Nottingham Mayhem Film Festival 2021
 

With the 17th edition fast approaching, Mayhem Film Festival is proud to announce the first two titles for the 2021 programme, and reveal the updated plans for this year's edition in light of ongoing Covid restrictions

The festival is set to return to the Nottingham Broadway Cinema between October 14 - 17

The first title announcement is for the underwater ghost story 'The Deep House'. Reminiscent of the legendary moment in Argento's 'Inferno', directors Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury, whose previous films include 'Inside', 'Leatherface', 'Among The Living' and a segment of 'The A-B-C's Of Death 2' plunge us into the depths of a submerged haunted house to create a literally immersive horror experience

The second film confirmed for this year's festival is the documentary 'Alien On Stage', which follows a group of DIY, Dorset-based bus drivers as they remake Ridley Scott's science fiction classic for the stage on a shoestring budget, and the to take it to the West End. This behind-the-scenes documentary catalogues the journey from early rehearsals to opening night and will leave you grinning from ear to ear and cheering the underdogs on to victory

In addition to those, the always-popular Short Film Showcase will also be returning

Seating for this year's festival will be allocated to allow for social distancing, and so specific seats will need to be selected when purchasing festival passes and the seat you choose when purchasing your pass will be your seat for the duration of the festival. Organisers will remain responsive to the ever-evolving pandemic situation, and will make any required adjustments to the plans if necessary. Guidance will be continually reviewed in the run-up to this year's festival, and all screenings and events will be delivered in line with advised Government Covid-19 measures in place at the time

More info coming soon...

https://www.mayhemfilmfestival.com/

It looks like tickets are now available

https://ticketing.broadway.org.uk/Ti...essionId=21031

It seems like a 'full festival pass', which gives access to all films and events, is £80

Can i ask why you have plugged this every year since 2015?

Nobody ever replies which suggest nobody goes to it. Do you go to it / organise it or something?

I'm not bothered by the thread or anything like that but would be interested more if people discussed / reviewed the films they'd seen at the festival. Discovering new films isn't easy these days so all help is needed.

I saw a couple of films at one of the early ones

I mention it because it was in my neck of the wood and I figure there were possibly other people on the forum who lived in the East Midlands area who would be interested in attending or who might be in the area on holiday

It's the same as posting about bands who only play one or two venues in the country, or other film festivals such as FrightFest, Dead By Dawn or Celluloid Screams - 99% of forum members won't go, but you might find a handful who do attend

I also find it interesting to look back at the films that were screened at previous festivals and see how many I have seen and what titles were picked up by labels such as Arrow or 88Films

I've bought some stuff from the Arrow stall at this event but never attended the movies. I prefer to pick and choose what I see at the cinema rather than attend a festival.

Perhaps a dedicated thread for posting festival news in one place is preferable?

The line-up for this years event has now been announced:

Thursday 14 October:

7PM: Alien on Stage [(2020) / UK / 83mins / Dirs: Danielle Kummer, Lucy Harvey]

A group of DIY, Dorset-based bus drivers remake Alien for the stage, all on a shoestring budget, and triumphantly take to the West End stage. This behind-the-scenes documentary catalogues the journey from rehearsals to the first night and will leave you grinning from ear to ear and cheering the underdogs on to victory.

9.30PM: The Deep House [(2021) / France/Belgium / 85mins / Dirs: Alexandre Bustillo, Julien Maury
Camille Rowe, James Jagger]

An underwater ghost story! Reminiscent of the legendary opening scene from Dario Argento's Inferno, the directors of the envelope-pushing Inside plunge you into the depths of a submerged haunted house to create a literally immersive horror experience.

Friday 15 October

2.45PM: The Queen of Spades [(1949) / UK / 96mins / Dir: Thorold Dickerson / with Anton Walbrook, Edith Evans]

Up from the vaults, the archive at Mayhem opens its doors to present one of the least seen British horror films of yesteryear – and one in need of resurrection – a dark gem of British Gothic cinema. A gambler becomes obsessed with an old lady, said to have sold her soul to the devil in order to win at cards.

4:45PM: The Show [(2020) / UK / 115mins / Dir: Mitch Jenkins / with Tom Burke, Ellie Bamber]

A noir-fantasy set in Northampton, written by comics legend Alan Moore. Tom Burke (Only God Forgives, Mank) plays the mysterious Fletcher Dennis, newly arrived in town to find a missing man called Mitchum, but encountering much more in the way of offbeat characters and magical intrigues. Trippy, multi-layered and shot through with droll humour, The Show is an idiosyncratic delight.

8PM: Night Drive [(2019) / USA / 82mins / Dirs: Brad Burah, Meghan Leon / with AJ Bowen, Sophie Dalah]

Bowen (House Of The Devil) plays a ride-share driver whose life begins to fall apart when he picks up his last passenger and accidentally hits a pedestrian. Quirky, smart and a genuinely surprising sci-fi black-comedy indie that hits all the right notes and deserves a life on the big screen.

10PM: Midnight [(2021) / S Korea / 103mins With English subtitles / Dir: Oh-Seung Kwon / with Jin Ki-joo, Park Hoon, Wi Ha-joon]

A psychopath is interrupted in his latest crime by a young woman - and so begins a non-stop, all night, life or death chase. Director Kwon adds unique detail to this cat-and-mouse thriller – a deaf protagonist unable to find anyone who will help her, a serial killer who hides behind respectable identities, all the while ratcheting up the tension and twists.

