The annual showcase of horror movies includes nine feature films and 60-plus shorts
By Josh Bell | Las Vegas, NV | Art Houz Theaters
After shifting to a virtual edition in 2020, Sin City Horror Fest (SCHF) returns for its fifth year as an in-person event, with screenings held at the Art Houz Theaters downtown. The annual showcase of horror movies, including nine feature films and 60-plus shorts, is also teaming up with the Days of the Dead horror convention, which takes place just a mile away at the Plaza Hotel, for a weekend filled with horror-movie events. Here are some highlights to check out.
UNLV Student Showcase
Before the festival’s first feature film, this program presents the results of a SCHF-sponsored challenge for UNLV film students, dubbed “Two Minutes of Terror.” See what horrors student filmmakers came up with in these bite-sized short films.
October 6 at 9 p.m. – Art Houz Theaters
“Superhost”
Las Vegas-based filmmaker Brandon Christensen is a SCHF mainstay, and “Superhost” is his third feature at the festival. Shot on Mt. Charleston, “Superhost” stars Osric Chau and Sara Canning as a pair of travel vloggers who get way more than they expected from a vacation rental. Former Disney Channel star Gracie Gillam steals the movie as the unhinged host of the too-good-to-be-true property.
October 8 at 10 p.m. – Art Houz Theaters
“Die Influencers Die”
This Las Vegas production takes a playful approach to its slasher-movie story about a group of self-centered social media influencers set up for slaughter. Vegas filmmaker Gary Orona has worked in the adult industry for decades, and he combines a cast of adult film stars including Katie Morgan with special effects from renowned VFX artist (and Boulder City resident) Tom Devlin.
October 7 at 9 p.m. – Art Houz Theaters
Film Distribution Panel
At a festival full of indie filmmakers, it’s vital to know how to get a movie in front of audiences. At Days of the Dead, SCHF organizers, who are also filmmakers themselves, will join sponsors Jungo TV and ITN to discuss the many ways filmmakers can get their movies seen in the ever-changing modern moviegoing landscape.
October 9 at 3 p.m. – Plaza Hotel
“Night at the Eagle Inn”
SCHF is all about supporting indie filmmakers, and Erik Bloomquist has gone from winning Best Short Film in 2018 for “She Came From the Woods” to having one of his features programmed in the festival for the second year in a row. Bloomquist’s “Night at the Eagle Inn” stars Amelia Dudley and Taylor Turner as siblings who encounter strange phenomena over the course of one night at a remote New England hotel.
October 9 at 11 p.m. – Art Houz Theaters
Indie Horror Filmmaking Panel
This Days of the Dead event features SCHF organizers along with Las Vegas native and horror-movie “scream queen” Cerina Vincent. Vincent, whose acting credits include horror movies like “Cabin Fever” and “Return to House on Haunted Hill,” is this year’s Icon of Horror honoree at the festival. She’s also a producer and writer, and she’ll be talking about navigating the world of indie filmmaking.
October 10 at 2 p.m. – Plaza Hotel
Sin City Horror Fest. October 6-10, $5 per program, $40 festival passes. Art Houz Theaters, sincityhorrorfest.com
Days of the Dead. October 8-10, $35-$80. Plaza Hotel, daysofthedead.com/lasvegas
CLICK to follow us on Google News and never miss a story!
