Horror Highlights: What the Fest!? 2018 Lineup, CORBIN NASH Trailer & Key Art, THE UNWILLING Home Media Release Details

Starting today through Sunday, April 1st, What the Fest!? takes place at the IFC Center in New York City. We have a look at the full lineup of horror and sci-fi goodness in today's Horror Highlights, which also includes Corbin Nash trailer starring Malcolm MacDowell and The Unwilling release details.

What the Fest!? 2018 Lineup Announced: Press Release: "(New York, NY | March 7, 2018) IFC Center is proud to announce the full slate for the upcoming film festival What the Fest!? (www.whatthefestnyc.com), a four-day showcase of outrageous content -- horror, sci-fi, documentary, thrillers, and beyond -- from March 29th through April 1st.What the Fest!? will feature exciting premieres, including one world premiere, one US premiere, many New York premieres and the world premiere of a new digital restoration of a film never before released in the U.S. What the Fest!? also boasts under the radar cinematic finds, film festival hits from Sundance, TIFF, and Rotterdam, as well as buzz-worthy talent in-person at screenings and post-screening events.

Opening night of What the Fest!? will feature the New York Premiere of Coralie Fargeat’s REVENGE, a thriller about a mistress who exacts “revenge” on her married lover and his friends, turning their annual hunting trip into a decidedly deadlier adventure. The closing night film will be Jenn Wexler’s THE RANGER, about a group of teen punks on the lam, who hide out from the cops in a remote cabin… only to run into bigger troubles. Wexler will appear at the Q&A, along with producer and co-star Larry Fessenden of Glass Eye Pix.

“It's a thrill to celebrate the opening of the festival with a powerhouse film and filmmaker like Coralie Fargeat. Equally exciting is our closing with THE RANGER, the feature debut of producer-director Jenn Wexler,” says Creative Director Maria Reinup. “And with the diverse, fun, delightfully scary, slightly crazy, and entirely awesome movies that round out the rest of our lineup, we are happy to say that What The Fest!? is here to stay. Now join us for a feast for your eyeballs!”

Reinup is a veteran film programmer who has worked in the film industry for the past decade in her native Estonia and around the world. She has served as Director of the Haapsalu Horror and Fantasy Film Festival for seven years; additionally, she programs the Black Nights Film Festival, the only A-list art house festival in Northern Europe. Over the years, she has also worked for several other notable film festivals and has produced and directed short films and music videos.

More What the Fest!? programming highlights include the World Premiere of BOILED ANGELS: THE TRIAL OF MIKE DIANA, a documentary chronicling the obscenity trail of the eponymous comic book artist Mike Diana, directed by cult favorite Frank Henenlotter (BASKET CASE); Henenlotter and Diana will appear in person. There will also be a sneak peek of an unseen episode from the new AMC series “The Terror,” with star Jared Harris of “Mad Men” in person for a Q&A, the critically lauded horror film GHOST STORIES starring Martin Freeman, and theWorld Premiere restoration of the never-before-seen-in-the-U.S., CURSE OF SNAKES VALLEY, a.k.a “The Soviet Indiana Jones.”
West Village neighborhood bar Vol de Nuit (148 West 4th Street) will serve as a central What the Fest!? gathering place, bringing together filmmakers, film fans, and everyone in between.

What the Fest!? promises to upend what people think of when they hear “genre films,” highlighting films in a new way throughout a can’t miss weekend for cinema lovers who are looking for the next cool thing. Expect anything!

REVENGE (NY Premiere)
Thursday, March 29th, 7:00 PM

Synopsis: Three wealthy, married men learn the hard way that you should never bring your mistress along on a guys' getaway, especially when there’s hunting involved. A Neon release.
Written & Directed by: Coralie Fargeat
Starring: Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz, Kevin Janssens, Vincent Colombe, & Guillaume Bouchède
TRT: 108 min.
Country: France
Language: English; French (with English subtitles)

VALLEY OF SHADOWS (U.S. Premiere)
Friday, March 30th, 7:00 PM

Synopsis: In this mesmerizing Scandinavian Gothic fable shot on 35mm, a small boy sets out into the deep, dark woods in search of a mysterious creature. Filmmaker Jonas Matzow Gulbrandsen will appear in-person for a post-screening Q&A.

