Popcorn Frights Announces Opening Night World Premiere by Writers of A Quiet Place and More

Popcorn Frights Film Festival returns to Savor Cinema for its fifth year August 8 with an opening night sure to please many horror fans. Kicking off the nine-night celebration is the world premiere of Haunt, a new horror thriller by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, two of the writers of A Quiet Place. The feature, which takes place on Halloween, follows a group of friends as they encounter an extreme haunted house that promises to feed on their darkest fears.

Beck and Woods, who will be attending the festival, said, "We’re thrilled to premiere our new film Haunt at Popcorn Frights Fest. Their incredible team has cultivated a passionate following by throwing one of the best film festivals around, and we can't wait for the opportunity to scare their audience of hardcore horror fans out of their seats."

When Popcorn Frights 2019 wraps up on August 16, audiences can expect a queer treat with Brad Michael Elmore's Bit, about a trans girl (played by Supergirl's Nicole Maines) who aligns herself with a group of punk feminist vampires hell-bent on ridding the streets of predatory men.

Between those screenings, Popcorn Frights has a slate of scary stuff in store, including a trio of woman-directed genre films: Jennifer Reeder's neon teen noir Knives and Skin, Chelsea Stardust's dark comedy Satanic Panic, and Alice Waddington's colorful costume fantasy film Paradise Hills. Waddington, whose latest movie stars Emma Roberts, Awkwafina, and Milla Jovovich, had her short film Disco Inferno shown at Popcorn Frights in its second edition.

Two more exclusive premieres will be hitting the festival. The first is the world premiere of Giles Alderson's The Dare, about four abductees forced to work together to understand why they're being held captive and escape death. The other is the North American premiere of Andrew Desmond's The Sonata, a chamber piece starring Rutger Hauer and Freya Tingley.

The rest of the fest promises such delights as Depraved, Larry Fessenden's reimagining of Frankenstein, and Peter Strickland's latest colorful oddity In Fabric. Other highlights include Joe Begos' psychedelic thriller Bliss, Adam Egypt Mortimer's psycho-horror Daniel Isn't Real, and the Bill Skarsgård, Maika Monroe, and Kyra Sedgwick vehicle Villains.

This year’s Popcorn Frights poster is designed by Miami-based artist Jason Sheppard in collaboration with Matt Durston. Another wave of programming will be announced in the coming weeks, but tickets are available for purchase immediately.

Popcorn Frights Film Festival 2019. Thursday, August 8, through Friday, August 16, at Savor Cinema, 503 SE Sixth St., Fort Lauderdale; 954-525-3456; fliff.com. All-access badges are on sale for a limited time for $99 per person and $169 for couples; single-screening tickets cost $12 via popcornfrights.com.