POPCORN FRIGHTS UNVEILS THIRD WAVE OF PROGRAMMING FEATURING 83 MIND-SHATTERING SHORT FILMS, INCLUDING 11 WORLD PREMIERES

The Tenth Annual Popcorn Frights Film Festival will be a hybrid experience presenting both in-theater and virtual film offerings from August 8-18, 2024

Popcorn Frights is about to hit the nation’s horror fans with eleven days of terrifying premieres, but it’s not just the feature films that will leave you in a scream – we’ve got short films that pack a real BITE!

From the darkest corners of the genre cinema world, we’re thrilled to welcome both returning short film storytellers and daring new voices who will transport you to uncharted territories of terror and innovation. Whether you’re in the theater or joining virtually, film lovers nationwide can dive in and discover the most exciting new voices in genre cinema through eight short film blocks featuring 83 film premieres during the Festival’s eleven-day program, running August 8-18.

Highlights in the short film program feature 11 world premieres from returning Popcorn Frights alumni, including Erik Bloomquist’s CRUEL BEANS, Steven Schloss’ KATIE’S SKIN, Jack Dignan’s PUZZLE BOX: THE GLITCH, and Will Lee’s HER HOUSE, whose film RINGWORMS won the Audience Award for Best Short Film at the 2022 Popcorn Frights Film Festival; as well as new midnighter scaremongers such as Lorenzo Manetti’s ESCAPE, Steven Belcher’s ROTTEN, and Joshua David Matthews’ SKETCH.

Many other Popcorn Frights alumni are represented in a blitz of mind-shattering shorts this year, including Russell Goldman’s BURN OUT; Case Avron’s BY THE WINDOW; Luke Barnett & Tanner Thomason’s THE CROSSING OVER EXPRESS; Valery Garcia’s DESCENSION; David Grace’s HEVEL, Michael Gabriele’s ROOM TONE; Kelsey Bollig’s INKED, whose film KICKSTART MY HEART won the Jury Prize for Best Short Film at the 2022 Popcorn Frights Film Festival; and for the sixth time, Chris McInroy is back at Popcorn Frights with his outrageous horror romp WE JOINED A CULT.

Continuing Popcorn Frights’ commitment to celebrating its homegrown talent, the Festival proudly presents its “Homegrown: 100% Pure Fresh Squeezed Florida Horror” program that is dedicated to renewing and reinvigorating the audience’s engagement with Florida’s local filmmakers and homegrown talent. Films featured in the “Homegrown” program include the world premiere of Christopher Pinto’s DEAR DIARY 1944; as well as Gabriel Lopez’s BEST KEPT SHUT; Ryan McCue’s DRAWN INTO DARKNESS; Jack McClellan’s ED’S AUTO; Lucca Vieira’s I KNOW YOU; Queenie Zhang’s IT CAME FROM WITHIN; Christopher Krider & Tyler Council’s MILFORD LUSTER’S GUIDE TO FISHERMEN SAFETY; Almendra Emilia Kovač Akel’s ROT; Frank Volk’s THIS EDIBLE AIN’T SHIT; and returning to Popcorn Frights for a fifth time are Jon Rhoads & Michael Marrero with their new nightmare PARTY TIME.

Popcorn Frights also expanded its popular Animation Domination shorts block into a worldwide showcase, which this year is headlined by the world premiere of Olivia Loccisano’s POCKET PRINCESS (Canada), as well as Armin Assadipour’s PRENDS CHAIR (France) and Noah Sterling’s TINKERHELL.

Diving into the 2024 Film Festival program by the numbers, Popcorn Frights’ audience will experience a record-setting lineup boasting 131 film premieres in-theater and virtually (48 feature films and 83 shorts), including 22 World Premieres in total.

Access to the in-theater experience is generally free and open to the public on a first come first served basis, but a limited number of In-Theater VIP Badges will be available for guests who would like an all-inclusive experience with reserved seating for all films and special events hosted at the Savor Cinema Fort Lauderdale and Paradigm Cinema’s Gateway Theater, Popcorn Frights’ official host venues. 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 VIP Badge, click here, to order a Virtual All-Access Pass, click here.

The tenth edition of the Popcorn Frights Film Festival is made possible with the support of its generous sponsors, including AGFA, Dark Sky Films, Epic Pictures, Fangoria, FlickDirect, Kino Cult, MVD, Nightmare Weekend Miami, Paradigm Cinemas, Paramount Scares, Savor Cinema, and its loyal fans.

