Nevermore Film Festival 2019

This week, the Grue-Crew attend the 20th Annual Nevermore Film Festival in Durham, North Carolina. On this episode, we discuss the festival and 8 features films we were able to see over the weekend. Join Doc Rotten and Vanessa Thompson from Horror News Radio along with Paul Cardullo as we dive into one of our favorite events of the year.

Gruesome Magazine Podcast - Episode 056
NEVERMORE FILM FESTIVAL

• ALIVE
  From Rob Grant, director of Fake Blood (Nevermore 2018), comes this terrifying entry into the mad-doctors-gone-mad horror sub-genre, and stars Thomas Cocquerel (In Like Flynn), Camille Stopps (TV’s Guilt Free Zone), and Angus Macfadyen (Saw III). Alive follows two characters who find themselves the captives of a demented doctor. Tied to their beds in an abandoned hospital, the man and woman have no memories of where they are, what happened to them, or even their own names. Quick flashes of their past appear as time goes on but they have no memories outside of this hospital of horrors. The Doctor, known only as The Man, is highly intelligent; and although his practices are unorthodox (and insane), he does seem invested in keeping his captors alive. Sure, he may be forced to sew someone’s mouth shut or remove a leg to stop them from escaping, but the good doctor puts his patient’s health above all else.
• CAMP WEDDING (World Premiere)
  Friday the 13th meets Bridesmaids in this clever horror comedy (and first-feature) by Greg Emetaz, director of Spell Claire (Nevermore 2018). Back in the 80s, Camp Pocumtuck was one of the strictest and most-religious summer camps ever known. It was forced to shut its doors when a young girl was struck by lightning. Before that, it was the site of a Native American massacre. And before that, several women were burned at the stake for being witches. Nowadays, Mia’s friends are not too keen on transforming this dilapidated summer camp into the wedding venue of her dreams. Mia’s wound a bit too tight and somewhat of a control freak. Her gay BFF has the hots for all the groomsmen and her maid of honor just wants good cellphone reception. Even worse, she accidentally sent an email invite to her annoying high school friend whom she hasn’t seen in years. But nothing will stop Mia from having a perfect wedding, not even when people begin disappearing in the night, and especially not when a spirit-possessed Teddy Ruxpin starts telling her to hide the bodies.
• ECHOES OF FEAR
  From Brian and Laurence Avenet-Bradley, co-directors of Ghost of the Needle (Nevermore 2003) and Dark Remains(Nevermore 2006), comes this terrifying haunted house chiller in the tradition of What Lies Beneath and Stir of Echoes. After inheriting her grandfather’s home due to his sudden death, Alysa returns to her childhood house to make the necessary repairs in order to sell it. But as she begins packing her grandfather’s belongings, something inside the house starts spooking her. Even her pet mouse senses a presence. And now, within the secret rooms and hidden crawlspaces beneath the estate, Alysa realizes that she must confront the mystery of her grandfather’s past and the evil that hides inside his house.
• FRAMED
  Shot in Barcelona, Framed is the amazing debut feature film of director Marc Martínez Jordán. It’s a graphic horror film about an app that allows anyone to stream online from any mobile device with an internet connection. But since there’s no control or censorship, many of its users are willing to do anything to reach as wide of an audience as possible: beatings, torture, even murder. There are no limits. Now, Alex is meeting his friends on his farewell night party before leaving for Berlin. Everything is going well when three horrifying attackers force them to play ruthless and mortal games, streaming everything on “Framed” with only one goal: making this insane torture show go viral. In Spanish with English subtitles
• LONG LOST
  When Seth receives a mysterious letter inviting him to spend the weekend at a secluded mansion in the country, he soon realizes the people inside the house may know him better than he knows himself. Long Lost, without giving away its secrets, proves a riveting and often disturbing chamber mystery inspired by films such as Ex Machina, Get Out, and the works of Alfred Hitchcock. The movie is about the reunion of half-brothers, two men separated by 14 years, who shared a father but never have met. This event takes place over a single weekend on the grounds and inside an isolated, dazzling manor. To say anything more about Long Lost would be to deprive viewers of its unique nuances and twists. Better to see it.
• MAGGOTS (World Premiere)
  From Neil Meschino, the director of Mold (Nevermore 2012), comes this campy action-horror thrill ride about giant, mutant maggots that terrorize a group of college kids who are trying to uncover evidence of mutations caused by pollution from a nearby fracking site in the mountains of upstate New York. Very much in the low-budget tradition of 80s creature features such as The Deadly Spawn and Night of the Creeps, Maggots is an affectionate homage to the sci-fi horror thrillers of yesteryear.
• PAINKILLERS
  After a terrible car crash in which his son dies, brilliant surgeon John Clarke (Adam Huss), tormented by guilt, becomes prey to unbearable physical pain. While his marriage starts disintegrating, John soon finds out that the only thing that can ease his pain is the taste of human blood. When he encounters Herb Morris (Grant Bowler), a man who claims he can help him get his life back, John embarks upon a nightmarish journey through which he will either have to come to terms with his pain… or become a monster. Also starring Mischa Barton.
• SOUNDWAVE
  Soundwave is a sci-fi/action feature film written and directed by Dylan K. Narang about a teenage inventor’s life which spirals into chaos when a nefarious group discovers he’s invented a device that can hear into the past. Ben Boyles is an orphaned radio technician that lives with one of his father’s childhood friends. But, when Ben finds out Antonio’s repair shop isn’t doing well, he moonlights as a crime solver with a dubious cop, Detective Macy. A genius inventor, Ben has created a device that can pick up old sound waves, allowing him to hear any conversation from the past. And while Macy is grateful for Ben’s help, he thinks there’s real money to be made with Ben’s device. Unfortunately, Macy’s potential partners agree, but…why share? Starring Hunter Doohan, Katie Owsley, Vince Nappo, and Paul Tassone. Just because we can hear everything, doesn’t mean we should.