The Lighthouse International Film Festival is a celebration of cinema, creativity, and community on Long Beach Island, NJ.
This year’s Lighthouse Film Festival, the fifteenth edition of the premiere East Coast film fest, will take place from June 7th to 11th. It promises to be a spectacular showcase of films handpicked from the top film festivals worldwide, including Sundance and South by Southwest.
Filmmakers and movie buffs from around the globe are gearing up to enjoy the festival — nestled amidst 18 miles of scenic paradise — and immerse themselves in a world of cinematic artistry, entertainment, and stimulating conversation.
The festival proudly announces its second edition of DARKHOUSE, a genre-centric screening category focused on the best in boundary-pushing horror, science fiction, and fantasy cinema.
The Darkhouse program will showcase five new features, one special spotlight screening, and 28 short films.
Selected titles include Ted Geoghegan’s SXSW hit BROOKLYN 45, about a group of veterans who gather for a séance at the end of World War II. I had the enormous pleasure of seeing this at SXSW, and it’s an absolute knockout — a definite must-see.
Brooklyn 45
Other highlights include Evan Marlowe’s mannequin horror film ABRUPTIO, featuring the voices of Jordan Peele, James Marsters, and Robert Englund, and Matt Kiel’s animated dark fantasy UNICORN BOY, starring Patton Oswalt, Maria Bamford, and Harold Perrineau.
The programming block will also feature a special screening of 2009’s THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO with director Niels Arden Oplev in attendance.
In addition to their Darkhouse category, Lighthouse will celebrate the art of surfing with their signature SURF FILMS programming block, featuring two feature documentaries and four stunning shorts about the coastal sport/lifestyle.
Details on both categories are below:
DARKHOUSE
Abruptio
Abruptio (dir. Evan Marlowe)
USA, 94 minutes // East Coast Premiere
Les Hackel is a guy down on his luck who wakes to find an explosive device has been implanted in his neck. He must carry out heinous crimes in order to stay alive while trying to identify the mastermind manipulating the now twisted and strange world around him.
Brooklyn 45 (dir. Ted Geoghegan)
USA, 92 minutes
Five military veterans gather in the ornate parlor of a Brooklyn brownstone. Best friends since childhood, they’ve reunited to support their troubled host – but when his invitation for cocktails turns into an impromptu séance, the metaphoric ghosts of their past become all too literal.
Enter Mycel (dir. Daniel Limmer)
Austria, 74 minutes
After the