Nevermore Film Festival 2021 Lineup, Best Picks, and More!

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The Nevermore Festival 2021 edition runs Feb. 26 through Mar. 4, 2021. And like a lot of things lately, the 22nd Nevermore Film Fest is poised to be a bit different. Instead of screening films at Durham’s Carolina Theatre, Nevermore instead takes an online approach with the entire festival streaming. While there are some downsides, such as missing out on CTD’s famous popcorn, there’s an added benefit. Previously, you could only enjoy Nevermore movies if you were onsite. Now, residents of NC, SC, VA, WV, TN, KY, OH, GA, DC, and PA can enjoy the whole catalog of Nevermore movies. You can pick up an all-access pass (which is my recommendation), or individual movie tickets. Check out the 22nd Annual Nevermore Film Festival roster, learn how to get tickets and where to stream movies, take a look at our Cup of Moe Best Picks, and more!

What is the Nevermore Film Festival?

The Nevermore Film Fest kicked off in 1999, and since its inception, Nevermore has screened over 1,000 films from around the globe. It’s a mix of feature-length movies, long-form shorts, and short films. Although there’s an onus on the macabre, individual genres vary from horror and sci-fi to dark fantasy. Curated festival selections hail from around the world for an international smorgasbord of indie cinema. Nevermore Film Fest presents a unique opportunity to catch a bunch of creative flicks while they’re on the festival circuit. While most of the features do go on to obtain distribution, it’s often months and sometimes years after screening at Nevermore.

How to Stream Nevermore Film Fest Movies – Streaming and Ticket Info

Because of the global COVID-19 pandemic, Nevermore has gone all-digital. As such, you can stream the entire lineup of movies from the comfort of your home. You can buy individual tickets for $10, or a festival pass. I highly recommend snagging the all-access pass. For $80 USD, you can stream the complete Nevermore 2021 lineup. Beginning on Feb. 26, you’ll have 7 days to begin watching movies, and once you start you’ll have 72 hours to finish. It’s a phenomenal value which nets you access to all 19 virtual programs including 11 feature films and 8 blocks of shorts. Whereas Nevermore is usually limited to in-person festival-goers, now residents of NC, SC, VA, WV, TN, KY, OH, GA, DC, and PA may enjoy cinema selections.

Buy Nevermore 2021 Tickets

22nd Annual Nevermore Film Festival Lineup – Feature Films

The 2021 Nevermore Film Fest roster is quite possibly the strongest yet, boasting everything from horror and horror comedies to sci-fi, mystery thrillers, and everything in-between.

Abyssal Spider

The Joe Chen-directed Taiwanese horror thriller “Abyssal Spider” finds a group of people trapped on a boat at sea while a gargantuan arachnid sea monster attacks their ship. It’s a taut, claustrophobic creature feature with human drama in addition to monster madness.

The Arbors

Directed by North Carolina native Clayton Witmer, “The Arbors” centers on reclusive locksmith Ethan Daunes (Drew Matthews). Set against a gloomy, small Southern town backdrop, “The Arbors” is ripe with Lovecraftian horror. The monster effects are excellent, the cinematography artful, and its pensive nature leaves you in silent contemplation long after the final credits roll.

Come on In

Daniel Callahan directs and stars in “Come on In,” a deeply-emotional, mind-bending cerebral thriller following artist Lei [Lee] who returns home after a seemingly failing to “make it.” Slogging his way through a dead-end job and struggling with depression, Lei’s world is quite literally turned upside down by a mysterious phone call that upends his entire worldview, hurling him into a dizzying maze where reality becomes less and less clear.

A Ghost Awaits

The Adam Stovall-directed “A Ghost Awaits” is a charming, witty horror-comedy that’s light on the frights and heavy on the funny. When Jack (MacLeod Andrews) is called in to fix up a house before the new tenants move in, Murial (Natalie Walker) attempts to exorcise him. But her haunting fails when Jack falls in love with her.

An Ideal Host

Liz (Nadia Collins) simply wants to throw the perfect dinner party. But when unexpected guest Daisy (Naomi Brockwell) shows up, the party seems destined for failure. Chaos ensues, but not entirely because of Daisy. Tinged with Stepford vibes, “An Ideal Host” is a clever horror-comedy full of twists.

Katherine’s Lullaby

Teenage runaway Lily (Tori Kostic) is kidnapped by the delusional Evan (William Kircher). It’s a riveting film that lulls you into a false sense of security, blindsiding you with its shocking third act.

