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Terror-Filled Fun at Annual 'Horrorfest'
By Cami Cox
Staff Writer
Hold on to your seats, Southern Utah – things are about to get spooky!
For the sixth consecutive year, the annual Horrorfest will claw, howl, and scream its way into town, Oct. 19 and 20, and the silver screen will flicker with terrifying horror films, both classic and contemporary, to make skins crawl, hearts pound and spines tingle.
“If you're into Halloween and you just like all that aura that comes with Halloween, it's just fun – especially if you like being scared,” Adam Mast, Horrorfest creator, said. “It's just a bunch of people hanging out, having a good time, being scared, basically.”
A chilling lineup of movies will keep Horrorfest fans on the edge of their seats throughout the weekend.
The first freaky film of Horrorfest will take place at Sand Hollow Aquatic Center, 1144 N. Lava Flow Dr., in St. George. Admission will be $1 and “Poltergeist,” rated PG, will be shown on the giant, inflatable screen. Members of the audience can watch the film poolside in seats and bleachers, or they can take in the flick dive-in-movie style while swimming.
Also taking place Oct. 19 will be a midnight showing of the new film “30 Days of Night” at Stadium 8, 1091 N. Bluff St., in St. George. Entrance will be the regular ticket price, and the first 10 people at the door wearing costumes will receive free admission. There will also be a costume contest, and members of the audience will choose the winning costumes. This film is rated R, so anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
Horrorfest will continue, Oct. 20, with film showings throughout the day at the Electric Theater, 68 E. Tabernacle, in St. George. Admission to all the Electric Theater events will be free.
The classic film “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein” will lead out at 10 a.m. This film is not rated and is appropriate for all ages, Mast said. Following that movie will be “The Fly” at noon and “The Phantasm” at 1:45 p.m. Both those films are rated R, so kids under 18 will not be admitted without an adult, he said.
The Guerilla Film competition will kick off Friday, Oct. 12, at 6 p.m. at the Electric Theater. Ten competing filmmakers will be given seven days to complete a 10-minute short film each, adhering to an annual theme that will be announced that evening. Filmmakers are instructed to keep their films community-appropriate and free of objectionable content, Mast said.
There is a $20 entrance fee for each film, and those interested in entering should arrive at the Electric Theater that evening to receive competition instructions and rules.
On Oct. 20, at 3:30 p.m., these local filmmakers will get their chance to shine in the Horrorfest spotlight. Films entered in the annual Guerilla Film Competition will be shown to the Electric Theater audience, and awards will be given for the winning films at the conclusion of the screenings.
Following the Guerilla competition film showings, Horrorfest will continue with “Blood-O-Ween,” a locally filmed mockumentary. The storyline follows three guys who are attempting to record an album of Halloween sound effects, but then, as with all good horror flicks, things go terribly wrong.
“It's hilarious,” Mast said. “It's entertaining, and it's fun when you know it's someone local who made it.”
Created and produced by Matthew Mangus, Joshua Everett, and Nathan Fackerell, the film is family friendly, Mast said, and has won awards at several film competitions, including an audience choice award at the LDS Film Festival.
Following “Blood-O-Ween” will be showings of “The Lost Boys” at 5:45 p.m., “Prince of Darkness” at 7:30 p.m. and “Halloween 2” at 9:15 p.m.
Mast, who created Horrorfest, said it is intended as an entertaining event for Southern Utahns to get together and get scared. Admission is low-cost or free, so everyone interested can do just that.
“It's just going to be fun,” he said. “I have a fondness for horror movies. I love all movies, but I really enjoy scary movies. I just got tired of hearing everyone complain how there's never anything fun to do here, so I thought it would be cool to throw an event that I would like to go to if I weren't the one throwing it.”
In conjunction with Horrorfest, the Red Rock Film Festival will also kick off, Oct. 19 and 20, at the St. George Opera House, featuring independent films from around the world. For show times and ticket information for the Red Rock Film Festival, visit www.redrockfilmfestival.com or call (888) 602-0009.

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