For the eighth straight year the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival comes to New York City to debut and celebrate a slew of horror films, from the independents to the masters. The Festival runs from October 12th through October 19th with all screenings held at Nitehawk Cinema’s Williamsburg and Prospect Park locations. This year, the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival is placing an emphasis on J Horror with tributes to Hideo Nakata and what became a sub-genre.
Here are five films on the schedule I’m looking forward to.
The J-Horror Virus (2023) – North American Premiere
“More than two decades ago, a group of Japanese directors including Hideo Nakata, Kiyoshi Kurosawa and Takashi Shimizu ushered in a new wave of horror cinema that completely changed the game.” The Sarah Appleton and Jasper Sharp directed documentary sounds like it could really be a great visit in to a period of horror cinema that was once very popular for studios. I’m very interested to see what the directing team of Appleton and Sharp has to say about this topic.
Maniac Cop (1988) – 35th Anniversary (w/ Q&A)
“Celebrate 35 years of ’80s horror excellence as we screen NYC horror royalty Bill Lustig’s raucous classic Maniac Cop, in which an undead police officer goes on a gruesome Big Apple rampage.” The William Lustig horror classic is celebrating its thirty fifth anniversary and will be screening for audiences with a special Q&A afterward. There is never a bad time to re-visit “Maniac Cop,” as it’s one of the last great horror gems of the golden age of 1980’s horror.
Property (2023) – NY Premiere
“On the verge of losing their only source of work and shelter, tensions erupt as a community of exploited farmhands wage bloody rebellion against their employers.” Horror films about class warfare and the class gap are becoming huge, and the Brazilian made “Property” sounds like a crazy violent good time. Director Daniel Bandeire has what feels like a powder keg of a horror movie for movie fans, and I look forward to seeing the lunacy unfold.
Ringu (1998) – 25th Anniversary (4K Restoration)
“A seminal work of scary-as-hell J-horror excellence, Hideo Nakata’s classic receives a well-deserved special 25th anniversary screening to give fans and newcomers alike post-viewing sleepless nights.” Hideo Nakata’s horror classic is one of the first really influential J horror films that set the template for what would become a humongous trend for horror cinema in the early aughts. It’s still a very good, entertaining, and creepy tech horror and ghost film that warrants re-visiting and celebration.
Satan Wants You (2023)
“The Satanic Panic” craze of the eighties is one of the most intriguing and engaging topics in pop culture history. In the 1980’s, all of America were horrified and paranoid about Satanic influence and the Satanic influence of seemingly mundane stuff like Rock music and “Dungeons and Dragons.” Sean Horlor and Steven J. Adams have a great topic to cover, and I’m interested to see how they examine the mind set that was the “Satanic Panic.”