The film festival ＂Midnight Surprise＂ reveals the secrets! ＂Scream＂ helps out
Since the establishment of the "Midnight Surprise" unit in 2017, Shanghai International Film Festival has always been well received by fans. Series, series and other batch of film approval lists make fans scream again and again. The "Midnight Surprise" unit of this year’s Shanghai International Film Festival will bring an alternative horror party, with not only English thrillers but also the restored version of legendary horror films, which will once again let the audience enjoy a frightening journey in the dark cinema!
The list of "Midnight Surprise" units includes: Psyche, which won the best feature film award of Fuchuan Choice Award at Fuchuan International Fantasy Film Festival; Phenomenal campus horror film classic "Scream"; Zarava, which won the International Film Critics Week Award at the Venice Film Festival in 2021; Gorgeous visual retro thriller "fright night in Soho District"; The latest Japanese horror film "May Everyone Have Happiness" premiered in Shanghai International Film Festival. Let’s take a look at the specific introduction.
Psychic medium
2021
Aspect: whether it is a god or a demon, psychics are also big.
Banjong pisonthanakun ("Ghost"), the great director of Thai horror movies, is the latest hit, and the Korean director () is the producer. The film tells the story of a documentary team visiting all parts of Thailand to learn about the life of shaman. When they plan to shoot a female shaman, the nightmare begins. Based on animism, Banzhuang depicts the painful secret history behind a family step by step in the way of mockumentary through follow-up, interviews, surveillance videos, etc., and shows the super-scale supernatural horror phenomenon intuitively from zero distance. By blurring the boundary between ghosts and gods, the 30-minute exorcism scene presents a chilling doomsday carnival. Won the Best Feature Film Award of Fuchuan Choice Award of Fuchuan International Fantasy Film Festival.
Scream in fright
1996
Aspect: Phenomenological school horror film classics.
The master of horror film directed the story of Sydney, a girl from a small town high school, who found the real murderer who killed her mother in a serial murder case. The film combines the classic scenes of American horror movies, which not only plays with the series created by craven himself, but also makes a reversal on the basis of innovation, especially the 12-minute opening phone threatening paragraph, which makes horror movie fans crazy. At a low cost of $15 million, the film earned a global box office of 170 million, which became the first masterpiece of the revival of campus horror films in the 1990s. Since then, five authentic sequels have been derived, and there are countless parodies and Asian horror films copied from this film.
Zarava
2021
Aspect: a rare Iranian horror film
There have been many bizarre deaths of villagers in remote villages, and the officers in charge of the investigation and mysterious exorcists were involved. Is it because of demon possession or collective unconscious madness? Director Asalam Amiri wrote and directed a feature film debut, with a chilling prop — — The empty glass jar unfolds the story, and the plot reversal comparable to "Crying" is started around "whether the devil exists in the jar". Covered with exorcism stories and folk culture, the film alludes to the social subversion brought about by the Islamic revolution in Iran with conflicting characters, exposing the complexity of faith and the fragility of modernity. Won the 2021 Venice Film Festival International Film Critics Week Award and the parallel unit Fabisi Film Critics Award.
Fright night in Soho District
2021
Aspect: gorgeous visual retro thriller
Inspired by classic horror films and his yearning for London, the fashion capital of the 1960s, the British director made this retro-style horror film. The film tells that Alois, who came to London to study, had hallucinations in her old apartment, as if she had traveled to the 1960s and witnessed a murder. Wright imitated the gorgeous visual style of lead and yellow movies, cooperated with a large number of rock songs of that year, and pushed suspense and reversal to a climax in the gorgeous psychedelic scene. The most colorful passage in the film is the scene of two women and a man dancing together. With the subtle camera movement and the position of two actresses, it creates a god-synchronized effect that makes computer stunts sigh.
May everyone have happiness
2023
Aspect: Japanese horror movie awards, the first crown, the extended edition, the world premiere
Adult granddaughter came back from Tokyo to visit her grandparents in the countryside, but she always felt something strange at home, and eventually she would face the cruel truth of completely subverting her cognition. In 2021, Kakukawa founded Japan’s first film collection competition "Japan Horror Film Award" for horror films. The first winner was Shimoju Youtai’s short film "May Everyone Have Happiness", and then he made this award-winning work into a cinema feature film. The film is supervised by the chairman of the jury of the award and the master of horror movies who has created such classic works, and recently starred by high-profile actresses. With the theme of "everyone’s happiness is based on the sacrifice of others", the director explores the chilling dark nature behind the so-called happiness through the unconstrained setting, bringing unforgettable horror experience to the audience. The film has not been released in Japan, so the screening of Shanghai International Film Festival will be its world premiere, which is also the first time that the "Midnight Surprise" unit has ushered in the world premiere.