Directed by: Jonas Matzow Gulbrandsen
Written by: Jonas Matzow Gulbrandsen & Clement Tuffreau
Starring: Adam Ekeli, Kathrine Fagerland, Jørgen Langhelle, Jone Hope Larsen, & Lennard Salamon
TRT: 91 min.
Country: Norway
Language: Norwegian (with English subtitles)

THE ENDLESS
Friday, March 30th, 9:30 PM

Synopsis: Two brothers (played by co-directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, of SPRING and RESOLUTION) return to the cult they fled years ago, only to discover that the group's beliefs may make much more sense than they once thought. A Well Go USA release. Benson and Moorhead will appear in-person for a post-screening Q&A.
Directed by: Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead
Written by: Justin Benson
Starring: Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead, Tate Ellington, Callie Hernandez, & Lew Temple
TRT: 112 min.
Country: U.S.
Language: English

BLUE MY MIND (NY Premiere)
Saturday, March 31st, 1:15 PM

Synopsis: As if adapting to a new town and a new life weren’t enough, 15-year-old Mia faces an overwhelming transformation when her body starts to change radically.
Written & Directed by: Lisa Brühlmann
Starring: Luna Wedler, Zoë Pastelle Holthuizen, & Regula Grauwiller
TRT: 97 min.
Country: Switzerland
Language: Swiss German (with English subtitles)

BOILED ANGELS: THE TRIAL OF MIKE DIANA (World Premiere)
Saturday, March 31st, 4:00 PM

Synopsis: Jailed for comics?! The true story of Mike Diana, the only American artist ever convicted of obscenity, directed by cult filmmaker Frank Henenlotter (BASKET CASE, BRAIN DAMAGE, FRANKENHOOKER). Henenlotter and Diana will appear in-person for a post-screening Q&A, along with producers Anthony Sneed and Mike Hunchback.
Directed by: Frank Henenlotter
Featuring: Mike Diana, George A. Romero, Neil Gaiman, Peter Bagge, Jay Lynch, Stephen Bissette, Peter Kuper, & more
TRT: 105 min.
Country: U.S.
Language: English

GHOST STORIES (NY Premiere)
Saturday, March 31st, 7:00 PM

Synopsis: Arch-skeptic professor Phillip Goodman embarks upon a terror-filled quest when he stumbles across three long-lost cases of unexplainable “hauntings.” Filmmakers to appear in-person for post-screening Q&A.
Written & Directed by: Jeremy Dyson & Andy Nyman
Starring: Martin Freeman, Andy Nyman, Alex Lawther, & Paul Whitehouse
TRT: 98 min.
Country: U.K.
Language: English

SATAN’S SLAVES (NY Premiere)
Saturday, March 31st, 9:45 PM

Synopsis: A hit at Rotterdam, acclaimed director Joko Anwar’s (MODUS ANOMALI, A COPY OF MY MIND) remake of a beloved 1982 Indonesian horror classic (reputedly itself inspired by PHANTASM) is a delightfully terrifying haunted house movie -- and the country’s biggest box office smash of 2017.
Written & Directed by: Joko Anwar
Starring: Bront Palarae, Tara Basro, Endy Arfian, & Dimas Aditya
TRT: 106 min.
Country: Indonesia
Language: Indonesian (with English subtitles)

CURSE OF SNAKES VALLEY, a.k.a. “The Soviet Indiana Jones” (World Premiere Restoration)
Sunday, April 1st, 12:30 PM

Synopsis: This unseen 1980s Eastern Bloc-buster presents the Soviet answer to Indiana Jones in a tale that combines snakes and jungle traps and the “classic weirdness” of Polish sci-fi! Never released in the U.S., CURSE OF SNAKES VALLEY screens in a beautiful new digital restoration by the Estonian Film Institute.
Directed by: Marek Piestrak
Written by: Wojciech Nizynski, Marek Piestrak, & Vladimir Valutskiy
Starring: Krzysztof Kolberger, Roman Wilhelmi, & Ewa Salacka
TRT: 94 min.
Country: Estonia, Poland
Language: Russian (with English subtitles)\

LOWLIFE (NY Premiere)
Sunday, April 1st, 3:00 PM

Synopsis: The sordid lives of an addict, an ex-con, and a luchador collide when an organ harvesting caper goes very, very wrong. An IFC Midnight release. Director Ryan Prows and co-star Mark Burnham will appear in-person for a post-screening Q&A.
Directed by: Ryan Prows
Written by: Tim Cairo, Jake Gibson, Shaye Ogbonna, Ryan Prows, & Maxwell Michael Towson
Starring: Jon Oswald, Nicki Micheaux, Mark Burnham, & Ricardo Adam Zarate
TRT: 96 min.
Country: U.S.
Language: English, Spanish (with English subtitles)

“The Terror” (Episode Sneak Preview)
Sunday, April 1st, 5:30 PM

Synopsis: Join star Jared Harris for a sneak preview of AMC’s new series based on Dan Simmons’s 2007 bestseller, the true-life tale of a group of sailors confronting certain death at the frozen ends of the earth. Jared Harris and Executive Producers Soo Hugh and David Kajganich will appear in-person for a post-screening Q&A.
Starring: Jared Harris, Ciarán Hinds, & Tobias Menzies
TRT: 144 min (Episodes 1-3 of the first season)
Country: U.S.
Language: English

