Monster Fest 2017

Australia’s premier genre film festival, MONSTER FEST returns for its seventh year this November 23rd to 26th at Melbourne’s Lido Cinemas with a mix of World, Australian & Victorian Premieres!

The 2017 chapter of MONSTER FEST, takes on a very Australian flavour – and at the core of today’s announcement is the inclusion of six brand new Australian feature films, most of which will be enjoying their World Premieres at the festival.

BOAR | THURSDAY 23RD OF NOVEMBER 7PM
Chris Sun | Australia 2017 | Universal Pictures | Opening Night Gala
w/ Q&A by Writer/Director Chris Sun and Producers Kris Maric & Chrissy Hulsby

The giant BOAR was a myth, a legend brought to life in a drunken pub tale. The thing about myths and legends, they are usually made up of partial truths, and in this case, complete and terrifying truths. Tearing a path of destruction through fencing and livestock, locals haven’t a clue of the chilling death that lurks in the striking Australian outback. The Monroe’s are on a road trip to reconnect with a life they left behind several years ago. Seeing old friends and loved ones bring the tight knit family even closer together. A spontaneous decision to picnic along the shores of a cool river three hours from town brings them face to face with death itself. A BOAR of staggering size with a taste for blood is cutting out a crude home in the bush, and has marked this area as his. Nothing can stand in its way, nothing can stop the destruction. While the boar continues its savage rampage, the Monroe’s settle in for a quiet afternoon, and an evening of wild pig and roo spotting. As they are slowly and savagely stalked and slaughtered by the beast, the fight for survival becomes as animalistic and brutal as the animal itself.

Screens with short film PROCEEDS OF CRIME
Dir. James Chappell / Starring: Sabrina Haley, Sarah Bishop, Charles Waterstreet, Ashleigh McFarlane, Lucy Norton, Meshell Webb / Duration: 10 mins

THE LAST HOPE
FRIDAY 24TH OF NOVEMBER 7PM & 7:30PM*
SATURDAY 25TH OF NOVEMBER 2:30PM+
Leigh Ormsby | Australia 2017 | Pandora Productions | World Premiere
w/ Q&A by Cast & Crew

As an unstoppable virus turns the living into cannibalistic monsters devastates the world, a mysterious girl arrives to Australia, the final, unaffected safe-haven. Her arrival collides with the uprising staged by migrant survivors kept in internment camps to ensure the country’s protection. As The High Risk Response Unit reaches the facility to restore law and order, chaos erupts as they realise that despite their efforts, the virus has arrived. Will Australia, the last hope for many, finally fall?

*Screens with short film UNDEADICATED
Dir. Felix Jozeps / Starring: Scott Sheridan, Aaron Tsindos, Francesca Savige / Duration: 13 mins

+Screens with short film THE APOCALYPSE WILL BE AUTOMATED
Dir. Melanie Killingsworth / Jessica Tanner, Johnny Carr, Dushan Philips, May Jasper, Sophia Davey / Duration: 8 mins

SHORTS PROGRAM 1
HOME IS WHERE THE HORROR IS | FRIDAY 24TH OF NOVEMBER 7PM
Kids, teens, housemates and families; no one is safe from MONSTER FEST’s domestically themed program of terrifying horror shorts.

THE WELCOMING
Russ Gomm | UK | 7 mins

GENE
Nick Padley | UK | 10.22 mins

IT BEGAN WITHOUT WARNING
Jessica Curtright, Santiago C. Tapia | USA | 5.35 mins

THE DUWENDE
Odin B. Fernandez | Australia | 10.30 mins

IN THE DARK DARK WOODS
Jason Bognacki | USA | 4.30 mins

THE LAST LIGHT
Angelita Mendoza | USA | 11.17 mins

TICKLE MONSTER
Remi Weekes | UK | 3.57 mins

PIGSKIN
Jake Hammond | USA | 13.24 mins

PIZZA FACE
Jamie Dwyer & Justin Ulloa  | USA | 10.00 mins

THE VEILED
Josh Long | Australia | 12.45 mins

YOUR DATE IS HERE
Todd Spence | USA | 6.12 mins

NOTHING A LITTLE SOAP AND WATER CAN’T FIX
Jen Proctor | USA | 9.15 mins

TEDDY BEARS PICNIC
Tom Hodge | UK | 5.26 mins
TARNATION | FRIDAY 24TH OF NOVEMBER 9:30PM
Daniel Armstrong | Australia 2017 | Monster Pictures | World Premiere
w/ Q&A by Cast & Crew

When Oscar’s dreams of becoming a rockstar are brutally crushed and her boyfriend leaves, taking the cat with him, Oscar is forced to take a long hard look at herself. Oscar travels to a ghost town called Tarnation where she and a group of friends have rented a cabin in the woods for a weekend away. Unfortunately the cabin is host to a cursed painting and the surrounding woods are literally, Satan’s playground. Oscar soon finds herself battling a demon unicorn, possessed souls and Satan himself in an epic battle for her soul.

