Horror Highlights: Windy City Horrorama Screenings, Chattanooga Film Festival’s Second Wave of Movies & Events, TERROR 5

The list of screenings for the second annual Windy City Horrorama has been revealed and kicking things off is Perry Blackshear's The Rusalka. Also in today's Horror Highlights: the second wave of filmsfor Chattanooga Film Festival 2019 and Terror 5 DVD and VOD release details.

Windy City Horrorama Screenings Unveiled: Press Release: "Get ready to scream, horror fans! We’re announcing the first films of Windy City Horrorama’s creeptastic lineup!

First up, it’s the Chicago premiere of THE RUSALKA*! Director Perry Blackshear reunites with him THEY LOOK LIKE PEOPLE (2015) team for this tale of a folkloric water spirit, the vengeful man hunting her, and the handsome stranger caught between them. Stuffed to its gills with doomed longing, THE RUSALKA is an atmospheric elegy for love touched by the cruel hands of fate.

Also joining our 2019 slate of films is the infamous low-budget vigilante shocker, ROBOT NINJA! This 1989 thriller about a comic book artist who dons the persona of his most famous superhero character to fight crime is a bonafide cult classic currently celebrating its 30th anniversary with a brand new restoration. Windy City Horrorama will present ROBOT NINJA in its kickass new 2K scan with director JR
Bookwalter in attendance!

But that’s not all! We know that waiting is hell, so we’re partnering with Comfort Film for the second year to kick things off with back-to-back screenings of THE HEAD HUNTER * and LIVESCREAM on April 3rd at 7:00 PM at Comfort Station in Logan Square. Admission is free, and seating is first come, first serve for this can’t miss double-feature that’s sure to whet your appetite for the frights to come!

Windy City Horrorama 2019 will take place from Friday, April 26 to Sunday, April 28, day and night at the Davis Theater in Chicago’s Lincoln Square neighborhood.

Follow Windy City Horrorama on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

*presented with support from the Chicago Cinema Society."

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Chattanooga Film Festival's Second Wave of Films Announced: Press Release: "Less than one month to go before the sixth annual Chattanooga Film Festival is underway, and the second half of the 2019 lineup of films, workshops and events is here.

FILMS:

HARPOON | Director Rob Grant

*Closing night film | Rob Grant in attendance along with producers Michael Peterson and Kurtis David Harder

It’s an honor to close out our sixth year with one of our favorite recent discoveries. Rob Grant’s HARPOON is a brilliantly executed dark comedy that circles around three best friends who become stranded on a yacht.

Synopsis: Rivalries, dark secrets, and sexual tension that emerge when three best friends find themselves stranded on a yacht in the middle of the ocean under suspicious circumstances. | Trailer

WILD ROSE | Director Tom Harper

This year’s Sonic Cinema block is packed with amazing films celebrating musical genres from black metal to punk rock to Memphis blues, and to those ranks, we’re proud to add just a little bit of country in the form of WILD ROSE. This film is a genuine charmer of a musical comedy-drama that centers around a single-mom fresh out of jail in Glasgow who dreams of becoming a Nashville star. Jessie Buckley’s performance as the titular Rose-Lynn truly seals the deal.

Synopsis: A musician from Glasgow dreams of becoming a Nashville star. | Trailer

MODEST HEROES | Directors Yoshiyuki Momose, Akihiko Yamashita, Hiromasa Yonebayashi

Studio Ponoc, the new animation studio founded by two-time Academy Award®-nominee Yoshiaki Nishimura (THE TALE OF PRINCESS KAGUYA, WHEN MARNIE WAS THERE) and featuring many artists from the venerable Studio Ghibli, made an immediate splash with their acclaimed debut film MARY AND THE WITCHES FLOWERS last year. The studio returns this year with MODEST HEROES, an ambitious anthology of three thrilling tales created by some of the greatest talents working in Japanese animation today.

Together, the stories “Kanini & Kanino,” “Life Ain’t Gonna Lose,” “Invisible,” explore ideas of heroism in everyday life. The infinite potential of the short film format allows the directors and Studio Ponoc to experiment with breathtaking, action-packed visuals, concise human drama, and gorgeous fantasy worlds in this unforgettable showcase that is a further demonstration of the studio’s exciting future. | Trailer

CONFESSIONAL | Director Brad T. Gottfred

From director Brad T. Gottfred and producer Milan Chakraborty (My Friend Dahmer, Assassination Nation) comes this twisty single room thriller.