The Stairs

11-year-old Jesse (Thomas Wethington) disappears in the woods while hunting with his grandfather in 1997 after finding a mysterious staircase in the wilderness. 20 years later, a group of hikers stumbles upon the same set of stairs. A neat creature feature, “The Stairs” is visually-pleasing and packed with intrigue.

Tag X

“Tag X” or “Day X” finds a widowed woman whose world is turned upside down when her daughter is abducted. Additionally, the kidnapping unearths a disturbing family secret. A thrill-ride to the very end, “Day X” is a gripping roller coaster in edge-of-your-seat suspense.

Til Freddy

Freddy (Nicolai Narvesen Lied) discovers a box of letters claiming to tell the future, and warning that one of his friends is going to kill him. The Viljar Bøe-directed “Til Freddy” (translated “To Freddy”) is a fascinating mystery-thriller brimming with cosmic horror elements.

Trans

Minyoung Go aspires to be a transhuman. Go gets her wish in the Naeri Do-directed revenge sci-fi thriller which is chock-full of inventive imagery.

Victim of Love

The Giallo-like “Victim of Love” finds Charly (Rudi Køhnke) searching for his missing American girlfriend Amy (Louise Cho) who disappeared under extremely mysterious circumstances. With a bit of a “Memento” vibe, “Victim of Love” finds Charly looking for himself just as much as he seeks out Amy.

Cup of Moe Best Picks

My recommendation is, if you can, snag a festival pass and watch all of the feature films as well as shorts. Nevermore presents a unique opportunity to catch over 70 feature-length movies, long-form shorts, and short films. Although many will go on to get distribution, this is a great opportunity to watch a bevy of indie gems early. And after many years of Nevermore screenings, 2021 finds what’s arguably the strongest lineup yet.

If you can’t watch everything, you could stick to the 11 feature films, a worthy festival track. The shorts are always fantastic though, so you should definitely consider a block or two of shorts if you can.

To help you decide what to watch, here are my best picks:

• “The Arbors” – Perhaps I’m biased in supporting NC filmmakers, but “The Arbors” is objectively phenomenal. A tense slow-burn, it benefits from superb creature design, gorgeous camerawork, and a moody, emotionally-charged backdrop.
• “Come on In” – While its hallucinatory imagery plunges both the audience and lead character into a maddening descent where all reality gets lost, “Come on In” remains grounded with relatable human drama, touching on themes of depression and societal pressures. Visually-striking and contemplative, the film grabs your attention and holds it until the very end.
• “Til Freddy” – Buzzing with a sense of cosmic horror, “Til Freddy” shows that you don’t need a big budget or a lot of special effects to craft a solid film. Relying on a character-driven narrative, “Til Freddy” keeps the mystery alive until the end credits roll.
• “An Ideal Host” – With an off-kilter vibe from the get-go, it’s clear that something’s amiss the whole time during “An Ideal Host.” But just what that is exactly isn’t quite clear for much of the hilarious horror sci-fi comedy.
• “Katherine’s Lullaby” – Smart, well-acted, and genuinely surprising, “Katherine’s Lullaby” will lull you into a false sense of security. The twisted ending is devilishly good.

For shorts, the jury award-winning shorts block is a safe bet. I’d also suggest the Femme Fatales collection of woman-directed short films. Five Minutes to Midnight, comprised of long-form shorts is a great option. And the international block of shorts, Attack of the Foreign Invaders, is always a blast.

Nevermore Shorts

While feature films are a big hit, shorts are a major attraction as well. For 2021, Nevermore Film Fest offers several different blocks of shorts.

All the Delicious Souls – Mixed Bag Shorts

The 98-minute long mixed bag shorts block All the Delicious Souls mixes horror, sci-fi, thrillers, and mystery for a well-rounded romp.

Films:

