AFI FEST Announces Genre Line-Up: Goodnight Mommy, It Follows, and More!
Steve Barton
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The 2014 AFI FEST, which runs November 6th-13th in Los Angeles, has just announced its line-up, and we’ve got your genre picks right here for those of you who are more interested in what’s gonna be spooky than what’s gonna be playing.
From the Press Release
Ever since the silent era, horror and cinema have gone hand in hand (or should it be “hand in claw?”). Fear and the flickers have always been a natural fit since both involve engaging with the dark and what lies (or might lie) within it. But then there’s always been the competing idea that horror cinema isn’t exactly art. Despite many examples to the contrary, horror films are, for many critics and “cineastes,” the Rodney Dangerfield of cinematic genres: It don’t get no respect.
The 2014 AFI FEST, which runs November 6th-13th in Los Angeles, features over 150 feature and short films from all over the world. And for this year’s festival, horror is anything but an afterthought. Several horror films are being showcased at this year’s festival, including the highly anticipated New Zealand horror mockumentary What We Do In the Shadows starring Jermaine Clement (“Flight of the Conchords,” Men In Black 3). In each case they make the argument that the language of fear – especially the visual language – is truly universal.
Below are some of the major horror films screening at the AFI FEST 2014:
GOODNIGHT MOMMY (ICH SEH ICH SEH) – Twin boys fear that their mother, whose face is masked with bandages after plastic surgery, has been subsumed by an evil being. Written and directed by aunt-nephew filmmakers Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala. Cast: Susanne Wuest, Elias Schwarz, Lucas Schwarz. Austria.
FROM WHAT IS BEFORE (MULA SA KUNG ANO ANG NOON) – Clocking in at an epic 5-1/2 hours, Filipino arthouse sensation Lav Diaz’s latest epic centers on a coastal village haunted by strange and supernatural occurrences. A sensory experience not to be missed. Written and directed by Lay Diaz. Cast: Perry Dizon, Roeder Camañag, Hazel Orencio, Karenina Haniel, Joel Saracho, Reynan Abcede, Ching Valdes-Aran, Mailes Kanapi, Ian Lomongo, Noel Sto. Domingo, Evelyn Vargas, Bambi Beltran, Teng Mangansakan. Philippines. U.S. Premiere.
IT FOLLOWS – A group of friends is plagued by a nightmarish supernatural threat in this coming-of-age horror film from AFI FEST alum David Robert Mitchell. Written and directed by Mitchell. Cast: Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, Daniel Zovatto, Jake Weary, Olivia Luccardi, Lili Sepe. USA.
WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS – A hit when it played at Sundance, What We Do In the Shadows follows in the footsteps of An American Werewolf in London in mixing laughs with terror. In this hilarious mockumentary, the undead lives of five flat-mates are thrown into pandemonium when a recently turned hipster tries to join the party. Written and directed by Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement, who pull triple duty since they also star. Cast also includes Jonathan Brugh, Cori Gonzalez-Macuer, Stu Rutherford, Jackie Van Beek, Ben Fransham. New Zealand.
Horror films are just like any other mode of narrative: They seek to illuminate the human condition. Sometimes that requires eliciting a scream instead of a laugh. Sometimes they can achieve both. But for horror fans it just proves that, no matter the language or the country, dreaming eyes wide open in the dark is, above all, fun!
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