To say there’s something different about South by Southwest would be an understatement. Hosted in Austin, this mashup of music, movies and technology nails the spirit of the eclectic town to a T and features some of the most promising talent in the world.
Although the late-night films shown at many festivals would reel in a thin attendance, the Midnighters portion of SXSW’s film festival showcases some of the most scary, sexy and, yes, gory movies around. This year’s lineup has a particularly impressive list of bloodbath thrillers, dark comedies and horror productions — and they’re all playing after midnight.
Deathgasm
This gory flick tells the story of two high school metalheads who want nothing more than to escape suburbia and start their own heavy metal band. While on their quest, they find a piece of sheet music that promises unparalleled power — but they unwittingly summon an evil force named Aeloth the Blind One, who threatens to devour all of humanity. Expect lots of blood, many power tools and just the right dash of humor.
Hangman
The Miller family returns from vacation only to find their home has been broken into. Left with no other choice than to clean up and move forward, they continue with their normal lives. Little do they know that things are about to get a whole lot worse. The surveillance-camera filming style leads us to ask just one question: Did the perpetrator set up cameras to stalk his victims? If the bloodstained walls are any indication, we’d say the answer is yes.
He Never Died
This Midnighter is about an antisocial and unfeeling man named Jack who cannot die, feel emotion or stop eating people. His eternal struggle disconnects him from humanity and makes him question the meaning of life if you can never really die. Starring Henry Rollins, this bloody movie is an indie horror-comedy about a man who wants to curb his cannibalism. That’s about as gory as it gets.
Pod
Siblings Ed and Lyla get a cryptic message from their brother Martin and decide to intervene. They trek up to their family’s isolated Maine lake house and find the home completely ransacked. Martin, a war veteran, has been consumed by a conspiracy theory — a piece of which he believes he has trapped in the basement.
Filled with the most skin-crawling and controversial flicks around, the Midnighters showcase isn’t for the faint of heart. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
