The Women in Horror Film Festival has been hard at work, preparing for the third installment of the fest. Co-founder & fest director Vanessa Wright has restructured to include a special guest jury to assist in deciding who goes home with the coveted Lizzie award. The Women in Horror Film Festival is proud to welcome the following, esteemed panel of guest jurors: Actress & filmmaker Heather Langenkamp (A Nightmare on Elm Street) Producer Marianne Maddalena (Scream, Wes Craven

We are huge admirers and fans of women in horror. We're thrilled to always share what female scaremakers are doing within our community and between Women in Horror Month and the Women in Horror Film Festival, we can't get enough fright from the female perspective. So, as 2019 dawns and a new year of terror begins, we've decided that instead of just jumping on the bandwagon in February that we're going to devote the entire year to women who have in the past or are currently ma

Obsession. Murder. Cannibalism. These are the corner stones of the story behind Lunch Ladies, the hilarious horror-comedy gem of the Women in Horror Film Festival. A duo of Johnny Depp obsessed school cafeteria workers win a contest based on a hamburger creation and get a chance to meet their idol in L.A. It's all a part of their master plan to become the personal chefs of the Hollywood icon. Their initial reaction is to celebrate, quit their jobs, and tell the ungrateful sta

I love that old story about the scorpion and the fox. The scorpion convinces a fox to allow it to ride on its back and together cross a river. Halfway across the river, though, the scorpion stings the fox condemning them both to drown. When asking why he'd do this, the scorpion says "because it's my nature." It's an ancient and universally constant tale of caution and choice. We feel a need to connect, to bond and help. Jax in Love is a modern tale of caution, of the percepti

In June I had the opportunity to interview Decay Mag founder and head Ken Artuz. We talked about horror journalism, changes in the genre, and building a brand that people recognized and trusted within the community. This was around the same time that Fangoria was announcing its return so the topics seemed beyond relevant. Unfortunately, a series of mistakes on my part kept the interview from making it to print. Fast forward to October and the Women in Horror Film Festival and

The Tell-Tale Heart is easily one of the most well known and recognizable stories of Edgar Allen Poe and, arguably, one of the greatest horror short stories of the Victorian Era. The story of a man driven to madness by his employer, who escalates his mania into murder and, eventually allows that guilt ridden insanity to be his undoing is timeless. So it should come as no surprise that for 175 years it has been the source of numerous stage and screen adaptions with its themes

The regional block of films at Women in Horror Film Festival was titled “Southern Discomfort” and it was so aptly named that it's scary. A series of shorts from the Southeastern U.S. this grouping was expertly curated and delivered. Grueling, dark, and horrific with a touch of twisted humor, it was easy to see why these films were selected. Teaser This short was visually stunning and told a twisted tale with almost no dialogue at all. In a strange speakeasy a burlesque dancer

Returning to the Women in Horror Film Festival felt like coming home. Within minutes of arriving I was greeted by familiar faces, warm smiles, and a sort of kinship and celebration that I've found few places before. Tucked away in deep the woods of Peachtree City's Crowne Plaza Hotel there were few outside distractions to take attendees away from the festival. With a focus on the contributions of women in horror whose work is defying expectations and the limitations imposed u

I've been talking about the Women in Horror Film Festival literally since I left last fall from Peachtree City, Georgia. The festival was four days of the most unique and original independent films with a focus on women in cinema. More than just directors and writers, women from all aspects of the film making process were considered for honors, awards, and participation with a focus on celebrating their role within the collaborative efforts of film. It was an inclusive, welco

Film festivals are phenomenal events with terrible reputations. The average moviegoer hears the words “film festival" and thinks of the stodgy, industry mainstays with their high concept, low appeal films and A list celebrity vanity projects. Events like Sundance which, in recent years has become increasingly hostile to independent filmmakers (i.e., the ongoing Sundance/Troma feud) have left a bad taste in fans’ mouths. So what the cure for the film festival problem? How do y