The Chattanooga Film Festival 2023 returns in person and virtually for its tenth year, kicking off today, June 23 through 29! The beloved festival will return to an in-person event for the first time since 2019, from June 23 through 25, while offering a virtual experience from June 23 through 29.
The main venue for those attending in person will be Chattanooga’s historical and legendary haunted The Read House Hotel. The hotel’s 1920s beauty and the tale of Room 311, with resident ghost Annalisa, make it the perfect spooky backdrop for the festival’s 10th Anniversary. The festival will also have various locations around the city. So whether you’re attending from the comfort of your couch or getting spooked by Annalisa, it’s a great weekend ahead for horror fans. And an even greater weekend for SCREAMBOX titles, kicking off with the opening night film and party for Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls.
Stay tuned for Bloody Disgusting’s extensive coverage of the festival, but in the meantime, here are four SCREAMBOX titles screening at the fest that shouldn’t be missed.
New Religion (In-Person and Virtual)
For fans of surreal horror, don’t miss Keishi Kondo’s New Religion. In the film, “After her daughter’s death, divorced Miyabi begins working as a call girl. One day, she meets an unsettling customer who wants to take pictures of her body parts. Soon, she realizes that her daughter’s spirit gets closer every time she allows her body to be photographed. She must decide how far she will go to connect with her daughter again.”
New Religion is available to stream on SCREAMBOX now, but its festival screening offers the rare chance to see this weird horror entry with a crowd of fans.
Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls (In-Person)
The Weird Satanist Guy makes its feature debut in a handmade horror gem for fans of the ’80s and ’90s pop culture. “Misunderstood by all who know him, Marcus J. Trillbury (Andrew Bowser), aka Onyx the Fortuitous, is struggling to find purpose in his soul-devouring side gig. But just when it seems he’s ready to throw in the towel, he receives a coveted invitation to the mansion of his idol Bartok the Great (Jeffrey Combs; Re-Animator) for a ritual to raise the spirit of an ancient demon. Ecstatic, he joins Bartok, his mysterious delegate Farrah (Olivia Taylor Dudley; “The Magicians,” Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension), and a collection of fellow devotees as they prepare for the ceremony, but quickly it becomes apparent things are not what they seem. As Onyx and his new friends fight to keep their souls, he must decide what he’s willing to sacrifice to meet his destiny.”
Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls opens the Chattanooga Film Festival, in-person only, before releasing in theaters this Fall.
Subject (Virtual)
In the mood for a mind-bending sci-fi creature feature? From award-winning director Tristan Barr (Good Times), Subject follows a man entangled in a sinister government experiment. On his way to prison, Willem is presented with an intriguing offer: take part in a shadowy government experiment and have his sentence commuted. But little does he know his isolation experiment may not be what it seems, casting doubt upon his perceived solitude and raising questions about his true state of aloneness.
Subject makes its North American debut at the Chattanooga Film Fest before heading to SCREAMBOX on August 22.
We Might Hurt Each Other (In-Person and Virtual)
Slasher fans should make time for this one. Inspired by local legends, this Lithuanian slasher follows a group of privileged high school classmates. After these classmates destroy a set of life-size wooden statues during a wild graduation party, a mysterious masked killer begins picking the group off one by one.
We Might Hurt Each Other makes its North American premiere at the fest, but expect to hear more about SCREAMBOX release details soon.
Head over to Chattanooga Film Festival for the full schedule and tickets.