Gore, gimps and a potty-mouthed magpie: welcome to the Lisbon horror festival where nightmares are a dream
MotelX – Portugal’s only film festival dedicated to horror – hopes to inspire local film-makers by showcasing world-class scares. Now in its 20th edition, its directors say truly nerve-shredding cinema is its holy grail
TL;DR
- The MotelX horror festival in Lisbon has grown significantly, expanding to 11 days and featuring over 170 films from 40 countries.
- While traditional midnight screenings have declined, the horror genre is experiencing a boom, evident in the festival's abundant crowds and flashy branding.
- MotelX originated from a private film club in the 1990s, catering to Portugal's developing interest in horror, a genre historically suppressed by the Estado Novo regime.
- The festival aims to fill a void in Portuguese horror cinema by supporting unproduced screenplays and showcasing local short films.
- Notable films at the festival include Mohammad Reza Ardalan's 'Poultry Farm,' a grim Iranian social realism film, and US horror-comedy 'Drag.'
- Directors Souto and Monteiro are on a quest to find genuinely nerve-shredding films, which they consider the festival's 'holy grail,' noting that audiences today are harder to frighten.