The Popcorn Frights Film Festival is back with its eleventh this year, both in-person and virtually, from August 7-17. The Southeast’s largest genre celebration announces its second wave of programming this morning, from new premieres to repertory screening classics. The second wave highlights include a screening of Tina Romero’s Queens of the Dead. The filmmaker is also presenting a […]
The Popcorn Frights Film Festival is back with its eleventh this year, both in-person and virtually, from August 7-17. The Southeast’s largest genre celebration announces its second wave of programming this morning, from new premieres to repertory screening classics.
The second wave highlights include a screening of Tina Romero’s Queens of the Dead. The filmmaker is also presenting a special 40th Anniversary 4K Restoration of her father’s seminal zombie classic Day of the Dead, bringing the zombies back to Florida soil where it was originally shot.
Horror legend Dee Wallace joins the party for a howl-worthy triple-bill, appearing in-person to introduce three of her all-time cult classics hits: Stephen King’s Cujo, Wes Craven’s The Hills Have Eyes, and Joe Dante’s The Howling, newly restored in 4K. She joins previously announced guests Barbara Crampton, Lloyd Kaufman, and Linnea Quigley.
As if that’s not enough, Popcorn Frights is summoning a one-of-a-kind immersive experience of John Carpenter’sThe Fog in full-blown “Fog-O-Vision!” This 40th anniversary immersive event surrounds audiences in a thick veil of fog—yes, real fog!—as the restored 4K print rolls.
That doesn’t even tough upon the brand new world premieres, both in-person and virtually, or the upcoming third wave of programming.
In the meantime, read on for the packed second wave of Popcorn Frights 2025 programming:
Americana Florida Premiere United States | 2024 | 110 Min. | Dir. Tony Tost The lives of local outsiders and outcasts violently intertwine when a rare Lakota Ghost shirt falls onto the black market in a small South Dakota town.
Dog of God Florida Premiere Latvia-United States | 2025 | 92 Min. | Dirs. Lauris Ābele & Raitis Ābele A rotoscoped animation that depicts a 17th century witch trial in Livonia that uncovers a werewolf within a devout community.
Fucktoys South Florida Premiere United States | 2025 | 106 Min. | Dir. Annapurna Sriram In a pre-millennium alternate universe, a cursed young woman must raise $1,000 for a group of psychics, scootering through the surreal, seedy underworld of Trashtown and encountering a cavalcade of bizarre characters along the way.
Good Boy
Florida Premiere
United States | 2025 | 72 Min. | Dir.Ben Leonberg When a loyal pup moves to a remote farmhouse with his owner, he soon senses a sinister presence—and must confront terrifying supernatural forces to protect the boy he loves most.
Influencers US Premiere United States | 2025 | 110 Min. | Dir.Kurtis David Harder *Director Kurtis David Harder expected in person
In the picturesque landscapes of southern France, a young woman’s chilling fascination with murder and identity theft sends her life into a whirlwind of chaos.
The Mannequin East Coast Premiere United States | 2025 | 105 Min. | Dir.John Berardo *Director John Berardo expected in person While investigating her sister’s death in a historic Los Angeles building, a stylist assistant uncovers the vengeful spirit of a long-dead serial killer—and must escape before she becomes his next victim.
Queens of the Dead Florida Premiere United States | 2025 | 99 Min. | Dir. Tina Romero *Director Tina Romero expected in person Drag queens and club kids battle zombies craving brains during a zombie outbreak at their drag show in Brooklyn, putting personal conflicts aside to utilize their distinct abilities against the undead threat.
Slanted Florida Premiere
United States | 2025 | 102 Min. | Dir. Amy Wang An insecure Chinese-American teenager undergoes experimental surgery to appear white, hoping to secure the prom queen title and peer acceptance.
Test Screening East Coast Premiere
United States | 2024 | 92 Min. | Dir. Clark Baker *Producer/screenwriter Stephen Susco expected in person Four teens find out that a test screening is coming to their little cinema, but the film is actually a mind-control experiment that has terrifying effects.
VIRTUAL FEATURE FILM LINEUP
Astral Plane Drifter Florida Premiere United States | 2024 | 89 Min. | Dir. Scott Slone Sometime Before Yesterday. Or After Tomorrow. Somewhere Out In The Yonder. There Was This Guy.
Carry the Darkness Florida Premiere United States | 2025 | 98 Min. | Dir. Douglas Forrester Inspired by the West Memphis Three, this chilling tale follows a misfit teen scapegoated for a series of brutal crimes as a sinister force emerges from the woods, feeding on the town’s fear and paranoia.
Crossword Florida Premiere United States | 2024 | 96 Min. | Dir. Michael Vlamis After the death of their daughter, a woman immerses herself in her beloved children’s book series while her husband seeks comfort in the daily crossword—only to spiral as the puzzle begins to take on a sinister life of its own.
Custom Southeast US Premiere UK | 2024 | 86 Min. | Dir. Tiago Teixeira A couple producing custom erotic films is dragged into a nightmarish conspiracy when they start working for a mysterious client.
