Two debut films out this month will rewrite the genre's rules...

You think you know horror? Following on from last year’s indie breakthroughs It Follows and The Babadook, the future looks bright for this most tricky of genres. Two new films from debut directors are released this month – Goodnight Mommy and The Witch – are continuing to defy the conventions of the genre, going way beyond straightforward shocks to deliver visceral, experimental (and proudly independent) scares. Let us introduce you to some new blood…
 
First up is Goodnight Mommy (from Fri 4 March for at least one week), the first film from Austrian directors Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala. A very scary trip into hell and back, it centres on two twin boys who welcome their mother home after cosmetic surgery, her face wrapped in bandages.
 
Things start to get weird pretty quickly: is their mother who she really says she is? Are the boys? What about all those pictures on the walls? The pair’s quest for the ‘truth’ is chillingly disturbing – don’t watch it alone. We are delighted that Veronika and Severin will visit Bristol for a Director’s Q&A at the Sat 6 March 18:00 screening – so come prepared with some questions (if you dare).
 
Next up is The Witch (from Fri 11 March for at least two weeks), a sort of New England Folktale about a banished family of Puritanical Christians who set up a new home in a remote patch of wilderness. While the father is certain they will be able to support themselves and survive, things take a turn for the sinister: their youngest is snatched, the goat starts producing blood, shadowy beings start creeping around at night, you know, the usual… and slowly the whole clan begin to turn on one another.
 
The Witch is so scary it has been named an ‘transformative Satanic experience’ by the Satanic Temple (yep, we have no idea what that means either) – have a look at the super creepy trailer here to get an idea of what to expect!
 
Ticket holders for both Goodnight Mommy and The Witch will receive an online discount code to get 10% off the other film, so you can continue the scares throughout the month. The Café/Bar will have some creepy drinks on sale too – think Bloody Marys and crimson red-coloured ales – so enjoy a drink with us before you are scared to death.

Have a look at the rest of the Calendar here.

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