Popcorn Frights Announces Second Wave of Programming for Hybrid Festival

Highlights include a Special Presentation of Clive Barker’s NIGHTBREED: DIRECTOR’S CUT with actress Anne Bobby; an Under the Stars event on Miami Beach’s famous Ocean Drive of Alfred Hitchcock’s THE BIRDS for its 60th Anniversary; celebrating Tobe Hooper’s all-time horror classic TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE on the 50th Anniversary the day the massacre occurred; plus seven more Virtual Film Premieres Headlined by werewolf thriller THE FOREST HILLS featuring Screen Legend Shelley Duvall’s first film appearance in more than 20 Years and the sci-fi creature feature SUBJECT

The Ninth Annual Popcorn Frights Film Festival will be a hybrid experience presenting both in-theater and virtual film offerings from August 10-20, 2023

Feeling lucky? Well, you should! Popcorn Frights has added even more movies to its expansive schedule! Horror lovers in South Florida and all across the US can celebrate the one-of-a-kind, endless possibilities of genre cinema in the festival’s retina-reeling, round-the-world showcase of some of the medium’s most boundary-pushing and mind-enhancing films. Mark your calendars for August 10-20, when Popcorn Frights’ ninth edition unleashes cinematic mayhem on the big screen and online!

So, without further ado… Popcorn Frights is thrilled to announce that NIGHTBREED star Anne Bobby is checking into the festival for a special big screen presentation of Clive Barker’s “Director’s Cut” as well as the world premiere of her new short film KINDLING! The event will feature an extensive conversation with the star talking about her background and experience in the making of the iconic film.

For those daring to descend into even more terror, brace for Tobe Hooper’s all-time horror classic THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE as it returns to ravage the silver screen precisely 50 years after the infamous massacre shook the world on that fateful night of August 18, 1973. The anniversary event will also include several other treats and surprises in celebration of this unholy night.

But wait. There’s more! What better way to experience the 60th anniversary of Alfred Hitchcock’s horror masterpiece of nature gone berserk, THE BIRDS, than with a special free outdoor presentation on Ocean Drive, Miami Beach’s most famous stretch of sand and nightlife. The special event is made possible with the support of the City of Miami Beach.

“You’re a fucking murderer, Rico!” That is the first line of dialogue fans of THE SHINING icon Shelley Duvall can hear her speak after a 20-year absence from the screen in THE FOREST HILLS, a werewolf horror film unleashed in all practical special effects. This gripping genre-bender has drawn together an all-star ensemble, including TERMINATOR 2 star Edward Furlong, werewolf actress par excellence Dee Wallace, slasher queen Felissa Rose, scream queen Debbie Rochon, Stacey Nelkin (HALLOWEEN III), and Marianne Hagan (HALLOWEEN 6: THE CURSE OF MICHAEL MYERS).

Fans can see the film streaming as part of Popcorn Frights’ online virtual component featuring more than 20 films (with more still to be announced!) and granting audiences across the entire United States the opportunity to immerse themselves in the heart-pounding, adrenaline-fueled experience of the festival, no matter where they are.

Popcorn Frights’ virtual program is also headlined by the mind-bending sci-fi creature feature SUBJECT, a jolting tale wrapped in layers of mystery about a prison inmate chosen to participate in a secretive government study. Other highlights in the festival’s virtual experience include the premieres of the Cronenbergian zombie tale WINTERTIDE, the morbidly hypnotic found-footage creepfest INVOKING YELL, the nightmarish and visually haunting animated feature AGATHA that was ten years in the making, the gore-filled home invasion thriller WATCHDOG starring horror legend Mark Patton, and the story of Gilead Media in A WANDERING PATH, an underground label renowned for putting out black metal, doom, and noise rock releases of well-known bands.

A third wave of Popcorn Frights 2023 titles and special events will be announced in the coming weeks.

Access to the in-theater program 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 Horror Collective 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.

The ninth edition of the Popcorn Frights Film Festival is made possible with the support of its generous sponsors, including 88 Films, AGFA, ALTER, The Betsy, Daily Dead, Dread Central, Fangoria, Fright Rags, The Horror Collective, Kino Cult, MVD, O Cinema, Savor Cinema, Severin Films, and its loyal fans.

IN-THEATER RETRO FILM LINEUP
(Second Wave):

The Birds
60th Anniversary Presentation
USA | 1963 | Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
*Under the stars event

Nightbreed: Director’s Cut
Special Presentation
USA | 1990 | Dir. Clive Barker
*Actress Anne Bobby expected in person

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
Special 50th Anniversary Presentation
USA | 1974 | Dir. Tobe Hooper

VIRTUAL FEATURE FILM LINEUP
(Second Wave):

A Wandering Path
Florida Premiere
USA | 2023 | Dir. Michael Dimmit

Agatha
Florida Premiere
USA | 2022 | Dirs. Kelly Bigelow Becerra, Roland Becerra

The Forest Hills
Florida Premiere
USA | 2023 | Dir.Scott Goldberg

Invoking Yell
Florida Premiere
Chile | 2023 | Dir. Patricio Valladares

Subject
Florida Premiere
Australia | 2022 | Dir. Tristan Barr

Watchdog
Florida Premiere
USA | 2023 | Dir. L.C. Holt

Wintertide
Florida Premiere
Canada | 2023 | Dir. John Barnard