The 2023 HorrorFest International Film Festival–presented by the nonprofit Film and Media Alliance of Southern Utah–announced the filmmaker awards and winners of its screenplay competition during an energetic conclusion of the popular genre film festival.
The awards were led by Andrew Bowser’s Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls. The festival’s Opening Night selection won Best/Horror Comedy. Joe Reilly’s horror comedy Charlie the Cancelled Skeleton took Best Gross Out and the Audience Choice Award, and Eric Woods’ Utah-produced The Cave took the award for the Scariest Film.
This year’s edition of the international survey of horror/thriller cinema will screen 46 films (8 features and 38 shorts) representing 15 countries. In addition, 16 feature-length scripts and 8 scripts for short films will also participate in the film festival’s script competition over the four-day fright-filled event at St. George’s classic Electric Theater.
Returning HorrorFest International alumni winning awards included Toby Poser, Zelda Adams, and John Adams’sWhere the Devil Roams which got the nod for Best Cinematography for Zelda and John Adams’ work behind the camera. The film was the festival’s Closing Night selection. Zach Passero’s The Weird Kidz, animated feature was a somewhat surprising winner for Best Creature Feature, as the category lends itself to live action films with gruesome monsters and effects. However, the coming-of-age story with a legendary monster at its center won the day and the award.
HorrorFest International Film Festival Co-Founders and Senior Programmers, Adam Mast and John Pugh, said, “We pride ourselves on having a film festival that is a joyful celebration for the lovers of horror, sci-fi, and genre films. We have a high return rate with both filmmakers who screened here previously and our film fans, and the fact that this year’s award winners included a couple of our alumni highlights that very special aspect of HorrorFest International. The return of writer/filmmaker/artist Frank Dietz, heading up another fun script reading, our secret screening, and more panels and appearances once again underlined the festival in our title, but it still begins and ends with the films in our lineup.”
Other winners among the film awards, included Pirie Martin’s Psychosis (Best Experimental Film), and Jean-François Leblanc’s Virga (Best International Film). Special Jury Prizes were awarded to Idan Gilboa’s Deadline for Excellence in Animation, and Daniele Ricci and Emanuele Ricci’s Juggernaut for Excellence in Visual Storytelling.
Additional individual awards included two awards for the Spanish thriller The Coffee Table, including Best Director for Caye Casas, and Best Ensemble for the film’s cast, including David pareja, Eduardo Antuña. Paco Benjumea, and Itzia Castro. Justin Geldzahler won Best Screenplay for his film Glue Trap, and Juggernaut took its second award for the night, winning Best Makeup Effects for the work of Aurora Balsamo and Veronika Gordienko. James Bushe, Patrick Michael Ryder, and Greig Johnson’s UK scarer Lore won Best Kill for a devastating death by foot stomping in the film.
Winners in HorrorFest International’s Screenplay Competition included Abby Selden’s “Revial” (Best Feature Length) and Paul Grammatico’s “Gate Bait” (Best Short).
Highlights during this year’s edition of HorrorFest International included a personal appearance by actor Jamison Newlander (The Lost Boys, Bone Tomahawk, Waking Nightmare) discussing the horror titles in his filmography during a live episode of The Cinemast Podcast with host Brandon Treadway. Returning HorrorFest favorite Frank Dietz hosted another edition of the immensely popular Scripts Gone Wild with his cult classic Black Roses. A “What is Horror?” panel including Justin Geldzahler (Glue Trap), Joe Reilly (Charlie the Cancelled Skeleton), Michael Rich (The Queue), and moderated by John Wildman (The Ladies of the House). Marshall Moore (John Carter, After Earth, The Giver) also headed a panel, drawing on his experience as a veteran location manager and discuss the importance of locations in the world of horror.
To find more information about the HorrorFest International Film Festival.
2023 Horror Fest International Filmmaker Award Winners
FILM AWARDS
Best Horror/Comedy Film
Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls
Director: Andrew Bowser
Best Creature Feature Film
The Weird Kidz
Director: Zach Passero
Scariest Film
The Cave
Director: Eric Wood
Best Experimental Film
Psychosis
Director: Pirie Martin
Best International Film
Virga
Director: Jean-François Leblanc
Audience Choice Award
Charlie the Cancelled Skeleton
Director: Joe Reilly
SPECIAL JURY PRIZES
Excellence in Animation
Deadline
Director: Idan Gilboa
Excellence in Visual Storytelling
Juggernaut
Directors: Daniele Ricci, Emanuele Ricci
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
Best Director
The Coffee Table
Director: Caye Casas
Best Ensemble
The Coffee Table
Cast: David Pareja, Eduardo Antuña. Paco Benjumea, Itzia Castro.
Best Screenplay
Glue Trap
Writer: Justin Geldzahler
Best Cinematography
Where the Devil Roams
Cinematographers: Zelda Adams, John Adams
Best Makeup Effects
Juggernaut
M/U and VFX: Aurora Balsamo, Veronika Gordienko
Best Kill
Lore
Directors: James Bushe, Patrick Michael Ryder, Greig Johnson
Best Gross Out
Charlie the Cancelled Skeleton
Director: Joe Reilly
SCREENPLAY COMPETITION
Feature Length Screenplay winner
“Revial”
Written by Abby Selden
Short Screenplay winner
“Gate Bait”
Written by Paul Grammatico
Bloody Flicks 