This book, by film critic Hal C F Astell of the Apocalypse Later review site, covers every feature and every short film that screened at the International Horror & Sci-Fi Film Festival in Tempe, AZ in 2011, 2012 and 2013. These were 'the transition years' as the festival merged into its big sister, the Phoenix Film Festival, and it was forced to reinvent itself.
Inspired by the realisation many of his reviews of festival films were the
only
reviews that existed online and that some films had no presence left on the internet, as if they had never been, he aimed to review every film that played this festival, which holds a special place in his heart, and to compile these reviews into book form.
This book, whatever else it is, is a line in the sand to say that these films existed, that they played a festival, were seen by an audience, even won awards. Hopefully reading about them here will keep some of them alive because no film deserves to die. No, not even that one.
The foreword was written by Mike Flanagan, the director of
Absentia
and
Oculus
. The afterword was written by Andrea Canales, the Midnite Movie Mamacita. The cover is by Marty Freetage.
Features reviewed include
,
Midnight Son
The Mole Man of Belmont Avenue
Triple Hit
Hisss
I am Nancy
The People vs George Lucas
Stake Land
Tucker and Dale vs Evil
Below Zero
It's in the Blood
Folklore
Pig
Beyond the Black Rainbow
The Brain That Wouldn't Die
FDR: American Badass!
Monster Brawl
Slumber Party Slaughter
The Theatre Bizarre
The Victim
With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story
Found
Nailbiter
Sader Ridge
Channeling
Found in Time
Space Milkshake
Errors of the Human Body
The Four
Gamera vs Guiron
The Ghastly Love of Johnny X
Kiss of the Damned
Play Dead
Saw
They Live
.
Short horror films reviewed include
Zombiefication
I Rot
Last Seen on Dolores Street
Cold Sore
Bugbaby
Red Umbrella
Cell Phone Psycho
Escape
Shoreditch Slayer
Follow the Sun!
Brutal Relax
Bad Moon Rising
Ambush
The Table
Roid Rage
The Waking
Employee of the Month
Diecons
Game
The Root of the Problem
Steve from Accounting vs The Shadow Dwellers
Sybling Rivalry
Midnight Daisy
Welcome Wagon
Killer Kart
Short sci-fi films reviewed include
The Island
Earthship
Picture Show at the End of the World
Roman's Ark
Earwigs
Antedon
The Hollow Men
SNAFU
The Turing Love Affair
The Recipient
Carry Tiger to the Mountain
The Uncanny Valley
Doctor Glamour
Hollywood Forever
Secret Identity
20th Century Man
Solaria
Alchemy and Other Imperfections
Mirage
Y Sci Fi
How to Kill Your Clone
Anaphora
Outsight
Dream Cleaners
Dry Gulch
Ontogenesis
Ellie
A Conversation About Cheating with My Time Traveling Future Self
The Secret Keeper
Low Tide in the High Desert
Restitution
Iris
Odokuro
Sol
All I Think of is You
Quantum
Golem
Sunset Day
Flashback
White Room: 02B3
The Phoenix