Synopsis: After two mysterious deaths at a college on the same night, seven students, somehow connected, receive invitations to a confessional booth hidden on the campus. Their confessions slowly unveil the truth behind, not only the deaths, the booth as well. The dark, twisty, dialogue-driven and emotionally-complex mystery are entirely confined to the video confessional.

MEMPHIS ‘69 | Director Joe LaMattina

Resembling a southern-fried MONTEREY POP, MEMPHIS ’69 documents the 1969 Memphis Country Blues Festival thanks to the discovery of nearly 50-year-old footage acquired by legendary blues label Fat Possum Records. Shot over three days in the same venue where the Ku Klux Klan staged white power rallies, the festival displayed how blues music could transcend turmoil and unite a crowd of strangers that had gathered to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Memphis, barely a year after Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in the city. Featuring performances from Johnny Winter, Bukka White, Rufus Thomas and many more.

Synopsis: A year after Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated, a group of blues legends came together to celebrate the 150 year anniversary of Memphis, TN. This concert documentary shot over 3 days in June of 1969, celebrates an American art form that unites us all. | Trailer

WOMAN AT WAR | Director Benedikt Erlingsson

This film is a tightly wound thriller/comedy/drama that Variety hailed as “near perfect” and that The New York Times called “an environmental drama wrapped in whimsical comedy and tied with a bow of midlife soul-searching.”

Synopsis: Halla is a 50-year-old environmental activist who crusades against the local aluminum industry in Iceland. As her actions grow bolder, her life changes in the blink of an eye when she's finally granted permission to adopt a girl from Ukraine. | Trailer

DEADTECTIVES | Director Tony West

In our minds, comedy and horror are two genres that when combined carefully and in the correct proportions make something truly special. Very few films have managed to achieve this alchemy over the years (GHOSTBUSTERS springs to mind as a shining example) so when one gets it (please excuse the pun) DEAD right, we have no choice but to fall all over ourselves and share it with our CFF audience. Pulling off the truly incredible balancing act of weaving scares, laughs and some serious heart into one delightful package. We firmly agree with one of our favorite film critics Meredith Borders, who called the film a “non-stop Blast” and said, “There’s not a single beat that doesn’t work in this hilarious, spooky film, and that’s a rarity, indeed.”

Synopsis: DEADTECTIVES follows a team of hapless paranormal investigators on a reality TV series who go on a quest to Mexico's most haunted house in the pursuit of better ratings. However, when the true dark secrets of the mansion begin to reveal themselves, the hapless presenters quickly discover that this house is no hoax. With zero ghost-hunting skills (or really any other applicable skills) the team has to figure out how to bust the ghosts and escape the house with their lives. | Trailer

A BREAD FACTORY PART 1 and PART 2 | Director Patrick Wang

Matt Zoller-Seitz of RogerEbert.com summed things up perfectly when he reviewed A BREAD FACTORY PART 1 and A BREAD FACTORY PART 2, “The most original filmgoing experience of the year… as thorough and thoughtful a statement on art and life as any American filmmaker has given us.”

Set in the imagined community of Checkford, New York, a modest arts centre known as The Bread Factory struggles to retain both its relevance and resources as their annual funding from the city council risks being diverted to a decidedly more corporate arts institution fronted by an ostentatious pair of performance artists. As The Bread Factory’s founders Dorothea (Tyne Daly) and Greta (Elisabeth Henry-Macari) marshall the community to come to their support, a cavalcade of eccentric personalities are introduced, each character with their own personal discord to resolve, and both buoyed by an exceptional performance. Thoughtfully photographed on gorgeously grainy 16mm, the end result, across two epic halves, is a profound reminder of the transformative power of art and a communal tapestry as vivid and endearing as those found in the works of Robert Altman, Ingmar Bergman, and David Lynch.

Synopsis: After 40 years of running their community arts space, The Bread Factory, Dorothea and Greta are suddenly fighting for survival when a celebrity couple--performance artists from China--come to Checkford and build an enormous complex down the street catapulting big changes in their small town. | Trailer

THE GIRL ON THE THIRD FLOOR | Director Travis Stevens

We’re big fans of Travis Stevens’ work as a producer, as his films CHEAP THRILLS and BUSTER’S MAL HEART have graced CFF screens over the years. Now we have the honor of sharing Mr. Stevens brilliantly spooky directorial debut THE GIRL ON THE THIRD FLOOR. Featuring a score composed in part by the legendary Steve Albini and a winning leading man turn by wrestler CM PUNK, Stevens’ film plays out like a horror version of THE MONEY PIT with some serious things to say about toxic masculinity and enough strange fluids to make you want to wash your hands immediately after viewing. THE GIRL ON THE THIRD FLOOR is a hellaciously effective debut by one of our favorite working filmmakers. | Trailer

MONOS | Director Alejandro Landes

The Guardian called filmmaker Alejandro Landes MONOS “Apocalypse Now on shrooms”. We call it one of the tensest, gorgeous and fast-paced pieces of pure cinema you’ll see this year. MONOS wowed audiences at Sundance this January and CFF are proud to present it for our 2019 audience.

