19 hours and counting until my favorite weekend of the year arrives. That’s right, Horrorfest is back for it’s third year to warm the hearts of die hard gore and thrill seekers across the country. In case you haven’t heard of it, Horrorfest is an annual film festival featuring carefully selected supernatural and psycho killer flicks that were produced in the past year but never released. They are chosen based on originality, thrill factor, and the fact that they were too disturbing to release to the general public.

This one week event has grown increasingly popular with each year, and the creators have expanded the venue to include script writing, short film, and even Miss Horrorfest contests. Despite the onset of a potential cult following, the San Francisco Bay Area has dwindled each year in it’s theatre offerings. Each year my long-time friend, Jessie, who is also a fellow horror buff and my partner script writer, joins me for a weekend filled with back-to-back films from our favorite genre. It is our ritual to select a different theatre for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, each of which consists of viewing three movies with drinks and snacks in between. We have a strick rule of no other guests and we spend the breaks analyzing and critiquing the film.

This year, as we anxiously checked the web site for movie synopses, trailers, and theatre listings, we were appauled to find that only two theatres anywhere in the bay area are housing the festival! One in San Jose and one in Daly City, both of which are 45 minutes to 1 hour away. Even San Francisco has nothing to offer! It is absolutely ludacris. And to think that SF and Berkeley are known for artistic expression and originality. Regardless of how repulsive you may find them, it must be admitted that horror is indeed an art form.

Nevertheless, we shall overcome. Tomorrow we will leave our respective offices early to drive to San Jose where each day three new films will (hopefully) frighten us like never before. I will have a full report for you next week. And know that one day a film that we wrote will be released at, if not Horrorfest itself, a festival much like this one.

Tags: ghosts, horror movie, horrorfest, scary movie