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    Nightmares Film Festival Comes to Gateway

    Who wants to be scared? ‘Tis the season, after all, and the Gateway Film Center has a Halloween lineup aimed at those ready to celebrate.

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    Their Nightmares Film Festival runs from Thursday, October 20 through Sunday, October 23 and promises “the world’s premier program of horrific, dreadful and weird movies.”

    The brainchild of GFC President Chris Hamel and Director of Communication Jason Tostevin, Nightmares features unseen and underseen genre fare from Columbus, across the US, and around the world.

    “The origins are really that I’m a dyed-in-the-wool horror guy, Chris is a dyed-in-the-wool horror guy,” says Tostevin. “We both have lots of experience at festivals, and we wanted to share these movies that wouldn’t necessary make it to Columbus otherwise.”

    For Tostevin, the festival was a natural expansion of the film center’s Nightmares on High series – a weekly rotation of rare, new horror films.

    “It was also a natural progression of my filmmaking,” Tostevin says. “I didn’t go to film school, so my film school happened at film festivals. I would go and watch films, see how you make a great movie and learn from that.”

    Tostevin wanted to return the favor to great filmmakers on the festival circuit by showcasing their work in Columbus.

    “I think running a festival is kind of the next step in the life cycle for me, which is giving back, bringing movies together, bringing together all the people I’ve met here in Columbus and on the festival scene.”

    Among the filmmakers to attend Nightmares is Tom Malloy, writer/producer/star of the found footage horror #Screamers.

    “Indie film is the love and passion of my life,” Malloy says. “I’m so grateful to continue to do it, going on 15 years now. In the words of my idol, the great John Cassavetes, ‘I like to act in films, I like to shoot ’em, I like to direct ’em, I like to be around ’em. I like the feel of it and it’s something I respect. Doesn’t make any difference if it’s a crappy film or a good film. Anyone who can make a film, I already love.’”

    #Screamers screens at 10 a.m. Friday, and Malloy is hoping for a good turnout.

    “Film festivals are like payback,” he says. “To see your film in front of an audience and how they react to it is awesome.”

    Films like #Screamers make the work of running the festival worthwhile for Tostevin.

    “It’s been crazy, but the kind of crazy that’s been really satisfying,” he says. “The films are great. I expected them to be great, but they’re even better than I expected. As it comes together, I’m getting more and more excited.”

    What’s been most exciting and surprising for Tostevin is the talent involved in the films.

    “I have seen so many movies at so many festivals that I thought I had a gauge,” he says. “And then we got these in and I went, ‘Oh, shit. This is better than almost anything I’ve seen before.’”

    Impressive festival candidates made the programming process exciting, but also tough.

    “The talent pool is really good,” he says. “There were not any submissions that were an easy no. That’s what make some of these really extraordinary. Some of these stood out so much against such a good background that they’re really just extraordinary.”

    Totevin came into the planning with high expectations, and the quality of the films has him convinced that Nightmares can achieve its lofty goals.

    “My idea was that it would elevate horror,” he says. “It would inspire horror to new heights. And I think it will do that. I can’t image that a filmmaker would watch these films and not be inspired to make better films. I can’t imagine that horror fans would see these films and not demand better.”

    Attendees can expect more than indie horrors and shorts. Many filmmakers will make the trip to attend, and genre staple Days of the Dead appears, screening a block of their own films and presenting their filmmaker of the year award during the festival.

    Gateway’s winners – chosen by a panel of horror festival programmers, independent filmmakers and horror fans – will receive an original statuette.

    “The awards are going to be super bad ass,” says Tostevin. “The actual trophy – a night mare – scary horse – is hand-sculpted by Tony Simione. He’s done toy figure and collectible stuff for Marvel.”

    Nightmares will award best short and feature as well as director, actor, actress, writer and cinematographer.

    “And I’m reserving the right to give out a couple others,” says Tostevin.

    Though Nightmares Film Festival is in its inaugural year, Tostevin has high hopes that it will be a regular feature on Columbus’s horror film scene.

    “I absolutely hope it to be a really long running festival. Our vision is that there won’t be a better horror festival in the country,” he says. “That’s determined by the content, but part of it is the experience, part of it is the presentation, and I feel comfortable that we’ll deliver all those things.”

    Malloy is already impressed by the festival.

    “It’s in its first year, but it really doesn’t feel like that,” he says. “It feels like it’s a well-oiled machine already, and they are getting buzz that normally festivals that have been around a while seem to get. I’m excited to attend, and hopefully have a great audience for the film.”

    Full festival lineup:

    THURSDAY
    6:00PM – PLANK FACE
    8:00PM – ABCs OF DEATH 2.5 (World Premiere w/ABCs 2 winner Robert Boocheck)
    10:00PM – Horror Comedy Shorts
    Midnight – QUAD X

    FRIDAY
    10:00AM – #SCREAMERS
    12:00PM – PITCHFORK
    2:00PM – Thriller Shorts B
    4:00PM – CHICAGO ROT
    6:00PM – Horror Shorts B
    8:00PM – FAMILY POSSESSIONS (World Premiere w/dir. Tommy Faircloth & prod. Robert Zobel)
    10:00PM – CIRCUS OF THE DEAD
    Midnight – HOLY HELL
    Midnight – Midnight Shorts A (Screen #2)

    SATURDAY
    10:00AM – Horror Shorts C
    12:00PM – SHE WAS SO PRETTY
    2:00PM – Midnight Shorts B
    3:30PM – THE BLACK ROOM (World Premiere)
    5:15PM – Nightmares Film Festival Awards
    6:00PM – Horror Shorts A
    8:00PM – THE BARN
    10:00PM – THE NIGHT OF THE VIRGIN (U.S. Premiere)
    Midnight – NIGHT OF SOMETHING STRANGE
    Midnight – Midnight Shorts B

    SUNDAY
    2:00AM – DEAD SLUMBER (World Premiere)
    10:00AM – Thriller Shorts A
    12:00PM – DIARY OF A DEADBEAT (Intro and Q&A by director Victor Bonacore)
    2:00PM – Days of the Dead Filmmaker of the Year Award
    2:30PM – FRANKENSTEIN CREATED BIKERS
    4:00PM – Midnight Shorts A (including festival darling Gwilliam!)
    6:00PM – RHYME SLAYA (World Premiere)
    8:00PM – VILE PREY (World Premiere)
    10:00PM – CANNIBILLIES (World Premiere)

    Festival passes are available for $49. All-access VIP passes are $99.

    For more information and tickets, visit www.nightmaresfest.com.

    Read more from Hope at MADDWOLF and listen to her weekly horror movie podcast, FRIGHT CLUB.

    Looking for more film events in Columbus? CLICK HERE to visit our Events Calendar.

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    Hope Madden
    Hope Maddenhttps://columbusunderground.com
    Hope Madden is a freelance contributor on Columbus Underground who covers the independent film scene, writes film reviews and previews film events.
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