IFC Center has just announced the full slate for the upcoming film festival What the Fest!? ,a four-day showcase of outrageous content — horror, sci-fi, documentary, thrillers, and beyond — from March 29th through April 1st.

What the Fest!? will feature exciting premieres, including one world premiere, one US premiere, many New York premieres and the world premiere of a new digital restoration of a film never before released in the U.S. This includes the World Premiere of BOILED ANGELS: THE TRIAL OF MIKE DIANA, a documentary chronicling the obscenity trail of the eponymous comic book artist Mike Diana, directed by cult favorite Frank Henenlotter (BASKET CASE);  There will also be a sneak peek of an unseen episode from the new AMC series “The Terror,” with star Jared Harris of “Mad Men” in person for a Q&A, the critically lauded horror film GHOST STORIES starring Martin Freeman, and the World Premiere restoration of the never-before-seen-in-the-U.S., CURSE OF SNAKES VALLEY, a.k.a “The Soviet Indiana Jones.”

 

Opening Night Film

Opening night of What the Fest!? will feature the New York Premiere of Coralie Fargeat’s REVENGE, a thriller about a mistress who exacts “revenge” on her married lover and his friends, turning their annual hunting trip into a decidedly deadlier adventure. The closing night film will be Jenn Wexler’s THE RANGER, about a group of teen punks on the lam, who hide out from the cops in a remote cabin… only to run into bigger troubles. Wexler will appear at the Q&A, along with producer and co-star Larry Fessenden of Glass Eye Pix.

Closing Night Film

“It’s a thrill to celebrate the opening of the festival with a powerhouse film and filmmaker like Coralie Fargeat. Equally exciting is our closing with THE RANGER, the feature debut of producer-director Jenn Wexler,” says Creative Director Maria Reinup. “And with the diverse, fun, delightfully scary, slightly crazy, and entirely awesome movies that round out the rest of our lineup, we are happy to say that What The Fest!? is here to stay. Now join us for a feast for your eyeballs!”

What the Fest!? promises to upend what people think of when they hear “genre films,” highlighting films in a new way throughout a can’t miss weekend for cinema lovers who are looking for the next cool thing. Expect anything!



REVENGE (NY Premiere)

Thursday, March 29th, 7:00PM

Synopsis: Three wealthy, married men learn the hard way that you should never bring your mistress along on a guys’ getaway, especially when there’s hunting involved. A Neon release.

Written & Directed by: Coralie Fargeat
Starring: Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz, Kevin Janssens, Vincent Colombe, & Guillaume Bouchède
TRT: 108 min.
Country: France
Language: English; French (with English subtitles)

REVENGE Bande Annonce (2018)

VALLEY OF SHADOWS (U.S. Premiere)
Friday, March 30th, 7:00PM

Synopsis: In this mesmerizing Scandinavian Gothic fable shot on 35mm, a small boy sets out into the deep, dark woods in search of a mysterious creature. Filmmaker Jonas Matzow Gulbrandsen will appear in-person for a post-screening Q&A.

Directed by: Jonas Matzow Gulbrandsen
Written by: Jonas Matzow Gulbrandsen & Clement Tuffreau
Starring: Adam Ekeli, Kathrine Fagerland, Jørgen Langhelle, Jone Hope Larsen, & Lennard Salamon
TRT: 91 min.
Country: Norway
Language: Norwegian (with English subtitles)

Valley of Shadows - Official Trailer (2017) - Mystery/drama

THE ENDLESS
Friday, March 30th, 9:30PM

Synopsis: Two brothers (played by co-directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, of SPRING and RESOLUTION) return to the cult they fled years ago, only to discover that the group’s beliefs may make much more sense than they once thought. A Well Go USA release. Benson and Moorhead will appear in-person for a post-screening Q&A.

Directed by: Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead
Written by: Justin Benson
Starring: Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead, Tate Ellington, Callie Hernandez, & Lew Temple
TRT: 112 min.
Country: U.S.
Language: English

THE ENDLESS (2018) Teaser Trailer | Supernatural Thriller

BLUE MY MIND (NY Premiere)
Saturday, March 31st, 1:15PM

Synopsis: As if adapting to a new town and a new life weren’t enough, 15-year-old Mia faces an overwhelming transformation when her body starts to change radically.

Written & Directed by: Lisa Brühlmann
Starring: Luna Wedler, Zoë Pastelle Holthuizen, & Regula Grauwiller
TRT: 97 min.
Country: Switzerland
Language: Swiss German (with English subtitles)

BLUE MY MIND - Official Trailer (Optional Subtitles EN & ES)

BOILED ANGELS: THE TRIAL OF MIKE DIANA (World Premiere)
Saturday, March 31st, 4:00PM

Synopsis: Jailed for comics?! The true story of Mike Diana, the only American artist ever convicted of obscenity, directed by cult filmmaker Frank Henenlotter (BASKET CASE, BRAIN DAMAGE, FRANKENHOOKER). Henenlotter and Diana will appear in-person for a post-screening Q&A, along with producers Anthony Sneed and Mike Hunchback.

