The Los Angeles-based horror festival will open with ICK and close with a tribute to legendary cinematographer Dean Cundey, ASC
Screamfest® Horror Film Festival, the largest and longest-running horror film festival in the United States, is excited to announce its opening and closing night events as well as additional features. Taking place from October 8 to 17, 2024, at the TCL Chinese Theater, Screamfest® will kick off the festival with award-winning filmmaker Joseph Kahn’s (Bodied), sci-fi/horror satire ICK, which will have its West Coast premiere with a red-carpet gala screening on Tuesday, October 8.
ICK follows ex-jock turned science teacher Hank (Brandon Routh) who is stuck in his hometown, dreaming of a life as a professional athlete. While teaching chemistry, he reconnects with his high school crush’s daughter, Grace (Malina Weissman). When a mysterious substance called the “Ick” begins to spread through Eastbrook, Hank and his disillusioned students must band together to combat this gooey menace. Their comedic journey turns into a wild battle for survival, testing their courage and complicating their personal connections.
To conclude this year’s festival on October 17th, Screamfest will honor legendary
cinematographer Dean Cundey, ASC (Jurassic Park, Apollo 13) with a Lifetime Achievement
Award. This prestigious honor will be presented by a special guest and will be accompanied by a double-feature screening of Dean’s iconic works The Thing and Halloween.
Additional features include the world premiere of Body Language, a thriller directed by Cory Miller and starring Christina Milian (Step Up High Water) and Steven Strait (The Expanse). In Body Language Mariana (Milian) returns home to find Dylan (Strait), her fiancé Nick’s college friend, preparing an engagement dinner. As the evening unfolds and Nick fails to arrive, Mariana becomes increasingly uneasy about Dylan, turning what should have been a celebration into a night of terror.
Making its West Coast premiere after debuting at SXSW is Cold Wallet, directed by Cutter Hodierne. This gripping thriller follows a ragtag team of vigilante Redditors who, after losing everything in a cryptocurrency scam, attempt to kidnap the kingpin who deceived them. However, their home invasion spirals out of control, trapping them in a sadistic game.
Other exciting additions to the lineup include Drive Back, directed by Cody Ashford, In the Name of God from Sweden, directed by Ludvig Gür, and Witte Wieven (Heresy) from the Netherlands, directed by Didier Konings.
This year’s festival features a variety of exciting events, including a writing panel with Conjuring screenwriters Carey Hayes and Chad Hayes. Additionally, the Birns & Sawyer panel will showcase industry veterans such as Michael Goi, ASC (American Horror Story), Mark Irwin, ASC (The Fly, Scream), Roy Wagner, ASC (Nightmare on Elm Street), Daniel Pearl, ASC (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre), and Andrzej Bartkowiak, ASC (Species). A legal panel led by entertainment attorney Larry Zerner will provide valuable insights into the industry. Finally, Screamfest will introduce a Horror Nerd Standup Comedy event, offering audiences a chance to enjoy laughs with friends, family, and fellow horror enthusiasts!
Formed in August 2001 by film producer Rachel Belofsky, Screamfest® Horror Film Festival is a female-run 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that gives filmmakers and screenwriters in the horror and science fiction genres a venue to have their work showcased in the film industry.
Tickets are on sale and can be purchased via the festival website: https://screamfestla.com/
