Fright Fest, Take Four

Spooky Movie horror festival rolls out 42 short and feature length films

By Sarah Cough

George’s friends are staging an intervention. They need to help him get over his unhealthy habit of eating people. But as people begin to disappear they wonder if they can they assist, without becoming dinner themselves. “George’s Intervention,” a feature in Spooky Movie: The Washington D.C. International Horror Film Festival, is one of the 10 feature films that will satisfy bloodthirsty horror fans.

The Spooky Movie Fest, an annual feast of terrorizing mayhem from the minds of independent filmmakers, is back for its fourth year of pushing patrons to the edge of their seats and keeping them looking over their shoulders. “We are equally committed to presenting the best show of its kind to our audience here in the D.C. area as we are to honoring the spirit of independent cinema from around the world,” says Curtis Prather, director and founder of the festival.

Before Prather began Spooky Movie, the Metro-D.C. area was the only major city without a horror film festival. “The first year was a tremendous success,” he says. “So I went for a second, then a third, and now I’m on my fourth. Each year the films get consistently better, and the reputation for the fest has grown beyond the Mid-Atlantic region.”

From Oct. 21 through 25, the fest will show 42 films, both short and feature length, from 13 states and nine countries, reflecting modern horror films from the more traditional vampire movie to the recently popular comedic horror films.

Though the fest begins at the AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring, Md., the rest of the screenings will take place at its original home, Cinema Arts Theatre in Fairfax. Owner Mike O’Meara says Spooky Movie has developed “a fairly large, loyal following. Those that come, usually enjoy themselves.”

The fans are “extremely diverse, which is nice, since it tends to reflect the region,” Prather adds. “The hardcore horror fans are a given, however we’re also getting people out who appreciate the quality of the show we put on, purely from a film festival standard.”

Prather wasn’t surprised by the popularity of a horror fest in Northern Virginia, in part for the talent he saw here. “Last year, Richard Bates, from Langley Park area, made one of the most amazing shorts I have ever seen: ‘Excision,’” he says.

Prather says that for horror films, “the appeal, I believe, is in the DNA; having the shared experience of a good fright.”

This year’s fest provides enough fright for all. Prather says they program a sampling of their best films into each block “so that if you didn’t care for one film, there’s another in the same block that you will more than likely dig.”

Zombie Night on Oct. 23 will again be hosted by Count Gore de Vol, star of Prather’s documentary “Every Other Day is Halloween,” showcasing two feature films, including “George’s Intervention.”

On Oct. 24, there will be a double feature, starting with “Audie and the Wolf.” “A wonderfully original ‘reverse’ werewolf movie, where a wolf turns into a man and kills and eats people,” Prather says. “Oh! And it’s a love story.”

Sunday will open with a free kid-friendly matinee then move on to scarier features, including “Murder Loves Killers Too.” He says it feels like an ordinary teen horror movie until “all of the cliches have been checked off the list, and the viewer is in totally uncharted territory, with about 20 minutes left.”

For the schedule, tickets and more information visit the website: www.thespookymovie.com. For a listing of Halloween events throughout Northern Virginia, check out our holiday guide.