Category Archives: Chattanooga Film Fest

Chattanooga Film Festival Red Eye #1: Obsession: A Taste for Fear (1988)

Posted on by

Pathos: Segreta Inquietudine, the original Italian title for this movie, means Passion: Secret Anxiety. That pretty much sums it up, as this giallo feels closer to one of those Cinemax After Dark films that mixes up murder with softcore sex. Well, this movie also has Lou Gramm’s “Midnight Blue” in it, which is a first for any giallo I’ve seen.

This is the only movie that writer/director Piccio Raffianini’s ever made, which is pretty astounding, because the guy obviously had talent.

Diane (Virginia Hay, The Road Warrior and also the blue skinned Pa’u Zotoh Zhaan from Farscape) is a photographer whose favorite model — and lover — Tegan (Teagan Clive, who was also The Alienator) shows up bound and dead, just like the adult photos that our heroine is famous for. Imagine — a Skinemax The Eyes of Laura Mars and you’re not far off.

Lieutenant Arnold (Dario Parisini) is on the case and suspects both Diane and her ex-husband, particularly after other people close to her are tied up and stabbed, as if they were doing some knifeplay and then gave their lives up.

Eva Grimaldi, who was in Demons 5 and Ratman, is in this. And look out! There’s Kid Creole, from Kid Creole and the Coconuts, probably the last dude I expected to see walk on to a giallo film*. What is happening?

I love the first club that shows up in this film, with little people dancing, muscular folks dancing, mirrors covered with coke, quick cuts and improbably synth Gershwin songs.

Obsession: A Taste for Fear is a completely deranged film, one that supposes a world where everyone wears sunglasses at night, where colors come straight out of the brainstem of Dario Argento, where softcore porn photographers are huge celebrities, cops shoot laser guns, hovering cars are a dime a dozen and no one bats an eye.

Imagine if Rinse Dream made a giallo and had the money to get legitimate recording artists to appear on the soundtrack. Now, do some lines. And then, you will have just some of the strangeness that is this movie, which demands to get a release from a boutique label so that maniacs other than just me can obsess over it.

*To be fair, Kid Creole is also in Cattive ragazze, which is at least an Italian movie with hints of giallo made at the same time.

The Chattanooga Film Festival is happening now through June 29. To get your in-person or virtual badge to see any of these movies, click here. For more information, visit chattfilmfest.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Chattanooga Film Festival 2023: Salute Your Shorts

Posted on by

Salute Your Shorts is the student and Tennessee filmmaker showcase as part of the Chattanooga Film Festival. There are some great films here, so get ready to dig in!

Stephen King’s All That You Love Will Be Carried Away (2023): Based on the Stephen King short story, this is the tale of Alfie Zimmer, (John Ennis) a middle-aged traveling salesman, contemplating suicide in a scummy motel somewhere in the middle of Nebraska. During his lonely trips across America, he has saved graffiti that he has seen in a notebook and now regards them as friends that offer him some distraction as well as something that speaks to him. He then decides to hide the book and if he’s going to kill himself, he leaves it to fate. If the lights of a farmhouse behind the motel appear in the snow before he counts to sixty, he will write a book based on the things he’s seen written on the walls. If not, he will throw away the book and put a bullet in his mouth. Well, in the book, that’s how it ends. This has lights appearing in twenty seconds is the bet and this film gives away what happens next while King doesn’t reveal the fate of Zimmer. Directed and written by Bolen Miller, this film is a fine addition to the many Dollar Baby — King takes only a dollar for student filmmakers to make one of his stories — adaptions of this yarn.

Punch the Boss (2023): Directed by Taryn Grace and written by Matt Webb, this short sets up the eternal conflict in nearly every workplace. If you hate your job, shouldn’t you just go ahead and punch your boss in the face? Pete (Webb), Cory (Cory Davison), Les (Jay Heselschwerdt) and Doug (Chris Maloney) wonder the very same eternal question, especially when they can trace all of their life’s woes to their leader, Johnson. Can all of our problems be solved with violence? And what happens when you finally rise up with fists and you find out that perhaps you’re not quite as tough as you thought you were? There’s some fun camera work here on the way to the boss’s office that is nearly POV and the character work is quite solid for a short of this length.

Solitude (2023): Directed by Trevor Hancock, Solitude is all about a man named Brett who just wants a weekend of absolute, well, solitude. Yet the person next door won’t give him a moment’s peace, constantly pushing him further and further away from the self-care and quiet he so desperately needs. Sometimes, the only way to achieve peace is through an insane act of violence. Maybe that’s me saying that. Perhaps it’s the voices in Brett’s head. You have three minutes in this short to figure out the answer for yourself.

Don’t Look Too Far Ahead (2023): This was an utterly gorgeous short that is so different than usually what plays at fests. It tells the story of Miami native and first-generation Haitian-American college basketball athlete David Jean Baptiste. He talks about how he may not have had the same monetary advantages of his fellow players, but he knew that he had athletic gifts that could not be bought. I really enjoyed that he remember something a teacher once told him, that he was more than just a basketball player. Looking at his life online, you can see that he was on the Dean’s and Honor’s List nearly every year that he attended The University of Chattanooga and won the prestigious Blue Award from the Chancellor’s Office for campus leadership and service. This film sets up his last home game as he reflects on where he has come from and wonders what the future holds as he plays guard for the Rogaska Crystal team in Slovenia. I really liked a lot of the choices that director Nattalyee Randall made with this film and it gave me such a sense of joy and hope.

