Fans from all over the NYC area converged at Don Hill's in lower Manhattan Wednesday night for a horrific party assembling fans and filmmakers alike. 

Some of the sharpest up and coming horror filmmakers could be found from wall to wall.  Between film showings, you could engage in some great conversations over some beers in a great celebrative atmosphere.  Things took off right away with several live metal bands, prizes, giveaways, and a great taste of what we were in store for over the weekend.  The floor cheered about every showing, and trailers flickered on the big screen throughout the evening.  If you were gonna go, and decided not to, kick yourself in the rump - zombies and vampires and beers...  What more does one need?

There were trailers galore - some of the titles that ran were Cruel World, Machined, and a morbid, twisted sampling of Cadaverella (think necrophilia for chicks).  Linda Blair's new horror project All is Normal, ran coming attractions which looked gory in the least.  One film stood out.  Last Rites of the Dead.  It by far drew the most roars from the crowd.  Picture an all-out zombie epic, no holds barred, and well shot.  Zombie flick fans were drooling.

Several short films were also shown - the meat and potatoes of the evening.  The bar stools were deserted and about everyone packed into the screening room to check them out.  Brian Forrest's Public Service Announcement and Brian Clarks Dos Blokes were good, but standing out as a crowd favorite was a minute and a half snip called Pumpkin, by Matthew Page.  Little Dead Girl, by Lee Lanier, was like Halloween eye candy.  Stop motion computer animated gothic dead chicks running around to cool music in a corpse bride-ish kinda way, but darker.  I overheard the ladies raving about it in random conversations around the bar later that night.

THE best short film of the night: Culinary Art by BC Furtney, was the horror treat of the event, and is still on my mind.  Sometimes simplicity is best.  An attractive blond woman talks to the screen.  She is actually having a conversation with her dinner guest, as she prepares to cook a meal.  The camera stays on the woman the entire conversation, and as she casually ponders about his preference of meats, she's putting on an apron, then some goggles, and as you get an idea of whats up, ah yes...  the chainsaw in the kitchen cabinet.  A must have in every kitchen, by the way!  Now we see whats up.  There's a naked man bound on the floor of her kitchen, the room shrouded in plastic.  Start her up!  The final minute or two is a wonderful visual feast of heavily spraying blood and shredding flesh and beef!  I mean someone must have bought a few roasts to make this film, because there were gobs of sinew twisting all up in the saw, like gum.  A gore drenched blonde chainsawing dinner cuts for the oven. 

I'd like to point out one of the feature films being shown on Thursday night, at 8:00.  It is called Neighborhood Watch (http://www.neighborhoodwatchthefilm.com), and it is directed by Graeme Whifler.  If you take a look at the website for this movie, you'll see how far these films are going to truly horrify fans.  It contains the kind of gore and special effects that leave you mesmerized, wondering, my god, is that real?  Taps a nauseating nerve.  And from a conversation I had with Graeme, that's exactly what he intends to do.  Bored with the Hollywood churn, Graeme likes to build fear and disgust in his work as the film progresses, leading to a walloping gut wrenching finish that he assured me would leave people uncomfortable and disturbed.  Rock on Graeme.

There are around 40 more classic and new horror films to be seen at Tribecca Cinemas from Thursday night and through to Sunday, so anyone remotely interested really should head down this year to witness these creepy cuts and bleeding beauties.  For those of you who can't attend in person, check back here daily for full coverage of all the carnage.

In the coming days I will have insight into Tobe Hooper's much anticipated horror film, Mortuary.  Also, I will have an in-depth conversation with director Graeme Whifler, and a review of Neighborhood Watch.  Both of these feature films are being shown at Tribecca Cinemas on Thursday, beginning at 8pm and 10:30pm respectively.