Welcome to IFI Horrorthon 2011

IFI Horrorthon is a labour of love, a Festival curated by horror movie fans for horror movie fans, and a truly unique event on the IFI calendar. 

Every year, IFI Horrorthon brings you the best shock cinema from across the globe, and trust us - this year’s programme does not disappoint. Let’s be honest, here: Hollywood simply isn’t delivering the goods right now when it comes to cool horror product, having filmed every vaguely remake-able title imaginable and flogged existing franchises to a protracted and unpleasant death… Not that there aren’t talented young U.S. filmmakers out there: we’re delighted, for example, to be screening micro-budget indie A Horrible Way To Die from director Adam Wingard, whose next movie, You’re Next, is already being touted as the Next Big Sensation. Wingard takes the Mumblecore approach to the horror film, suggesting a whole new way forward for the genre – and we’re loving it. 

Elsewhere, you’ll find splendid new work from the U.K, (haunted house tale The Awakening, Wicker Man companion piece The Wicker Tree, online cautionary tale Panic Button and the lovable Zombie Undead), France (urban survival piece The Hunt), Spain (intense home invasion saga Kidnapped), Japan (J-Horror teen flick Tomie Unlimited), Germany (underground nightmare Urban Explorer), Australia (slow-burning true-life serial killer saga Snowtown) and The Netherlands (undead Santa slay-fest Saint) – an eclectic smorgasbord of demented delights, and bloody good fun at that.

There’s much, much, much more: try a pair of demented anthology flicks, Canadian entry The Theatre Bizarre (directors include FX maestro Tom Savini and the welcome return of Hardware helmer Richard Stanley) and the unmissable Chillerama, a gonzo love letter to horror hounds from our old IFI Horrorthon buddy Tim Sullivan, who will be present to introduce the screening. Sullivan also produced a short film adaptation of Stephen King’s classic short story One For The Road, starring Phantasm hero Reggie Bannister and directed by talented Dubliner Paul Ward – we’re delighted to present the Irish premiere. Also doing the home team proud is the prolific Jason Figgis, who presents his latest feature-length documentary, a haunting tale entitled Cathnafola. And that’s before we get to the elaborate programme of scream classics screening at IFI Horrorthon 2011 – we’ll tell you about that next time… Until then, check out our programme online – and be very, very afraid of the dark.

Derek O'Connor

Associate Programmer
IFI Horrorthon

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