Other new releases in the program include the disturbing Mom, starring Schitt’s Creek’s Emily Hampshire, and French folk horror The Soul Eater, directed by Alexandre Bustillo
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Deliciously timed for the season of the darkness and doom, the third annual NorthwestFEARfest descends upon us, hungrier and more ambitious than ever — including this year’s special guest Paul Williams, with an astonishing legacy ranging from The Muppet Show to Daft Punk.
The actor-musician — who co-penned Kermit the Frog’s Rainbow Connection and wrote We’ve Almost Just Begun and Rainy Days and Mondays for the Carpenters — is being flown in to Edmonton for a special 50th anniversary screening of Brian de Palma’s 1974 gonzo musical Phantom of the Paradise in which he played cult character Swan.
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The film closes the fest 7 p.m. Oct. 22 — a Tuesday night — with a Q&A with the star afterwards.
With 17 features running Wednesday through Oct. 22 at Metro Cinema, the horror-themed cinematic nightmare communion rips open with an early-bird screening of creepy Smile 2 before the sequel’s wider theatrical run in the chain cinemas, an impressive score.
In the fest’s typical mix of fresh releases and classic horrors, 40th anniversary screenings of A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter play Oct. 17 and 19th respectively.
Meanwhile, campy ’80s classics Killer Klowns from Outer Space and the more family-friendly (12+) Critters are both rolling Sunday, Oct. 20.
“There’s a big audience for genre film in the city that was being underserved, and that’s really why we started it,” explains NorthwestFEARFest’s director Guy Lavallee, who also runs the queer–aligned Rainbow Visions and documentary-focused NorthwestFest — which will include fictional narratives starting next year.
Lavallee also works for Calgary International Film Fest, where (as well as with Metro Cinema’s brains) he’s had numerous conversations about what lures audiences into the seats in this couch-zombie age of instant-access streaming.
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“The lightbulb went off for me last year when I realized, oh, there’s all these amazing movies we talk about all the time — but especially if you’re a certain age, how many people never got to see some of these movies up on the big screen?”
Lavallee notes at last year’s NWFEARFest screening of The Exorcist, 90% had never seen it in a theatre.
“But this was the shocker — when I asked, ‘Ok, how many people here tonight have never actually seen The Exorcist at all,’ at least 50% of the hands went up.’
“I was seriously taken aback.”
He talks about the community vibe, before, during, and after these gritty thrillers and shockers.
“There’s this real sense of people gathering together in a dark room to have a good time together for a couple hours.”
Lavallee thinks A Nightmare on Elm Street should be a perfect example of this. “It’s October, so it’s the perfect time to show it, but I think it’ll be a younger crowd.
“Everybody’s heard of Freddy Krueger, but maybe they just saw memes where he’s basically just a stand-up comedian,” Lavallee laughs.
“But people might be really surprised to see how the first one is actually really scary.”
Scary, indeed, which brings us back to the fear festival’s name — though Lavallee notes something key about the overall programming.
“One thing people will notice is it’s not loaded with a bunch of torture porn.
“One of the things we wanted right from the outset when we started is more movies that are fun to watch,” he says. “Which is why we’re stretching the boundaries with movies like Heavy Trip and Heavier Trip.”
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Winking lovingly at the Scandinavian heavy/death metal scene, the award-winning 2018 dark comedy and its just-released sequel travel to the edges of the wide topography of the fest.
These two run back to back for the price of one, 2 p.m. and 4:15 p.m. Oct. 20.
Other new releases in the program include the disturbing Mom, starring Schitt’s Creek’s Emily Hampshire, and French folk horror The Soul Eater, directed by Alexandre Bustillo.
“His film Inside,” says Lavallee, “is one of the most terrifying movies of the past 25 years — it’s unbearable.”
“So this new film is more of a procedural, almost in the vein of Se7en, but with a supernatural element, which I found quite fascinating.”
As far as Mom goes, noon on Oct. 19, Lavallee sums it up in one word: “Unsettling.
“It’s not jump scares, but it’s very disturbing. People know Emily Hampshire as a comedic actor, but she is fantastic in this movie, and I think people will be shocked by her performance.”
Another role Lavallee highlights is former child star Corey Feldman in horror-comedy The Birthday, 7 p.m. Oct. 17.
“This movie was made 20 years ago, premiered at Fantastic Fest, and then just completely disappeared,” he explains, noting this is its first appearance in Canada.
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“It’s told in real-time, so it’s a 90-minute movie that happens in 90 minutes one evening, and Corey Feldman’s performance has to be seen to be believed — that’s the draw.
“Like, just jaw-droppingly odd.”
He also beams about Dead Mail, running 7 p.m. Oct. 19., which first played SXSW but also TIFF, despite the latter fest’s tendency to show only first runs.
“It’s like a very, very early Coen Brothers movie,” says Lavallee, “like the movie they would have made right before Blood Simple.
“Super low budget, super indie, and a very, very intriguing, off-kilter storyline.
“When the movie starts, you’re sitting there going, ‘Did somebody raid the basement of the Alamo Drafthouse and find an old VHS copy of a B movie from the ’80s?
“And then it just kind of starts to wrap itself around you, just mesmerizing.”
Most of the films are preceded by horror shorts from around the world, and you can find the entire schedule at northwestfest.ca, as well as tickets and passes.
All-access passes are $81.73 all in until 11:55 p.m. Sunday, then they go up to $102.23 including fees.
There are also four-packs at $39 plus fees, while regular screenings are $15.
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“There’s so much ‘not fun’ in real life right now,” Lavallee concludes with a laugh. “Come live vicariously through Jason Voorhees!”
PREVIEW
What: NorthwestFEARFest
Where: Metro Cinema
When: Oct. 16-22
Tickets: $10-$50 plus fees, $81.73 all-access at northwestfest.ca
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