Knoxville Horror Film Fest Seeks More Animation Films

The Knoxville Horror Film Fest, founded in 2009, screens every October, coinciding with the Halloween season.

Film Programmer & Festival Director William Mahaffey shares some tips on what to takes to be accepted into Knoxville.

* Tight, Original Stories Rule

Tightness and originality are two key elements in determining whether a film is good enough to screen at Knoxville. No padding. No clichés.

"Work on your script and make sure it's tight," says Mahaffey. "Don't be overly attached to things you shot. The films that perform the best at festivals are usually around five minutes.

"Try to be as original and inventive as you can. If you look at your story and see things that have been done before, come up with something different. Or at least take a different approach. If you recognize that it's something clichéd or overused, then I guarantee the people screening your film will."

* Production Tips

Naturally, your film should look and sound its best. Many indie filmmakers seem especially prone to neglect sound. Poor sounding films is a widespread complaint among festival directors.

"Take your time and make sure you get sound and lighting right," said Mahaffey. "Sometimes your film might have an amazing script and acting, but it's hindered by poor production values. Bad sound is super common. Sound is a pretty hard thing to deal with, but if you take the time to get it right, or hire someone that knows what they're doing, it will make your film better."

* Shortage of Horror Animation

There seems to be a festival-wide shortage of animated horror. As with Crimson Screen, Knoxville welcomes all subgenres but is short on animation.

"We used to get more animated films," said Mahaffey. "I would love it if we got more of them."

* Zombies Okay, Torture Porn Not So Much

The zombie glut continues, making for an overdone, overtired subgenre. But don't despair. Your zombie film might still get admitted into Knoxville -- provided you've breathed some originality into it.

"I personally am pretty tired of zombies," said Mahaffey. "But I am occasionally surprised with how people can still bring something fresh to that genre.

"I do still get torture porn films, and for the most part, I don't want to watch another one of those."

* Not Just an Annual Event

In addition to their big annual screenings, some horror film festivals present smaller screenings throughout the year. Knoxville is one of those.

"We do monthly screenings," said Mahaffey. "Our last screening was on June 12th. It was an annual event we do called Terror in the Woods. It takes place at Ijams Nature Center. We showed The Descent and had a local haunted house create a haunted trail at the event."

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For a behind-the-scenes look at horror film festivals and the festival directors who manage them, see Horror Film Festivals and Awards. This book also includes a directory of over 200 horror film festivals, and a list of festival award winners from dozens of festivals over several decades.