Beyond Fest, the highest-attended genre film festival in the U.S., will open on Oct. 2 with the world premiere of Jim Cummings’ werewolf tale “The Wolf of Snow Hollow” and Joe Dante’s classic film “The ‘Burbs.”
The social-distanced, drive-in event at the Mission Tiki Drive-In in Montclair, Calif., will close on Oct. 8 with the world premiere of Beyond Fest alumni Christopher Landon’s “Freaky” and a special screening of the 2011 horror comedy “Tucker & Dale vs. Evil.”
“We covet the theatrical experience above all, and following the overwhelming success of our drive-in program, we never hesitated in keeping Beyond Fest a physical experience,” said Beyond Fest co-founder Christian Parkes. “We specifically wanted to give COVID-19 a resilient middle finger and provide a safe, communal respite for filmmakers and film fans to celebrate the best genre cinema on the biggest screens possible.”
Other highlights from the event include the West Coast debut of Rose Glass’ psychological horror pic “Saint Maud,” and screenings of Rob Reiner’s thriller “Misery” and Justin Simien’s Sundance standout “Bad Hair.” “The Reckoning,” a British horror film helmed by Neil Marshall, along with sci-fi horror movie “Psycho Goreman,” will also screen during the week.
“In a year that has seen the world turn upside-down, it’s good to see some things never change,” head programmer Evrim Ersoy added. “Beyond Fest stands tall with an eclectic slate of programming that will challenge audiences and transform the drive-in experience into something never before done.”
Beyond Fest will also celebrate director Brandon Cronenberg with a pre-festival screening of his horror film “Possessor Uncut.” The warm-up event is scheduled on Sept. 24, a week before the festival kicks off.
Tickets are on sale on Beyond Fest’s website. Proceeds from the festival will go toward the non-profit film institution American Cinematheque.