Yesterday was the first day of San Diego Horror Film festival, Horrible Imaginings, and the first year I was able to attend.

This year the festival is five days, which is great. My friend Miguel started the festival seven years ago and it’s been growing each year. Last night we started with a block of short animated films. The animation spanned a number of styles, subjects, and tones from the horror that humans perform upon each other with Dad’s Fragile Doll set in pre-revolution Iran to my favorite of the block the twisted comedy mixing puppet and live action The Detectives of Noir Town. (If you were a fan of the Angel episode with muppets then this short is for you.)

Before the feature presentation of the evening local horror author David Agranoff read his short story Stud. A piece not for the weak of stomach but he was kind enough to warn the audience before starting. (I will note no one left and perhaps slightly more surprising no one vomited. lol)

The feature film of the evening was Tag, a Japanese suspense/horror film about a group if teenage school girls chased and killed by mysterious forces. Let me tell you that one sentence description does the film no justice, but it is very difficult to talk about this movie without spoiling it. It is very violent, it is very bloody, the victims of this carnage are the stereotypical young pretty women seen in sub-par slasher films throughout the genre, yet Tag is about misogyny  and the role of the spectator in such spectacles. This is a not a movie for everyone but I enjoyed it.

There was an opening night reception following the film with what looked like lovely cakes, cookies, and treats, but as I need to get up at 5:30 am I could not stay.

I am looking forward to night two tonight.