Typically, one does not associate the cold month of February as a time for genre films that are meant to make your heart pound as your blood runs cold. But for third year in a row, the planners of Thriller! Chiller!, Grand Rapids' film festival devoted to bringing the best of world-class independent sci-fi, action, suspense, and horror to our community, assert this is the perfect time for many reasons.
The obvious reason is that this time of the year is the best to host a special screening of two, 90-minute short film collections of works they have showcased over Thriller! Chiller!’s seven years of operation.
The lineup is always kept pretty hush-hush, but after a little poking around the film cans, I discovered that a few favorites from the past will be screened that night. This includes 2006's Oculus from Thrillers!'s first year, the 2010 Best Short The Familiar, and the 2011 fan favorite, Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven.
The other reason they host this Dead of Winter preview event is to begin to promote the upcoming 2013 festival. The kickoff will include announcements about the submission process for filmmakers, and also provides one the very best chances to meet up with other filmmakers looking to make connections within our independent film community.
Also on Feb. 1 only, Thriller! Chiller! offers a special $25 festival pass to attendees and newsletter subscribers. According to Shirley Clemens of Twain Girl Marketing and Public Relations, "This is the lowest price the festival pass will be offered for this season, and it's good for all access to our festival on Oct. 24-26, 2013. The regular price is $40 [for] all access or $15 per day."
And since the Thriller! Chiller! could not happen without the great support they have received through their host venue, proceeds from Friday's screenings will benefit the Wealthy Theatre Sustainable Cinema drive.
Sure, you can probably dig hard enough and scream at home alone, but it is much more fun to get your heart racing in the dark just inches away from another hot-blooded body, pumping in perfect unison to the orchestra of images on screen.
Admission: $5
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