MAY 10-12, 2024 • SPOTLIGHT CINEMAS CAPITAL 8 • COLUMBIA, SC
Click on the day for a complete list of films and events, or scroll down.
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FRIDAY, MAY 10, 2024 - DAY 1
10:00 am: Feature Film
Killington (86 mins) - When a group of women from Manhattan win a weekend getaway with wellness influencer Kali to picturesque Killington, VT, the creepy local vibes and characters take on a life of their own. Tensions spark among the longtime friends as Kali pushes their boundaries, and things take an unexpected turn. Directed by Mark Dudzinski and Frank Perz
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Q&A to follow with filmmakers in attendance
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12:00 pm: WTF? Shorts Block
Influence (10 mins) - When the dowdy stepsister of a popular online influencer interrupts a business meeting with her “momager” and a potential sponsor, the influencer’s reality is exposed—and it’s not a pretty picture. Directed by Nate Laver
Seed (16 mins) - Michelle, who is notorious for missing red flags, hooks up with seemingly normal and chill Zack. Directed by Jacob Weldon
Charlie the Cancelled Skeleton (9 mins) - Bitter about a film firing him as an actor for not allowing him to work from home, one man plots out for revenge on a horror film, successfully running a successful cancellation campaign against the film. Directed by Joe Reilly
Wake (13 mins) - With a hurricane raging outside their hospital, two nurses have one last job before evacuating: stow the "dead-on- arrival" corpse of a young girl in the downstairs morgue before the building floods. But the corpse quickly reveals itself to be more than it seems. Directed by Sean Carter
Hollow (20 mins) - Two women on opposite sides of grief face real demons in an inpatient eating disorder clinic. Directed by Allison Miller
Q&A to follow with filmmakers in attendance
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1:45 pm: Feature Film
Faceless After Dark (1 hr 26 mins) - Following her breakout success as the star of a killer clown horror flick, Bowie now finds herself struggling to capitalize on its success. But when she is suddenly held hostage by an unhinged fan posing as that same killer clown, horror becomes her reality as she fights to survive the night and escape before he completes his sinister plan to recreate the film’s fatal plot. Directed by Raymond Wood
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Q&A to follow with filmmakers in attendance
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4:00 pm: Homegrown Horror Shorts Block
A Real Life (13 mins) - After a family dinner, Bert receives a call from his past that threatens his way of life. Directed by Quincy Moorer, 19 Pictures
Lux (10 mins) - A flat tire leaves a newlywed couple stranded in a bizarre town plagued by a monster that has a light for a face. Directed by Kenneth Perkins
Final Score (13 mins) - A music producer struggles with a horror film score as the fictitious world of his art bleeds into his own reality. Directed by Stephen Massar
Reaper (7 mins) - An aging recluse suffers in exile. On his last day, he is haunted and reminded of his past. Directed by Brittany Brock
The Encounter (14 mins) - Following a tragic accident at work, Henry bears witness to a horrific act that provides an opportunity to redeem himself. Directed by Shaun Rogers, 19 Pictures
Tag (4 mins) - A man is relentlessly pursued by an evil entity who wants to play a game of tag. Directed by Anil Dhokai
Q&A to follow with filmmakers in attendance
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6:00 pm: Feature Film
Butchers Bluff (2 hr 3 mins) - In a reclusive Texas town 28 people have gone missing over the last 20 years. A group of college film students seek to capitalize on the dark twisted urban legend of the Hogman as the subject of their thesis film. After one weekend in Butchers Bluff, their only gain is also their loss. Directed by William Instone, Matt Rifley
Q&A to follow with filmmakers in attendance.
8:30 pm: Laugh Your Head Off Shorts Block
Paranormal Drunktivity (10 mins) - A found footage horror comedy about bro-ish bumps in the night. When a new home owner is being haunted by ghosts who love to party, he hires a paranormal investigator to help him break up an eternal frat bro rager. Directed by Preston Tompkins, Zach Reinert
Microwave Coven (14 mins) - After buying a microwave from a peculiar woman, two college roommates discover their new appliance is not quite what it seems.. Directed by Josh Almario
Body (7 mins) - Jake swears he just saw one of his Halloween decorations move and, worst of all, neither he or his girlfriend, Dawn, know where the damned thing came from. Directed by SRonald Short
The Perfect Jump Scare (16 mins) - A determined ghost lies in wait in his haunted house to claim his next victim with the perfect jump scare. But this new owner is something the entity has never encountered before…he's an idiot.. Directed by Jacob Miller
Grampy (14 mins) - A grief-stricken woman dates a similarly mourning man, only to discover that he keeps the stuffed corpse of his late grandfather taxidermy-style in the bedroom of his remote farmhouse where she is now trapped by a storm and forced to spend one terrifying night with “Grampy.” Directed by Graham Burrell
Q&A to follow with filmmakers in attendance.
