Grimmfest announces 2014 line up

The guys at Grimm Up North have announced their bloodiest, best, most brilliant Grimmfest line up yet! This year they will be hosting some of the greatest in horror, sci-fi and cult features and short films from around the globe. Says Grimmfest Festival Director Simeon Halligan:

We always try to make each Grimmfest bigger than the last and I think this year has been really strong for independent horror and genre titles, I’m really excited by what were going to screen at Grimmfest, I’m convinced its our best line up yet!

Grimmfest kicks off with opening Gala night: starting the night will be the world premiere of Melanie Light’s ‘Vegan Feminist Horror’ short film THE HERD, which will then be sharply followed by the English premiere of Brian O’Malley’s Irish/Scottish Intense Horror LET US PREY, withdirector and the amazing cast featuring Liam Cunningham (Game of Thrones), Pollyanna McIntosh (White Settlers), Douglas Russell & Hanna Stanbridge in attendence for a live Q&A! Rounding out the opening gala out will be the UK premiere of SUBURBAN GOTHIC directed by Richard Bates Jr (Excision) with a top notch cast featuring Matthew Gray Gubler (500 days of Summer), Kat Dennings (Thor), Ray Wise (Robocop), John Waters and The Soska Sisters.

On Friday evening Grimmfest will feature the Italian 70′s progressive rock legends behind some of Horrors best scores: CLAUDIO SIMONETTI’S GOBLIN, who will be performing a very special LIVE score to Dario Argento’s horror classic SUSPIRIA. This very prestigious event, being performed at Grimmfest’s apt home of Northern Ballet School, The Dancehouse in Manchester, will be followed by a screening of DAWN OF THE DEAD: THE ARGENTO CUT which was also sound tracked by our very special guests of the night!

Saturday and Sunday play host to Grimmfest’s best line up yet! Including: Oliver Frampton’s Social Realist Terror THE FORGOTTEN, Gerald Johnson’s side splitting Kiwi Horror Comedy HOUSEBOUND, James Ward Byrkit’s Mind bender COHERENCE (Starring Nicholas Brandon of Buffy fame), the hysterical vampire comedy from The Flight of The Conchords team WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS, Kevin Kolsch & Dennis Widmyer’s Critically acclaimed Satanic Hollywood tale STARRY EYES, whacky and beaver fevered ZOMBEAVERS, Jeff Baena’s fantastic indie RomZomCom LIFE AFTER BETH, Till Kleinert’s German slasher masterpiece THE SAMURAI, a film that needs no introduction WOLFCOP and closing our festival will be Ivan Kavanagh’s superb, chilling thriller THE CANAL.

From the press release:

The Grimmfest Fringe screenings will also be back for its second year with two two distinctive themes, bringing some of the greatest in extreme and independent horror from around the world! Our fringe line up begins on Thursday with our WOMEN IN HORROR SHOWCASE which will feature films from some of the best women in the horror world who specialise in making grown men scream featuring Venezuelan Suspense flick THE HOUSE AT THE END OF TIME starring Ruddy Rodríguez, the manhood destroying revenge short from Chelsey Burdon SHE, Jessica Cameron’s fantastically gruesome TRUTH OR DARE, Neon Noir Horror JULIA starring Ashley C. Williams, and Post Apocalyptic Thriller THE WELL starring rising talent Haley Lu Richardson.

The second strand of our film will our HEAD F**K CINEMA SHOWCASE such as Joseph O’Brien’s feature debut DEVILS MILE, Black Comedic Sci-fi thriller L.F.O, mind boggler THE RECONSTRUCTION OF WILLIAM ZERO, twisted thriller OPEN GRAVE Starring Sharlto Copley (District 9, Elysium) and Australia’s very first Giallo film from writer/director Sam Barrett SORORAL.

Also being showcased at the festival & our fringe events will be some of the best in brand new short films! We are excited to be featuring SOLITUDO, the new short from Alice Lowe (Sightseers, Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace), GET SOME from Adam & Joe Horton starring John Hannah (The Mummy) & Warren Brown (Luther) plus Demonic possession tale THE VISITANT starring Amy Smart (The Butterfly Effect), Andy Stewart’s SPLIT, Lovecraft influenced thriller VOMICA, Spanish pitch black gothic comedy DON’T PLAY WITH THE FOOD, Cronenbergian body horror meets crime thriller THE STOMACH, Matt Barker’s ALL I KNOW IS NOTHING, and the stunning moody portrait of a serial killer from Fredrik Hana (Angst, P*ss & Drid) AUTUMN HARVEST.

Stay tuned to www.grimmfest.com for more festival announcements.