The first annual Perth Horror Film Festival will be held August 19-21 at The Backlot Perth.

Organised by Perth Horror Fans, the program is designed to showcase the talents of local horror and science fiction short filmmakers, while also screening classic feature films rarely seen in Australia.

Opening night (Friday, August 19, 6.30pm start):
– Jay Jay Jegathesan’s The Saint.
Summary: Where does the border lie? That line in life’s shadowlands between heroism and a plunge into the abyss? On an ordinary night, in a regular park, Mark Theo Carter will find himself confronting it. Watch. Judge. Beware.

– Aaron Kamp’s Aversion
Summary: Trapped in an isolated 19th century mansion, seven individuals must overcome their phobias if they are to survive the night.

– Alex Winner’s The Growth
Summary: An out-of-luck married couple’s life improves when they find out the husband falls pregnant – however, things aren’t as good as they seem when he gets a wrong diagnosis.

– Dylan Tilbury’s Hitched
Summary: A young woman. An old man… and a night drive to remember.

– JRL Jones’ Don’t Play in the Catnip
Summary: Cassie’s busy day always ends in a nice cup of tea and an early night, but then why is she waking to a conflicted memory?

– Feature presentation: André De Toth’s House of Wax (1953)
Summary: An associate burns down a wax museum with the owner inside, but he survives only to become vengeful and murderous. Featuring famed horror actor Vincent Price, House of Wax was deemed “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant” by the US Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the US National Film Registry.

Saturday, August 20, 6.30pm start – Finding Horror in Science-Fiction:
-Hugh Buttsworth’s The Hacker
Summary: While awaiting diagnosis on a possible outbreak of the Latent X virus, a man modifies his android to relieve the boredom.

– Emile M. Smith’s As Above So Below
Summary: A journey from the outward and external, abandoning the earthly abode to enter the celestial spheres of the mind…

– Alex Montanari’s Sisyphus
Summary: A formative moment in Caleb’s childhood leads him on a lifelong journey to find the edge of the universe.

– Feature presentation: Val Guest’s The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961)
Summary: When the US and Soviet Union unwittingly test atomic bombs at the same time, it alters Earth’s nutation (axis of rotation). Featuring Leo McKern, many years before he found fame in Rumpole of the Bailey.

Final night (Sunday, August 21, 1.30pm start):
– Kyra Shennan’s Corvus
Summary: Corvus is the story of a small coastal town with a reputation for misfortune. The Australian-gothic “dramedy” follows the perspective of three young Corvus residents – Persephone the tactless wallflower, Charlie the aloof gun shop clerk and Siobhan, the vivacious newcomer.

– Chantelle Lucas’ Meat
Summary: After a traumatising breakup, a struggling woman tries to find solace at a motel. But she gets more than she bargained for when consent is broken and is pushed to her limits. How far can you push a woman until she snaps?

– Anthony Chila’s Slice
Summary: A brother and sister who are not who they seem to be…

– Rakib Erick’s Tranceclipse
Summary: An exploration of one man’s nightmare.

– Michael Thomas’ Don’t go into the Basement
Summary: After Wendy journeys into the basement, eager to help her PTSD-suffering brother living there, she finds he may be too far gone – and now she must fight for her own survival.

– Feature presentation: William Friedkin’s The Exorcist (1973)
Summary: When a 12-year-old girl, played by Linda Blair, is possessed by a mysterious entity, her mother seeks the help of two priests to save her.

Tickets for the 2022 Perth Horror Film Festival range from $15 to $17.50