Anchor Bay announces four special Fantasia Fest screenings

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Now that Comic-Con is over and done with, we move onto the next big thing in the genre-geek world: Fantasia Fest in Montreal! Running from JULY 19 – AUGUST 7, Fantasia is the go-to destination for the international film market’s hottest genre items.

Anchor Bay Entertainment Canada has a strong presence at the fest with screenings of A LITTLE BIT ZOMBIE, THE VICTIM, CHAINED, and EXCISION. I’m fairly certain that at least two of these had already been announced, but it’s worth repeating – if only for the new, expanded synopsis’! (Especially for Jennifer Lynch’s CHAINED, which sounds way f*cked up.

A LITTLE BIT ZOMBIE Red Carpet Screening Saturday, July 21st, 1:50pm at Concordia Hall Theatre with Q&A and Meet and Greet
Special Guests in Attendance: Casey Walker (Director), Stephen McHattie (Cast), Emilie Ullerup (Cast), Crystal Lowe (Cast), Kristopher Turner (Cast) Shawn Roberts (Cast) and the PAINKILLER truck!

A Little Bit Zombie follows the adventures of Steve, a mild-mannered HR manager (Turner, A Wake, “Saving Hope”) who becomes infected with a virus during a weekend get-away with his sister, Sarah (Kristen Hager, Servitude, AVPR: Aliens vs Predator – Requiem) his best friend, Craig (Shawn Roberts, Resident Evil: Afterlife, Diary of the Dead), and his fiancé, Tina (Lowe, Black Christmas, Wrong Turn 2). While he attempts to fulfill his overwhelmingdesire for brains he must elude Max (McHattie, Exit Humanity, Pontypool,), the obsessed zombie hunter hot on his trail with his partner Penelope (Ullerup, Hunt To Kill, The House), and avoid the wrath of his bridezilla-to-be. He tries to keep it together but his fiancee will do anything to make sure the wedding takes place, even when her husband-to-be is a little bit zombie.

THE VICTIM Screening Monday, July 23rd, 10:00pm J.A. De Seve Theatre
Special Guests in Attendance for a Meet and Greet: Michael Biehn (Writer/Director/Cast) & Jennifer Blanc-Biehn (Cast)
You can take what you want from life or you can play the victim. With gritty grindhouse thriller The Victim, written, directed and starring 80’s horror/sci-fi icon and fan favorite Michael Biehn (The Terminator, Aliens, The Divide).Good time girls Annie (Jennifer Blanc “Party of Five”) and Mary (Danielle Harris Halloween) find themselves in a life and death situation. Annie’s life is put in jeopardy when she is witness to a violent act at the hands of two Sheriff’s Deputies. With her pursuers closing in, she stumbles across Kyle (Biehn), a recluse living in the middle of the woods. A rugged loner, Kyle finds the stillness of the woods comforting. He keeps civilization at arm’s length; that is – until a single knock on his door throws his solitary life into chaos. Two worlds collide in this nerve-fraying thriller that will keep audiences guessing until the very last frame.

EXCISION Red Carpet Screening Saturday August 4th, 9pm 9:35 PM Concordia Hall Theatre with Q&A and Meet and Greet
Special Guests in Attendance: Richard Bates Jr. (Director) & Annalynne McCord (Cast)
EXCISION tells the story of Pauline (AnnaLynne McCord “90210”), a delusional teenage outcast. Pauline picks scabs. Pauline dissects road kill. Pauline fantasizes about performing surgery on strangers. Her fascinations disturb her schoolmates and her parents, Phyllis (Traci Lords Cry Baby) and Bob (Roger Bart “Desperate Housewives”). No one understands Pauline except for Grace (Ariel Winter “Modern Family”), her younger sister who suffers from cystic fibrosis. An outcast at school and at home, Pauline is convinced that the best way to repair her estranged relationship with her family is to perform a risky operation to save her sister’s life. Excision is Director/writer Richard Bates, Jr.’s directorial debut adapted from his award-winning short film of the same name and also features Jeremy Sumpter (Soul Surfer), Malcolm McDowell, Matthew Gray Gubler (“Criminal Minds”), Academy Award® winner Marlee Matlin (Children of a Lesser God), Ray Wise (Good Night, and Good Luck) and John Waters.

CHAINED Red Carpet Screening Sunday, August 5th, 7:10pm at Concordia Hall Theatre with Q&A and Meet and Greet
Special Guests in Attendance: Jennifer Lynch, Director/Co-Writer &
Co-Writer Damian O’Donnell

From the visionary mind of director Jennifer Lynch (Boxing Helena, Surveillance, Hisss) comes the dark fable Chained. Coming home from a routine trip to the movies, eight-year-old Tim (Evan Bird “The Killing”) and his mother, Sarah (Julia Ormand My Week With Marilyn, “Mad Men,” The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) are picked up by a psychopathic cab driver named Bob (Vincent D’Onofrio Full Metal Jacket, Men In Black, “Law and Order: Criminal Intent”). It ends up being their last ride together. Bob murders the young boy’s mother and keeps Tim as his unwilling protégée, making him clean up the mess following each murder he commits.

After a couple of aborted escape attempts, Bob chains Tim – now renamed Rabbit — allowing just enough length to move freely within the house. As a teenager, Rabbit (Eamon Farren, X: Night of Vengeance) is slowly being pressed by Bob to start his own homicidal spree. Slowly but surely, he mustsoon choose whether to follow in Bob’s serial killer footsteps or make one final, desperate attempt to break free… Chained is an unforgettable ride into the darkness that can reside in the human heart – no matter what your age. Chained features a stellar cast including Gina Phillips (Jeepers Creepers, “Ally McBeal”) Conor Leslie (“90210”), and Jake Weber (Dawn of the Dead, “Medium”)

For further ticket and screening info, head over to Fantasia’s official site.

EXCISION star Annalynne McCord