Full Lineup Announcement

​Announcements for the 2016 Milwaukee Twisted Dreams Film Festival
 
For Immediate release
MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin March 16th, 2016 – The Milwaukee Twisted Dreams Film Festival presented by Mo’s Irish Pub is excited to announce all the films playing at this year’s festival.  There will be four feature films. One on Friday the 8th (Dark) and 3 on Saturday the 9th (The Hike, Holy Hell, …Into the Dark). There will also be 3 short blocks with one on Friday the 8th devoted to Wisconsin filmmakers. We will end Friday night with The Twisted Nightmare Show featuring members of Dead Man’s Carnival and a 40th anniversary screening of the Troma Classic Blood Sucking Freaks.  Tickets on sale now http://www.shepherdtickets.com/events/31498199/milwaukee-twisted-dreams-film-festival
 
Kicking off the festival at 6 pm on April 8th is the Wisconsin premiere of Dark.  Produced by Joe Dante (Gremlins, The Explorers, The Burbs) the movie is about a woman alone in her apartment in during the 2003 New York City blackout.  With nowhere to go or no one to talk to she is forced to confront her demons.  Screening presented by Canal Productions
 
At 8 pm we celebrate the best twisted shorts Wisconsin has to offer.  This will be the last chance to see The Trap (winner of Best Director at 2015 Milwaukee Short Film Festival) on the big screen.  Other highlights are Hi, Neighbor and The Life and Times of Thomas Thumb Jr.  Come celebrate the great local talent we have with many of the filmmakers in attendance.    Screening presented by Marcus Theatres
 
Ending Friday night is The Twisted Nightmare Show at 11 pm.  The program will feature a performance by Professor Pinkerton and Sanjula of Dead Man’s Carnival and a special 40th anniversary midnight screening of the controversial Troma film Blood Sucking Freaks. 
 
Saturday starts off at noon with a block of shorts featuring bizarre and twisted tales. These mind bending shorts will leave you saying WTF.  Highlights include The Mill at Calder’s End a story told through puppetry and First Night about roommates who get a visit from the police that doesn’t turn out how they expected. 
 
Saturday at 2:30 pm we bring you The Hike.  This is the Wisconsin Premiere and only the second time this film is shown on the big screen. The film about a couple on a hike who has unexpected company will have you on the edge of your seat. 
 
Saturday at 5 pm we bring you the second short block of the day featuring even more horror with lots of blood, guts, and thrills.  Highlights include Inumane about a girl captured by a serial killer and Polaroid about two girls that find an old camera in a house that may reveal a dark past. 
 
We end Saturday with two great feature films. At 7 pm we will bring you the twisted and outrageous Holy Hell about a priest who takes it upon himself to get revenge.  Then at 9 pm we have …In the Dark about paranormal investigators that may be in for more than they can handle.   Holy Hell screening presented by Movies Galore of Milwaukee and ...In the Dark screening presented by Pizza Shuttle.
 
The festival will take place April 8th and 9th 2016 at the Underground Collaborative.  Located on the lower level at 161 W Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53203 (below T.J. Maxx).  Be sure to check our Facebook page for the latest info www.facebook.com/twisteddreamsff
 
Full Lineup below
 
Dark – 4/8 6 pm -Wisconsin Theatrical Premiere presented by Canal Productions
Set in NYC during the blackout of 2003, Kate, a struggling 30-something model with a troubled past unexpectedly finds herself alone in the apartment in the midst of the worst blackout in North American history. As darkness falls over the city there is no one to help her and Kate is forced to confront her deepest fears as she fights to survive through the night.
Runtime – 1 hour 33 minutes
https://vimeo.com/105092585
 
Wisconsin Twisted Shorts- 4/8 8 pm- Presented by Marcus Theatres
Wisconsin is loaded with twisted story tellers and we have the movies to prove it.  This will be 2 hours of great shorts from Wisconsin.
 
Films include
 
Frame of Mine - Frame of Mine is a Horror/Suspense film about a naive man who develops an unconventional and unnerving relationship with a subject at work, his lack of empathy leads to severe unintended results.
https://vimeo.com/154429121
 
Frigid Night –Strange things happen in a bar on a cold night in Milwaukee https://vimeo.com/155923941
 
Greg the Grouchy Gremlin - A horror host and his studio manager must deliver a comeback episode to revive their dying TV show. They rely on a special guest to make things interesting.
 
The Life and Times of Thomas Thumb Jr. - Thomas Thumb Jr. is unlike any other man. He has a giant thumb for a head and he'll do whatever it takes to achieve the American Dream.
https://vimeo.com/126102726
 
Hi Neighbor - Successful suburbanite Erin is slowly realizing that not every neighbor is super-dee-dooper.
 
Marshland - A young man seeks the unknown in the marshes of Central Wisconsin
 
The Trap - A man invites his friend over one night to show off his latest invention: a trap for catching aliens.
 
Tough Cookie - Former Troop Sister member Madge is dragged back into the criminal fold when a territorial war breaks out between the Sisters and their rivals, the weapons-dealing Troop Brothers.
 
Two Rivers - Two Rivers is a story about the destructive relationship between Dirke (Mark Borchardt) and Emma (Melonie Gartner). Dirke is a troubled individual who can’t hold down a job. Dirke’s abusive way leaves Emma cold and broken. Two Rivers represents two bodies of water that can’t be merged. It’s Dirke and Emma’s Mesopotamia. A tale of tainted love that has gone past the point of no return.
https://vimeo.com/99694603
 
The Waiting Room - Alcoholic spiritual medium Raven James makes a deal with a man who has died recently.
 
Twisted Nightmare Show-4/8 11 pm
End the night with a nightmare inducing program. 
 