Saturday 16 October

12PM: The Spine of Night [(2021) / USA / 93mins / Dirs: Philip Gelat, Morgan Galen King / with Richard E Grant, Lucy Lawless, Patton Oswalt]

All-animated dark fantasy horror - offering a psychedelic, hallucinogenic, over-the-top epic narrative of outrageous violence, ancient gods and courageous heroes, set in a land of magic and mysticism. Though drawing on the works of Frank Frazetta (Conan) and Ralph Bakshi (Fire & Ice), The Spine of Night is unlike anything we've ever screened.

2.15PM: Knocking [(2021) / Sweden / 78mins With English subtitles / Dir: Freda Kempff / with Cecilia Milocco, Krister Kern]

A woman leaves a psychiatric ward after a breakdown and finds herself placed alone in a new apartment where she begins to hear mysterious knocking sounds. Knocking is a stylish, haunting and intense psychological portrait that deserves to be seen on the big screen.

4.15PM: Mayhem Short Film Showcase [International / 120mins Partly subtitled / Dirs: Various]

A selection of the scary, weird and wonderful from around the world and closer to home… showcasing the best up and coming talent. Mayhem Film Festival started out as a short film event and keeps its roots fed on the blood of new filmmakers.

Films featured are:
- A TALE BEST FORGOTTEN//Dir.Tomas Stark, Sweden, 5m8
- BLACK MOON//Dir.Ryan Graff, US, 8m01
- DEMON//Dir.Colin Friend & Mitch Findlay, Canada, 13m
- EYE EXAM//Dir.Aislinn Clarke, UK, 2m52
- HOUSEHOLD DEMONS//Dir.John Gray, US, 9m01
- NIGHTINGALE//Dir.Jasper de Bruin, Netherlands, 14m55
- THE THING THAT ATE BIRDS//Dir.Sophie Mair & Dan Gitsham, UK, 11m52
- THEY'RE HERE//Dir.Sid Zanforlin, Canada, 12m
- WAFFLE//Dir.Carlyn Hudson, US, 10m57

7.30PM: Spiritwalker [UK Premiere] [(2021) / S Korea / 108mins. With English subtitles / Dir: Jae-Keun Yoon / with Kye-Sang Yoon, Yong-Woo Park, Ji-Yeon Lim]

Genre-bending, high-octane sci-fi thriller that never lets up for the entire running time. From the producers of The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil comes a new experience in action – a man wakes up in a different body every 12 hours, each time forced to discover who he is - all the while being pursued by a secret organisation. He must find his way back into his real body before it's too late!

10PM: Phantom of the Paradise [(1974) / USA / 91mins / Dir: Brian De Palma / with William Finley, Jessica Harper]

Our Mayhem Midnight Movie is a genuine cult-classic mixing the plots of The Phantom of the Opera and Faust, adding a great score, cool songs (and Suspiria's Jessica Harper belting out the best of them) and De Palma (Carrie, Blow Out) at his most stylish and stylised – a genuine midnight movie masterpiece.

Sunday 17 October

12PM: Get the Hell Out [(2020) / Taiwan / 95mins With English subtitles / Dir: I.-Fan Wang / with Megan Lai, Bruce Hung]

Taiwan's parliament becomes a deadly battleground when a virus transforms politicians into bloodthirsty mutant zombies in this hilariously hyperactive, frenetic satire - and the blistering pace and surreal pop-culture references never let up for a single martial-arts moment of mayhem.

2.15PM: Hellbender [USA / 82mins / Dirs:John Adams, Zelda Adams, Toby Poser / with Zelda Adams, Lulu Adams]

There's hell to pay when a lonely teenager discovers her family's connections to witchcraft. A ground-breaking new feature from the incredibly creative Adams family – behind the cult movie The Deeper You Dig - occult coming-of-age story Hellbender premiered internationally at Fantasia recently, where it won rave reviews.

4.15PM: The Night Shift [European Premiere] [S Korea / 106mins With English subtitles / Dir: Ba-Reun Jo / with Jun Sung, Hong-Pa Kim]

Looking for inspiration an artist visits a run-down housing estate and interviews the building's caretaker, who has many strange and uncanny tales to tell… but the more he hears, the more his obsession grows… Stylish, funny, dark, and grizzly, this anthology zips from one grim story to the next, weaving them together into a sinister trap.

7PM: Lamb [Sweden / 106mins With English subtitles / Dir: Valdimar Jóhannsson / with Noomi Rapace, Hilmir Snær Guðnason]

A childless couple discover a mysterious newborn on their remote farm in Iceland. Soon they are experiencing the joy of family – but soon family will tear them apart. Strange and daring cinema from Jóhannsson, previously known for his stunning special effects work, here delivering a startling, assured feature debut that builds dread not unlike The Witch to tell a unique folktale rooted in a haunting landscape.

9.30PM: Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes [Japan / 70mins With English subtiles / Dir: Junta Yamaguchi / with Kozunori Tosa, Aki Asakura]

"I am the future me. Two minutes into the future." Returning to his flat from work, Kato is surprised by a message from his future self on his TV screen… but soon this strange phenomenon gets chaotically out of hand. Praised by the creator of One Cut of the Dead for its inventiveness, this is a must-see one-take sci-fi comedy and a demonstration of a unique filmmaking process.