It’s Friday the 13th, so what better day to announce the lineup for southern Utah’s premiere Halloween-inspired movie party?
On Oct. 28 at the Electric Theater, Horror-Fest invites you all to face your fears as the annual spooktacular embarks on its 16th consecutive, spine-tingling outing, and programmers have a fantastic lineup in store for attendees. In addition to a perfectly fitting horror movie marathon (horror films are always best experienced on a big screen with a big crowd), Horror-Fest 2017 also prides itself in the championing of local filmmaking, and you’ll get a taste of that in the form of the latest edition of the Guerilla Shorts Showcase.
If you’re a fan of Halloween, you owe it to yourself to attend this epic, day-long cinematic event. Continue reading to learn more about what’s playing at Horror-Fest and how to get tickets.
Noon: “Psycho” (R)
The term “classic” should be reserved for a handful of very special titles, and when talking about perfection in the realm of the horror genre, few movies reach such towering heights as Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho.” Featuring a restrained, beautifully nuanced, and oddly beguiling performance by the gifted Anthony Perkins, “Psycho” offers up far too many iconic moments to rattle off in a meager description blurb. That said, it should be noted that this unforgettable black-and-white classic features the shower scene to end all shower scenes! A boy’s best friend is his mother, so be sure to bring your mom along to this one.
2 p.m.: “Poltergeist” (PG)
Prepare yourself for a 35th anniversary screening of a true ’80s horror masterpiece. “Poltergeist” stars Craig T. Nelson and Jobeth Williams as a loving couple who find themselves, their children, and their suburb home terrorized by a supernatural force. While this is a pitch-perfect ghost story with a plethora of undeniably effective scares, the real key to this film’s overall success is in the character work. Films like this are always more effective when you truly care about the individuals being terrorized. This screening of “Poltergeist” also serves as a tribute to the late director Tobe Hooper. While the Spielberg/Hooper directing credit argument will continue to rage on, there’s no doubt that the man behind “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” had his hands all over this movie. Look no further than a memorable sequence in which a man rips his own face off while standing in front of a bathroom mirror. If that doesn’t scream “Tobe Hooper,” than I don’t know what does.
4 p.m.: “Arachnophobia” (PG-13)
Frequent Steven Spielberg collaborator Frank Marshall set off to make his feature directorial debut with “Arachnophobia,” a creepy crawly horror/comedy that will do absolutely nothing to cure your of your fear of spiders. Featuring wonderful performances by the likes of Jeff Daniels, Harley Jane Kozak, Julian Sands, and scene-stealer John Goodman as a larger-than-life exterminator, this early ’90s gem will have you laughing one second and jumping out of your skin the next. Given that the overall theme at Horror-Fest this year is phobia, “Arachnophobia” serves as a perfect fit for the festivities.
6 p.m.: The Guerilla Shorts Showcase
The Guerilla Filmmaking Challenge has been a southern Utah staple since 2005. This community-based storytelling platform invites aspiring filmmakers to put together short film projects in a limited amount of time using any resources available to them. This latest challenge attracted over 20 filmmaking teams. These filmmaking teams were required to use the theme “phobia” and the dialogue line “Face your fears” in their projects. During the showcase, you’ll have an opportunity to see these wonderfully creative 5-minute short film efforts on the big screen. Following the Guerilla Shorts Showcase, awards will be handed out to the strongest shorts of the bunch. The jury will consist of a handful of reputable film enthusiasts and filmmakers including Lori Lyle, Darren Edwards, Ashley Harrison, Nathan Fackrell, Abbey Archer, and Dan Fowlks. An Audience Choice Award will also be offered up, so attendees are certainly encouraged to vote for their favorite short films.
Costume contest
No Halloween event would be complete without a costume contest, and southern Utah’s Horror-Fest is certainly no different! Get in the spirit of the most ghoulish of holidays by attending the festivities in costume. To sweeten the pot, we’ll offer up prizes to the two best costumes of the evening. The more creative you are, the better. Results of our costume contest will take place just before our closing horror film.
9 p.m.: John Carpenter’s “The Thing” (R)
Remakes are seldom as strong as the films that inspired them, but John Carpenter’s “The Thing” might just be the greatest re-imagining ever made. Crazy when you stop to consider that this updating of 1951’s “The Thing From Another World” was not well received when it opened way back in 1982. Not only is Carpenter’s take on “The Thing” (which bears a closer resemblance to John Campbell’s short story “Who Goes There?”) an unbearably taut paranoia thriller, but Rob Bottin serves up make-up effects more terrifying than anything you could conjure up in your own mind. Add to this an outstanding ensemble headed up by the likes of Kurt Russell, Keith David, Wilford Brimley, Thomas G. Waites, Joel Polis, Richard Masur, T.K. Carter, Richard Dysart, and Donald Moffat and you have the perfect closer for Horror-Fest 2017! At the very least, this is arguably the most effective film of Carpenter’s illustrious career.
Horror-Fest tickets are currently on sale at the Film and Media Alliance of Southern Utah website, and if you purchase between now and Oct. 25, you’ll save $1 a ticket.
The first 50 attendees to purchase a $9 All-Access Fright Pass in advance will receive a Horror-Fest goodie bag at the event. Tickets are $6 for the Guerilla Shorts Showcase.
Don’t wait! Purchase tickets now by clicking here!
Tickets will also be available at the door Saturday, Oct. 28:
—$10 for an All-Access Fright Pass.
—$7 for the Guerilla Shorts Showcase.
—$2 per horror film screening.
Happy Halloween, everyone!
Horror-Fest is presented by the Film and Media Alliance of Southern Utah. Lineup subject to change.
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