Festival to screen dark films

The Dark Carnival Film Festival will give all types of horror film fans their fix this weekend.

The festival will present more than 30 independent horror films, which come from as close to home as Bloomington and as far as Israel and Germany.

Festival director David Pruett said many filmmakers start their careers with horror films.

“There is a very dedicated audience, and it’s not hard to get a cast and to get them to do it for free,” Pruett said. “We wanted to support and promote independent film in general, and the horror film fest sort of happened organically.”

Now in its fourth annual year, the Dark Carnival Film Festival has received more submissions of better quality than previous years, allowing it to present what festival organizer Leya Taylor said is the best collection of films yet.

Taylor said people are starting to recognize the film festival, even calling it the “Sundance of horror films.”

“A lot of other film festivals will take what they can get,” Taylor said. “We’ve moved on toward being more selective.”

The festival has also grown to attract celebrity guests, with this year being no exception. Guests include Mike Holman of MTV’s “Jackass” and Joe Bob Briggs, actor and critic from productions such as “Casino” and “The Daily Show.”

The festival is run entirely by people involved in filmmaking and gives independent filmmakers a chance to spotlight their creations on big screens and in front of a large audience.

“The reason we’re so successful is because we’re so accommodating and because we’re artists ourselves,” festival organizer and independent actor and director Marv Blauvelt said. “A lot of New Yorkers say they get treated better in Bloomington than they do anywhere else. We put on the festival the way we’d want to be treated as actors and filmmakers.”

Blauvelt said the festival will be a great time for everyone, but he recommends it to students interested in filmmaking and acting.

“Where else can you go where you have some of the stars and directors in the audience with you?” he said. “Even if horror is not your thing, it is a great chance to meet directors, actors and writers.”

Though the festival caters to films, there will also be costume contests, tattoo contests and seminars.

“There are documentaries, comedies and all subgenres of horror,” he said. “Even if you’re not a hardcore horror fan, chances are there will be something you will enjoy.”