Nightmares Film Fest Unleashes Its Masquerade Lineup
Daniel Baldwin
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Nightmares Film Festival has revealed its 2020 program for its “Masquerade” digital showcase! Keeping with tradition, the 2020 Nightmares program is overflowing with the unique mix of returning horror favorites, powerful new voices and boundary-pushing stories that span 140 shorts, table reads from some of the 26 screenplay finalists and Q&As that fill out its five on-demand days.
Also packed into the 5-day festivities are 19 feature films. Have you been dying to see a new original horror film from Splat Pack director Neil Marshall (Dog Soldiers, The Descent)? Look no further, as his new offering The Reckoning is on the roster. Are you interested in the Evil Dead fandom doc, Hail to the Deadites? How about a documentary on Canadian horror movies? Well, NFF has you covered on that front too with The Quiet Revolution.
Not only those, but this year’s fest also showcases the North American premiere of the “Cube meets Saw” claustrophobic terrorizer Meander and the latest movie from the folks behind WNUF Halloween Special, What Happens Next Will Scare You. Plus, on the repertory screening front, the new 4K restoration of the 1972 Charles B. Pierce classic, The Legend of Boggy Creek, is also in the mix. Given that these only comprise 6 of the 19 features available to virtual attendees, there’s truly a smorgasbord of indie horror to bad had for those who take the plunge!
That’s not all, however. What’s so special about the 2020 edition of NFF? The fact that, for the first time in the festival’s history, you can actually watch EVERYTHING. Previous years of the fest had always made it a point to pack the program across two screens showing films simultaneously, so you always had a choice at hand. Do you go see the feature playing on the first screen or do you watch a big block of short film screenings in the next theater? Do you attend the panel over in Screen 1 or catch the rep screening of a genre classic in Screen 2? Choices, choices! Well, for this year and this year only, you won’t have to choose.
“We pride ourselves on presenting an industry-leading program every year that is also a unique experience, where each audience member must make choices to create their own personal lineup. You can’t see everything here, which makes what you do see more personal and encourages you to seek out films and filmmakers afterward, which extends that fest feeling for months.”
Jason Tostevin, festival co-founder and programmer
“We’ve curated the same extraordinary set of films and screenplays we would have if we were gathering in person. What will be extra fun this year is for fans to explore every nook and cranny of that program, and see connections and themes they might not have noticed without the extra time.”
Chris Hamel, NFF co-counder and Gateway Film Center president
Not enough? No problem! Masquerade will also play host to daily workshops from genre makers like Aaron Koontz (Scare Package, The Pale Door), Natalie Erica James (Relic), Brandon Christensen (Still/Born, Z) and Jason Trost (The FP). Given that some of whom will be bringing first-look footage from their newest films in tow, I’d say these workshops are even more essential for attendees than ever before.
NFF: Masquerade will be presented on secure streaming platform Eventive, where films will be available on demand from Oct. 21 to 25 to all North American viewers. Virtual attendees can pay as they go to watch individual blocks — say, a feature with a short film, or a set of themed shorts — or can buy a festival pass that gives them access to the entire program.
Passes for NFF: Masquerade are on sale now at NightmaresFest.com, where a complete list of this year’s program is also available. Normally this is where I would say that I hope to see some of you at the festival, but since it’s a digital event this year, I’ll instead encourage you to attend virtually and chat about your experiences on social media. Join us!
Have you been to Nightmares Film Festival before? Do you plan on attending this year’s digital festival? By all means, let us know all of these things and more in the comments below or on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram! You can also hit me up directly on Twitter @DanielWBaldwin.
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