Even with Fantastic Fest already in full swing, Beyond Fest isn’t pulling their punches as they prepare for two weeks of existential delirium. FANGORIA is excited to partner with the Los Angeles genre festival to announce their lineup of shorts for this year’s event, featuring forty-five bite-sized fever dreams with something for every kind of disturbed mind.
Running each weekend from September 27 to October 4 at the Los Feliz 3 Theatre, this year’s lineup is split across five blocks, featuring twelve world premieres, two international premieres, and two US premieres. Each block of shorts, for the first time ever, has been given an exclusive trailer cut by filmmaker Graham Hughes, which will play ahead of screenings at all of Beyond Fest’s venues.
The first shorts block, “Dead Funny,” focuses on black comedies that find hilarity in life’s most disastrous moments, proving that death is nothing more than a setup for a great punchline. Titles in this block include Clara Mamet’s Nell, Isabelle Ares and Gabby Fiszman’s Holy Smokes, Parker Reininga’s Aliens Don’t Like White People, the US premiere of Are You Coming to My Birthday?, and the west coast premiere of Alexandra Hayden’s bizarre Wall Udder.
Moving away from the funny and into the disturbing, the second block, “Occupational Hazards,” is fairly self-explanatory, a collection of workplace nightmares that serve as a “resignation letter to reality,” featuring titles like Jonathan Chan’s No Trouble and Ummid Ashraf’s Dhet!, as well as the international premiere of Mathieu Mortelman’s Foreign Body, and the world premieres of Jasmine Osean Thomas’s Kandie, Mike Bernstein’s Shadow You, and Zach Lona’s SCP: Containment Breach.
Block three, “Dreadlands,” explores the darkest corners of the human experience, showcasing filmmakers who are shaping the future of horror and proving that “nightmares come in all shapes, sizes, and runtimes.” Titles in this block include Matty Crawford’s Stomach Bug, Charlie Schwan’s Harvester, and Jahmil Eady’s Haint, as well as the world premieres of Erick Solis’s Last Story, Bartley Taylor’s KILTER, and Jiyuan Ler’s The Spectre.
This is followed up by “The Things We Want,” a block that explores the darker side of desire, exploring what drives us and what we risk when we chase it, whether it’s sexual, spiritual, or psychological. Titles include The Girl on a Motorcycle, A Brighter Summer Day For The Lady Avengers, Spanked by a Ghost, and The Dysphoria, as well as the world premieres of Salil Fernandez’s XARAX, Mike Pecci’s METANOIA (starring David Dastmalchian), and Jackson Stewart’s Heartstopper — no relation to the Netflix series.
And finally, rounding out this year’s Beyond Fest blocks is “Stranger Dangers,” chronicling sinister encounters that reveal the uncanny as strangers infiltrate homes, towns, and even minds. This final block features the international premiere of David Robinson-Smith’s The Shirt Off Your Back, as well as the world premieres of Alan Resnick’s Yucky Guy, Skye Braband’s Museum of Regret, and Alex Henes’ Man of the House.
Tickets will be available free with an RSVP on the day of each screening via Beyond Fest’s website. You can check out the full list of shorts and their trailers down below:
Beyond Fest Shorts: Dead Funny
Nell / Dir. Clara Mamet
Holy Smokes / Dir. Isabella Ares & Gabby Fiszman
Steak Dinner / Dir. Nathan Ginter
Wall Udder (West Coast Premiere) / Dir. Alexandra Hayden
Aliens Don’t Like White People / Dir. Parker Reininga
Are You Coming To My Birthday? (US Premiere) / Dir. Mario Hannah
Hat Trick / Dir. Tess & Noah
My Dead Dad’s Funeral / Dir. Jamie Manelis
Whitch / Dir. Hoku Uchiyama
Beyond Fest Shorts: Occupational Hazards
The Coder / Dir. William Gaillard Crouse
Kandie (World Premiere) / Dir. Jasmine Osean Thomas
Shadow You (World Premiere) / Dir. Mike Bernstein
SCP: Containment Breach (World Premiere) / Dir. Zach Lona
Foreign Body (International Premiere) / Dir. Mathieu Mortelmans, Cécile Delberghe
And They Shall Handle Serpents (LA Premiere) / Dir. Stuart Valberg
Dhet! (West Coast Premiere) / Dir. Ummid Ashraf
No Trouble / Dir. Jonathan Chan
Beyond Fest Shorts: Dreadlands
Haint / Dir. Jahmil Eady
Last Story (World Premiere) / Dir. Erick Solis
Harvester / Dir. Charlie Schwan
Kilter (World Premiere) / Dir. Bartley Taylor
REM (West Coast Premiere) / Dir. Blair Bathory
The Spectre (World Premiere) / Dir. Jiyuan Ler, Jon Keng
Stomach Bug / Dir. Matty Crawford
Belloe (US Premiere) / Dir. Jayden Rathsam Hua
Beyond Fest Shorts: The Things We Want
A Brighter Summer Day For The Lady Avengers / Dir. Birdy Wei-Ting Hung
The Girl on a Motorcycle (LA Premiere) / Dir. Nathalia Pizarro
Spanked by a Ghost (West Coast Premiere) / Dir. Katelyn Douglass
Heartstopper (World Premiere) / Dir. Jackson Stewart
Xarax (World Premiere) / Dir. Salil Jason Fernandez
Metanoia (World Premiere) / Dir. Mike Pecci
The Dysphoria (West Coast Premiere) / Dir. Kylie Aoibheann
Would You Rather (LA Premiere) / Dir. Sophie O’Donovan
Follow Me Wherever I Go (LA Premiere) / Dir. Max DeFalco
Beyond Fest Shorts: Stranger Danger
The Shirt Off Your Back (International Premiere) / Dir. David Robinson-Smith
Losing Season (West Coast Premiere) / Dir. Gus Reed
The Fairy Moon (US Premiere) / Dir. Craig Williams
Don’t Watch This (LA Premiere) / Dir. Daniel Pineros
Yucky Guy (World Premiere) / Dir. Alan Resnick
Museum of Regret (World Premiere) / Dir. Skye Braband
Open Wide (West Coast Premiere) / Dir. Sam Fox
You Are Here / Dir. Spencer Lackey
Defile (LA Premiere) / Dir. Brian Sepanzyk
Man of the House (World Premiere) / Dir. Alex Henes
