It was a dark a dreary Thursday night in Hollywood. Well, it was actually pretty bright, as a wolf moon was on its way in the following couple of days. But it seemed like the perfect night for fear. It was time to meet up with my good friend and fellow JoBlo dude, Rusty Eltringham. We headed over to the Stone Rose Patio Lounge at the luxurious Hotel Sofitel in hopes of finding some fun, fright and free alcohol. And once we did arrive, we were lucky enough to find all of the above. However, we showed up a little too early… as you may know, it is important to be fashionably late in Hollywood.
MARTIN SHARPE (LAKE MUNGO)
As we scoured the room, we chatted with a number of folks who are all about After Dark Films and the latest series of 8 Films To Die For. I recently spoke to Anthony DiBlasi who’s feature, DREAD is one of this years selections. It also happens to be a pretty f*cked up little film that may be one of the festivals best. But he wasn’t the only one there to mingle with. We also spoke to one of the actors from LAKE MUNGO, which is an Australian import that promises to deliver chills in a PARANORMAL ACTIVITY vein. It was an enjoyable experience to speak with Martin Sharpe who talked about making the film to us, and frankly, he had me looking forward to checking it out.
LAURA DONNELLY AND HANNE STEEN (DREAD)
We also talked with director Anthony C. Ferrante who is one of the nicest guys around. I look forward to sharing with you some groovy projects this fellow has in the works. It was also a pretty terrific experience talking with Hanne Steen and Laura Donnelly, the lovely ladies from Dread. We talked about working with DiBlasi and about how damn fascinating Clive Barker is. Both Steen and Donnelly were terrific in Dread, so it was nice to see them celebrating the release of the film. Hopefully people will check it out, as it is a return to form for Barker adaptations.
SARA FINDER (DIRECTOR OF HORRORFEST)
And best of all, we chatted with Sara Finder from After Dark Films, who spilled the blood on the changes Horrorfest has recently faced. Starting with this years party, it seemed a bit scaled down as opposed to last year when they announced Miss. Horrorfest. You may remember last years winner, Victim, who spoke to us last year. But this year, it seems that they will be utilizing the past three winners to cover all the After Dark Films events, and thus, no honor was bestowed on a blood drenched beauty this year. I’ll be honest, that was a little disappointing. But hey, we’ll have three for the price of one. Good, gory times for all, I suppose.
Sara also spoke about how things seem to be getting better for this here festival. By focusing on the films themselves, she definitely felt that they are moving in the right direction when it comes to continuing to open doors for new filmmakers. We’ll see how this compares with last year as far as the quality of movies that they bring. But either way, the more horror festivals we have, the better off we are.
As for the rest of the night, it did seem a little more low key than usual, aside from the lack of suitable Miss Horrorfest contestants. The lounge area where the party was held was small and while it is usually overcrowded with talent, it didn‘t seem to be this time around. But one thing that was attracting crowds was the open bar. You know what horror filmmakers, journalists and talent seem to really enjoy? Booze. And it was flowing all through the night. The music was pumping, and the energy was grooving, as we all talked horror.
Among this years films, I have to say that I was absolutely impressed with Dread. It felt dark and grim, just as a Clive Barker inspired film should. Among the other titles, I had only seen one other film and that was THE GRAVES. HIDDEN, KILL THEORY, THE REEDS, ZOMBIE’S OF MASS DESTRUCTION, THE FINAL and the previously mentioned LAKE MUNGO and DREAD finished off this years list. Which of these films made the cut? And since it started this weekend, anybody have any favorites that they’d like to mention? Or maybe even one that they wish they could forget?
Either way, I’m happy to see After Dark Films celebrate with another Horrorfest. While the films don’t always work, it is a wonderful thing to see an opportunity given to up and coming horror directors. If this can bring awareness to a new and exciting talent, it’s a good thing to celebrate. Although I say we need to bring back the Miss Horrorfest competition next year… if you don’t mind.