Horrible Imaginings film festival in San Diego

I have been following Monster Island Resort podcast from the beginning. It is hosted by self-proclaimed, horror enthusiast Miguel Rodriguez. The podcast itself is great, well done and very smart. It is all across the board as far as horror goes, but don't worry, he is a zombie fan though and though. Miguel Rodriguez seems to not be complacent with just being a podcaster though, he has decided to host his very own movie festival called Horrible Imaginings. I have to say that I am impressed, so I talked to Miguel Rodriguez about his new endeavor and this is what he had to say,

HAZ: Tell us a little about yourself, what was your drive to start the Horrible Imaginings film festival in San Diego? I'm sure you must be excited.

MR: My name is Miguel Rodriguez, and I am a horror fan. That's my 12-step-program way of saying that I love horror, which (as I'm sure many horror fans can relate) is almost expected to be admitted, rather than proclaimed. Anyway, I do love all things dark, macabre, and scary. Halloween is by far my favorite holiday (the only one I really celebrate with sincerity), and I prefer a dark night to a sunny day.

I moved to San Diego from Baltimore, Maryland in the summer of 2009. I have been a promoter for DIY punk shows at small spaces back east, and I've even hosted small monster movie nights, but nothing like I'm trying to do with Horrible Imaginings. It didn't take me long to notice the distinct lack of horror-related events around San Diego. There are lots of film events, but the horror genre is like a neglected child in the group. Rather than complain about having to drive to Los Angeles anytime I wanted to get a horror fix, I decided to do something and create my own horror festival right here in San Diego.

HAZ: What can we expect at the Horrible Imaginings film festival? Will there be anything zombie related for us zombie fans?

MR: One thing I encourage and really hope happens is that people come in costume--that means zombie fans can look their undeadliest! It would be really cool to have a legion of the walking dead clawing their way around downtown San Diego on their way to the film festival! Zombies can also rejoice that the headlining film is from none other than the legendary Lucio Fulci--The Beyond! It's one of my favorite bizarre Italian horror films. As far as zombie treats, I'm not sure how many human brains I will be able to get. Maybe some of the audience will want to be eaten!

HAZ: What is the full line up of movies at Horrible Imaginings film festival on 11/6? Any of them stick out for you?

MR: Horrible Imaginings will be split into two parts: mind and body. I am fascinated by the different ways that films use imagery and stories to communicate fear. The first half will feature horror with a more psychological bend.

The shorts will include:

Christopher Smith's "For Us"
Brenda Fies's "Distraught"
Jenine Mayring's "Simone"
Cathy Alberich's "Algesia"

There will also be a special screening of Los Angeles native Elisabeth Fies's feature "The Commune." It has been getting a lot of attention on the independent horror festival circuit, having been an official selection at over a dozen festivals, including the Bram Stoker festival in the UK--something I've always wanted to go to.

For this section, I am most excited about getting the rights to show Michael Powell's "Peeping Tom" from 1960. It's one of my favorite films and super controversial when it came out. This will be a rare screening, so people should definitely try to get to this one!

The second half of the festival will be dedicated so some more extreme, fun, or gory features. The featured short will be one from San Diego-based filmmaker Nicolas Simonin: "Derailed." This is a great, scary short that has won a lot of awards so far.

There will be three features for this section. The first is a slasher movie in the vein of "Sleepaway Camp." It's called "President's Day" from Baltimore filmmaker Chris LaMartina.

The second has been causing a ton of waves in the horror community. It's a grindhouse-style insane movie called "DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK." Eli Roth, and even has a cameo by Carlos Gallardo, the original El Mariachi, who loved it so much he did the cameo for free. This was written, produced, and directed by twin girls from Vancouver--Jen and Sylvia Soska. I think we'll be seeing their names a lot in the future.

Finally, the big show for the night will be Lucio Fulci's THE BEYOND. I already talked about this one, but really, how can you say no to seeing it on the big screen?

HAZ: I understand that Horrible Imaginings film festival is much more than a movie festival. Tell us about the other things you have planned?

