Women in Horror Film Festival: A Preview
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, welcoming environment where filmmakers and fans were able to interact with one another like nowhere else. And this year promises to be more of the same.
Here's a little preview of what you can expect this year from the Women in Horror Film Festival.
The Guests
Last year's guest list included some of the most incredible women currently working in the genre including the Soska sisters, Amanda Wyss, Heather Langenkamp, and Lynn Lowry just to name a few. This year promises to be equally star studded with guests including former bond girl Trina Parks and legendary producer Marianne Maddalena. Also returning for the 2018 Women in Horror Film Festival will be best selling horror author Mylo Carbia and Collective Soul 's Ross Childress who you may recall performed at Grindhouse Killer Burgers this past summer to help raise money and awareness for the festival.
I haven't been able to find an announcement yet on who will be judging the films this year but, to be honest, that is likely just an oversight in my investigative skill. As soon as I arrive at the festival Thursday I'll update this article with the information.
The Films
The Women in Horror Film Festival offers an array of original horror films in both short form and feature length. The films are divided into blocks and shown back to back with intermissions between the blocks to give viewers a chance to decompress after some of the more traumatic and terrifying pieces. During last year's festival I was glad to be able to step out and clear my head after the terror and emotional distress by a magnificent film called Unbearing. Already, the list of films and their descriptions are promising to be an even more intense and all together phenomenal set that will no doubt inspire some sleepless nights.
The first block of films will be Experimental Horror at 11am on Friday. There are categories for nearly everything conceivable in the genre from psychological and body horrors to animation and horror comedy. There will also be trailers for upcoming films that will have their own category this year. I'm already looking forward to a few films scheduled for this weekend including Lunch Ladies, Heartless, Amy's in the Freezer, and Colony.
All of the films on the schedule look incredible and, like last year, my one regret will be not being able to see them all. You can check out the full list of films playing here as well as the complete schedule. Be sure to check out the Women in Horror Film Festival's web page and, if you're in the Atlanta area this weekend, plan on getting tickets and coming to this one of a kind event.
I'll be doing live updates and interviews all weekend long from the festival so be on the look out for those.
The Women in Horror Film Festival is October 4th-7th with screenings beginning October 5th at the Crowne Plaza Hotel and Convention Center in Peachtree, City, Georgia.
Dan is an author, editorialist, podcaster, and horror culture & lifestyle correspondent from the Southeast. You can find Dan's stories at Danno of the Dead Blog and through PDI Press.
