How are FEBRUARY and THE GIRL IN THE PHOTOGRAPHS Connected?

The girl in this photograph from February is just trying to serve birthday cake to her classmates.

At this year's Midnight Madness, Nick Simon's The Girl In The Photographs is screening. And at this year's Vanguard, Oz Perkins's February is also screening. How are these two films connected? Join us for The Case Of The Connected Movies!

February is written and directed by Oz Perkins. It tells the story of a creepy girls' school (not to be confused with Girlschool) and two girls who are "assailed by an evil, invisible power when they are stranded at the school over winter break."  It also stars Kiernan Shipka, Emma Roberts, and Lucy Boynton.

There are no girls in this photograph. Definitely a conspiracy.

The Girl In The Photographs is directed by Nick Simon, but what's this? Oz Perkins also shares a writing credit. And he's written and acted in other Nick Simon movies, notably Removal. Hrm. The plot thickens.

The Girl In The Photographs is also a movie about a girl, in this case, Colleen, "a bored young woman in a sleepy community" who "starts receiving photographs of brutally murdered young women." But there's more...

Mysteries Of The Unexplained!

Lucy Boynton plays a character named Rose, while in February, there's another character named Rose, played by Miranda Rae Mayo. Meanwhile, Nima Fakhara, who provided the score for The Girl in the Photographs, also provided the score for another movie written by Nick Simon, The Pyramid. And we all know who is responsible for the Pyramids, right?

Brian Ufberg is the editor on February and he also edited a film called Elvis Has Left The Building. You know who has a brother named Elvis? Director Oz Perkins.

Speaking of February, on the show Mad Men, Kiernan Shipka's character Sally Draper was the daughter of Betty Draper, portrayed by actress JANUARY Jones. Coincidence? Maybe.

At this point, there can be only one conclusion: it's all a conspiracy to try and get us to go see February and The Girl In The Photographs.

FEBRUARY Screening Times:
Mon. Sept 14, 6:45PM SCOTIABANK 9
Fri. Sept 18, 6:45PM BLOOR HOT DOCS

THE GIRL IN THE PHOTOGRAPHS Screening Times:
Mon, Sept 14, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Wed, Sept 16, 5:00 PM SCOTIABANK 1
Fri, Sept 18, 9:15 PM SCOTIABANK 3

FEBRUARY: Director Profile: 5 Questions for Oz Perkins

Premiering at TIFF tonight, February tells the story of three young girls who are intertwined by a dark, malevolent spirit that is plaguing them. Kat (Kiernan Shipka) is a quiet young girl who has been left at her prep school because her parents mysteriously never showed up, but she makes due by trying to befriend the elusive (and good-smellin') Rose (Lucy Boynton). Far away is Joan (Emma Roberts) who commences a blood soaked voyage to the school, with her motives unclear to the audience until the very end.

February is the debut feature for writer-director Oz Perkins, who although has never sat in the director's chair before, is no stranger to the film industry, working as a writer, actor and editor on several different pieces. I got the chance to chat with him about horror, movies and writing horror movies. (It's really all that I ever concern myself with.)

Richelle Charkot: What attracts you to horror? 

Oz Perkins: The dark glamour; the raw emotion. The fact that horror is all about that which is hidden from us which is far more interesting to me than all that we can see and know and understand. 

RC: What were some of the challenges with shooting February?

OP: It was extremely cold, with a two week prep. 

RC: Who are some of your favourite creepy girls in horror movies? 

OP: Sissy Spacek in Carrie, Eli from Let the Right One In and Catherine Deneuve in Repulsion.

RC: If you were in charge of a late night double-feature at a theatre, what two movies would you play?

OP: Eraserhead and Don't Look Now. 

RC: Can you name some films that first attracted you to the idea of writing and directing a horror film?

OP: The Shining, Let the Right One In, Don't Look Now, Rosemary's Baby, The Strangers, Psycho, Repulsion.

FEBRUARY screening times:

Monday, Sept. 14th, 6:45 PM SCOTIABANK 9
Friday, Sept. 18th, 6:45 PM THE BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA