THE BLOG

"At least there's a commentary..."

Any time a major historical event takes place, it is not unusual to see a wave of predictions from the horror media and fanbase regarding the next trend in content.

Here we are, Summer 2021. Temperatures are on the rise and the world is slowly shifting back to some semblance of normalcy. Bikinis are being dusted off and blow-up beer pong tables are coming out of hibernation. School’s out and the Fourth of July is just around the corner. It’s officially Beach Party Season. Luckily, with every beloved and pleasant societal convention, there is a slew of horror films on deck to crash the party.

According to the press release that accompanied my copy of Last Action Hero on 4K UHD, Sony ran a poll to see what film from their library people most wanted to see in the new format, and this film was the winner. That’s pretty impressive for a film that was notoriously one of the biggest flops of the decade (suck it, Hudson Hawk!*). After Terminator 2 became the biggest film of 1991, Arnold Schwarzenegger was on top of the (box office) world, and chose this as his next project.

Like most people who have seen it, I didn’t know what to make of Southland Tales the first time I watched it, which was on home video as I wasn’t quick enough to be part of its very limited theatrical release in the fall of 2007. There were certainly parts of it I really enjoyed (Dwayne “no longer The Rock” Johnson’s performance chief among them) but there was just SO MUCH going on at all times I just couldn’t connect to it. It was like getting every reveal from the entire run of Lost condensed into 140 minutes.

Over the past decade, there has been a welcome shift in the use of CGI when it comes to low budget/independent genre films. As these tools got cheaper and easier to use, there was an unfortunate period where digital beasties were cropping up in productions that didn’t exactly have the resources to let them compete with the likes of ILM, but I’m happy to see that those sorry examples are becoming rarer.

Jamie Lee Curtis made three slasher films immediately after HALLOWEEN'S success in 1978 and 1979. The first was PROM NIGHT, a very dated and poorly paced movie that has more ironic fans (thanks, disco dancing Leslie Nielsen!) than legitimate ones. The most famous is probably 1981's HALLOWEEN II, which picked up directly after the events of the first film, which meant she spent most of the movie in a hospital bed. And then in the middle is TERROR TRAIN, probably the least seen of the trio but also - in my opinion - the best of them as well.

No one expects much out of a movie based on a video game, and even fewer would expect any such film to become a major franchise with almost as many entries as the game series that inspired it. But the Resident Evil films did just that; Paul WS Anderson and Milla Jovovich joined forces six times from 2002 to 2017, presenting an ever-escalating story about Alice (Jovovich) and her endless battles with zombies and other monsters that were spawned by the evil Umbrella corporation.

2020 SCREAMFEST HORROR FILM FESTIVAL AWARDS ANNOUNCED

VAN NUYS, Calif. – Oct. 15, 2020 – America’s largest and longest running horror movie festival, Screamfest, awarded this year’s top movies, filmmakers, actors and screenplay Thursday during the fest’s closing night at The Screamfest Drive-In. Screamfest, which ran from Oct. 6 – 15, 2020 at the Regency Theater Plant Drive-In in Van Nuys, has launched careers – providing a platform for filmmakers and actors to showcase their latest work to horror film enthusiasts and general audiences.

Screamfest 2020 winners:

SCREAMFEST ANNOUNCES ITS 2019 SECOND WAVE SCREENINGS AND CLOSING NIGHT FILM

For immediate release: (HOLLYWOOD, Calif. – September 25, 2019) The 2019 Screamfest Horror Film Festival unveils its second-wave of feature films lineup and will showcase new work from American and international independent horror filmmakers. The 2019 Screamfest Film Festival will take place October 8 - October 17, 2019 at the famed TCL Chinese 6 Theatres located in Hollywood, California.

2018 SCREAMFEST HORROR FILM FESTIVAL AWARDS ANNOUNCED

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. – Oct. 18, 2018 – America’s largest and longest running horror movie festival, Screamfest, awarded this year’s top movies, filmmakers, actors and screenplay Thursday during the fest’s closing night. Screamfest, which ran from Oct. 9 – 18, 2018 at the TLC Chinese 6 Theatres in Hollywood, has launched careers – providing a platform for filmmakers and actors to showcase their latest work to horror film enthusiasts and general audiences.

