Official Selections: 5th LA Horror Film Festivals
Congratulations to our accepted filmmakers!
Films are listed in alphabetical order, index to the left.
Scroll Down to learn more about each film.
The Matriarch
Feature
West Coast Premiere
In an act of self-defense, a young teen kills her mother’s abusive boyfriend, setting off a terrifying game of cat and mouse.
Director: Jayden Creighton
Producer: Jayden Creighton
Writer: Jayden Creighton
Cast: Kate Logan, Juliette Greenfield, Andy Sparnon, Riley Channells
Cinematographer: Matt Martin
Editor: Jayden Creighton
- Nominee, Best Director, Chicago Horror Film Festival
- Nominee, Best Young Performer, Chicago Horror Film Festival
- Nominee, Best Feature Actress, Chicago Horror Film Festival
- Finalist, Best Composer, AFIN International Film Festival
- Nominee, Best Actress, AFIN International Film Festival
- Nominee, Best Feature Film – AFIN International Film Festival
Website: youtube.com/duckpondproductions
Instagram: @duckpondproductions.tv
Facebook: fb.com/tv.duckpondproductions
The Scalpel
Short
A mad doctor transforms into a monstrous killer and creates mayhem in a medical institute. (The Scalpel is a 1936 never-released film by then 19-year-old filmmaker, Richard Lyford with a score by Ed Hartman.)
Director: Richard Lyford
Producer: Ed Hartman
Writer: Richard Lyford
Cast: Barbara Berger, Eystein Berger, Louise Lyford, Edward Powell, Marbeth Sedgwick, Patricia Cowan, Roger Bassett, Alan Hoelting, James Leipper, David Taylor, Frank Buty, Brooks Stevens, Burton Dinius, Robert Dishman, Richard Lyford.
Cinematographer: Richard Lyford
Editor: Richard Lyford
As of this date, the film is in 73 Festivals (including LAHFF) and has 85 Awards/Nominations (see website)
Website: edhartmanmusic.com/the-scalpel-1936-silent-film
Instagram: @edhartmanmusic and @8thsenseproductions
Twitter: @edhartman and @8thSensePro
Facebook: fb.com/ed.hartman1 and fbk.com/8thSenseProductions
There's Someone At Your Door
Short
When an invisible intruder begins appearing on camera, a young woman's quiet Halloween night becomes a nightmarish struggle to survive as she is forced to learn: what you can't see will hurt you.
Director: Jacob Ewing
Producer: Jacob Ewing, Walter Temple, & Brianna Temple
Writer: Jacob Ewing
Cast: Elicia Devorah, Brianna Temple, Nehali Radha, Cory Presley, Bella Basoco, Austin Buchanan, and Becky Jo Harris
Cinematographer: Walter Temple
Editor: Jacob Ewing
- Winner - Audience Award, Midsummer Scream Halloween and Horror Convention;
- Winner - Best Short, The Loft Cinema's First Friday - Shorts;Finalist - Best Short, HorrOrigins Film Festival
Accolades: Dread Central's 5 Favorite Short Films from Panic Fest 2024
Instagram: Sneaky Owl Media (@sneakyowlmedia)
Twitter: Jacob Ewing (@jingleheimmer) / X
Facebook: Sneaky Owl Media
The Visitor
Short
West Coast Premiere
With his relationship in a rough patch and his career stalled, A man tries to find new purpose by retreating to the Pacific Northwest. While there, strange things begin to happen as he grapples with his sense of reality.
Director: Nikolaus Aldrich
Producers: Dylan Gansen, Nikolaus Aldrich
Writer: Nikolaus Aldrich
Cast: John Glowacki, Ethan Cockrill, Ronald Román-Meléndez, Andrew Scott Miller
Cinematographer: James Arterberry
Editor: Nikolaus Aldrich
The Visitor was conceived as a proof of concept for a feature film. The short film covers what would be the inciting incident of said feature. Writer/Director Nikolaus Aldrich wrote the short film to be an introduction to a larger story but still work as a standalone piece.
Instagram: @thevisitor_shortfilm2024
Facebook: fb.com/profile.php?id=61558476021110