Movies always have been and always will be an important part of my life. I live and breathe cinema on a daily basis. So much so that I undoubtedly irritate the pants off of my family due to how much I talk about it. They will indulge me on occasion, but most of my cinematic discussions are carried out over the worldwide web. Because of this, I jump at the chance to have get-togethers with like-minded cinemaniacs. Such discussions and kinship excite me and both are to be found in abundance at Nightmares Film Festival.
Last year I managed to attend three of the four days of NFF’s inaugural year. I dug some of the films and shorts and disliked many others. While cinema itself is always important, so is the atmosphere and community when it comes to a festival like this. Lucky for me, even when I’d walk out of a screening I wasn’t too hot on, I still had an incredible time with the people around me.
I’m happy to report that nothing has changed! In fact, based on opening night, things have only gotten better. The festival was packed with fans and filmmakers last night, with every one of them excited to be there. It’s such a refreshing environment to reside in, even if only for a day (or weekend, in this case).
The first showing of the festival ended up being a roadshow screening of Victor Crowley, the latest film in the Hatchet franchise. Writer/director/producer Adam Green was himself in attendance, helping to pump up the fest’s enthusiasm levels just as much as NFF co-founders Chris Hamel and Jason Tostevin. It was electrifying and we were all primed to have a great time when Crowley began to roll. Even if the film wasn’t good, I still would have walked out of the screening having had a good time.
Lucky for me, the film was a ton of fun. I’ll have a review up later in the day, but trust me when I say that it may well be my favorite installment in the franchise. If you dig the other three, you’re going to love it.
A short Q&A with Green followed and then the festivities continued two-fold after that. For those that wanted to continue the movie-going madness, Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury’s entry into the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise, Leatherface, played immediately afterwards.
As I had already managed to catch up with the film recently, I opted instead to pop out to Gateway Film Center‘s bar & lounge, The Torpedo Room, to interact with Adam Green. Over the course of the next two hours, Green graciously and enthusiastically chatted with fans, signed things, shook hands, and took pictures. He had some merchandise to sell, but was never pushy with it. If you wanted to go the extra mile and buy some Hatchet merch from him, he gladly indulged. If not? No biggie. He genuinely just seemed happy to be there. In fact, he was still there when I left the area around midnight. Whether you enjoy his work or not, there’s no denying that he’s a class act when it comes to interacting with his fans.
The evening closed out with a block of short films hailing from the horror comedy genre. I was not able to stay for those, unfortunately. The perils of early morning travel coupled with a busy evening and opening night excitement, I’m afraid. Here’s hoping I can catch up with some of the shorts I missed in the near future. For now, I’ll simply try to get some shut eye ahead of tomorrow’s jam-packed schedule, which includes panels, more short film blocks, and feature film screenings galore.
NFF is officially back and better than ever. Thank god for that.
