The IHSFF Showcase Films are out-of-competition films that have been curated with our horror and sci-fi fans in mind!
For the complete film schedule of both the Phoenix Film Festival AND International Horror and Sci-Fi Festival click below.
IHSFF SHOWCASE FEATURES
40 Acres
Run Time: 115 minutes
Screening Time(s):
Friday, April 4 at 8:10pm
Saturday, April 5 at 9:40pm
Directed by: R.T. Thorne
Cast: Danielle Deadwyler, Kataem O’Connor, Michael Greyeyes, Milcania Diaz-Rojas, Leenah Robinson
Synopsis: After a series of plagues and wars leaves society in ruins, the Freemans are surviving —even thriving — on a farm in the middle of nowhere... so long as they repel the occasional raiding party. Former soldier Hailey and her partner Galen fled the collapse along with their children, training them to fight (and, yes, kill). But now Hailey’s eldest Emanuel is a young man, and when he meets a young woman in the forest beyond the fence, his need for human contact could place the whole family in jeopardy.
A Desert
Run Time: 105 minutes
Screening Time(s):
Friday, March 28 at 8:55pm
Tuesday, April 1 at 6:45pm
Directed by: Joshua Erkman
Cast: David Yow, Kai Lennox, Sarah Lind
Synopsis: A photographer's road trip takes a dark turn when he befriends a reckless couple, plunging him into a nightmarish neo-noir spiral of unpredictable horror.
Chain Reactions
Run Time: 105 minutes
Screening Time(s):
Saturday, March 29 at 10:05pm
Monday, March 31 at 9:00pm
Directed by: Alexandre O. Phillipe
Cast: Patton Oswalt, Takashi Miike, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Stephen King, Karyn Kusama
Synopsis: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre's impact on 5 artists through interviews, outtakes, exploring how it shaped their art, psyche from childhood trauma.
Dead Lover
Run Time: 80 minutes
Screening Time(s):
Friday, April 4 at 8:35pm
Sunday, April 6 at 5:25pm
Directed by: Grace Glowicki
Cast: Grace Glowicki, Ben Petrie, Leah Doz, Lowen Morrow
Synopsis: A lonely gravedigger who stinks of corpses finally meets her dream man, but their whirlwind affair is cut short when he tragically drowns at sea. Grief-stricken, she goes to morbid lengths to resurrect him through madcap scientific experiments, resulting in grave consequences and unlikely love.
Dinner with Leatherface
Run Time: 110 minutes
Screening Time(s):
Saturday, March 29 at 10:35pm
Monday, March 31 at 6:45pm
Directed by: Michael Kallio
Synopsis: "Dinner with Leatherface" is a documentary about Gunnar Hansen, the actor who portrayed Leatherface in "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" (1974). Friends, colleagues, filmmakers, and fellow actors share personal stories and discuss the dichotomy between the maniacal chainsaw-wielding character he played on-screen and the very intelligent, creative, soft-spoken man he actually was in real life. The film features Bruce Campbell, Debbie Rochon, Barbara Crampton, John Dugan, William Vail, Daniel Pearl, Tiffany Shepis, Ed Neal and Linnea Quigley... just to name a few.
Freaky Tales
Run Time: 85 minutes
Screening Time(s):
Friday, March 28 at 8:10pm
Directed by: Ryan Fleck & Anna Boden
Cast: Pedro Pascal, Ben Mendelsohn, Jay Ellis, Normani, Dominique Thorne, Jack Champion, Ji-young Yoo, Angus Cloud, and Tom Hanks
Synopsis: Set in 1987 Oakland, Freaky Tales is a multi-track mixtape of colorful characters — an NBA star, a corrupt cop, a female rap duo, teen punks, neo-Nazis, and a debt collector — on a collision course in a fever dream of showdowns and battles. Executive produced by hip-hop pioneer Too $hort, and featuring an all-star ensemble, this pulpy blend of explosive action, edgy humor, gory kills, and sly twists and turns makes for one wild ride.
Itch!
Run Time: 105 minutes
Screening Time(s):
Tuesday, April 1 at 9:00pm
Saturday, April 5 at 8:30pm
Directed by: Bari Kang
Cast: Bari Kang, Carl J. Grasso, Douglas Stirling
Synopsis: Amid a mysterious deadly outbreak called the ITCH! A widower and his estranged young daughter take sanctuary in a department store, only to realize the real terror is inside with them!
Jimmy & Stiggs
Run Time: 80 minutes
Screening Time(s):
Saturday March 29 at 7:50pm
Thursday April 3 at 6:45pm
Directed by: Joe Begos
Cast: Joe Begos, Matt Mercer, Riley Dandy
Synopsis: Jimmy Lang, an out-of-control horror film director, has become a housebound drug addict. On one of his regular nights out, Jimmy is visited by violent aliens. After making the decision to confront the aliens, he calls Stiggs, his best friend, for help.
Sister Midnight
Run Time: 110 minutes
Screening Time(s):
Wednesday, April 2 at 6:45pm
Friday, April 4 at 9:25pm
Directed by: Karan Kandhari
Cast: Radhika Apte, Ashok Pathak, Chhaya Kadam, Smita Tambe, Subhash Chandra, Navya Sawant
Synopsis: Rebellious small-town misfit Uma arrives in Mumbai to find herself totally unsuited to life as a housewife. At odds with her prying neighbors and under the constant oppressive noise and heat of the city, she decides to break free from the shackles of domesticity and follow her own path in this bold, unpredictable, and darkly funny debut.
THE DÆMON
Run Time: 90 minutes
Screening Time(s):
Thursday, April 3 at 9:00pm
Saturday, April 5 at 9:25pm
Directed by: David Yohe, Matt Devino
Cast: Adriana Isabel, Tyler Q Rosen, Sara Fletcher, Oscar Wilson
Synopsis: Haunted by his father's suicide, Tom abandons his wife Kathy and seeks refuge at the lakeside cottage where he met his tragic end. There, tormented memories from childhood resurface, all intricately connected to an ancient, mystifying force lurking beneath the lake's depths, driving Tom inexorably towards madness. As Tom's communication dwindles into eerie silence, Kathy enlists the help of her brother Mark and sister-in-law Jess, a trauma and grief counsellor. Unaware of the sinister malevolence seeping from the lake, Tom becomes a willing vessel for the same evil that claimed his parents and now threatens all who dare draw near.
The G
Run Time: 110 minutes
Screening Time(s):
Wednesday, April 2 at 9:00pm
Directed by: Karl R. Hearne
Cast: Dale Dickey, Romane Denis, Daniel Brochu
Synopsis: A mysterious older woman seeks revenge on the corrupt legal guardian who destroyed her life.