Six wicked good films by Socorro Independent School District filmmakers premiered at the eighth annual Horrorfest at Socorro High School on Oct. 30.
High school students such as Brianna Hernandez in the SISD Career and Technical Education audio/video program showcased their acting, directing, and screenwriting talents with the scary movies they created for the short film festival.
“It’s actually a really great opportunity to showcase our talent,” said Hernandez, an Eastlake High School senior. She co-directed the movie, “Fiend,” about a haunted mirror, which won Best Visual Effects and Best Makeup.
“Ever since I was little, I was interested in movies and videos,” Hernandez added. “I wanted to be a movie producer or director when I grew up, and that led me to this (audio/video) endorsement.”
The competition was open to audio/video students across the district. Entries were seven to 10 minutes long, and each film had to include a mirror as a prop and the verse “reflections of dread shatter reality.” Most importantly, the films had to be scary.
“Today is probably my favorite day because we get to see the creativity of our kids and how much they enjoy (filmmaking),” said Socorro High School audio/video instructor Luis A. Perez. “This (audio/video) is a class that our kids really love to come to because it's just them creating what they want, following the guidelines that we set as instructors.”
Awards were given in 16 categories, including Best Film, which went to Socorro High School for a fifth consecutive year, this time for the movie “Don't Take off the Cloth.” The film won a total of nine awards.
This was the second year Pebble Hills High School senior Angel Sambrano participated in Horrorfest. He appreciated the hands-on experience he obtained co-directing the film “I’m You,” which won Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress.
“It’s a different experience than most students would have,” Sambrano said. “You’re on the field; you have a lot of fun. Of course, you put in hard work at the same time. It definitely gives you the feeling of what an actual on-studio field experience would be like.”
For Sambrano’s co-director, Aaliyah-Riana Hamley, working on the short film has opened new career opportunities. Before starting the audio/video program, Hamley’s career path included medical school. After her experience with Horrorfest, the Pebble Hills junior was seriously considering a career in the film industry.
“After doing this, my plans changed because my original plan was to go to medical school,” Hamley said. “But after doing this, it’s made me think of all the possibilities I could take my career; most likely, I’m looking into film school.”
To watch the six short films, click here.
Here are the 2023 Horrorfest winners:
Best Film: Socorro High School
Best Director: Socorro High School
Best Editing: Socorro High School
Best Actor: Americas High School
Best Actress: Socorro High School
Best Supporting Actor: Pebble Hills High School
Best Supporting Actress: Pebble Hills High School
Best Use of Music: Socorro High School
Best Cinematography: Socorro High School
Best Screenplay: Socorro High School
Best Movie Poster: Americas High School
Best Trailer: Socorro High School
Best Special Effect: Socorro High School
Best Visual Effect: Eastlake High School
Best Makeup: Eastlake High School Scariest Moment: Socorro High School