Screamfest LA Horror Film Festival
Written: Dec 03 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: If you are a horror fan, you will find many horror films in one place.
Cons: None worth mentioning.
The Bottom Line: It is a chance to see many horror films you may not get to otherwise, plus rub elbows with legends of the industry.
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| hamburgerman's Full Review: Los Angeles Museums & Cultural Attractions |
I was impressed with Screamfest LA in 2002 when my short film Death and a Salesman was screened to an enthusiastic audience during the four-day event. This year (it’s third), I was excited to see the event grow into a 10-day event, held at the Laemmle Theater and LA Film School October 10-19, 2003. “We received hundreds of submissions this year. I’d say our submissions are up by 25%,” says Rachel Belofsky, founder and director of Screamfest LA. “We programmed 40 films this year and in 2002 I think it was 20-25.” The films included fan favorites such as Army of Darkness and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III but also several noteworthy independent feature films such as the low-budget but big-budget looking 35mm vampire flick Sangre Eterna by Jorge Olguin of Chile and The Wisher by Gavin Wilding (Drew Lachey of 98 Degrees and Ron Silver, released on DVD as Spliced by White Rock Film International.) Special guests included horror legends Wes Craven, Sean Cunningham, Rick Baker and Stan Winston, among many others.
Being in LA, Screamfest has the advantage of having many of the filmmakers and producers attend the screenings for informative Q&A sessions afterwards. One such director was Patrick Lussier, director of all three Dimension Dracula flicks (Dracula II & III screened at the fest.) “I really enjoyed seeing the film with an audience. It was our only chance to do that,” states Lussier about his Dracula III, a straight-to-video sequel with the look of a theatrical release. “[Screamfest] gives filmmakers a terrific opportunity to present films that might otherwise not be seen or seen only on DVD to a theatre going audience. Rachel does a great job promoting and presenting the films, making the screenings a real premiere-like event as opposed to just wandering down to the local cinema.”
Another straight-to-video Dimension title that was presented to an audience was Mimic: Sentinel, directed by JT Petty. Nick Phillips, Director of Production and Development at Dimension Films, discovered JT Petty’s unique horror film Soft for Digging (which screened at Screamfest along with Mimic 3) at Sundance and loved it. “What drew me to [Soft for Digging] was the originality of it, the decision to make the film virtually silent and convey information through action, composition, music and performance,” states Phillips. “JT was very adept at creating a sense of dread and gloom right from the start. I liked that.”
Screamfest LA also had several panel discussions and presentations. My next feature is expected to be a horror film, so I made a special effort to attend a presentation given my effects guru Gary Tunnicliffe, who is responsible for the special effects in the Dimension Dracula series, as well as most of the Hellraiser sequels. It was an intimate crowd that Saturday afternoon, but all the better for the attending audience. It was a much more personal, hands on panel as Gary allowed us an up close look at some of his best work, including Omar Epps’ severed head from Dracula 2000 and one of the Hellraiser boxes. After his time was up, Gary continued to entertain us in the lobby with more production stories.
One event that is new and unique to Screamfest LA was the Scream-pitch session, at which, for a small $30 fee, up to 30 filmmakers could pitch projects to production executives. Among these executives were Nick Phillips from Dimension Films, Jeff Katz from New Line, Eric Miller from Raw Nerve, Michael Kirk from Ghost House, Erin Boyd from Vertigo and Geoff Garrett from Crystal Lake. Jurgen Heimann, whose Puphedz (www.puphedz.com) won an award at Screamfest LA 2002, pitched the continuing adventures of” the Puphedz. “The process was kind of a pitching musical chairs,“ states Heimann. “We were given five minutes with each representative. I thought the experience was interesting. I’ve had meetings with producers in the past, but nothing quite like this shotgun approach.”
Nick Phillips adds, “[The pitch session] provided up and coming filmmakers the opportunity to share their ideas in a professional yet informal setting with people who work in the industry. I was so impressed that some of them even came from as far as Texas to be there. As for ideas, a couple of intriguing ones perhaps, but nothing that’s gone to the next step.”
Jurgen Heimann continues, “I’ve heard it said, and it’s probably true, that studios and production companies all have a certain agenda, and unless you bring in something that fits comfortably into their ‘to do’ list, they’ll look elsewhere. It’s all timing. This year it’s zombies, next year might be vampires again, but when demented puppets hit the scene, the phone will ring. Of course, the Puphedz will have undoubtedly made other arrangements by then.”
So what are the pros and cons of holding a genre specific film festival such as Screamfest LA? “The advantage of having a genre specific festival is that you have a more specific and intimate crowd, “ says Rachel Belofsky. “The disadvantage is that in some ways it does naturally limit the audience or market.” Nick Phillips adds, “The only real con with a genre specific festival is that you are in some ways cutting out a large portion of the audience by not showing a wide variety of films in various genres. However. The audience will always be there for these films, so that is a moot point. The fans of the genre are so numerous and intense in their love of these kinds of films, that is the biggest pro.” I know Mr. Phillips is dead on. I attended the Fangoria Weekend of Horrors this past summer in Burbank and the enthusiasm among the crowd for these films is overwhelming.
The winners: Best Short Screenplay – Souls by James Stevens-Arce; Best Musical Score – Ghost System; Best Animated Short – Deadtime Stories by Michael Dougherty; Best Student Film – 3AM by Stewart Hopewell; Best Horror Short – Ice Cold by Frederick D’Amours; Best Make-Up – Sebastian Carvajal for Sangre Eterna; Best Horror Comedy Short – RIP by Jan Doense; Best Special Effects – Ghost System; Best Screenplay – Desolate by Francisco Castro; Best Editing – Lee Kyun-Mi, Kim Jin-Hee for A Tale of Two Sisters; Best Cinematography – Lee Mogae for A Tale of Two Sisters; Best Actress – Im Soo Jung for A Tale of Two Sisters; Best Actor- Juan Pablo Ogalde for Sagre Eterna; Best Director – Kim Jee-Woon for A Tale of Two Sisters; Best Picture – OH Kimin, OH Jung-Wan for A Tale of Two Sisters.
Visit the Screamfest LA website at www.screamfestla.com
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Friends
Best Time to Travel Here: Sep - Nov
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hamburgerman
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Location: Houston, TX
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