SHORT FILM LINEUP:

Animation Domination
The endless possibilities of genre animation are on dazzling display in this retina-reeling, round-the-world showcase of some of the medium’s most innovative, boundary-pushing, and mind-enhancing short films:

Brim Broome Boulevard, dir. PJ Magerko-Liquorice (USA); Fed, dir. Michael Bartolomeo (USA); Pocket Princess, dir. Olivia Loccisano (Canada, World Premiere); Prends Chair, dir. Armin Assadipour (France); Sharp Dressed Ham, dir. Jorge Enrique Baldeon (USA); Tinkerhell, dir. Noah Sterling (USA)

Homegrown: 100% Pure Fresh Squeezed Florida Horror
Celebrating the cream of Florida’s homegrown crop:

Best Kept Shut, dir. Gabriel Lopez (USA); Dear Diary 1944, dir. Christopher Pinto (USA, World Premiere); Drawn Into Darkness, dir. Ryan McCue (USA); Ed’s Auto, dir. Jack McClellan (USA), I Know You, dir. Lucca Vieira (USA); It Came From Within, dir. Queenie Zhang (USA); Milford Luster’s Guide to Fishermen Safety, dir. Christopher Krider & Tyler Council (USA); Party Time, dir. Michael Marrero & Jon Rhoads (USA); Rot, dir. Almendra Emilia Kovač Akel (USA); This Edible Ain’t Shit, dir. Frank Volk (USA)

International Midnighters
A celebration of some of the year’s most fantastic international short films from new emerging voices and established filmmakers:

I.

Breakfast, dir. Shaun Munro (UK); Coleoptere, dir. Martin Gouzou (France), Conflict, dir. François Charette (Canada), The Door, dir. Alexander Seltzer (Canada); Embrace, dir. Axel Zeltser (France); Puzzle Box: The Glitch, dir. Jack Dignan (Australia, World Premiere); Room Tone, dir. Michael Gabriele (Canada); Safe, dir. David Yorke (UK); Signal, dir. Jérôme Pierrat (France)

II.

Bath Bomb, dir. Colin G. Cooper (Canada); Break My Bones, dir. Ricardo Cruz Bueno (Mexico), The Choice, dir. Paul Hendy (UK), The Cost of Flesh, dir. Tomas Palombi (France); The Lure, dir. Tony Hipwell (France); Match, dir. Victor Basallote (Spain); Mouse, dir. Ewan J. Fletcher (UK); Pest, dir. Matthew Broughton (Canada); Seed, dir. Jacob Weldon (Canada)

Midnighters
A celebration of new works from cinematic scaremongers that bring nightmares into waking hours with thrills, chills, and spills:

I.

A Sleep Study, dir. Anthony Drake (USA); A Suit and a Straight Razor, dir. John Veron (USA); Be Bad, dir. Lauren Hart (USA); Burn Out, dir. Russell Goldman (USA); Cruel Beans, dir. Erik Bloomquist (USA, World Premiere); Descension, dir. Valery Garcia (USA); Her House, dir. Will Lee (USA, World Premiere); Katie’s Skin, dir. Steven Schloss (USA, World Premiere); Yummo Spot, dir. Ashley Brandon (USA)

II.

The Anatomy Maestro, dir. Drew Maxwell Weiss (USA); Carnívora, dir. Felipe Vargas (USA); The Custodian, dir. Collin J. Mason (USA); Escape, dir. Lorenzo Manetti (USA, World Premiere); Let’s Go Disco, dir. Austin Lewis (USA); Scalped!, dir. Elana Rubin (USA); Sketch, dir. Joshua David Mattews (USA, World Premiere); The Sound of Fear, dir. Aidan Rea Payne (USA, World Premiere); Wake, dir. Sean Carter (USA); Who’s There?, dir. Ryan Doris (USA)

III.

The Flacalta Effect, dir. Rochée Jeffrey (USA); Hi! You Are Currently Being Filmed, dir. Kyle Greenberg & Anna Maguire (USA); Inked, dir. Kelsey Bollig (USA); Like Me, dir. Ashley Lauren Thomas (USA); Make Me A Pizza, dir. Talia Shea Levin (USA); The Meeting Spot, dir. Lauren Sick (USA); Rotten, dir. Steven Belcher (USA, World Premiere); The Thaw, dir. Sean Temple & Sarah Wisner (USA); The Third Ear, dir. Nathan Ginter (USA); We Joined A Cult, dir. Chris McInroy (USA)

IV.

Bad Music Terry, dir. Evan Showalter (USA); Betty Bites Back, dir. Jessica Michael Davis (USA); Cheat Meal, dir. Drew Bierut (USA, World Premiere); Consumer, dir. Matthew Fisher (USA); Every Other Animal, dir. Olia Oparina (USA); Hevel, dir. David Grace (USA); Late for Fate, dir. Brandon Winfrey (USA); Paralian, dir. Evan Gorski (USA); Tingle, dir. Machete Bang Bang (USA); Wesley Loses His Penis, dir. Brennan Thomas McGee (USA)

V.

The Appointment, dir. Mike Sarcinelli (USA); Bottleneck, dir. Mike Canale (USA); By the Window, dir. Case Avron (USA); Casual Vignettes of Gilded Vulgarity, dir. Paul Kaiser (USA); Come Home, dir. Mike Pecci (USA); The Crossing Over Express, dir. Luke Barnett & Tanner Thomason (USA); Death Wish, dir. Santino Fontana (USA); RAT!, dir. Neal Suresh Mulani (USA); Roger Is A Serial Killer, dir. Don Swaynos (USA); They’re Coming Tonight, dir. John Bonner (USA)