As someone who has made a few horror films, Felix Diaz is a huge fan of the genre. A man who believes that such films give the viewer "something you can't get from real life," Diaz sought to give horror, sci-fi, fantasy and thriller films the credit they deserve. Despite the presence of fan conventions, Diaz noted that there were very few festivals for these films. After conceiving of the idea this past January, Diaz will hopefully rectify this issue with the advent of the First Annual Terror Film Festival.
"Basically, we're looking for an avenue for filmmakers who are making films out of the main Hollywood genre," he explained. "Many of these films are box office successes but don't qualify as artistic enough films for the main stream to consider."
Diaz has a point: horror and sci-fi films are very popular among mainstream audiences all over the world. The low-budget Blair Witch Project was an unexpected blockbuster in 1999. Japanese films like Ringu made waves in the United States, and inspired American remakes such as The Ring, The Grudge and Dark Water that have been equally well-received. These films have managed to garner box office sucesses while gaining reputations as artistically creative. But even gorier, hokier films such as Saw have managed to acquire good sales, leaving room for sequels. Despite the advances made, the large number of prospective filmmakers makes it difficult for smaller entities to get their name out there. The Terror Film Festival is a way to combat that.
"It's really geared toward the filmmaker," he said. "It's difficult because there are so many people out there that to rival with Hollywood is almost impossible; the process should be easier and focused on the films themselves."
It looks like the idea has struck a chord with other horror fans. After advertising the festival on an international submission service, Diaz received 175 submissions, more than three times the number he was expecting. Submissions came from all over the world, as close as Philadelphia, but as far away as Spain.
"People were telling us, 'Well, it's a first-year genre festival; you'll be lucky to get 50.' It just felt like we were doing something that meant something because we got so many submissions," he explained.
The film festival should be a great opportunity for these filmmakers; there is a cash prize for best director, and the winners of "Claw Awards" in 13 categories, including best screenplay and best special effects, are handed over to sponsoring distributors for consideration. Diaz was blown away by the talented filmmakers and their submissions.
"They were really great films and I think the directors are going to be someone," he said. "They're really slick productions; these people know what they're doing."
With filmmakers from NYU and the American film Institute, and movies starring such well-known actors as Brian Austin Green, Betsy Palmer (Friday the 13th), and Linda Blair (The Exorcist), the Terror Film Festival is sure to garner some attention from fans. Diaz was so impressed by some of the films that were sent in that he hopes to expand this into a semi-annual event.
"There were just a lot of submissions that we couldn't pick that we really wanted to pick," he said. Diaz joked that perhaps the festival could become a "May-October romance."
October seems like the perfect time to hold the festival; with Halloween just around the corner, the Terror Film Festival will be sure to add to the mood of the holiday.
"The week before seemed like a really smart place to put it," Diaz said. "Philly's a big city; people have their costumes a week in advance.
"Hopefully people come in their costumes," he added, so that, "Halloween's in the air when we do it."
And as a Philadelphia-based event,
the Terror Film Festival is sure to bring something special to the neighborhood.
"Philadelphia is a great market," Diaz said. "We don't have anything like this [here], and I just love the city."
The Terror Film Festival takes place from October 17-20 at the Ethical Society Building at 1906 South Rittenhouse Square. Tickets are $8 from Upstages at (215) 569-9700. For more details, visit www.terrorfilmfestival.net.
