MAY 17-19, 2024 • SPOTLIGHT CINEMAS 8 • COLUMBIA, SC
Click on the day for a complete list of films and events, or scroll down.
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FRIDAY, MAY 19, 2023 - DAY 1
10:00 am: Feature Film
Mask Of The Devil (88 mins) - A group of mercenaries attempt to steal a sacred tribal mask, unwittingly releasing an ancient evil. Directed by Richard Rowntree
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12:00 pm: Psycho Shorts Block
The Fallen Elves (23 mins) - A young boy's mother reads a story on Y2K Christmas Eve about the mysterious Fallen Elves banished from the North Pole. Directed by Kenneth Perkins
Black Dragon (15 mins) - A feared American colonel nicknamed “the Black Dragon” by Vietnamese locals must face his inner shadow when his platoon presents him with a captured Vietcong girl who harbors some very unusual powers. Directed by Alexander Thompson
Naked Zombie Girl is Back! (13 mins) - Naked Zombie Girl is Back at it again! Barbara is naked and she’s hunting zombies–but this will prove to be her toughest test yet. Directed by Rickey Bird
In The Shadow Of God (17 mins) - As a woman packs up her childhood home following the passing of her father, she comes to learn that there may have been a more sinister threat behind his death, long buried on the grounds of the family home. Directed by Brian Sepanzyk
Q&A to follow with filmmakers in attendance on all days.
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2:00 pm: Feature Film
Guys at Parties Like it (1 hr 19 mins) - A jaded party girl finds herself engrossed in a dangerous game of survival when a ritualistic Fraternity party spins out of control and descends into madness. Trans produced, Queer made. Directed by Micah Coate, Colton David Coate
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4:00 pm: WTF? Shorts Block
Death Snot (9 mins) - Seasonal allergies drives a man to the brink of insanity. Directed by Charlie Schwan
Sushi Noh (18 mins) - Trapped in the care of her lonely uncle, a young girl’s nightmares about a bizarre kitchen appliance manifest into reality. Directed by Jayden Rathsam Hua
Get Out of There (6 mins) - After surviving a dangerous fall an injured patrolman soon discovers that a dark supernatural presence is closing in on him. Directed by Matthew Barber, Nathaniel Barber
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CIMIM (5 mins) - A desert camping trip turns deadly when one of the campers returns to the group to find herself sitting at the campfire. Directed by Cody Mobley
Ringworms (14 mins) - After discovering her boyfriend’s plan to propose on their weekend vacation, a young girl undergoes a crisis of commitment which attracts the attention of a sinister local cult. Directed by Will Lee
Q&A to follow with filmmakers in attendance on all days.
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5:30 pm: Feature Film
The Pumpkin Man (1 hr 22 mins) - Cromwell is a town whose history is intertwined with that of a local legend; The Pumpkin Man. Most people don't believe the tales, but when Catherine Quinn discovers the missing piece of the legend, she and her friends will come face to face with the Demon of Fall... Kürbis. Directed by Ryan Sheets
Q&A to follow with filmmakers in attendance.
7:30 pm: Thriller Shorts Block
Moonlight Sonata, with Scissors (8 mins) - A reluctant young woman agrees to help a former criminal associate dispose of a dead body with unexpected results. Directed by Chris Ethridge
House Call (17 mins) - A woman isolated in a vacation home inadvertently places herself in danger when she lets in a deceptive handyman. Directed by Sam Reiss
Sphinx (5 mins) - A tennis player gets irked by a strange figure watching him practic. Directed by Alec Palumbo
Arrived (6 mins) - A late night drive takes a terrifying turn when a GPS warns of imminent death. Directed by Peter Morland Hutton
Hazardous (17 mins) - Smoking may be hazardous to Roger's health, but treating him with hypnosis can be deadly. Directed by Peter Filardi
Q&A to follow with filmmakers in attendance.
