Vancouver Horror Show Returns With Five Days of Films

Armchair Experts, Meet Your Inbox

You know this person. Maybe you are this person. Someone on screen hears a noise in the basement and you whisper, "Absolutely not," with the calm authority of a structural engineer. You can spot the doomed side character by their second line. You have opinions about their phone, their flashlight and their commitment to splitting up.

Meanwhile, your own phone holds 1,847 unread messages, stacked in layers like sediment. Somewhere near the bottom is a fossilized "Quick question!" from a version of you who still had hope. Horror is the only place where you fearlessly judge everyone's avoidance.

The Q&A Turns Shouters Into Reasonable Adults

Then the film ends, a real filmmaker takes the stage, and the audience member who spent ninety minutes begging a teenager not to open the cellar door suddenly asks, "What was your shooting schedule like?"

Where did that person go? Ten minutes ago you wanted to climb into the screen and confiscate a character's car keys. Now you're asking thoughtful questions about practical effects, like a very nice person at a farmers' market. The filmmaker deserves that. The fictional teenager, sadly, remains unsupervised.

Choosing a Festival Pass

The festival lists a Screening Pass at $209 plus tax, which covers all feature films, all short programs and the Golden Tape Award Ceremony. The Full Fest Pass is $329 plus fees and tax, and adds industry panels, table reads, a festival T-shirt and tote bag, and the launch and industry parties. The Industry Pass is $109 plus tax and covers industry panels, table reads, the awards ceremony and the industry party, not screenings. Programming runs across multiple screens with some overlap, so passholders reserve seats in advance.

Check the official site for the full schedule, which goes on sale October 1. Pick the film you'd both argue about on the walk out. Then, if there's a Q&A, one of you gets to ask the sensible question. The other can finally answer an email.

Opening Night and Who to Bring

According to the festival's press page, opening night is a 19th anniversary screening of Trick 'r Treat, with director Michael Dougherty in attendance. Bring someone who also enjoys horror. If one of you keeps asking whether the dog is okay, the evening is already a different festival.