Shot on the same sets as Tod Browning’s Dracula and released in the same year, Universal’s Spanish-language take on Bram Stoker’s novel is, in some circles, considered to be the superior film. Carlos Villaraas gives Bela Lugosi a run for his money as the iconic bloodsucker in a Stoker adaptation that’s more sexually charged than its English-language counterpart. Join Brooklyn Horror for a special screening of this largely overlooked film featuring a live score from BHFF mainstays The Flushing Remonstrance. -Matt Barone
Hatched
Black Eyed Susan
Starring: Damian Maffei, Yvonne Emilie Thälker, Marc Romeo, Scott Fowler, Kate Kiddo
NYC Premiere
A man is hired by an AI company to test out their prototype for a BDSM sex doll that bleeds and bruises just like a human. As he spends more time with the doll he is forced to reckon with his own morality and the ethical implications of this technology. Scooter McCrae crafts a complicated story in which tone and theme often clash. This is sure to lead to some fascinating discussions for those who see it. – Tori Potenza
Dead Talents Society
Starring: Bo-Lin Chen, Sandrine Pinna, Gingle Wang, Yi Ti Yao, Bai Bai, Soso Tseng
New York Premiere
After dying a mediocre death and the totem that keeps her among the living being badly damaged, a ghost will have to step her haunting game up in order to avoid getting kicked out of the underworld. To compete with all the top ghosts she joins a small haunting talent agency, literally the only one that would give her a shot. Together with her agent and his only successful client, the legendary but washed-up ghost diva Catherine, she sets out to become the scariest urban legend of them all. John Hsu (2020 Brooklyn Horror selection DETENTION) presents a wonderfully clever fully realized world, filled to the brim with boundless wit and magic. -Joseph Hernandez
Nightmare Fuel
Sleep no more after witnessing the terror on display in this chilling block of purely scary horror, complete with Ouija board mishaps, techie ghouls, and cult rituals gone awry.
Dream Creep, dir. Carlos A.F. Lopez (USA); Pop, dir. Josh Jones (USA); Agonist, dir. Annie Marie Elliot (USA); Cease to Exist, dir. Taylor Nodrick (Canada); The Awakening, dir. Al Campbell (UK); Taboo, dir. Almog Avidan Antonir (USA); Inked, dir. Kelsey Bollig (USA); Mr. Static, dir. Mike Williamson (USA); Transylvanie, dir. Rodrigue Huart (France)
Habit
On a drunken downward spiral following a breakup and the recent death of his father, Sam’s troubles only multiply when he meets the enigmatic Anna who just might be a vampire. An essential NYC vampire film, this paranoid modern classic is just as entrancing as it was in 1995 when it took the indie scene by the throat. Since then, director and star Larry Fessenden has continued to leave his distinct mark on the horror industry both behind the camera and in countless memorable performances in front. His independent production company Glass Eye Pix has been an invaluable birthing ground for talent such as Ti West, Kelly Reichardt, Mickey Keating and Jenn Wexler. To honor his enormous and indelible contributions, it is Brooklyn Horror’s privilege and duty to name Larry Fessenden this year’s recipient of the Leviathan Award. This special screening of HABIT will be followed by an award presentation and Q&A moderated by Jenn Wexler. -Joseph Hernandez
Timestalker
New York Premiere
One woman, one man, many lifetimes, lots of beheadings. Alice Lowe (Prevenge) gives us a hilarious and violent, fantastical, multi-period piece in her sophomore feature, Timestalker. It’s a thrilling tale of misplaced affection, unrequited lust and revenge as it spans centuries of Agnes (played by Lowe) repeatedly making the same mistake: falling for the same man throughout time and then dying. As her reincarnations evolve, from 1688 Scotland to 1980s England, the love of her lives is always just out of reach until she realizes that maybe she doesn’t need that man at all. A true relatable horror. -Caryn Coleman
The Last Sacrifice
East Coast Premiere
On Valentine’s Day of 1945, English farmer Charles Walton was found brutally murdered on the outskirts of his property, triggering a decades-long investigation with ties to witchcraft, vampirism and the occult. Fascinating the entire country of England, the enigmatic homicide inspired classic films like The Wicker Man and, more generally, the rise of British folk horror. Through talking-heads insight and a surplus of film clips, Rupert Russell examines Walton’s death as both a true crime puzzle box and the catalyst for some of the England’s best and most influential horror films. -Matt Barone
Laugh Now Die Later
Presented by Teeth: The Musical
What’s better than being scared? Laughing your ass off at the same time, which you’ll do thanks to this batch of raucous horror-comedies featuring personal trainers, home invasions, and sexual dysfunction.
Cheat Meal, dir. Drew Bierut (USA); The Last Thing She Saw, dir. Anthony Cousins (USA); Mean Ends, dir. Émile Lavoie (Canada); Erection and Destruction, dir. Eddie Mullins (USA); Make Me a Pizza, dir. Talia Shea Levin (USA); Roger is a Serial Killer, dir. Don Swaynos (USA); Hold Up, dir. Ori Guendelman (USA)
Home Invasion 2
Round two of our annual local shorts program, just in case you needed a reminder that NYC genre films are built different.
The Sacrifice, dir. Christopher Werener; VHX, dir. Alisa Stern, Scott Ampleford; Accidental Stars, dir. Emily Bennett; The Retreat, dir. Emmett Kerr-Perkinson; The Shadow Wrangler, dir. Grace Rex; Implied Monsters, dir. Christine Nyland; Strange Creatures, dir. Nicholas Payne Santos; Girl With the Grey Eyes, dir. Kara Grace Miller; Don’t F*ck With Ba, dir. Sally Tran
Custom
Starring: Abigail Hardingham, Rowan Polonski, Brad Moore
North American Premiere
Jasper and Harriet are artists who make custom erotic videos to make ends meet. When they take on a mysterious new client who wants them to perform rituals on tape, it begins to have strange effects on the both of them. Tiago Teixeria crafts a thriller that fans of Videodrome and body horror enthusiasts are sure to love. It is nightmare fuel with incredible creepy imagery you won’t soon forget. -Tori Potenza
