By MICHAEL GINGOLD
A24’s already acclaimed SAINT MAUD (pictured) is among the scary attractions at the 22nd annual Boston Underground Film Festival, which takes place later this month and includes a number of premieres. Keep reading for the details and trailers for some of the features.
BUFF 2020 runs Wednesday-Sunday, March 25-29 at the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge, MA. The fright fare on view will include:
THE DEEPER YOU DIG (East Coast Premiere) Dir.: John Adams, Toby Poser; U.S.; 2019
In the aftermath of a roadside accident, the line between the living and the dead collapses for a mother, a daughter and a stranger.
IT COMES (New England Premiere) Dir.: Tetsuya Nakashima; Japan; 2018
One day, a visitor leaves Hideki a memo of his unborn daughter’s name “Chisa.” Two years later, Hideki’s house is attacked by a sinister presence. To protect his family, Hideki asks for help to perform a ritual to break an unknown spell.
IT CUTS DEEP (World Premiere) Dir.: Nicholas Payne Santos; U.S.; 2020
While on Christmas vacation, a young couple contemplates their future together. Ashley is interested in getting married and having kids, which terrifies Sam. When the more attractive and paternal Nolan enters the picture, Sam’s life spirals out of control as Ashley questions their relationship. Chaos reigns as Sam desperately clings to Ashley while fending off the threatening Nolan.
LUCKY (East Coast Premiere) Dir.: Natasha Kermani; U.S.; 2020
A suburban woman fights to be believed as she finds herself stalked by a threatening figure who returns to her house night after night. When she can’t get help from those around her, she is forced to take matters into her own hands.
THE PASSION OF DARKLY NOON (World Premiere 2K Restoration) Dir.: Philip Ridley; UK/Germany/Belgium; 1995
Darkly Noon (Brendan Fraser) is the sole survivor of a military-style attack on an isolated religious community. Stumbling through a forest in a daze, he is rescued by the free-spirited and enigmatic Callie (Ashley Judd). Darkly finds himself feeling strange new desires for Callie as she nurses him back to health…only to watch her jump into the arms of her returning non-speaking lover Clay (Viggo Mortensen). Lost in the woods with only his fundamentalist upbringing to make sense of his unrequited passions, Darkly soon descends into an explosive and lethal rage.
SAINT MAUD (Boston Premiere)
Rose Glass; UK; 2019
The debut film from writer-director Rose Glass, SAINT MAUD is a chilling and boldly original vision of faith, madness and salvation in a fallen world. Maud, a newly devout hospice nurse, becomes obsessed with saving her dying patient’s soul–but sinister forces, and her own sinful past, threaten to put an end to her holy calling.
THE WITCHES (30th Anniversary Screening)
Nicholas Roeg; UK; 1990
A young boy stumbles onto a witch convention and must stop them, even after he has been turned into a mouse.
Also part of the program are multiple shorts programs (including HOMEGROWN HORROR VII: YOUR (UN)HAPPY PLACE), the Boston premiere of Quentin Dupieux’s DEERSKIN, the New England premiere of Miguel Llansó’s trippy VR thriller JESUS SHOWS YOU THE WAY TO THE HIGHWAY, Kier-La Janisse’s annual Saturday Morning All-You-Can-Eat Cereal Cartoon Party and much more. Tickets go on sale at BUFF’s official website and the Brattle’s official website today at 2 p.m.; limited festival passes are available at BUFF’s Kickstarter page, which will be open through March 13. In addition, from Wednesday-Tuesday, March 18-24, A24 and the Brattle will present a series called “A Little Faith is a Dangerous Thing: Inspired by SAINT MAUD,” featuring screenings of THE EXORCIST, THE OMEN, ALICE, SWEET ALICE, THE WITCH, RAW, THE INVITATION, THE PROPHECY and more.
