Eugene’s 72-Hour Horror Film Competition celebrated its tenth anniversary at the McDonald Theatre Sunday night.
Filmmakers had three days to write and produce a three minute horror short, while using a tape measurer as a prop, and including a pre-provided line of dialogue.
This year’s, 41 teams submitted films for the festival, tying a previous record. Their stories featured killer businessmen, a crazed bride, and muppets with mold poisoning.
At Sunday’s screening, the audience choice award went to “Something New,” a parody of the thriller “Se7en” packed with raunchy and shocking humor. That honor came with a $666 prize.
Devin Rowe-Caplan, the film's director, said he's been participating in this competition since 2015. He said each year, he pushes himself to use new filmmaking techniques, and find novel ways to freak people out.
"It never gets old, being able to see your work appear on a massive screen in front of a bunch of people," said Rowe-Caplan. "I'm buzzing with energy every time."
Meanwhile, a panel of judges chose the winner of the jury award, which came with a $1,134 prize. They selected “Chore Day,” a film about a man wrestling with the demon clogging his sink.
“Chore Day” director Walter King said he’s worked on films in Portland, Las Vegas, and LA. But he said Eugene is his favorite location to make movies.
"The general community, they love filmmaking," said King. “Just walk up into an establishment—‘Hey, we want to shoot a film. would you want to be a part of it?'—and people are always so enthusiastic. They're so excited to help. And you don't get that really anywhere else.”
Beyond showcasing his own work, King said he was excited to see young and aspiring filmmakers participate in something "uniquely American."
"The grind of filmmaking, it's very taxing, even when it's not in just 72 hours," said King. "It takes a lot of work, a lot of energy, a lot of blood, sweat and tears, and this is just a perfect bootcamp."
The event was presented by the Eugene Film Society. A playlist of the films submitted will be uploaded to its Youtube channel.
