Brooklyn Horror Film Festival Unveils Thrilling 2024 Program

The Brooklyn Horror Film Festival (BHFF) has announced its full lineup for the 2024 edition, set to run from October 17-24. All screenings will take place at Nitehawk Cinema’s Williamsburg and Prospect Park locations, promising audiences an otherworldly selection of films and events.

Opening Night and Spotlight Films

The festival kicks off with the New York premiere of “Dead Mail,” directed by Joe DeBoer and Kyle McConaghy. This indie horror-synth thriller follows a blood-stained note’s arrival at a county post office, leading to a perilous investigation.

The Centerpiece Film is Emma Benestan’s “Animale,” an East Coast premiere from France. This unique tale revolves around a string of grisly murders committed by a wild bull during a town’s annual bull racing competition.

Closing out the festival is James Ashcroft’s “The Rule of Jenny Pen,” featuring John Lithgow and Geoffrey Rush in a twisted nursing home thriller.

Leviathan Award and Special Screenings

This year’s Leviathan Award, presented by Arrow Video, honors the illustrious career of Larry Fessenden. A special screening of Fessenden’s 1995 film “Habit” will precede the award presentation and a Q&A session moderated by BHFF alum Jenn Wexler.

North American and World Premieres

The festival boasts several exciting premieres, including:

• North American Premieres: Tiago Teixeira’s body horror “Custom,” Phillip Escott and Sarah Appleton’s millennium horror documentary “Generation Terror,” and Sasha Rainbow’s “Grafted” from New Zealand.
• World Premieres: Izzy Lee’s debut feature “House of Ashes,” the atmospheric ghost story “Lilly Lives Alone,” and the queer sci-fi adventure “Psychonaut.”

Notable Selections

Other highlights include:

• “Jimmy & Stiggs”: Joe Begos’s neon-drenched alien bloodbath
• “Sayara”: Can Evrenol’s brutal martial arts revenge thriller from Turkey
• “Somnium”: Racheal Cain’s mysterious sleep clinic horror
• “The Soul Eater”: Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury’s dark investigative thriller
• “Timestalker”: Alice Lowe’s karmic reincarnation romance
• “Who’s Watching”: Tim Kasher’s nihilistic directorial debut

Fear in Focus: Spain

This year’s regional spotlight, presented by Arrow Video, celebrates Spanish horror with a curated selection:

• “Exorcismo”: A documentary exploring post-Franco era Spanish cinema (North American Premiere)
• “Vampyres”: 50th-anniversary screening of José Ramón Larraz’s vampire classic
• “The Blood Spattered Bride”: Vicente Aranda’s cult classic on 35mm
• “Dracula” (Spanish Version): A special screening with live score by The Flushing Remonstrance

Short Film Programs

BHFF continues its tradition of showcasing exceptional short films across various themed blocks:

• Nightmare Fuel: Pure horror shorts
• Head Trip: Genre-bending innovations
• Slayed: LGBTQ+ horror shorts
• Laugh Now Die Later: Horror-comedies
• Home Invasion #1 and #2: NYC local shorts

Special Events

• Final Exam Horror Trivia: Hosted by Ted Geoghegan and Michael Gingold
• Certified Forgotten Podcast: Live recording focusing on underseen horror films
• Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies Lecture: “Queer Vampires, Queer Liberation, Queer Futurity” by Dr. Leah Richards

Festival Details

Festival badges are now on sale, with a limited number of individual tickets available from September 22nd at 12PM EST. The festival is supported by premium sponsors Arrow Video and Dark Sky Films, along with several supporting sponsors.

Jury members for various categories have been announced, including filmmakers, industry professionals, and horror experts.

With its diverse lineup of films, special events, and focus on both established and emerging talent, the 2024 Brooklyn Horror Film Festival promises to be an unmissable event for horror enthusiasts and cinephiles alike.

You can buy tickets and badges here https://brooklynhorror2024.eventive.org/passes/buy.