Synopsis: On a faraway mountaintop, eight kids with guns watch over a hostage and a conscripted milk cow. | Trailer

THE NIGHTSHIFTER | Director Dennison Ramalho

*Presented by Shudder

Filmmaker Dennison Ramalho’s Brazilian chiller is definitely a film fan of genre cinema aren’t going to want to pass up a chance to see on the big screen.

Synopsis: Stênio, the night-shifter of a morgue, has the ability to communicate with the cadavers that are brought to him every night. | Trailer

GHOSTBOX COWBOY | Director John Maringouin

Variety Magazine called filmmaker John Maringouin’s GHOSTBOX COWBOY “Fear and Loathing in the Chinese Economic Miracle” and that sums the freewheeling absurdist tone of his fascinating and anarchically fun satire. Anchored by winningly weird lead performances by indie cinema stalwarts David Zellner (who CFF fans will recognize from our screenings of his fantastic films DAMSEL and KUMIKO THE TREASURE HUNTER) and Robert Longstreet, a jarring but beautiful aesthetic achieved by shooting with hacked DSLR cameras, GHOSTBOW COWBOY just might be the feel weird hit of the festival and it’s a ride we hope fiercely intelligent cinephiles we’re proud to call our audience will really dig.

Synopsis: A dullard Texas entrepreneur reinvents himself as a cowboy in China's tech wild west, but finds himself at the mercy of corrupt American expats looking to reinvent him once more. | Trailer

SADISTIC INTENTIONS | Director Eric Pennycoff

*Director Eric Pennycoff and Star Jeremy Gardner in attendance.

CFF fans will be thrilled to see longtime festival favorites Jeremy Gardner and Larry Fessenden in a film that truly lives up to the phrase “metal madness”. Eric Pennycoff’s directorial feature debut is twisted and insanely fun.

Synopsis: A psychotic musician lures a fellow bandmate and an unsuspecting woman to a remote mansion for a night of romantic deceit and grinding metal mayhem.

MANGOSHAKE | Director Terry Chiu

Film critic Andrew Todd (Birth.Movies.Death.) called Terry Chiu’s MANGOSHAKE “A manic DIY coming-of-age film that detests coming-of-age films.” In a single sentence, Mr. Todd beautifully sums up the spirit of Chiu’s unpolished gem. This movie has as much fun wilfully flouting the language and structure of cinema as it does perfectly execute great cinematic moments (though often in the roughes and tumble possible ways) with a palpable sense of fun and friendship layered into almost every moment.

Synopsis: Set in the window of a single summer, MANGOSHAKE is a glance into the bonds formed, lost, and held onto between kids hanging around a lemonade stand — but instead of lemons, it’s mangos.

FREAKS | Directors Zach Lipovsky, Adam B. Stein

Emile Hirsch, Bruce Dern and 7-year-old newcomer Lexy Kolker star in this mind-bending mash-up of dystopian drama, action and science fiction. Not perhaps what you would expect as the follow up from the filmmakers of Disney Channel action comedy “Kim Possible,” but clever directing duo Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein’s prove themselves capable of anything in with this paranoid gem of a picture we’re sure is destined to be one of the sleeper hits of CFF 2019.

Synopsis: In this genre-bending psychological sci-fi thriller, a bold girl discovers a bizarre, threatening, and mysterious new world beyond her front door after she escapes her father's protective and paranoid control.

COWBOY WHO? | Presented by Peter Kuplowsky

CFF BFF and TIFF Midnight Madness film programmer Peter Kuplowsky will be on hand to present this retrospective look at one of the strangest and most magical children’s television shows of all time complete with an all you can eat Saturday Morning Cereal bar.

THE FARE | D.C. Hamilton

This whimsical and mysterious romance by filmmaker D.C. Hamilton charmed the hell out of us. It doesn’t hurt that every frame of the film is a love letter to classic cinema and we think our many cinema savvy CFF attendees will agree. THE FARE tells the tale of a taxi driver and his passenger fall for each other as they try to escape a mysterious and endless nighttime cab ride where each turn of the meter resets their trip to the beginning. To say more is to spoil a genuinely delightful mystery we hope festival-goers will seek out.

