Friday, June 9th was the third day of the 2023 Portland Horror Film Festival. Along with two feature films, the festival showcased a block of four short films. Because the theme of the day was “Satanic Panic,” each short film fits into that theme with demons, haunted items, the occult, and maybe even the devil. There’s a little something for everyone between these varied short films, and the audience was not disappointed. Dylan Wayne Lawrence (The Haunted Baby Carriage From Hell), John Reddy (The Haunted Baby Carriage From Hell), Faith Ivory (Ringing Rocks), Kelli Maroney (The Haunted Baby Car ..read more

The final day of the Portland Horror Film Festival was split into two parts. There was a matinee of shorts and a feature film at the Clinton Street Theater, followed by an evening showing of two feature films and another block of shorts. Unfortunately, I was only able to attend the matinee short films, but they were definitely an enjoyable group. Here are my reviews of the day 5 matinee short films*. Festival director Gwen Callahan with Jennifer Wolfe, Ivy Votolato, Steven Mosley, and Jenna Mahmoud Bosco ORDINARY FAMILY – Written and directed by Funing Tang As a zombie outbreak takes over the ..read more

Day 3 of the Portland Horror Film Festival was another big day for shorts. While these covered a variety of different subgenres of horror, the festival boasted the day 3 shorts as the scariest short films of the festival. Let me tell you, the festival did not lie. While not all of the shorts were terrifying, the ones that were brought plenty of frights for the audience. Here are the short films shown on day 3 of PHFF. Festival director Brian Callahan with Brian Sepanzyk, Sara Canning, and Christopher Langston BEAST IN THE BEDROOM (Bumper) – Unable to find writer/director info A young man hears ..read more

Day 2 of the Portland Horror Film Festival had two feature-film screenings, so it was lighter with the short films. Yet the short films for this day were still a blast. Here is what the festival had to offer audiences on day 2. Festival director Gwen Callahan with ZOMBIES LIKE TO WATCH cast/crew; Rollyn Stafford, Sean Abplanalp, and Jenny Jen PORTLAND HORROR BUMPER (bumper contest) – Directed by Steven Jackley This bumper came before the night’s first feature-length film screening and was made specifically for Portland Horror Film Festival. While only a minute long, it definitely packs a punch ..read more

The Portland Horror Film Festival returned in 2022 for both in-person and virtual horror film screenings. One things fans can always count on at PHFF is a fantastic array of great short films from around the world. This year the festival directors managed to pack in a ton of horror shorts that have a little something for everyone. Here is a rundown of the shorts* shown on day one of the festival! Festival director Gwen Callahan and shorts filmmakers/actors Hannah May Cumming, Emma Cogan, BreeAna Miyuki Eisel, Simeon Gregory, and John Skipp OLD TIME RADIO – Written and directed by Joel Harlow A ..read more

Blending the comical with the weird, Meat Friend is a short film telling the story of a young girl making a very strange new friend. Izzy Lee (Re-Home, Innsmouth) directed and co-wrote the short film along with co-writer Steve Johanson. In it, a little girl named Billie (Marnie McKendry) attempts to microwave hamburger meat and unwittingly awakens a talking, anthropomorphic blob of meat named “Meat Friend”. Meat Friend teaches Billie important life lessons, such as to never snitch and how to make creative “accidents”. Yet their friendship is short lived, as Billie soon realizes Meat Friend is ..read more

A man is stalked by people in creepy doll masks. As he tries to hide from these seemingly malicious individuals, we soon learn this man might not be the victim he appears to be. Grisly Girls is a short horror film written and directed by Adam Van Dyke. The short begins by focusing on a man. He hides in his apartment while women in doll masks try to get to him. This opening scene gives off The Strangers: Prey at Night vibes, but it doesn’t take long for the viewers to learn something else is going on. From there the short film takes a turn into vigilante/revenge territory. What I really enjoye ..read more

We all have experienced the major changes the COVID-19 pandemic has caused. Everything from daily life to events we looked forward to has drastically changed. Etheria Film Night would normally have played its short films in Hollywood’s Egyptian Theatre, but this year they had to come up with a new plan. Lucky for all of us who don’t live in the LA area, Etheria Film Night 2020 instead is showing nine short films made by women exclusively on Shudder. The horror-focused streaming service has made quite a name for itself with the amazing Shudder exclusive films and even Shudder original shows. I ..read more

The Shenandoah backcountry is a gorgeous place frequented by hikers. Unfortunately, it is also the hunting ground for a dangerous serial killer. With several bodies already discovered, now the killer is stalking their latest victim. Making his premiere as a writer and director, Johnny K brings horror fans his short film, The Killer of Grassy Ridge. This short film is less than 10 minutes long and utilizes minimal dialogue, but still manages to pack a punch. Johnny K does this by playing with the viewers’ expectations of the short. It opens on a dirty, somewhat frightening looking man burying ..read more

It’s the 1970’s and a group of kids are arriving at a summer camp on its last legs. It’s a typical camp complete with misogyny, cabins, camp counselors on drugs, and a seedy new camp director. It seems like just another summer at camp, until the legend of the lake siren proves to be a little too real. Camp Calypso is the sophomore short film by directing duo Hannah May Cumming (Fanatico), who also wrote the short, and Karlee Boon (Fanatico). This short begins much like the classic slashers of the 1980’s. We meet a small group of campers and the counselors who will watch over them for a fun-fi ..read more