THREE NIGHTS THAT REDEFINED THE BOUNDARIES OF ARTISTIC EXTREMITY
The third and final night of the fourth Slaughter Festival in Doljevac fulfilled all expectations – and then some. A fusion of avant-garde performances, intense music, and apocalyptic cinematic visions marked the festival’s closing act, once again pushing the boundaries of what art can be.
An unexpected last-minute cancellation by the Niš-based experimental project Figurative Theatre didn’t disrupt the evening – Gen 678 stepped in spontaneously, keeping the audience entranced with their energy and unique sound. Next came Iron Made In Ni, a local Iron Maiden tribute band, who once again proved their reputation as crowd favorites – powerful renditions of classics and charismatic showmanship electrified the venue. Novi Sad’s Orb Ov God delivered a precise and atmospheric black/death metal set, while Finland’s Sonic Poison closed the night with a deathgrind assault – raw, relentless, and uncompromising in every distorted riff and guttural scream hurled at the senses of the Doljevac crowd.
FILM PROGRAM: A NIGHT OF APOCALYPSE AND EXPERIMENTAL TRIUMPH
The main festival hall showcased a selection of short horror films from Grossmann Festival 2024, while the Mexican film La Lotería illuminated the darker layers of folkloric imagination. The night reached its climax with the Shock Film – a secret title kept under wraps until the very end, which left the audience in stunned silence.
At the Air Movie Screen, hypnotic Telepathic Letters (Portugal) and the symbol-laden Japanese film Bakemono were re-screened. Meanwhile, the Water Movie Screen, located by the pool, hosted the Golden Sledgehammer award ceremony. The jury’s explanations are available in yesterday’s dedicated news piece. Audiences had another chance to view the awarded films – The King of Nothing, an animated feature, and the medieval dark vision Dog of God. The festival’s final screening – 2551.03: The End – brought a fitting close to an epic saga, while also inviting reflection on what lies beyond “the end.”
SLAUGHTER FESTIVAL – A RITUAL THAT ENDURES
The fourth edition of Slaughter Festival broke attendance records and delivered a unique artistic synergy in an atmosphere that felt wholly authentic. For three nights, the grounds of a former slaughterhouse in Doljevac once again transformed into a ritual zone where horror, metal, experimentation, and underground culture converged.
We thank all participants, guests, supporters, and volunteers for helping us shape this space of freedom and expression – a universe beyond the ordinary, a universe of darkness, but also of creative light. See you again at Slaughter Festival 2026. Until then, let the harmony of distortion and cinematic shadows continue to echo.
Slaughter Festival was not just an event – it was an act of transformation. As the lights faded across the industrial landscape of the old slaughterhouse, each of us carried away a piece of that darkness – and a strange light that can only be born when we truly believe in the power of alternative art.
Festival supported by: Municipality of Doljevac and the Ministry of Tourism and Youth of the Republic of Serbia.