Screens with short film MAN DOG MAN
Dir. Jax McMullin Condo / Starring: Matthew C. Vaughn & Julian Adams / Duration: 12 mins

HORROR MOVIE: A LOW BUDGET NIGHTMARE (DIRECTOR’S CUT)
FRIDAY 24TH OF NOVEMBER 9:30PM
Gary Doust | Australia 2017 | Victorian Premiere

Sick of playing roles like the ‘diabetes patient’ or the ‘weird friend’ on Australian TV, actor/filmmaker Craig Anderson embarks on a hilarious, tumultuous and blood-soaked journey to fulfil a life-long dream to make a horror film (RED CHRISTMAS). With Hollywood ‘scream queen’ Dee Wallace (E.T., CUJO, THE HOWLING) onboard, it’s not long before things wildly go off the rails and the dream turns into a low-budget nightmare.

Screens with the short film HOMER_A
Dir. Conor Sweeney & Milos Mitrovic | Canada 2017 | 9 mins

NOVEMBER | SATURDAY 25TH OF NOVEMBER 2:30PM
Rainer Sarnet | Estonia 2017 | Victorian Premiere

In this tale of love and survival in 19th century Estonia, peasant girl Liina longs for village boy Hans, but Hans is inexplicably infatuated by the visiting German baroness that possesses all that he longs for. For Liina, winning Hans’ requited love proves incredibly complicated in this dark, harsh landscape where spirits, werewolves, plagues, and the devil himself converge, where thievery is rampant, and where souls are highly regarded, but come quite cheap.
Screens with the short film ESCARABANA
Dir. Sara Casasnovas | Spain 2017 | 11 mins

SHORTS PROGRAM 2
WHEN YOU’RE STRANGE | SATURDAY 25TH OF NOVEMBER 2:30PM
MONSTER FEST’s hybrid-genre shorts program featuring stories of the twisted, bizarre and outright deranged.

HELMINTH
Merinda Staubli | Australia | 6.26 mins

FRENCHIES
Kuan-Fu FT Lin | Taiwan/USA | 12.41 mins

BREATHE
Daniel Anderson | Australia | 14.59 mins

PANIC ATTACK!
Eileen O’Meara | USA | 3.00 mins

DELICIOUS PERSPECTIVE
Antonio Padovani | Italy | 10.49 mins

DON’T EVER CHANGE
Don Swaynos | USA | 9.40 mins

HELL FOLLOWS
Brian Harrison | USA | 10.55 mins

SOLVED
Michael Bartolomeo | USA | 7.45 mins

DON’T TURN ME OFF
Sean van Leijenhorst | Czech Republic | 5.30 mins

LAST WORDS
Daniel Farmer | Australia | 12.00 mins

PET MONKEY
Eric Maira | USA | 7.57 mins

SOL
Carlos G. Gananian | Brazil | 14.00 mins
LOST GULLY ROAD | SATURDAY 25TH OF NOVEMBER 5PM
Donna McRae | Australia 2017 | McRaeandVale | World Premiere
w/ Q&A by Cast & Crew

Lucy travels to an isolated house in the forest to wait for her sister. They have worked out a risky scheme for their future and all she needs to do is sit it out. However a sinister presence may have something different in mind.

