The Final Hex: Hexploitation Film Fest Farewell Tour - Dates and Events Announced!

 

After 15 years of thrills, chills, and kills, Hamilton, Ontario's Hexploitation Film Festival is being retired. To send off Hamilton's longest-running festival and screening program dedicated to horror and genre films, we invite you to The Final Hex: Hexploitation Farewell Tour with dates across the month of April. The Final Hex is the distillation of what we do best: curating entertaining B-Movie oddities, showcasing bold new independent horror and genre films from local filmmakers, hosting interactive prize giveaways, and bringing bona fide horror classics to the big screen.

To celebrate the Hamilton community, The Final Hex is rolling out in partnership with other film screening series and across multiple venues and including Farside Hamilton, The Staircase Studio Theatre, The Way of the Sword Film Talk Series at The Westdale, Crypt Cinema at Doors Pub, and the historic Playhouse Cinema.

We are offering both free, pay-what-you-can, and ticketed film events. Our final schedule of cinematic monsters, maniacs, and murder and venue / ticket information is below:

Wed. April 3, 2024 | 9:00pm

• B-MOVIE BINGO

MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE

USA| 1987| 105 min |

FREE

@ Farside Hamilton

288 James Street North (at Barton)

Hamilton, Ontario 

 

*Interactive Prize Giveaway!*

The Hexploitation Film Festival brings back it interactive B-Movie Bingo game to The Farside Hamilton! Witness He-Man and Skeletor battle for the universe while filling out custom-made Bingo cards featuring dialogue or events that happen in the film. Create a straight line and win a prize! One Bingo-card per attendee. 

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Sat. April 6, 2024 | 9:00pm

• HXFF Presents:

HERE FOR BLOOD (w/ short film DUCK AND COVER)

CAN| 2022| 100 min | NR

@ The Staircase Studio Theatre

27 Dundurn St. N

Hamilton, Ontario

A rowdy pro-wrestler filling in for his girlfriend on a babysitting job gets more than he bargained for when a cult of masked intruders descends on the home. "Here For Blood may possibly be the best horror comedy wrestling movie done yet. It’s a heart-pounding roundhouse punch of a good time." - Film Threat

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Thu. April 11, 2024 | 7:00pm

• Hexploitation Film Festival &

The Way of the Sword Presents:

TOP KNOT DETECTIVE

JPN/AUS| 2017| 90 min | NR

Get Tickets

@ The Westdale

1014 King St. W

Hamilton, Ontario

A fascinating and funny documentary-style look at the obscure and hilariously insane Japanese TV show "Top Knot Detective" that became a cult hit in Australia in the 90s, bringing to light for the first time the shocking "true" crime behind-the-scenes drama. A love letter to lost media and cult TV and film oddities.

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Wed. April 17, 2024 | 8:30pm

• Crypt Cinema &

HXFF Present:

MURDER BY PHONE

CAN| 1982| 95 min | NR

PYWC / FOOD DONATION

@ Doors Pub

56 Hess St. S

Hamilton, Ontario

*Interactive Prize Giveaway!*

Play along with your phone!

A deranged killer is murdering people over the phone with deadly sound waves while a local professor rushes around Toronto trying to stop him. When the killer calls on-screen, randomly chosen audience members will receive a call to their own cellphones and a chance to win prizes! If you die, you get a runner-up prize! If you survive, you walk away with the grand prize!

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Fri. April 19 & Sat. April 20, 2024

• Playhouse Cinema &
HXFF Present:
DAWN OF THE DEAD
USA| 1978 | 127 min | R
Get Tickets
@ The Playhouse
177 Sherman Ave. N.
Hamilton, Ontario

THE FINAL HEXPLOITATION SCREENINGS EVER! 

Long heralded as one of the greatest, most influential horror films of all time, this ferocious cinematic shocker has been one of the most requested theatrical revival titles from fright fans the world over for the last 30+ years. Unlike other cinematic favorites, George A. Romero’s DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978) is still not available on any streaming platform, nor on cable, and has been out-of-print on DVD and BluRay in the U.S. for over a decade, so the hunger to watch it just keeps growing among its ravenous fans. Furthermore, the cult following for the film has grown exponentially since its release and is so large now it is estimated that over 80% of DAWN OF THE DEAD’s fans have never experienced this legendary epic in a theatre. That all changes starting this year!

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OFFICIAL AFTERPARTY

Sun. April 21, 2024 | 8:00pm - 11:30pm

• HXFF Presents:

FIRST JASON LIVE AT DOORS TACO AND METAL BAR

Get Tickets

@ Doors: Taco Joint & Metal Bar

56 Hess St. S

Hamilton, Ontario

First Jason Live at Doors Pub! Movie screening with Live commentary by the Ari Lehman -- the first Jason Voorhees himself. Followed by live sets by First Jason and musical guests Blood Opera & 30 immolated ; 16 returned 

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THE FINAL HEX: 2024 Hexploitation Film Festival Farewell Tour

 

Hello friends,

After 15 years of thrills, chills, and kills, The Hexploitation Film Festival is coming to an end…but not without one last scream. THE FINAL HEX Farwell Tour will bring the Hexploitation's unique program of monsters, maniacs, and murder to a series of venues throughout Hamilton all culminating in not-to-be-missed screenings in April 2024. Participating venues and events to be announced soon!

I joined Fright Night Theatre, as it was called when it debuted in 2009, as part of the group Horror in the Hammer. Horror in the Hammer was a collective of horror fans and creatives in Hamilton, ON, Canada, who were organizing and creating horror-related art and events such as the annual Hamilton Zombie Walk and Charity Food Drive as well as Fright Night Theatre a monthly screening series at The Staircase Theatre (27 Dundurn St. N). The first screening was a double-feature of Stuart Gordon's H.P. Lovecraft adaptations (From Beyond and Dagon) on June 24, 2009. The joy I experienced in our ability to bring people together and curate a selection of films to delight, amuse, and horrify had me hooked! I stayed on with Fright Night Theatre, eventually becoming the head of programming in December 2012. I expanded Fright Night Theatre into the Fright Night Theatre Film Festival in 2014 and then we became the Hexploitation Film Festival in 2017. In these 15 years, I've done so much and have had the privilege to meet and work with so many amazing, talented individuals and provide a springboard for the careers of Canadian and international artists.

All things, however, must come to an end. We will be closing the coffin lid on the Hexploitation Film Festival this April. Details about participating venues, films, tickets, and more are coming very soon. 

To all our fans and supporters, thank you for being a part of this adventure with us. We hope you'll join us for the Final Hex; you're not going to want to miss this!

All the bloody best,

Aaron Allen

Director: Hexploitation Film Festival