The Spooky Movie Film Festival - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Spooky Movie - The Washington, D.C. International Horror Film Festival (aka: The Spooky Movie Film Festival) is an internationally recognized showcase for independent and underground filmmakers of the horror, science fiction and fantasy genres.

History

The first and only horror film festival held in the D.C. Metro area, The Spooky Movie Film Festival was formed in 2006 to give both filmmakers in the horror/sci-fi genres a venue to have their work showcased to people in the industry, and the fans in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

area a unique experience.

Many of the features that have screened at the festival go on to get picked up for distribution afterwards, including the opening night features in 2006 and 2007 (The Slaughter and Eat Your Heart Out); both would later be signed to Lionsgate Entertainment.
The home base for the festival is Cinema Arts Theatres in Fairfax, Virginia

Fairfax, Virginia

The City of Fairfax is an independent city forming an enclave within the confines of Fairfax County, in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Although politically independent of the surrounding county, the City is nevertheless the county seat....

, with additional screenings in Crystal City, Virginia

Crystal City, Virginia

Crystal City is an urban neighborhood in the southeastern corner of Arlington County, Virginia, south of downtown Washington, D.C.. Its residents can live, shop, and work without going outside, due to its extensive integration of office buildings and residential high-rise buildings using...

, Wheaton, Maryland

Wheaton, Maryland

Wheaton is an unincorporated, urbanized area in Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, north of Washington, D.C., northwest of Silver Spring. Wheaton takes its name from Frank Wheaton , a career officer in the United States Army and volunteer from Rhode Island in the Union Army who rose to the rank of...

, Arlington, Virginia, Hagerstown, Maryland

Hagerstown, Maryland

Hagerstown is a city in northwestern Maryland, United States. It is the county seat of Washington County, and, by many definitions, the largest city in a region known as Western Maryland. The population of Hagerstown city proper at the 2010 census was 39,662, and the population of the...

and mid-town D.C.

2006

The inaugural 2006 fest (October 26-28), 30 films were screened during three days. The cover art for the festival was a black and white photograph of Count Gore De Vol

Count Gore de Vol

Count Gore De Vol is a television horror host who originally appeared on Washington, DC's WDCA from 1973 to 1987.Originally named M. T. Graves, the character was played by announcer Dick Dyszel, and originated on the WDCA's version of the Bozo the Clown program. When the character got a positive...

(Dick Dyszel), who was the host for opening night. The following morning Mr. Dyszel returned as his other alter-ego, Captain 20

Captain 20

Captain 20 was a fictional character, an astronaut who hosted Washington, D.C.'s WDCA afternoon children's television block of cartoons and live action shorts like Ultraman. Captain 20 was portrayed by Dick Dyszel from 1972-1987, who also played monster movie host Count Gore De Vol, Bozo the...

(popular children's host in the 1970s and 1980s) for a matinee of family friendly films, which included Teddy Scares
Teddy scares
A line of twisted teddy bears created by Applehead Factory in 2003. The bears are supposed to represent old teddy bears that have been abandoned by their owners and become warped and rotted over time. There are two series of bears, as well as a set of miniature versions called "morgue minis"...

and the first of the Blue Rhino trilogy - The Blue Rhino Vs. The Zombie Caveman.

Featured in the schedule was the world premiere of the feature film Two Front Teeth, the east coast premiere of the Korea

Korea

Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...

n film The Red Shoes
The Red Shoes (2005 film)
The Red Shoes is a 2005 horror film written and directed by Kim Yong-gyun. Kim Yong-gyun was inspired by the fairy tale of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen, where a vain stepdaughter could not stop dancing in her enchanted red shoes.-Plot:Set in Seoul, Sun-jae leaves her unfaithful husband...

, and the D.C. premieres of Pervert!
Pervert!
Pervert! is a 2005 comedy horror film directed by Jonathan Yudis. It is a tribute to the films of Russ Meyer.-Plot:College student James arrives from New Orleans at a desert ranch owned by his father, Hezekiah to help out. Soon after arriving, James is hit on by Hezekiah's wife, Cheryl , and...

and The Slaughter. Short film screenings included The Legend of Farmer Jenkins, Pumpkin Zombies, Jitters and Zombie Island.

