Popcorn Frights Announces First Wave of Programming for Hybrid Festival

Highlights include the World Premiere of Tyler Cornack’s TINY CINEMA on Opening Night; six feature film World Premieres including LIVING WITH CHUCKY with Don Mancini & Jennifer Tilly, the psycho slasher FINAL SUMMER, the Tim Burtonesque fairy tale with zombies THE LONELIEST BOY IN THE WORLD, and a live score performance for the silent cinema masterpiece NOSFERATU celebrating its centennial anniversary

The Eighth Annual Popcorn Frights Film Festival will be a hybrid experience presenting both in-theater and virtual film offerings from August 11-21, 2022

Popcorn Frights is roaring back with a vengeance for its eighth edition to celebrate the one-of-a-kind, endless possibilities of genre cinema it champions in its retina-reeling, round-the-world showcase of some of the medium’s most boundary-pushing and mind-enhancing films.

Popcorn Frights’ opening night is presented by Giggster and will open with the World Premiere of TINY CINEMA, Tyler Cornack’s follow-up to his acclaimed provocative feature debut Butt Boy. In his new twisted anthology, a mysterious stranger tells jolting tales of terror of seemingly unconnected strangers whose lives will change in incredible and bizarre ways forever. 

Running August 11-21, the first wave of films is headlined by six feature film World Premieres, including the documentary LIVING WITH CHUCKY featuring interviews with Don Mancini, Jennifer Tilly, John Waters, and Brad Dourif discussing the magic of the “Chucky” franchise. Also premiering at the festival is the Tim Burtonesque fairy tale with zombies THE LONELIEST BOY IN THE WORLD, as well as the ultraviolent slasher FINAL SUMMER, which will play with SHE CAME FROM THE WOODS as part of a special Night at Camp Frights double-bill presented by Slasher Energy.

In celebration of its centennial anniversary, NOSFERATU will receive a one-night-only showing accompanied by a live performance of an original score composed by Miami artist Richard Vergez. Also featured in the festival program is Carter Smith’s riveting queer body horror tale SWALLOWED starring Jena Malone and Nightmare on Elm Street 2’s Mark Patton, which will be complemented by a special free presentation of Carter Smith’s cult classic creature feature THE RUINS.

Worldwide, weird, and wonderful genre films return with a selection of titles that refuse to be categorized. Highlights include the North American Premiere of Florida-based filmmaker Sylvia Caminer’s stylish psycho-sexual thriller FOLLOW HER, the Argentinean gore-fest PUSSYCAKE, and the indigenous Canadian SLASH/BACK, a genre-bending alien invasion story about a group of Inuk teenagers from the Arctic who defend their town from malevolent extraterrestrials.

Recognized as the largest genre film event in the Southeast U.S. and one of “The World’s 50 Best Genre Festivals” by MovieMaker Magazine, Popcorn Frights will complement its in-theater festival program with an online virtual component available to stream throughout the United States for those unable to travel to the festival in South Florida.

Notable features exclusively playing in Popcorn Frights’ virtual program include the World Premieres of the striking supernatural nail-biter THEY WAIT IN THE DARK and the gut-wrenching survival thriller DISTRESS SIGNALS, as well as the riotously cathartic #metoo-tinged revenger COMPULSUS, the grisly humorous THE LEECH, the eerie ghost story THE CREEPING, the revealing documentary about one of the most influential comic book creators of all time MIKE MIGNOLA: DRAWING MONSTERS, the retro-styled slasher parodies THE THIRD SATURDAY IN OCTOBER and its sequel PART V, and the dreamy, psychedelic love letter to horror movies HONEYCOMB.

Rounding off Popcorn Frights’ first wave program is its Virtual Reality experience created in partnership with the O Cinema, an independent non-profit based in Miami. Hosted on AltSpaceVR, the Virtual Reality environment features live events and an exclusive selection of short films premiering in this one-of-a-kind digital experience. Visitors have the opportunity to fully explore the VR world, walk the red carpet and even fly through the space before entering each designated portal to view the short films. The AltSpaceVR platform is free to access and available through Quest, STEAM headsets, or on PCs.

