FrightFest 2012

For the white knuckle cinema fanatic there’s only one place worth climbing out from behind your sofa for, and it’s the Film4 Fright Fest 2012.

For the white knuckle
cinema fanatic there’s only one place worth climbing out from behind your sofa
for, and it’s the Film4 Fright Fest 2012. Returning for its 13^th
edition this horror fuelled marathon will be swooping over Leicester Square
from the 23^rd to the 27^th of August.

Scaring the pants off visitors every year since its inception
in 2000, Frightfest was originally founded to rival other European contenders
in heavy doses of gore, chills and shocks that has swelled in numbers ever
since. Welcoming the likes of Guillermo
del Toro, who lovingly deemed the event the “Woodstock of Gore” upon
visiting, as well as Dario
Argento and cult horror hero Sam
Raimi, it’s also brought British premieres of The Descent and Chris Smith’s Black
Death, starring Sean Bean.

This year promises nothing but bigger
stuff, as the festival moves to Empire Leicester square to accommodate for its
rising number of visitors. Launching the five day bloody extravanganza will be Paul Hyett’s debut The Seasoning House, a neo-horror that follows a deaf-mute girl who
works in a Balkan brothel starring
Sean Pertwee and Rosie Day.

Don’t let this grizzly start put you off
if you’ve not got the stomach for the more hardcore offerings of the weekend.
Following this revenge based slasher is the world premiere of Cockneys vs Zombies, Matthias Hoenes self confessed “geezer
gore” that follows the MacGuire brothers as they battle the undead all over
east London, and a special preview of Grabbers,
a booze fuelled battle between man and extra terrestrial that’s been branded
Father Ted vs Aliens.

Other UK premieres include Sundance smash
V/H/S which is comprised of six
different storied told by six different directors , the third instalment of the
petrifying REC franchise, [REC]3 Genesis (Main Picture) and Maniac, which sees a
spooked Elijah Wood trying to stop a
killer with a scalp fetish.

Not only hosting the event but bringing
some disturbing talent to the programme this year, British contributions for
2012 boasts the world premiere of Tower
Block, starring TV sweetheart Sheridan
Smith, History Boy Russell Tovey
and brit lad Jack O’Connell.
Directed by James Nunn and Ronnie Thompson, this thriller is the
latest contribution to the “estate genre” and sees the residents of a tainted
block of flats subjected to a good snipering. And Peter Strickland’s haunting account of a sound engineer (played by Toby Jones) who loses his grip on
reality in Berberian Sound Studio
caused riot reviews at this year’s Edinburgh Film Festival.

Showing up for the event will be Italian
genre connoisseur Dario Aregento,
who will be discussing a career that has bought dark cinema such classics as Suspiria, Inferno and Deep Red on
the 24^th, as well as director Alex
Chandon and the cast of Inbred
to provide a live commentary to the film. And The Quiz from Hell returns for
its third year, hosted by actor Andy
Nyman and posing some of the most difficult questions in the country, no
doubt the world. The contest is followed by the 2012 International Short Film Showcase
which takes place on the 26^th.

For full details on screenings, times and
tickets visit the Film4 FrightFest
HERE