Portland Horror Film Festival is expanding to 4 days of independent Horror Films for its third annual event, June 13-16, 2018 at the Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd). The 2016 and 2017 festivals unearthed a ravenous hunger for independent horror films in the Pacific NW, serving near sell-out crowds of eager horror fans with terrifying films from around the world.
Filmmakers are invited to submit their independent short and feature-length horror films through FilmFreeway at https://filmfreeway.com/PortlandHorrorFilmFestival. Independent studios or horror-oriented businesses interested in partnering with PHFF should contact us at https://portlandhorrorfilmfestival.com.
Besides being enjoyed by Portland’s distinguished horror fans, and being eligible for a number of Festival Awards, selected films are also reviewed by an industry insider for the Bloody Judge Award. This year’s Bloody Judge is Brian Yuzna, producer Re-Animator, director Return of the Living Dead III. In 2016 the guest judge was Gregg Hale, producer of The Blair Witch Project and in 2017 Richard Stanley, director of Hardware.
Festival judges are looking for films from all horror sub-genres. “The number one thing we heard from our audience in 2017 was MORE MONSTERS! Furry and scaly critters, demonic entities, men in suits, and fantastical beings.” said Festival Co-Director Brian Callahan. “We’re also big fans of the Italian witchery of Argento, the Satanic Panic of the 70s, and would love to see films that evoke those genres.”
As an earnest supporter of those fighting for parity in the film industry, including the Time’s Up movement, PHFF is again waiving submission fees for women directors during the month of February for Women In Horror month. “There have always been a ton of talented women working in horror films and it is our distinct pleasure to bring their work to our audience. In 2016, only about 10% of programming was from women directors, but in response to our program that number grew to 25% in 2017. Nothing would make me happier than to have submissions and programming consisting of an equal number of projects with women and men in the director’s chair!” said Festival Co-Director Gwen Callahan.
Portland Horror Film Festival was launched in 2016 by Gwen and Brian Callahan, directors of the popular H. P. Lovecraft Film Festival®. With the goal of promoting and nurturing independent horror film, the Portland Horror Film Festival is the first dedicated horror film festival in Portland, OR. Film programming is comprised of international independent short and feature length horror films, many of which you can’t see anywhere else.
For more information on the festival and upcoming events, please visit
facebook.com/portlandhorrorfilmfestival/