While the inaugural NIGHTSTREAM Film Festival kicks off this weekend, here are some picks from Cult Following you shouldn’t let fly under your radar

Film festivals are tough, there are SO MANY good movies to watch, cool panels and so much more, but you don’t want to miss the main events. Here are a few features and shorts we recommend getting on your plate before they’re sold out on the Nightstream site.

SHORTS

THE FACELIFT – If you’re in the mood for some Twilight Zone-y Monkey’s Paw shenanigans, don’t sleep on this one. It’s well-acted and one we feel definitely could work remade as a feature film. There’s a lot here and it works really well.

REFLECTION – I love doppelganger horror, and I kind of wish Us utilized some of the techniques seen here. Definitely more Mirrors than Us, the actress in this is great and the effects are very well-done.

FEATURES

SURVIVAL SKILLS – If you love weird VHS detritus like Everything is Terrible’s weird collections of 80’s tapes or bizarre training videos like Red Asphault, this bizarro parody of a police training video, feels like Too Many Cooks meets Yorgos Lanthimos. Don’t skip this.

ROSE PLAYS JULIE – This is a much heavier film that deals with heavy topics, but if you enjoy psychological thrillers, this gorgeous Irish drama starring Aiden Guillen (Game of Thrones) hooks you in right away. The story of an aopted girl trying to find her birth parents and the dark secrets she finds along the way is one of the best films I’ve seen this year.

DEADLINE – Film festivals also premiere many restorations and this 4K restoration by AGFA being put out by Vinegar Syndrome is the perfect film for Stephen King fans. A Canadian exploitation film with flesh eating nuns, psychic goats and post-child murder orgies that drive a Stephen King-esque yuppie writer trying to write the best horror story ever insane. Get your tickets now.

DINNER IN AMERICA – Punk rock awkwardness + coming of age dark comedy. Sold.

—

You can get tickets to see these films at the Nightstream site at https://nightstream.org/