Sixteen films were screened for a raucous full house at MY Place last Saturday evening, but in the end it was 2003’s winner, Vancouver artist and animator Stu MacKay-Smith, who was again awarded the metal skull trophy and $250 cash prize.
MacKay-Smith’s untitled work opened with a tense ‘girls’ night out’ and ended in a bizarre, shape-shifting lesbian lust quadrangle. The film edged out runner up Red Moon – a screamingly funny local entry directed by Allan Crawford and Angie Nolan about three female friends possessed by a witch to go on a murderous rampage and rid womankind of the menstrual "curse," attributed to an evil wizard.
Event creators and filmmakers Feet Banks and Chili Thom screened a sequel to their original B-Grade horror film Divine Intervention that featured a showdown between a redneck version of the devil played by Garibaldi Lift Co. manager Mike Varrin and Thom’s recurring Green Jesus character.
The outrageous event briefly took on a sober tone when it was revealed that Thom and his artist/fashion designer wife KLC Nash’s RV had been stolen that morning from the parking lot in front of their Function Junction studio. The couple lost a large quantity of personal items and financial records in the robbery. Sympathy resonated with the familiar crowd who rallied with an impromptu collection at intermission.
The 230-seat theatre at MY Place sold out well in advance of Saturday’s screening, prompting organizers to arrange for a second screening at the GLC on Thursday. Funds collected from the $5 admission for the event were also to be donated to KLC and Chili.
Heavy Hitting’s Feet Banks was thrilled with the overall response and the progression of this year’s Horrorfest entries, expressing his enthusiasm with an unprintable exclamation.
