The PHFF Horror Short Film Director Roundtable

The Horror Short Film Director Roundtable is one of the most important things that we did at the Portland Horror Film Festival. It provided an elevated platform for horror short filmmakers. Oftentimes, this is ground zero for original horror ideas. Unless you are a Hollywood nepo-director, short film creation is where you learn your chops. I wanted to give these creatives an opportunity to share their experiences in making movies, both good and bad, so that we can all learn a little more about the craft.

Life as a short filmmaker can be an experience in the shadows. Your films are rarely seen outside of film festivals, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. This is where most creative minds hone their crafts. Take a simple concept and do it well. Do you have something scary or funny to tell? Is there an idea that has been lurking in the back of your brain that you have to give life to? A short film will give you the opportunity to learn production, editing, budgeting, and team management. It also places you in a community of people who are open to sharing their work with one another. That’s where the round table fits in.

After our discussion, I told the group that, even though I wanted this discussion to be a forum for them to share their wins and losses with each other, I selfishly set up this talk so I could learn more about horror moviemaking. Nine years in on being a small horror press journalist, and I still feel like I am only scratching the surface about what a director has to do. Just how do you do it? These discussions give me more talking points and access to better questions to ask.

The Portland Horror Film Festival is one of the best curated horror film festivals in the country. Not only do Gwen and Brian Callahan select some of the best horror short films for their festivals, but they also provide opportunities for short film alumni to showcase their feature films. One of the questions I asked in our roundtable discussion was, “How many of you are looking to be feature film directors?” All of them raised their hands (with the exception of Patrick Hogan, who has already directed a feature film). For these directors, here is some encouraging data.

This year alone had FIVE directors who previously presented short films at either PHFF or the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival and later had their feature films shown at these festivals.

Here are the PHFF Alumni filmmakers who presented a short film and then a feature:

• Anthony Cousins: Short Films – “The Bloody Ballad of Squirt Reynolds” and “Every Time We Meet for Ice Cream Your Whole Fucking Face Explodes” to Feature Films – Frogman (2023) and Frogman Returns (2026)
• Jeff Ferrell: Short Film – “Morella” to Feature Film – The Demonatrix (2026)
• Levi Buchannan: Short Film – “We Said Forever” to Feature Film Sitra Achra (2026)
• Krsy Fox: Short Film – “What the Spell” to Feature Film – Big Baby (2026)
• Masaki Nishiyama: Short Film “Smahorror” to Feature Film “The Invisible Half” (2026)
• Zack Ogle: Short Film “We Got a Monkey’s Paw” to Feature Film – It Needs Eyes (2025)
• Craig Ouellette: “Str$p” to Feature Film – Straight on Til Morning (2025)
• Andrew Bowser: Short Film – “Little Willy” to Feature Film – Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Evil (2022)
• Izzy Lee: “My Monster”, “Dark Signals”, “Rehomed” to Feature Film – House of Ashes (2024)
• Kenichi Ugana: Short Film – “Visitors” to Feature Film – Love Will Tear Us Apart (2023)
• Alice Maio Mackay: Short Film – “The Serpent’s Skin” to Feature Film T-Blockers (2023)
• Matthew John Lawrence: Short Film “Larry Gone Demon” to Feature Film – Uncle Peckerhead (2020)
• Justin Harding: Short Film “Kookie” to Feature Film – Making Monsters (2019)

The PHFF Horror Short Film Director Roundtable Recording:

Here is the roundtable discussion. It’s all about the lessons learned. The good, the bad, and the ridiculous. My past experience doing these round tables sometimes put the filmmakers on the spot, and I didn’t want this to be a “stump the directors” exercise. I prepared them with the following questions:

• Apart from financing, what was the biggest challenge in making your movie?
• What was the most interesting thing you learned while making this film?
• How many of you are filmmakers as a second career?
• What remains a mystery to you as a filmmaker that you think might be answered by one of your peers in this discussion?
• What piece of advice do you have for your fellow directors?

