2nd Annual Tucson Terror Fest Delivers Chills

Southern Arizona’s only festival dedicated to horror films, the Tucson Terror Fest is back in session this weekend, October 18-20. With a slate of both feature and short films from around the country, the fest is a great way to get in the mood for Halloween with world-class scares on the big screen. While most of the country can check out Hollywood terror, with the debut of Paranormal Activity 4, we here in Tucson can experience premiere screenings by the next generation of horror auteur. All films are showing at the Screening Room, located at 127 East Congress, and individual tickets as well as festival passes are available via the box office or at the festival’s website—TucsonTerrorFest.com.

We had a chance to preview a few of the Festival’s offerings in advance.

“Portrait of A Zombie” (Thursday @ 8pm)
Part mock-documentary, part horror film and full zombie flick, this film takes a look at a zombie outbreak from a different perspective— when a loved one becomes th walking dead. From Ireland, this movie has both a dash of humor and gore to spare, plus it’s a hoot to watch.

“Nailbiter” (Friday @ 6pm)
A classic spook-house premise with a twist, this film puts a family in the basement of a mysterious house during a storm with scary results. Well acted with quality effects, this film will make you look at tornados in a different light.

“I Am A Ghost” (Saturday @ 3pm)
At times this film feels like an elaborate experimental film and it lulls you into a fairly relaxed position, until the other shoe drops. Genuinely creepy in its closing act, I Am A Ghost is a pretty spooky twist on the genre, from the ghost’s point of view as opposed to the haunted.

Don’t miss the shorts program screening on Friday at 8pm, as there are some great small works on the schedule including “Mother Died,” which brings a new perspective to the plight of survivors. It plays with four other shorts in the program.

Category: Film