Exclusives
A Bloody Death in Johannes Roberts’ ‘F’
Forest of the Damned director Johannes Roberts is back with a new horror film, F, which follows a group of teachers who must defend themselves from a gang of murderous kids when their school comes under siege after hours. Beyond the break you’ll find an extremely bloody image, along with to more from the film starring David Schofield, Eliza Bennett and Ruth Gemmell.
“F is my first mainstream theatrical feature,” Roberts tells Bloody Disgusting. “[It] should be out in cinemas in the UK summer next year. I’ve just hit picture lock and we are just doing music and sound. The film is amazing – really genuinely scary and dark. It is about a group of teachers trapped in a school by a group of murderous hooded kids. It focuses on a burnt out alcoholic teacher (played by David Schofield – Pirates of the Caribbean/American Werewolf) who has to try and save his daughter Kate (Played by Inkheart’s Eliza Bennett) when the school comes under attacked by a group of hooded kids after hours.
“Think Assault on Precinct 13 meets Ils.
“The hoods themselves are played by Parkour specialists – the stuff they do is crazy, darting around up in the rafters in the dark amongst the empty classrooms and corridors – it’s really freaky stuff. The other teachers are played by Emma Cleasby (Dog Soldiers) Ruth Gemmell (Fever Pitch), Juliet Aubrey (Constant Gardener, Primeval), Roxanne Mckee (Hollyoakes).”
Exclusives
‘The Haunting of Pennhurst’ Exclusive Clip Trains Scare Actors For Historic Haunt in Tribeca Doc
The past and present collide in haunting, poignant ways in the genre documentary The Haunting of Pennhurst, which sees a Halloween haunt serve as a reclamation of true historic horrors.
Ahead of its world premiere at the 25th Tribeca Film Festival, we have an exclusive clip that sees scare actors in training for the Halloween season. The catch? This haunt is opening at the historic Pennhurst State School & Hospital site, a facility that caused immense harm to its disabled patients over decades of its operation.
In the documentary, “For over seventy years, Pennhurst State School & Hospital was called a place of care. What happened inside killed over half its population. It closed in 1987, leaving behind unmarked graves and an unresolved history. Today, on those same grounds, disabled performers – many living with the same conditions that once sent people to Pennhurst – put on their makeup, pull on their costumes, and prepare to scare people for a living.
“Through grit, compassion, and buckets of blood, the eclectic performers of the Pennhurst Asylum haunted attraction are wrestling with a space that is at once a lucrative business and a gravesite.”
The upcoming documentary hails from directing trio Nathan Stenberg, Mike Attie, and Katarina Poljak, who explore their socially-relevant subject through archival footage, first-hand accounts, and an immersive verité.
“Pennhurst has haunted us since we first passed through its dragon-tooth gates; the horrors of the institution echo through the site today. We are so grateful to bring this film to the Tribeca Festival, particularly the Escape from Tribeca section, which feels right for a story where past and present bleed together. We hope audiences leave unnerved and asking the same uncomfortable questions we did,” Attie, Stenberg, and Poljak said in a statement.
Watch the clip below that sees disabled and neurodivergent scare actors learning the ropes of a Halloween haunt, reclaiming the site’s grim history in the process.
Tribeca Screenings:
- Public 1 (Premiere) Screening – Friday, June 5 at 9:15PM at Village East by Angelika
- Public 2 Screening – Sunday, June 7 at 3:15PM at Village East by Angelika
- Public 3 Screening – Tuesday, June 9 at 6:15PM at Village East by Angelika