End Day 1
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SATURDAY, MAY 11, 2024 - DAY 2
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10:00 am: Feature Film
Sheryl (72 mins) - After she’s dumped by her serial killer boyfriend for not being “hot enough”, Sheryl, a beauty-obsessed woman, goes on a murderous, blood-soaked quest to create the perfect face, while simultaneously navigating her new relationship with the cop investigating the murders. In the end, she must try to learn to accept herself as she is... even if that means she is a looks-obsessed, psycho killer. Directed by Justin Best
Q&A to follow with filmmakers in attendance.
12:00 pm: Christmas Carnage Shorts Block
Guide My Slay (5 mins) - Let the reindeer games begin! A suburban Christmas party takes a dark turn when a menacing Santa arrives. Many of the guests are on his naughty list and he needs a makeshift "Rudolph" to help hunt them down. Directed by Heath Benfield
Up on the Housetop (15 mins) - Four siblings reunite at Christmas after the sudden death of their parents. But after accidentally killing Santa on Christmas Eve, they must survive the night against his killer flying reindeer. Directed by Dakota Millett, Michael Fischer
Naughty (12 mins) - Two people are on a first date at a cafe during the Christmas season. They get an unexpected visit from Krampus who comes once a year to punish the naughty for not being good. Directed by Steven Shade
Jingle Hell (29 mins) - A pregnant woman and her husband spend Christmas Eve in a secluded cabin with the hope of reconnecting with her estranged sister. But when a masked snowman begins terrorizing them, the family must fight tooth and nail to make it to morning. Not everything is as it seems in this holiday horror short. Directed by Sean Cruser
Q&A to follow with filmmakers in attendance.
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1:30 pm: Feature Film
Looky-Loo (83 mins) - An aspiring filmmaker obsessively captures footage everywhere he goes. His hobby takes a dark turn when he begins using his camera to stalk and film women. As he hones his craft, his crimes escalate from voyeurism to home invasion and, finally, to murder. Ducking the police at every turn, reveling in the palpable fear he’s created in the community, the killer’s work presses on toward its bloody climax. Directed by Jason Zink
Q&A to follow with filmmakers in attendance.
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3:30 pm: Slasher Shorts Block
Red Gloves (11 mins) - A dancer at the top of her class, is accosted during a lonely night of rehearsing by a shadowy figure wearing red gloves. Directed by Santiago Saba Salem
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Dylan’s New Nightmare (35 mins) - An unofficial sequel to Wes Craven's New Nightmare, taking place almost thirty years after the events of the first film. The young son of Heather Langenkamp, Dylan Porter (Miko Hughes), is now a grown man trying to make his way in the world his parents raised him in--Hollywood. Little does he know that the evil entity known as Freddy Krueger is back, and eager to once again break into our world through the son of his favorite victim! Directed by Cecil Andrew Laird
No Slasher Here (9 mins) - A woman comes home from work, only to receive an unsettling phone call. Does the danger only exist over the phone, or is there a masked killer inside her home? Directed by J Robert Tiemstra
The Nightmare Adorable (22 mins) - The hosts of a horror chat show celebrate their favorite fictional monster, Bapholeth, by selling a cute toy in his image--only to be attacked by a very real cultist offended by the adorable blasphemy. Directed by Joseph Scrimshaw
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Q&A to follow with filmmakers in attendance.
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5:15 pm: Feature Film
Spookt (80 mins) - The buried secrets of a small town are revealed when a paranormal investigator and a skeptic join forces to discover the truth behind a missing girl and the infamous Dr Byler, portrayed by Eric Roberts. Beliefs are tested when unexplained occurrences begin to happen, centering around the infamous Gibson house. Sins of the past come back to terrorize the living when Claire and Rachel’s reality is turned upside down in SpookT. Directed by Tony Reames
Q&A to follow with filmmakers in attendance.
7:00 pm: Kids Are Kreepy Shorts Block
The Candy Crucible (11 mins) - A group of rambunctious trick-or-treaters attempt to summon and kill an urban legend who is rumored to eat naughty children on Halloween night. Consequently, when a young, mysterious child turns up to the ritual, everything begins to take a turn for the worst. Directed by Micah Deeken
Bedtime Story (3 mins) - On a dark summer night, evil lurks in the shadows as a young child must decide what bedtime story she would like to hear. Directed by Jake Jackson Homecoming (11 mins) - On the anniversary of her son’s abduction, a group of home-invaders deliver Rachel Strayer some unsettling news. Directed by Garrett Johnson, Ben Nicholson, Paranoid LA
Cereal (9 mins) - Chelsea is a difficult child with a wild imagination. One day, she receives an ominous message from her bowl of cereal. Four letters: K.I.L.L. Chelsea wants her cereal - and she won't stop until she gets it. Directed by Shane R. Preston
Toad Boy (13 mins) - Todd is different and the other kids at school have noticed. After an upsetting incident with several bullies the Principal discovers a disturbing book in Todd's locker and fears a retaliation. He calls on Todd's sister Charlene to facilitate an intervention, but quickly learns the help Todd needs may require a sacrifice he's unwilling to make. Directed by Phillip J. McLaughlin
Gummies (5 mins) - A tomboy transforms the gender trappings of her childhood to show her cruel mother how sugar and spice don’t equal nice. Directed by Renetta G. Amador
Q&A to follow with filmmakers in attendance.
