FESTIVAL PREVIEW: HOLLYWOOD HORRORFEST 2014

America’s independent horror film community are flocking to the iconic New Beverly Cinema in midtown Los Angeles in anticipation of this week’s Hollywood Horrorfest, where new indie works are screened side by side with such classics of the genre as Return of the Living Dead (pictured, below).

“We celebrate the past and showcase the future,” says festival director Miles Flanagan (pictured, below), kindly speaking to SCREEN-SPACE early on his Sunday morning, ahead of the busiest week of his year. “To fans of horror we just say have a fun time. It's mostly free and we like giving away stuff so that shouldn't be too hard for them to do.” Flanagan has structured a unique industry gathering that combines a hectic screening schedule with philanthropic and tutorial elements. 

The two-day event kicks off the afternoon of March 28 with the LA premiere of Billy Club, followed by the first of the festival’s three shorts programmes. Drew Rosas’ and Nick Sommer’s black comedy/horror work, along with Derek Lee and Clif Prowse’s body-horror thriller Afflicted, will screen outside of the official in-competition entrants.

Vying for honours will be Shaun Paul Piccinino and Jason Sanders’ violent actioner The Lackey (starring Australian Vernon Wells, of Mad Max 2 fame, who will attend the screening); Christopher Schrack’s wilderness survival pic Backwater; Martyn Pick’s supernatural-themed Brit gangster film Evil Never Dies; and, Rico Johnson’s woodland slasher reworking, After Dark. In line with the event’s commitment to furthering the careers of the next generation of horror auteurs, eight unproduced screenplays will also be in contention for awards.

The official Opening Night event is one of the hottest tickets amongst West Coast film aficionados. Director Joe Dante will receive the inaugural Price Award, named after the late horror icon Vincent Price and to be presented by his daughter Victoria Price; also being honoured will be legendary character actor and longtime Dante collaborator Dick Miller, who will accept the Impact award for a career dedicated to his work in horror and fantasy films. “Both Joe Dante and Dick Miller were a perfect combination,” says Flanagan, “and we were just lucky they were both available for the weekend.” In conjunction with the ceremony will be a screening of Dante’s werewolf classic The Howling, attended by co-star Belinda Balaski, with a portion of the funds being donated to the Vincent Price Art Museum.

Flanagan acknowledges that there has been a surge in independent horror production. “Technically it's easier. But it's always hard making something good,” he says. Frustratingly, often these intensive ‘labour of love’ projects go unnoticed due to a fledgling producer’s lack of understanding about the distribution mechanism. The festival aims to address that issue with a two hour session called ‘A Panel To Die For’, in which a dozen of the sector’s smartest minds (including the prolific genre director Rolfe Kanefsky; pictured, right) identify hurdles and brainstorm solutions. “(Whether) you have a film in competition or not, you can learn how best to finance, produce and distribute your work,” says Flanagan. “I hope filmmakers know more about the business they're entering and how to hopefully make a living from it after the weekend. Knowledge is power and we firmly believe in sharing whatever knowledge we have to each and every filmmaker who comes to the festival.”

Hollywood Horrorfest wraps with the Awards Ceremony and a 30^th Anniversary 35mm screening of the late Dan O’Bannon’s cult classic, Return of the Living Dead. Cast and crew, including Jewel Shephard, Miguel Nunez Jr and James Karen, will front the sold-out session. Miles Flanagan hopes the final night festivities reflect the celebratory mood of his horror love-in. “Network with other new filmmakers, win cool awards, get some great photo ops,” he rattles off, when asked what he hopes fans will take from Hollywood Horrorfest. “We give away tons of cool collectables, have a panel giving out free advice, and make every screening a red carpet event…so, yeah, I hope the feedback is great.”

See SCREEN-SPACE Managing Editor Simon Foster's interview with director Joe Dante from 2010 Melbourne International Film Festival here.