A second wave of Popcorn Frights 2022 titles will be announced in the coming weeks featuring additional in-theater and virtual programming.

Access to the in-theater experience will be available through individual tickets or an all-access badge, which will provide an all-inclusive experience for films and special events hosted at the Savor Cinema Fort Lauderdale and O Cinema South Beach (“The Alter Screening Room”), Popcorn Frights official host venues this year. Separate virtual passes are also available and will provide access to every film streaming in the festival’s virtual program. To order an In-Theater All-Access Badge, click here, to order a Virtual All-Access Pass, click here.

This year’s Popcorn Frights official poster was created by South Florida artist Kent Hernandez, who previously crafted imagery for the event in 2021, and has designed a new original poster for the festival.

The eighth edition of the Popcorn Frights Film Festival is made possible with the support of its generous sponsors, including ALTER, The Betsy, Giggster, O Cinema, Savor Cinema, Screambox, Slasher Energy, Tubi, and its loyal fans. For more info about Popcorn Frights, visit PopcornFrights.com.

IN-THEATER FEATURE FILM LINEUP
(First Wave):

OPENING NIGHT
Tiny Cinema
World Premiere
USA | 2022 | Dir. Tyler Cornack
*Director Tyler Cornack expected in person

Final Summer
World Premiere
USA | 2022 | Dir. John Isberg
*Director John Isberg expected in person
*Available in-theater and virtually

Follow Her
North American Premiere
USA | 2022 | Dir. Sylvia Caminer
*Director Sylvia Caminer expected in person
*Available in-theater and virtually

Living with Chucky
World Premiere
USA | 2022 | Dir. Kyra Gardner
*Director Kyra Gardner and special effects designer Tony Gardner expected in person
*Available in-theater and virtually

The Loneliest Boy in the World
World Premiere
UK | 2022 | Dir. Martin Owen

Nosferatu, A Symphony of Horrors
Centennial Anniversary Presentation
Germany | 1922 | Dir. F. W. Murnau
*Live Score Performance

Pussycake
Florida Premiere
Argentina | 2022 | Dir. Pablo Parés
*Available in-theater and virtually

The Ruins
USA | 2008 | Dir. Carter Smith
*Director Carter Smith expected in person

She Came from the Woods
WIP Presentation
USA | 2022 | Dir. Erik Bloomquist
*Director Erik Bloomquist and writer Carson Bloomquist expected in person

Slash/Back
Florida Premiere
Canada | 2022 | Dir. Nyla Innuksuk

Swallowed
Florida Premiere
USA | 2022 | Dir. Carter Smith
*Director Carter Smith expected in person

VIRTUAL FEATURE FILM LINEUP
(First Wave):

Compulsus
Florida Premiere
Canada | 2022 | Dir. Tara Thorne

The Creeping
Southeast US Premiere
UK | 2022 | Dir. Jamie Hooper

Distress Signals
World Premiere
USA | 2022 | Dirs. Terence Krey, Christine Nyland

Honeycomb
Florida Premiere
Canada | 2022 | Dir. Avalon Fast

The Leech
Florida Premiere
USA | 2022 | Dir. Eric Pennycoff

Mike Mignola: Drawing Monsters
Florida Premiere
USA | 2022 | Dirs. Jim Demonakos, Kevin Konrad Hanna

The Third Saturday in October
Florida Premiere
USA | 2022 | Dir. Jay Burleson

The Third Saturday in October Part V
Florida Premiere
USA | 2022 | Dir. Jay Burleson

They Wait in the Dark
World Premiere
USA | 2022 | Dir. Patrick Rea

Virtual Reality World Experience
Popcorn Frights’ Virtual Reality world experience is created in partnership with the O Cinema, an independent non-profit based in Miami. Hosted on AltSpaceVR, the Virtual Reality environment will feature live events and an exclusive selection of short films that will receive their premieres in this unique digital space. The AltSpaceVR platform will be free to all audiences and available through Quest or STEAM headsets or on PCs.