Returning for its 13th incarnation just in time for Friday 13th, Mayhem is back at Nottingham’s Broadway cinema from 12th to 15th October for another weekend of thriller and horror films. Start your Halloween celebrations early at this popular event – and read on to find out what’s screening this time around…
The four main characters of the festival’s first screening prepare for their Double Date.
Double Date
Kicking off Mayhem with a strong start, Double Date is a horror-comedy from director Benjamin Barfoot. When best friends Alex and Jim go out with sisters Kitty and Lulu the night before Jim’s 30th birthday, things get complicated when Lulu begins to befriend Jim, despite the women’s murderous intent…
Written by and starring Danny Morgan, and set for full UK release on the rather appropriate day of Friday 13th October, this film is darkly comedic, promising both scares and laughs in abundance, along with some great acting and several recognisable cameos.
This screening includes a Q&A with Barfoot, Morgan, actress Georgia Groome, and producer Matt Wilkinson, so get down to Broadway cinema on Thursday 12th October at 7:30pm – you won’t want to miss it.
M.F.A
Screening on Thursday 12th October at 10pm, this film follows an art student’s newfound ‘creative inspiration’ as she becomes a vigilante. Following the accidental murder of her attacker, Noelle decides to gift the same gruesome justice to other college girls whose attackers walked free.
Featuring the acting talents of Francesca Eastwood, and described as “Richly rewarding” and “hard-hitting” by Culture Crypt, this twisted story is perfect for the feel of Mayhem Film Festival, and will definitely be one to watch out for.
Bitch
Mayhem’s first Friday 13th screening is Bitch, a surreal story about a woman who beings to take on the personality of a vicious dog. An interesting take on the pressures of suburban life, this film is written and directed by Marianna Palka, who also joins the film’s talented cast.
68 Kill
Next up on the Friday of the festival, at 5:30pm, we have 68 Kill, a comedy-thriller starring Matthew Gray Gubler, AnnaLynne McCord, and Alisha Boe. $68,000 has been stolen, and the casualties are starting to pile up…
Described as playing “like a gender reversed version” of True Romance, this “Blatantly bonkers” film explores masculinity, femininity, and the theft of $68k.
Habit
This Manchester-set film centres on Michael, a young man who discovers something sinister after getting a job in a massage parlour. Horrific, bloody, and subversive, this adaptation of Stephen McGeagh’s novel by writer and director Simeon Halligan is set to quench any movie-goer’s thirst for gore, thrills, and violence.
The screening also includes a Q&A with Halligan, producer Rachel Richardson-Jones, and lead actor Elliot Langridge. So get yourself to Broadway for 7:30pm next Friday to avoid missing out!
Friday the 13th Part III (3D)
Missed out on this gem when it first appeared in 1982? Now’s your chance! Appropriately screening on Friday 13th, during the 13th iteration of Mayhem, this film comes to Broadway in 3D for its 35th anniversary year. Get on down there for 10pm to enjoy Jason, the iconic star of slasher movie cinema, up close and personal.
Tag
Kicking off the Saturday of the festival is this midday screening of Tag, a Japanese film centring on Mitsuko, a girl constantly followed by death. As people around her begin to meet gruesome fates, Mitsuko begins to doubt her identity and the world as she knows it…
Don’t be put off by the subtitles – this film is a great addition to Mayhem Film Festival’s line-up, and is sure to be enjoyed by fans of horror and mind-bending stories alike.
A Day
Using a similar concept to Groundhog Day, this movie follows a surgeon battling to change reality in order to save his daughter’s life. A sci-fi thriller where the mistakes of the past come back to haunt the ever-repeating present, this film “Goes for the heart and the throat”, according to Nerdist.
Mayhem’s screening is the UK premiere of this enthralling thriller from South Korea, so it’s well worth getting to Broadway for 1:45pm on Saturday 14th October.
Most Beautiful Island
Luciana is an undocumented immigrant struggling to find work without the necessary visa. When she is offered a mysterious job, she is drawn into a sinister world where she must fight for survival.
A thriller highlighting the everyday horror of exploitation and the need to escape the past, this is a brilliant film from actress Ana Asensio, who also debuts here as writer, director, and producer. Catch it at 3:30pm on the Saturday of the festival.
Short Film Showcase
Also on Saturday, Mayhem presents a set of twelve shorts from 6pm. This is the perfect opportunity to get your short film fix, or try a new genre of filmmaking. Each film is between four and fifteen minutes long, and the whole showcase lasts two hours.
The line-up in alphabetical order is as follows: Liam Banks’ After Party in its world premiere; Amy, directed by L. Gustavo Cooper; Blood Shed by James Moran; Australian short Creswick; the UK premiere of Don’t Ever Change; Feeding Time, directed by Matt Mercer; the UK premiere of In the Dark, Dark Woods; Mia’kate Russell’s Liz Drives; Real Artists by Cameo Wood; Thomas Hodge’s Teddy Bears Picnic; Amelia Moses’s Canadian short Undress Me; and the world premiere of What Metal Girls are Into, directed by Laurel Vail.
Prey
At 8:30pm Saturday 14th October, you’ll find a lion on the loose at Broadway Cinema. Prey is a comedy-horror about a man-eating lion roaming the streets of Amsterdam, described as “Jaws on paws!”.
This screening features a Q&A with Dick Maas, the filmmaker, composer, and writer of Prey, and is well worth the ticket for anyone who enjoys the ridiculous intersection of humour and horror.
Suspiria
The final screening for Saturday, this 1977 Italian film follows Suzy, a ballet student and new arrival to Germany. Suzy is one of the last people to see the victim of a gruesome murder alive, and she soon uncovers the horrific secret behind the death and the school itself.
Get your ticket and head to Broadway for 11pm to catch this “ground-breaking masterpiece of horror that demands being seen on the biggest screen possible”.
Top Knot Detective
Screening at noon on Sunday 15th, this Australian film follows the apparently true story behind the failure of a 1990s Japanese samurai series. Compared to Spinal Tap, this movie is described as “Utterly hilarious, demented, and tragic”, and is the perfect introduction to the final day of Mayhem Film Festival.
Rift
Rift centres on Gunnar, a young man who travels to a remote part of the country following a midnight call from his ex-boyfriend, Einar. This Icelandic film looks at the attempt to save a failing relationship whilst an outside force apparently seeks to destroy it.
Catch this “highly suspenseful and slow-burn thriller” at 1:45pm on Sunday 15th October at Broadway cinema.
Zeppelin v Pterodactyls
Does it need further description? This is a live stage reading of a lost production by Hammer Films, and is an exclusive event premiering at Broadway. Catch this sci-fi epic at 5pm on Sunday, and be transported to a world of what ifs.
Mayhem
Appropriately named considering both the name of the festival and the content of the film, Mayhem follows a couple trapped in a tower block basement who decide to fight their way up and out against their colleagues, who have been infected by a strange inhibition-inhibiting virus.
This thrilling American corporate-set horror is screening at 7:45pm Sunday.
Dead Shack
Drawing the festival to a close with its Sunday night screening, Dead Shack is a gore-filled zombie film focused on three kids fighting to save themselves and their father. Described as a “mash-up of family films and full-on fright flicks”, this is not one for the faint-hearted. See it at 9:30pm on Sunday 15th October.
For more information, including to check film timings and to book tickets, visit http://www.mayhemfilmfestival.com/line-up.
Isobel Sheene
Featured image and article image courtesy of Stigma Films.
Image use licence here.
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