After showcasing a scary good lineup of 48 features and 83 short films for its epic tenth edition in August, Popcorn Frights has even more thrills and chills in store for South Florida with their annual Wicked Weekend celebration this fall! Taking place September 25th–29th at the Gateway Theater in Fort Lauderdale, this year's Wicked Weekend lineup is brimming with must-see scares on the big screen, including the Rosemary's Baby prequel Apartment 7A, the found footage horror anthology V/H/S/Beyond, and the post-apocalyptic Azrael (starring Samara Weaving).
Below, we have the official press release with additional details on the full Wicked Weekend lineup, as well as a look at Jason Sheppard's stunning poster artwork that is an amazing homage to Tim Jacobus' iconic Goosebumps covers. To learn more, be sure to visit Popcorn Frights' official website!
Press Release: September 3, 2024 // – Roaring off the screen, roaring into your eyes and ears! It’s Popcorn Frights’ Wicked Weekend annual celebration of all the eerie, weird, wild, and strange things that go bump in the night! The event, running September 25-29 at the historic Gateway Theater, will feature eight film premieres and special presentations highlighted by new nightmares featuring some of the most beloved women in genre cinema, including Sarah Paulson, Samara Weaving, Heather Langenkamp, Barbara Crampton, Julia Garner, and Oscar-winner Ariana DeBose.
Wicked Weekend is headlined by a special presentation of Paramount+’s horrifying ROSEMARY’S BABY prequel APARTMENT 7A, a frightening new chapter to the horror classic starring Julia Garner and two-time Oscar-winner Dianne Wiest that explores what happened in the infamous Bramford building before Rosemary moved in.
Also headlining Wicked Weekend is Netflix’s IT’S WHAT’S INSIDE, a playful and wholly original sci-fi-infused psychological horror thriller that drew raves at Sundance and SXSW for its blindsiding twists and breakneck turns. In this existential nightmare set at a pre-wedding party, an estranged friend shows up with a mysterious game that awakens long-hidden secrets, desires, and grudges among the social media obsessive guests.
Other notable highlights include a special presentation of Amazon MGM Studios and Blumhouse Television’s delicious genre-bending culinary horror HOUSE OF SPOILS starring Euphoria’s Barbie Ferreira and Academy Award-winner Ariana DeBose as an ambitious chef working at a remote estate who is haunted by a mysterious presence that threatens to sabotage her at every turn. The program will also feature Searchlight’s hauntingly tense and anxiety-inducing frightfest HOLD YOUR BREATH, a supernatural and psychological thriller set during the dust storms of 1930s Oklahoma starring Sarah Paulson as a mother trying to protect her daughters from deadly windstorms and a sinister presence threatening her family.
Hitting the scuzz and sun capital for its Florida Premiere is the year’s most zany, gonzo, blood-soaked musical, CHAINSAWS WERE SINGING, a decade in the making Estonian murder-fest about lovers split up by a chainsaw-wielding killer.
Rounding out the program are Florida Premieres of Shudder’s V/H/S/BEYOND, the biggest, maddest, bloodiest V/H/S ever in its seventh installment featuring six new bloodcurdling tapes from the likes of Kate Siegel, Mike Flanagan, and Justin Long; the pulse-pounding, dialog-less, post-apocalyptic vision AZRAEL from writer Simon Barrett and starring Samara Weaving as a desperate woman who is being hunted by a tenacious cult of mutes determined to use her in a sadistic ritual; and the unflinching tale LITTLE BITES, starring the first ladies of horror Barbara Crampton and Heather Langenkamp, and featuring a powerhouse performance from Krsy Fox as a mother desperately trying to protect her daughter from the grips of a fiendish, flesh-eating monster.
Access to Popcorn Frights’ Wicked Weekend in-theater experience is available through an all-access pass, which will provide an all-inclusive experience for films and special events hosted at the historic Gateway Theater in Fort Lauderdale. To order an all-access pass, click here.
The official poster for this year's Popcorn Frights Wicked Weekend was created by South Florida artist Jason Sheppard, who has been crafting imagery for the event over the past four years.
Celebrated as one of “The World’s 50 Best Genre Festivals” by MovieMaker Magazine, Popcorn Frights recently wrapped its milestone tenth edition this past August with more than 12,700 filmgoers and industry professionals attending its summer week of wicked films, events, and parties. The eleventh annual Popcorn Frights Film Festival will take place August 7-17, 2025 across South Florida with submissions now open via Film Freeway. Shorts, features, documentaries, animation, film and video — all are welcome and can be submitted at the link: https://filmfreeway.com/popcornfrights
WICKED WEEKEND LINEUP
Apartment 7A
Special Presentation
United States | 2024 | 104 Min. | Dir. Natalie Erika James
New York City, 1965. What happened in the apartment before Rosemary moved in? A struggling dancer finds herself drawn into dark forces by a peculiar couple promising her fame.
Azrael
Florida Premiere
United States | 2024 | 85 Min. | Dir. E.L. Katz
In a world where no one speaks, a devout female hunts down a young woman who has escaped her imprisonment. Recaptured by its ruthless leaders, Azrael is due to be sacrificed to pacify an ancient evil deep within the surrounding wilderness.
Chainsaws Were Singing
Florida Premiere
Estonia | 2024 | 118 Min. | Dir. Sander Maran
Adventures await when new lovers are separated by a chainsaw killer.
Hold Your Breath
Special Presentation
United States | 2024 | 94 Min. | Dir. Karrie Crouse & Will Joines
In 1930s Oklahoma amid the region's horrific dust storms, a woman is convinced that a sinister presence is threatening her family.
House of Spoils
Special Presentation
United States | 2024 | 101 Min. | Dir. Bridget Savage Cole, Danielle Krudy
A chef opens her first restaurant where she battles kitchen chaos, a dubious investor and self doubt, but the pressure heats up thanks to the spirit of the estate's previous owner who threatens to sabotage her.
It’s What’s Inside
Special Presentation
United States | 2024 | 103 Min. | Dir. Greg Jardin
A pre-wedding party descends into an existential nightmare when an estranged friend shows up with a mysterious suitcase.
Little Bites
Florida Premiere
United States | 2024 | 105 Min. | Dir. Spider One
In a desperate attempt to protect her ten year old daughter, a young widow allows a nightmarish monster to slowly eat her alive.
V/H/S/Beyond
Florida Premiere
United States | 2024 | 125 Min. | Dirs. Jay Cheel, Jordan Downey, Christian Long, Justin Long, Justin Martinez, Virat Pal, Kate Siegel
Six bloodcurdling tapes unleash horror in a sci-fi-inspired hellscape, pushing the boundaries of fear and suspense.
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For all further details please visit www.popcornfrights.com
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facebook.com/popcornfrightsABOUT POPCORN FRIGHTS FILM FESTIVAL
Popcorn Frights Film Festival is the ultimate summer celebration of the art of horror, showcasing the finest contemporary genre cinema from around the world. As the largest genre film festival in the Southeast U.S., this 11-day event takes pride in premiering works from both emerging and established filmmakers. By offering a platform for these artists, the festival aims to provide an immersive experience that highlights the captivating power of storytelling through genre film.
Poster by Jason Sheppard:
Raised on a steady diet of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Derek has been fascinated with fear since he first saw ForeverWare being used on an episode of Eerie, Indiana.
When he’s not writing about horror as the Senior News Reporter for Daily Dead, Derek can be found daydreaming about the Santa Carla Boardwalk from The Lost Boys or reading Stephen King and Brian Keene novels.
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