We publish below the winners of the seventh edition of the DarkVeins Horror Fest 2023, an international event dedicated to horror, dark, gothic and extreme cinema by the Dark Circle Cultural Association.
Heartfelt thanks go to all the participants who sent us, from all over the world, their feature films, shorts, trailers, posters and soundtracks, valuable material that made this edition an exceptional experience, making it very difficult to choose the finalists.
The winners of the main categories will receive either a refund of the entry fee or the prestigious award plaque, as they choose. In addition, reviews of the various award-winning works will be published soon (also on this website).
Congratulations to the winners!
The winners of DarkVeins Horror Fest 2023:
- BEST FEATURE FILM:
Eight Eyes (USA - 2023) by Austin Jennings. - BEST ITALIAN HORROR FILM, BEST DIRECTOR, BEST ACTRESS, BEST POSTER:
Pantafa (Italy - 2023) by Emanuele Scaringi. With Kasia Smutniak. - BEST HORROR SHORT FILM, BEST SPLATTER/GORE:
Turno de Noche: The Wrong Place (Spain - 2023) by Juanjo Avi. - BEST SOUNDTRACK / SPECIAL MENTION:
The Moon of the Kurent: The Ritual (Slovenia - 2022) by Tomaž Gorkič. Music by Jani Mujic. - BEST TRAILER:
Hello Wayne (USA - 2022) by Jay DeLuna. - HORROR ICONS:
Felissa Rose and Lynn Lowry in Wolf Hollow (USA - 2023) by Mark Cantu.
Below is more info on the winning films:
Written by Matt Frink and directed by Austin Jennings, Eight Eyes is a horror film that draws on 1970s genre cinema. The film is produced by Justin A. Martell (Subspecies V: Blood Rise) and Matt Manjourides (Castle Freak).
The story features a couple who embark on a journey through the former Yugoslavia but end up experiencing an interminable and frightening nightmare when a mysterious local resident offers to be their guide.
In the cast: Emily SweetKey (V/H/S/99), Bradford Thomas (Cannibal Mukbang) and Bruno Veljanovski (Subspecies V: Blood Rise).
Pantafa is a folk horror film about sleep paralysis. The film is directed by Emanuele Scaringi (The Prophecy of the Armadillo) and stars Polish actress and model Kasia Smutniak.
The title refers to the "pantafa" or "pantafica," a spectral figure in Abruzzi and Marche folklore.
The story of Pantafa follows the story of Marta (Kasia Smutniak), a woman who moves with her daughter Nina to Malanotte, a small mountain village. The little girl suffers from sleep paralysis, and it will become more difficult every day for Marta to help her daughter in a place that will seem more and more sinister.
The cast also includes Greta Santi, Mario Sgueglia, Mauro Marino, Francesco Colella, Giuseppe Cederna, Ugo De Cesare and Betti Pedrazzi. The screenplay, on the other hand, is by Vanessa Picciarelli, Emanuele Scaringi and Tiziana Triana.
Written by José Casas and directed by Juanjo Avi, Turno de Noche: The Wrong Place is a violent 20-minute horror short film.
In the film, J, the janitor of an auto wrecking yard, is on night duty in the company of his trusty El Jefe, when a serial killer and the victim he let get away arrive at his dump...
In the cast: José Casas, Rafa Teruel, Cristina Mediero and Santi Rodríguez.
Written and directed by Tomaž Gorkič, the director of Idila, The Moon of the Kurent: The Ritual is a 6-minute short film and focuses on a macabre pagan ritual performed by a mysterious man in the name of ancient forgotten Slavic gods. Is this a fertility ritual performed by a priest or a serial killer?
The film stars Marinko Prga and Lara Vouk while the soundtrack is by Jani Mujic.
Wolf Hollow is a horror film about lycanthropy and is written and directed by Mark Cantu (Massacre Academy).
The story follows a group of filmmakers who stumble upon a den of werewolves.
The film features in the cast the iconic Lynn Lowry (The City Will Be Destroyed at Dawn, Shivers - The Demon Under the Skin) and Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp).
Actors also include Hannah FiermanKey (V/H/S), Brian Ceponis (Massacre Academy), Christina Krakowski, and Noah Welter.
The winning poster, Pantafa:
