Fright Night Film Fest, also known as Louisville Fright Night Film Fest, is an annual horror

film festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theater, cinemas or screening venues, usually annually and in a single city or region. Some film festivals show films outdoors or online. Films may be of recent ...

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

. The festival was first founded in 2005 by Ken Daniels and is typically held in July at the Galt House, which is famous for housing guests for the

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby () is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of . Colt (horse), Colts and geldin ...

. The focus of the Fright Night Film Fest focuses on genre films such as horror,

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

action Action may refer to: * Action (philosophy), something which is done by a person * Action principles the heart of fundamental physics * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video gam ...

, and

cult Cults are social groups which have unusual, and often extreme, religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals. Extreme devotion to a particular person, object, or goal is another characteristic often ascribed to cults. The term ...

from around the

world The world is the totality of entities, the whole of reality, or everything that Existence, exists. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the world as unique, while others talk ...

including new films from

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Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

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and

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Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

-made films such as "Dead Moon Rising", "Hell is Full" and "Stash" got distribution by screenings at this film festival with horror convention and now the convention has expanded to include Fandomfest, a showcase of pop culture, gaming and cosplay. Awards such as the Corman award are presented to films, actors, or directors that excel within their respective categories. Many of the filmmakers have garnered distribution and representation as a result of the notable festival among Hollywood horror filmmakers. Fright Night Film Fest launches careers internationally. In 2013, The organizers announced that during the 2012 Fright Night Film Fest packed with over 16,700 people, and it screened more than 120 films within three days. Some of the largest horror online publications have called it the "

Sundance A Sun Dance is a Native American ceremony. Sun dance or Sundance may also refer to: Places ;Canada * Sundance, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhood * Sundance, Manitoba, a ghost town ;United States * Sundance, New Mexico, a census-designated pl ...

of Horror". The horror magazine ''Horror Hound'' has sponsored the festival for many years and called it "the largest genre film festival in the country." Moreover, the Louisville government publicly announced that this film festival is ''the country's largest genre-specific film festival''. After the last film fest in 2017, Fright Night Film Fest 2020 was held on October 3, 2020.

Award winners

2006

* Best Picture - ''The Hazing'' * Best Short - ''Fangs for the memories and Disconnected'' * Best Soundtrack - ''Silence of Isbella'' * Best Cinematography - ''Nightmare Man'' * Best of the Fest Audience Award - ''Katie Bird and Bad Reputation'' * Most Original Film Award - ''Secret Life of Sarah Sheldon'' * Best Zombie Film Award - ''Dead Lands:The Rising'' * Best Special Effects Award - ''Edison Death Machine'' * Honorable Mention - ''Joshua''Thomas M. Sipos ''Horror Film Festivals and Awards''. Mcfarland&Company, Inc., Publishers. 2012. . pp. 162-163.

2007

* Best Feature - ''Scrapbook'' * Best Short - ''Woman's Intuition'' * Best Soundtrack - ''Gimme Skelter'' * Best Special Effects - ''Horrors of War'' * Best Zombie - ''Dead Moon Rising'' * Best Foreign Horror Film - ''Bad Dreams (Sweden)'' * Most Original Idea - ''The Guardian (Dir. Aaron Marshall)'' * Horror Icon of the Year - Tony Moran (actor) * Honorable Mention - ''Salvation (J.A. Steel)'' * Honorable Mention - ''9 Lives of Mara (Balaji K. Kumar)'' * Honorable Mention - ''Burial Party (Joseph Dodge)'' * Honorable Mention - ''The Day They Came Back (Scott Goldberg)''

2008

* Best Action - ''Razor Sharp'' * Best Actor - Trent Haaga * Best Actress - Monica Knight (Windcroft) * Best of the Fest - ''Bonnie and Clyde vs. Dracula'' * Best Cinematography - ''Lily (Daniel Boneville)'' * Best Feature - ''Windcroft (Dir. Evan Meszaros)'' * Best Comedy - ''Shh! It's Alive (Dir. Ryan Cadima)'' * Most Original Film - ''Gunther Today's Happy Time Fun Show (Dir. JImmy Humphrey)'' * Best Sci Fi - ''O2'' * Best Director- Evan Meszaros * Best Short - ''Of Darkness (Dir. Gary E. Irwin)'' * Best One Liner - ''Zombie Apocalypse'' * Best Zombie - ''Zombthology (Dir. Elias Dansey, Chris Kiros, Robert Elkins)'' * Best Soundtrack - ''Zombie Love'' * Best Special Effects - ''Curse of the Flesh'' * Kentucky Filmmaker of the Year - George Bonilla * Horror Icon of the Year -

Angus Scrimm Angus Scrimm (born Lawrence Rory Guy; August 19, 1926 – January 9, 2016) was an American actor, author, and journalist, known for his portrayal of the Tall Man in the 1979 horror film '' Phantasm'' and its sequels. Early life Scrimm was born ...

