Halloween may be over, but it is not the only time of the year to get your share of scares. The New York City Horror Film Festival has come to town. And with it comes some of the best works of the genre by independent filmmakers.  From November 11th-14th horror fans will have their pick of the litter with opportunities to attend a variety of feature length and short films to get their fill of terror! This is a perfect opportunity to support grass root filmmaking and at the same time make a nice contribution to the city and its artists.

A true highlight of this year’s festival includes an exclusive showing of cult film director, Terry Gilliam’s (Monty Python) “The Legend of Hallodega.”  This short film was made as a joint effort between Amp Energy Drinks and the good people at Talladega and it also stars David Arquette from the Scream franchise, and the Cox-Arquette marriage.

The main attraction has to be on Saturday, November 13^th.  At 10pm The NYC Horror Film Festival will be hold an exclusive screening of Wes Craven’s classic, “A Nightmare on Elm Street.”  Not only will many fans finally get the chance to see the film on the big screen for the first time, but Freddy Krueger himself, Robert Englund will be in attendance.  Mr. England will also be receiving the festival’s Lifetime Achievement Award.  This honor was also given to  director of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” Tobe Hopper.

Robert Englund returns on Sunday, November 14^th for a genre panel discussion with fellow horror brethren like Michael Wright, Michael Gingold, Bill Lustig, Joe Mauceri, and Tony Todd. It will be moderated by Festival Director Michael J. Hein and the panel is a great chance to listen to these fascinating men and find out what makes them tick.  If there’s time and you’re brave enough, make sure you ask them a question.

On November 10^th, the LocalBozo crew attended the festival’s kick-off party at the New York City club Soiree, which is part of Crash Mansion.  At the party, festival goers and the general public were given a preview as to what features would be exhibited throughout the festival. The promoters were also quite generous providing tables filled with free promotional items for fans to take with them. They also had free beer for an hour, which is a great ice-breaker when partying with other horror movie fans.  Later in the night, bands took the stage for the crowd to rock out with.

If you are a fan of horror you need to attend The New York City Horror Film Festival.  Even if you are not, we urge you to try and attend one of the events, as it is a great way to support the local arts as well as up and coming filmmakers. And, hey it’s also a great way to explore your city and meet cool new people, and that’s never a bad thing. Well, unless, they are wielding an axe.

- Alan Smithee