The days are shrinking, the nights are drawing in, and the dark half of the year is almost upon us. As spooky season gets into full swing, our showcase of short horror films is just one week away!
On the 25th of October, at 17:30 we will present our annual Halloween Horror Showcase at a physical screening for the first time! Taking place at Amsterdam’s Supermercator venue, our sixth annual horror event will feature nine independent chillers – with filmmakers from each participating in a panel discussion at the end of the night.
Tickets for the programme of seasonal shockers are selling fast – but there is still time to book your seat for all of the events. You can seal your place via the Indy Film Library tickets page, where there is also a breakdown of the event and its films.
Coming up
To whet your appetite for the upcoming feast of films, here’s more information on some of this year’s selection:
Earlier in the week, we spoke to writer-director Felipe Baréa Prado, about what the film means to him; and his hopes and fears for the future of the film industry in the Netherlands and Brazil.
Speaking about the shadowy figures which menace the lead character in his film, he explained:
“We all have mental health issues in this day and age, and from what I’ve seen, people try to get help, but become too intensely embedded in the system, they are locked up… or given prescription drugs, but with no focus on the individual. Sometimes, when you get into that process, you start questioning yourself… [What the main character in Alles is OK sees] is a manifestation of a feeling, where the he is so broken inside that it breaks down a certain barrier… and he sees a physical manifestation of a shared feeling [that something is wrong], which those around him are not willing to admit to themselves is really there.”
The full interview is available on Spotify:
Fresh from playing at the prestigious Sitges film festival, Lisette Vlassak’s short draws inevitable comparisons with The Substance; as “blaring electronic music pulsates through the cavernous studio, and a gaggle of leering ghouls snarls orders at a woman they see as an expendable resource…”
The story follows Lone (Frieda Barnhard) – a 30-year-old model in the Netherlands, who finds herself on the set of a particularly difficult photoshoot. After being dressed, undressed, arranged and rearranged like a breathing mannequin, the ground shifts from beneath her feet – and she suddenly faces a monstrous foe in a fight for her sense of self.
Our review of the film said:
“We’ve all submitted ourselves to things that we should say no to, while chasing compliments and the intoxicating dopamine rush which they can trigger… In her own such quest, Lone submits herself to being figuratively and literally blinded, before facing an unexpected foe… Many of us have done the same, even if we should know better. That is perhaps the most terrifying thing of all.”
Natalie Spencer’s Italian short sees a new story stitched together with archival footage, giving fresh life to old narratives – and fears that lay dormant about our place in the world. The story sees the personification of the famous volcano Etna interact with two mere mortals, and leaves us with some uncomfortable truths about whether humanity really is the master of its own fate – even in the so-called Antropocene.
Our review of the film concluded:
“As we approach the film’s finale, we are robbed of that surety we came in with, that ideological assumption that nature would be on our side if we prove deserving. This occurs just as Etna’s motivations become more ambivalent, more geared toward the simple fulfilment of natural drives that do not care who or what they help or inconvenience – and we are left wondering to what degree any human player was really in control of their actions, or indeed, who might still be on the menu.”