On July 10-11, 2021, Midsummer Scream and HorrorBuzz hosted the Midsummer Scream Screaming Room Film Festival at The Frida Cinema in Santa Ana, CA. The event showcased over 80 short films across 14 film blocks submitted to be part of the Screaming Room at the Midsummer Scream Halloween and Horror convention in 2020 and 2021. With both events canceled, The Screaming Room Film Festival was created as a standalone event to showcase the top submissions for the last couple of years.
Over the course of the weekend, I watched over 50 short films as part of the “Supernatural Scares,” “The Occult,” “Happy Halloween,” “Anthology of Terror,” “Spooky Stories,” “Fantastic Worlds,” “Die Laughing,” and “WTF???” blocks. While I enjoyed nearly all of the films we saw, several films stood out, some of which I shared on social media during the event.
Since the event, I have found that a number of the filmmakers whose works were showcased have made their projects available online, so for those who weren’t able to make it to the event, I decided to curate them here for viewing at your own convenience. You’ll find the ones that are available below, along with a list of other films I couldn’t find online but are worth checking out if you get the opportunity.
Note these are being featured in the order that I saw them and are in no way being ranked based on their placement in this piece. Enjoy!
“Canis Lupus”, Director: Ryan Haagen
Two boys babysitting a young girl realize they must fight for their lives or die trying.
“Swarm,” Director: Andy Chen
An MMA fighter training for a big fight gets distracted by an impending apocalypse.
“The Pumpkin Thief,” Director: Tom Hughes
After her pumpkin is stolen on Halloween, Sally must go on an adventure to get it back….
“The Axe and the Iron,” Director: Matthew Roseman
In the midst of a global pandemic, four friends find themselves at the center of an existential crisis.
“The House Call,” Director: David Schuler
We meet Dr. Stevens, a psychiatrist, on her first day back to work since burying her sister. Tasked with paying a visit to a radically religious family who believes their Mother is possessed, hospitality turns to contempt when the family discovers Dr. Stevens is an atheist.
“O.I,” Director: N’cee van Heerden
Barry has a unique problem. He came up with a truly original idea. And sharing it has consequences.
“Best Friends ForeBEAR,” Director: Pablo Semper
A loner girl spends her days working and daydreaming of the social media mirages until she finally finds a friend, a teddy bear. Just that when you look down to it, this teddy bear has more lifeblood than you may think…
“My Friend the Alien,” Director: Danny Raymond
A stop-motion film about a young girl and her alien friend who has a growing appetite.
“How to Make a Garden Omelette,” Director: Robert Wagoner
“A Nightmare on Sesame Street,” Director: Matthew Rodriguez
It turns out that our favorite little red monster is not as lovable as he seems and has taken a few tips from Freddy himself. Can we survive a Nightmare on Sesame Street? Remember not to fall asleep.
Other titles that I really enjoyed, but are unfortunately not available for online viewing, and you should check out if you ever have a chance, include:
- “Sleep Tight”, Director: Michael Seabolt
- “The Strong Box”, Director: Hassan El-Amin
- “Ambrosia”, Directors: Brittany Blanton, Shawn Burkett
- “Father Time”, Director: Thomas Pickering
- “The Last Supper”, Director: León Landázuri
- “Razor Tail”, Director: Mr. Salad
- “Demons,” Director: Ariana DiValentino
- “Aubergine”, Director: Xanthe Pajarillo
- “Don’t Touch”, Director: Craig Low
- “Maraña”, Director: Brisa Pamela Sanchez
- “The Relic”, Director: J.M. Logan
- “Rip to the Rescue!”, Director: Paudie Baggott
- “Meat the family”, Director: Javier Méndez Cañada
- “The Purge “, Director: Clarence Williams
- “Room for Rent”, Director: Fernando Simarro
Honorable Mention: Yarn
The genius of “Yarn” is its credits. The film itself, well, you have to see it to understand. But the credits are what bring the laughs. They run longer than the film, and they generated more laughter in the theater than most of the films played over the weekend. So kudos to director Andrea Hays for being able to make credits a source of entertainment.
