Nightstream Film Festival: Line up looks horrifically incredible

In this new world that society is having to navigate, the film lover has come up against many new challenges, one being how to enjoy a typical film festival. Event organisers around the world have been creatively combatting the problems around film festivals by going virtual, and so far the results have been spectacular for all that have tackled it.

And now, five established US-based genre film festivals have joined their forces together to bring the horror fans together for a four-day weekend of movie mayhem. Boston Underground, Brooklyn Horror, North Bend, Overlook and Popcorn Frights have conjured up Nightstream Film Festival. Running from 8th to 11th October, the festival has just announced it’s full film and events line-up which looks to deliver the most terrifying goods.

So what does Nightstream have on offer?

The question actually should be, what doesn’t Nightstream have on offer! The opening night see’s Hulu’s exceptionally anticipated thriller film RUN, starring American Horror Story and Ratched’s Sarah Paulson as lead in this Hitchcockian inspired film. This one comes from Searching director Aneesh Chagnanty. The closing night sees French filmmaker Quentin Dupieux’s MANDIBLES which is a bizarre comedy about a giant fly… yes you heard correctly.

However, it’s not just the opening and closing films that look incredible, the entirety of the line-up is outstanding with an array of diverse films from unique and diverse filmmakers around the world. There will be 7 World Premieres, 9 North American Premieres, 7 U.S. Premieres and a staggering 164 short films. If you’re in the US and looking for the place to get your fix of films, then Nightstream is the only place to be.

Some of the other titles that you can expect to find are:

• AV: The Hunt by Emre Akay
• Black Bear by Lawrence Michael Levine
• Bleed With Me by Amelia Moses
• Darkness by Emanuela Rossi
• Detention by John Hsu
• Dinner in America by Adam Carter Rehmeier
• The Doorman by Ryuhei Kitamura
• Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist by Alexandre O. Phillippe
• An Unquiet Grave by Terence Krey
• May The Devil Take You Too by Timo Tjahjanto
• and many, many more! (This is not even a quarter of the full list…)

If that didn’t already peak your interest, then the panels, podcasts, conversations and party nights are going to really get you excited! Director Nia DaCosta will be talking virtually fireside all about her upcoming horror film Candyman and current state of the industry. An exclusive in-depth conversation with Mary Harron all about her American Psycho adaptation to celebrate it’s 20th anniversary. Filmmakers Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson, who are behind the incredible Resolution, The Endless and Spring will be sharing an never-before-seen look at their early work, and joined by director of Tigers Are Not Afraid, Issa Lopez.

There’s even more… Every night there will be virtual happy-hour socials (or breakfast drinks if you’re watching from the UK like me) hosted by guests including none other than Elijah Wood. What more could you need from a film festival?

This festival is only available to those in the US, so if you are based across the pond then it’s suggested that you get yourself a festival pass as this really isn’t one to be missed! Take a look at the full line-up to see just what you can get with either a 5 film or 10 film pass, or if you’re just interested in the events and panels, you can get a ticket for that too.