PORTLAND, ORE – With the final submission deadline looming, Portland Horror Film Festival announced the first wave of 13 early film selections in its 2018 program. A broad mix of classic monster mayhem, blood and guts, vintage homages, and terrifying glimpses into netherworlds, this is a small taste of what the festival will offer over the course of its four day program, June 13-16 at the Hollywood Theatre.
FRAMED is the first feature-length film selected by the festival, from Spanish director Marc Martinez Jordan, and this deliciously gory and darkly hilarious Oregon premiere takes a hard look at the spectacle of horror through the lens of social media.
While Portland Horror Film Festival also showcases the best short horror films from everywhere in the world, the organizers are also thrilled to feature works from local filmmakers, such as “Made You Look.” Co-written and co-directed by Portland locals Justin Zimmerman and 12-year old Kian Doughty, this short film includes chilling monster effects by renowned monster maker Chris Walas (creator of the Gremlins from Joe Dante’s 1984 classic).
Chris Walas is also a special guest of the festival and will be giving a keynote address concerning his 40 years in the effects industry, including his varied work on classics like Piranha (1978), Dragonslayer (1981), Raiders of The Lost Ark (1981), and The Fly (1989).
In a continuing effort to increase the visibility of female voices in the traditionally male-dominated horror genre, PHFF has also selected “The Day Mum Became a Monster” by French filmmaker Josephine Hopkins, “My Monster” from festival veteran Izzy Lee, and “Cecilia,” a groovy 70s throwback by Liz Tabish, all making their Pacific Northwest debuts, and all of which were submitted as part of the festival’s Women in Horror Month program, which waives submission fees for women directors during the month of February.
This first wave of selections also includes the bloodthirsty fairy film, “Latched” from Justin Harding, winner of the festival’s coveted Goule D’Or award in 2016, as well as the Audience Choice award, for his film “Kookie.” “We Summoned a Demon” by Chris McInroy (winner of the Funny Bone award in 2017 for his short “Death Metal”), “REWIND” from Rubén Pérez Barrena, and “The Bloody Ballad of Squirt Reynolds,” by Anthony Cousins (from the award-winning director of “When Susurrus Stirs”).
Rounding out these thirteen early selections are a collection of truly unsettling international horrors: “Banshee” from Canada, “SAVE” from Spain,“Dead Cool” from the UK, and “First Love,” a cleverly animated short from Russia, making its US Premiere!
The full list is at https://portlandhorrorfilmfestival.com/films/. Be sure to check for updates as more films are announced.
Portland Horror Film Festival will take place June 13-16th at the historic Hollywood Theatre in Portland, Oregon (4122 NE Sandy Blvd). With the goal of promoting and nurturing independent horror film, it is the first dedicated all-genre international horror film festival in Portland. Film programming is comprised of independent short and feature length horror films from around the world, many of which you can’t see on the big screen anywhere else.
For more information about Portland Horror Film Festival, please visit portlandhorror.com or connect with us on social media facebook.com/portlandhorrorfilmfestival/ and twitter.com/portlandhorror, and on the event page: facebook.com/events/1178368285630814/