IFI's annual Horrorthon event is almost upon us, and always, there's a gluttony of things to watch.

As well as the twentieth anniversary screening of Paul W.S. Anderson's Event Horizon, there's plenty of unique and exciting horrors to catch from Thursday, October 26th until Monday, October 30th. You can read the full line-up at ifi.ie/horrorthon, but in the meantime, we've picked six movies you should keep a dismembered eye for.

 

Friday, October 27th

15.10 The Dark Half

Based on Stephen King's novel of the same name, The Dark Half stars Timothy Hutton, Michael Rooker and Amy Madigan about a high-brow literary writer (Hutton) who pens gory thrillers under a pseudonym. After attempting to shutter that part of his career once and for all, his pseudonym has suddenly taken corporeal form and plots bloody revenge against the very writer he came from. It's weird stuff, but a definite departure from George A. Romero's usual zombie fare.

 

23.20 John Carpenter's Prince Of Darkness / Body Snatchers

What's an IFI Horrorthon without a double-bill? John Carpenter's Prince Of Darkness is an oft-overlooked entry to the horror master's filmography, and features Donald Pleasance in his final collaboration with Carpetner as the manic priest who's discovered the actual manifestation of Satan underneath his church. Abel Farrara's version of Body Snatchers, meanwhile, is a gloriously paranoid take on the familiar story that manages to completely differentiate itself from Philip Kaufman's version and Don Siegel's original adaptation.

 

Saturday, October 28th

23.20 Event Horizon

Easily Paul W.S. Anderson's best film, Event Horizon was something of a commercial flop on its release and was plagued with production difficulties. Yet, in spite of the poor initial reviews, it's gone on to become a genuine cult classic - thanks, in part, to the home-video and DVD market. Since then, Event Horizon has largely been a TV experience - so seeing it in a proper cinema for the first time is definitely a treat.

 

Sunday, October 29th

13.00 King Cohen: The Wild World Of Larry Cohen

Unless you're a real cinephile, there's a good chance that the name Larry Cohen doesn't immediately stick out in your mind. However, even if you're a passing fan, there's a better-than-average chance you've seen at least one of his films - Phone Booth being the most likely. Cohen was a prolific writer and director, who worked on everything from Columbo and NYPD Blue to Z-movie horrors like Maniac Cop and It Lives Again. This fascinating documentary, with interviews from the likes of John Landis, Yaphet Kotto, JJ Abrams, and Martin Scorsese, is a must-watch for fans of horror and DIY filmmaking.

 

19.10 Surprise Film

Previous surprise films included the first Paranormal Activity, The Witch, and The Town That Dreaded Sundown. Our guess for this year? Mayhem, by Joe Lynch, the guy who directed Everly.

 

23.00 Angel Heart

Released thirty years ago this year, Angel Heart stars Robert DeNiro and Mickey Rourke in this deeply unsettling psychological horror-cum-detective thriller set in '50s America. Rourke plays a private investigator who's hired by a wealthy businessman (DeNiro) who may or may not, in fact, be the Devil himself. It's more than a little hard to believe that the guy who directed this - Alan Parker - went on to direct one of the great Irish comedies, The Commitments, as the two couldn't be more different. Still, Angel Heart is a highly underrated mesh of noir and horror that features one of DeNiro's best on-screen performances.