Directed by: Frank Henenlotter
Featuring: Mike Diana, George A. Romero, Neil Gaiman, Peter Bagge, Jay Lynch, Stephen Bissette, Peter Kuper, & more
TRT: 105 min.
Country: U.S.
Language: English

GHOST STORIES (NY Premiere)
Saturday, March 31st, 7:00PM

Synopsis: Arch-skeptic professor Phillip Goodman embarks upon a terror-filled quest when he stumbles across three long-lost cases of unexplainable “hauntings.” Filmmakers to appear in-person for post-screening Q&A.

Written & Directed by: Jeremy Dyson & Andy Nyman
Starring: Martin Freeman, Andy Nyman, Alex Lawther, & Paul Whitehouse
TRT: 98 min.
Country: U.K.
Language: English

GHOST STORIES Official NEW Trailer (2018) Martin Freeman, Movie HD

SATAN’S SLAVES (NY Premiere)
Saturday, March 31st, 9:45PM

Synopsis: A hit at Rotterdam, acclaimed director Joko Anwar’s (MODUS ANOMALI, A COPY OF MY MIND) remake of a beloved 1982 Indonesian horror classic (reputedly itself inspired by PHANTASM) is a delightfully terrifying haunted house movie — and the country’s biggest box office smash of 2017.

Written & Directed by: Joko Anwar
Starring: Bront Palarae, Tara Basro, Endy Arfian, & Dimas Aditya
TRT: 106 min.
Country: Indonesia
Language: Indonesian (with English subtitles)

SATAN'S SLAVES Official Int'l Main Trailer

CURSE OF SNAKES VALLEY, a.k.a. “The Soviet Indiana Jones” (World Premiere Restoration)
Sunday, April 1st , 12:30PM

Synopsis: This unseen 1980s Eastern Bloc-buster presents the Soviet answer to Indiana Jones in a tale that combines snakes and jungle traps and the “classic weirdness” of Polish sci-fi! Never released in the U.S., CURSE OF SNAKES VALLEY screens in a beautiful new digital restoration by the Estonian Film Institute. 

Directed by: Marek Piestrak
Written by: Wojciech Nizynski, Marek Piestrak, & Vladimir Valutskiy
Starring: Krzysztof Kolberger, Roman Wilhelmi, & Ewa Salacka
TRT: 94 min.
Country: Estonia, Poland
Language: Russian (with English subtitles)

LOWLIFE (NY Premiere)
Sunday, April 1st, 3:00PM

Synopsis: The sordid lives of an addict, an ex-con, and a luchador collide when an organ harvesting caper goes very, very wrong. An IFC Midnight release. Director Ryan Prows and co-star Mark Burnham will appear in-person for a post-screening Q&A.

Directed by: Ryan Prows
Written by: Tim Cairo, Jake Gibson, Shaye Ogbonna, Ryan Prows, & Maxwell Michael Towson
Starring: Jon Oswald, Nicki Micheaux, Mark Burnham, & Ricardo Adam Zarate
TRT: 96 min.
Country: U.S.
Language: English, Spanish (with English subtitles)

Lowlife - Teaser Trailer - Violent Crime Action Pulp Fiction (TADFF 2017)

“The Terror” (Episode Sneak Preview)
Sunday, April 1st, 5:30PM

Synopsis: Join star Jared Harris for a sneak preview of AMC’s new series based on Dan Simmons’s 2007 bestseller, the true-life tale of a group of sailors confronting certain death at the frozen ends of the earth. Jared Harris and Executive Producers Soo Hugh and David Kajganich will appear in-person for a post-screening Q&A.

Starring: Jared Harris, Ciarán Hinds, & Tobias Menzies
TRT: 144 min (Episodes 1-3 of the first season)
Country: U.S.
Language: English

THE RANGER (NY Premiere)
Sunday, April 1st, 9:00PM

Synopsis: Teen punks on the run from the cops hide out in a remote cabin, only to find out that the forest has its own law. Writer/director Jenn Wexler and producer/co-star Larry Fessenden will appear in-person for a post-screening Q&A.

Directed by: Jenn Wexler
Written by: Giaco Furino & Jenn Wexler
Starring: Chloe Levine, Jeremy Holm, & Larry Fessenden
TRT: 80 min.
Country: U.S.
Language: English



Ticket Pricing and Information

Opening night screening of REVENGE – Film and Opening Night Party: $25 ($20 IFC Center members), Film only: $15 ($10 IFC Center members)

Tickets for all other screenings are $15 adults, $10 IFC Center members

Tickets for all screenings are available online at WhatTheFestNYC.com, or in-person at the IFC Center box office, 323 Sixth Avenue (at West 3rd Street), open daily 10:30AM-10:00PM.

About the Author

Norman Gidney is a nearly lifelong horror fan. Beginning his love for the scare at the age of 5 by watching John Carpenter's Halloween, he set out on a quest to share his passion for all things spooky with the rest of the world.