Selections from the festival were later screened at Artomatic

Artomatic

Artomatic is a five-week, multimedia arts event held in the Washington, D.C. area. It has been held in 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2008 and 2009...

, a month long D.C. arts festival, as well as Horror At The Hager Summer Series in Hagerstown, Maryland

Hagerstown, Maryland

2007

In 2007, the festival (October 12-14) screened the world premiere of Eat Your Heart Out, the American premiere of the Japanese

Cinema of Japan

The has a history that spans more than 100 years. Japan has one of the oldest and largest film industries in the world – as of 2009 the fourth largest by number of feature films produced. Movies have been produced in Japan since 1897, when the first foreign cameramen arrived...

movie Carved: The Slit Mouthed Woman, and the D.C. premieres of 99 Pieces and The Creek. Short films in 2007 included award winners like Callous Sentiment, The Dollhouse, Electrical Skeletal
Electrical Skeletal
Electrical Skeletal is a 2007 comedy/horror/musical short film directed by Brian Lonano. The film stars Don Singalewitch, Vincent K. Guagenti and the music of the Casket Architects.- Plot :...

and Of Darkness.

In addition to the new showings, a midnight screening of the silent classic Der Golem was screened, with performance artist Bobogolem providing the soundtrack on 9 different instruments, including a stand-up bass, therimin, banjo

Banjo

In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...

and violin.

The Washington Post

The Washington Post

The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...

called the performance "The hightlight of the festival," as well saying that the 2007 fest was "A slashing good time." The cover art for the 2007 festival program guide was done by Buz Hasson, illustrator for the comic book The Living Corpse

The Living Corpse

The Living Corpse is a Russian play by Leo Tolstoy. Although written around 1900, it was only published shortly after his death—Tolstoy had never considered the work finished...

. In addition, the festival began with a video greeting to Count Gore from Steve Niles

Steve Niles

Steve Niles is an American comic book author and novelist, known for works such as 30 Days of Night, Criminal Macabre, Simon Dark, Mystery Society and Batman: Gotham County Line....

, creator of 30 Days of Night

30 Days of Night

30 Days of Night is a three-issue horror comic book mini-series written by Steve Niles, illustrated by Ben Templesmith, and published by IDW Publishing in 2002. All three parties co-own the property....

, who had autographed a poster from the movie to be given away on opening night.

One week following the October 2007 fest, a 12 hour, all night marathon

Marathon

The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...

was scheduled at Horror at the Hager (The Spooky Movie Red Eye Marathon) and included more world premieres, including The Jester
The Jester
The Jester is a roller coaster found at the former Six Flags New Orleans. Originally constructed as The Joker's Revenge by Vekoma for the 1996 season at Six Flags Fiesta Texas, it was relocated to Six Flags New Orleans between 2002 and 2003 to open as The Jester for the 2003 season. In August 2005,...

and Us Sinners. Additional screenings were scheduled for the 2008 Artomatic

Artomatic

Artomatic is a five-week, multimedia arts event held in the Washington, D.C. area. It has been held in 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2008 and 2009...

event, held in mid-town Washington, D.C.

Midsummer Night's Scream

A one night only / stand-alone event was scheduled for the summer of 2008 (July 17, 2008). Scheduled were four award winning shorts films - The Ancient Rite of Corey McGillis, Seekers
Seekers
The Seekers, or Legatine-Arians as they were sometimes known, were a Protestant dissenting group that emerged around the 1620s, probably inspired by the preaching of three brothers – Walter, Thomas, and Bartholomew Legate. Arguably, they are best thought of as forerunners of the Quakers, with whom...

, Eight Thirty-Two and The Marionette - and the D.C. area premiere of the Troma Entertainment

Troma Entertainment

Troma Entertainment is an American independent film production and distribution company founded by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz in 1974.The company produces low-budget independent movies that play on 1950s horror with elements of farce...

produced feature Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead.

