The YIKES! Film Festival’s second edition brought Edmontonian horror fans together to celebrate authentically spooky cinema.
The YIKES! Film Festival came back for more this year as its second edition ran through the evenings of Nov. 7 and 8. The festival is advertised as a celebration of everything horror, including horror-adjacent styles like horror comedies, experimental horror and sci-fi horror. The entire festival showcased 38 films from around the world (with nine of those from Alberta and three from Edmonton specifically!) Each film was unique and made by filmmakers of varying levels and with varying budgets.
I was lucky to attend the first of the two-day festival held at The Creative Hive on 111 Ave. That night, I walked into an experience with charming horror and movie lovers like me. The space had everything a moviegoer could need, and more. A central viewing hall held seats and a large projector in the front. Of course, there was a popcorn and snack stand, but also, a bar, a bloody undead donair, and even an open-air photo booth for pictures with Freddy from the FNAF franchise. The packed vendor hall offered a spooky assortment of goods, from tarot card readings to jewellery — which I definitely, maybe, probably did NOT waste money on to horror-inspired trinkets and CD or Blu-ray versions of your favourite movies.
Sure, I was impressed by the jewellery, but the movies were the real stars of the show. For nearly four hours, YIKES! showcased quality and creativity. The whole night was an exhibition of talent refined into insane skill, and I loved it. The movies were of wildly different runtimes and subject matters, so it kept things interesting.
Although I have been a fan of film magic for some time now, attending YIKES! changed me.
For example, my favourite film of the 19 films I got to see was only two minutes long. It is called ‘Puzzle’ by director Sébastien Roignant and is arranged solely in rapid frames that last about six seconds each to tell a hilariously supernatural story about a haunted puzzle. Another film, ‘Pink Lemonade’ by director Ben Healey, is a dramatic horror/dark comedy about ladies in a small town fighting for a pageant title. But, it is also a commentary on the misogyny that fuels societal standards. Some films bent animation conventions, while others played with different lighting styles and practical effects.
Although I have been a fan of film magic for some time now, attending YIKES! changed me. The films moulded a newfound appreciation and perspective within me for just how intricate the process can be, and how many independent filmmakers walk a path we don’t experience as often with the big studio stuff.
Filmmaker and director of another brilliant experimental film I saw called ‘Mania,’ Arturo Grijalva, describes YIKES! as an organic festival for people who want to share their work with like-minded people who also enjoy filmmaking. Grijalva explains that with YIKES!, rather than the Hollywood solution of just throwing money at a problem, you get to see independent filmmakers create solutions by pushing themselves to their creative boundaries.
Festival coordinator Danny Chamberlin (who also MC’d the event wonderfully, I should add) is happy with what YIKES! has achieved this with its second instalment. Chamberlin told me that this year, the festival carried twice as many films, in a bigger location, allowing for a better vendor hall. Someday, Chamberlin hopes to grow the festival into a convention held over a weekend instead of just two days.
If you cannot already tell, YIKES! won my heart that evening, and I think their growth so far indicates that they know what they’re doing. I look forward to attending the next edition and hope to see you there!
Graphic by Amanda Erickson
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