Performance by members of Dead Man’s Carnival - The program starts with a performance of sideshow acts by Professor Pinkerton and Sanjula from Dead Man’s Carnival. 
 
40th Anniversary Screening of Blood Sucking Freaks – At midnight experience the controversial Troma classic on the big screen.  Watch Master Sardu and his Theatre of the Macabre as they torture girls for an audience.  Known for getting sued by the MPAA and Woman against Pornography the movie has gone on to garner cult like status.  With lots of sadistic torture and murder the movie is sure to leave you sleepless. 
 
Twisted Short Block 1 – 4/9 12 pm
Our first short block is loaded with lots of twisted and mind bending tales and will leave you questioning your reality. 
Total run time 1 hour 40 minutes.
 
Brine-After being lost at sea for a year, Robert is trapped between worlds. 
 
Dark Watch - The first interstellar colonization fleet is put in jeopardy when they realize -- they are not alone.
 
First Night - Two roommates, tired of their neighbor's constant noise, finally decide to call the police to complain. Across town, two police officers are meeting a fellow colleague, who has been suspended from the force, in a restaurant. The call comes in, in private. The trio respond, arriving at the girls' apartment...
 
Knock Knock - A young lady is about to hang an antique mirror to the wall when someone knocks at her door. Who is it? Or should we say WHAT is it?
https://vimeo.com/142187164
 
Mr. Denton - On a cold winter night, Laura reads his brother David the story of a strange creature that attacks children. Suddenly, a shiver runs Laura's body, feeling a strange presence in the house. It’s him.
https://vimeo.com/92884200
 
The Mill at Calders End - In the remote village of Calder's End stands an old windmill, a repository of dark secrets. Nicholas Grimshaw has returned to this haunted place, his childhood home, intent on breaking a generations old family curse. Grimshaw's journey takes him deep below the decaying mill, into mysterious, forgotten catacombs, where upon he confronts the very source of the evil that has corrupted his family.
https://vimeo.com/103773552
 
The Werewolf’s Greatest Hit - A brief tale of a werewolf and his strong obsession with the full moon.
                             
Time to Eat - After being sent to timeout, a mischievous boy’s trip to the basement leads to a monstrous revelation.
 
The Hike-4/9 2:30 pm- Screening for only the second time on the big screen The Hike is about a separated couple that agree to meet for a hike on their favorite trail. Derek is hoping to come home to his family. Brooke is bringing divorce papers for him to sign. Halfway through the hike they are taken hostage by a killer on the run. A game of cat and mouse ensues, forcing the couple to work together in order to survive.
Runtime 2 hours 2 minutes
 
Twisted Short Block 2 – 4/9 5 pm  
Block 2 of shorts is filled with more blood, more horror, and even more disturbing films.  Total Run Time 1 hour 40 minutes
 
Awakenings - The line between dreams and reality is blurred when a young woman in charge of two children is haunted by mysterious entities.
https://youtu.be/IurJIYZjSxo
 
Boogey-woogie -At night, there's a broadcast that spread old music and advices for sleepless listeners. The host has a friendly and competent voice, but he's about to discover that the voices that follow him, instead, are not that friendly.
 
Harvest - John is a Doctor at day, organ harvester at night…
 
Inhumane - Fueled by the 1980's era of underground cinema, Inhumane is a sadistic conception of ultraviolent horror surrounding one woman's escape from the clutches of a serial killer. Trapped within the bowels of a homemade dungeon, Reyna awakens to find herself forced into a twisted game where she must fight for her life to avoid becoming Corbin's next victim.
 
PMS: Pre-teen Monster Syndrome - A new drug on the street that turns girls on their period into raging mutant monsters severely impacts the business of a flamboyant pimp, his rogues gallery of henchmen and their stable of unstable hookers.
 
Princess- Kendra and her daughter Jamie move to a new home in the quiet suburbs in search of a new beginning. But something evil lurks in the basement and it isn't looking for roommates.
https://youtu.be/zfutUv6JT50
 
Polaroid - Two girls discover an old Polaroid camera in the clearing of their house. In their own selfishness they exploit the camera, only to discover what horrible past it hides.
https://youtu.be/cIkaWnMTXUo
 
Vessel - Housed in a mental institution, Sandra fights for her sanity. Sandra is convinced that a demonic figure, calling himself Edmond, is taking over her body. For her own safety, Sandra's psychiatrist Dr. Thompson puts her in isolation. Sandra begs Edmond to end her torment. Will Edmond be Sandra's salvation or demise?
https://vimeo.com/141289392
 
 
Holy Hell-4/9 7pm - Presented by Movies Galore of Milwaukee
Holy Hell is the over-the-top, outrageous, sexually-deviant, blood-drenched story of Father Augustus Bane: a priest pushed too far who begins praying to a revolver and hunting down the gangsters who killed his parishioners. The goal of this feature length movie is to break through every limit set by film, taste and reasonable societal behavior: all with anarchic glee.
Runtime 1 hour 29 minutes
 https://vimeo.com/118364597
 
…In the Dark- 4/9 9pm - Presented by Pizza Shuttle
Skeptical grad student, Veronica Carpenter interviews and joins renowned paranormal specialist, Dr. Lois Kearne on a field study trip to a home supposedly “besieged by evil spirits”.  Once at the residence of nurse Joan Mills and her daughter Bethany the investigators are immediately confronted with dark secrets, darker energies, unexplainably horrific events, and a young girl who’s affliction tests the boundaries of all their collective research and experience, forcing everyone to confront their own haunted pasts and demons.
Runtime 1 hour 21 minutes
https://vimeo.com/125284698