1982 was a rich year for horror cinema. The Thing. Poltergeist. Creepshow.

All the far-fetched frights our minds could barely comprehend. In the little town of New Hope, Oregon, the minds of it’s citizens are about witness just how far the mind, and body, can stretch.

In any Nothing-Goes-On-Here town in the U.S., you’re going to have a few choice things: a general store, a roller-rink (for the kids) and a local cinema, the center of the universe to Reels (Drew Scheid), it’s resident projector operator and film buff. His encyclopedic knowledge of films, directors, and genres of cinema extends beyond the mainstream, setting him far apart from bored, bible-beaten teen Penny (Chloë Kerwin), her best friend and object of her crush Mia (Rain Spencer), and simple townsboy Simon (Johnny Berchtold), who’s mother is dying of cancer.

When the only access bridge to and from the town is blocked due to an unknown incident, events take a turn for the weird. A “focus group” is sending a Test Screening to New Hope for a classified film title. Reels, in all his excitement believes its a new Star Wars installment and coaxes all his friends to come. All are in attendance, save for Penny, whose father believes that films can be the Devil at work.

To Reel’s chagrin, the film isn’t Star Wars. It’s a mindbending visual virus that begins splitting the town into sociopaths and melded monsters. Reels and Penny are at the mercy of saving New Hope and it’s residents and hopefully make it out alive.

Sure, Test Screening draws inspiration from classics like The Thing and Invasion of the Body Snatchers, channeling the themes of paranoia and the unseen horror lurking within the uncanny. It stokes that era’s deep-seated anxiety about the post-70s expectation of conformity and loss of self, using New Hope as a battleground for freedom and manipulation to collide. It’s practical effects are a top-notch nod to evocative mind control and body horror, mirroring that decade’s best films.

Test Screening played at Fright Fest in August 2024