By Justina Bonilla
The beloved genre film festival, the Horrible Imaginings Film Festival is modifying its signature, in-person thrills and chills for a frightfully good time virtually. Not even the COVID-19 virus can stop horror film fans from getting their spine-tingling delights.
Celebrating its 11th year, Horrible Imaginings is creating a cyber film festival from Tuesday, September 1- Monday, September 7, 2020, featuring 11 feature films and 100 short films categorized in 10 film blocks. All of the features and short films will have scheduled discussions and designated interactive CO-WATCH sessions, where fans can virtually watch the films together and communicate during the film.
The 11 feature films are a mixture of classic and modern horror films, such as the 1962 cult sci-fi horror classic The Brain that Wouldn’t Die, the 40th anniversary of the Italian horror classic Dr. Butcher MD: Medical Deviate (Zombie Holocaust) and Hail to the Deadites, a contemporary documentary exploring the devoted fan culture of the Evil Dead series. Among these films are the two highly anticipated South American horror films Luz: The Flower of Evil and Diablo Rojo PTY.
Luz: The Flower of Evil is a Colombian gothic folk horror film, budding from the same generation of groundbreaking horror films such as The Witch, Midsommar, and The Golem. The religious leader of an isolated mountain cult brings into his community a child, who he believes is the new messiah, only to receive suffering, destruction, and pushback from his cult and his three daughters. Available to stream for only 24 hours, on Friday, September 4, 2020.
Diablo Rojo PTY is considered Panama’s first horror film, intertwining action, suspense and traditional regional folklore. A bus driver who is unknowingly cursed with a spell, becomes lost in the jungle at night, causing himself and the others on his bus to fight for survival against the evil of the night. Available to stream from Thursday September 3, to Monday September 7, 2020.
The 100 short films showcase a variety of horror taste, styles, and themes from up and coming talents, nationally and internationally. They feature a wide range of diverse talent on both sides of the camera, most notably directors who are female and/or of color. Within the 10 short film block themes features themes of monsters, cults, isolation, corrupt power, family and student films.
Among this wide range of talent of the short films, includes Latino American and international Hispanic talent. A few of the American short films with Latino talent include: The Springfield Three, Spoon, Snake Eyes: An ASMR nightmare Experience, Milk Teeth, Hammer, The God from Below, My Neighbors are Weird, and Culpa. While international Hispanic short films come from Spain (My Brother Juan, Yo Confieso (I Confess), Human Trash, and Smiles), Mexico (Diabla (She Devil), Mateo, and Perturbado (Disturbed)), and Colombia (Lenses).
Since its premiere in 2009, the annual Horrible film Festival has used their platform to showcase, “…the newest voices in horror, sci-fi, and fantasy genre cinema over a multiday event…”, and, “…to spotlight genre cinema, amplify artistic voices, and foster a community of acceptance.” – hifilmfest.com.
Founder/Executive director of the Horrible Imaging Film Festival Miguel Rodriguez shared with Latin Heat how, “Our definition of the horror film is pretty broad and it’s not all stuff that going to scare you, or meant to scare you. Sometimes it’s funny. Sometimes it’s a little more dramatic. Sometimes it’s more social justice-oriented. It’s just kind of all over the place. But I think that is the power of the [horror] genre”. He credits the diversity of voices behind the camera for creating an amazing variety of horror.
A past Horrible Imaginings Film Festival alumni, is director Gigi Saul Guerrero. In 2015, Guerrero won the festival’s Best Director for a Short Film award for El Gigante and participated in the Mexican Horror Panel. Later in 2018, her short film La Quinceañera was featured. Guerrer is the co-writer and director for Culture Shock, a feature film for the Into the Dark horror anthology web television series, produced by Blumhouse Television for Hulu.
TICKET OPTIONS:
SINGLE TICKET: $8
Access to one feature or one a short film block, along with its discussion and CO-WATCH session.
TICKET 10 – FESTIVAL: $30
Access to either watching 10 feature films, all 10 entire short film blocks, or a mix of feature films and short film blocks (For example 5 feature films and 5 short film blocks, 6 feature films and 4 short film blocks, etc.). All discussions and CO-WATCH sessions are included.
ALL ACCESS FESTIVAL PASS – REGULAR: $50
Access to all short and feature films, along with featured events from September 1-7, 2020. All discussions and CO-WATCH sessions are included.
ALL ACCESS FESTIVAL PASS – ZOMBIE RANGER EDITION!: $80
Includes access to all short and feature films, along with featured events from September 1-7, 2020. All the discussions and CO-WATCH sessions are included.
One “Zombie Ranger” full access pass to all four upcoming 4 Campfire Tales events in October and December of 2020 and February and June of 2021 (A $45 value).
The Horrible Imaginings Eventive How-To Videos
Note: The Horrible Film Festival will be Geo-Restricted, only available in the West Coast and South West reigns of the United States to the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Washington.
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