From Oct. 4-6, the Atlanta Horror Film Festival featured a plethora of the best indie horror films released this year. Filmmakers submitted their creations to the festival for them to be viewed by audiences at Limelight Theater. Since 2006, the festival has been a pillar in the horror community, serving as a way to highlight independent filmmakers. 171 short and feature films were spread across the three days at different times. Many films shown were filmed internationally and displayed a variety of creative outlooks, pushing the boundaries of horror. This year served as the 18th annual festival, showing its importance in the community.
The festival showed a variety of films at different parts of the day, taking place from noon to midnight. Each day, a few features were shown with collections of short films playing throughout. At the end of the day, a meet-and-greet was held with the filmmakers allowing audiences to gain insight into the process behind special effect creation and address questions about plot details. This served as a look into the minds of these creators and their thought process behind their creations.
One highlight of the festival was the film “Bakemono.” Set in Tokyo, Japan, “Bakemono” tells the story of a man who creates a monster and uses it as a tool to commit horrible crimes against his unsuspecting victims. From the mind of director Doug Roos, the story showed the differing points of view of the characters leading up to their inevitable deaths. Surprisingly, there were no special effects used in the making of the film. All of the effects were practical and looked great during action scenes with the monster.
The short films were all incredibly entertaining despite being less than ten minutes long. Filmmakers were able to evoke the emotion of terror in such a short time using their creative direction and cinematography. Each collection of shorts focused on a different genre of horror from uninvited guests to comedy. There were also collections of short films made by local directors, strengthening the Atlanta film community by bringing these creators together and allowing them to view one another’s work.
There were also films with queer representation like the feature “Straight on Till Morning.” This film centered around a sapphic couple being kidnapped by a twisted family while on a romantic getaway. Themes of fighting prejudice and being unafraid to die for one’s beliefs are at the heart of the film. Directed by Craig Ouellette, the film doubles as a social commentary and a horror flick with amazing acting led by a predominantly female cast. The special effects were beautifully done and an essential part of the viewing experience.
Another highlight of the festival was the feature “Did I?”, centering around a young woman struggling to navigate her diagnosis with dissociative identity disorder. Plagued by hallucinations, the woman experiences memories created by her alternative persona and approaches the horrific realization that she is not in complete control of her actions. Directed by Sarah Tice, the cinematography of the film shines in her creative shots and masterful use of lighting and color. The film is designed to make the viewer as disoriented as the main character, and it accomplishes just that.
As a whole, the event was made possible thanks to the volunteers and curators who worked painstakingly to ensure the festival would run smoothly. These individuals were incredibly welcoming and were visibly passionate about horror films. Their infectious enthusiasm for the event made it all the more enjoyable. Despite the nature of the films shown, there is no dead energy in this atmosphere. Every person who contributed, whether they are a filmmaker, a volunteer or someone who purchased tickets to the festival kept this event alive for Atlanta’s film community and horror film fans.