* Honorable Mention - ''Paper Dolls'' * Honorable Mention - ''Liar's Pendulum'' * Honorable Mention - ''Alone'' * Honorable Mention - ''Taste of the Flesh'' * Honorable Mention - '' The Conjurer'' * Honorable Mention - ''The Vagrant'' * Honorable Mention - ''Miyuki''

2009

* Best Short - ''Double'' * Best Foreign Short - ''The Gynecologist'' * Best Foreign Feature - ''Family Demons'' * Best Soundtrack/Score - ''Eat Me: The Musical'' * Best SPFX Practical - ''Devil's Grove'' * Best Action - ''The Dogs of Chinatown'' * Best Sci Fi - ''Fun on Earth'' * Best Zombie - ''Deadlands2:Trapped'' * Best Comedy - ''Auburn Hills Breakdown'' * Best Director- Jack Daniel Stanley * Best Fan Film - ''Indiana Jones and the Mummies Skull'' * Best Feature - ''Mantra'' * Best Animated - ''Night of the Invisible Man (Dir. Tyler Meyer)'' * Best Cinematographer - ''Huneman Brown Eagle for Mrs. Brummets Garden'' * Best Actor - Ron Pallio ''Curse of Micha Rood'' * Best Actress - Cassandra Kane ''Family Demons'' * Best of the Year - '' Sea of Dust'' * Honorable Mention - ''Shellter'' * Honorable Mention - ''Alone'' * Honorable Mention - ''The Revenant'' * Honorable Mention - ''I Don't Sleep I Dream'' * Honorable Mention - '' Run! Bitch Run!'' * Honorable Mention - ''The Vagrant'' * Honorable Mention - ''Blood on the Highway'' * Honorable Mention - ''Bikini Girls on Ice'' * Honorable Mention - ''Thirsty'' * Honorable Mention - ''Dead Sucks''

2010

* Best Short - ''Alice Jacobs Is Dead (Dir. Alex Horwitz)'' * Best Feature - ''Shadowland (Dir. Wyatt Weed)'' * Best Soundtrack/Score - ''Danger Zombies Run (Dir. Brian Wimer)'' * Scream Queen of the Year -

Heather Langenkamp Heather Elizabeth Langenkamp (born July 17, 1964) is an American actress, director, writer, producer, and disc jockey. Langenkamp is best known for her acting work within the horror genre, as well as television sitcoms. Langenkamp was inducted ...

* Best Special FX Practical - ''The Taken (FX. Brian Sipe)'' * Best Screenplay - ''The Ripper (Joe Randazzo)'' * Best Action- ''God of Vampires'' * Best Sci Fi - ''Flying Saucer Exodus (Dir. Jerry Williams)'' * Best Zombie - ''Revelation (Dir. Will Graver)'' * Best Comedy - ''Danger, Zombies, Run'' * Best Director - Morgan Mead (My Bloody Wedding) * Best Fan Film - ''Hell Raiser: Deader Winters Lament (Dir. Jonathan S. Kui)'' * Best Documentary - ''Graphic Sexual Horror (Dir. Barbara Bell)'' * Kentucky Filmmaker of the Year - Jacob Ennis * Best Cinematography - ''The Prometheus Project'' * Best Actor -

Kane Hodder Kane Warren Hodder (born April 8, 1955)According to the State of California. ''California Birth Index, 1905–1995''. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California. At Ancestry.com is an Americ ...

''Old Habits Die Hard'' * Best Actress - Jessica Von ''The Taken'' * Horror Icon of the Year - Tom Atkins * Best of the Fest - ''The Taken (Dir. Richard Valentine)'' * Audience Pick - ''My Bloody Wedding (Dir. Morgan Mead)'' * Honorable Mention - ''Gun Town (Dir. Lee Vervoort)'' * Honorable Mention - ''Get Off My Porch (Dir. Patrick Rea)'' * Honorable Mention - ''The Survivors (Dir. Soham Mehta)'' * Honorable Mention - ''Moon-Lite (Dir. Kenneth Dowell)'' * Honorable Mention - ''Nightmare at Bunnyman Bridge (Dir. Robert Elkins)'' * Lifetime Achievement Award -

Roger Corman Roger William Corman (April 5, 1926 – May 9, 2024) was an American film director, producer, and actor. Known under various monikers such as "The Pope of Pop Cinema", "The Spiritual Godfather of the New Hollywood", and "The King of Cult", he w ...