End Day 1
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SATURDAY, MAY 20, 2023 - DAY 2
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10:00 am: Feature Film
The Radcliffes (1 hr 34 mins) - The Radcliffes are the wealthiest family in the small town of Friendly, Texas. When patriarch Roland Radcliffe goes missing, questions into his disappearance lead the family to reconsider what they really know about his past. Directed by John Andrew Johnson
Q&A to follow with filmmakers in attendance.
12:00 pm: Kids Are Kreepy Shorts Block
Mamu (8 mins) - A single mother struggles to take care of her baby while haunted by a dark spirit. Directed by Michael Skanes
Ditched (8 mins) - An impulsive middle schooler playing a game of hide-and-seek soon realizes something sinister is hunting him and his friends. Directed by Sloan Turner
Some Visitors (28 mins) - A woman mourning the loss of a child is home alone in an area that has been afflicted with recent home invasions. She recieves a knock on the door from a mysterious man who wants to be let inside. Directed by Paul Hibbard
Sylvie’s Monster (12 mins) - Sylvie is tormented by a Monster sent to teach her fear, a subject she is already well versed in. Directed by Craig Lief
Daddy’s Night (18 mins) - With Mommy out for the night, Daddy invites over Natalie. But when his daughter Betsy wakes up afraid of a monster, can Daddy put her back to bed in time to get in bed with Natalie? Directed by William Pinke
Q&A to follow with filmmakers in attendance.
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1:30 pm: Feature Film
Cryptids - WORLD PREMIERE (1 hr 44 mins) -Major Harlan Dean (Joe Bob Briggs) is the host of the widely popular radio show "The Truth Serum", a platform which he discusses all things weird, unknown and something scary. On tonight's broadcast Harlan tackles the topic of Cryptozoology to coincide with the annual Mothman Festival in Point Pleasant, WV. But with each call that chimes in, something more sinister is waiting in the shadows and this could end up being Harlan's very last broadcast. Directed by Justin M. Seamn, Zane Hershberger, Billy Pon, John William Holt, Brett DeJager, Robert Kuhn
Q&A to follow with filmmakers in attendance.
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3:30 pm: Slasher Shorts Block
Slash-O-Lantern Part II (9 mins) - Kevin and James deal with the aftermath of their brush with death on Halloween night. As Hazel Falls P.D. arrive on the scene, they quickly realize the nightmare isn't over just yet. Directed by Taylor McManus, Matthew McManus
The Foretelling (9 mins) - Upon moving into his first apartment, a young man receives strange calls from an unknown messenger warning him that something sinister is on its way. Directed by Thomas E Hindy
Are You Lonesome Tonight (16 mins) - Claire Brooks is home alone. Isolated from her neighbors and with nothing keeping her company in her large, dark, empty house besides the TV and old records, Claire is vulnerable to whatever the night might bring. Directed by Carrie Ferrante
Nightmare at Camp Bloodbath (6 mins) - After discovering their lodge totaled by a neighboring camp, two counselors are stalked and prayed upon by the local legend Terrance Fisher in his slapstick parody. Directed by Dylan Arnow
Don’t Feed The Cat (7 mins) - A young girl finds a cat locked in her grandfather's basement. Directed by J. Zachary Thurman
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Q&A to follow with filmmakers in attendance.
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5:00 pm: Feature Film
The Barn Part II (1 hr 25 mins) -The sequel to the 2016 film takes place three years later and follows our final girl Michelle who is now in college. However, she is still plagued with the questions of what truly happened after a night of terror that left her friends missing. This years annual haunted house thrown by the sorority girls of Gamma Tau Psi is forced off campus, but thankfully the ban on Halloween has been lifted by the town mayor. Unfortunately for Michelle some uninvited trick or treaters from her past come knocking. Directed by Justin M. Seaman
Q&A to follow with filmmakers in attendance.
