The Shrine Kicks Off 2010’s Frightening Late Night Line-up!

The Calgary International Film Festival takes place exactly a month before Halloween - coincidence? I think not. I prefer to think that it is some spooky, supernatural spirit at work, conditioning audiences to brace themselves for another month of macabre mayhem. Cineplexes across the city will soon have their marquees brimming with gore-laden features, but CIFF gives horror fans the opportunity to experience some of the scariest, bloodiest, and most frightening films that may not be available in theaters this fall. So this is a call to all of you ghoulish geeks out there to gather your nerves and your bravest pals, and head on down to the Late Night Line-up for a screamingly scary time. Your vocal chords will thank you once October rolls around and you’re shrieking “Trick or Treat!” - whichever of the two is more your fancy...

Friday’s late night feature is The Shrine - a Canadian supernatural thriller from director Jon Knautz (Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer), filmed in both Pickering and Vaughan, Ontario. An enthusiastic journalist, Carmen (played by Cindy Sampson), is bored with the humdrum articles and stories she covers day-in and day-out. Fed up with her boss, she ignores his instructions to stay away from a disturbing story taking place in a secluded Polish village. Tourists are mysteriously disappearing without explanation, and Carmen wants to know why. Armed with her wits, a notebook, and a camera, she drags her boyfriend Marcus (Aaron Ashmore), and her assistant Sara (Meghan Heffern) off to Poland in search of the truth. What they find is a village of cold and hateful locals who will do anything to keep them from venturing into the mysterious fog on the outskirts of town and seeing something they would rather was hidden forever.


A suitable introduction to the Late Night Line-up, The Shrine is not a film of gore-overkill, but rather is a psychologically engaging story that will warm you up to the violence yet to come. It has its share of pain, blood, and brutality, but saves most of it for the pay-off during the final climax, keeping the viewer engaged right to the bitter end. It boasts homages to films like The Ruins and The Exorcist, but still remains original in its intent and script. The creepiest images are reserved for the most appropriate moments, and might get you when you least expect it. Isolation, trickery, and miscommunication between the villagers and the unlucky band of investigators all give the film an off-putting atmosphere of confusion and desperation.

The Shrine was featured at the 2010 Fantasia International Film Festival, and has now made its way to the silver screen at CIFF. You can catch this soon-to-be cult hit Friday, September 24th, at the Plaza Theatre in Kensington at 11:30 PM. Tickets can be purchased online here.

Happy Horror Season!!