Starring: Julia Batelaan, Fiona Dourif, Yasmin Blake, Lloydd Hamwijk
World Premiere
A futuristic healing machine capable of piercing into one’s dreams is Maxime’s only hope to save her dying girlfriend. Along with the help of the machine’s creator, her mother Samantha (played by a wonderful Fiona Dourif), Max must traverse into the dark recesses of her lover’s mind in order to locate the “essential memory” that could save her life. Indie sci-fi done right, Psychonaut boasts an eye-catching visual flair as it impressively oscillates between genres. -Joseph Hernandez
Starring: Adam Wingard, James Wong, Rob & Sheri Moon Zombie, Neil Marshall, Joe Lynch, Xavier Gens, Srdjan Spasojevic
North American Premiere
The turn of the millennium was marked by distinct social upheaval that had a profound effect on the kinds of horror films being released. With diverse horror experts and filmmakers, Generation Terror takes a look at the late 90s through the 2000s and examines the mark it left on global horror film history. While many of these films were panned for their extreme violence, the documentary utilizes an analytical lens to show the value in these films. – Tori Potenza
Starring: Chloe Levine, Will Peltz, Peter Vack, Clarissa Thibeaux, Grace Van Dien, Gillian White, with Draya Michele and Johnathon Schaech
NY Premiere
Gemma moves to LA, hoping to become an actress. She takes an overnight gig at a sleep clinic that promises to make their clients’ dreams come true. But the longer she spends there, the more it becomes clear that something sinister is going on. Somnium joins the growing movement of “Jungian” horror that taps into our unconscious mind and secrets and terrors it has waiting to be discovered. – Tori Potenza
Starring: Alex Roe, Maddie Hasson, Marco Pigossi, Andra Nechita
New York Premiere
Diego and Sage plan a romantic weekend away to alleviate their domestic strife. When they find another couple has rented the same place as them they agree to share the space. As the couples spend more time together tensions mount and begins to seem that the other couple may have their own intentions for the weekend. From the director of A Spoonful of Sugar, Bone Lake will constantly have you wondering what kind of film you are watching. – Tori Potenza
Starring: Ariella Mastroianni
NYC Premiere
Suffering from dyschronometria, which affects her ability to no how much time has passed, Frankie is struggling to keep the job needed to provide for her daughter. When an opportunity to make a lot of money, albeit illegally, presents itself, Frankie can’t say no, but accepting the job leads to a downward spiral of psychological destruction, crime and death. A knockout example of DIY filmmaking at its best, New Jersey native Ryan J. Sloan’s Cannes selection cleverly and uniquely taps into the unease of 1970s paranoid thrillers with bursts of early Cronenberg body horror. -Matt Barone
Starring: Blu Hunt, Ben Smith-Petersen, Katherine Hughes
US Premiere
Alex (Blu Hunt, The New Mutants) is ready to give up on finding love, due to an endless string of meaningless sex, when she hooks up with the charming Kyle. The next morning, though, he’s gone. As she tries to reconnect with him, Alex discovers that Kyle isn’t like other guys-he’s something much more dangerous. With this directorial debut, podcast all-star Elric Kane (co-host of Pure Cinema and FANGORIA’s All the Colors of the Dark) envelops a haunting story of loneliness and yearning within an air of ethereal unease and supernatural mystery. -Matt Barone