Screens with short film REUNION
Dir. Seamus Murphy / Starring: Shaun Goss, Tilly Legge, Will Freeman, Pauline Grace, Kathleen Lee, Hugh Jenkins / Duration: 15 mins

THE GLASS COFFIN | SATURDAY 25TH OF NOVEMBER 5PM
Haritz Zubillaga | Spain 2017 | Victorian Premiere

Dressed for the occasion in an elegant evening outfit, Amanda steps into the huge luxury limousine which is parked outside her house, waiting to take her to the gala ceremony where she is due to receive a lifetime award for a career in acting. Suddenly the glass in the windows goes dark, Amanda’s phone is jammed and she can’t open any of the doors. A strange voice, distorted by a metallic filter, tells her not to try to break the windows. She will not succeed, it says; the voice has thought of everything. She would be better just to accept that she is trapped inside. If Amanda doesn’t want things to turn even more unpleasant than is strictly necessary, from now on she must do everything the voice tells her. The time has come, THE SHOW IS ABOUT TO BEGIN…

Screens with the short film FIERCE
Dir. Izù Troin | France 2017 | 15 mins

PURGATORY ROAD | SATURDAY 25TH OF NOVEMBER 7PM
Mark Savage | USA 2017 | Delirium | Australian Premiere
w/ Q&A by Writer/Director Mark Savage

On the highways of Mississippi, a psychotic priest and his brother are on a crusade to absolve sinners with their own brand of murder. The only person brave enough to challenge them is a woman more crazed, more deadly, and more insane than they are.

Screens with short film THE MACHINE
Dir. Alan Bennett / Simon Corfield, Lucy Moir, Debra Lawrence / Duration: 12:03

PYEWACKET | SATURDAY 25TH OF NOVEMBER 7:10PM
Adam MacDonald | Canada 2017 | Australian Premiere

Leah, a teenage girl is forced to move to a house in the woods by her unstable mother after the painful passing of her father. Feeling trapped and hopeless, Leah turns to Black Magic to release her anger. She naively performs an occult ritual found in a book on her bedroom shelf to evoke the spirit of a witch to kill her mother. Stricken by guilt, Leah desperately tries to reverse the spell, but soon realizes she has awoken something in the woods, and nothing can prepare Leah for the terror she has unleashed.

Screens with the short film UNDRESS ME
Dir. Amelia Moses | Canada 2017 | 13 mins

THE VIPER’S HEX | SATURDAY 25TH OF NOVEMBER 9PM
Addison Heath & Jasmine Jakupi | Australia & Japan 2017 | Black Forest Films | World Premiere
w/ Q&A by Cast & Crew

Kiyo (Saya Minami), a lonely hostess spends her days propositioning men on the cold streets of Tokyo and being beaten by her violent pimp, Tetsuya (Yoji Yamada). One day her luck seems to change when she meets a charming foreigner named Anchin (Kenji Shimada) and a romance blossoms but soon everything falls apart when she becomes pregnant. Upon hearing the news Anchin flees Tokyo. With nowhere left to go she turns to The Viper, a scorned spirit that has been with her since birth.

Screens with short film THROUGH THE EYES OF THE DEAD
Dir. Hussein Alhazard / Starring: Whitney Duff, Rob Stanfield and David Osten Gifford / Duration: 5 mins

SEQUENCE BREAK | SATURDAY 25TH OF NOVEMBER 9:10PM
Graham Skipper | USA 2017 | Victorian Premiere

A reclusive video arcade repair technician, Oz, has his reality fractured when a mysterious new arcade machine appears in his shop and a beautiful young woman enters his life. Inspired by films such as VIDEODROME, ALTERED STATES, and modern indie genre cinema, SEQUENCE BREAK throws Oz down the rabbit hole, featuring strange metaphysical forces, bizarre bio-mechanical mutations, Cronenbergian hallucinations, and a shocking self-realisation.

Screens with the short film THE ELDRITCH CODE
Dir. Ivan Radovic | Sweden 2017 | 10 mins

KING COHEN & THE ALL-NIGHT MARATHON | SATURDAY 25TH OF NOVEMBER 11PM

KING COHEN*
Steve Mitchell | USA 2017 | LA LA LAND ENTERTAINMENT | Australian Premiere

Buckle up for KING COHEN, the true story of writer, producer, director, creator and all-around maverick, Larry Cohen (BLACK CAESAR, IT’S ALIVE, Q: THE WINGED SERPENT, THE STUFF). Told through compelling interviews, stills and archival clips, the people who helped fulfil his vision, and industry icons such as Martin Scorsese, John Landis, Michael Moriarty, Fred Williamson and many more, including Larry himself, bring one-of-a-kind insight into the work, process and legacy of a true American film auteur.