Greenhouse (2023): As a flower farmer (Morgan Sharpe, one of the film’s writers with Marah Bates, who also dances in this short) begins to grow her first crop, she finds that the critical voice in her head is paralyzing her and nearly costing her ability to enjoy the fruits of her harvest even as they are grown. Directed by Rachel Porter — who is a “fledgling flower gardener by hobby”, this is a meditation on “the daily struggle to persevere amidst self-doubt, learning to face our fears, and choosing to sit with the dark spaces within ourselves.” I really found a lot to consider and think about in this one’s short run time and will use what I have learned as I push to create more and better works. You can learn more at the film’s official site.

After Hours (2023): Directed by James Ross, this short feels like part of a much bigger project or at least I hope that’s the case. As a night shift security guard and custodian work their way through the small hours, something strange is happening. All they have on their side are the surveillance cameras and a walkie-talkie as they come nearly face to face with something unseen, something vicious and something out for their blood. Really enjoyed the sound design and how this was shot. Here’s hoping for more.

Anya (2023): Directed and written by Chris Davies, Anya hints at the potential for so much more. Something horrifying has emerged from the forest sometime in the 70s, definitely on Halloween night and most assuredly with no good will. Tava Hill is Anya, a young woman whose future is tied to this creature. Anya is just a bit under six minutes long and the opening scare record that informs us that Halloween is about death and revenge, well…that sets up something great. Nearly every moment of this is perfectly art directed, scored and lit. I can’t wait to see what Davies is up to next. Why does Anya have a diary? Who was the woman that came from the woods? And how does it all tie together? I need to know more!

Crossing Tides (2023): Directed and written by Gabriel Henk, this short is about how a recently widowed older woman copes with the loss of her husband. I’ve been thinking about this a lot, as my mother went from being in the same house as my dad for 52 years to now being alone with just two cats since his loss. How do adjust to the silence? Time passes and she starts to see her husband more and more as this film moves to its expected conclusion. That said, it’s well made and definitely brought up some thoughts and emotions.

Harmonious (2023): Two friends — played by Lainey Mackinnon and Madison Beehner — have given in to greed and decided to summon a demon (David Sircusa) in the hopes of achieving their desires. But there’s a big difference between the idea of bringing a demonic force to life and what it will demand from you when it becomes a real and actual event. Directed and written by Valery Garcia through the Florida State University College of Motion Picture Arts, this also feels like it could be expanded into a feature.

Netneutral (2023): Two co-workers, Jackie and Simone (Kendel Legore and Mak Johnson) sit outside their work on a break and discuss Jackie’s recent alien abduction and how her views on humanity and even her own life have been forever altered. Simone is, well, skeptical. Directed and written by Edwin Loughry, this has a very open feel with large stretches of urban exploration mixed in with the deep talk. Interesting idea even if the execution isn’t perfect.

Retribution (2023): A year after the end of the American Civil War, a bounty hunter who was once a priest and an emancipated slave he’s been hired to track down and bring back for a hanging stop to rest. They get none, as a mysterious man comes to their camp and changes their entire dynamic. Directed by Ava Marie Howard with David Smith and written by Howard, this was a production of the Film Crew Technology at Columbia State Community College. I was hoping for a little more to happen and some of the acting needed a bit more work, as it was wooden in parts, but the idea is solid and there’s definitely something here.

The Businessman (2022): Lola (Liviya Meyers) is on the way home from school when she meets a salesman (Steven Gamble) who looks to instill the fear of financial insecurity into her and convince her to sell ancient fashion magazines for him. Director and writer Nathan Ginter also made Last Seen and this has some great atmosphere and a genuinely strange feel throughout, feeling at once modern and out of time.

What if capitalism itself was the monster of a supernatural movie out to coerce teenagers to do its occult bidding? That’s this movie and it looks, feels and plays out so well.

Morse Code (2022): A University of Southern California project directed by McKenzi Vanderberg and written by Maurizio Ledezma, this unique short is about Stefani (Dia Frampton), a young woman who is haunted by the death of a loved one. She hopes that her childhood hobby of communicating in Morse code can help them speak, but the void of death perhaps is not one to speak with. This short looks fabulous and tells a tight and terse story quite well, even having plenty of suspense along with an emotional punch. Well done. You can check out the official Instagram of the movie to learn more.

The Chattanooga Film Festival is happening now through June 29. To get your in-person or virtual badge to see any of these movies, click here. For more information, visit chattfilmfest.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Get ready for Chattanooga Film Fest (round 2)

Posted on by

Get ready for Chattanooga Film Fest!

Both Hybrid and Virtual badges are available now at chattfilmfest.org. Individual tickets will become available closer to the festival. In-person screenings and events are taking place June 23 – 25 at The Read House located in downtown Chattanooga, plus additional party locations around the city with the virtual component of the festival taking place June 23 – 29.

You can see the first round of movies here.

The Chattanooga Film Festival (CFF) loves everything about cinema: the films, filmmakers, and the open-minded cinephiles that have watched films with us since early popup screenings as the Mise En Scenesters film club. The club evolved into the first-ever Chattanooga Film Festival, which began in 2014 and over the last 10 years has made a name for itself among film lovers, filmmakers, and the entertainment industry. Over the years the festival has been hailed as the “Southern Sundance” by Southern Living Magazine and was chosen as one of the “25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World” by MovieMaker Magazine in 2022  and made their “Bloody Best Genre Fests in the World” for 2020 and 2019. In addition, the festival has been included in “Dread Central’s Best Horror Festivals in the World” for 2021 and 2022.

