FOGFEST Terrorises the Newfoundland Capital

Just last year, Grind Mind—a collective of talented indie horror filmmakers living in Newfoundland and Labrador, made up of Shane Mills, Justin Wiseman, John Carter, and Francois Van Zyl, along with occasional reoccurring hands in front of/behind the camera—founded FogFest. It was a small affair but featured several local horror shorts (including one I wrote; shameless promotion over), giving those involved locally a great boost of exposure. While Newfoundland is no stranger to film festivals, especially with St. John’s being home to The Nickel for the past two decades, FogFest was now here to offer a little bit of horror for those who adore the genre.
In 2022, FogFest is getting much bigger.

As of this writing, FogFest has officially kicked off tonight on Friday, November 11th with Lucifer’s Launch Party at Erin’s Pub on Water Street in St. John’s, NL. Tonight, FogFest and Dildo Brewing Co. & Museum are launching a new brew, Sailor’s Warning, a limited edition Blood Red American Ale to creep all over yer lips. Plus, good ole Deadflix employee Morgul (a.k.a comedian Paul Warford) is hosting a Horror Trivia Night. Lots of loot to be had! The big ticket? The Satans are back to rock your ass! There’s also a block of music videos playing before the band take the stage, starting FogFest off with a mix of film and music terrors.The horror truly begins on Saturday, November 12th with the first day of the FogFest film festival at the historic LSPU Hall in St. John’s. Doors (and the bar) open at 2pm, then the films start showing from 3-5pm with the first block: Great Fright North, featuring short films such as the trippy, witchy, and innovative Solstitium, Flicker, Pop (an inventive little film that manages to make bubble wrap sinister), Thumbs Up, the stunning Indigenous short Nalujuk Night, and more. Also in this block: an exclusive screening of new television series AbandonedNL, as well as a Q&A afterwards.
Later in the evening from 6:30-8:30pm is Splatterday Night with shorts such as the aptly named Nun With a Chainsaw, There’s Something About Ryan, and others. On top of that is the feature-length Chamber of Terror, directed by Michael Pereira, having its Atlantic Canadian premiere. Following a short break, Saturday at FogFest closes out with another Atlantic Canadian premiere: the big box office indie horror hit, Terrifier 2.
Get ready for Art the Clown to rub your nerves right raw, as nan might say!Day 2 of FogFest opens the doors and bar at 1pm before the first block at 2-4pm with Global Ghouls, featuring international short films like L’oeuf, a clever, dee-licious slice of feminist horror, Leopard Heels—more horror with smart themes centred on women and women’s issues—the intensely unsettling Incubus, and more. Following a break, the next block of the day features two films: The Haunted Swordsman combines unbelievable puppetry with an epic horror-fantasy tale, and Welcome to Kittytown takes viewers to a whole new vision of the world beyond disaster.Once the next break is over, FogFest will be taken over from 7:30-8:30pm by The Phlegm Fatales, a local drag collective of delightful, disgusting madness led by Canada’s Drag Race Season 3 alum, Irma Gerd, and made up of other local talented performers Eda Kumquat, Liezel Hues, Madame Daddy, and \garbagefile. Brace yourselves to be thrilled and chilled, or perhaps get an upset stomach—you’ll just have to wait for whatever The Phlegms serve you, honey! And you will eat it.
And after the final break, FogFest concludes from 9-11pm with Sunday Night Frights with short films like the atmospheric slasher A Walk in the Park, the surreal Siren, and more. Then the final film of the night is Berkley Brady’s Dark Nature, a story about a women’s therapy group who go into the woods for a retreat only to find themselves confronting something much more terrifying than even their darkest memories.