THE ALL-NIGHT MARATHON*
After witnessing Steve Mitchell’s fascinating documentary on the legendary Larry Cohen, you’ll want to dive instantaneously into King Cohen’s extensive back catalogue of films and we’ve made it easy for you with THE ALL-NIGHT MARATHON! The only catch is that programming of our marathon is top secret…so the only way to know what five Larry Cohen films we’ll play is to be there on the night/morning!

*KING COHEN & THE ALL-NIGHT MARATHON is offered as an Event Only ticket, $30 (no concessions).

LANDFALL | SUNDAY 26TH OF NOVEMBER 12:30PM
Travis Bain | Australia 2017 |  99 Minutes | World Premiere

A young couple in North Queensland are trapped in their beach house by three armed fugitives carrying a sealed Esky containing unknown contents, They must rely on their wits and cunning to survive as a severe tropical cyclone looms.

Screens with short film THE COUCHENING
Dir. Oscar Axel Thorborg / Starring: Jacqueline Mifsud, Sukhjit Kaur, Nicky Barry / Duration: 12 mins

SHORTS PROGRAM 3
AFTER SCHOOL SPECIAL | SUNDAY 26TH OF NOVEMBER 12:30PM
MONSTER FEST’s showcase of student shorts from some of the best film schools around the country, featuring the work of current students and 2016 graduates.

WELCOME AND CONGRATULATIONS
Mickey Mason | Flinders University | 6.58 mins

ONE SMALL STEP
Sarah Rackemann | Queensland University of Technology | 2.17 mins

THE FORGOTTEN CHILDREN
Jason Hooker | Swinburne University | 11.57 mins

MAN IN THE MOON
Monique Mulcahy | Victorian College of the Arts | 13.17 mins

ENID
Maria Severin | Deakin University | 8.00 mins

PETREL
Charles Broad | Sydney Film School | 12.08 mins

THE ONLOOKERS
Jason Albury | Victorian College of the Arts | 10.55 mins

THE LEAVING
Michael Smith | Flinders University | 13.10 mins

HERE, THERE AND EVERYWHERE
Erika Wu | JMC Academy | 3.53 mins
TRASHARAMA | SUNDAY 26TH OF NOVEMBER 2:30PM
Shorts Program | World Premiere

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Adelaide’s #1 purveyor of trash Dick Dale sickening all of Australia with his notorious selection of onscreen abominations. To celebrate this milestone, in addition to the latest and greatest filth and utter sickness from around the globe, Dick has hand selected his personal favourite Aussie shorts from the last 20 years and featuring these in the program.

GLORY
Mike Frazier | USA | 7.06 mins

IT’S ALL IN YOUR HEAD
Greg Jeffs | Canada | 5.55 mins

FLESHBOXXX 5000
Alex Machin | Australia | 3.30 mins

ENCOSTO
Joel Caetana | Brazil | 7.00 mins

CLEAN HIT
Juan Poveda | Spain | 4.05 mins

THE CONSEQUENCE
Chrzu Lindström | Finland | 6.35 mins

FRIED BARRY
Ryan Kruger | South Africa | 3.25 mins

ZOE
Leigh Madden, Nick Crowhurst | Australia | 6.30 mins

SLEAZY PETE
Frank Appache | Canada | 11.25 mins

VICIOUS MINK
Timothy Spanos, Dean Keep | Australia | 15.00 mins

SICKIE
Stuart Simpson | Australia | 5.00 mins

HANGING AT PICNIC ROCK
Clint Cure | Australia |12.00 mins

MR. BONES
Jarret Gahan | Australia | 2.09 mins

PELICAN BOY
Dick Dale | Australia | 4.40 mins

ON THE BEAT
Drew Thompson | Australia | 5.30 mins

MYSTERY FRANK DAFT SHORT
Frank Daft | Australia | ?

COLD HELL | SUNDAY 26TH OF NOVEMBER 2:40PM
Stefan Ruzowitzky | Germany / Austria 2017 | Australian Premiere

Prostitutes are being brutally murdered by a fanatical serial killer. When she catches a glimpse of him going about his grisly work, a kick-boxing taxi driver, Özge, finds herself in the maniac’s crosshairs. Ignored by police and hampered by bureaucracy, Violetta transforms into an enraged vigilante, turning the tables on her psychotic stalker. A smart, contemporary hard-boiled thriller set deep in the heart of picturesque Vienna, Academy Award winner Stefan Ruzowitzky mixes giallo-style flourishes with fast-paced action in his female-driven tale of survival and revenge.
Screens with the short film CREEPER
Dir. Drew MacDonald | Australia 2016 | 12 mins

ANOTHER WOLF COP | SUNDAY 26TH OF NOVEMBER 4:30PM
Lowell Dean | United States 2017 | Vortex Words Pictures | Australian Premiere

Alcoholic werewolf cop Lou Garou springs into action when an eccentric businessman with evil intentions seduces Woodhaven’s residents with a new brewery and hockey team in this outrageous horror-comedy sequel.