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8:30 pm: Feature Film
Livescreamers (90 mins) - In the screenlife found footage film LIVESCREAMERS, Michael Smallwood (Halloween Kills, Righteous Gemstones) leads a popular group of streamers who face a lesson in teamwork when a cursed video game kills them one by one. Directed by Michelle Iannantuono
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Q&A to follow with filmmakers in attendance.
End Day 2
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SUNDAY, MAY 12, 2024 - DAY 3
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10:00 am: Feature Film
Happy Halloween (97 mins) - A dysfunctional teen returns home after she survives a brutal Halloween prank only to have a new nightmare unfold while trapped inside with friends in tow, they must escape a corn maze before they become the killer’s next Halloween decoration. Directed by Brittney Greer
Q&A to follow with filmmakers in attendance.
12:00 pm: Thriller Shorts Block
Goats (12 mins) - Awkward and friendless Maisie unleashes mayhem when the popular girls humiliate her at their sleepover. Directed by Michael Prieto, Julia Kern
Resurrektor (17 mins) - Two sisters, separated by tragedy. A grieving husband, haunted and devastated, looking for answers. An innocent victim, caught in the web of desperation. To what lengths would you go to bring back someone you love? Directed by Angad Aulakh
The Mirror (8 mins) - A grieving woman, Kate, becomes obsessed with a mysterious antique mirror, she begins to experience supernatural occurrences and visions of her deceased lover, leading her to a terrifying realization about the true nature of the mirror. Directed by Rui Dong
You Are Seen (12 mins) - Influencers on a Hamptons trip are terrorized by a mysterious stalker. Directed by Wesley Wang
Honk (13 mins) - Reluctant divorcee Bill is awakened before dawn by a mysterious car horn in his normally quiet neighborhood. Unable to find the source of the honk, he ventures out into the darkness, only to face something far more disturbing. Directed by Charles de Lauzirika
Q&A to follow with filmmakers in attendance.
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1:30 pm: Feature Film
Eight Eyes (87 mins) - A mysterious local crashes a couple's vacation through the former Yugoslavia, pulling them deeper into his web of psychic rituals. Directed by Austin Jennings
Q&A to follow with filmmakers in attendance.
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3:30 pm: Creeper Shorts Block
She's Behind You (4 mins) - A girl looks at herself in the bathroom mirror and something is very wrong. Directed by Kieron Edward Evans
The Ossan (12 mins) - After her wealthy new husband dies unexpectedly, a young widow contacts a mystical Ossan to protect her from the teenaged step-sons hell bent on eliminating her to regain control of the estate. Directed by Venita Ozols-Graham
Fuse (8 mins) - An electrician finds himself stalked by a ghostly presence as he attends a night call at an elderly woman’s house. Directed by Will Dennies
Sleep Tight (14 mins) - A young boy struggles to navigate everyday life as his parents battle through their divorce and he faces the trauma caused by his sleep paralysis demon. Directed by Lisa Ovies
The Reclaimers (20 mins) -After her grandparents are killed by invisible creatures, a determined young woman seeks to avenge them with the help of her canine companion - the only one who can see the mysterious invaders. Directed by Jason Sheedy
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Q&A to follow with filmmakers in attendance.
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5:00 pm: Terror Shorts Block
Jack (8 mins) - Two co-workers engage in an affair on Halloween night. Someone's watching from out(in)side. Directed by Jay Curtis Miller
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DeadDash (13 mins) - Just another night on the job turns into a night of hell when a food delivery driver is lured into the home of a masked serial killer.. Directed by Devan Schoelen
Trial 22 (9 mins) - Trapped in a mysterious underground experiment, a group of people must survive against monsters, traps and each other. Directed by John Ferrer
Bobby Came Home (8 mins) - After being missing for several months, a woman's husband suddenly returns home with no memory of where he's been. Directed by Dave Harlequin
Consumer (13 mins) - What if John Carpenter directed an episode of Goosebumps? You'd have CONSUMER. In this episode, a bullied teen uses a sentient computer game to get revenge on his tormentors. Directed by Matthew Fisher
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Obey (5 mins) - A young woman must find a way to escape her chosen husband. Directed by John Hale III, Earl Clark
Q&A to follow with filmmakers in attendance.
6:00 pm: Crimmy Awards Ceremony
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End Day 3
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