2011

* Best Actor - John Wells ''Overtime'' * Best Actress - Sebrina Siegel ''Overtime'' * Best Director - Darrin Dickerson (D4) * Best Screenplay - ''The Resurrection of Blake House (Steven C. Gladstone and Joe Randazzo)'' * Best Cinematography - Brian Cunningham ''Overtime'' * Best Soundtrack - Jason Paige ''Overtime'' * Best Action - ''Overtime'' (Dir. Brian Cunningham, Matt Niehoff) * Lifetime Achievement Award -

John Carpenter John Howard Carpenter (born January 16, 1948) is an American filmmaker, composer, and actor. Most commonly associated with horror film, horror, action film, action, and science fiction film, science fiction films of the 1970s and 1980s, he is ...

* Best of the Fest - ''Overtime'' * Best Feature - ''D4'' * Best One-Liner - ''Overtime'' * Filmmakers of the Year - Brian Cunningham, Matt Niehoff ''Overtime''

2012

* Lifetime Achievement Award-

John Rhys-Davies John Rhys-Davies (born 5 May 1944) is a Welsh actor known for portraying Gimli (Middle-earth), Gimli in The Lord of the Rings (film series), ''The Lord of the Rings'' trilogy and Sallah in the ''Indiana Jones'' franchise. He has received three ...

* Best Foreign Short-Moxina (Dir. Ryota Nakanishi) * Best Foreign Feature-Muirhouse * Best Short-The Keeper * Best Feature-A Little Bit Zombie * Best Director-Patrick Rea for Nailbiter * Best Of the Fest-Nailbiter * Best "Grindhouse" Film-The Terrifier * Best Zombie Film-A Little Bit Zombie * Best Soundtrack-Below Zero * Best Cinematography-An Evening With My Comatose Mother * Best Screenplay The Man Who Killed Sandra Wallace by Anders Nelson * Best Practical SPFX-Huff * Best CGI-Fallout * Best Action Film-Fallout * Best Sci Fi Film-Ray Bradbury's Kaliedoscope * Best Fan Film-Justice League Auditions * Best Comedy-A Little Bit Zombie * Best Documentary-Beast Wishes * KY Filmmaker of the Year-David Heavener * Horror Icon of the Year-

Sid Haig Sidney Eddie Mosesian (July 14, 1939 – September 21, 2019), known professionally as Sid Haig, was an American actor. He was known for his appearances in horror films, most notably his role as Captain Spaulding in the Rob Zombie films '' House ...

* Best Animated-(Computer)-Lola * Best Animated-(Practical)-Odokuro * Best Actress Kristin Booth for Below Zero * Best Actor

Lance Henriksen Lance Henriksen (born May 5, 1940) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in various science fiction, action and horror genre productions, including Bishop in the ''Alien'' film franchise and Frank Black in the Fox television series ...

for It's in the Blood

2013

* Best Feature (Horror Category) Cannon Fodder * Kentucky Filmmakers of the Year Biting Pig Productions * Best Screenplay (Horror) Sadistic by Michael Gibrall * Best Screenplay (Fantasy) Biofusionoid Wen-Chia Chang * Best Screenplay (SciFi) Bounty Hunter by Amy McCorkle and Melissa Goodman * Best Zombie Film-NI-28 * Best Cinematography Fortune Cookie Prophecies * Best Soundtrack NI-28 * Best Foreign Feature Dunderland * Best Foreign Short REFUGIO 115 * Best Super Short THE RISING * Best Action 95 ECHOERS * Best Short Film In Between * Best Feature (Sci Fi) Space Milkshake * Best Special FX (Practical makeup) Cannon Fodder * Best Special FX (CGI) 95 ECHOERS * Best Comedy Motivational Growth * Best Director Armen Evrensel for Space Milkshake * Best of The Fest Space Milkshake * Honorable Mentions *

She's Having a Baby ''She's Having a Baby'' is a 1988 American romantic comedy film directed and written by John Hughes and starring Kevin Bacon and Elizabeth McGovern. It tells the story of a young newlywed couple who try to cope with married life and their par ...

* Thirteen * Daughters * Blood Sucka Jones * Sader Ridge

Guest celebrities

2013

William Shatner William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1966 debut as the captain of the starship USS Enterpri ...

Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book author, writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Comics which later bec ...

Gillian Anderson Gillian Leigh Anderson ( ; born August 9, 1968) is an American actress, writer, and activist. She is best known for her roles as FBI Special Agent Dana Scully in the sci-fi series ''The X-Files'' (1993–2002; 2016–2018), Lily Bart in the dr ...