Screens with DRAGON FORCE X Series Launch
Following in the footsteps of such nostalgic fan pleasers as DANGER 5, KUNG FURY, STRANGER THINGS and HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN, DRAGON FORCE X is an adrenaline-fuelled, serialised, adventure series made by and-for fans of ’80s TV and cinema. In a seedy underworld of scum and villainy, where magic and wonder have been perverted by greed and a lust for power, assassin-for-hire Maddox Montana travels across strange and exotic lands in search of the Amulets of Fire, an ancient mystical force with the power to change reality. Desired by many, worthy of few, what begins as just another job turns into the adventure of a lifetime for Maddox and his gang of misfits, as they discover the full power and glory of DRAGON FORCE X. This is the official launch of the Cult of Monster exclusive online series and will feature a sneak peak of the first 4 episodes!

HOUSEWIFE | SUNDAY 26TH OF NOVEMBER 5PM
Can Evrenol | Turkey 2017 | Australian Premiere

Be advised: Leave your expectations at the door. Can Evrenol’s English-language follow up to the mind-blowing BASKIN is a slow-burn descent into batshit insanity – or as the director himself put it “These are all my fucked up dreams, shoved right into your face” – and from the astounding opening sequence to its grotesque, brain-numbing finale, your preconceptions have no place here. Still traumatised by the death of her father and sister at the hands of her demonically possessed mother 20 years ago, Holly is slowly losing her grip on reality. Things go from bad to worse when she is persuaded to attend an event hosted by a celebrity psychic, who turns out to be the leader of a cult.
Screens with the short film BIRTHDAY
Dir. Alberto Viavattene | Italy 2017 | 15 mins

REVENGE | SUNDAY 26TH OF NOVEMBER 7:30PM
Coralie Fargeat | France 2017 | Monkey Pack Films | Australian Premiere

Jen (Matilda Lutz), arrives at a remote desert villa with her millionaire boyfriend (Kevin Jannsens) for a weekend of illicit romance. Things quickly go awry when her lover’s hunting buddies show up and make inappropriate advances toward her that spiral out of control and end in her being sexually assaulted. The men try to cover up their attack which results in Jen being left dumped and left for dead. However the men don’t count on her her will to survive and when she emerges from the desert hellbent on revenge, she leaves a tidal wave of blood and gory violence in her wake.

Screens with short film LIZ DRIVES
Dir. Mia’kate Russell / Starring: Cassandra Magrath, Sophia Davey, Christopher Kirby, Amy Bradney-George / Duration: 8 mins

SINGLE TICKETS
Adults: $21
Concessions/Members:$16
BOAR Opening Night Gala: $30 (includes free drink on arrival, no concession)
KING COHEN & The All-Night Marathon: $30 (no concession)

TICKET PACKAGES
Get the most out of the Monster Fest 2017 experience and save with package passes! When you purchase a pass you will be receive a barcode number which shows up in your booking receipt. This can be used online, over the phone or in person to redeem sessions at the festival in advance. To use this code online, just go on the sessions you wish to attend as though buying tickets, and it will give you the option of entering a redemption code. If for any reason you do not receive a code, please contact the Lido at (03) 8658 0000.

VIP Pass – $120
The VIP Pass gets you all-access to Monster Fest screenings and events at the Lido Cinema Nov 23rd to -26th of November. These VIP pass lanyard will be available for pickup at The Lido on Nov 23rd from 5pm onwards, you will need to keep this lanyard on you at all times as pass-holders need to show their pass at the box office to get tickets to the sessions they wish to attend and or festival staff to check against ticket purchases for entry into cinemas.

5 Film Pass – $60
Get a 5 film pass eligible for Monster Fest sessions on Friday the 24th, Saturday the 25th or Sunday the 26th for a discounted price! The 5 Day Pass is not valid for Opening Night session or the All-Night Marathon.