The new indie horror fest, The Stanley Film Festival, has announced “The Purge” as the opening night feature. The film stars Ethan Hawke, Lena Headey, Adelaide Kane and Max Burkholder. It is written and directed by James DeMonaco and produced by Jason Blum; both of whom will be on site for a Q&A after the screening.
“The Purge” is set in our not too distant future where crime is allowed for one day each year in order to keep the country safer. Things take a turn for the worst when an innocent family is faced with intruders and have to defend themselves at all costs.
The festivals centerpiece film will be “Sightseers.” The U.K. film is a genre mixing piece between comedy and horror that centers on a dangerous couple who seem to bring death and doom to wherever they vacation. The film is directed by Ben Wheatley of “Kill List.”
In addition to the previously reported feature lineup, the festival will also screen 22 shorts. Read below for more information about each of them:
SHORTS:
“The Apocalypse” – USA – (Director: Andrew Zuchero) – Four uninspired friends try to come up with a terrific idea for how to spend their Saturday afternoon. (Narrative)
“Bobby Yeah” – United Kingdom – (Director: Robert Morgan) – Bobby Yeah is a petty thug who lightens his miserable existence by brawling and thieving stuff. When he steals the favorite pet of some very dangerous individuals, he finds himself in deep trouble. (Animation)
“The Bungled Child” – Fiji – (Director: Simon Filliot) – There’s nothing easy about mending a bungled child. (Animation)
“Bydlo” – Canada – (Director: Patrick Bouchard) – An allegory of mankind heading for disaster, Bydlo is a tragic vision inspired by Mussorgsky’s music. (Animation)
“The Cub” – USA – (Director: Riley Stearns) – Wolves make the best parents. (Narrative)
“Dance Till You Drop” – USA – (Directors: Juan Cardarelli & Eric Levy) – The Girl is a newly single dancer that is tasked to watch her best friend’s house. After deciding the place needs a clean, she cranks up the tunes and decides to show off her nifty moves. And that’s when things get really weird. (Narrative)
“The Event” – United Kingdom – (Director: Julia Pott) – Love and a severed foot at the end of the world. (Animation)
“Haunted Castle” – France – (Director: Georges Melies) – For our very first festival, we proudly present the very first horror film in recorded history. Master of silent cinema Georges Melies directs for your enjoyment. (Narrative)
“Hell No”– USA – (Director: Joe Nicolosi) – What would happen in horror movies if smart characters made quality logical decisions? Spoiler alert: everyone lives. (Narrative)
“Henley”- – USA – (Director: Craig Macneill) – Meet nine-year-old Ted Henley, budding motel manager and road kill entrepreneur. (Narrative)
“Hundred Waters” – “Boreal” – USA – (Director: Lucas Leyva & Jillian Mayer) – Hundreds of years before the first Europeans land in Florida, a young Tequesta boy goes hunting in the Everglades. Meanwhile, his prey longs for deeper fulfillment. (Music Video)
“IN” – Sweden – (Director: Adam Berg) – A man is asked by a friend to retrieve something lost inside a train tunnel where an unknown terror lies in wait. (Narrative)
“In Hanford” – USA – (Director: Chris Mars) – This heartbreaking true story of a town poisoned by Cold War–era nuclear-arms manufacture is told through firsthand accounts and fantasy scenes, which empathize with the victim’s plight. (Animated Documentary)
“Lazarov” – France – (Director: Nieto) – Refusing to accept the decline of the U.S.S.R., a handful of Russian scientists work secretly to resurrect Soviet power through the mysterious program Lazarov. (Animation)
“Legend” – Spain – (Director: Pau Teixidor) – Claudia, a ten-year-old girl, leaves with her family to spend the weekend out of town. At an abandoned gas station, the appearance of a strange woman will reveal her true fate. (Narrative)
“Once it Started, It Could Not End Otherwise” – USA – (Director: Kelly Sears) – Terrifying and strange happenings descend on a 1970’s high school. (Animation)
“The Root of the Problem” – USA – (Director: Ryan Spindell) – In the candy-colored world of 1950s suburbia, a reluctant young housewife suspects that the friendly neighborhood dentist is hiding a horrible secret. Is it just the anesthesia at work, or is there something more sinister hiding below the surface? (Narrative)
“Thumb Snatchers from the Moon Cocoon” – USA – (Director: Bradley Schaffer) – A Texas Sheriff uses his cowboy logic to recklessly defeat a race of thumb-snatching, cocoon dwelling robo critters. (Animation)
“Two Fingers” – “Vengeance Rhythm” – USA – (Director: Chriss Ullens) – This is the story of a very, very angry teddy bear. (Animated Music Video)
“The Unliving” – Sweden – (Director: Hugo Lilja) – Thirty years after a zombie outbreak, people are taming the undead and using them as cheap labour. Katrine catches ’em and Mark lobotomizes’em. They’re an awesome team, but work is starting to bleed into their relationship. (Narrative)
“When the Zombies Come” – USA – (Director: John Hurst) – At a remote hardware store, fans of the walking dead have turned their love of zombies into an obsession, warping the way they see the store and its customers. (Documentary)
“Yellow” – Germany/United Kingdom – (Director: Ryan Haysom) – A reclusive older man is on the hunt for a vicious serial killer in neon-lit Berlin in this neo Giallo short. (Narrative)
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