The 24th annual Boston Underground Film Festival taking place March 20-24, 2024 at the Brattle Theatre!

Festival badges are now on sale -- and only a limited quantity is available.
bostonunderground.org

Wednesday, March 20, 2024


"Immaculate"

Sydney Sweeney (Anyone But You, Euphoria, The White Lotus) stars as Cecilia, an American nun of devout faith, embarking on a new journey in a remote convent in the picturesque Italian countryside. Cecilia’s warm welcome quickly devolves into a nightmare as it becomes clear her new home harbors a sinister secret and unspeakable horrors.


"Fatal Termination"

The bodies of cops, gangsters, and civilians alike begin to pile up when the goods required for a high-stakes arms deal go missing as part of an elaborate scheme to screw over its vicious middleman. But the situation really spirals out of control when two married officers are thrust into the middle of it all, forcing them onto the path of vigilante vengeance. With a star-studded cast including “girls with guns” legend Moon Lee (ANGEL TERMINATORS II), Phillip Ko (THE BOXER’S OMEN), and Ray Lui (HUNTING LIST) and a car chase so irresponsible that you’ll never forget it, FATAL TERMINATION is one of the wildest Hong Kong action films ever made.
– American Genre Film Archive

Thursday, March 21, 2024


"Strange Kindness"

Rose’s wayward brother returns home on the same morning their quiet neighborhood is roiled by a violent crime. Across town, their ailing aunt Chris lives in self-imposed isolation with no interest in receiving phone calls or mail. As a house-to-house manhunt is underway, Chris finds a bloodied gunman hiding in her living room. She calmly assures him, “I’m not going to scream.”

Shot on location in Cape Cod, Strange Kindness is a tense, smoldering, narrative feature debut from award-winning music video director Joseph Mault. Anchored by emotional honesty with hints of magic haunting the outskirts, it explores, “what empathy might look like at its further limits.” Screening Support: Independent Film Festival Boston
– George MacDonald Luke


"Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person"

Just when you think the coming-of-age genre has been exhausted comes this darkly comedic rom-com that offers a fresh twist on the vampire genre. Directed by first-time feature director Ariane Louis-Seize, Humanist Vampire Seeking Consentual Suicidal Person introduces us to Sasha, a vampire who rebels against her family’s expectations by refusing to hunt for blood.

When Sasha befriends Paul, a melancholic bowling alley attendant, their unlikely alliance takes on a new dimension. What starts as a simple agreement transforms into a nocturnal adventure as Sasha and Paul embark on a quest to fulfill Paul’s final wishes before sunrise.

Humanist Vampire Seeking Consensual Suicidal Person blends deadpan gallows humor, a deranged romance, and VAMPIRES (!) in a way that is sure to charm audiences. With its witty premise and endearing characters, this film promises to resonate with the inner goth teenager in everyone’s heart. Screening Support: Independent Film Festival Boston
– Kevin Monahan


"Femme"

Prepare yourself for FEMME, a gripping thriller set in the heart of London’s drag scene. Jules (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, CANDYMAN), known for his dazzling performances as Aphrodite Banks, finds himself the target of a brutal homophobic attack. Though he survives and physically heals, the mental and emotional trauma leads him to withdraw from the scene and his friends.

Months later, by chance, he encounters his (closeted) assailant Preston (George MacKay, 1917) in a gay sauna. Befriending him, integrating into his social circle, and entering into a long-term relationship with him, Jules hatches the ultimate plan for revenge.

Directors Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping skillfully weave a tale of identity, gender, and sexual orientation, exploring and playing with the power of performance as both a survival mechanism and a tool for retribution. With standout performances by Stewart-Jarrett and MacKay, FEMME delivers a subversive cinematic experience you won’t soon forget.

Friday, March 22, 2024


"The Dunwich Horrors"

Brace yourself for The Dunwich Horrors, our mind-flaying collection of homespun horror. It’s an injection of nightmare fuel sourced from the minds of our intrepid regional visionaries, spotlighting the most unique, innovative, and provocative work in the northeast. Each startling burst of terror is woven from threads of anxiety, paranoia, and dread into a cinematic tapestry of unspeakable sights and sounds. From the quaint townships of Vermont, to the deep forests of Maine, no space is safe from the distressing visions creeping across the screen.

