Horror Film Festival ends on high note
The final day of fright at the Hot Springs International Horror Film Festival will wrap up a weekend of film premieres, special celebrity guest appearances, and seminars on horror howTos beginning at around 11 a.m. today.
The world premiere of “Shadows in the Snow” will begin at 8:45 p.m. at the Central Theater, 1008 Central Ave. There will be four other film screenings, including the Michael Berryman film “Evil Within,” followed by a Q&A session with Berryman at 5:30 p.m.
Berryman spent most of the weekend attending the festival and exploring Hot Springs, in addition to appearances at this weekend’s Spa-Con. He said he enjoys attending the more intimate festivals because of the huge range of interest featured on screen at independent film festivals.
“At these festivals, it’s not what’s trending now, these (films) are people’s passions. These are things that spark somebody and then they are driven by it, like Andrew (Getty) was driven by this nightmare he had. The
gentleman who did the documentary about the puppy mills, he was inspired,” Berryman said.
Berryman has starred in a number of horror and science fiction films since he first began acting in 1973 after acting found him by chance just before he was about to move to Alaska to become a logger. He is most prominently known for his role as a cannibal in “The Hills Have Eyes” and also appeared in feature films including “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” “Star Trek,” “Weird Science,” “The Barbarians,” “Teenage Exorcist,” “Tales from the Crypt,” “The X-Files” and “The Devil’s Rejects.”
His latest film is “Evil Within,” a concept created by Getty. It took 15 years for Getty’s project to be completed, but Berryman said that the meticulous attention to detail was key to Getty’s vision and evident throughout the entire film.
“Ninety-five percent of the effects in the film are practical. The opening shot is actually a miniature that Andrew built himself. The scene where I unzip Fred’s body and step inside of him, that’s not CGI. There was actually a latex body that looked exactly like him,” he said.
Berryman said that the film was a way for Getty to deal with a lot of his own personal demons. He was actually inspired by a nightmare to create that kind of nightmare on screen. Two years before the film was released, Getty was found dead in his home.
“He died during postproduction and everyone came together and decided we had to finish it for Andrew,” Berryman said.
Outside of film, Berryman is an avid supporter of conservation efforts and anti-bullying campaigns. He said he regularly speaks to children at schools about the importance of treating all people with respect and kindness.
“We are all the same and we all have the same hopes and dreams. We want our children to have a future and we want a planet that is not toxic,” he said.
A series of seminars begins at 11 a.m. with the festival’s associate producer and resident “scareologist” John L. Burton in room R03 of the Hot Springs Convention Center and “Creating AtmosFEAR.” The seminar will focus on inexpensive and realistic set decorating for Halloween, home haunting, and haunted attractions.
Burton brings 47 years of experience to the table, during which he has produced or been involved in 130 haunting projects. He plans to demonstrate how to use products from local hardware and discount stores in creating demented décor on a budget.
His class on “Movie MakeUp Mayhem & Magis” begins at 1 p.m., followed by master mask maker Tony Buck’s instructional seminar on recreating the infamous “Leatherface” mask at 2 p.m., and cinematographer Gene Sive’s “It’s all about lenses” at 3 p.m. Each class costs $20 to attend.