• “Coming to Light”: Aaron was a victim of sexual abuse as a child and has lived for more than half his life with the burden of this dark secret. As a result of this, he has had to adjust to a life where the physical demon of his trauma is with him everywhere he goes. When a police investigation is launched into his abuser, he becomes conflicted between being imprisoned by this monster or coming forward about what happened to him and subsequently confronting his demon head-on.
• “Faces”:  A love story in the times of programmed obsolescence.
• “Sweet Nothings”: A young man of the near future wistfully searches for love on a dating app, only to find that it has been corrupted by a seductive new marketing system.
• “One in Two People”: Emily is surrounded by her friends as she reveals her dark secret.
• “Guardian”:  Two employees get into a hilariously-heated argument when one of them begins questioning his sexual identity. Who’s gonna explain this to “The Boss”?
• “You Don’t Know Me”: While on a road trip, a bickering American couple gets involved in a sordid affair after stopping for gas in the middle of rural Quebec.
• “Meat Lovers”: To satisfy her appetite, a young woman must juggle dealing with her salacious lover and a mysterious pizza order.
• “See the Animal”: Jack is an audience “plant” in a magic show run by his long-time friends, Declan and Seamus. Jack wants a fresh start away from their reckless behavior and Declan’s constant onstage abuse. Held back by loyalty and calculated persuasion from Seamus, Jack stays, but as the tension between the men grows, Declan’s demeanor worsens. He spikes Jack with a hallucinogenic before a performance in yet another attempt to humiliate him, which poses a risk during one of their riskier sword tricks.
• “Perfect”: A troubled young woman is consumed with the yearning to find the perfect man in a crowded NYC dating scene, even if it means building one herself, piece by piece.
• “Thorns”: Stopping at a sketchy motel for some private intimacy, Gwen and Jade get the sense that someone’s watching them.
• “White Van”: A woman being held captive in a white van, escapes her captor, only to find herself back where she started.

Can’t Live Without You – Mixed Bag Shorts

This 95-minute block of shorts is comprised of short films the Nevermore committee couldn’t live without.

Films:

• “Big Touch”:  An Afro-Surrealist story about a giant woman and a tiny man who, through the power of touch, experience an unexpected transformation.
• “Lose It”: On the surface, this is a short about a woman (Akyiaa Wilson) who loses her keys. Except she didn’t lose them.
• “Finder”: Following an environmental disaster, a man searches desperately to find a group of survivors.
• “Frames”: A smart city tracks and analyzes a woman walking through the city. Things she does are interpreted and logged by the city system, but are they drawing an accurate picture of the woman?
• “Old Bone”: Julio plays around the field innocently and stumbles over a long, long-buried little bone.
• “Seasonal Depression”: It’s wintertime and the sun isn’t coming out, so Elisa is depressed. Her friend, Vincent, does not hear it that way. He thinks she just needs to get out of her darkened apartment. Determined to prove he’s right, Vincent kidnaps an elderly psychiatrist and forces her to give Elisa a “therapy session”.
• “Fucking Ghosts”: A parody film trailer about a family that buys a new home that is haunted by horny ghosts.
• “Monster”: Nacho appears on a TV program to undergo hypnosis in order to prove that what he allegedly witnessed on the beach four years ago when his wife drowned was real.
• “Hammurabi”: A woman is on a mission in the desert with her beat-up Toyota Celica. Communication is hard, so she must use all the tools at her disposal to deliver an important message to a man she believes is her estranged father.
• “No One’s Listening”: In a dark open field, two dark-skinned immigrants on their knees pray for their life; a gang of white countrymen is set to execute them. A ghostly deaf woman with witchlike powers hears their plea and steps in.
• “Make a Wish”: A light-hearted comedy about the sweetest fiancé giving her boyfriend the best birthday present ever.
• “Black Orchid Challenge”: A live streamer accidentally invites an entity into her apartment.

Femme Fatales – Women-directed Shorts

A 96-minute collection of short films directed by women filmmakers, Femme Fatales is a must-watch.

Films:

• “Nosotros”: Rubén debates with himself on how to protect his six-year-old daughter before his illness ends him.
• “Waffle”: Kerry is at a sleepover with the socially awkward, mysteriously-orphaned heiress, Katie. Friendship–in a society that grows ever isolating–is explored as Kerry learns the hard way that Katie always gets what she wants.
• “I Love Eve”: Nastya has only one friend called Eve. A dark creature living in a tunnel at an abandoned hydroelectric station. One day, she decides to escape from her mother and her new lover, but Eve comes to their house.
• “You Will Never Be Back”: Ana and David say goodbye like any other day. The young lady has plans, but she won’t be late. However, something extraordinary happens; something that alters her reality and changes everything completely.
• “Diabla”: After surviving assault a 17 year old Mexican girl finds retribution through her untapped female power and local witch culture.
• “Tea Time”: While having a tea party, a little girl loses her temper and things get bloody.
• “Mourn”:  A grief counsellor is visited by a very disturbed man.
• “Permits and Approvals”: A mockumentary chronicling the day to day office life of the Department of Time Travel Regulation employees. Newbie Elyse gets a crash course in handling applicants from her seasoned and salty mentor, Marge.

Five Minutes to Midnight – Long-form Narrative Shorts

Featuring five long-form narrative shorts, Five Minutes to Midnight should be a juicy block of medium-length short films.