Our latest installment is a macabre mixtape brimming with invasive imposters, abominable apparitions, and malicious matriarchs. Here you’ll witness strange nocturnal beings lurking in the dark, a twisted community driven by bizarre urges, a fragmented family’s monstrous impulses, and other bone-chilling manifestations in short-form terror. Every macabre morsel is flavored with BUFF-approved what-the-fuckery that will leave you shattered to the core.

Be warned: once you’ve been exposed to the dark underbelly of the nor’east, you’re forever tainted.
– Chris Hallock


"Off Ramp"

Are you down with the clown? You may just find yourself converting to the church of the Dark Carnival after witnessing Nathan Tape’s assured feature debut OFF RAMP, an idiosyncratic road trip that follows two Juggalos through the hellish underbelly of the American Deep South. Tape doesn’t aim to ridicule the Juggalo lifestyle, just the opposite, in fact, with a riotously funny, deep-fried odyssey that centers a pair of lovable social rejects. Tape uses this framework to cultivate a story of kindness, bravery, and acceptance, featuring a reverent depiction of America’s most misunderstood and maligned subculture. Wait tho, before you go in thinking this is some sanitized touchy-feely bullshit, bear in mind that it’s saturated frame-to-frame with raps about titties, LSD-laced squirt guns, thunderous beats, and a caustic anti-authoritarian streak.

Released after a stint in prison for a violent crime, Trey (Oswald) embarks on an interstate journey to Ohio with his best friend Silas (Schofield). They are bound for the annual Gathering of the Juggalos, a Shangri-La for freaks, outcasts, and miscreants to cavort in clown paint while spraying Faygo, having loads of tent sex, shitting in garbage cans, and bumpin’ to filthy rhymes. When Trey accidentally knocks into the local sheriff, soiling his shirt with soda pop, a chain reaction of unfortunate encounters with guncrazy cops, crazed necromancers, and other nasty folk along the way is ignited. Now on the run, it will take all the clown life resilience they can muster to make it to the Gathering in time.

OFF RAMP is outsider filmmaking at its finest, with a lived-in aesthetic that feels authentic as fuck, not contrived by an art director armed with a “white trash” checklist. Nope, Tape has loftier ambitions, to humanize and make us care about the unlovable and the detestable, those who are only searching for familial connection in a world that abandoned them. The film is anchored by two extraordinary lead performances, embodying two of maverick cinema’s most charismatic misfits, and supported by a stellar cast. It’s a film for the ride or die ninjas who krump at the altar of Shaggy 2 Dope and Violent J. Can I get a “Whoop Whoop?”

– Chris Hallock


"Sleep"

Plunge into the chilling depths of marital horror (bliss) with SLEEP, the gripping debut from writer-director Jason Yu. Expecting parents Soo-jin and Hyun-su find themselves in a waking nightmare when Hyun-su develops a frightening sleep disorder. What begins as harmless, if unsettling sleepwalking soon transforms into terrifying somnambulatory behavior, leaving Soo-jin questioning both her husband’s sanity and her own safety.

As they turn to medical professionals and a peculiar shaman for answers, their once-happy relationship begins to crumble under the weight of fear and suspicion. With expertly crafted suspense and a deft hand for storytelling, Yu skillfully blurs the line between reality and the supernatural. Each scene of SLEEP pulses with tension, building towards an electrifying climax. Featuring standout performances by Jung Yu-mi and Lee Sun-kyun, SLEEP is a haunting tale of love, betrayal, and the unknown. Don’t miss your chance to be riveted by this pulse-pounding thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end. Screening Support: Independent Film Festival Boston


"Trigger Warning"

Prepare to have your senses assaulted and your mind bent beyond recognition as we dive headfirst into the wickedly weird world of the BUFF’s annual Trigger Warning shorts block! In this cinematic carnival of the bizarre, expect nothing less than a rollercoaster ride through the darkest recesses of human imagination. From mind-bending experimental odysseys to gloriously grotesque tales of the macabre, these films defy convention and redefine the very essence of cinema itself. So buckle up, because this is one cinematic journey sure to traumatize you for days to come. Viewer discretion advised.