The Poppy Jasper International Film Festival (PJIFF), scheduled for April 10-17, 2024, is set to showcase an exciting array of horror and genre films, part of a wider selection of 267 films spanning 30 countries. This year’s festival program is a thrilling blend of features, documentaries, short films, music videos, and panels designed to captivate and entertain audiences with a taste for the macabre and the extraordinary. Highlighting the horror features and shorts, PJIFF invites enthusiasts and professionals alike to explore the depths of fear, fantasy, and filmmaking from around the globe. Organizers are keen on facilitating interviews and providing screeners for those interested in covering these compelling narratives, hinting at an event filled with discovery, discussion, and dread.

Features

Bored Games 

Directed by Joel Stern

Six diehard board-gamers hunker down in a bunker post-Armageddon but, as their rations diminish and treachery looms, survival quickly becomes the only game worth playing.

Mysterious Ways

Directed by Tyler Eaton

A horror comedy about two sibling youth pastors who accidentally possess a member of their youth group with a demonic spirit and must stop her rampage on Halloween night before Satanic forces usher in the End of Days.

Shorts:

Show and Tell

Directed by J.M. Kallet

Date night at a lovers’ lane takes a horrific turn for two 50s-era teenagers with dark secrets to hide.  J.M. Kallet is a writer and director of both narrative and commercial work based in Los Angeles, California. Following several years working in corporate marketing and graphic design, Jeff returned to his true passion with his first short film, “Forum.”

Coyote

Directed by Jackson Hayes

College Student A smuggler’s past catches up with him during a fateful encounter in a quiet countryside diner…

Super Deep Down

Directed by Lauren Sevigny and Lexi Pappas

Three friends take a weekend getaway to commemorate a divorce and “move on,” but accidentally awaken spirits who take their wish to heart.

Make the Call

directed by Chelsea Gonzalez

Two former best friends reunite in a changed world, finally confronting the demons that ripped them apart.

Broken

Directed by Peter Koevari

A university teacher must confront intruders in her home who are intent on her destruction.  Peter is an award-winning screenwriter, director, producer, and academy director of FilmLab Academy, from Brisbane, Australia.

In Your Hands

Directed by Luigi Sibona

Late evening in a London barbershop, an awkward stranger becomes enamored with a charming barber. An unlikely attraction sparks between them and after a life-changing shave for The Stranger, the two go for a drink. As alcohol lowers The Stranger’s inhibitions, his fascination for shaving starts to reveal a dark desire. After an uncomfortable walk home, The Barber politely cuts the evening short. Things take a turn when The Stranger sees The Barber shaving another customer, sending him into a deadly rage and hurtles them both to a grim and unpredictable climax

Stump

Directed by Silva Kuusniemi

Powerful corporate leaders have inexplicably turned feral and now live in forests where they are being hunted and sold for their crimes against the environment. Loyalties are tested when one of the hunters encounters someone unexpected.

Vomiting on an Open Wound

directed by Seyed Alireza Sharifi

Five single boys and girls have traveled to the north. Instead of a safe hotel or villa, they are forced to rent a shack from a strange motorcyclist. The biker is a pervert.

Forever Flowers

directed by Joe Solomon

When a young caregiver and her unsavory boyfriend attempt to steal from an elderly couple, their plans unravel as they meet an unexpected fate beyond their imagination.

Stains

Directed by Joseph Burch

As Erin packs her old life into boxes, she overhears a violent attack in the apartment above that derails her night.  Joseph Burch is an award-winning writer and director from Morgan Hill, California. He graduated from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts with a BA in Film and Television Production. 

Detox:

Directed by Alex Hanno

While away on a technology detox in the northern reaches of Maine, an impressionable social media addict becomes the target of an unexpected visitor.  Alex Hanno is the writer/director behind the apocalyptic thriller

Family Reserve

Directed by Isaac Areizaga

Victor is involved in an awkward family dinner at his grandparents’ house. By interfering with the aggressions of his father and grandfather towards the women and the youngest of the family, Víctor refuses to drink a black wine that seems to be the cause of his family’s behavior. While some black leaks appear that begin to soak and flood the dining room, Víctor looks for a way out of the torment that is about to drown him and his family.

GRAB YOUR TICKETS HERE