THE RANGER (NY Premiere)
Sunday, April 1st, 9:00 PM

Synopsis: Teen punks on the run from the cops hide out in a remote cabin, only to find out that the forest has its own law. Writer/director Jenn Wexler and producer/co-star Larry Fessenden will appear in-person for a post-screening Q&A.
Directed by: Jenn Wexler
Written by: Giaco Furino & Jenn Wexler
Starring: Chloe Levine, Jeremy Holm, & Larry Fessenden
TRT: 80 min.
Country: U.S.
Language: English

Ticket Pricing and Information
Opening night screening of REVENGE - Film and Opening Night Party: $25 ($20 IFC Center members), Film only: $15 ($10 IFC Center members)
Tickets for all other screenings are $15 adults, $10 IFC Center members.
Tickets for all screenings are available online at WhatTheFestNYC.com, or in-person at the IFC Center box office, 323 Sixth Avenue (at West 3rd Street), open daily 10:30 AM-10:00 PM.

About What the Fest!?
Much of the most innovative and exciting cinema on screens today comes out of the universe of genre films – movies that are entertaining, surprising and sometimes shocking. Fantastic films that upend conventional limitations to help us escape reality and harbor deeper ambitions to thrill smart audiences. What The Fest!? is for the creative and curious looking for a community in which to share experiences and have a blast together. From cerebral shockers to singular cinematic experiences to unforgettable special events, What The Fest!? is more than just movies, it is an experience."

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Watch the New Corbin Nash Trailer and Key Artwork: Directed by Ben Jagger, Corbin Nash stars Dean S. Jagger, Corey Feldman, Malcolm McDowell, Rutger Hauer, Bruce Davison, Chris Pardal, Fernanda Romero, and Richard Wagner. Gravitas Ventures will release Corbin Nash in theaters and on VOD and Digital HD on April 20th.

Synopsis: "Searching a world of darkness for a truth he was never ready for, a rogue detective (Dean S. Jagger, Game of Thrones) is murdered only to be reborn the ultimate killer. Embracing his destiny, vowing vengeance on all that destroyed his family; he is Corbin Nash, Demon Hunter."

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The Unwilling Home Media Release Details: Press Release: "Los Angeles, CA - Vision Films is set to release Award-winning horror movie “The Unwilling” from Academy Award-nominated writer/director Jonathan Heap to DVD, Blu-ray, and VOD on May 1st, 2018.

The reading of a despised father’s will takes a twisted turn when a mysterious box arrives, tempting the surviving family members with their deepest, darkest desires. As the box’s mysterious hold on them increases, they turn on themselves and each other as they struggle to overcome the evil entity—possibly from their father—now looking for a new, living host on which to feed.

“The Unwilling” stars David Lipper (Frequency, High Strung, Fullhouse), Dina Meyer (Starship Troopers, Saw I-II-III,IV), Bree Williamson (True Detective, General Hospital), Levy Tran (Furious 7, Female Fight Club), Austin Highsmith (Gangster Squad, Criminal Minds), Robert Rusler, and Lance Henriksen (After The Sun Fell, The Blacklist).

Jonathan Heap’s previous work includes “Benefit of Doubt” for Miramax in 1993, reality show “Destination X,” and short film “12.01” for which he received an Oscar nomination. The Director of Photography is Academy Award, Emmy Award, and International Cinematographer Guild Award-winner David Stump (X-Men, X-Men 2).

“The Unwilling” was produced by Julia Verdin (2 Jacks, Born of War) for Rough Diamond Productions. Lead Actor David Lipper co-wrote the script with Heap and served as co-producer. Also co-producing is Award-winning writer Philip Morton (Fire Down Below, Fantastic Four, SNL), whose other current projects include penning the script for “Amortals” at Warner Bros. For Andrew Lazar. Jim Johnston (The Real World, Zoom) served as Executive Producer.

Jonathan Heap says: “I have always been inspired by the works of directors F.W. Murnau and Fritz Lang and their interplay of light and shadow, line and form that deconstructs reality to match the inner emotional landscape of the characters on screen. In The Unwilling I endeavored to combine my love of German expressionism – the shadow world made real – with a modern contemporary rich emotional style.”

David Lipper says: “I wanted to make a horror film that made you think and that touched on abstract concepts like the relativity of space and time. When I had seen Jonathan Heap's Oscar-nominated film, 12:01 pm, I knew he was the right guy to team up with, along with longtime writing mentor, Phil Morton. The Unwilling is the culmination of that dream collaboration that is almost impossible to realize in the studio system and the true blessing of making an independent movie.

Managing Director / CEO of Vision Films Lise Romanoff says: “We are thrilled to be releasing The Unwilling, an intelligent horror movie shot in 4k, which gives it an unprecedented visual depth.”