Zompire Film Festival

Ok, so where were the vampires? Last year had way more people dressed up and this year it seems like everyone was dressed as zombies. I’m not against people dressing up as zombies but it would have been nice to get some variety. I felt that Saturday was a stronger night of film and the shorts-block at 7pm was probably the best block of the festival. That was the block I had been promoting the most. However I was joined by several people, many of whom lasted through all 3 blocks which was great.

In my opinion "Zombie Jesus" alone was probably worth the price of admission. However "Cannibal Flesh Riot" was also excellent and at least of my companions picked it as the best of the night. I also enjoyed "Dead Resin" and I found it interesting to compare to Romero’s "Diary of the Dead" (ie how do young people deal with a zombie outbreak when they have a video camera). "It Came From The West" was also great, especially in the sense of having never seen anything like it. I thought "Aces & Eights" was probably the weakest short, but interesting as it has a similar idea to "Wasting Away". A number of the other shorts were clever and as with the night before there was nothing that wasn’t worth watching, though several I wouldn’t be interested in watching again.

I had only seen the remake of "Dawn of the Dead" once (at the Laurelhurst Theater). The original is a far superior movie but the first 10 minutes of the remake are really excellent. There are some really strong elements in the film and some really weak ones. It’s never going to be a favorite of mine but it was fun seeing it with a number of people who had never seen it before.

The final film, "Wasting Away" was definitely the best feature film of the festival. The concept was fairly well executed and I have no doubt the idea will pop up again in other films. Of course, one problem is that since the films protagonists were zombies there really wasn’t that much in the way of zombie killing, of which a friend of mine is always critical.

One thing I noticed was the diverse ages of the crowd which made me happy. It made me appreciate the fact that everyone can come to the film festival due to the lack of alcohol. Besides it’s not like there aren’t a number of places to get drinks near the theater during the breaks.

If I had any suggestions for next year I think they would be that there should be 2 blocks of shorts and that those blocks should be padded by a few of the favorite short films from years past. Reading my experiences from last year I realize how much I’d like to see some of those films again. Perhaps the Zompire folks could take requests for favorites.

Ah, Zompire, truly an excellent film festival. I was able to bring more friends this year though only 2 made it through the first night. So there were 3 feature films and several shorts on Friday. If I had to note themes, well, there were more vampires, a lot of breasts, and enjoyable but not outstanding content.

The first film was a Hammer production called Vampire Circus which I suspect most people in the theater hadn’t seen. It was a good pick to start with as it was humorous and fun (not intentionally though). That was followed by From Dusk Til Dawn which I had only seen once on television. It was definitely better on the big screen. I don’t think it’s a great movie but enjoyable enough and I’m glad I stayed rather than leaving for food and drinks. The final film was Brain Dead which I felt was somewhat disappointing. It started out well but it didn’t really seem to have the momentum. In fact I’d say that while all of the films had their moments I’m not interested in watching any of them again. All were well worth seeing once on a movie screen but none were particularly impressive like last year’s Choking Hazard.

Unfortunately we were rushing dinner before the festival and got in after 8 1/2 Short Films About Zombies and during Prombies!. Prombies! was definitely the standout short film for Friday. Both The Heist and Harvest Moon were cute and fun and I also enjoyed the Man Who Refused to Die.

The theater was crowded but it didn’t sell out. For the most part people were in good spirits. There is definitely something to watching horror movies in a theater full of aficionados.

I’ve been too busy to write but I wanted to share my reaction to the 2nd night of the Zompire film festival. Overall I was still very impressed as were my friends who joined me. While I liked some films better than others there were really no terrible films.

The first block had a lot more humor oriented films. I think the standouts were Recently Deceased and The Lyncanthrope (yes that one is neither a zombie now vampire movie but still damn good). Movie Monster Insurance was cute and well done as was Zombies In Love.

The second block was The Lost Boys which was fun to see in a theater of people who were into it.

The third and final block for the night was dominated by the final film Zombie Love. Not that the other films weren’t good but when put against a zombie musical, well, they just couldn’t compete. It was especially a shame for Why Must I Be A Zombie In Love? which preceded Zombie Love which may have been better placed in another block. As for Danger! 50,000 Zombies! the Nick Frost and Simon Peg short film, it had some great moments but also seemed to drag a bit.

I’m not sure I am satisfied with my pick for the 2 best films of the festival that was asked on the feedback cards. I may have to email them with different choices. I think that at the end of a second night of multiple hours of zombie and vampire movies it was difficult to accurately recollect how I felt about all the films. I think the film I didn’t pick but would strongly consider picking was Recently Deceased as it was one of the most fun films in the festival. Or maybe the process of trying to narrow down to 2 will always leave me feeling like I’m not doing justice to at least 1 film.

As for next year, I suspect I’ll be back and may try to encourage more people to join me as the people joining me this year really enjoyed themselves.

Wow, what a great night of cinema. Ok, maybe only zombie or vampire lovers need apply but I thought the first night of the Zompire film fest was excellent. I’m glad I decided to go even though I could only get 1 person to go with me.

So, in the first block the big draw movie was Night of the Hell-Hamsters which did not disappoint. The scene where the woman is try to free the hamster from the man’s pants was an appropriate twist on a classic horror moment. There were definitely a lot of moments that were just so wrong that they were right. I also really liked Shipwreck, especially the first 2 death scenes which both come out of nowhere and are substantially gory. I thought Akai was really well done and I liked the premise but I didn’t feel it sat with the audience as well. It was a really innovative take on vampirism taking on a drudgery of daily life. Unfortunately I don’t think people come to see vampires in day to day life; they come to see them being extravagant and sexy.

Choking Hazard, which was the only film in the second block, was a lot of fun. It starts with one of the best zombie killing scenes ever. It wasn’t quite as insightful as I had hoped (hey zombie movies can be insightful just watch the original Dawn of the Dead). But it had charm and spontaneity that I enjoyed.

In the third block, I wanted to see Popsy and I felt it was done as well as that story could be done. It’s not a great story but it was pulled off well in the film rendition. But honestly the combo of Gay Zombie and Lesbian Vampire Lovers of Lust was just amazing. Gay Zombie was really well done but overshadowed by Lesbian Vampire Lovers of Lust which was excellent, and quite possibly my favorite film of the night. And that’s saying a lot given that I’m a bigger fan of zombie movies than vampire movies generally. Suffice it to say if I can get a copy of this film (or tv episode as I guess it was) I’ll be screening it for my friends.

It was a very strong night, and I suspect I’ll return tomorrow for more. As much as I feel The Lost Boys could benefit from a theater selling beer I suppose seeing it with a bunch of zombie/vampire fans couldn’t be such a bad thing.

Anyway more details on the event:
http://lokiloka.com/portland/events/show/739

Info on the Hollywood Theater:
http://lokiloka.com/portland/hollywoodtheater