
2023 HAUNTED GARAGE HORROR FEST
Hello, and welcome! We are happy you're here! Below you will find the itinerary for
the 2023 Haunted Garage Horror Festival. This year we are offering 3 packed days of horror films,
speakers, and our featured hands-on practical effects genius, Brian Hillard, creator of
the most famed zombie in AMC’s The Walking Dead, "THE WELL WALKER"!

6:00PM - 7:00PM
FESTIVAL OPENING & HAPPY HOUR
MEET THE DEAD TALKERS | NETWORK
EXPERIENCE HORROR THEMED COCKTAILS
The Haunted Garage Horror Festival kicks off with cocktail hour Friday night. Mingle with other filmmakers and fans as we settle in for three days of delight! Meet practical effects master, Brian Hillard, Chest director, Aaron Irons, and renowned writer of horror, Jeff Bassetti!
7:15PM - 8:00PM
FESTIVAL MICRO HORROR SHORTS
SELECTEES:
MICRO-SHORT FILMS
Cancerslug (Los Angeles, CA)
Director: Francesca Nobili
Run Time: 00:01:00
MATCHED (NY, NY)
Director: Zack Kron
Run Time: 00:03:10
Sally's Lullaby
Director: Johnathan Cook
Run Time: 00:05:00
Dinner For One (Topsfield, MA)
Director: Brad Jacques
Run Time: 00:01:59
He's Mine (STL)
Director: Brian Cooksey
Run Time: 00:02:30
(Q&A w/ Brian Cooksey)
SHORT FILMS
Member's Mark (STL)
Director: Marisa DeMarini
Run Time: 00:10:12
Why Don't You Like Me (Nashville, TN)
Director: Ira Storozhenko
Run Time: 00:20:02
Q&A w/ Exe. Producer Brett Woodall

Dinner For One / Director: Brad Jacques

Cancerslug / Director: Francesca Nobili

Sally's Lullaby / Director: Johnathan Cook
8:30PM - CLOSE
CHEST
Followed by Q&A With Director, AARON IRONS
RUNTIME: 01:35:00
While filming a documentary series about Appalachian folklore and mythology, a crew of amateur filmmakers uncover the legend of a mysterious box hidden away deep in a wilderness area known as "Jeffrey's Hell" in the Appalachian mountains of East Tennessee.
8:30AM - 9:30AM
COFFEE WITH FILMMAKERS
CAFFEINATE & NETWORK WITH THE FILMMAKERS
Starbucks is located on site! The first person that orders a Pumpkin Latte gets a high-five!
Starbucks at Westport
111 W. Port Plaza Dr. #123
Saint Louis, MO 63146

10:00AM - 12:00PM
FESTIVAL HORROR SHORTS BLOCK 1
SELECTEES:
417 Meadow Lane (Winter Park, FL)
WINNER BEST STUDENT FILM
Director: Adam Wells
Run Time: 00:09:48
Self-Exposure (STL)
WINNER: BEST SCREENPLAY
Director: Randy Shinn (Presenting)
Run Time: 00:11:41
The Journal of Aleksandr Kuzmich (STL)
WINNER: MOST INNOVATIVE CREATURE
Director: Alexander Hernandez (Presenting)
Run Time: 00:09:o1
Dementia 29 (STL)
WINNER: BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Director: Ben Manhanke
Runtime: 00:24:54
Q&A w/ Ben Manhanke
Viral (STL)
WINNER: BEST SHORT FILM
Director: Michael Rich (Presenting)
Run Time: 00:13:12
PER UN RASOIO IM GOLA (Richmond, VA)
Director: Jim Stramel
Runtime: 00:08:31

417 Meadow Lane

VIRAL

Self-Exposure
12:30PM - 2:00PM - WINNER: FILM W/ THE MOST GRIT
A LUNATICS FILM (HENDERSON, TN)
DIRECTOR: CHRISTOPHER WILLIAMS (PRESENTING)
RUNTIME: 01:00:30
A VHS tape provided to the Postelsky Police Department by an unknown third party, that features an unnamed man's psychotic descent into serial murder.

