WICKED WEEKEND Program Announcement

Wicked Weekend will feature 21 film premieres including the World Premiere of SMILEY FACE KILLERS starring Crispin Glover and Paramount’s Supernatural Thriller SPELL

Hang on to your popcorn, boils and ghouls, Popcorn Frights is celebrating this spooky season with a Wicked Weekend virtual event taking place all through Halloween weekend, from October 29th-November 1st, featuring 21 film premieres, conversations, panels, and other special surprises. Come and escape into Halloween with us, it’s our favorite time of year!

Highlights from the film line-up include the World Premiere of Lionsgate’s SMILEY FACE KILLERS, written by Bret Easton Ellis and directed by Tim Hunter who reunites with his River’s Edge star Crispin Glover; Paramount’s supernatural thriller SPELL starring Omari Hardwick (Zach Snyder’s Army of the Dead); and the North American Premieres of BABYSITTER MUST DIE, THE RETREAT, HELD, THEY REACH, as well as TALES OF THE UNCANNY, an in-depth documentary about anthology horror that features interviews with Joe Dante, Mick Garris, Roger Corman, Richard Stanley, Ernest Dickerson, Eli Roth, and Tom Savini, among others.

Other films slated to premiere at the four-day virtual event include the Florida Premieres of the hair-raising chiller THE VIGIL, THE OAK ROOM starring RJ Mitte (Breaking Bad) and the gory horror extravaganzas BUTCHERS, SPARE PARTS, THIRST, CYST, and BENNY LOVES YOU. To mark the season of fear, on all Hallows Eve, there will be a special presentation of the Halloween set chillers, BAD CANDY and FOR THE SAKE OF VICIOUS. Wicked Weekend will also host the Florida Premiere of the finally completed, long-lost horror sequel GRIZZLY II: REVENGE starring George Clooney, Laura Dern, Charlie Sheen, and a killer bear.

In addition to its film-lineup, Wicked Weekend will feature several off-film events as part of its Talking Horror program, including the Tracking Terror panel with acclaimed musicians Graham Reznick and Steve Moore, and a conversation with Tibor Takács about his cult classic The Gate, which starred Stephen Dorff in his film debut.

Access to film screenings will be geo-locked to Florida with Wicked Weekend All-Access Passes on sale for $66.60, and individual tickets at $6.66. The Talking Horror program will be available for free to the public. Film selections will be available to access beginning 10:00am EST October 29, and access ends 11:45pm EST the night of November 1st. This year’s Popcorn Frights Wicked Weekend functions as a charitable event benefiting local arthouses that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

FEATURE FILM PROGRAM:

A Ghost Waits
Florida Premiere
United Kingdom | 2020 | Dir. Adam Stovall

Anonymous Animals
Florida Premiere
France | 2020 | Dir. Baptiste Rouveure

Babysitter Must Die
North American Premiere
USA | 2020 | Dir. Kohl Glass

Bad Candy
Florida Premiere
USA | 2020 | Dir. Scott B. Hansen

Benny Loves You
Florida Premiere
United Kingdom | 2019 | Dir. Karl Holt

Butchers
Florida Premiere
Canada | 2020 | Dir. Adrian Langley

The Columnist
Florida Premiere
Netherlands | 2019 | Dir. Ivo van Aart

Cyst
Florida Premiere
USA | 2020 | Dir. Travis Ayers

For the Sake of Vicious
Florida Premiere
Canada | 2020 | Dir. Gabriel Carrer & Reese Eveneshen

Grizzlly II: Revenge
Florida Premiere
USA | 1983 | Dir. André Szöts

Hail to the Deadites
Florida Premiere
Canada | 2020 | Dir. Steve Villeneuve

Held
North American Premiere
USA | 2020 | Dir. Travis Cluff & Chris Lofing

The Oak Room
Florida Premiere
Canada | 2020 | Dir. Cody Calahan

The Retreat
North American Premiere
USA | 2020 | Dir. Bruce Wemple

Smiley Face Killers
World Premiere
USA | 2020 | Dir. Tim Hunter

Spare Parts
Florida Premiere
Canada | 2020 | Dir. Andrew Thomas Hunt

Spell
Florida Premiere
USA | 2020 | Dir. Mark Tonderai

Tales of the Uncanny
North American Premiere
USA | 2019 | Dir. David Gregory

Thirst
Florida Premiere
Iceland | 2019 | Dirs. Steinþór Hróar Steinþórsson & Gaukur Úlfarsson

They Reach
North American Premiere
USA | 2020 | Dir. Sylas Dall

The Vigil
Florida Premiere
USA | 2010 | Dir. Keith Thomas

TALKING HORROR PROGRAM:

Opening The Gate: Conversation with Tibor Takács
A conversation with Hungarian-Canadian director Tibor Takács about his 1987 horror cult classic The Gate, which marked the feature film debut for Stephen Dorff, as well as the film’s sequel, The Gate II: Trespassers, and the history and rise of Canadian genre cinema.

Tracking Terror: Conversation with Graham Reznick & Steve Moore
A panel hosted by TrueHorror featuring acclaimed musicians Graham Reznick & Steve Moore in conversation about the importance of sound and score in genre cinema.