Films:

• “Exit”: With their deadline approaching fast, a small team of construction workers isn’t too happy to find an anomaly in the house they’re renovating. Especially one that breaks the laws of physics. But maybe there’s something to be gained from this? Like a finder’s fee…Or nightmare fuel.
• “Macabre Night”: It’s nighttime. During a transfer, maximum security inmates escape and heads for a small town. The authorities call on citizens to assist in the capture of the fugitives – by any means necessary – offering a large cash reward. Amid the chaos that ensues, a young couple in crisis tries to stay alive.
• “Allodium”: Anna was sent away at the age of ten by her father after her mother apparently left them. Now, twenty years later she is going back to the family farm after she learns her father has killed himself. She is hoping to find answers to why this happened, why she was sent away, and why her mother left, never to be heard of again. Getting close to what happened, strange things start occurring in the house, and maybe the past is best left alone.
• “Landgraves”: A young journalist goes into the deep wood to interview the heavy-metal duo “Landgraves”, who records an album for the first time since a murder imprisonment. His curiosity pushes him to follow the band deep in the forest, as a snowstorm arises.
• “The Bureau”: In a future dystopia, administration is left to AI. Following a recalculation of his family budget, Jules has to separate from one of his children. To challenge this decision, he will have to go to the Bureau, the administrative management center.

It’s Only a Nightmare, Charlie Brown

As its ironically whimsical name suggests, It’s Only a Nightmare, Charlie Brown is comprised of PG-13 dark fantasy and horror shorts.

Films:

• “Death Hacks”:  Adam and Molly are the ghost hosts of Death Hacks, a lifestyle show for the undead. They offer upbeat advice on topics like undead dating, haunting your ex, and travelling in a timeless void. Death Hacks is an animated horror comedy starring Kristen Schaal and Thomas Middleditch.
• “They’re Here”: Unable to cope with the death of her grandmother, Sam becomes convinced that her body is harboring an alien being that must be removed. There is just one problem, nobody believes her, and instead suspect Sam of trying to murder her grandma.
• “Woodland Cemetery”: A photographer has the assignment to shoot Skogskyrkogarden, a cemetery located in the woods of Stockholm. There she sees an old woman placing a lantern on a grave. When the photographer shoots a picture of this very private moment, she soon finds out that this haunting image is more haunted than she bargained for.
• “Little Wolf: the Night Trail”: Can a young boy survive the supernatural creatures of the wild with nothing but a bow and his wits? With his clan totem at his side, Little Wolf just might stand a chance.
• “Sandier”: Night has just fallen. It’s time to go to sleep, except for Sandier whose hard work has only just begun. On his bike, a big canvas bag full of sand in the back, he crosses the city to put the children to sleep. In front of a house, ready to enter, he discovers that he has awkwardly left his bag on his bike. He turns around and discovers with amazement that his bike has disappeared.
• “Hoody”: Here is a comedy about a hoody. A haunted hoody.
• “The Immortal”:  If you had the chance to live forever, would you take it? A man who wants to overcome death learns the secret of immortality, but comes to regret his decision when he discovers that eventually, everything dies – everything except him. Six years in the making, with twenty two shoot days at over thirty locations, The Immortal takes you from the present day to the end of the universe in fifteen minutes.
• “My Religious Family”: A hand-drawn retailing of a child’s religious upbringing in a religious cult with a twist ending.

Night of the Foreign Invaders – International Horror and Sci-fi Shorts

An international charcuterie board of sci-fi and horror shorts, Night of the Foreign Invaders lets you take a trip around the world of short films without leaving your house.

Films:

• “The Last Men”: The lead singer of a Seattle punk band struggles to keep it together when her performance anxiety takes an unexpected form.
• “Evenfall”: A widower with supernatural abilities helps a local detective save her daughter from dark forces.
• “Annie”: Annie is a woman who wakes up in the middle of an abandoned quarry without knowing how, or why, she got there. As she incorporates herself, she begins to understand her complicated situation. Tied to a pole by a metal chain, Annie can’t run away. As the hours go by, her hopes of escape fade.
• “Intrusion”: During a weekend organized by a couple of old friends in their gorgeous countryside house, four couples are suddenly threatened by an armed stranger.
• “There Will Be Monsters”: Monsters exist. They live inside us. And sometimes, they win.
• “The Recycling Man”: In an overpopulated and underprivileged suburban neighborhood, Jacob, a boy immobilized on a wheelchair, fights to protect a girl he spots across the courtyard, doing all he can to warn her of the dark figure entering her room – The Recycling Man.
• “On Air”: In a recording studio, a young sound engineer discovers her mixing board has mysterious abilities, putting her in a position of power over the obnoxious recording artist making her professional life hell.
• “Alone on a County Road”:  In a remote town, a rookie dispatcher initially dismisses a 911 call as a drunk and disorderly. But as the night continues, what began as a typical shift soon turns into the most uncanny incident to have struck the neighborhood.