7:00 pm: Animation Shorts Block
Beacon (9 mins) - After a freak accident in space, a mechanic crash lands on a barren ice planet unaware his ordeal is only just beginning. Directed by Andrew Stadler
Tooth (4 mins) - Fed up with decades of suffering through the forced perfection of modern beauty standards, a tooth takes matters into its own hands. Directed by Jillian Corsie
Unlucky Charms (5 mins) - Late one night, a bored cashier collects all three toys from a box of Magic Munchos and unwittingly unleashes the ancient evil that lies within. Directed by Kris Theorin
Jason Pell's Pinpricks (15 mins) - Jason Pell's Pinpricks is an animated anthology short film. It's a mix of horror and science fiction. Think the Twilight Zone set in rural America. Directed by Adam Stover
House Heart (7 mins) - Isabelle finds a fleshy monster behind her couch. It growls at her in hunger, and seems to be temporarily calmed when Isabelle feeds it. The problem is, every time she feeds the Muck, it grows larger and hungrier, and begins to take over her living space. Directed by Catherine Aliki Hois
Q&A to follow with filmmakers in attendance.
End Day 2
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SUNDAY, MAY 21, 2023 - DAY 3
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11:00 am: Feature Film
Final Summer (1 hr 25 mins) - In the wake of a tragedy during the summer of 1991, a group of camp counselors find themselves fighting for their lives against a masked killer. With Thom Mathews (Tom McLoughlin's "Friday the 13th Part 6”) and Bishop , Dark Sky's "Girl on the Third Floor") Directed by John Isberg
Q&A to follow with filmmakers in attendance.
1:00 pm: Foreign Shorts Block
Jester (UK/12 mins) - An aspiring comedienne discovers her new Italian Jester mask is haunted. Will tonight be her final punchline. Directed by Lee Francis
Yule Cat (Sweden/5 mins) - The night before Christmas, an Icelandic family is struck by an evil that lurks in the dark. Directed by Albin Glasell
Hairy (UK/11 mins) - A date night goes wrong when the date's flatmate is revealed to be a werewolf. Directed by John Ferrer
The Feast (New Zealand/12 mins) - Siblings Lucy and Sam as they return to their childhood home where their reclusive mother resides. They must face a vile demonic force before they lose their mother for good. Directed by Nikolai Luka Puharich
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The Eucharist (Lithuania/6 mins) - Simonas is stranded on an island. Due to his lack of survival skills, Simonas' physical hunger begins to control his mind. Consumed by madness Simonas gives into his urges and eats his child’s corpse. Directed by Walter Bender
Shadowban (Ireland/10 mins) - Late on Halloween night, Fiona is out delivering products from her “side hustle”, but never missing an opportunity for content she is live streaming the journey. Directed by Shane W. Brennan
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Q&A to follow with filmmakers in attendance.
2:30 Feature Film
Johnny Z (1 hr 35 mins) - Johnny Z is a horror-action feature film about a half human, half zombie named Johnny who, under the guidance of a martial arts master seeks vengeance on the evil corporation that created him. Directed by Jonathan Straiton
Q&A to follow with filmmakers in attendance.
4:30 pm: Homegrown Horror Shorts Block (SC Films)
Sally's Lullaby (5 mins) - Mom and Dad team up with their daughter Sally to get rid of a monster in her closet. Directed by Jonathan Cook
2702 Cypress (8 mins) - A night of partying at a Fraternity House is interrupted when the precious Schub goes missing. Directed by Ian Stansbury
Zombie Cheerleaders (12 mins) - It's the anniversary of death of the Rosemount cheerleaders who died in a bus fire years ago. It's a weird feeling after the game and the dead cheerleaders are back......but as zombies! Directed by Felicia Rivers
The Devil's Tromping Ground (17 mins) - Would you have the courage to spend the night at the Devil's Tromping Ground? A beer drinking YouTuber thinks he does. Directed by Chuck Chapman
Woof’d (12 mins) - What happens when a gay hook up goes wrong? Directed by William Stancil
Q&A to follow with filmmakers in attendance.
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6:00 pm: Feature Film
Spin the Wheel - WORLD PREMIERE (1 hr 43 mins) - On the brink of the Apocalypse, a group of strangers plays Russian Roulette with the Devil for a chance to save the world. Directed by Neil Chase, David Heacock
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8:00 pm: CRIMMY AWARDS
End Day 3
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