Popcorn Frights Unleashes Second Wave with ‘The End of Oak Street’, ‘Drag’, ‘Wishmaster’, and More
Building on the killer buzz of its initial First Wave announcement, the 12th Annual Popcorn Frights Film Festival returns with a vengeance, unveiling its Second Wave packed with an additional 25 film premieres, epic events, and iconic guests ready to raise unholy hell across South Florida from August 6-16!
Tearing through the neighborhood is the hugely anticipated Warner Bros. Pictures feature The End of Oak Street, the latest scare ride from acclaimed filmmaker David Robert Mitchell (It Follows), starring Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor and produced by J.J. Abrams. After a mysterious cosmic event rips Oak Street from suburbia and transports their neighborhood to someplace unknown, the Platt family soon discovers that their very survival depends on them sticking together as they navigate their now unrecognizable surroundings. Popcorn Frights will immerse audiences in the world of Oak Street with a tricked out screening, themed games, special photo opportunities, and an open invitation to wear your best bitchin’ ’80s attire for an unforgettable night at the movies.
The festival also celebrates the 30th anniversary of From Dusk Till Dawn with writer and legendary FX artist Robert Kurtzman, who will unveil a brand-new restoration of the original short film that inspired Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino‘s cult vampire classic. Kurtzman will remain to conjure even more nightmares with a special screening of Wishmaster, joined by the film’s unforgettable Djinn himself, Andrew Divoff.
But the terror doesn’t end there. Following Wishmaster, Popcorn Frights unleashes the WISH-A-THON—the ultimate overnight horror endurance event hosted by the WISHMASTER. Audiences will descend into an all-night cinematic marathon featuring a secret lineup of genre oddities, forgotten gems, and delirious cult favorites, all united by one sinister theme: wishes gone horribly wrong. The only guarantee? You’ll be sitting in a movie theater… and you won’t be sleeping. Even better, the event benefits the Make-A-Wish Foundation, with all ticket proceeds helping grant life-changing wishes for children facing critical illnesses.
Attention all righteous dudes and babes! Death himself, William Sadler, joins the festival for a most triumphant celebration of the 35th anniversary of Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, revisiting the beloved comedy that sent cinema’s favorite slackers on a wildly unforgettable trip through Heaven and Hell. Sadler will also appear for a special screening of Frank Darabont‘s beloved Stephen King adaptation The Shawshank Redemption, followed by an extended in-depth conversation with audiences.
Summer camp gets gloriously deranged with a celebration of one of horror’s most infamous cult classics, Sleepaway Camp. Scream queen Felissa Rose returns for a live commentary packed with behind-the-scenes stories, outrageous memories, and uncensored laughs as the madness unfolds on screen. Fans can also browse a pop-up video market filled with VHS treasures, DVDs, collectibles, and rare discoveries before Rose hosts the premiere of The Barn Part III, the long-awaited finale to the beloved indie Halloween franchise.
Headlining the festival’s 16 newly announced feature premieres is the Closing Night presentation of Drag, an outrageously original horror-thriller that crashes together serial-killer mayhem, razor-sharp comedy, and relentless chaos into one unforgettable ride. Featuring Lizzy Caplan in a fearless lead performance, a scene-stealing turn from John Stamos as a charming psychopath, and a pulse-pounding score by Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy, Drag delivers blood-soaked insanity that demands to be experienced with a crowd.
The newly announced lineup also includes some of the year’s most daring and talked-about genre discoveries, including the SXSW Audience Award-winning supernatural chiller Never After Dark, the genre-bending thriller Breeder, the hauntingly beautiful South African folk horror Hen, and the U.S. premiere of the zombie-fueled Christmas horror-comedy Unholy Night, alongside a lineup of fresh nightmares guaranteed to shock and awe.
For horror fans beyond South Florida, the Popcorn Frights Virtual Program once again opens its crypt nationwide, bringing the festival’s signature brand of fearless genre storytelling directly into homes across the country. This year’s online lineup is led by the world premieres of the true-crime thriller Hollow Girls and the survival nightmare Savage Prey, alongside the animated fever dream Big City Pizza, the wickedly funny Break a Leg, the unsettling Cat Cam, the neo-noir mystery The Daughters of the Domino, the outrageous horror-comedy Demonetize starring Doug Jones, haunted attraction documentary The Fright Stuff, genre-bending shocker Lenore, psychological horror tale Life at Sandy’s, supernatural shocker Narcisa’s Will, and the inventive thriller The Vanishing Tour.
By the numbers, this year’s festival will unveil 33 feature film premieres and 11 retro titles, including 5 world premieres, while showcasing bold and boundary-pushing horror from more than 10 countries, proving once again that fear is a universal language.
Don’t close your eyes just yet—a Third Wave of premieres and special events is still to come, promising even more carnage, chaos, and cinematic insanity!
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