Portland Horror Film Festival announced the first wave of 13 early film selections for its 2019 program. With the final submission deadline less than a month away, these films represent a cross section of what’s in store during the four day festival, June 5-8 at the Hollywood Theatre in Portland, OR.
REBORN is the first feature-length film selected by the festival. Directed by Julian Richards (Shiver, The Last Horror Movie, Daddy’s Girl), this Pacific Northwest premiere has strong roots in classic horror, plus killer super powers and inventive kill scenes that are sure to be crowd pleasers! The highlight of the film is the relationship between mother and daughter (thought to be dead but reanimated by a lightning strike). Barbara Crampton shines with a stirring and sensitive performance in her starring role, Kayleigh Gilbert as her long lost daughter is mesmerizing.
This year’s short films run the gamut from creepy monsters to hilarious hijinks. A lone injured hiker meets an uncanny stranger in the “The Hidebehind” by Parker Finn, condiments make things easy to swallow in the micro short “The Only Thing I Love More Than You is Ranch Dressing,” by Sydney Clara Brafman, hilarious horror scenarios play out in rapid succession in “We Got a Monkey’s Paw” by Zack Ogle, and late night bathroom terror can’t stop the social media train in “@SelfieJunkie” by Ty Huffer.
In a continuing effort to widen the visibility and space for female voices in the traditionally male-dominated horror genre, the festival’s Women in Horror Month program waived submission fees for women directors during February. Izzy Lee’s “Re-Home” stars Gigi Saul Guerrero (Luchagore Productions) who turns in a heart wrenching performance, and gives us a horrifying look at a possible future. A profession single mother can’t find a reliable babysitter in “Hana,” by Mai Takanishi who is also the director of Scream Queen FilmFest Tokyo. Lushly filmed and directed by Bas-Tzion Beahan, “Essere Amato” is a Fellini-esque study of the cost of being loved. Artistically animated “Cemetery Song” is a reflection on mortality and existential dread, directed by Michelle Prebich.
Rounding out these thirteen early selections are a collection of truly unsettling international horrors. Get ready for psychological body horror from Ireland in “I Am Not A Monster,” Grace Quilligan’s film thesis project, post-apocalyptic madness from with impressive practical monster effects from Belgium in “Z-Goat: First Bleat” by Julien Jauniaux, Spanish film “Coda Sacra” by Pol Barros, which is a masterclass in creating an atmosphere of dread, and Vancouver Film School’s “30th Night” directed by Matthew van Ginkel, who adeptly uses the closed-in prison setting to give us a werewolf movie like none other!
The full list is at https://portlandhorrorfilmfestival.com/films/. The first wave is only a quarter of the films that will be selected for the festival. Be sure to check for updates as more films are announced.
Portland Horror Film Festival will take place June 5-8th 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: https://www.facebook.com/events/319402925261820/
Our final submission deadline is April 8th, so there is still time to submit your horror film for consideration! Check out the rules and guidelines on FilmFreeway.