Everybody Dies Fest Returns with Fright Night 2, More Spooky Flicks, Horror/Star Trek Icon

At a three-day film festival kicking off tonight in Brea, everybody dies!

That's because it's the third Everybody Dies Horror Film Festival, which not only recently added Fright Night 2 to the opening-night lineup but a Q&A with director Eduardo Rodriguez and editor Don Adams as well as free posters from the movie to all in attendance.

Meanwhile, the lineup Saturday and Sunday includes flicks shot in Orange County by local filmmakers, alumni screenings of two popular 2012 festival films and the world premiere of a movie with a horror/Star Trek icon.

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The fest kicks off at Sinister Pointe, “Southern California's only year round permanent haunted attraction,” at 195 Arovista Circle, Brea. Those who paid $30 for tonight's festivities get admission to the attraction, the Fright Night 2 screening and Q&A and looks at the short films First Halloween and Raptor Ranch.

“This year's festival is going to be bigger and better than our previous years,” Sara Parrell, who co-directs the Everybody Dies Horror Film Festival with Jeff Smith, says in a release. “We have more nights, more feature films and the evening at Sinister Pointe is going to be amazing!”

Directed by Andrew Ralston and shot in Santa Monica, First Halloween is about a man who grew up in a strict conservative household experiencing trick-or-treating for the first time. Ralston is scheduled to participate in a Q&A afterward, as is Raptor Ranch director Dan Bishop following his picture. Think of the comedic sci-fi, horror flick as Jurassic Park set on a Texas ranch where raptors come up against another prehistoric being: Lorenzo Lamas.

Saturday and Sunday screenings move to the fest's home since 2011: Brea Plaza 5 Cinema, 453 South Associated Road, Brea (facebook.com/breaplaza5). The lineup:

SATURDAY
(Doors open at 5 p.m., screenings start at 5:45 p.m.)

Ghoul School (Springfield, MO), directed by Brook Linder: Baldwin High is clean, drug-free, and has the highest MAP scores in the state. But all is not as perfect as it seems. (Filmmaker Q&A follows the screening.)

Cold Turkey (Iceland), directed by Fannar Thor Arnarsson. Ever tried waking up from a nightmare only to discover you're not asleep?

Tasty Brains (Ladera Ranch), directed by Andy Morrish. A husband relives his past life after becoming separated from his wife by a zombie invasion. (Filmmaker Q&A follows.)

They Will Outlive Us All (New York, NY), directed by Patrick Shearer. In the near future, New York City is so devastated by “Frankenstorms” that two roommates decide to permanently hole up in their Brooklyn building. Then strange deaths start happening there.

Grey Matter (Aliso Viejo), directed by James B. Cox. “Official” adaptation of Stephen King's short story about a man whose alcoholism causes him to change in horrific ways and how his teenage son must find a way to save his father. (Filmmaker Q&A follows.)

Survivor Type (Los Angeles), directed by Billy Hanson. It's an “Everybody Dies Horror Film Festival Alumni Screening” of the 2012 “Truly Disturbing” winner. A disgraced surgeon stranded on a deserted island with no food and only a handful of supplies must go to great lengths to stay alive for rescue that may never come. This one's also based on a Stephen King short story. (Geez, hog the genre much?) (Filmmaker Q&A follows.)

The Gauntlet (Rancho Palos Verdes), directed by Matt Eskandari. Someone we've heard of stars in this one: Bai Ling! The story revolves around five strangers who awake in a sunken castle, where they have no food, no water, no exit strategy and no memory of how they got there. (Filmmaker Q&A follows.)

Pick up with the Sunday lineup on the next page …
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SUNDAY
(Doors open at 5 p.m., screenings start at 5:30 p.m.)

The Breeder (Malta), directed by Patrick Vella. “Never underestimate what looks weak, it can turn to be your worst enemy!” Hear that, Obama? (Think Syria.)

Sleepwalk (Canada), directed by John Northam. Spirits of the dead return at night and spirit Simon away. But the spirits didn't account for Simon's mom.

Deer Head Valley (Los Angeles), directed by Travis Greene. It's another “EDHFF Alumni Screening,” this one of another hit from the 2012 fright fest. The fate of an innocent man held captive lies 80 miles away with the outcome of a plea bargain deal a district attorney has devised for a local gang member indicted for murder. But the DA has gone missing. (Filmmaker Q&A follows.)

Motivational Growth (Seattle), directed by Don Thacker. After a suicide attempt, a depressed and reclusive man takes advice from a fungal growth born from the filth collecting in his neglected bathroom.

Girl at the Door (LA), directed by Colin Campbell. It's billed as “Groundhog Day meets Fatal Attraction” as a man who has a night of rough sex with a beautiful woman finds her returning and replaying the events of the night over and over again exactly, word for word. (Filmmaker Q&A follows.)

Kill Her, Not Me (LA) directed by Peter McAlevey. This film making its world premiere is billed as I Know What You Did Last Summer meets Psycho–and it features Tony Todd. He's the 6-foot-5 actor who geeks out fans of horror (Candyman, Final Destination, the Hatchet films) and Trekkers (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek Voyager). The flick's about chicks who discover the brutal stranger terrorizing them is not their main threat, it's each other. (Filmmaker Q&A follows.)

Due to the nature of the event, audience members must be 18 or older. Ticket information is available at EverybodyDiesFilmFest.com.

Email: mc****@oc******.com. Twitter: @MatthewTCoker. Follow OC Weekly on Twitter @ocweekly or on Facebook!