Hellfest to Haunt Atlanta

I’ve always feared that huge sci-fi/comic conventions, where attendees often dress up as their favorite characters (e.g. Dragoncon), would be tailor made for a violent psycho (or group thereof) to go on a random massacre. After all, when nearly everyone is cosplaying and many are wielding “weapons,” it seems like it would be somewhat easy for an individual or small group to smuggle in some actual dangerous weaponry and blend in. The plot of the upcoming horror/schocker movie Hellfest sort of runs with a similar concept – a costumed killer enters a theme park on Halloween night and begins slaying unsuspecting patrons who think it’s all part of the “show.” After initially tapping TV director Jennifer Lynch (The Walking Dead, Teen Wolf, Quantico) to helm it, CBS Films subsequently switched gears and chose Get Out editor Gregory Plotkin (Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension) to direct. No cast announced yet, but cameras are expected to begin rolling in Atlanta by early March, with a swift post-production process rushing toward an Oct. 12th release date. But if you can’t wait that long, France’s annual Hellfest open-air heavy metal/hard rock festival (pictured) happens June 22-24, with Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Avenged Sevenfold, Deftones, Napalm Death, Marilyn Manson, Megadeth and Turbonegro among those performing, hopefully with no homicidal maniacs on the loose. (You are correct – this has nothing to do with the movie.)