Horror Film Festivals & Programmes
Halloween may be the season for all things spooky, but let’s be honest, horror is arguably the most popular film genre all year round. It is a genre catered for not just with specific strands within broad festival programmes, it also boasts a number of high profile festivals entirely dedicated to horror, all born of a deep-rooted love of the genre.
Written & interviewed by Mark Brennan
Paul McEvoy, Director of FrightFest - one of the world’s leading and most celebrated horror film festivals - tells us, “I have always loved horror, science fiction, fantasy and thriller films and TV. So I wanted to start a festival that I would love to attend, with the films and guests that I would enjoy seeing. Unlike most other film genres, horror has a unique, supportive, collaborative community. You just have to attend a few events or festivals to experience this.”
It’s a festival that has been running for almost 25 years, and today still looks to provide a platform for filmmakers with a unique take on the genre. Paul shares a recent highlight with us. “One film that came through this year and is one of my absolute favourites is from a bright, new Japanese filmmaker Keishi Kondo. His film New Religion is a visionary work and he will be a name to watch in the future. We were excited and delighted to discover him through our FilmFreeway submissions platform and launch him into the world by recommending the film to other festivals worldwide.”
And speaking of other festivals, it’s just horror-centric events like FrightFest who are showcasing the genre. Festivals with much broader programmes, such as Encounters in the UK, have a dedicated space for horror each year.
Ren Scateni, Head of Programme, tells us, “Encounters is not a genre festival but we do have a history of offering genre programmes in more audience-facing sections of the festival programming. When curating the horror programme ‘Short Shivers’ at this year's edition, my main interest was in including films that would offer a commentary on today's society, its inequalities and insecurities, or platforming underrepresented voices and communities while also engaging with the possibilities of genre storytelling and filmmaking.”
What films programmed this year impressed Ren? “This year I was very impressed by three titles, You're Not Home by Derek Ugochukwu, Stones by Joseph Brett, and Lux Noctis by Damiana Acuña. The first two have incredible cultural specificities to them - Stones beautifully and subtly spotlights British-East Asian identities on screen in a genre context, where they are significantly underrepresented, while You're Not Home comments on Ireland's direct provision and the intolerable conditions asylum seekers are kept in. Some of the films that screened at the festival are now also part of a programme titled "In Shorts are Monsters" (part of the wider BFI blockbuster season ‘In Dreams Are Monsters’), which will be touring the UK between October and December this year.”
Greg Sorvig, Artistic Director, also talked to us about the embracing of horror into festival programming at Heartland Film Festival and Indy Shorts in the US - for the benefit of both audiences and filmmakers alike. “We launched horror at the 2018 Heartland International Film Festival and saw it as a natural expansion as we were nearing our 30th anniversary in 2021; we instituted horror cash prizes for both feature films at HIFF and shorts at Indy Shorts. We also partnered with two trusted critics/horror fans to assist in programming and to bring credibility to the program. Ultimately, our hope was to expand to a wider and inclusive program and to give even more filmmakers and fans a home at Heartland Film, and we’ve certainly seen that happen over the years!”
In that time, we ask Greg what has been one of his horror highlights included in the festival programme? “Indy Shorts premiered Astrid Thorvaldsen’s Who Goes There? back in 2020 when we had to pivot to virtual after COVID broke out. The project was a National Film and Television School project and it was rewarding to see the film win both the juried horror award and horror audience award before going on to play other respected festivals including HollyShorts and POFF.”
We all think we know what a horror film is, right? Jump scares, blood and guts, gruesome deaths, and final girls. However, the killer question is, what are these festivals in particular actually looking for when thinking about their horror programmes?
Paul (FrightFest): Interesting, fresh takes, exciting new works, writing, direction, and talent. Have a great idea, and try to capture it on film as best you can. If you are making a short, keep it short - 8 to 12 minutes maximum if possible.
Ren (Encounters): Stories that are able to use the genre conventions to make powerful statements, dismantle tropes, and offer critical commentary about our contemporary world.
Greg (Indy Shorts): There are certainly baseline expectations within the genre, but we look for compelling stories that span the range between old school slasher to high concept. Horror fans can be hard to please and we aim to curate a diverse horror program that can appeal to both hardcore fans and attendees who may be experiencing the genre for the first time.
Now go cook up something nasty!
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