Horrible Imaginings Film Festival
The Horrible Imaginings Film Festival (HIFF) is an annual film festival originally based in San Diego until 2018, when it moved to Santa Ana. It was established in 2009 by Miguel Rodriguez.
![]() 2015-2017 HIFF venue Museum of Photographic Arts | |
Location | San Diego and Santa Ana, California |
---|---|
Established | 2009 |
Founded by | Miguel Rodriguez |
Most recent | 2021 |
Festival date | Annually in September |
Language | English |
Website | hifilmfest |
History
Director Miguel Rodriguez is the curator for the festival founded in 2009.[1][2] In 2015, the festival was held at Museum of Photographic Arts in San Diego.[3] In a 2015 interview with MovieMaker, Rodriguez spoke about making "the films the most important part of the festival".[4] In 2018, the festival relocated to The Frida Cinema in Santa Ana, California.[5] MovieMaker listed the festival on their 30 Bloody Best Genre Fests in the World in 2019.[6] The festival received over seven hundred submissions for its tenth anniversary.[7] It was held annually for three consecutive days in September before running seven days virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.[8] In 2021, the festival returned with a "hybrid model" allowing for in-person and virtual options to audiences.[9]
Notable films
Brentwood Strangler was nominated Best Actress for Jordan Ladd in 2016.[10] The Phantom Hour by Brian Butler screened the same year.[11]
Red Christmas by Craig Anderson,[12] Blood and Black Lace by Mario Bava, and Happy Hunting by Joe Dietsch and Louie Gibson[13] screened in 2017. That same year, Hush won Best San Diego Film[14] and Midnighters won Best Actress for Alex Essoe, Best Feature for Julius Ramsay[15] and Best Screenplay for Alston Ramsay.[16]
Snowflake won Best Film and Best Director for Adolfo J. Kolmerer in 2018.[17]
Reborn, Antrum, and Porno won awards in 2019.[18]
In 2020, Luz: The Flower of Evil won multiple awards.[19]
We're All Going to the World's Fair by Jane Schoenbrun screened in 2021.[20]
Notable appearances
Notable attendees include Barbara Magnolfi[21] and Dee Wallace.[22]
References
- Korngut, Josh (19 July 2021). "Horrible Imaginings Film Festival Announce Their First Wave of Programming!". Dread Central. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- Feinblatt, Scott (29 August 2019). "Horrible Imaginings Film Festival returns to Frida Cinema for its 10th anniver-scary". OC Weekly. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- Gidney, Norman (7 September 2015). "The Horrible Imaginings Film Festival". Horror Buzz. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- Honeycutt, Heidi (13 December 2015). "Slaying the Horror Festival Circuit: How To Navigate the Deep, Dark Maze of North American Horror Film Festivals". MovieMaker (Interview). Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- Hoekstra, Kenn (18 June 2018). "Horrible Imaginings Film Festival Returns This Fall!". PopHorror (Press release). Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- Gingold, Michael (2018-10-23). "MovieMaker's 30 Bloody Best Genre Fests in the World in 2019, Presented by HorrorHound - Page 19 of 31". MovieMaker Magazine. Retrieved 2022-06-03.
- McGrew, Shannon (2019-07-02). "[News] Horrible Imaginings Film Festival Unveils First Round of Selections". Nightmarish Conjurings. Retrieved 2022-07-03.
- Peralta, Jessica (14 September 2020). "Horrible Imaginings Film Festival Is Wonderfully Reimagined for 2020". Halloween Every Night. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- Joy, Mike (11 August 2021). "The Horrible Imaginings Film Festival Reveals Its Second Wave of Dynamic Program". HorrorNews.net. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- "2016 Awards and Judges". Horrible Imaginings Film Festival. Archived from the original on 2016-10-18. Retrieved 2022-07-04.
- "The Phantom Hour | Part of the Horror Comedy Shorts Block! Starting Thursday, September 8 at 8:00 pm!". Horrible Imaginings Film Festival. Archived from the original on 2018-10-04. Retrieved 2022-07-04.
- Navarro, Tomas (15 September 2017). "Red Christmas (2017) [Horrible Imaginings Film Festival 2017]". Cinema Crazed. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- Moore, Debi (2017-08-07). "San Diego's Horrible Imaginings Film Fest Announces Full 2017 Lineup". Dread Central. Retrieved 2022-06-03.
- Accomando, Beth (2017-09-22). "Horrible Imaginings And 'Uncharted Regions'". KPBS Public Media. Retrieved 2022-10-28.
- Womick, Chip (2018-04-06). "Asheboro brothers bring thriller to big screen". The Courier-Tribune. Retrieved 2022-06-03.
- Burger, Mark (2018-04-03). "The Midnighters: A new year of fear". YES! Weekly. Retrieved 2022-06-03.
- Kahn, Sebastian Zavala (2018-11-14). "SNOWFLAKE: this surreal and humorously violent German production gets a U.S. release date". ScreenAnarchy. Retrieved 2022-06-03.
- Millican, Josh (2019-09-03). "Full List of Winners from HORRIBLE IMAGININGS FILM FESTIVAL 2019". Dread Central. Retrieved 2022-06-03.
- "Colombian Horror Film LUZ: THE FLOWER OF EVIL Is Now Streaming in North America". Cinema Tropical. 2020-09-21. Retrieved 2022-06-03.
- Malone, Stephanie (29 August 2021). "HORRIBLE IMAGININGS 2021 HYBRID FILM FEST". Morbidly Beautiful. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- Butler, Gary (11 August 2021). "The Imaginarium of M. Rodriguez: Highights from the 9th-Annual 'Horrible Imaginings Film Festival'". Rue Morgue. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- Galgana, Michele (9 August 2017). "Horrible Imaginings Film Festival Offers the Best of Horror & Cool Guests like Dee Wallace". Screen Anarchy. Retrieved 24 April 2022.