Synopsis: When a charming fare named Penny climbs into his taxi cab, Harris, her world-weary driver, finds himself engaged in the only kind of courtship he can have with a passenger -- one that lasts as long as her trip. That is, right up until she disappears from the back seat without a trace. When confusion gives way to reality, he resets his meter and is instantaneously transported back to the moment when she climbed into his cab.

SUBURBIA |Director Penelope Spheeris (1983)

This unbelievable early '80s punk rock megablast follows a group of semi-homeless outsider teens (played by ACTUAL semi-homeless outsider teens!) in their nonstop war against parents, rednecks, cops, society and each other. Authentic and relentlessly entertaining, it's packed with comedy, action, power, pain, and amazing performances from both the cast and the best bands of the era. From the director of legendary music doc The Decline of Western Civilization, Suburbia is not only the best fictional movie ever made about punks... it's legitimately one of the greatest films of all time. SEE IT OR DIE.

Sypnopsis: When household tensions and a sense of worthlessness overcome Evan, he finds escape when he clings with the orphans of a throw-away society. The runaways hold on to each other like a family until a tragedy tears them apart. | Trailer

THE DEAD CENTER | Director Billy Senese

A hospital psychiatrist's own sanity is tested in writer/director Billy Senese’s haunting thriller which was produced by and also stars CFF fan favorite Shane Carruth (PRIMER, UPSTREAM COLOR). We’re proud to share THE DEAD CENTER and we think festival goers that choose to give it a spin, will find that it gives them the best kind of goosebumps and sticks in their head far into the future.

Synopsis: A hospital psychiatrist's own sanity is pushed to the edge when a frightened amnesiac patient insists that he has died and brought something terrible back from the other side. | Trailer

CFF 2019 SHORTS PROGRAM

Also being rolled out now are the many masterful short works that make up the CFF 2019 Shorts Program. Comprised of five jam-packed blocks of different types of short films culminating in Sunday’s traditional Tennessee Filmmaker Showcase.

Highlights of this year’s program include new works by CFF fan favorites Izzy Lee, Steven Degennaro and Tim Reis, as well as exciting new short works from newcomers Meredith Alloway, Will Goss and many more. This year’s shorts program is truly the equal of our carefully curated feature line-up.

EVENTS + WORKSHOPS

PUMPKIN PIE SHOW | Presented by Clay McLeod Chapman

For over 20 years, author Clay McLeod Chapman and his rigorous storytelling session The Pumpkin Pie Show have offered a view into the minds of the most depraved Southern Gothic monstrosities. Sometimes darkly humorous, sometimes strangely heartbreaking, and most definitely always in-your-face, these tales of madness and macabre explore the domestic horrors of every day, finding terror within our very own households. This one-of-a-kind performance delves deep into the darkest recesses of those mad men and women who drift along the periphery of humankind. Still not sold? The Scotsman says, "Clay McLeod Chapman is like Stephen King transmogrified into a post-punk preacher poet." We bet you’re in now.

DESTROY ALL MOVIES!!!: The PUNKS ON FILM Panel! | Presented by Zack Carlson and Bryan Connolly

20th-century punk historians and full-time goon bags Zack Carlson and Bryan Connolly attack the audience with the ludicrous and completely impossible facts (and fictions) of Hollywood vs. the punk rock movement when horror films and party comedies became infested with mohawks and mayhem. Including a special punk clips show from Everything Is Terrible!

PITCH WORKSHOP | Led by David Lawson, Jr.

Longtime CFF collaborator and Rustic Films producer David Lawson, Jr. (SPRING, THE ENDLESS) leads this rousing and informative workshop designed to teach aspiring filmmakers the art of the pitch and advise them on their journey to tell amazing stories through the medium of film.

*Please note for this workshop, attendees will have to have a finished script to work with.

FUNDING YOUR FILM WITH INVESTORS | Presented by Steven Degennaro

Making the jump to one’s first feature film is probably the hardest maneuver a filmmaker has to do. A great many first-time filmmakers settle for raising $20-100k via crowdfunding or credit cards because they assume that they don’t have the skills to be a “real producer.” In filmmaker Steven Degennaro’s (STOP, FOUND FOOTAGE 3D) class, filmmakers will learn that there is a mystique surrounding film financing, one deliberately cultivated by producers, that discourages filmmakers from even attempting to produce a film for $500k-1M on their first go-around (or EVER). The truth is that it’s not nearly as daunting as many assume. It’s a lot of hard work, and not for the faint of heart, but it can be done with just a little determination and the right people by your side. Attendees will also be given exclusive access to various documents and audio-visual materials including a successful film business plan and pitch materials.

