Winner of Best Horror in-show at TIFF, SHIFTED, is coming to K-W

Winner of Best Horror in-show at the Toronto Independent Film Festival, local production company, Fable Forest Film, will debut their indie horror flick, SHIFTED, just in time for the spooky season.

Filmed entirely in a house in the K-W, SHIFTED will play at Apollo Cinema in Kitchener on Oct. 1 and Oct. 6. after four years in the works. 

“Back in 2018, we were creatively stuck and so decided to shoot a film without a script,” read a description posted by the Fable Forest Film team. “It was tough. Long nights, writing pages as we went, throwing out scenes that didn't work, adding in new intense moments. It took us four years to finally be at this point right here.” 

The first horror-thriller by Fable Forest Films, which has produced three other indie films, the plot focuses on a group trapped in a house while trying to catch a killer. The twist? It’s the middle of winter and the house is surrounded by murderous creatures. 

“This movie, in particular, doesn't have a lot of like big landmarks in it…but it is still cool to see it’s made by people in the community,” said Becca Dallaire, Apollo Cinema director of operations. “It's actually crazy how many independent filmmakers are (in the K-W) and we've had so many of them come to the Apollo especially recently, which has been great.” 

Tickets are almost gone for SHIFTED’s opening night, and the Fable Forest Team says the encore screening is about one-third sold.

Dallaire anticipates this will be Apollo’s first sold-out show since 2020, when COVID-19 put the future of cinema into question. But the local cinema has more in-store for their Apolloween-film-showcase. 

“It's just an excuse to play nothing but Halloween and horror movies for all of October,” said Dallaire, a fan of the venue's long-running tradition. “Since so much of our audience loves Halloween and our staff loves Halloween so much, we decided to lump them all together.” 

While Dallaire is most excited for her favourite splatter flick, the original “Saw,” Apollo has more than gore prepared. In addition to a special edition of Clapback Queens, a performance featuring commentary and a drag show during Stephen King’s “Carrie,” there will be more family-friendly events. 

“We have an interactive screening of Casper which I'm really looking forward to,” said Dallaire. “I loved Casper the Friendly Ghost so much as a kid and it really holds up even now.” 

Tickets for SHIFTED can be purchased here. For more information about Apolloween, go to Apollo Cinema's website.