CFF shares films and events that are unique, challenging, and, significant, that showcase a diverse roster of up-and-coming filmmakers worldwide. CFF’s ultimate goal is to remember, discover, and cultivate cinema worthy of everyone’s love and respect. As always, CFF is proudly continuing its mission to “Respect Cinema,” in hopes of increasing film exhibition, education, and production in the state of Tennessee.

For more information, visit chattfilmfest.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Here is what is playing:

FEATURES

American Meltdown: Director Andrew Adams

A ‘Millennial Coming-of-Rage’ story about a young woman who loses her job and struggles to pay rent… Until she befriends a pickpocket who convinces her that the only way to survive in America is by committing petty crime.

Bad Girl Boogey: Director Alice Maio Mackay, Presented by Dark Star Pictures

One Halloween, blood was shed by the wearer of a parasitic mask cursed with black magic and bigotry. Sixteen years later, when Angel’s best friend is slaughtered by a killer with the same mask, they must overcome their personal struggles, fight their fear, and find the masked killer before he, or it, slaughters everyone they hold dear. Filmmaker Alice Maio Mackay made Bad Girl Boogey at just 17. The film is a gory throwback slasher with a very diverse cast and very representative of the trans community including filmmaker Alice Maio Mackay.

Blow Up My Life: Directors Ryan Dickie, Abigail Horton 

A disgraced pharmaceutical employee accidentally discovers a deadly opioid vape conspiracy, sending him on the run to expose the crime with a trail of chaos in his wake.

Brutal Season: Director Gavin Fields 

In 1948, the Trouths are facing no income and the hottest summer on record. When their estranged son inexplicably returns, the apartment is full again – but is it big enough for the gambling, trauma, and substantial life insurance policy that comes in his wake?

End Zone 2: Director August Kane  

Fifteen years after the events of End Zone, Smash-Mouth is back to finish off the cheerleaders who killed his mother.

Followers: Director James Rich  

As the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve, the past rises from the dead to claim its revenge. A year after surviving a brutal attack, a social media influencer and her friends find themselves once again in the crosshairs of a dangerous and relentless dark web cult, thirsting for retribution and willing to stop at nothing to get it.

Hell Hath No Fury: Director Zachary Burns 

A husband and wife separately and unknowingly plot to murder each other on the same fateful night.

Lola: Director Andrew Legge, Presented by Dark Sky Films

In 1941, sisters Thom and Mars have built a machine, LOLA, that can intercept radio and TV broadcasts from the future. This allows them to listen to iconic music before it has been made, place bets knowing what the outcome will be and embrace their inner punk well before the movement came into existence. But with World War II escalating, the sisters decide to use the machine for good to intercept information from the future that could help with military intelligence. The machine initially proves to be a huge success, rapidly twisting the fortunes of the war against the Nazis. While Thom becomes intoxicated by LOLA, Mars begins to realise the terrible consequences of its power.

Mind Body Spirit: Directors Alex Henes, Matthew Merenda, Presented by Art Brut Films

An aspiring yoga influencer embarks on a ritual practice left behind by her estranged grandmother.

Poundcake: Director Onur Tukel  

Poundcake is the story of a New York City serial killer who is murdering straight white men in unspeakable ways. Podcasters are chiming in with their theories on who the killer is, what his motives are, and how to stop him. Is it all a hoax to garner sympathy for cisgender white men? Some people think so. Others find the murders cathartic, even funny. Are the victims finally getting what they deserve after inflicting centuries of oppression? Can the killer be stopped? New Yorkers must find a way to end the hate and embrace positivity instead. It might be the only way to kill the beast!

Soft Liquid Center: Director Perry Home Video  

A recently single woman moves out on her own, but her newfound relief soon curdles as alarming, inexplicable events turn her home into a house of horrors.

Stag: Director Alexandra Spieth  

An urban loner fights for a chance at redemption when she’s invited to her estranged BFF’s bachelorette party.

Subject: Director Tristan Barr, Presented by Screambox

Compiling suppressed footage, Subject follows a man on his way to prison when he gets intercepted by a secretive government agency to have him serve his sentence by observing a terrifying creature in a close quartered, isolated facility.

Summoning the Spirit: Director Jon Garcia and Lacy Todd, Presented by Dark Star Pictures

When Carla and Dean decide to escape the hustle of the big city and buy a nice quiet house in the woods, they bring some big plans with them: start a family, grow a garden, write the next great American novel. Now their nearest neighbor is nearly a mile down the road, but a mile doesn’t seem so far when they find out that he’s the leader of a cult who claims to telepathically communicate with Sasquatch. Danger threatens their new home as the cult leader tries to get Carla and Dean to join his followers on ‘The Farm.’

The Bigfoot Trap: Director Aaron Mirtes

A journalist’s life is changed forever when he’s locked inside of a bigfoot trap by an insane sasquatch hunter.

The Haunting of Hype House: Directors Brandon Douglas, Matt Farren

With his brother visiting for the weekend, social media star Jared Zenith attempts to contact the ghost haunting his home, but instead finds himself possessed by it.

The Legend of MexMan: Director Josh Polon  

Germán Alonso strives to create his first feature film, the fantastical sci-fi epic MEXMAN, in spite of struggles with his producers, an unrequited love, and tensions with a documentary crew.

The Once and Future Smash: Directors Sophia Cacciola, Michael J. Epstein  

In 1970, Mikey and William both portrayed football cannibal Smash-Mouth in the influential cult hit, End Zone 2. Now, 50 years later, only one can wear the mask.

