Monster Fest 2021

Overview

Movie lovers of Melbourne, the big screen beckons — and a heap of weird and wonderful flicks along with it. While nothing about 2021 has turned out as planned for the second year in a row, the city's annual celebration of genre and cult cinema will still be taking over Cinema Nova. Mark Thursday, December 2–Sunday, December 12 in your diary.

This year, December isn't just about getting festive. It's also about Monster Fest's ten-day tenth anniversary program, and all the scares, thrills and OTT on-screen chaos that comes with it. The 2021 lineup kicks off with Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, after all, so it's throwing zombies into the mix from the get-go. Also serving up the undead: closing night's Aussie horror sequel Wyrmwood Apocalypse.

Across a selection of flicks that spans hauntings, revenge tales, eerie islands and more, other highlights include The Scary of Sixty First, which finds a bold way to riff on a huge real-life news story; Slumber Party Massacre, a new remake of the 1982 movie; Black Friday, which tasks horror icon Bruce Campbell with dealing with bloodthirsty bargain-hunters; and Bull, about a gang enforcer seeking vengeance against those who double-crossed him.

Or, there's also Crabs!, about murderous sea monsters; the Melbourne-shot Mutt, about illegal dogfighting; and a retrospective screening of Aussie found footage horror classic The Tunnel to celebrate its tenth anniversary.