Rob Schmidt at Cine-Excess 2026

One film that demonstrates the power of legends, myths and legacies is the visceral 2003 slasher film Wrong Turn, which has gained cult status for popularising backwoods horror into the new millennium. Set in the Mountain State of West Virginia, abound in the legends of Appalachia, Wrong Turn combined suspenseful filmmaking with the innovative talents of SFX icon Stan Wilson.

As part of this year’s festival, we are delighted to welcome the director of Wrong Turn, Rob Schmidt, who is scheduled to attend the festival in person. Here, Schmidt will be the recipient of a Cine-Excess Innovator of Horror Award, acknowledging his landmark film as well as his wider contributions to cult and independent media practices. As a director who has worked in both television and cinema, in both the horror and thriller genres - often mixing types of story-telling to great hybrid effect - Schmidt will be giving a masterclass based on his career and experiences, which will be a valuable experience to academics and students alike.

Rob Schmidt receives his Cine-Excess Innovator of Horror Award at the Odeon New Street on Thursday 22 October at 8pm. Here, he will also be discussing his participation in the new documentary Scum of the Earth: Creating America’s Rural Communities of Horror, which is part the screening programme at the festival.