The Third: Director Manuel Lagos, Jr. 

A couple’s Fourth of July weekend is interrupted by the arrival of an estranged childhood friend.

The Weird Kidz: Director Zach Passero 

On a weekend campout, a dark monster terrorizes a group of campers who fall prey to an ancient legend and conspiring local townsfolk. For pre-teen Dug, Mel and Fatt, and Dug’s older brother and girlfriend, a night out in the desert becomes a survivalist horror adventure. 

TRAP: Director Anthony Edward Curry  

Facing life in prison, a hood dreams of the violent streets that forged his identity, but cursed his soul.

Wintertide: Director John Barnard  

Beth, a volunteer watch person of an isolated northern city, battles a plague of depression that transforms the few remaining residents into empty, zombie-like automatons. She discovers that by entering an alternative dimension through her own dreams, she’s able to stave of the illness during the long, possibly endless winter. But will her power be enough to sustain her?

EVENTS

Children of the Night: Music and Horror Panel

Join CFF, LVCRFT, and a ghoulish gaggle of special guests as we do a good and geeky deep dive into two great tastes that taste great together – music and horror cinema. From the synth scores of Carpenter classics, to DePalma’s Phantom of the Paradise. to the heavy metal madness of cult favorites like Trick or Treat and The Gate, we firmly believe that iconic horror is made even more iconic by great music.

Stretch that Buck: Film Budgeting 101 with Seed & Spark

Presented by the Tennessee Entertainment Commission

You’ve got a script you’re proud of, and now you want to bring it to life! But first: what should your crowdfunding goal be? In this workshop, Seed&Spark’s Meghan Ross will teach you how to build your first budget, utilize loans to make up your budget (conceptually as well as literally), navigate the ask, break down your script, and cut costs without sacrificing your vision. Make that dollar stretch!

Rustic Films 4th Annual Screenplay Pitch Competition

Presented by the Tennessee Entertainment Commission

Rustic Films producer David Lawson, Jr. is back and this time with guest judges Gil Adler and A L Katz. Chosen finalists will pitch their film for the chance for a mentoring session with David, which will include advice on next steps forward. If you’ve got a project you’d like to submit for this year’s competition, simply a paragraph write-up of your project to scripts@chattfilmfest.org. Submissions are open now and close on Thursday June 15 at 11:59pm PT.

Oddity Roadshow

Oddity Roadshow is an actual play TTRPG comedy horror podcast run by Joel Ruiz and produced by the Do You Validate Network. They’ll be putting on a live TTRPG show for CFF this year featuring a story about a haunted movie theater that is filled with ghosts of past guests, movie stars, and workers as the cast of Oddity Roadshow must find a way to help clear out the theater before the big film festival starts the next day.

PinPalz: Partying is Such Sweet Sorrow

For those attending in-person, join us for a special closing night party at the Classic Arcade Pinball Museum. Grab a pint, exchange info with the friends you’ve made and tell everyone you’ll write them on Discord as the fest continues to party on virtually. Our hope is an evening filled with endless vintage pinball can take the sting out of the bittersweet goodbyes.

CFF Salutes Johnny Disco

Meet Hollywood’s most famous extra, Johnny Disco, also known as “The Invisible Man.” Disco has done and seen it all, from going cross-eyed in Steve Martin’s iconic film THE JERK to arresting ‘Kramer’ on an episode of “Seinfeld.” Virtual attendees will be able to join CFF in an exclusive chat with Disco to hear the amazing stories behind some of his favorite appearances in film and television ahead of the new documentary film being made about his incredible career.

Monster Squad Pint Night

Want to get a head start on the fest? Join us at Chattanooga’s own Hutton & Smith Brewery on Thursday, June 22,  to grab your badge (or tickets) and slam some pints with Andre Gower of The Monster Squad. We’ll screen the film, have some special door prizes and hang as we all get ready for three days of on the ground mayhem. (Time to be announced.)

SHORTS

CFF SALUTES YOUR SHORTS (Student and Tennessee FIlmmakers)

After Hours

Anya

Crossing Tides

Don’t Look Too Far Ahead

Greenhouse

Harmonious

Morse Code

netneutral

Punch The Boss

Retribution

Solitude

Stephen King’s: All That You Love Will Be Carried Away

The Businessman 

Dangerous Visions

Dead Enders

Fetal Position

Glitch

Gnomes 

Keep Scrolling

Memento Mori

Mickey Dogface

No Overnight Parking

Seaborne

Splinter

Stop Dead

Tell Alice I Love Her

The Inverts 

They Call It… Red Cemetery!

VEXED

The Chattanooga Film Festival Celebrates 10th Year with World Premieres, a Tales from the Crypt Salute, and Ghost Stories Galore

Posted on by

The Chattanooga Film Festival (CFF) will make its long awaited return this summer from June 23 – 29. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, after being named one of “The 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World” by MovieMaker Magazine, the festival will return to the ground June 23 – 25, while still offering a virtual experience from June 23 – 29.

While the festival will have various locations around the city, the main venue will be Chattanooga’s historic and legendary haunted The Read House Hotel. The hotel’s 1920s beauty and the tale of Room 311, with resident ghost Annalisa, make it the perfect backdrop for the festival’s 10th Anniversary.

Opening the festival will be the Southeast premiere of Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls is based on director Andrew Bowser’s viral character Onyx, who has racked up over 300 million plus views online. Later that evening, Onyx the Fortuitous himself will preside over the CFF’s opening night party, the Black Magic Masquerade. This event has the festival collaborating once again with Chattanooga Whiskey for an evening of costumes and cosplay, mingling and madness, spooky tunes and killer signature cocktails.

This year’s CFF will see the world premiere of Sour Party from filmmakers Amanda Drexton and Michael A. Drexton, one of the programming team’s favorite debut features of 2023. The film centers around Gwen (Samantha Westervelt) and James (Amanda Drexton), two flailing thirtysomething besties that are as broke as they are self-absorbed. When circumstances set the duo out on a bizarre odyssey across Los Angeles to collect “debts,” featuring delightful appearances from the likes of Reggie Watts and Corey Feldman, you’re left with a feminist twist on the buddy comedy that you won’t be able to help but fall in love with.

On the other end of the spectrum is the world premiere of director Stephen Vanderpool and writer/star Sam Brittan’s Tearsucker. The plot is a dark and surreal journey that revolves around a psychopath that feeds on women’s tears. Filled with Lynchian tone shifts and dynamic performances that will make you squirm in your seat, Brittan’s haunting rumination on toxic masculinity and equally toxic power dynamics will lodge itself in the darkest corners of your mind.

As CFF did with their 2022 fan-favorite film PUSSYCAKE, the festival is proud to partner again with our pals at Cinedigm and Screambox on a pair of must-see films that will please horror fans looking for exciting new voices in horror cinema. The first is Japanese filmmaker Keishi Kondo’s mind-melting debut feature, New Religion. Kondo mixes a surreal ghost story with body horror, resulting in a wildly atmospheric and gripping film.

Dark Star Pictures will present two special screenings for festival attendees. First, the opening film in the festival’s popular CFF After Hours block is Daphné Baiwir‘s masterful deep dive into the world of Stephen King film adaptations, King On. Screen,  Dark Star will also give CFF attendees a chance to see the terrifying psychological and body horror film The Elderly, from filmmakers Raúl Cerezo and Fernando González Gómez.

On the live event side of things, CFF leans deeper into darkness with special return appearances by bestselling authors. screenwriters and longtime festival favorites Clay McLeod Chapman (Whisper Down the Lane, Netflix’s “Wendell & Wild”) and Grady Hendrix (The Final Girl Support Group, The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires).

Chapman will help kick off the festival’s opening day with an event that’s become a sacred tradition to CFF fans—The Pumpkin Pie Show, which showcases Chapman’s wild and unhinged abilities as a live storyteller. This year he’ll present Ghost Eaters and Other Stories, featuring readings from his latest novel The Ghost Eaters. It’s a perfect reminder to guests that there’s nothing better than curling up in a haunted hotel with one of the world’s foremost tellers of scary tales.

Hendrix returns with a brand new live show How To Sell a Haunted House, based on his recent novel of the same name. Those who’ve seen Hendrix break down the weird world of pulp horror paperbacks and rowdy dissection of the slasher film sub-genre during past editions of the festival know Grady’s shows are as hilarious as they are packed with fascinating information and occasionally even songs!

CFF will also pay tribute to the iconic horror anthology series Tales from the Crypt with a series of special events woven throughout this year’s festival. The celebration will kick off with a pop-up comic shop salute to the series’ bloody beginning in the pages of EC Comics, conjured from the depths of darkness by the folks at Infinity Flux Comics.

Next up is a special live episode of The How NOT To Make a Movie Podcast, hosted by two people that know the crypt all too well, longtime Tales from the Crypt writers, directors, producers Gil Adley and A L Katz. Their wild podcast, named one “The Best Film Podcast of 2022” by Entertainment Weekly, centers around the infamous hellish experience they had making Bordello of Blood.

The salute continues with Bordello of Blood: LIVE COMMENTARY, presented by Diabolik DVD, which will give insight from Adler and Katz about how they found themselves in the impossible situation of the studio forcing them make a film that not only nobody wanted, a situation that also ended their friendship effectively for over 20 years. Part cinema therapy, we’re sure this event will haul a few more skeletons out of the Bordello closet.

Finally, as we once returned Sam Jones’s voice to Flash Gordon, CFF aims to right yet another cinematic wrong with a live script reading of the pair’s never made true Demon Knight follow-up, Dead Easy. This event will have a cast of your genre film favorites, as they pay tribute to Adler and Katz.

The valuable lessons the festival learned about accessibility during its online editions cemented their commitment to making a virtual component a permanent part of the event each year. Of equal importance to festival director and film programmer Chris Dortch and his team, is that the festival’s virtual offerings will in no way feel like an afterthought. As with the last 3 years, the virtual component of this year’s festival will feel like a fully-fledged festival experience consisting of features, shorts, and exclusive live events.

Also coming to the virtual line up is the festival’s new Red Eye block, a series of seven lovingly selected secret screenings happening at the end of every day that are designed to squeegee your third eye and to help you avoid the tyranny of “good” taste.

The festival’s Fans and Filmmakers Discord Server makes its triumphant return as well this year..The server, which does everything from host channels for each year’s films, giving filmmakers the ability to answer questions and offer personal insight and additional context, as well as see instant feedback on their films from attendees. The server also will be home base for nightly watch parties for films and events, both of which have become extremely popular.

Hybrid and Virtual VIP badges are on sale now. For guests that pick up one of the festival’s Hybrid VIP passes, an entire weekend of in-person screenings, events, and parties await June 23 – 25, and when the on-the-ground days are over, there’s still a lot more festival left to explore from June 26 – 29. Those that opt for virtual will have access to films and select live events from June 23 – 29. Please note that virtual access is only for those in the US. For more information, head to chattfilmfest.org.

