FREAK ME OUT Genre Film Program at SYDNEY FILM FESTIVAL!
Sydney Film Festival (SFF) kicks off June 6th through to the 17th and this year has a dedicated genre program that intends to shock, engage and entertain, appropriately titled FREAK ME OUT. As per the program’s mandate, it will be ‘devoted to everything from exploitation extravaganzas to highly unusual arthouse items’. Consisting of seven exciting new feature films, that includes the Australian Premiere of UPGRADE, the latest film from writer/director Leigh Whannell (SAW, INSIDIOUS) and Blumhouse Productions.
Presented by the University of Sydney, FREAK ME OUT is part of the Sydney Film Festival’s larger mission to bring new and exciting film premieres to Australia.
We were fortunate enough to be given advance access to some of the films ahead of their upcoming screenings at SFF so we can you the lowdown as to what to see and expect from this bold new program!
GHOST STORIES
Based on the critically acclaimed and record-breaking theatre production, GHOST STORIES, is a British anthology horror written and directed by the playwrights themselves Jeremy Dyson & Andy Nyman. Comprised of three chilling stories told through a wrap-around with professional debunker of all things paranormal, Professor Goodman (Andy Nyman) meeting with the mysterious Dr. Priddle (Martin Freeman) to hear tales will challenge his beliefs. GHOST STORIES proves to be the perfect concoction of subversive humour and ghastly horror, a stunningly stylized and perfectly realized adaptation of the aforementioned stage show.
Screening Wednesday June 6th & Monday June 11th
UPGRADE
Aussie horror maestro Leigh Whannell, the creative force behind both INSIDIOUS and SAW franchises, re-teams with Blumhouse Productions for his latest feature, UPGRADE. Shot in Melbourne, this international production is garnering strong critical praise and rightly so with its Cronenberg gone cyberpunk aesthetic that even manages to elicit the odd nervous laugh with its jet-black humour. Logan Marshall-Green (THE INVITATION) stars as Grey, an old-school mechanic in a not too distant future where Artificial Intelligence does almost everything. After low-life scumbags murder his wife (Melanie Vallejo) and leave him paralysed, Grey is implanted with STEM, a miracle-performing microchip. Soon, he’s transformed into a super-warrior bent on revenge.
Screening Thursday June 7th & Friday June 8th
PIERCING
Based on the novel by Ryû Murakami, PIERCING is the sophomore feature from filmmaker Nicolas Pesce (THE EYES OF MY MOTHER) and despite its impressive style and genuine what-the-fuckery, it lacks narrative drive and suffers a limp finale. Reed is going on a business trip. He kisses his wife and infant son goodbye, but in lieu of a suitcase filled with clothes, he’s packed a toothbrush and a murder kit. Everything is meticulously planned: check into a hotel and kill an unsuspecting victim. Only then will he rid himself of his devious impulses and continue to be a good husband and father. But Reed gets more than he bargained for with Jackie, an alluring call girl who arrives at his room. First, they relax and get in the mood, but when there’s an unexpected disruption, the balance of control begins to sway back and forth between the two. Is he seeing things? Who’s playing whom? Before the night is over, a feverish nightmare will unfold, and Reed and Jackie will seal their bond in blood.
Screening Saturday June 9th & Tuesday June 12th
THE RANGER
Jen Wexler’s feature film debut is a wild, gory and punk rock throwback to the golden-age of slashers. What happens when a bunch of young punk rockers take the latest party drug and wind up knifing a cop? They go on the lam to a cabin in the woods, of course. Chloë Levine gives a dynamite lead performance as Chelsea, a clever cookie (and anything but your average ‘Final Girl’) who leads her snotty pals to a supposedly safe haven. But this leafy locale holds dark memories for Chelsea and is home to a demented public official who really doesn’t like littering or young non-conformists.
Screening Friday June 15th & Saturday June 17th
THE FIELD GUIDE TO EVIL
A feature-length anthology horror comprised of eight stories directed by such acclaimed international filmmakers as Veronika Franz & Severin Fiala (GOODNIGHT MOMMY), Can Evrenol (BASKIN), Agnieszka Smoczynska (THE LURE), Peter Strickland (BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO) and Katrin Gebbe (NOTHING BAD CAN HAPPEN). Each of the filmmakers were asked to draw upon the folklore of their country, reimagining a legend through their own unique (and often twisted) creative lens.
Screening Friday June 15th & Saturday June 16th
For further information or to view the Sydney Film Festival’s larger program, check out their website here!