MR: In addition to the movies, there will be horror-themed decoration, props, and a macabre art gallery featuring dark artwork from over a dozen different artists. People will be free to view the art throughout the day. I really want this event to feel like a horror convention--a place to hang out and talk to like-minded people, make new friends, and have a total blast! There will of course be refreshments and a late night rooftop after party for VIP ticket holders.The roof is really excellent, actually, and has a great view of the whole city. It's the perfect spot for an after-party.

Horrible Imaginings will take place at the 10th Ave Theater and Arts Center. It's an old, 1928 former church building in the heart of downtown San Diego. The building itself is supposed to be haunted by three ghosts of people who have died in the building: a British Lieutenant, a Baptist priest, and a young girl named Missy. Many people have reported strange things happening due to the hauntings. Since we will be going late into the night, I hope people will keep eyes and ears peeled for any paranormal activity!

HAZ: Why Nov 6th after holloween?

MR: I know it would have made sense to have it on or before the holiday, but I chose to have the festival right after Halloween for a couple of reasons. The practical answer is that most Halloween-centered competition would have run its course. I love all the haunted houses, ghost walks, and other spooky events that go on in October, and I don't want to take away from their events any more than I want to lose people to them.

Another reason is a tad sillier and personal, but there is truth to it. As a kid, I never wanted the day after October 31st to be the end of Halloween. I remember getting monster make-up on clearance and dressing up in November in the vain attempt to keep Halloween alive. I think this is me being a kid again, doing Halloween things after Halloween--just on a bit of a bigger scale.

HAZ: What are your plans in the future? Will the Horrible Imaginings film festival be an annual event?

MR: I absolutely plan on making this film festival an annual event. There are really great film festivals in San Diego, including the San Diego Asian Film Festival and FilmOut San Diego. While they have segments featuring more extreme films, I do think San Diego deserves an annual horror-centric film festival. Depending on the success of this first film festival, I would like to make next year's bigger and better. I have some great ideas! Based on some of the interest I've been hearing, I think this is a good possibility. The city has been ready for this for a long time.

I also have plans to start a monthly creature feature with one film and a short or two. This would be presented by me and my online horror show Monster Island Resort. I already have plans for a Christmas-themed edition, so stay tuned. It wouldn't be anywhere near as big as a film festival, but still lots of fun!

HAZ: Tell us about the webcast you have planned?

MR: The plan for the webcast is a coast-to-coast horror extravaganza that allows people who are miles away to virtually attend Horrible Imaginings, as well as the Hudson Horror Show--a film festival happening on the same day and at the same time in Poughkeepsie, New York (www.hudsonhorror.com). As far as I know, nothing like this has really been done before. It will be live, with interviews and footage from both fests. The whole thing will be about two hours long, starting at 2:30 pm, Pacific time, 5:30 pm Eastern Standard. I don't know yet what the hosting website for that webcast will be. Stay tuned to check out this exciting online event--I'm seriously thrilled about it.

This is a pretty insane, last minute idea between myself and my good friends in the Northeast, Cruella Moxham and Brian Solomon. Zombie fans should pay close attention to Cruella, who is organizing the coolest and most intense zombie crawl in Saugerties, New York to take place on October 16th. Brian is the creator and host of the most excellent Rondo Award-nominated Vault of Horror blog and Vaultcast: Conversations in the Dark!

HAZ: One more question, where can we find more info?

MR: The website is probably the quickest place for information. I have several of the trailers up, ticket pre-orders, t-shirt pre-orders, and fliers. The URL is www.horribleimaginingsfilmfest.com

Also, I'd be happy to hear directly from anyone who wants to learn more. My email has been filling up very quickly lately, but I am on Facebook. Just search Miguel Rodriguez, Horrible Imaginings Film Festival, or Monster Island Resort Podcast, and you will find me. The whole social networking thing has been a big help to me, and I've met some incredible people who have really made this possible. It would be impossible to list everybody here, but they know who they are and I am forever grateful!

Stay tuned friends, HAZ will be there. Updates, photo, and more to come.
`Baron