Blood in the Snow
Canada is a country known for its politeness. And, if The Blood in the Snow Festival (aka BITS) has anything to say about it, its horror films.
This three day festival is in its fourth year, with more screenings than ever. It focuses on all types of Canadian horror, genre, underground features, and short films. There will also be a series of industry lectures and pub nights to let fans and creators mingle together. BITS has its own awards: The Bloodies, and on Saturday and Sunday the lobby of the Carleton Cinemas is taken over by a vendors’ village, hosting everything from memorabilia to home décor and fashion accessories.
CN Tower and everything!
This year’s film line-up consists of nine feature films, three of which have two screenings. There is a blend of World, Canadian, and Toronto premieres. Saturday afternoon also has a showcase of shorts, where you can see the horror stylings of those breaking into the industry.
The movies this year include several that deal with mental illness, including festival opener Farhope Tower, Saturday’s The Dark Stranger, and Sunday’s White Raven. White Raven is also the ‘Out in the Woods’ film for the festival, while Bite, the closing film, takes bug allergies to an extreme. She Who Must Burn investigates a small town whose majority don’t have a live and let live approach to their religious beliefs. There’s a post-apocalyptic film, Night Cries, and a meta-film where five women horror film directors end up stranded at a Gothic house on the way between Horror Film Festivals in “Save Yourself”. Plus, who doesn’t love a good serial killer in a college dorm film? If so, check out Secret Santa.
If you want to do more than just watch films there are three industry seminars covering make up, post-production, and marketing. These require pre-registration or a Festival Pass (if there are any left). But there are day of tickets available at the Carleton. And, after every screening, you have the opportunity to vote for this year’s Bloodies.
So avoid the horror of shopping malls with canned Christmas carols, and hit the Carleton Cinema this Friday through Sunday for this year’s Blood in The Snow Canadian Film Festival.