Director and producer, Lloyd Kaufman

Lloyd Kaufman

Lloyd Kaufman is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and occasional actor. With producer Michael Herz, he is the co-founder of Troma Entertainment film studio, and the director of many of their feature films, including The Toxic Avenger and Tromeo and Juliet. Kaufman also serves as...

, came in for the event and afterwards led an hour-long question and answer session. The following day, Mr. Kaufman visited University Mall Theatres, also in Fairfax, Virginia, for a two hour version of his "Make Your Own Damn Movie" master class

Master class

A master class is a class given to students of a particular discipline by an expert of that discipline—usually music, but also painting, drama, or any of the arts....

2008

Spooky Movie was held on Oct. 16-20 and screened 50 films from 10 countries at 3 different theaters in 2 states. The program guide cover for 2008 featured artwork from Mike Sosnowski, former animator for both Ralph Bakshi

Ralph Bakshi

Ralph Bakshi is an Israeli-American director of animated and live-action films. In the 1970s, he established an alternative to mainstream animation through independent and adult-oriented productions. Between 1972 and 1992, he directed nine theatrically released feature films, five of which he wrote...

and Disney Studios

Walt Disney Pictures

Walt Disney Pictures is an American film studio owned by The Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Pictures and Television, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios and the main production company for live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, based at the Walt Disney...

.

The bulk of the festival ran the at Cinema Arts Theatres in Fairfax, Virginia

Fairfax, Virginia

; a week earlier there was a preview night event at the then-recently opened Montgomery Cinema 'N' Draft House in Wheaton, Maryland. Then on Halloween

Halloween

Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...

, there was a special event at the Arlington Cinema 'N' Draft House in Arlington, Virginia, hosted by "Count Gore De Vol" with music by "Karlos Borloff" and his band "The Monsterminators."

Premiere features included Bane, No Through Road, Snuff: A Documentary About Killing On Camera, Brain Dead, Crushed and the world premiere of Vlog
Vlog
Video blogging, sometimes shortened to vlogging or vidding or vidblogging is a form of blogging for which the medium is video, and is a form of Web television. Entries often combine embedded video or a video link with supporting text, images, and other metadata. Entries can be recorded in one take...

- a new feature from the producer of Saw

Saw (film)

Saw is a 2004 American independent horror film directed by James Wan. The screenplay, written by Leigh Whannell, is based on a story by Wan and Whannell. The film stars Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, Monica Potter, Michael Emerson, Ken Leung, Whannell and Tobin Bell...

. Short films included Attackazoids!, Night of the Hell Hamsters
Night of the Hell Hamsters
Night of the Hell Hamsters is a 2006 B-movie comedy horror short film in which demonic possessed hamsters terrorize a young babysitter and her boyfriend.-Plot:...

, Foet, Excision, Snip and the Bill Plympton

Bill Plympton

William "Bill" Calvin Plympton is an American animator, former cartoonist, director, screenwriter and producer best known for his 1987 Academy Award-nominated animated short Your Face. and his series of shorts Guard Dog, Guide Dog, Hot Dog and Horn Dog.- Biography :Bill Plympton was born in...

animated film Shut-Eye Hotel.

2009

Spooky Movie was held on Oct. 21-25 and screened 42 films from 9 countries and 12 states.

The opening night event was a special screening of H.G. Lewis' classic horror film

Horror film

Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...

Two Thousand Maniacs with the director in attendance. Feature films screened at the fest included Evil Angel

Evil Angel (film)

Evil Angel is a 2009 indie horror film starring Ving Rhames, Ava Gaudet, Kristopher Shepard, and Richard Dutcher, who also directed, wrote, edited, and produced the film.-Plot:...

, The Death of Alice Blue, Must Love Death and Morgue Story. Short films screened included Attackazoids, Deploy!!, Psycho Hillbilly Cabin Massacre, Phenomena: Probing the Paranormal, Rising Up: The Story of the Zombie Rights Movement and Tinglewood.

