FrightFest may have been going since the year 2000, but we guarantee that even the most long-standing of attendees will not have seen anything like Michael Hurst’s Transmission. The premise is simple – an unseen person flicks through late-night television and finds themselves sucked into a weird and wild occurrence. The execution of Hurst’s idea is anything, but simplistic however. Hurst weaves together a raft of programming that, although initially separate, slowly starts to interconnect to form a much bigger and bolder story. Transmission will screen at Pigeon Shrine FrightFest on Saturday 26th August at 11pm on the Main Screen. Its position on the schedule is perfect and will more easily allow the FrightFest attendees to be transported to the dead hours of television.
Although experimental in nature and construction, Transmission is a film that rewards the viewer going along with the journey. There is deep satisfaction as you slowly piece together information, connect the dots and figure out where Hurst’s story might be headed. Its strangeness makes the project stand out as unique, but it is the hardwork and dedication of Hurst that ultimately sells the project. Self-financed, Michael Hurst has poured blood, sweat, and tears into Transmission, not to mention all the hours of late-night television viewing. We at THN believe that his efforts have paid off and Transmission comes with strong recommendations from us.
Hurst himself is no stranger to directing horror with his credits including House of the Dead 2, The Darkroom, and Pumpkinhead: Blood Feud. Despite a strong catalogue of genre titles on his resume, Transmission will mark Hurst’s debut at FrightFest. Ahead of Transmission’s World Premiere at FrightFest THN were able to get some time with Hurst to pick his brain about the project. Our discussion covered the importance and magic of a long editing process, the weird nature of late-night television, and exactly what a young Ben Wheatley was like to collaborate with.
Transmission screens at Pigeon Shrine FrightFest on Saturday 26th August 2023. Tickets are still available here.
