‘Match’ Swipes Right on Terror at Black Sunday Film Festival

One swipe can change your life. In Match, it may end it. Turning the world of online dating into the setting for a sinister horror tale, the new feature from director Danishka Esterhazy is set to have its UK premiere at Black Sunday Film Festival‘s Midsummer Scream before making its UK home entertainment debut later this summer.

Following its recent release overseas, Match will receive a special screening at Black Sunday Film Festival on Saturday 18 July, giving UK horror fans the chance to experience the film on the big screen before it arrives on Digital, Blu-ray and DVD from Signature Entertainment on 24 August. The screening will be followed by Hira Vin’s short film He as part of the festival’s packed Midsummer Scream one day event programme.

The film centres on Paola, played by Humberly González, whose decision to meet a handsome stranger after matching online quickly descends into something far more disturbing. According to the official synopsis, what begins as an ordinary first date leads her into a building hiding dark secrets, forcing her into a terrifying fight for survival.

González, whose recent credits include Netflix’s Ginny & Georgia, The Waterfront and Sony’s Tarot, leads a cast that also features Shaeane Jimenez, Dianne Simpson, Jacques Adriaanse and Luke Volker. The production also boasts practical creature and prosthetic effects created by Dreamsmith artist Jaco Snyman, whose previous work includes Mad Max: Fury Road.

Behind the camera is acclaimed Canadian filmmaker Danishka Esterhazy, whose directing credits include Slumber Party Massacre, The Banana Splits Movie and the television series SurrealEstate. Esterhazy has also received recognition from both the Canadian Screen Awards and the Directors Guild of Canada for her work on I Was Lorena Bobbitt, while earlier in her career she won the Amazon Filmmaker Award at the Sundance Film Festival.

The screenplay comes from brothers Jon and Al Kaplan. The pair have become familiar names among horror audiences through their work on Terrifier 3, contributing the music for the viral song ‘It’s a Terrifier Christmas’, while Al Kaplan also co-created the cult horror comedy Zombeavers. Jon Kaplan’s recent writing credits also include Lowlifes.

For Black Sunday audiences, Match continues the festival’s tradition of mixing established genre names with newer voices. Its combination of online dating paranoia, dark humour and elaborate practical effects offers another distinctive addition to this year’s Midsummer Scream programme.

Match screens at Black Sunday Film Festival on Saturday 18 July before arriving on UK Digital, Blu-ray and DVD from Signature Entertainment on 24 August. For more information and tickets to the festival, visit: blacksundayff.com

Match trailer

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