FEATURES

King On Screen: Director Daphné Baiwir  |  France, USA, 2022

Presented by Dark Star Pictures

Synopsis: 1976, Brian de Palma directs Carrie, the first novel by Stephen King. Since then, more than 50 directors have adapted the master of horror’s books, in more than 80 films and series, making him the most adapted author still alive in the world. King On Screen reunites filmmakers that have adapted Stephen King’s books for cinema and TV.

*In-person and virtual.

New Religion: Director Keishi Kondo  | Japan, 2022

Presented by Screambox

After her daughter’s death in an accident, Miyabi gets a divorce, starts working as a call girl and moves in with her new boyfriend. In a meeting with a new customer, he asks to take a picture of her body — first her spine, then, her feet, and after that, he begins to photograph her every time they meet. One day, while at home, Miyabi feels a small hand touching her leg and soon realizes that every time she allows her body to be photographed she can feel her daughter’s spirit reaching closer and closer. Soon, only her eyes remain to be captured, leading to the outcome which defines this unique art-house fantasy from a culture-shocking Japanese voice.

*In-person and virtual.

Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls: Director Andrew Bowser  |  USA, 2023

Opening Night Film

The story follows fledgling occultist Marcus J. Trillbury (Onyx) as he attends a once-in-a-lifetime ritual at his idol Bartok the Great’s dark mansion. Once there, Marcus meets a group of other occultists and they are led in a series of rituals meant to “better them.” But as terrible things begin to happen, it soon becomes clear that Bartok’s intentions are more nefarious. As Onyx and his new friends battle to keep their souls, a question of great destiny looms over Onyx’s head: is he doomed to be a nobody or will he rise to defeat Bartok and save his friends from damnation?

Sour Party: Directors Amanda Drexton, Michael A. Drexton  |  USA, 2023

*World Premiere

Sour Party follows Gwen and James, two broke, flailing 30-somethings on a quest to scrounge money from a collection of low lives and failed artists in an attempt to show up to Gwen’s sister’s baby shower with a proper gift.

Tearsucker: Director Stephen Vanderpool  |  USA, 2023

*World Premiere

Emotionally vulnerable women are preyed on by a charming psychopath who wants to suck their tears.

The Elderly: Directors Raúl Cerezo, Fernando González Gómez  |  Spain, 2022

Presented by Dark Star Pictures

After his beloved wife suddenly commits suicide, octogenarian Manuel starts behaving strangely, much to the distress of his family and his increasingly independent granddaughter. He becomes aggressive, still believes that he’s talking with his dead wife, and even tries to implant a radio receptor into his chest. His family are confused and angry, and as the temperature in Madrid literally rises due to a summer heat wave, it appears that Manuel isn’t the only senior citizen preparing for something big. All the elderly folk are acting suspiciously, and they all seem to know something the young ones don’t.

EVENTS

Black Magic Masquerade: Opening Night Party

In honor of our CFF 2023 Opening Night film Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls, we’re proud to partner with our buds at Chattanooga Whiskey for a sinful salute to the dark arts. Join CFF and Onyx himself for an evil evening filled with costumes and cosplay, creepy cocktails, death-obsessed DJs, freaky and fantastic pop-ups by our pals at Infinity Flux Comics, Yellow Racket Records, Snapdragon Hemp, and Liquid Death Mountain Spring Water, plus even more sinister secrets we can’t yet divulge. So grab your favorite mask, costume or cosplay attire, remind your parents that hell has cooler records, and prepare yourself for mayhem, as soon the dark ritual that is CFF’s 10th birthday celebration begins…

*In-person only.

Bordello of Blood: Live Commentary

*Presented by Diabolik DVD

After the success of Demon Knight, the first Tales From the Crypt feature, filmmakers Gil Adler and A L Katz were busy preparing a follow-up, set in New Orleans, that was to be called Dead Easy. Sadly Dead Easy never got made, and instead, the pair were forced to adapt filmmaker Robert Zemeckis’s student screenplay Bordello of Blood into the second Tales from the Crypt feature film.

The making of Bordello is well-known to horror fans as one of the most horrifically troubled shoots in the genre’s history, with Adler and Katz facing impossible odds, impossible egos, and studio nonsense at every turn. CFF is proud to help them further exorcise these past cinematic demons with a very special 2023 edition of our live filmmaker commentary series. We join Adler and Katz as they watch the film that neither has been able to sit through in nearly 25 years, and we learn firsthand How NOT to Make a Movie.

*Virtual only

Tales from the Crypt Comic Pop-up Shop

Hello, Kiddies!!!. Kicking off our Tales from the Crypt salute is a pop-up comic shop dedicated to the series’ bloody beginnings in the pages of EC Comics, conjured from the depths of darkness by the folks at Infinity Flux Comics. Join us at our opening night party, the Black Magic Masquerade, to grab a few classic Tales from the Crypt comic books.

P.S. If you bring them to the live podcast, Gil Adler and A L Katz will be signing memorabilia.

*In-person only.

Dead Easy: Live Script Reading

Featuring an “all-scar” cast of genre cinema fan favorites, CFF is proud to have Gil Adler and A L Katz join us for a live script read of Dead Easy — their never filmed follow-up to Tales from the Crypt’s first feature film Demon Knight. If you’re a Tales from the Crypt fan, you know what a treat this is going to be, and if you’re a CFF fan, you’ll know we’ve got a few tricks for you too.