2010

Spooky Movie was held on Oct. 21-25 and screened 41 films.

The opening night event was a special screening of Tucker & Dale vs Evil

Tucker & Dale vs Evil

Tucker & Dale vs Evil is a 2010 Canadian comedy horror film written and directed by Eli Craig. The film stars Alan Tudyk, Tyler Labine, Katrina Bowden and Jesse Moss.-Plot:...

. Feature films screened at the fest included Colin

Colin (film)

Colin is a 2008 English zombie film which, after a successful run in a number of film festivals, went on to be shown at Cannes in 2009. Applauded for its success despite its low budget, the total cost of production was reportedly £45...

, Broken Springs, The Uh! Oh! Show

The Uh! Oh! Show

The Uh! Oh! Show is a 2009 gore horror comedy movie by director Herschell Gordon Lewis. The film revolves around a game show called the Uh Oh Show where contestants can win lots of money by answering trivia questions, but for every wrong answer the contestant must face a wheel of misfortune...

, Everything's Eventual

Everything's Eventual

"Everything's Eventual" is a novella by Stephen King. It was originally published in the October/November 1997 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. In 2000, it was included in the game Stephen King's F13...

, The Echo Game, Every Other Day Is Halloween, Mørke Sjeler, S&Man

S&Man

S&Man is a 2006 pseudo-documentary film that examines the underground subculture of horror films. It combines real interviews with indie horror film makers and a scripted plot that does not immediately come into focus until the second half of the film...

and The Matrimony.

The Spooky Movie (Television Show)

A Horror Host

Horror host

Horror hosts are a particular type of television presenter, often tasked with presenting low-grade films to television audiences. This tradition is primarily American, though there have been a few international hosts over the years.-Film Packages:...

television program that showed public domain

Public domain

Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...

horror and science fiction movies, produced from October 1995 until September 2006. Hosted by "Dr. Sarcofiguy" (John Dimes

John Dimes

John Dimes is an author, artist, singer, actor and award-winning comedian. He is best known as the Horror Host Dr. Sarcofiguy, the first African-American Horror Host....

), has been screened across the county on The Horror Host Underground Network, and continues to be seen on Falls Church Cable Television" (FCCTV). The show provided the foundation and support for the film festival, which debuted in October 2006..

In 2008 it was announced that a new version of the program would begin production, focusing on the short films submitted to The Spooky Movie Film Festival since 2006. Once again author and comedian, John Dimes, is scheduled to host.

Monster Madhouse Live

Premiering in August 2006, Monster Madhouse Live became the official successor of The Spooky Movie television show, providing local and national entertainment hosting public domain movies. Hosted by Karlos Borloff with a rotating cast of regulars (that occasionally included "Count Gore" and "Sarcofiguy"), in February 2008 the show was featured on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and two months later received a Telly Award. A strong supporter of The Spooky Movie Film Festival, Monster Madhouse Live has featured films and filmmakers showcased at fest, including Lloyd Kaufman

Lloyd Kaufman

Count Gore De Vol

Count Gore de Vol

(Dick Dyszel) is a television horror host who originally appeared on Washington, DC's WDCA

WDCA

WDCA, virtual channel 20, is a television station in Washington, D.C.. Owned by Fox Television Stations, a division of the News Corporation, WDCA is a sister station to Fox network outlet WTTG , and is affiliated with the co-owned MyNetworkTV programming service...

from 1973 to 1987. He was the internet's first Horror Host

Horror host

, debuting in 1998. Since 2006 he has been the official host for The Spooky Movie Film Festival. In 2008 he hosted four events for the festival.

Festival of Horrors

A two volume DVD anthology

Anthology

An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...

featuring shorts that have screened at The Spooky Movie Film Festival. Hosted by Count Gore, and produced by Rudderpost Films, Festival of Horrors Volumes 1 and 2 include over two hours each of "award winning" short films, as well as special features, including interviews with Steve Niles