The days are growing shorter, and at night, we can sleep merely with the windows open instead of the air conditioner on full blast to defang the heat of the summer. There’s a feeling in the air, a feeling of anticipation, and as autumn slips into full gear and the rest of the world is celebrating pumpkin spice and apple cider, the spooky people out there rejoice, for Halloween is almost upon us!
Alas, as we are still technically in the midst of a pandemic, a lot of us are reasonably hesitant to attend film festivals. Well, have no fear, my friends, because for the second year in a row, NIGHTSTREAM is here to help us revel in the weird and the creepy from the safety and convenience of our own homes. A collaboration between Boston Underground Film Festival, Brooklyn Horror Film Festival, North Bend Film Festival, and Overlook Film Festival, NIGHTSTREAM is an entirely virtual event that will take place on October 7-13, 2021. In addition to over 30 feature films from creators all over the world, NIGHTSTREAM will feature panels, discussions, a virtual lounge, four short film programs, and several retro showings of classic and not so classic horror films.
Some of the feature films we here at Cinepunx and Horror Business are excited to see are Mickey Reece’s Agnes, Bertrand Mandico’s After Blue (Dirty Paradise), the world premiere of Jefferson Moneo’s Cosmic Dawn, Zelda Adams’ Hellbender, Ori Sergev’s Poser, Samantha Aldan’s Shapeless, and Jane Schoenbrun’s uber-creepy We’re All Going to The World’s Fair.
In the documentary slots, we have Scott Barker’s This is GWAR, a deep dive into the history and legacy of the infamous shock rock band, Kier-La Janisse’s Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror, a look into the fascinating subgenre of folk horror, and Danielle Kummer and Lucy Haley’s Alien On Stage, a “charming, hilarious and inspiring” look at the efforts of English bus drivers to recreate the classic horror film Alien as a play. The retro showings this year are all the folk horror variety, and amongst them is the very underrated 1983 Eyes of Fire, as well as Ian Coughlin’s Australian film, Alison’s Birthday.
Just a few of the panels are Shudder’s A Celebration of Horror Noire, an examination of the impact Black creators have had on the genre, and a conversation with Akela Cooper, cowriter of the polarizing James Wan film Malignant. The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies will also be presenting The Back Rooms: An Exploration of The Creepypastas Phenomenon, a panel which promises to be “a journey through these amateur fictions from a sociological point of view” in an attempt to understand the impact of the phenomenon of creepypasta.
Like last year, there will be four separate short film programs: How We Survive, Your Mind Is A Shackle, Last Resorts, and Human Nature, each of which focus on a different theme.
There’s a ton more content this year that I haven’t touched upon here, but hopefully you’ll check it out for yourself. NIGHTSTREAM is the perfect way to get in the spirit of Halloween, all from the safety and convenience of your own home. Catch you in the virtual lounge at 3 a.m. Saturday after being scared out of our minds? Here’s to hoping!
For more information, including schedules, FAQ, and how to purchase tickets and badges, please head to:
https://nightstream2021.eventive.org
NIGHTSTREAM can be found on social media at the following:
http://facebook.com/nightstreamfest
https://twitter.com/nightstreamfest
https://www.instagram.com/nightstreamfest/
For more information on the organizations behind NIGHTSTREAM, head to
https://bostonunderground.org/
https://brooklynhorrorfest.com/
https://northbendfilmfest.com/
https://www.overlookfilmfest.com/
