First Four Grimm Up North 2010 Films Announced

Debi Moore |

Aug 25, 2010

Year 2 of Manchester, England’s premier horror film festival, Grimm Up North, is taking place Halloween weekend, 28th-31st October 2010, and the first four films have been officially confirmed along with a handful of the event’s seminar guests.

For months the folks behind Grimmfest have been sifting through the latest in genre cinema to bring the best horror and sci-fi to this year’s festival, and it looks like they’re off to a damn fine start! Here’s a small sample of what fest-goers have in store:

Reel Zombies: The film follows a group of independent filmmakers as they attempt to create a third entry in their series of ‘Zombie Night’ movies. This time, though, they’ll be using the real live undead that have taken over much of the world. With a documentary team following them, the crew set out to create a masterpiece but discover shooting in a post-apocalyptic world often comes with all kinds of deadly challenges.
“In addition to big laughs and violence, Reel Zombies gives you a great helping of tits, some good old fashioned explosions and a side order of gore. I really, really hope this film gets the attention it deserves,” – Noel Mellor, Grimm Up North Web Marketing Coordinator.

Evil – In the Time of Heroes: The story of a disparate group of people fighting for survival in a city of the living dead as seemingly impossible odds mount up against them. Featuring a memorable cameo from Billy Zane as a time-traveling, zombie-hunting monk, this grisly sequel to cult hit Evil – the first ever Greek zombie movie – is a polished, manic, off-the-wall horror that has its tongue lodged firmly in its decomposing cheek.
Shot with the now infamous Red camera, audiences can expect gore with a visceral edge. Evil – In the Time of Heroes offers ancient Greeks, time travel, zombies and an unrelenting amount of blood and guts … what more do you really need?

Alien vs. Ninja: If blood spattered, blade-wielding insanity is something that appeals to you (doesn’t it everyone?), then this is going to be one you won’t want to miss.
Set in feudal Japan, the film tracks a band of great Iga Ninja warriors who witness a strange flash in the sky followed by the crash of a roaring giant fireball. Rushing into the forest to investigate, they are stunned to be confronted by an enemy the likes of which they’ve never encountered before … aliens from another world! As the hungry brutal extra-terrestrials feast on their number, the survivors swear to avenge the death of their comrades. But with their swords and throwing stars having little effect on the intergalactic predators, who will survive – and what will be left of them?

“No subtlety, no intricate narrative set ups. Just 80 minutes of martial arts mayhem and cartoonish gore. A delirious pop-pulp-trash mash-up,” Steve Balshaw, Grimm Up North Festival Programmer.

Slice: Hailing from Thailand, the film tells the tale of an ex-cop named Tai, who is released from prison to help track down a murderer whose modus operandi seems to be connected to that of a childhood friend, Nut. Tai soon begins to see the strength of this connection and starts to relive his troubled experiences with Nut. He must also deal with the demands of Papa, the police detective who has arranged for his record to be wiped clean once the killer is caught.

“Slice is an absolute gem of a movie … with a thoroughly absorbing story and a mind-blowing last act, you would do well to make a note of its name,” Noel Mellor, Grimm Up North Web Marketing Coordinator.

First Four Grimm Up North 2010 Films Announced

As for the seminar guests, here’s the lowdown:

In the world of genre literature and film adaptation, we are delighted to have Ramsey Campbell, award-winning author of The Nameless, as well as Christopher Priest, whose 1995 novel The Prestige was adapted by Inception director Christopher Nolan in 2006. In addition, we have horror author David Moody on hand to talk about seeing his modern zombie series Autumn developed into a movie and his most recent novel Hater optioned by Guillermo del Toro’s production company. Manchester-based writer Conrad Williams will also be joining us, as well as sci-fi author Richard Evans – so it’s fair to say we’ve got all our bases covered!

Other confirmed guests so far include photographer Grenville Charles, who, in addition to having shot musicians like Amy Winehouse, Chuck Berry, Lilly Allen and Pink, has established a comprehensive portfolio of stills for the film industry, which he will be sharing with us all. As a special effects supervisor on films like Splintered, Doghouse and Hush, Scott MacIntyre is a great addition to the lineup and will no doubt be advising budding film makers on how best to decapitate or brutally wound their actors while still staying on the right side of the law. And finally, keeping all of our guests in check will be The Galactic Knights, a dedicated costumed gang of movie favourites from the world of Star Wars and beyond!

Manchester’s Dancehouse Theatre situated on Oxford Road opposite the BBC will be home to Grimm Up North 2010. The luscious art deco theatre and the building’s haunting hallways contain a range of great onsite facilities and are in close proximity to a large selection of nearby bars with one of Europe’s busiest bus routes on its doorstep.

Keep up-to-date on all the latest via the official Grimm Up North website, befriend them on Facebook, and of course, follow them on Twitter.

– Debi Moore

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