Bad Karaoke sets Tubi FrightFest world premiere for August
The horror-comedy from Chris Lightbody and Robert J. Steinmiller Jr. will premiere in London after releasing its trailer.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
2 min read
A killer karaoke machine is warming up for its first big audience.
Bad Karaoke, a new horror-comedy directed by Chris Lightbody and Robert J. Steinmiller Jr., will make its world premiere at Tubi FrightFest in London on Aug. 30, Variety reported. The screening is set for the ODEON Luxe West End.
The film has also released its trailer ahead of the festival bow, according to Variety. The genre title is being billed as a bloody, tongue-in-cheek indie with a cast led by Lexi Underwood of Little Fires Everywhere, Case Walker of The Other Two and singer-actor Kat Cunning of Trinkets.
Lightbody wrote the screenplay with producer Spencer Yaras, Variety reported. Steinmiller Jr. shares directing credit with Lightbody.
A singalong with a body count
According to the film’s official synopsis cited by Variety, the story follows Emily, a keyboardist in a wedding band, after she finds an old karaoke machine tucked away in a dive bar.
What starts as a chance for a night of singing with her bandmates turns nasty fast. The machine, the synopsis says, appears to want blood once the music starts.
The group initially believes they have cracked the rules when one strong performance seems to keep a singer alive. That theory does not last long, according to the synopsis, and more deaths follow before a mysterious stranger helps the survivors see a possible way out.
The setup puts the film squarely in late-night festival territory: bar-room bonding, cursed tech and the kind of audience-participation nightmare that makes one bad note feel dangerous.
The directors blame karaoke trauma
In a statement reported by Variety, Lightbody and Steinmiller Jr. said the movie grew out of years spent enduring painful karaoke performances that, in their words, nearly sent them to an early grave.
The filmmakers said they discovered that many people have had what they called near-death karaoke experiences and wanted to play with that idea. They also joked that they planned to say something profound about new music, but instead made Bad Karaoke.
Tubi FrightFest, the London-based genre festival, will host the film’s world premiere. Variety identified the festival screening as taking place on Aug. 30 at the ODEON Luxe West End.
No wider release plans, runtime or additional festival dates were included in Variety’s report.
This story draws on original reporting from Variety.