Final Transmissions was announced as a six-episode analog horror anthology series co-created by the husband-and-wife team Steven Hugh Nelson and Erica Nelson (Old Wounds). However, it played as a film at Genre Blast X, an anthology set in the small, eerie town of Eldritch, Illinois, in 1999. There, a local cable-access TV host begins broadcasting bizarre, deeply disturbing signals from unknown, mysterious sources.
This project brings together an incredible roster of independent horror talent to helm the individual segments, keeping that authentic lo-fi, creepypasta-meets-cable-access vibe alive:
- Sophia Cacciola and Michael J. Epstein (The Once and Future Smash) present “You Were Never Alone,” in which Mikey hears a strange sound — one that keeps getting closer — as they’re in orbit around the moon.
- Evan Churchill and Thomas Pardo (Beholder) tell the story of “Mayday,” in which something in the airwaves is redirecting an air traffic control tower, putting it in contact with the screaming pilots of long-missing aircraft.
- Nick Cotrufo (The McKinney Family Home Videos) reveals “The Elkton Tape,” which shows what really happened to the people of Forest, VA.
- Alex Hera (The History of Analog Horror) tells “Bethel Hill,” in which two hunters discover they are targeting something beyond their human experience.
- Erica Nelson and Steven Hugh Nelson (Old Wounds) unveil “Doctor Midnight,” a cursed video of an evil physician experimenting in an abandoned hospital.
- Lianne O’Shea and Aviv Rubinstien (Lizzie Lazarus) show us “The Camera Loves You,” a story of an influencer whose camera takes over her life. Well, more than it did before.
While there are so many anthology films, this one works because of its dedication to its theme, the sheer darkness of some of the stories, and just how strange it all is, culminating in the host screaming in front of a wall of screens. I can’t wait for more.
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The GenreBlast Film Festival is a one-of-a-kind film experience created for both filmmakers and film lovers, celebrating genre filmmaking in an approachable environment. Described by Movie Maker Magazine as Summer Camp for Filmmakers, we screen the latest in independent, cult, niche and underground films that aren’t easily accessible. Other events include filmmaker Q&As, special guests, giveaways, after-parties, and an awards ceremony. The GenreBlast team is hard at work creating a destination event that will have the independent film industry talking about it all year long. GenreBlast is a festival for filmmakers, by filmmakers, that strives to become one of the best independent film festivals around. We celebrate the finest in true genre cinema, and we look for the best features, shorts, animation, music videos and screenplays you have to offer. For more info and tickets, visit the site.