The Dark Fantastic North American Premiere UK | 2025 | 110 Min. | Dir. Lg White A psychedelic dive into the mind and work of renowned film composer Simon Boswell.
Don’t Hang Up North American Premiere Norway | 2025 | 90 Min. | Dir. Alex Herron While attending a wedding in Tulsa, a group of friends find themselves trapped in a haunted rental home, where vengeful spirits from the 1921 Tulsa Massacre rise to unleash a chilling fight for survival.
Exorcismo: The Transgressive Legacy of Clasificada “S” Southeast US Premiere Spain | 2024 | 122 Min. | Dir. Alberto Sedano A deep dive into the dark heart of Spain’s cinematic underground—a world where censorship, repression, and Catholic morality once ruled with an iron fist.
King Baby Florida Premiere UK-France | 2024 | 89 Min. | Dirs. Kit Redstone & Arran Shearing In a decaying kingdom inhabited only by a delusional King and his loyal Servant, the arrival of a mannequin Queen shatters their fragile reality, unleashing a twisted modern fairytale of isolation, madness, and murderous ambition.
Making Megaforce East Coast Premiere United States | 2025 | 98 Min. | Dir. Bob Lindenmayer Superfan Bob Lindenmayer sets out to celebrate MEGAFORCE—one of the 1980s’ most infamous cinematic flops—by tracking down cast, crew, and star Barry Bostwick in a joyous tribute to cult cinema, fandom, and the power of loving what others left behind.
The Mother, the Menacer, and Me Southeast US Premiere United States | 2024 | 91 Min. | Dir. Jon Salmon Stuck in a dead-end job and forced to live with a disapproving mother-in-law, a struggling dreamer sets out to make it in Hollywood—pushed by his sinister imaginary companion, who’s determined to break free and become real.
The Only Ones South Florida Premiere United States | 2024 | 87 Min. | Dir. Jordan Miller When a group of friends’ plans unravel into a spiral of misfortune and bloodshed, trust shatters and the survivors must face the terrifying truth that the deadliest threats often come from within.
Predators Florida Premiere United States | 2025 | 96 Min. | Dir. David Osit Exploring the controversial NBC series that caught potential child predators in sting operations, leading to arrests, and its eventual cancellation.
Shadowland East Coast Premiere Finland | 2024 | 99 Min. | Dir. Otso Tiainen Cult filmmaker Richard Stanley guides a secretive enclave in the French Pyrenees on a quest for spiritual transcendence, but as his influence deepens, resurfaced abuse allegations spark a haunting unraveling of faith, power, and manipulation
Tie Die Florida Premiere United States | 2024 | 80 Min. | Dir. Morgan Miller Park Ranger Lloyd Kaufman and Sheriff Joe Bob Briggs join forces to hunt a mysterious killer bear terrorizing campers, while a displaced group of hippies struggles to find their next camping spot.
Universe 25 Florida Premiere UK | 2025 | 80 Min. | Dir. Richard Vartan Melkonian An angel sent on a sacred mission through London and Bucharest encounters a chaotic world that derails his quest and forces him to confront his true identity.
IN-THEATER RETRO LINEUP
Cujo Howling Triple-Bill Event United States | 1983 | 93 Min. | Dir. Lewis Teague *Actress Dee Wallace expected in person Cujo, a friendly St. Bernard, contracts rabies and conducts a reign of terror on a small American town.
Day of the Dead 40th Anniversary 4K Restoration United States | 1985 | 101 Min. | Dir. George A. Romero *Director Tina Romero expected in person As the world is overrun by zombies, a group of scientists and military personnel sheltering in an underground bunker in Florida must decide on how they should deal with the undead horde.
The Fog 45th Anniversary 4K Restoration Presented in “Fog-O-Vision” United States | 1980 | 89 Min. | Dir. John Carpenter Local legend tells of a ship lured on to the rocks of Antonio Bay being enveloped by a supernatural cloud as it sank; the myth says that when this mysterious fog returns, the victims will rise up from the depths seeking vengeance.
The Hills Have Eyes Howling Triple-Bill Event United States | 1977 | 90 Min. | Dir. Wes Craven *Actress Dee Wallace expected in person On the way to California, a family has the misfortune to have their car break down in an area closed to the public, and inhabited by violent savages ready to attack.
The Howling Howling Triple-Bill Event United States | 1981 | 91 Min. | Dir. Joe Dante *Actress Dee Wallace expected in person After a bizarre and near deadly encounter with a serial killer, a television newswoman is sent to a remote mountain resort whose residents may not be what they seem.
Individual tickets and All-Access Badges for the in-theater experience—hosted at Savor Cinema Fort Lauderdale and Cinema Paradiso Hollywood—are now available. Virtual All-Access Passes can also be purchased for streaming access to the full digital lineup. To order an In-Theater All-Access VIP Badge, click here, to order a Virtual All-Access Pass, click here.