They’re Coming to Get You, Barbara! – North American Horror and Sci-Fi Shorts

For a homegrown selection of horror and sci-fi shorts, the “Night of the Living Dead”-referencing They’re Coming to Get You, Barbara! should be good fun.

Films:

• “Look Twice”: A night surveillance security guard spots a trespasser on the property; then regrets grabbing their attention once he realizes the intruder is paranormal.
• “I’ll Be Back Tomorrow”: Awoken in the middle of the night, a woman and her partner discover eerie connections in the nightmare she just had, only to realize they might not be alone in their new house.
• “The Relic”: A group of adventurers gets more than they bargained for in search of an ancient legend.
• “Backward Creep”: A group of cosplayers driving to an anime convention are haunted by a supernatural entity after reading a cursed Manga.
• “Endgame”: A father’s cautionary tale about internet safety turns sinister when the lines between truth and fiction are blurred.
• “Killjoy”: When Joy is granted a restraining order from Simon, her friends pressure her to throw a party and celebrate her freedom. But as the party intensifies and her friends start acting strangely, Joy becomes convinced that Simon has found her – causing the night, and her psyche, to spiral out of control.
• “Pelican Milkshake”: The middle of nowhere seems the perfect location to dispose of a corpse. But the middle of nowhere calls all sorts. Fresh in the act of burying her victim, a killer is caught red handed by a hovering drone. Covering up her crime just became a whole lot more bloody complicated.
• “Logan Lee & the Rise of the Purple Dawn”: Logan Lee is in love with his best friend, Beatrice Pan, and tonight, she’s throwing a party! That means DJ Logan’s Fun is in the HOUSE! Now if only he wasn’t so nervous. But not to fear, Auntie Bobbie is here with some of the rarest weed she’s ever laid lungs on, Purple Dawn. Unfortunately, Logan soon discovers there’s much more to this strain than its soothing effects.
• “The Claw”: The lead singer of a Seattle punk band struggles to keep it together when her performance anxiety takes an unexpected form.

We, the Jury – Jury Award-winning Shorts

Collecting jury award-winning Nevermore selections, We the Jury is a good best as a best-in-show collection of Nevermore shorts.

Films:

• “The Relic”: A group of adventurers get more than they bargained for in search of an ancient legend.
• “The Last Men”: The last man on earth is running away from the last zombie.
• “Tea Time”: While having a tea party, a little girl loses her temper and things get bloody.
• “Exit”: With their deadline approaching fast, a small team of construction workers isn’t too happy to find an anomaly in the house they’re renovating. Especially one that breaks the laws of physics. But maybe there’s something to be gained from this? Like a finder’s fee…Or nightmare fuel.
• “Logan Lee & the Rise of the Purple Dawn”: Logan Lee is in love with his best friend, Beatrice Pan, and tonight, she’s throwing a party! That means DJ Logan’s Fun is in the HOUSE! Now if only he wasn’t so nervous. But not to fear, Auntie Bobbie is here with some of the rarest weed she’s ever laid lungs on, Purple Dawn. Unfortunately, Logan soon discovers there’s much more to this strain than its soothing effects.
• “They’re Here”: Unable to cope with the death of her grandmother, Sam becomes convinced that her body is harboring an alien being that must be removed. There is just one problem, nobody believes her, and instead suspect Sam of trying to murder her grandma.
• “The Recycling Man”: In an overpopulated and underprivileged suburban neighborhood, Jacob, a boy immobilized on a wheelchair, fights to protect a girl he spots across the courtyard, doing all he can to warn her of the dark figure entering her room – The Recycling Man.

22nd Annual Nevermore Film Festival – Coming Soon, to a Living Room Near You

Nevermore Film Festival 2021 is set to hit your TV or computer screen, running Feb. 26 through Mar. 4, 2021. There’s a beefy lineup of feature-length films and shorts from all around the world. Check out the schedule, start planning your watch list, and get your tickets! With possibly the strongest lineup of movies since its 1999 inception, Nevermore Film Fest 2021 edition is a veritable treasure trove of cinematic gems for movie lovers.

Your turn: Will YOU be (virtually) attending Nevermore Film Fest 2021? Comment below to let us know which films you’re most excited to watch!