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UPDATED: The Basement presents Dark Fest 2012


There's been a dastardly change in the line up for Dark Fest 2012, with The Innkeepers unable to attend because of frightening circumstances. But those Basement Dwellers Jason and Shawn are proud to announce Hobo with a Shotgun will step in as the kick off film March 9 at 7 p.m. And this Canadian grindhouse effort, starring the great Rutger Hauer, is sure to please fans of gruesome cinema!

From out of the cinematic basement and onto the big screen, the 16th Kamloops Canadian and International Film Festival has plunged into a dark realm of B-grade movie entertainment with the inaugural Dark Fest, a loving tribute to the frightful side of cinema.

To do so, the gentle Kamloops Film Festival Committee turned to a couple of guys who appreciate everything that's good about bad movies: Jason and Shawn, co-hosts of 92.5FM CFBX Kamloops' premiere film review show Film Reviews from the Basement.

Jason and Shawn looked deep into the darkest corner of the basement to find four films guaranteed to thrill, chill, frighten and possibly offend audiences at Thompson Rivers University's Clocktower Alumni Theatre on March 9 and 10.

And The Basement Dwellers have recruited a fellow Canuck who is no stranger to horror to make this Dark Fest a success: actor, writer, director, stunt man and film critic John Fallon. Fallon is probably best known within the horror community as The Arrow, head honcho of the Montreal-based horror news website Arrow in the Head. Fallon will be on site throughout Dark Fest, and will show some of his work during the festival.

But what are the films on the chopping block this dark weekend? Read on:

The festival kicks off March 9 at 7 p.m. with director Jason Eisener's Hobo with a Shotgun. A train rolls into its final stop. From one of the freight cars jumps a weary-eyed transient with dreams of a fresh start in a new town. Instead, he lands smack-dab in the middle of an urban hellhole, a place where the cops are crooked and the underprivileged masses are treated like insignificant animals. This is a city where crime reigns supreme, and the man pulling the strings is known only as "The Drake." Along with his two cold-blooded and sadistic sons, Ivan and Slick, he rules with an iron fist, and nobody dares fuck with The Drake, especially not some hobo.



Fallon will introduce Deaden at 9 p.m. He wrote and stars in this actioner, shot in his native Montreal under the direction of Christian Viel. Deaden follows ex-undercover cop turned biker Rane, who witnesses the brutal murder of his pregnant wife before being left for dead with an arrow in the head. Upon his exit from hospital, Rane arms himself to the teeth and goes on an substance fueled, psychotic rampage. in the name of retribution. Fallon will conduct a brief Q&A after the film. 


The festival resumes at 7 p.m. on March 10 with Sevé Schelenz's Canadian found-footage horror film Skew. The film has screened at 40 film festivals worldwide and we're excited to make it a part of our first Dark Fest. Schelenz's tale follows Simon, Rich, and Eva as they head out on an eagerly anticipated road trip, they bring along a video camera to record their journey. What starts out as a carefree adventure slowly becomes a descent into the ominous as unexplained events threaten to disrupt the balance between the three close friends. 


Dark Fest concludes with Some Guy Who Kills People at 9 p.m. Jack Perez's horror comedy is about a small town loser who, fresh out of the looney bin, seeks revenge on those he deems responsible for ruining his life. The movie is produced by Hollywood legend John “An American Werewolf In London” Landis and stars veteran actors Kevin Corrigan (Fringe, Unstoppable), Barry Bostwick (Megaforce, Supernatural) and Karen Black (The Hunger, House of a 1,000 Corpses). Fallon's short film The Red Hours will screen prior to the feature.

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