Screamfest 2018 Winners:

Best Editing - Nik Voytas - Pledge

Screamfest second wave was announced today. A great selection of additional films and Gale Anne Hurd is being honored with a Career Achievement reward!

Do you like Pixar? You’re a human with feelings, so I assume you do. Although, if you’re reading the blog of a page called Screamfest, it’s possible it is not your cup of tea. Regardless of your opinion on animated fish, their tradition of playing a short film before their main features has proven to be a tradition enjoyed by many a generation. On a more historical note, it was not uncommon for short films to screen before feature films quite a bit in theaters and drive-ins, as far back as the 1950’s.

If 2017 has taught us anything; it is that horror films could finally be on track to becoming more universally respected. Those of us who have been fans of the genre for years have always been well aware of its artistic and social significance. However, with not one but two genre films receiving Oscar nods for Best Picture this year, the Horror genre finally seems to be getting some of the high-brow acknowledgement that it has long since deserved. But with 2017 being as strong as it was, it may prove to be a tough act to follow.

2017 SCREAMFEST HORROR FILM FESTIVAL AWARDS ANNOUNCED
“TIGERS ARE NOT AFRAID” & “THE LAPACE’S DEMON” Among Top Winners
Marianne Maddalena Honored with Career Achievement Award

In combination with the recent Screamfest announcement that we would be hosting the North American premiere of the much-anticipated Leatherface, and the recent and devastating loss of the great Tobe Hooper, this is the perfect time to honor the franchise that stemmed from his original masterpiece, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The TCM franchise has grown to be about as diverse as Hooper’s own career. It has explored everything from prequels to sequels to remakes. Even after all of this, including the pretty recent release of 2013’s Texas Chainsaw 3D, fans are still left wanting more.

Every summer, I, and anyone else with good taste in television, hunker down for a week full of Discovery Channel’s best shark-filled programming. Shark Week has long since been one of my favorite weeks of the year but I often find myself finishing it and wanting more. Luckily, there are a pretty hefty amount of Shark themed horror films to get one through their post-Shark Week blues. I accept that this is probably one of many “Top Shark Films” lists you will find circulating recently, but I hope I can provide at least some fresh insight into the wonderful world of Sharksploitation.

In the history of cinema, there are very few icons that rival Frankenstein’s monster and his bride. They are instantly and internationally identifiable. From a civilian standpoint, they are universal symbols of horror films and Halloween (no pun intended). However, for those who take a more all-year-round approach to the spooky and weird, they are nothing short of idols. They are the freak flags we fly to celebrate the films that started it all. The films that continue to strike a cord with people today. Despite being released nearly 90 years ago.

The 1990’s are often thought of as having relatively little to contribute in the way of quality genre films. While I can see the truth in this, I think there were some very special and unique films to emerge from the decade, especially within the confines of the unique subgenres that emerged. These were the days of Erotic Thrillers and Teen Dark Comedies, of Hacker Thrillers and Meta Slasher films. One of my favorite subgenres to have emerged in the prime days of Gen X, was their twist on Christian Theology Horror.

This past Saturday, May 6, Screamfest hosted our most recent Fears & Beers screening, a series of events and screenings sponsored by Shock Top where guests can enjoy a movie and a beer included in their ticket, often with special guest Q&As. This week, we enjoyed a double feature of Brian Yuzna’s cult classics Society and Bride of Re-Animator. In case you missed it, here is a rundown of the evening.

For anyone in or around the Los Angeles area next month, you can join Screamfest for our Fears & Beers double feature event on May 6, for a screening of the Brian Yuzna classics Bride of Re-animator and Society. These first two installments of Yuzna’s directing career not only hold up to this day, but continue to solidify his reputation as a body horror virtuoso. I am exponentially excited to celebrate the career of this tried and true horror master and revisit two of his strongest films.

