EXCLUSIVE: The 2019 Screamfest Horror Film Festival has taken a bite out of Eat, Brains, Love, setting the Rodman Flender-directed zombie romantic comedy as its opening-night film. The annual genre fest will run October 8-17 at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres in Hollywood.
Eat, Brains, Love, which world premiered last month at the UK’s Frighfest, is about Jake (Jake Cannavale) and his dream girl Amanda (Angelique Rivera). The good news is she finally knows his name — but the bad news is both contracted a mysterious sexually transmitted zombie virus and devoured the brains of half their senior class. A teen psychic (Sarah Yarkin) sent by the government’s top-secret Necrotic Control Division is sent to track them down. Patrick Fabian also stars.
Mike Herro and David Strauss wrote the script based on the novel by Jeff Hart. The pic is produced by Tommy Coriale, Tony DiSanto, Brian Hoff, Van Toffler and Cody Weig.
Here’ the first wave of the lineup:
Eat, Brains, Love
Directed by Rodman Flender. Written by Mike Herro, David Strauss. Produced by
Tommy Coriale, Tony DiSanto, Brian Hoff, Van Toffler, Cody Weig. (USA) – North American
Premiere. Based on the living dead road trip novel by Jeff Hart, a gory, funny, surprisingly engaging zom-rom-com from Rodman Flender. The good news: Jake’s dream girl, Amanda, finally knows his name. The bad?It’s because they both contracted a sexually transmitted mysterious zombie virus and devoured the brains of half their senior class. Now both are on the run from Cass, a teen psychic sent by the government’s top-secret Necrotic Control Division to track them down as they search for a cure while weighing up the existential question of who really deserves to be eaten alive. With Jake Cannavale, Angelique Rivera, Sarah Yarkin, Patrick Fabian.
The Deeper You Dig
Directed by Toby Poser and John Adams. Written by Toby Poser and John Adams. Produced by Toby Poser. (USA) – West Coast Premiere. When a murderer tries to hide his guilt, he learns that love can’t be buried. With Toby Poser, Zelda Adams, John Adams, Shawn Wilson.
Immortal
Directed by Jon Dabach, Danny Isaacs, Tom Colley, Rob Marglies. Written by Jon Dabach. Produced by Jon Dabach, Rob Margolies. (USA) – Los Angeles Premiere. A chilling horror/thriller anthology film, Immortal boasts career-best performances from Tony Todd, Dylan Baker, Robin Bartlett, Samm Levine, and Agnes Bruckner. Thrown into the face of death only to emerge unharmed, the characters of Immortal are left staring at their lives in the face with uncertainty and fear like they’ve never imagined. With Tony Todd, Dylan Baker, Samm Levine, Robin Bartlett, Agnes Bruckner, Vanessa Lengies, Brett Edwards, and Lindsay Mushett.
Kindred Spirits
Directed by Lucky McKee. Written By Chris Sivertson. Produced by Ash Christian, Michael Moran. (USA) – West Coast Premiere. Chloe, a single mother in a relationship with Alex, has her life turned upside down when her younger sister, Sadie, comes home after a long, unexplained absence. Though Sadie seems to want to settle in with her sister and 17-year-old niece (becoming quite a handful herself), she’s actually a deeply disturbed young woman who has a sinister agenda regarding anyone who gets between her and her big sister. With Caitlin Stasey, Sasha Frolova, Macon Blair and Thora Birch.
She Never Died
Directed by Audrey Cummings. Written by Jason Krawczyk. Produced by Jennifer Mesich. (USA) U.S. Premiere. Lacey, a socially detached loner is cursed with immortality and her never-ending tedium of existence. In her attempts to keep her compulsions in check, she seeks out the darkest souls humanity has to offer. Lacey must now face her own inner demons while simultaneously finding her next meal. With Oluniké Adeliyi, Peter MacNeill, Kiana Madeira Michelle Nolden and Noah Danby.
Swing Low
Directed and written by Teddy Grennan. Produced by Marsha Oglesby, Heath Franklin, Teddy Grennan, Bennett Krishock. (USA) – Los Angeles Premiere. When a nature photographer explains to the Police how she fought her way out of the Watchatoomy Valley, they dismiss her crazed and violent story as a meth-induced nightmare. But when they discover that she’s telling the truth, it’s too late. With Annabelle Dexter-Jones, Bruce Dern, Robert Longstreet, Ross Partridge, Michael Weaver.
Trick
Directed by Patrick Lussier. Written by Todd Farmer, Patrick Lussier. Produced by Ita Kennedy, Ellen S. Wander. (USA) – North American Premiere. On Halloween night in 2015, Patrick “Trick” Weaver massacred his classmates at a costume party. After being arrested, he managed to escape police custody, but not before being shot five times by Detective Mike Denver (Omar Epps). Everyone believes Trick must be dead, but when a masked killer reappears the following Halloween, and every Halloween after that, they realize the nightmare is not over. With Trick wreaking havoc and killing innocent people in increasingly terrifying ways, Denver will stop at nothing to finish what he started and bring the carnage to an end. With Omar Epps, Ellen Adair, Kristina Reyes, Jamie Kennedy, Tom Atkins.
The Wretched
Directed and written by Brett Pierce, Drew T. Pierce. Produced by Ed Polgardy, Chang Tseng. (USA) – Los Angeles Premiere. A defiant teenage boy, struggling with his parent’s imminent divorce, faces off with a thousand year-old witch, who is living beneath the skin of and posing as the woman next door. With John-Paul Howard, Piper Curda, Jamison Jones, Azie Tesfai, Zarah Mahler, Kevin Bigley.
Source: Deadline