Good times and gore at 'Beyond Fest' and 'United States of Horror'

Good times and gore at ‘Beyond Fest’ and ‘United States of Horror’

By Mark Olsen

Sept. 27, 2013 12 AM PT

Horror fans will have a lot to freak out about this October.

The first edition of “Beyond Fest” will hit Los Angeles as a celebration of chills, gore and the sounds that go with them from Oct. 10 to 27.

And Cinefamily will take local audiences on a mayhem-filled movie road trip with their monthlong “The United States of Horror.”

FULL COVERAGE: Film festivals

Taking place at the American Cinematheque’s Egyptian and Aero Theaters, Beyond Fest will feature the first local screenings of films anticipated by genre fans following their well-received appearances at other festivals, with titles including as Ben Wheatley’s “A Field in England,” Sion Sono’s “Why Don’t You Play In Hell,” Jim Begos’ “Almost Human” and Ruairi Robinson’s “The Last Days of Mars.”

Besides the three-night stand of legendary band Goblin, making its first-ever live appearances in Los Angeles before screenings of Dario Argento horror classics, Beyond Fest will have other events for horror music aficionados. Composer Alan Howarth will perform before a screening of John Carpenter’s “Assault on Precinct 13.” Musician Umberto will perform a live score to the 1982 slasher flick “Pieces.”

Clive Barker is scheduled to appear with a screening of “Nightbreed: The Cabal Cut.” German filmmaker Jorg Buttgereit will be present for screenings of the only known 35mm prints of his “Nekromantik” and “Schramm: Into the Mind of a Serial Killer.” Joe Dante will appear with his “The Howling,” and Richard Donner is scheduled to turn out for his “The Omen.” The podcast/stage show “The Thrilling Adventure Hour” will put on a live performance featuring Paul F. Tompkins and Paget Brewster before a showing of the 1932 classic “the Mummy.”

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And that’s not all, horror fans. The Fairfax Avenue movie theater Cinefamily is following up last year’s monthlong program of infamous U.K. “video nasties” with a trip around the U.S. “The United States of Horror” program, every night at midnight from October 1 to 31, will feature a horror movie from a different state of the Union.

Kicking off with California’s own “Equinox,” other stops on this road trip of blood and bad vibes include Arizona’s “White of The Eye,” Nevada’s “Tremors,” Utah’s “Troll 2,” Kansas’ “Carnival Of Souls,” Missouri’s “Ernest Scared Stupid,” Pennsylvania’s “Martin,” and New York’s “Basket Case,” before winding up back in California with “Chopping Mall.”

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Follow Mark Olsen on Twitter: @IndieFocus