With the breakout success of Stranger Things and the plethora of 1980’s inspired genre fare popping up recently, it seems as though we have been indulging in a certain level of what I like to call "nostalgia porn". These 80’s throwbacks have saturated the genre over the past several years and don’t seem to be stopping any time soon. But what is it about this era of horror that we all find so appealing, even to those of us that were not even alive yet? Horror films in the 80’s benefitted from a very special window of freedom.

The first time I ever heard about The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, my mother was talking about how it was the most brutal, gory movie she had ever seen. By the time I got around to actually seeing the film, it was much to my surprise, although brutal as it was, it had little to no blood. Even the majority of the violence is implied. So what was it that had my Mom so convinced that she had seen a bloodbath? The biggest contributing factor was the power of sound design. As a horror fan, I have come to appreciate the importance and potential of sound design in a very unique way.

All right folks, as promised, I wanted to follow up last week’s list with five more picks of films that take place in movie theaters. Just a warning, I do go off the rails a bit on this list. A couple of the films are not single location and stray quite a bit from the theater setting, but bear with me.

Seeing as how we are counting down the last few days of February, I’m going to take this opportunity to celebrate one more woman who has recently popped back into the zeitgeist, cult film extraordinaire, Jackie Kong. At this point the difficulties women face in Hollywood have been more than expressed, but as an Asian American woman making sleazy horror comedies in the 1980’s, writer/director Jackie Kong sure as hell had her work cut out for her. Despite her relatively few directorial ventures, she quickly established a signature style all of her own.

Growing up with the admittedly ambitious dream of becoming a horror filmmaker, I accepted pretty early on that female role models were few and far between. Not that I was particularly seeking them out, I idolized all the great male directors just the same, however I would still find myself subconsciously scouring the credits of scary movies for potentially female names because, for me, that made my goal that much more attainable.

Although January may not be a month most people associate with horror, it can be credited with ushering in some very special people onto our plane of existence. So as the month comes to a close, I would like to extend a very heartfelt Happy Birthday to five people who have contributed largely to the genre and filmmaking as a whole.

Fear was viral at the LA Premiere of Bedeviled on October 22, 2016 at the 16th annual Horror Festival. The Nicholl Felloship winners directors Abel and Burlee Vang were in attendance along with some of the cast members and an almost sold out crowd!

Five teenagers receive an invite to download a Siri-like app. Once they accept this app which calls itself Mister Bedevil, it begins to torment each of them by tapping into their worst fears. To stop this malevolent force, the teens must learn to trust and depend on each other’s wits and courage.

Found Footage 3D made its Los Angeles premiere at Screamfest on October 26, 2016 in 3D!

The Director Steven DeGennaro; actors Carter Roy, Alena von Stroheim, Chris O'Brien, Jessica Perrin, Scott Allen Perry, Scott Weinberg; Producer Charles Mulford and the Cinematographer Drew Daniels were in attendance at the premiere.

Found Footage 3D is about a group of filmmakers sets out to make the first 3D found footage horror movie,
but find themselves IN a found footage horror movie when the evil entity from their film escapes into their behind-the-scenes footage.

The visually stunning film, HAPPY HUNTING celebrated its World Premiere at the 16th annual Screamfest Horror Film Festival on October 21, 2016 at 9:30PM.

The revenge thriller, MY FATHER DIE celebrated its Los Angeles premiere at the 16th annual Screamfest Horror Film Festival as the closing night film.

The movie’s L.A. premiere at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres took place October 27, 2016. In attendance were director Sean Brosnan, who made his feature film writing and directing. Other special guests at the screening included the cast and crew from the film. A Q& A followed the screening.

