The Slamdance Film Festival, which has offered an "even more independent" alternative to Sundance since 1995, is known more for discovering hit documentaries like Mad Hot Ballroom and The King of Kong, but it's also kick-started small horror fare that's made its way to cable TV and the shelves of your local Blockbuster -- such as All Souls Day: Dia de los Muertos, Murder Party and Zombie Honeymoon.
This year's schedule includes several horror movies with a particularly "independent" streak:
Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer
Director: Jon Knautz
Starring: Trevor Matthews, Robert Englund, Rachel Skarsten, James A. Brooks, Daniel Kash, Ashley Bryant, Stefanie Drummond, Meghanne Kessels, David Fox
Plot: Jack Brooks (Matthews) is a plumber with a chip on his shoulder who discovers that his destiny lies in cleaning up monster scum...and I don't mean in the sink.
Paranormal Activity
Director: Oren Peli
Starring: Micah S., Katie F.
Plot: In Blair Witch Project fashion, this film is made up of "found footage" from a couple's attempt to document their haunted home. Any Paris Hilton night-vision shots are a bonus.
Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story
Director: Jeffrey Schwarz
Starring: John Waters, John Landis, Stuart Gordon, Joe Dante, Roger Corman, Fred Olen Ray, Leonard Maltin, Marcel Marceau, Forrest J. Ackerman
Plot: A documentary of William Castle, showman extraordinaire, who used all kinds of gimmicks to promote his horror movies, including 13 Ghosts, House on Haunted Hill and The Tingler.
Trailer Park of Terror
Director: Steven Goldmann
Starring: Nichole Hiltz, Ryan Carnes, Priscilla Barnes, J.P. Manoux, Lew Temple, Tracey Walter, Duane Whitaker, Cody McMains, Dale Dickey, Trace Adkins
Plot: Based on a comic book series of the same name, this entry finds a group of high school students stranded in a zombie-infested trailer park. Catch the action on Zombie Cops this Saturday night.
Slamdance runs concurrently with the Sundance Film Festival, January 17-25, 2008, in Park City, Utah.
