The 48 Hour Film Project

New horror film festival in Cleveland offers 48% discount to 48ersTuesday, August 10, 2021

Horror fans will have a new festival to enjoy this year, coming to Cleveland this October 1st - 3rd. And it was created by our very own 48HFP Assistant Director of Operations, Brian Bowers.

The inaugural Cleveland Horror Fest will take place this fall at Atlas Cinemas in Shaker Square (Cleveland). The three day festival will showcase independent horror films from all around the world, and will also include workshops, panels, tabe readings, and other events.

"I've been a fan of horror films for as long as I can remember," says Bowers. "This is my way of being able to share my love of all things scary and to show people these movies up on the big screen for a real old-school cinematic experience."

The theatre itself has been a fixture in Cleveland for a long time, but was purchased by Cleveland area chain Atlas Cinemas and renovated just a couple of years ago. Bowers had worked with Atlas previously at their Lakeshore Cinemas location, which has been the home of the Cleveland 48HFP since 2016. 

"Atlas has always been good to us--they're a family owned, local business, and they always go above and beyond to give moviegoers a good experience," Bowers explained. So when he saw the 1930's art-deco style cinema after it was renovated, he knew it would be the perfect home for his new festival.

Starting a film festival during the pandemic has been a challenge, to say the least. There was a lot of uncertainly earlier in the year as to whether or not the event could even take place due to covid. Fortunately, the vaccination rollout has allowed for in-person events to resume again in Ohio.

This first year festival won't have all the bells & whistles of some of the more established events, but Bowers is confident that attendees will have a really great experience. "When it comes down to it, all you really need for a festival is great films and a good theatre, and we are lucky to have both. It's still going to be a really great event that horror film lovers can enjoy, and one that will feature a lot of really amazing independent films."

Tickets for the event will go on sale soon, with options for festival badges, day passes, and single tickets to each event. The films will also be available online via the Sparqfest platform, for moviegoers from outside the area, or anyone that just isn't quite prepared to attend events in person yet.

Cleveland Horror Fest will feature short films, feature films, and everything in between. There is also a horror screenplay contest, with scripts of all length--the top scripts will be given table readings during the festival. 

Submissions are open until September 20th, and Bowers is offering a massive 48% discount off of the submission fees for any 48HFP filmmaker that would like to submit a film or script. Use the discount code 'IMA48ER'  on their FilmFreeway submission page: https://filmfreeway.com/ clevelandhorrorfest

Cleveland Horror Fest takes place October 1st - 3rd at Atlas Cinemas in Shaker Square. For all of the details, visit http://clevelandhorror.com.