The Future of HorrorFest

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After Dark HorrorFestIt’s been just over a week since the first-ever multi-city horror film festival took cineplexes by storm, and even though the box office shows that horror fans really do want something different, no one’s really said much about how it actually did.

A story that appeared in Variety yesterday morning addressed the fest from a pure money standpoint, pointing out that the box office returns didn’t come anywhere close to making up what was paid for all the films together, but the significance of the fest coming into the top 10 for that weekend hasn’t really been addressed.

Think about it; how much did you really see or hear about HorrorFest up until about a week before it hit theaters? Other than what was online, which I’ll grant you was plentiful, there wasn’t a huge push for the fest from an advertising standpoint, and it still managed break the top 10 box office for the weekend of November 17th-19th. Factor in that it only opened on 488 screens (compared to Let’s Go to Prison which came in under HorrorFest with three times as many screens), and you’ve got a very clear indication that fans love this idea.

“Everyone is very happy that 8 Films’ per screen [average] was right behind Borat,” said Tony Vu, one of the marketing men behind the fest. Indeed another solid accomplishment when you consider that Borat was #3 at the box office that weekend!

If the movies have taught us anything, it’s that with success comes repetition, but for once that’s a good thing! “I think After Dark will digest the numbers and set plans for the next HorrorFest,” Vu continued. “It was exhausting but it was too much fun for them not to do another one!” With the lessons learned putting this year’s fest together, it can virtually be guaranteed that the next one will be even better!

Keep it here for updates on the next HorrorFest, as well as the planned DVD releases for the film screened in the first one, and click the titles below to read all our reviews of the movies that were a part of it!

Reincarnation
The Gravedancers
Dark Ride
Unrest
The Abandoned
The Hamiltons
Penny Dreadful
Wicked Little Things
Snoop Dogg’s Hood of Horror

Johnny Butane

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