It’s almost time to get your spook on and mentally prepare yourself for the first-ever Perth Horror Film Festival. The Backlot in West Perth will be host to the gruesome incident from Friday 19 through to Sunday 21 August – where you’ll find a program that showcases the talents of local horror and science fiction short filmmakers, paired with classic feature films which are rarely screened in Australia.
A group for the horror freaks and geeks of Perth, The Perth Horror Fans are at the helm of the affair and are to blame for the incoming terrifying chills, bloody deaths and audience screams. Perth Horror Fans director, Vanessa Gudgeon says, “the festival has been curated by genre fans, for genre fans.”
The three-day affair is set to become an annual event, but without further ado; here are the line-up of films on the cards for the 2022 Perth Horror Film Festival.
Friday 19 August:
- The Saint – directed by Jay Jay Jegathesan
- Aversion – directed by Aaron Kamp
- The Growth – directed by Alex Winner
- Hitched – directed by Dylan Tilbury
- Don’t Play In The Catnip – directed by J.R.L. Jones
- Feature presentation: House Of Wax (1953) – directed by André De Toth
Saturday 20 August: Finding Horror In Science Fiction
- The Hacker – directed by Hugh Busworth
- As Above So Below – directed by Emile M. Smith
- Sisyphus – directed by Alex Montanari
- Feature presentation: The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961) – directed by Val Guest
Sunday 21 August:
- Corvus – directed by Kyra Shennan
- Meat – directed by Chantelle Lucas
- Slice – directed by Anthony Chila
- Tranceclipse – directed by Rakib Erick
- Don’t go into the Basement – directed by Michael Thomas
- Feature presentation: The Exorcist (1973) – directed by William Friedkin
I mean, what more could an adrenaline rushing, alternative reality enthusiast ask for in but a first-ever, homegrown Perth Festival?
Vanessa Gudgeon also shares that, “There are lots of prizes being given away across the three days. Audience members are able to have their say by voting for their pick of best short film.
“Voting cards will be available upon entry and the winner will be announced via social media at the end of the festival with the winning filmmaker also receiving an award.
The goal of the award is to inspire filmmakers to uphold the standards of genre film-making in Perth, while still being given the freedom to make the films they want.
“We will also have some wicked artworks on display throughout the festival by Stygian Industries,” Vanessa concludes.
If this is tickling your fancy, grab your tickets and view the entire program using the link below – stay weird!