Alpha Psi Omega member Shelby Elliot plays a member of an occult based sorority that is summoning the devil in order to receive tickets to a sold out Selena Gomez concert in “The B*tches of Waverly Place.” The play was part of the first event “The Seven Paranoias” in the “Hammond Horror Fest.” Rachel Taylor/The Lion’s Roar
The “Hammond Horror Fest,” put on by James “Jim” Winter and Taylor McLellan, celebrated its seventh annual year. The festival, produced by Alpha Psi Omega, was split into two parts. On Friday, Oct. 20 was the “Hammond Horror 7,” a 24-hour play event in the Pottle Hall Auditorium, and on Saturday, Oct. 21 was the “Macabre Showcase” hosted at Gnarly Barley Brewing Co. A portion of the proceeds from the events went to the American Cancer Society.
McLellan explained the history behind the festival.
“I knew I wanted to do this horror festival, but I had no connections and no one to do it with,” said McLellan. “A friend of a friend told me to send an email to a guy named Jim, and I did. We met up at PJ’s. He wanted to do a 24-hour theatre event, and I wanted to do a horror festival, so we decided to combine forces.”
Host of the “Hammond Horror 7” Instructor of Acting and Directing Chad Winters explained the preparation that goes into creating a 24-hour theatre event.
“We start meeting in March, and start discussing our ideas about what we want to do for next year, and the first thing we have to come up with is a theme,” said Winters. “This year the theme was ‘paranoia,’ that threw in all the things that are happening right now because we live in a crazy world. Things are changing, and people are scared. So, we really just wanted to address that and make people think.”
The event showcased plays from seven predetermined teams that have 24 hours to write, memorize and block their play before performing it that night.
Jordin Jones, who acted in Silver Flashes, talked about why she enjoyed participating in the “Hammond Horror Fest.”
“Just being together, and experiencing it together,” said Jones. “Like, being stressed out is fun.”
With some plays focusing on religion and the 2016 presidential election as well as using the Pledge of Allegiance to segue between plays, the 24-hour event had a controversial atmosphere.
“It’s not always quite as political although theatre is always a bit political no matter what you do," said Winters "What’s nice is that we live in a country where we can come out and present material and try to make people think without worrying, ‘We are going to be stopped.’ That’s the nice thing about living in a free country.”
The 48-hour film festival is a recent addition to the HHF. For a $20 admission fee, attendees could view the films and watch dance performances by La LA Tribal as well as The Wicked Little Voodoo Dolls. There was also a horror prop vendor booth ran by “It Came from Under My Bed” owner Ashley Newman and a recruitment booth for the Northshore Roller Derby.
Hammond Regional Arts Center Media Coordinator Tara Bennett, who is an APO alumna talked about how this is a change from recent years.
“Last year we re-imagined the ‘Masquerade Ball,’ and have moved venues from the Hammond Regional Arts Center to the Gnarly Barley Brewery, all to create our new event ‘A Macabre Showcase,’” said Bennett. “HHF has considerably grown since its first year, but the mission to be a thrilling exhibition of the arts has always remained intact.”
McLellan explained how the partnership with Gnarly Barley began.
“We wanted to grow the festival a little bit bigger, and we had a shot in the dark email with Zac and Cari, and they were very generous and kind,” said McLellan. “They said, ‘Yeah, let’s work with each other and build an event.’”
The “Macabre Showcase” had two award categories for the films, a Director’s Choice Award, and an Audience Choice Award. The film “Bad Hombre” won both awards.
Ryan LeDoeuf, a member of the team that created “Bad Hombre,” admitted that success didn’t come easily.
“We had a topic we were assigned, and it was challenging at first,” said LeDoeuf. “It took us a little while to figure something out how to run with it.”
Some of the proceeds made from the festival will be used to help the American Cancer Society right at home by going towards the Relay For Life of Tangipahoa Parish.
“My mother is a breast cancer survivor, and she was the one who influenced my taste for horror films,” said Bennett. “To me, cancer is the real horror, and so I receive a great sense of well-being knowing that I’m playing a part in the battle against cancer through my love of the horror genre.”