The imaginative fantasy horror movie, ‘The Master Cleanse,’ celebrated its Los Angeles premiere at the 16th annual Screamfest Horror Film Festival. The movie’s L.A. premiere at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres took place October 22, 2016. In attendance were actor-executive producer Johnny Galecki and filmmaker Bobby Miller, who made his feature film writing and directing. Bobby Miller is a Screamfest alumni with his short film Tub that premiered in 2010. Other special guests at the screening included actors Chris Hardwick who moderated the Q& A following the screening.

America’s largest and longest running horror movie festival, Screamfest, awarded the top movies, filmmakers, and actors of the festival. The festival, which ran from October 18-27, 2016, at the TLC Chinese in Hollywood, has launched careers – providing a platform for filmmakers and actors to showcase their latest work to enthusiasts and general audiences.

Got your ticket? Join us for a cocktail reception at Sid's Bar!
Meet Murdering Psychopath Mick Taylor at a Special Screening of Pop’s Wolf Creek, Inspired By The Cult Movie.

May 24, 2016 6:10pm

HOLLYWOOD – Oct. 23, 2015 – We are pleased to announce the 2015 Festival winners at last night's Awards reception that took place at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres. The award winners were presented the coveted Screamfest Skull Award last night for winning in the following categories.

• The 2015 winners are:

  BEST SHORT: “Daddy’s Little Girl” (Director: Chad McClarnon)

• BEST STUDENT SHORT: “Massacre in San Jose” (Director: Edgar Nito)

2015 Screenplay Award Winner & Finalists

BEST SCREENPLAY
Blackvoid
Joseph J. Greenberg

THE APOCALYPSE CHRONICLES
Nathan Ludwig & Charles Devin Hill

ASSISTED DYING
by Nick Chianese

LET IT BLEED
by Scott Selden

THE HOUSESITTER
by Suju Vijayan & Dave Palamaro

The feature film Condemned premiered on Sunday October 18th, 2015 at Screamfest. The stars of the film graciously signed posters for fans in the theater lobby. After the screening, Chris Hardwick of Nerdist (Talking Dead) moderated a Q & A with Lydia Hearst, Dylan Penn, Honor Titus, Genevieve Hudson-Price, Perry Yung, Kevin Kirkwood Smith and Ronen Rubinstein. Sean Penn was in attendance supporting his daughter Dylan Penn who stars in the film.

SEE MORE PHOTOS HERE.

After the sold out screening of Tales of Halloween, guest walked across Hollywood Blvd to Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditorium for an evening of epic oddness & good times! Guest dined on a shrimp cocktail brain, prosciutto eyeballs, ghostly puffed pastry with goat cheese, tapenade & olive face, stake through the heart caprese skewers, bocconcini eyeballs with prosciutto, olive & parma ham and sweet mummy berries of white chocolate, cupcakes with body parts, an amazing Freddy Krueger cake and drinks from the fully stocked open bar.

Enter for your chance to RSVP for tickets to the INTO THE FURTHER 4D experience (while supplies last) in Los Angeles taking place Friday 5/15, Saturday 5/16, Sunday 5/17.

Experience the world of INSIDIOUS like you never have before. The “Into The Further 4D Experience” is a fully-immersive experience that will take you physically and virtually into the world of INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 3.

Take a peek at the closing night awards ceremony & reception that took place Wednesday October 22nd. Video courtesy of John Elfers. Closing night awards & reception photos by Angelica Ulloa. We were honored to screen each film selection in the festival this year and to celebrate the winners. The 14th annual Screamfest Horror Festival concluded on the evening of October 22nd with an Awards Ceremony and Reception.

"I Survived a Zombie Holocaust" Premiere-- Black Carpet and Q&A on Saturday October 18th at Screamfest Horror Film Festival. Exclusive video courtesy of John Elfers. Spoiler Alert! Don't watch until AFTER you have seen the film. See director Guy Pigden, DP Jon Wilson and stars Harley Neville & Reanin Johannink walk the black carpet. Watch the Q&A that followed the film, moderated by Fred Topel of Craveonline. I Survived a Zombie Holocaust black carpet and Q&A photos by Angelica Ulloa.