*Virtual only.

The How NOT to Make a Movie Podcast (Live Recording)

There’s simply no way to pay tribute to the incredible gateway to the world of horror that Tales from the Crypt was to so many of us, without paying tribute to longtime series stalwarts Gil Adler and A L Katz. Our salute wouldn’t be complete without a live episode of the podcast that brought these two legendary filmmakers back together. Our CFF exclusive live episode will allow longtime fans to ask Adler and Katz about the making of the classic series, get even more of a window into the creating, writing, and heartbeat of the classic HBO Series. 

*In-person only. Adler and Katz will also be signing memorabilia.

How to Sell a Haunted House in a Challenging Market

New York Times bestselling author, Grady Hendrix, is back and he’s bringing a circus of chaos!  Presenting another of his one-of-a-kind, one-man shows, in association with his latest book, How To Sell a Haunted House, this time he’s tap-dancing through the haunted hallways of spooky houses from Downton Abbey-sized country homes to split-level suburban ranchers as we try to figure out why we’re so obsessed with the world’s worst roommates — ghosts. This is the seminar that will change your life…guaranteed!

*In-person only. Book signing will take place after the event.

The Pumpkin Pie Show: Ghost Eaters and Other Stories

Horror author and performer Clay McLeod Chapman returns with a fresh batch of macabre tales fresh out of the oven. To celebrate the paperback release of his most recent novel, Ghost Eaters, Clay will regale audiences with a reading… and a few new spooky stories, to boot. Tales of madness, human monsters, and ghosts abound. Copies of Ghost Eaters will be sold by A Little Bookish.

*In-person and virtual. Book signing will take place after the event.

About the Chattanooga Film Festival:

The Chattanooga Film Festival (CFF) loves everything about cinema: the films, filmmakers, and the open-minded cinephiles that have watched films with us since early popup screenings as the Mise En Scenesters film club. The club evolved into the first-ever Chattanooga Film Festival, which began in 2014 and over the past 10 years has made a name for itself among film lovers, filmmakers, and the entertainment industry. Over the years the festival has been hailed as the “Southern Sundance” by Southern Living Magazine and was chosen as one of the “25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World” by MovieMaker Magazine in 2022  and made their “Bloody Best Genre Fests in the World” for 2020 and 2019. In addition, the festival has been included in “Dread Central’s Best Horror Festivals in the World” for 2021 and 2022.

CFF shares films and events that are unique, challenging and significant and showcase a diverse roster of up and coming filmmakers from all over the world. CFF   ultimate goal is to remember, discover, and cultivate cinema worthy of everyone’s love and respect. As always, CFF is proudly continuing its mission to “Respect Cinema,” in hopes of increasing film exhibition, education, and production in the state of Tennessee.

For more information, visit chattfilmfest.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

BATS! BATS! BATS! THE DIA DOUBLE FEATURE!

Posted on by

I won’t be on this week, but join Mike Justice and Bill for the Drive-In Asylum Double Feature on Saturday at 8 PM EST on the Groovy Doom Facebook and YouTube pages.

Up first, Chosen Survivors, which you can watch on YouTube.

Every week, we talk about movies, show their ads and even have a cocktail that goes with it. Here’s the drink for the first movie:

Shelter Bats

  • 2 oz. Kraken
  • 4 oz. ginger ale
  • .5 oz. blue curacao
  • 1 oz. cranberry juice
  • .25 oz. grenadine
  1. Pour all ingredients into an ice-filled glass.
  2. Stir and climb up real high before drinking with the many, many bats.

Our second movie is The Bat People. It’s available right here.

Here’s the second drink:

It Drinks By Night

  • 1.5 oz. rum
  • 1 oz. Kaluha
  • 1 oz. milk
  • 3 oz. cola
  1. Add all ingredients to a glass filled with ice, cola last.
  2. Stir and fly away to join your people.

Enjoy the movies!

Chattanooga Film Festival recap

Posted on by

The 9th annual Chattanooga Film Festival wrapped last week, and celebrated genre films, up and coming filmmakers, and a third successful virtual run.

The 9th edition consisted of 40 feature films, 72 short films, and plenty of filmmaker Q&A’s along with unique virtual events. Awards were handed out among the features and events, with Eric Pennycoff’s The Leech taking home the Best Feature prize. The film served as the Opening Night Film of the festival, and the commentary from cast and crew during The Leech Live Commentary event will serve as the commentary track for the film’s upcoming release via Arrow Films in the UK, US, IE and Canada this December.

CFF’s After Hours Opening Night Film The Ones You Didn’t Burn, written and directed by Elise Finnerty, earned the Best Feature by First Time Director.

Best International Feature was granted to filmmaker Nikias Chryssos’ A Pure Place, which was a buzzed-about film among attendees. Ryan Maxey’s One Road to Quartzsite was awarded the Best Documentary for its beautiful, poetic, and observational portrait of people trying to live outside of the constraints of American society, or to simply escape the winter.

Special Jury awards were handed out to not one, but two features this year.

First to Cryo, an ambitious sci-fi feature from student filmmaker Barrett Burgin.

The second jury prize went to the hilariously wonderful Make Popular Movies, helmed by Bryan Connolly. Shane Brady’s Breathing Happy took home the Audience Award for Best Feature. Critic Michelle Swope summed it up in her review, “Breathing Happy is an intimate, beautiful exploration of recovery and grief presented in such a passionate way. It’s very easy to fall in love with this film.” Clearly the CFF audience fell in love with the film.

