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Second Annual Bruce Campbell Horror Film Festival Announces Full Lineup

READ MORE: Watch: Bruce Campbell is Back in Bloody New ‘Ash vs. Evil Dead’ Teaser

Promising features and short films in every horror sub-genre, from psychologic thriller to ghoulish actioner, the Bruce Campbell Horror Film Festival has announced its full lineup for its second run in Chicago. 

The four-day festival will screen a world premiere, a handful of US premieres and many Chicago premieres, along with special screenings of horror classics such as “Cannibal Holocaust,” introduced by “Green Inferno” director Eli Roth, and “Fright Night” with its director, Tom Holland, in attendance. Some highlights include Jason Krawczyk’s “He Never Died,” the secretly-violent social outcast crime film that’s closing the festival, and a screening of Don Coscarelli’s 2002 cult classic “Bubba Ho-Tep,” followed by a discussion with Bruce Campbell. The festival will take place at the Muvico Theater in Rosemont from August 20-23, and runs in tandem with Wizard World Chicago. 

The films that are screening can be found below, with synopses courtesy of the Bruce Campbell Horror Film Festival. For more information, visit the event website

“Body” 
Dir: Dan Berk & Robert Olsen
Three bored young women break into a house for cheap laughs, stumble across someone who shouldn’t be there, and commit a terrible deed. Chicago premiere. 

“Bubba Ho-Tep” (2002)
Dir: Don Coscarelli
Elvis and JFK, both alive and in nursing homes, fight for the souls of their fellow residents as they battle an ancient Egyptian Mummy. Followed by Q&A with lead actor Bruce Campbell!

“Bunny the Killer Thing”
Dir: Joonas Makkonen
A group of Finnish and British people get stuck in a cabin when a creature — which is a half human & half rabbit — attacks them. The creature is Bunny the Killer Thing, and it is after anything that resembles female genitalia. Yes, really. Based on the 2011 short film of the same name. US premiere. 

“Cannibal Holocaust” (1980)
Dir: Ruggero Deodato
A New York professor returns from a rescue mission to the Amazon with footage shot by a lost team of filmmakers. And it’s pretty damn gruesome. 35mm screening introduced by Eli Roth.

“Contracted: Phase 2”
Dir: Josh Forbes
Picking up directly where the creepy indie hit Contracted left off, Phase II follows Riley, one of the last people to come in contact with the ill-fated Samantha, as he scrambles to track down those responsible for the outbreak before the highly contagious disease not only consumes his body, but possibly the world as we know it. Cast and crew in attendance. North American premiere.

“Dude Bro Party Massacre III”
Dir: Tomm Jacobsen, Michael Rousselet, Jon Salmon
In the wake of two back-to-back mass murders on Chico’s frat row, loner Brent Chirino must infiltrate the ranks of a popular fraternity to investigate his twin brother’s murder at the hands of the serial killer known as “Motherface.” Special Screening with Filmmakers & Greg Sestero in attendance!

“Fright Night” (1985)
Dir: Tom Holland
A teenage boy is convinced that his new neighbor is a bloodthirsty vampire, but nobody will believe him — until he enlists the assistance of a fussy old actor who used to kill the creatures all the time. In movies, that is. Followed by a Q&A with writer/director Tom Holland!

“He Never Died”
Dir: Jason Krawczyk
Jack, a social outcast, is thrust out of his comfort zone when the outside world bangs on his door and he can’t contain his violent past. A masterful combination of film noir, crime thriller, character study, and horror story. Filmmakers in attendance! Chicago premiere.

“Hellions”
Dir: Bruce McDonald
A troubled teenager must survive a Halloween night from Hell when malevolent trick-or-treaters come knocking at her door. And refuse to go away. From the director of festival favorite “Pontypool.” Chicago premiere.

“Nina Forever”
Dir: Ben Blaine & Chris Blaine
After his girlfriend Nina dies in a car crash, Rob unsuccessfully attempts suicide. As he begins to overcome his grief, he falls in love with a coworker, Holly. Their relationship is complicated when Nina, unable to find rest in the afterlife, comes back to life to sarcastically torment them whenever they have sex. Chicago premiere.

“The Pack” 
Dir: Nick Robertson
A farmer and his family must fight for survival after a ferocious pack of wild dogs infiltrates their isolated farmhouse. Through a series of frightening and bloody encounters they are forced into survival mode to make it through the night. An exercise in suspense, in the same vein as “Open Water” and “Backcountry,” this grisly Australian horror/thriller packs a ton of biteNorth American premiere.

“Some Kind of Hate”
Dir: Adam Egypt Mortimer
A bullied teenager is sent to a reform school where he accidentally summons the spirit of a girl, herself a victim of bullying, who takes vengeance on his tormentors. Chicago premiere.

“Sun Choke”
Dir: Ben Cresciman
Recovering from a violent psychotic break, Janie is just trying to get well under the care of her lifelong nanny and caretaker. She begins to veer off the road to recovery when she develops an obsession with a young woman to whom she feels an inexplicable yet profound connection. Chicago premiere. 

“Synapse”
Dir: Kenlon Clark
Voyeuristic technology has surpassed our wildest nightmares and our most explicit fantasies. Running from Synapse, an agency tasked with memory drug enforcement, a rogue agent fights against the organization that once employed him. Wizard World Presents a World Premiere!

“Tales of Halloween”
Dir: Axelle Carolyn, Darren Lynn Bousman, Adam Gierasch, Andrew Kasch, Neil Marshall, Lucky McKee, Mike Mendez, Dave Parker, Ryan Schifrin, John Skipp, Paul Solet
Ten stories are woven together by their shared theme of Halloween night in an American suburb, where ghouls, imps, aliens and axe murderers appear for one night only to terrorize unsuspecting residents. Filmmakers in attendance! Chicago premiere. 

READ MORE: Watch: ‘Ash Vs. Evil Dead’ Live-Action Trailer is ‘Looking Good,’ Nay, Great

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