IP MAN: PROTECTING YOUR FILM’S INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY | Presented by Barham & Maucere LLC

Let’s face it - it’s tough to keep your creative ideas safe. And unless you make movies in a cave, you need to protect your film. This panel will focus on an overview of intellectual property in independent film - and more importantly, how it’s important to you. We’ll cover works for hire, licensing, acquiring rights to other works, and fair use from the perspective of protecting the filmmaker. All in a fun, informal environment where you’ll have a chance to interact and ask questions from our panel of industry experts, filmmakers, and entertainment attorneys.

CHATTANOOGA WHISKEY COCKTAIL COMPETITION

If you’ve attended CFF in the past you’ll know that Chattanooga Whiskey isn’t just our official whiskey, it’s the official liquid of the Chattanooga Film Festival. We love it, ya’ll love it and that’s why we’re mega-pumped to announce that the mixology master-minds at Chattanooga Whiskey and Dr. Thatchers will be presenting a complimentary cocktail competition for CFF badge holders.

In addition to the lineup above, CFF also is announcing the rest of their parties, including an opening night Heavy Metal Madness party celebrating heavy metal in cinema complete with themed cocktails crafted by the bar at The Moxy (one of them is called MegaDeth!), metal face painters and other opening night mayhem to celebrate CFF’s 2019’s metal selections SADISTIC INTENTIONS & LORDS OF CHAOS. Back again is the annual I’m Ok, You’re Karaoke VOL 4.! Our pals the talented brewmeisters at the Chattanooga Brewing Company will be generously hosting the festival’s now traditional karaoke party. Join us as we sip on some of the finest local brews and tastiest snacks our city has to offer, and deeply and irrevocably butcher hours of classic tunes with the help of our special CFF KJ.

This year the festival returns to the Chattanooga Theatre Centre (400 River St.), with a select number of events taking place at The Moxy (1220 King St.) Badges for CFF and individual tickets for some events are on sale now via chattfilmfest.org.

About the Chattanooga Film Festival:

The Chattanooga Film Festival loves everything about cinema: the films, filmmakers and audiences; the critics, collectors and curators; and most especially the popcorn. The first ever Chattanooga Film Festival was held in 2014, and has been quickly making a name for itself among film-lovers, filmmakers and the film industry and was named one of the 30 Bloody Best Genre Fests in the World for 2019 by Moviemaker Magazine.

We share films and events that are unique, challenging, critically significant and a helluva lot of fun. Our ultimate goal is to remember, discover and cultivate cinema worthy of everyone’s love and respect. As always, CFF is proudly continuing its mission to “Respect Cinema,” in hopes of increasing film exhibition, education, and production in the state of Tennessee.

For more information, visit chattfilmfest.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram."

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Terror 5 DVD and Digital HD Release Details: "Playfully based on urban legends and featuring a group of young people all coming face-to-face with their inner demons, Terror 5 is far from your typical indie horror. First-time directors Sebastian and Federico Rotstein use a local political crisis in Argentina as the backdrop to the five stories that unfold to horrific conclusions. Artsploitation Films will release the film this April 2nd on DVD and on several VOD platforms.

“Terror 5 demands repeated viewings to fully grasp the scope and genius of the film, which is thought-provoking and confounding at times, but entirely enticing and compelling.” – WeAreIndieHorror

Synopsis: While most of the residents of a small Argentinian town attend a funeral procession following a tragic building collapse, the few who do not will face terrors of their own in this mashup of urban legends from brothers-filmmakers Sebastián and Federico Rotstein. Think bondage, torture, zombies…and governmental corruption. Hernán and Gabriela, are going to a motel without realizing that inside the room, behind the mirror, there is something waiting for them. Lucio and Paulo have a plan to swap girlfriends without realizing what will really happen. A group of friends are watching a snuff movie ignoring that the real terror is sitting next to them. Juan attends a date with Sonia thinking he is going to get laid when he realizes that she has bigger plans for him. As their primal urges distract them all, local officials are judged innocent of the neglect that caused the building collapse—and then the horror really begins.

Terror 5 will be available April 2nd on DVD and Digital HD, including iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, VUDU, Google Play, In Demand and more.

Title: Terror 5;
Directors: Sebastián Rotstein, Federico Rotstein;
Country: Argentina;
Year: 2016;
Running Time: 78 minutes;
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1;
Language: Spanish with English subtitles;
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1;
UPC: 851597006742;
SRP: $14.99."