Writers and Directors of Damnationland Film Festival

By Jennifer Lague

It’s time for the 5th annual Damnationland Film Festival coming right in time for some Halloween frights and excitement! The event was kicked off last Friday the 17th in State Theater, Portland, and will have many more showings up until Halloween! If you would like to get tickets to upcoming showings of this ultimate in local fright nights you may purchase them at damnationland.com.

Last Friday night, guests were greeted by the producers who came on stage to get the party rolling. Eddy Bolz, one of the four producers onstage, announced that we soon will be losing fellow producer David Meiklejohn to the “douchebag city of L.A.” This was followed up by laughs, oohs and awws in the audience. Eddy is one of our finest homegrown Mainers who comes complete with humor, wit and sarcasm intact. He used to work at the indie movie theater on Exchange St. in the Old Port before it closed. Thank the dark lord of the underworld that Damnationland will still be keeping him around, at least. Once their intro was done, he introduced a lip syncing goth dance group called Aquarius Funk. This proved to be a rather dark and macabre dance act, indeed, and a good way to get everyone in the mood for a night of dark fantasy.

The movies of Damnationland are works by some of the brightest film makers that Maine has to offer. This year the films will not only be featured all around Maine but also out of state as well for the first time this year. The movies include Jason Bosch’s Driver’s Seat, Jennifer Anastasoff’s Sui Generis, The Brown Brothers with the movie Dark,Tom Wyatt’s Anima Sola, Barry Dodd (who is the director for the web series Ragged Isle) with his movie On a Country Road, and lastly, Corey Norman of the SMCC CNMS Department with the movie Tickle. In between each film we were shown a 5 minute short produced by Through the Door Productions.

One thing you will notice about these films and their theme is that some are very psychological thrillers that tap into the darker side of humanity. The writers of these films are not just out to give you a cheap thrill but rather to tap into your fears and disturb you to the bone. This is indeed the start of a new era of horror filmmaking. So, be prepared and bring someone to cuddle up to if necessary.

The other beautiful thing about this festival is that there are, at times, huge laughs from the crowd. So, not only are there disturbing moments but very ridiculous moments as well especially if you have a macabre sense of humor. What could be more perfect for the month of Halloween? I recommend that people get a costume to wear to go see the upcoming viewings and be ready to make it into a very special Halloween party extravaganza! All I can say is if you really have a hankering to see a scary troll that cuts off your feet YOU GOT IT!!!
The event was followed up by a cozy Q & A with the directors and writers of the films. Audience members were allowed to ask questions about what went into the making and how the writers came up with their stories. It was a fun, local night had by all.