[Nightmares Film Festival ’16] Day Four Recap & Awards

In many ways, this was a quieter day, but one no less eventful. The final day of Nightmares Film Festival showcased 4 narrative features, one documentary feature, and almost 30 short films.  The day began with an excellent block of shorts with quite a few standouts. such as Vessel and Mauvaises Tetes (aka Bad Heads).

Next came Diary of a Deadbeat. A documentary centered around the life and career of unique genre filmmaker Jim Van Bebber, it was a fascinating look behind the curtain on a cult figure within the industry. Best known for his films Deadbeat at Dawn (1988) and The Manson Family (2003), Van Bebber’s career has seen many a peak and valley ever since he first picked up a camera. Diary was not only my favorite film of the day, but perhaps of the entire festival. It also did the best thing that any biographical documentary can do: it has me wanting to revisit its subject’s work.

The rest of the features continued the festival’s habit of showcasing wildly different films. Frankenstein Created Bikers was a massive slice o’ exploitation throwback cinema, whereas Rhyme Slaya was a far more modern, hip hop-infused take on slasher and whodunit cinema. While I unfortunately had to miss out on both Vile Prey and Cannibillies, I can only imagine they continued to push the fest’s programming into new and interesting directions as the night closed out.

Back on the short film front, the second block of the day was just as memorable as all of the others across the weekend. In addition to finally seeing the much-raved about Gwilliam, there was a lot of fun to be had. From the sweetness of Big Boy to the eeriness of Innsmouth to the gooeyness of The Backpage, it was a fitting final block of short-form storytelling in what has been a great time at the movies for me.

As I said at the start of these daily reports, it has been a rollercoaster ride of an experience. Have I loved everything I watched across with three days at the festival? Of course not. Again, as I said back at the start of all of this, variety is the spice of life, especially when it comes to horror. After all, just because I wasn’t digging what was on the screen, it doesn’t mean that others weren’t. Not a screening went by where part of the audience was reacting joyously to what unfolded. There was never a dull moment across any of the screenings I attended.

Part of that has to do with the filmmaking, but a well-planned festival and an utterly game audience were equally as important. There really is nothing like watching a bunch of features and shorts with a room full of horror fans. The laughs, the gasps, and even the occasional dead silence all add to the experience. In the end, the community that an event like this fosters is just as integral as the films themselves. As far as I am concerned, Gateway Film Center’s Nightmares Film Festival is off to a great start and I look forward to returning to Columbus and attending again next year.

There will be some more film specific coverage of the festival rolling out in the coming days, so keep your eyes peeled. You can find my recaps for the other days I attended here and here. Below, in addition to Day Four’s slate, you will also find a list of the festivals award winners. If you’re looking for suggestions of what to seek out (outside of my own tastes), look no further…

Day Four – Sunday, October 23rd
Thriller Shorts A
Diary of a Deadbeat
Frankenstein Created Bikers
Midnight Shorts A
Rhyme Slaya
Vile Prey
Cannibillies

The Film From Hell (Best of the Festival) – The Night of the Virgin (aka La Noche del Virgen)

Esprit de Gore – Bridget Oliver

Feature Film Awards
Best Overall Feature – Family Possessions
Best Horror Feature – The Barn
Best Thriller Feature – Chicago Rot
Best Midnight Feature – Night of Something Strange
Best Director – She Was So Pretty
Best Cinematography – Pitchfork
Best Screenplay – Quad X
Best Actor – Ryan LaPlante (Holy Hell)
Best Actress – Ellie Church (Plank Face)