, their lives and ancestral traditions are forever fractured.

Chained for Life Regional Premiere
Aaron Schimberg / 2018 / USA / 91min
Freda is an actress cast as the lead in a schlocky horror film. Her co-star and much of the supporting cast are played by actors with disabilities. As she connects with her peers off-screen, she begins to consider if their treatment on set is exploitational and whether our current standards of representation in modern film are really as equal as we would like to believe.

Crisis Jung US Premiere
Baptiste Gaubert and Jérémie Hoarau / 2018 / France / 70min
Jung and Maria are sweethearts enjoying their blossoming love in an innocent world. But their starry-eyed love is imperiled when the malignant Little Jesus kidnaps Maria’s body to build his nefarious temple of pain!

Diamantino Regional Premiere
Gabriel Abrantes and Daniel Schmidt / 2018 / Portugal / 92min
After missing the penalty shot at the world cup final, footballer Diamantino's career is over. Floundering, he falls prey to sinister forces offering him a job as a political mascot—shilling the promise to "make Portugal great again”. Hoping for a second chance, he is instead transported on a surreal and satirical journey through a dysfunctional modern landscape.

Game Over (3615 Code Père Noël) East Coast Premiere
René Manzor / 1989 / France / 87min
Thomas, a French kid obsessed with American action films, believes he will be the first kid to catch Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. When a thief dressed as Santa shows up instead of the real deal, Thomas’s vengeance for broken childhood dreams takes on epic proportions in this cornerstone film.

Knife + Heart (Un Couteau Dans Le Coeur) Regional Premiere
Yann Gonzales / 2018 / France / 110min
After producer Anne breaks up with her editor girlfriend, the late 70s low-budget gay French porno they were shooting begins to take an... artistic turn. The sensual film becomes a real-life erotic thriller when one of her adult film stars is brutally murdered. Anne and her sidekick, Archibald, can’t seem to out-maneuver the chaos that ensues.

Love Me Not East Coast Premiere
Alexandros Avranas / 2018 / Greece, France / 99min
An infertile, upper-middle-class couple hires a young woman as a surrogate and all three move into a remote villa. The ladies start to bond, the husband becomes envious, and an unfortunate chain of events turns the table on the already dysfunctional new family dynamic.

Violence Voyager Regional Premiere
Ujicha / 2018 / Japan / 83min
Bobby and Akkun set out for an end-of-school celebration in the mountains where they discover an abandoned amusement park. Surprise! The owner greets them and conveniently offers them free tickets. Against their better judgment, they take him up on his offer.

Piercing Regional Premiere
Nicolas Pesce / 2018 / USA / 81min
Reed takes off from his idyllic life with his wife and baby for a very important business trip. But the business he has in mind is murder! All set with his plan to commit the perfect crime, Reed finds his victim in mysterious call girl Jackie...but Reed may have called the wrong person.

Vermin
Alexis Beaumont / 2018 / France / 81min
A young praying mantis follows in his father’s many footsteps and moves to the big city to become a police officer. A greenhorn kid from the country, young Reggie is totally unequipped for the dangers and temptations of city life. But when Reggie is assigned a partner with a history of drinking and bad police work, the sparks fly and both characters get more than they bargained for."

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Psycho Therapy East Coast Premiere Details: "On Saturday, September 22, 2018, 100 Acres of Hell and Psycho Therapy will hold their East Coast Premiere with a Red Carpet Event at Golden Door International Film Festival 2018.

Golden Door Film Festival was founded upon the premise that every film that is selected for our program and it’s respective filmmakers should have the opportunity or “Golden Door” to be on equal footing with all others. Whether an emerging or established artist, you will be treated like a star. We are an elite festival but we are far from elitist!” – Golden Door International Film Festival

100 Acres of Hell
Directed by: Hank Leigh Hump, Lisa Lakeman, and Ernest O'Donnell
Written by: Jason L. Koerner, Ed McKeever, Kevin Orosz, Gene Snisky
Starring: Catherine Corcoran, Eileen Dietz, Ernest O'Donnell

Psycho Therapy
Directed and Written by: Staci Layne Wilson
Starring: Brooke Lewis, Ricky Dean Logan

SYNOPSIS:
Psycho Therapy is a short psychological drama, thriller, horror noir film, written and directed Staci Layne Wilson (Fetish Factory) and stars Brooke Lewis (iMurders) and Ricky Dean Logan (Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare). The cast also includes talented genre newcomer Emily Sansiri (Last Flight). When emotionally exhausted Tonia (Brooke Lewis) visits her esteemed psychiatrist, Dr. Walsh (Ricky Dean Logan), to discuss her husband’s infidelity, the therapy session takes an unexpected turn. Tonia does not respond well to her doctor’s advice and he finds himself locked in a game of psychological hide-n-seek with a painfully disturbed patient."