“The Tale of the Bone Collector” is one of the Akron Independent Horror Short Film Festival’s 20 selected short films. Credit: Production still c/o Matthew Mark Hunter
School’s back in session, pumpkin spice has returned to cafes and stores and autumn is fast-approaching. Those itching to get into the spirit of “spooky season” can get a taste at the first-ever Akron Independent Horror Short Film Festival on Sept. 16 at the Akron Civic Theatre.

“We took the risk of making it very niche because horror draws in crowds. Horror brings in eyeballs,” independent filmmaker and festival director Neil “Shankar” Sudhakaran told Cleveland Scene. “People are excited about horror when you get down to it. People still go see horror movies in the cineplexes.”

The festival will spotlight Ohio filmmakers, featuring 20 short films that range from 18 seconds to 15 minutes in the theater’s auditorium. There will also be a 13-minute loop of five “micro-films” playing continuously at the Knight Stage.

The festival’s schedule and film list. Credit: Akron Independent Short Film Festival
“Many indie filmmakers never get to see their work on the silver screen, let alone at a historic venue like The Akron Civic Theatre,” said Sudhakaran. “Especially in today’s filmmaking climate, it’s incredibly important to support independent film, and even more important to support local artists.”

A panel of four local artists judged the roughly 45 submissions on 12 categories–including direction, writing, “kills”, gore and special effects–to select the 20 short films to screen at the festival.

“Horror allows you to have a sandbox and create what you want in it. It could be a love story mixed with horror, it could be exploitation, extreme ‘gross-out’, it could be supernatural, it could be serial killers,” Sudhakaran said. “Plot, tone, structure, characterization is not limited in that genre, whereas other genres–romantic comedy, action—there’s a little less leeway.”

In addition to screenings, the festival will feature a filmmaker mixer, two live musical performances and Q&A sessions with local experts about low-budget filmmaking, low-cost special effects and fight choreography.

After the awards ceremony, nocturnally-inclined festival goers can hang around for the “Killer Karaoke After-Party” in the Grand Lobby Mezzanine.

The films won’t feature sex or nudity, but promise plenty of gore and scares. While there are no age restrictions for the festival, organizers welcome specific questions about content via


on Facebook or by emailing
aihsff@gmail.com.

“I think that horror definitely gives me, as a filmmaker, and other filmmakers, the ability to go wild with ideas,” said Sudhakaran. “So I like the genre, and I think that it’s the most conducive to storytelling.”

Tickets are $15 and can be purchased online or by calling the Akron Civic Theatre’s box office at 330-253-2488.

This article appears in Aug 23 – Sep 5, 2023.