Starlight Light Hotel

Chateau Sauvignon
2:15PM - 3:30PM
FESTIVAL HORROR SHORTS BLOCK 2
SELECTEES:
Chateau Sauvignon: Terroir (NY, NY)
Director: D.M. Night Maire
STUDENT FILM SCHOOL OF VISUAL ARTS (SVA)
Runtime: 00:13:00
The Starlight Hotel (Springfield, MO)
STUDENT FILM MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY
Director: Brett Baxley
Runtime: 00:15:00
Experience the World: The Train (Chicago, IL)
WINNER: Best Dark Comedy
Director: Duro Howard Jr.
Runtime: 00:06:00
The Bellman (Kansas City, MO.)
WINNER: BEST MICRO-SHORT FILM
Director: Paul South
Run Time: 00:06:20
4:00PM - 6:00PM
CHEST (MADISON, TN)
DIRECTOR: AARON IRONS (PRESENTING)
WINNER: BEST OF FEST
RUNTIME: 01:35:00
While filming a documentary series about Appalachian folklore and mythology, a crew of amateur filmmakers uncover the legend of a mysterious box hidden away deep in a wilderness area known as "Jeffrey's Hell" in the Appalachian mountains of East Tennessee.
PRACTICAL EFFECTS WORKSHOP WITH
BRIAN HILLARD
7:15PM - 10:00PM




YOU, THE AUDIENCE, WILL WORKSHOP A ZOMBIE!
Brian is known for creating practical effects for numerous film and television productions, including Academy Award winning films Django Unchained, Predator, The Departed and No Country for Old Men. He also designed and created all the practical effects on his two films, The Spore and 3 Demons. Brian is also a
two-time Emmy Award Winner for his work on both The Walking Dead and Star Trek: Discovery. Click HERE to view Brian’s impressive Full IMDB profile here
In addition to his work in the film industry, Brian is the CEO of metaSPHERE Industries. a company which works closely with a charity near and dear to the Shift Films family, the Heroic Hearts Project The goal of the Heroic Hearts Project is to help veterans dealing with the challenges of post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury. A portion of proceeds from ticket sales is being donated to the Heroic Hearts Project to help this great cause! Brian will be doing autographs featuring his artistry and all proceeds will fund these amazing projects for Veterans!!!
Brian will teach you the best practices when it comes to PRACTICAL EFFECTS and, who knows, maybe he will bring the monster out of you!
10:30AM - 12:15PM
STREET WALKER (Wyoming, MI)
DIRECTOR: JEFFEREY HUSSELMAN
RUNTIME: 01:37:55
Ruby lives a jaded life of melancholy until she survives the most traumatic night of her life and wakes up to slowly realizing that she’s living in a nightmare.

THE HORRORS OF FILM MAKING WITH
JEFF BASSETTI
12:30PM - 2:30PM

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The Haunted Garage is pleased to present one horror writer, producer, and director who fought through 20 years of battles for his film to be made. How did he do it? What horrors did he encounter? Prepare yourself for the incredible JEFF C. BASSETTI, who will share his filmmaking adventures about distribution's shady nature, funding, even drug money laundering–a man who created a masterpiece with F-Stops, while so many odds were placed against him. With production bids that fell through numerous times, through countless recuts, sound, and music changes, to end with a piece of art that should have blasted the Silver Screen in CANNES… but instead, played for 5 minutes before the house lights went up? The controversy still lives today as to why CANNES refused to show it, but having KODAK step up for you, that's pretty cool.
Hearing Jeff's story and reading the chronology of his film brought me to a jaw-dropping halt. How can anyone stay the course after so many let downs? One word, Passion. Jeff shares his passion as our final
DEAD TALKER to encourage you to never give up, to keep driving, and to find ways to succeed. Winner of countless awards, from Houston World Fest to Austin's Revolution, Jeff has seen it all on the west coast, even starting his career at Industrial Lights & Magic. Jeff will take us through the ups and downs of the film making process.
F-STOPS Synopsis
Driven by blind passion to shoot his neo-realistic crime story as authentically as possible, Gabe crosses the line and hires Gideon as a criminal consultant to lead his band of neophyte actors on his quest. How do you make it in Hollywood these days? You stage a real robbery and call it art.
3:00PM - 4:30PM
A TOWN FULL OF GHOSTS
DIRECTOR: ISAAC RODRIGUEZ
WINNER: BEST HORROR FEATURE
RUNTIME: 01:05:17
A couple invest in a tourist attraction town. but little do they know the hidden secrets.
6:00PM - 8:30PM
AWARDS | JUDGED BY BRIAN HILLARD, JEFF BASSETTI, MATT NEAL & MAX FOIZEY


THE GOLD PISTONS are handed out! These handcrafted awards are like nothing you will experience at any festival. Ripped from engines at fatal accident scenes, we send home 8 golden pistons to the lucky winners. Some are reportedly haunted, a little added bonus at our horror fest.
This year we have added the BLACK ROAD PISTON award for the film with the most GRIT!

