It’s hard being a horror fan in the South. Every year, publications just like this one go on and on about the year’s hottest festival flicks–flicks that you have no hope of seeing in the near future unless you live on the West coast,East coast, or Canada. As someone that lives in the state on Tennessee, I feel your pain. But over the last several years, the folks behind the Knoxville Horror Film Festival have been creating a monster, and in 2016, they’ve secured one of the finest lineups that a horror fan could hope for. If you’re within driving distance… this is the one you’ve been waiting for. Take a look at the lineup:

Phantasm--Ravager
Brothers Mike and Jody join family friend Reggie to battle the Tall Man and his evil minions from another dimension, for the final time.
Phantasm Ravager

The Greasy Strangler
The Los Angeles-set tale follows Ronnie, a man who runs a Disco Walking tour along with his browbeaten son, Brayden. When a sexy, alluring woman comes to take the tour, it begins a competition between father and son for her attentions. It also signals the appearance of an oily, slimy inhuman maniac who stalks the streets at night and strangles the innocent, soon dubbed ‘The Greasy Strangler.’
Greasy

Trash Fire
A man forced to confront his past when he and his girlfriend end up entangled in a web of lies.
Trash Fire

Beyond the Gates
Two estranged brothers reunite at their missing father’s video store to liquidate the property and sell off his assets. As they dig through the store, they find a VCR board game dubbed ‘Beyond The Gates’ that holds a connection to their father’s disappearance and deadly consequences for anyone who plays it.
Beyond the Gates

Sadako vs Kayako
A girl, Yūri Kurahashi, after watching a cursed videotape together with her friend in a haunted house, becomes trapped in a conflict between the two murderous ghosts: Sadako Yamamura and Kayako Saeki
Sadako vs kayako

The Master Cleanse
The story of a heartbroken man who attends a spiritual retreat, only to discover that the course releases more than everyday toxins and traumatic experiences.
Master Cleanse

Fury of the Demon
A documentary investigation on the rarest and most controversial French movie in the history of early cinema: a fascinating, lost and dangerous short film which causes violent reactions to those who watch it.
Fury of the Devil

Red Christmas
A mother must protect her family on Christmas Day from a demented stranger who is hell bent on tearing them apart.
red christmas

Bad Blood: The Movie
Victoria’s parents think she’s on drugs. The reality is much, much worse. Now the only person who can save her is being held hostage in his secret underground laboratory… under a gas station.
Bad+Blood+still-1

Other events include Saturday night’s premiere of the 2016 Grindhouse Grind-out Filmmaking Contest (KHFF’s unique film event challenging locals to create wild, grindhouse-style fake movie trailers) and Sunday evening’s Awards Ceremony recognizing the festival’s best films.

KHFF 2016 programming will run Friday night and all day Saturday at Regal Cinemas Downtown West 8, then all day Sunday at Market Square’s Scruffy City Hall. Further details will be announced through September, with the festival schedule and full slate of short films to follow in October.

Discounted weekend passes are now available for only $60 on KHFF’s IndieGoGo presale site at igg.me/at/KHFF8, along with KHFF merchandise and exclusive VIP opportunities.

If you’re a filmmaker:

Submissions for this year’s Knoxville Horror Film Fest remain open through September 29 via FilmFreeway.com, with special discounts for films produced in Tennessee. Knoxville-area filmmakers are also invited to compete in the Grindhouse Grind-out contest (kicking off September 30) which gives teams six days to produce their own horror themed short film or trailer for competition during KHFF’s main event on Saturday night. Registration information & more can be found on the KHFF website

How bad-ass is that? Make sure to pick up some passes if you’re in the area, and we’ll see you there!