On the short film side of things, Best Short went to Dirtbag from filmmaker Karsten Runquist, with the Audience Award for Best Short going to Anthony Cousin’s Every Time We Meet For Ice Cream Your Whole Fucking Face Explodes. Last, but certainly not least, Allison Shrum was awarded with the Tennessee Filmmaker Award for her short Roger Must Die and the Student Filmmaker Award bestowed upon John Otteson for Wish You Were Here!

This year’s Secret Screening was Rustic Films’ Something in the Dirt, making CFF attendees the second audience behind the Sundance Film Festival to feast their eyes on the mind-bending film from Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead and David Lawson Jr.

In addition to the Secret Screening, the audience was also able to view a snippet of Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up.” Yes, the CFF team Rick Rolled the audience.

Rustic Films’ David Lawson Jr. also spearheaded the 3rd Annual Pitch Competition, with help from filmmaker and journalist BJ Colangelo, who won the first year of the competition. From the submitted scripts, 7 projects were pitched during the live streamed event, with Wolfe Macready winning the competition for their unique project, The Dream of Drowning. Lawson says, “It was clear from the onset of Wolfe’s pitch that this story was incredibly important and personal. Their pitch was passionate and informative but most of all captivating. One of the real joys of working in film is our ability to create fantastic worlds that can help us explain or work through very real issues and situations. The pitch for The Dream of Drowning took me somewhere magical and then ripped my heart out. I look forward to assisting them on the steps of the journey.”

As for me, I had a blast watching the many films of this outstanding film festival. It was literally the best run fest I’ve done yet, providing an easy-to-watch interface, a lively Discord server and an overall friendly experience that felt so inclusive that I was spurred on to watch as many films as I could handle.

Here’s a recap of all the movies I watched. Click on any link to read the review.

FEATURES

SHORTS

You can also see a Letterboxd list of all my festival watches here.

Can I come back next year?

Chattanooga Film Festival: Something In the Dirt (2022)

Posted on by

Directors and stars Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead (Benson also wrote the script) also made Spring, The Endless, Synchronic and Resolution — as well as episodes of Marvel’s Moon Knight and Loki as well as Archive 81 and The Twilight Zone together.

This time, they play Levi and John, two neighbors in a Los Angeles apartment building who discover a paranormal event and decide to use what they’ve experienced to become rich and famous. The only problem is that dealing with the unknown — whether supernatural or between two people that barely know one another — can be dangerous.

This is a small movie with big ideas, a way of filming necessitated by being created in COVID-19 isolation, but what emerges is the idea that within ourselves and the world that there are so many layers yet peeling back those very same layers can have destructive results.

Shot with a crew of three — Benson, Moorhead and producing partner David Lawson Jr. — this is a hang-out film of two people confronting a gravitational anomaly within the walls of a no-lease apartment complex that seemingly also keeps them within its gravitational orbit, too focused on making it or working to escape but trapped forever within the same four walls.

From seeing the same shape throughout Los Angeles to followers of Pythagoras and cats using parasites to increase mental illness, there are secrets within every story told. There are even conspiracies between the two leads, as Levi has a criminal record that he doesn’t want to discuss and John is part of a religion that could very well be called a cult, even if his  homosexuality may not allow him to be fully part of the sect he’s grown up in.

I saw someone comment that this is Under the Silver Lake for poor people and that makes sense. It never reaches the mania of that film, but it does expand in ever stranger circles, using multiple film techniques and media — even old home movies — to get to the truth, which even by the end of the film is only known by one of the leads and there’s no way he can explain it to the other.

Chattanooga Film Festival: Gateway (2021)

Posted on by

In an abandoned house on an ordinary street, a gang of criminals hide out from a big boss who wants them to either pay up or die. Perhaps this hidden space is the place where they can grow marijuana and pay off their debt. The only problem is that the house may be using them more than they’re using it, as it has a void within it that reaches out to each of them and replays the bad choices that their lives of crime have led to.

From the first frame — a quote by Spanish philosopher Baltasar Gracian that says “Never open the door to a lesser evil, for other and greater ones invariably slink in after it.” — Gateway doesn’t seem like the first full-length from director Niall Owen. It has more poise and willingness to slow burn. It’s not a race to jump scares; the human horror at its center is the real star.

The true monster in this movie are the lives and choices within them of each character, moments that while enduring must now be experienced again, old wounds torn apart and not many can survive reliving such experiences.

You can learn more at the official site.

Chattanooga Film Festival: Split Ends (2022)

Posted on by

Isa worries that her abuela is forgetting her thanks to dementia. Meanwhile, on a whim she decides to chop off her hair, which upsets her mother and then worries her — what if this makes her aunt forget her even more? All of the grief and worry powers her hair as it crawls back from the dead and up the drain pipes, confronting her with her impulsive decision.

Split Ends is more than just horror. According to the filmmakers, it’s “a commentary on Latina beauty standards — especially ones that concern women’s hair and are perpetuated by mothers.”

Director and writer Cookie Estés said of making this film, “I’ve leaned very heavily on the making of this film for the last few years, in all of the varying shapes and forms it’s taken on, as a way of processing the anticipatory grief of losing my abuelita who raised me. She passed away peacefully in April of 2021 and this film is dedicated to her.”

I love when horror can help us process emotions that aren’t always easy to articulate. What an interesting film and a cultural experience that I would be ignorant of without getting to watch movies.