Sundance 2016 Unveils Midnight Lineup Including New Films from Kevin Smith, Rob Zombie, and More

By  · Published on November 23rd, 2015

31 Rob Zombie

It feels ridiculous to say as it means nearly a full year has passed since we returned from covering Sundance 2015 in Park City, UT, but the 2016 edition of the Sundance Film Festival is right around the corner. We’re already making plans to return, and while we’re excited at the prospect of the fest’s entire roster the fest’s Midnight section of programming always holds a special appeal.

The nine titles making up 2016’s Midnight section have just been announced, and is is typically the case the films are a mix of known entities and fresh faces. Kevin Smith returns with part two of his unofficial “True North” trilogy, Yoga Hosers, a spin-off of sorts from the odd, absurd, but not unfairly maligned Tusk, and Rob Zombie follows up his witch-focused (and better-than-expected) The Lords of Salem with evil clown mayhem in 31.

Some lesser known but still recognizable names have made the cut too. Richard Bates Jr.’s last film, Suburban Gothic, is an indie Ghostbusters mixing laughs and spectral shenanigans, and he’s back with the darkly humorous-sounding Trash Fire. Jim Hosking follows up his disturbingly entertaining “G Is for Grandad” short from ABCs of Death 2 with his feature debut, The Greasy Strangler. Another talent on the rise is Mickey Keating who chases 2015’s Pod and Darling with the fantastically-cast Carnage Park.

Check out the complete list for Sundance 2016’s Midnight section below.

MIDNIGHT
From horror flicks to comedies to works that defy any genre, these unruly films will keep you on the edge of your seat and wide awake.

31 / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Rob Zombie) – Five friends are kidnapped on the day before Halloween and are held hostage in a terrifying place named Murder World. While trapped, they must play a violent game called 31, in which the mission is to survive 12 hours against a gang of evil clowns. Cast: Sheri Moon Zombie, Malcolm McDowell, Richard Brake, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Jeff Daniel Phillips, Meg Foster. World Premiere

Antibirth Danny Perez

Antibirth / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Danny Perez) – In a desolate community full of drug-addled marines and rumors of kidnapping, a wild-eyed stoner named Lou wakes up after a crazy night of partying with symptoms of a strange illness and recurring visions. As she struggles to get a grip on reality, the stories of conspiracy spread. Cast: Natasha Lyonne, Chloë Sevigny, Mark Webber, Meg Tilly, Maxwell McCabe-Lokos. World Premiere

The Blackout Experiments / U.S.A. (Director: Rich Fox) – A group of friends discover the dark underworld of the ultra-scary, psychosexual horror experience called Blackout. But what starts as a thrill ride through the unknown becomes deeply personal, developing into an obsession that hijacks their lives and blurs the line between reality and paranoid fantasy. World Premiere

Carnage Park Mickey Keating

Carnage Park / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Mickey Keating) – The year is 1978. A team of wannabe crooks botch a small-town bank heist and flee with their hostage deep into the California desert, where they inexplicably find themselves in a harrowing fight for survival against a psychotic ex-military sniper. Cast: Ashley Bell, Pat Healy, Alan Ruck, Darby Stanchfield, James Landry Hébert, Larry Fessenden. World Premiere

The Greasy Strangler / U.S.A. (Director: Jim Hosking, Screenwriters: Jim Hosking, Toby Harvard) – When Big Ronnie and his son Brayden meet lone female tourist Janet on Big Ronnie’s Disco Walking Tour – the best and only disco walking tour in the city – a fight for Janet’s heart erupts between father and son, and the infamous Greasy Strangler is unleashed. Cast: Michael St. Michaels, Sky Elobar, Elizabeth De Razzo, Gil Gex, Jesse Keen, Joe David Walters. World Premiere

Outlaws and Angels / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: JT Mollner) – With a notorious bounty hunter closing in on their trail, a gang of cold-blooded outlaws invades the home of a seemingly innocent frontier family, where an unexpected game of cat and mouse ensues throughout the night, leading to seduction, role reversal, and ultimately bloody revenge. Cast: Chad Michael Murray, Francesca Eastwood, Luke Wilson, Teri Polo, Madisen Beaty, Nathan Russell. World Premiere

Trash Fire Richard Bates Jr

Trash Fire / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Richard Bates Jr.) – When Owen is forced to confront the past he’s been running from his whole adult life, he and his girlfriend, Isabel, become entangled in a horrifying web of lies, deceit, and murder. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll be scarred for life. Cast: Adrian Grenier, Angela Trimbur, AnnaLynne McCord, Fionnula Flanagan, Matthew Gray Gubler, Ray Santiago. World Premiere

Under the Shadow / United Kingdom, Jordan (Director and screenwriter: Babak Anvari) – Tehran, 1988: As the Iran-Iraq War rumbles into its eighth year, a mother and daughter are slowly torn apart by the bombing campaigns on the city coupled with the country’s bloody revolution. As they struggle to stay together amidst these terrors, a mysterious evil stalks through their apartment. Cast: Narges Rashidi, Avin Manshadi, Bobby Naderi, Ray Haratian, Arash Marandi. World Premiere

Yoga Hosers Kevin Smith

Yoga Hosers / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Kevin Smith) – Colleen Collette and Colleen McKenzie are teenage besties from Winnipeg who love yoga and live on their smartphones. But when these sophomores get invited to a senior party by the school hottie, the Colleens accidentally uncover an ancient evil buried beneath their Canadian convenience store. Cast: Lily-Rose Depp, Harley Quinn Smith, Johnny Depp, Justin Long, Austin Butler, Tyler Posey. World Premiere

Sundance Film Festival 2016 runs January 21st to 31st, 2016.

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Rob Hunter has been writing for Film School Rejects since before you were born, which is weird seeing as he's so damn young. He's our Chief Film Critic and Associate Editor and lists 'Broadcast News' as his favorite film of all time. Feel free to say hi if you see him on Twitter @FakeRobHunter.