We were honored to screen each film selection in the festival this year and to celebrate the winners. The 14th annual Screamfest Horror Festival concluded on the evening of October 22nd with an Awards Ceremony and Reception. The hosts for the evening were Sean Decker of Dread Central and actress Bel Delia of The Tunnel a 2011 Screamfest Selection. Awards were given out in 14 categories including the Best Screenplay Award. Congratulations Festival Winners!

Have a look at some of the Screamfest Opening Night fun that took place on Tuesday October 14th, of the SOLD OUT world premiere of Parlor. Check back often for updated photos and video of the events over the ten days of the festival. Video courtesy of. Opening night red carpet photos by Angelica Ulloa and Sean Decker of Dread Central. Parlor Q&A photos and Opening Night Party photos by Angelica Ulloa. Spoiler Alert! Don't watch THE Q & A video until AFTER you've seen the film!

14th ANNUAL ……………

Screamfest Announces Shorts To Die For

Alone (Seule) (France) – Directed by Didier Philippe - Claire, a young woman, lives alone in a large apartment. Her fear of the outside world stops her from going out and letting people in. One day, she discovers evidence revealing that a man lives in her home. The presence of that man becomes more and more apparent and eventually threatening...

Want to attend a special screening of THE GUEST on August 10th?
Please fill out the form below to RSVP while space remains.

THE GUEST
Sunday, August 10th
4:00PM
The Theater at the Ace Hotel
929 S Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90015

There will be a post screening Q&A with the filmmakers moderated Nicolas Refn, Director of Drive.

What a great time we had at our mixer at Delphine] in Hollywood, CA Thursday night. Check out our photos from the mixer and see all the fun we were having. If you couldn't make it, be sure to join us next time. Like us on Facebook or Check back on our site for the next date.

Grindstone Acquires Screamfest Alum Matt Eskandari’s “Game of Assassins” (The Gauntlet)

If you missed the premiere at last year's Screamfest, Lionsgate will soon be bringing “Game of Assassins” (formerly titled “The Gauntlet”) your way.

via Variety - MAY 9, 2014 | 10:59AM PT

PARIS– Grindstone Entertainment has acquired all U.S. rights to Matt Eskandari’s action/horror pic “Game of Assassins” (formerly titled “The Gauntlet”).

The action/horror film stars Bai Ling (“Crank”), Warren Kole (“The Following”) and Dustin Nguyen (“21 Jump St”).

Ten years ago, tragedy struck the Russell family, leaving the lives of teenage siblings Tim and Kaylie forever changed when Tim was convicted of the brutal murder of their parents. Now in his 20s, Tim is newly released from protective custody and only wants to move on with his life; but Kaylie, still haunted by that fateful night, is convinced her parents’ deaths were caused by something else altogether: a malevolent supernatural force unleashed through the Lasser Glass, an antique mirror in their childhood home.

The feature film Beneath opened the 13th annual Screamfest Horror Film Festival held October 8th, 2013 to a sold out crowd. Our Screamfest photographer Angelica Ulloa captured the excitement of Opening Night. Click on the link below to see all the festival photos.

INVITES YOU AND A GUEST TO A SPECIAL ADVANCE SCREENING

13th ANNUAL ……………

Screamfest Announces First Wave

Hollywood, CA., September 4, 2013 – Screamfest®, the preeminent horror festival in the country, and what the LA Weekly calls “the best place to get a jump on tomorrow’s cult hits” kicks off its 13th annual event in Los Angeles on October 8 through October 17 at the Laemmle NoHo 7 (5240 Lankershim Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91601).

First Wave Screening Highlights at Screamfest 2013

New award category JUST ADDED:

This year's SHORT film category just received an additional exciting prize award!!

SCREAMFEST LAUNCHPAD AWARD - Sponsored by U.K.'s Matador Pictures

Awarded to the Director who, in Matador's opinion, shows the most promise for the next step up into feature films. The award consists
of:

- an exclusive first look deal with Matador Pictures for your next feature project pitch with the opportunity for your project to be commissioned for Matador's development slate