Tickets went on sale for the eighth-annual Kimberley Horror Fest (KHF) on Wednesday, Oct. 16 and they were all gone in under an hour.
"It always feels good to sell out so fast," said organizer Natalie Skokan. "We have such a wonderful following to the event that, after eight years, we feel totally confident to assume a sell out, which as event organizers is a nice place to be.
"We had tickets go live at 10 a.m. and they were gone before 11 a.m. We feel bad about those folks that missed out though. We had a few people reach out, having missed the window. One guy was working and didn't have an opportunity to get online at that time, which really sucks. We have actually made the decision to start selling later in the evening next year, probably around 8 p.m."
Skokan said that she and co-founder Chantel Delaney aren't yet able to give too much away in regards to their plans for this year's event, but was able to say that they are leaning heavily into this year's theme: 'Til Death Do Us Part.
"Expect the wedding party of the century," she said. "Last year was the first year we hired a decorating team and we are working with them again this year. They are awesome; long time KHF fans, and just freaky enough to make the space exactly what it needs to be for that KHF charm."
She added that the films for this year's competition have begun to trickle in, which is always their favourite part of the event each year. Last year they had a record of 11 films submitted.
The deadline for film submissions for this year is October 26. The only guideline for films is they must be under 10 minutes long. The grant prize for winning film this year is $1,800, with a $888 prize going to best local film.
Skokan said they've nearly solidified the judge panel for this year, but unfortunately, Brent Hodge is unable to join this year as he will be on the road filming. He did, however, put them in touch with other professionals in the film world. Skokan shared an amusing message Hodge sent to a friend of his, describing Horror Fest:
"Ive been judging this fest that Natalie puts on now for a few years and the films are super fun and creative, it happens just after Halloween which i love to because it lets horror fans linger longer.. its like a Burning Man decompression party but for those who love murder."
Skokan and Delaney announced a change of venues this year; after seven years at Centre 64, the decision was made to move the event to the United Church. She said that it's a new space, but the same capacity, and that the church has been "a delight to deal with so far."
