Buddhist horror: Award-winning fear flix get screenings

Lara Blake and Ashley Florence eat your delusions in Brian Wimer's Buddhist horror movie Mantra.
Photo by Sallah Baloch

Friday, October 16 update: the two end-of-month screenings have been canceled, but the Eat Me screening slated for the 18th will continue as planned, according to musician Lance Brenner.

Local audiences will finally get a taste of Mantra, a Buddhist-themed horror movie, and Eat Me: A Zombie Musical featuring original compositions by Lance Brenner of The Falsies fame. Both films by Charlottesville director Brian Wimer brought home awards from the the Fright Night Film Fest in August.

In Mantra, the director transformed peaceful 4-H Camp Albemarle into a den of mental terror after a guru dies.

"It's mind boggling," says 22-year-old Lara Blake who played a spectral character based on Kali, the Hindu goodess of time and death.

Blake says the multi-armed Kali was reduced to just her own two arms due to budget constraints but that the resulting feature film still lets the theme of internal demons run wild.

"It's like a David Lynch movie," says Blake. "You have to see it for yourself to figure it out."

Both films will screen at Vinegar Hill Theatre at 220 W. Market Street. Mantra will screen Wednesday, September 30 at 9pm (with an after party at the Tea Bazaar), Saturday, September 26th at noon, and Saturday, October 31 at midnight. Eat Me will screen Sunday, October 18 at 9pm (with an after party with live music from the Falsies, location TBA) and again on Friday, October 30 at midnight.