Kicking off Friday, September 16 through Saturday, September 17 in San Pedro is the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival, which celebrates acclaimed science fiction, fantasy and horror writer, H.P. Lovecraft (1890 - 1937). Many of today’s horror writers like Stephen King, Neil Gaiman and festival honoree Roger Corman and filmmaker Guillermo del Toro cite Lovecraft as influential in their horror writings. The H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival will be a celebration of Lovecraft’s work through screenings and readings by both professionals and amateurs.
Presented in the 80-year-old historic Warner Grand Theatre in San Pedro, the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival will honor legendary filmmaker Roger Corman with the “Howie” award. In addition, there will be a selection of short films screening that celebrate the oeuvre of Lovecraft. Judging those shorts will be horror writer/director/producer Guillermo del Toro (“Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark,” “Pan’s Labyrinth”). Other events included in the festival will be literary discussions and readings by Lovecraft-inspired authors such as Cody Goodfellow, Jenna Pittman, Denise Dumars among others. Also there will be an exhibit of props, miniatures, costumes and set pieces from “The Whisperer in Darkness” which is the first feature from the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society. “The Whisperer in Darkness” is the event’s closing film on Saturday.
Other highlighted screenings include the 1963 classic, “The Haunted Palace” directed by Roger Corman and starring Vincent Price and based on Lovecraft’s short story, “The Case of Charles Dexter Ward”; and “Cast A Deadly Spell” from 1991 starring Fred Ward as H.P. Lovecraft who is hired to investigate a mysterious missing book. After “Deadly Spell” there will be a Q&A with screenwriter Joseph Dougherty and actor Peter Allas.
For lovers of Lovecraft or science fiction and fantasy in general, the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival this weekend should be a fun event. For further information on the festival, including schedules, check out www.hplfilmfestival.com. Tickets can be purchased at the door of the Warner Grand Theatre.
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