Gene Simmons Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz; ; born August 25, 1949) also known by his stage persona "The Demon", is an Israeli-born American musician. He was the bassist and co-lead singer of the hard rock band Kiss (band), Kiss, which he co-founded wit ...

Norman Reedus Norman Mark Reedus (born January 6, 1970) is an American actor. He made his acting debut in the 1990s, starring in the role of Murphy MacManus in ', followed by supporting roles in successful box office films ''8MM,'' '' Blade II'', and ''Amer ...

Michael Rooker Michael Rooker (born April 6, 1955) is an American actor who mainly plays roles of antagonists. He first rose to prominence for portraying the titular role in '' Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer'' (1986), and is best known for starring as Mer ...

* Lew Temple *

Adrian Paul Adrian Paul Hewett (born 29 May 1959) is an English actor, martial artist and director best known for the title role of Duncan MacLeod on the television series '' Highlander: The Series''. In 1997, he founded the Peace Fund charitable organis ...

Adam Baldwin Adam Baldwin (born February 27, 1962) is an American actor. He made his film debut in '' My Bodyguard'' (1980). He later appeared in ''Full Metal Jacket'' (1987) as Animal Mother, and in the television series ''Firefly'' and its continuation f ...

Jewel Staite Jewel Belair Staite (born June 2, 1982) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her roles as Kaylee Frye in the series ''Firefly'' (2002–2003) and its follow-up movie '' Serenity'' (2005), and as Jennifer Keller on science fiction television ...

Alan Tudyk Alan Wray Tudyk ( ; born March 16, 1971) is an American actor. His film work includes roles in '' 28 Days'' (2000), '' A Knight's Tale'' (2001), '' Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story'' (2004), voice and motion capture for Sonny in '' I, Robot'' (2 ...

Saul Rubinek Saul Hersh Rubinek (born July 2, 1948) is a Canadian actor, director, producer, and playwright. He is widely known for his television roles, notably Artie Nielsen on '' Warehouse 13,'' Donny Douglas on '' Frasier'', Lon Cohen on '' A Nero Wolf ...

* Grant Wilson *

Jason David Frank Jason David Frank (September 4, 1973 – November 19, 2022) was an American actor and mixed martial artist, best known for his role as Tommy Oliver in the ''Power Rangers'' television franchise. Early life Frank was born in Covina, Californi ...

Garry Chalk Garry Chalk (born 1952) is a Canadian actor. He has provided the voices for Optimus Primal of '' Beast Wars: Transformers'' and '' Beast Machines: Transformers'', as well as Optimus Prime in the anime English dubs of '' Transformers: Armada'' ...

Kevin Smith Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. He came to prominence with the low-budget buddy comedy film ''Clerks (film), Clerks'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, co-produced, and acted i ...

Jason Mewes Jason Edward Mewes (born June 12, 1974) is an American actor, comedian, film producer, and podcaster. He is best known for playing Jay, the vocal half of the duo Jay and Silent Bob, in longtime friend Kevin Smith's View Askewniverse franchise. E ...

Jon Bernthal Jonathan Edward Bernthal (; born September 20, 1976) is an American actor. He came to prominence for portraying Shane Walsh on the AMC horror drama series '' The Walking Dead'' (2010–2012; 2018), where he was a starring cast member in the f ...

Fred Dekker Fred Dekker (born April 9, 1959) is an American screenwriter and film director best known for his cult classic horror comedy films '' Night of the Creeps'' and ''The Monster Squad'' (written with Shane Black). He contributed the story ideas fo ...

2014

Doug Bradley Douglas William Bradley (born 7 September 1954) is an English actor best known for his role as the Cenobite leader Pinhead in the ''Hellraiser'' film series. Early life Douglas William Bradley was born in Liverpool on 7 September 1954. He ...

Ken Foree Ken Foree (born February 29, 1948) is an American actor, best known as the protagonist Peter from the horror film '' Dawn of the Dead'' (1978) and as Roger Rockmore on the Nickelodeon television sitcom '' Kenan & Kel'' (1996–2000). Early life ...

John Kassir John Kassir (born October 24, 1957) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his work as the voice of the Cryptkeeper in HBO's '' Tales from the Crypt'' franchise. He also appeared in the role of Ralph in the off-Broadway show ''Reefe ...

* Jeff Reddick * Don Shanks * Tamara Glynn * Matthew Walker * Erik Preston * Leslie Hoffman * Ira Heiden * Bradley Gregg * Jennifer Rubin

References

External links

* {{Official website, http://frightnightfilmfest.com Film festivals established in 2005 Festivals in Louisville, Kentucky Fantasy and horror film festivals in the United States 2005 establishments in Kentucky July

Award winners

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

Guest celebrities

2013

2014

See also

References

External links