New York, NY (Nov. 2003): The best of the horror film world gathered in New York to celebrate the New York City Horror Film Festival. The festival kicked off October 21 with a huge party at Don Hills followed by four days of sold out film screenings, celebrity appearances, and an incredible and informative panel discussion at the Tribeca Film Center in Lower Manhattan.

The NYC Horror Film Festival presents: “KILLER SHORTS” now on sale: www.NYCHorrorfest.com for ordering details. A killer compilation highlighting some of the great short films that screened at the 2002 festival. DVD extras include the crowd-pleasing festival into!

In addition to showcasing some of the best new horror films in the competition series, the NYCHFF also presented a special screening of William Friedkin’s “The Exorcist”. The Festival also celebrated Troma’s 30th Anniversary with a screening of the 1985 classic “The Toxic Avenger”. The NYCHFF also hosted the East Coast premiere of Stuart Gordon’s highly acclaimed film “King of the Ants” which stars Daniel Baldwin and George Wendt, and a sneak preview of Marina DeVan’s disturbing French film “In My Skin”. IN MY SKIN The critically acclaimed new film by Marina DeVan
IN MY SKIN opens on 11/7 in
NEW YORK (Angelika Film Center, 18 W. Houston @ Mercer)
and LOS ANGELES (Nuart Theatre, 11272 Santa Monica Blvd.)
Nationwide expansion November & December

The NYC Horror Film Festival and The Independent Film Channel awarded horror legend Tom Savini with the Festival’s prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award. During a special program honoring Savini’s career as actor, director and special effects pioneer, the Festival screened Savini’s directorial debut, the outstanding remake of the seminal horror classic “Night of the Living Dead”. Savini granted the packed house with an entertaining Q&A after the ceremony.

Fans were also treated to a unique screening of Thomas Edison’s original 1910 “Frankenstein” which is available to horror fans worldwide from film collector Alois F. Dettlaff through http://www.lrsmarketing.com/adventures/index.html

On Sunday, October 26 the second NYC Horror Film Festival announced awards in six categories:

BEST FEATURE: “MALEVOLENCE” – DIRECTED BY STEVAN MENA

The story begins ten years earlier with the kidnapping of a six-year-old boy named Martin Bristol, who is forced to witness unspeakable acts of torture and murder by a madman. Fast forward to 1999, where a group of friends plan a bank job that goes tragically wrong, only to reveal treachery among friends and a matured evil lying in wait

BEST SHORT: “SCREAM FOR ME” – DIRECTED BY CHRISTOPHER BROADSTONE

In this psychological horror-thriller, in which one killer becomes the victim of another, Garrott Druck seeks the truth of what lies beyond death within the screams of the women he murders. Tonight, however, he will fall fate to a killer more insane than himself, and come face to face with the horrible truth that hides within the screams of his own violent death.

BEST ACTOR: KRISTINA COPELAND (as Julia) – “SAVAGE ISLAND” – DIRECTED BY JEFFREY LANDO

Steven & Julia are having marital troubles but a weekend visit with Julia’s family on remote Savage Island makes that the least of their worries. Squatters demand Steven and Julia’s newborn as payment for the death of one their own.

BEST CINEMETOGRAPHY: RICHARD SIEGEL – “FLESH FOR THE BEAST” – DIRECTED BY TERRY WEST

BEST MAKEUP EFFECTS: G&S EFFECTS – “FLESH FOR THE BEAST” – DIRECTED BY TERRY WEST

When a crack team of parapsychologists get a call to investigate a manor and former brothel, they jump at the chance to cleanse the vast estate of its restless spirits. They get more than they bargained for upon exploring the house, being confronted by blood-thirsty demons disguised as beautiful women, a horde of zombies bent on a rampage of carnal slaughter and a madman with a satanic secret.

AUDIENCE CHOICE: “STRANGE THINGS HAPPEN AT SUNDOWN” – DIRECTED BY MARC FRATTO

A pulse pounding story of vampires run amuck in NYC. There’s a group of low level mobsters with fangs, an age-old vampire who does mob hits for money, a pair of vampire lovers on the run, an Italian girl from Brooklyn bitten by vampires, and a psychotic 400 year old blood-sucking housewife with a fetish for cleanliness. All of them are being hunted by a nefarious vinyl clad woman whose intentions are mysterious and powers are unmatched.

Panelists included: Lloyd Kaufman (Director / Producer / CEO of TROMA Entertainment), Larry Fessenden (Director, Habit / Wendigo), Michael Ruggiero (IFC Programming Director / Producer), Joe Kane (Phantom of the Movies / Journalist), Steve Cuden (Director, Lucky – The New York City Horror Film Festival’s Best Feature Winner 2002), Jeff Lieberman (Director / Writer / Blue Sunshine, Satan’s Little Helper) Michael Gingold (Writer / Managing Editor, Fangoria Magazine)

The Festival also released “Killer Shorts” a compilation DVD of the best of the shorts from 2002 festival. The DVD will be available at www.nychorrorfest.com in November 2003.