There exist people in this world who make a yearly return to nature, wandering into the woods and finding themselves by forsaking the conveniences of everyday life. I myself probably couldn’t do this– I suspect I carry a disposition to getting eaten by a bear– but I can relate to the impulse. This is because, every spring, I similarly set aside the better part of a week to give over to my more primal instincts. This is the week I take up residence at the Brattle for one of my favorite annual cinematic traditions: the Boston Underground Film Festival.

Now in its 24th year, the Boston Underground Film Festival (BUFF to those in the know) is one of the most reliably bonkers and surprising festivals this side of Park City. The festivities kick off tonight with the East Coast premiere of the new Sydney Sweeney nunsploitation spookfest Immaculate, followed by the American Genre Film Archive’s brand new restoration of the certifiably nutzoid Hong Kong action epic Fatal Termination. Nearly everything along the way is making its New England, East Coast, North American, or even World premiere, making this your perfect opportunity to get a jump on your film-freak buddies.

The underground is, needless to say, global, and BUFF is as always a thoroughly international affair. On display are films from France (the urban spider invasion flick Infested), Malaysia (the coming-of-age body horror firecracker Tiger Stripes), and South Korea (the psychological terror of Sleep), to say nothing of international co-productions (Omen, directed by Congolese rapper-turned-filmmaker Baloji, was Belgium’s submission to this year’s Academy Awards). Of course, this is the Boston Underground Film Festival, and, happily, local talent is well represented. Thursday sees the world premiere of Joseph Mault’s Cape Cod-shot thriller Strange Kindness, with the director in attendance for a Q&A (watch this space for the Hassle’s interview with Mault in the coming days). And it wouldn’t be BUFF without the traditional “Dunwich Horrors” program of locally-sourced short films. 

I’ve written a lot about BUFF over the years; this is my ninth year covering it professionally, and I’ve been attending for as long as I’ve been living in Boston. I could continue to wax poetic about the festival’s many pleasures and virtues, but my love of BUFF boils down to this: it’s fucking fun. Few festivals have such a bottomless capacity to surprise, delight, and shock, and there’s little in this world I love more than buckling into my seat at the Brattle and letting its offerings wash over me. As always, the Hassle’s crack team of intrepid film writers will be covering the proceedings, but I also strongly recommend simply trying your luck and grabbing a ticket for something you’ve never heard of before. Whatever you end up seeing, there’s a good chance you’ve never seen anything like it.

The Boston Underground Film Festival runs from Wednesday, 3/20 through Sunday, 3/24 @ Brattle Theatre. Check out the BUFF website for showtimes and ticket info, and watch this space for the Hassle’s continuing coverage!