FrightFest 2011: First Films Announced
by Ben Bussey
UK horror fans, start getting excited. The August Bank Holiday weekend is a little over two months away, and that means we don’t have too much longer to wait until the biggest horror event in Britain. From Thursday the 25th to Monday the 29th of August, FrightFest takes over the Empire Cinema in London’s Leicester Square, and while the bulk of the line-up remains a mystery for now, three titles have been announced; the opener, closer and one fitting somewhere in the middle. And I for one am excited already.
Opening the festival is one of most anticipated films of the year, Troy Nixey’s Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark. I assume this one needs little introduction, given how excitedly we’ve covered it to date, but here’s how FrightFest’s online magazine sums it up: “Based on the 1973 US TV movie and bearing del Toro’s distinctive touch of class, first-time director Nixey explores a demonic tooth fairy myth in a tense flight of terrifying fantasy orchestrated with stylish verve and stunning sound design that will rock the Empire cinema to its rafters.”
Closing will be A Lonely Place To Die, a survivalist horror from director Julian Gilbey (Rise of the Footsoldier) starring Melissa George (Triangle, Turistas, Angel from Home & Away). Quoth FrightFest: “Set in the Scottish Highlands, a group of mountaineers discover a young Serbian girl buried alive in the wilderness. In their attempt to get the girl to safety they become caught up in a terrifying game of cat and mouse.” It will be the film’s European premiere. And what’s the betting some alarms just went off somewhere at the presence of the word ‘Serbian’ in the synopsis of a film showing at Frightfest…?
Also showing will be Andre Ovredal’s The Troll Hunter, one of the only found footage/pseudo-documentary horror movies I’ve been excited about for a long time. Damon Swindall reviewed this for us at Fantastic Fest and gave it an enthusiastic thumbs up; check out that review here. (And, what a surprise, just as it gets a US release, a remake has been announced.)
The full festival line-up will be announced on 1st July, with festival and day passes going on sale the next day. For more info, and to access the FrightFest webzine, visit www.frightfest.co.uk.