This group really got into the discussion, and had the festival not started up, we could have gone on for quite a while longer. I had a great time, and I believe they did as well.

The Horror Short Film Director Roundtable Films:

Blindsided

Directed by P. Patrick Hogan
Starring Crystal Loverro
Portland Horror Film Festival: Winner of the Devil’s Discord (Best Sound Design)

A blind schoolteacher struggles to survive through a nightmarish night when an alien spaceship crashes and unleashes a monstrous predator. This unique horror short film features an all-low-vision cast and places the audience in the POV of a blind protagonist who is only able to hear what happens around her.

Director Statements:

“Blindsided is a riveting short horror film that takes a unique narrative approach, providing audiences with an immersive glimpse into the harrowing experience of Maria, a blind woman confronting the most terrifying ordeal of her life. The horror remains unseen, both to her and the audience, heightening the suspense and reminding us that sometimes, the most terrifying things are the ones we don’t see coming…

This is an innovative short film that ventures into uncharted territory within the horror genre. The narrative unfolds in a tranquil neighborhood, abruptly disrupted by a crashing alien spacecraft and the horrifying monster it unleashes into the night. However, what sets this film apart is the unique perspective from which the story is told – the POV of Maria, a blind schoolteacher living alone. Maria’s desperate struggle to evade the otherworldly predator, guided solely by what she hears, will provide an experience unlike any other horror short.

Additionally, to promote diversity and inclusivity, in conjunction with our Disability Authenticity Consultant Vanni Le and Casting Director Danielle Pretsfelder Demchick, all the characters in the film are played by low-vision actors, placing the spotlight on the often-overlooked talent within the low-vision community.

We are very proud of Blindsided and look forward to enjoying it in theaters with an audience who doesn’t know what they are about to experience.”

Scullion

Written and Directed by Trevor Graciano
Starring: Whitney Garner as “Samantha”, Cody Parr as “Greg”, and Jim Close as “The Maid”

A playful couple test their household chore habits and unknowingly summon a vengeful presence.

Director Statements:

“We all carry habits inherited from our parents into adulthood. I grew up in a religious household where some of those habits were helpful, but many were not—and they’ve lingered in ways I don’t welcome. Some habits fade with time, while others remain, quietly shaping us in the background.

This film explores the struggle to break free from those ingrained patterns, and the imaginative consequences of what happens when they refuse to let go.

*It’s really just about how to load the communal dishwasher correctly.”

Worst Thing You’ve Ever Done

Directed by PJ Germain
Written by Autumn Palen and PJ Germain
Starring: Brady Gentry, Benjamin Nowak, Bix Krieger, Charlie N. Townsend, Cailyn Rice, Ethan Ahn, Emma Smith Watts, and Erin Rae Kykendall

HIGH SCHOOL REALLY SUCKS… and no one knows that better than best friends Aaron and Keith. So when they set out to crash the last graduation party of the summer, emotions fly high, and the culture clash of teenagers finds them playing a simple game that has dire consequences.

Director’s Statement:

“Before he passed, screenwriter Gil Dennis told me during my time at AFI, “Write what hurts.” That idea has stayed with me; it’s the compass I use when choosing the stories I want to tell.

When I first read Autumn Palen’s original draft of Worst Thing You’ve Ever Done, it hurt. It transported me back to moments in my own adolescence; memories filled with shame, ridicule, and isolation. But what floored me was its third-act twist. It was something I’d never felt so viscerally in a short script. I knew I had to direct it.

What began as a contained character piece evolved into something more personal. I rewrote the script to reflect my own lived experiences, with every character, every event drawn from real moments that left a mark. I wanted to take a character that I felt so intertwined with, and make him someone that the audience would really relate to before reaching the moment where everything changes; the blood-drenched punchline to the twisted joke these high school kids played on each other. I set it during the 90’s, as it was a period of transition for me as an 80’s kid, being on the cusp of the old and new world.

I needed the film to be an exploration of adolescent loneliness which dealt with the complexity of the friendships and social hierarchies that often defined who we were at that fragile age. We weren’t quite kids anymor