Returning to a hybrid model for the 2021 edition, the Santa Ana, California based Horrible Imaginings Film Festival revealed the first 11 official selection films.
The 12th annual festival will showcase the newest voices in horror, sci-fi, and fantasy genre cinema from Thursday, September 2nd to Monday, September 5th in theater at The Frida Cinema and virtually.
“The submissions this year showed a recovery from the drop off after Covid last year. Of course, that also means incredible competition amongst films vying for a tiny portion of available time. This first collection is the merest tip of the iceberg, but we wanted to represent our programming style in this first wave with a wide and eclectic mix of styles, tones, and countries!” – HIFF Festival Director Miguel Rodriguez
The First 11 Selections to the 2021 Horrible Imaginings Film Festival
An Ideal Host – Robert Woods (84:00/Australia)
Liz just wants to host the perfect dinner party, but an unexpected guest sends the evening into chaos, with potentially apocalyptic consequences.
Bed – Emily Bennett (9:45/USA)
Seemingly terrified of her own bed, Madeline locks herself in her room for weeks in an attempt to confront her fears. But what begins as an absurd, domestic quest turns into a genuine fight for redemption and revenge.
Dar Dar – Paul Urkijo Alijo (9:52/Spain)
Dar-Dar is a mythical Basque demon that eats fingers. He says: ‘Dar, dar, dar, bring your finger for dinner. If you decline, I will return at nighttime and your soul will be mine’.
Her Release – Valentine Miele (3:15/USA)
A woman reaching for love and connection surrenders everything in this blackly comic absurdist nightmare.
Hunter’s Cabin – N’cee van Heerden (14:58/Canada)
A young father withdraws to a remote cabin to face his curse alone, but he’s not the only one with a dark past in the woods tonight.
J’ai Le Cafard (Bint Werdan) – Maysaa Almumin (13:58/Kuwait)
A woman in a downhearted mood struggles to keep up appearances in front of her chirpy and driven office colleagues. An encounter with a dying cockroach in the office toilet develops into an absurd friendship, becoming the comforting companionship she needs until she realizes its destructive effects on her life.
Karaoke Night – Francisco Lacerda (7:52/Portugal)
Two sleazy tourists have the night of their lives at a karaoke bar in the Azores when they meet an alluring young woman.
Morbus – Kerim Banka (9:38/Canada)
Written by composer Mark Korven (The Witch, The Lighthouse) the film follows a young couple traveling down an isolated road where a hidden evil threatens to contaminate them.
My Religious Family – Brandon Hicks (3:10/Canada)
A Hand-Drawn retailing of a child’s religious upbringing in a religious cult – with a twist ending.
The Thing That Ate the Birds – Sophie Mair and Dan Gitsham (11:55/UK)
On the North Yorkshire Moors, Abel, Head Gamekeeper, discovers the thing that is eating his grouse.
Tumble – Milena Dutkowska (30:00/Poland)
Thirty-year-old Adam still lives with his overprotective mother. Their daily lives are filled with rituals of obedience and codependency. Everything changes when one night a man in a grey suit that is only visible to Adam starts accompanying him.