15 Films, 3 Days, a festival to die for

The fifth annual Nevermore Film Festival debuts at Durham's Carolina Theatre this weekend, showcasing fifteen of the best, brightest and never-before-seen in North Carolina independent films. Traditionally dedicated to horror, goth and fantasy, Nevermore is all about expanding the possibilities of independent filmmaking, but in a good, gory kind of way. Each of these films is decidedly the better for lack of studio supervision, because when it comes to independent filmmaking there aren't any boundaries--just newer, more creative ways of killing people.

Forget anything you thought you knew about independent film. Nevermore represents an entire cross-section of independent filmmaking, including everything from low-budget student films to international blockbusters. This is an opportunity to savor the most unapologetically indulgent of the genre; from no-holds-barred slashers and impossible conspiracy-theory science fiction, to the most elaborate exercises in spoof, farce and black comedy. Cursed as we are with such a limited fantasy-horror repertoire (pretty much every horror flick of the last decade or so seems like a patchwork of the old Stephen King and teen-scream classics), Nevermore picks up where the studios can't (or won't) go, taking chances on elaborate plots and lots of gore.

Nevermore also provides a great opportunity to talk directly to directors and producers. Filmmakerss Alan Rowe Kelly (I'll Bury You Tomorrow), Brian and Laurence Avenet-Bradley (Ghost of the Needle), Stefan Avalos (The Ghosts of Edendale) and Ian Hayes Brett (At Night With No Curtains) will be in attendance, introducing their films and remaining afterward for questions. Even if you don't have any specific questions it's always entertaining to listen. Q&A's are a great opportunity to examine technique and talk shop, and most filmmakers are eager for feedback.

Ultrachrist is director Kerry Douglas Dye's sequel to last year's whoa-there surprise hit, Jesus Christ: Vampire Hunter. Where Vampire Hunter featured kung-fu atheists and lesbian vampires, Ultrachrist is a more mature, reflective piece contemplating modern-day spirituality in a busy, soulless world. Plunked down in that modern-day garden of earthly delights--New York City--our bewildered Savior in Spandex gathers lost lambs, resists worldly, worldly temptation and locks horns with the Antichrist-slash-New York City Parks Commissioner and his army of sinners. The dude sings, too. From the theme song "A New, Pro-Sex Kind of Savior": "All like their fun / so what's up nun / How 'bout you drop that habit?" (Saturday, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, 9:45 p.m.)

I'll Bury You Tomorrow is the story of Dolores, a beautiful young mortician (the very best kind) seeking work in a New Jersey funeral home. Delores likes to cuddle with cadavers. She talks to them, too. ("You are a little ripe," she smirks, spritzing one bruised stiff with cologne.) This is the best kind of horror film--all the blood-guts-and-adrenaline sensuality of a good slasher, with a surprisingly substantial plot. (Saturday, 10 p.m.; Sunday, 7:15 p.m.)

My Little Eye returns by request, following its debut this fall at the Carolina's Escapism Film Festival. If we've learned anything from reality TV--bless that addictive bullshit--it's that the higher the stakes, the bigger the twist. Five co-dependent strangers compete for millions, their lives recorded on 24-hour webcams. The question: Why isn't anyone watching? (Sunday, 7:30 p.m.)

The Ghosts of Edendale is the story of East coast yuppies-turned-screenwriters who move to a creepy Hollywood neighborhood where everyone's in the business. Director Stefan Avalos is renowned for his early advances in digital filmmaking technique. Look out for seamless special effects, including ghostly faces in the wood of a backyard fence. (Saturday, 5:15 p.m.; Sunday, 1 p.m.)

From director John Hancock (Let's Scare Jessica to Death) comes Suspended Animation, the story of an animator's inexplicable obsession with the reclusive cannibalistic family that tries to kill him. Hancock's film, which includes a neat animated sequence, is big, sprawling and goes on forever--in the very best sort of way--because a good horror film is never really over. (Friday, 9:15 p.m.; Saturday, 3:15 p.m.)

But who will stalk the stalkers? Ghost of the Needle settles all the nagging little horror questions that other films tend to gloss over: what to do with a recent kill, for example, (vacuum pack for freshness); or how to tourniquet a neck wound (sorry). Most importantly, it explores the possibility of the hunter--you knew this was coming--becoming the hunted. 'Cause even serial killers are scared of needle-wielding psychos. (Saturday, 3 p.m.; Sunday, 3 p.m.)

Lethal Dose features abandoned laboratories, animal testing, torture chambers, idealistic Brits, wayward poltergeists and even a Spice Girl (Melanie Brown). Quite possibly the festival's freakiest offering in terms of creative mutilation. (Saturday, 5:30 p.m.; Sunday, 3:15 p.m.)

Don Coscarelli's Bubba Ho-Tep is another feature piece and the festival's most-requested title. Elvis (Bruce Campbell) and JFK (Ossie Davis) play geriatric buddies in a Texas nursing home, battling an ancient, evil villain (former president Lyndon Johnson or possibly an Egyptian Soul Sucker). You can't make this stuff up. (Saturday, 7:45 p.m.)

Additional selections include At Night With No Curtains, a creepy Civil War ghost story by North Carolina director Ian Hayes Brett (Saturday, 1 p.m.; Sunday, 5 p.m.); the big budget Korean sci-fi flick Yesterday (Friday, 7 p.m.; Saturday, 7 p.m.; Sunday, 7 p.m.); roadkill thriller Monster Man (Friday, 7:10 p.m.); the utterly indescribable (but most highly recommended) The American Astronaut (Saturday, 10:15 p.m.; Sunday, 1:15 p.m.); and Octane, which stars a solid young cast (Bijou Phillips, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, and "The O.C.'s" Mischa Barton) experimenting with car wrecks and satanic cults. (Saturday, 1:15 p.m.; Sunday, 5:15 p.m.)