Our inaugural Weekend was a great Success!
High School Winners Were Amazing
ONE MUST FALL wins the Carver Award!
ONE MUST FALL wins the Carver Award!
From left: Highlands Film Fest director Rob Kneller, Isaiah Gomez (Best Scriptwriter), Morgan Barth (Best Actress), Michelle Burger (Best Producer).
ONE MUST FALL wins the Carver Award!
ONE MUST FALL wins the Carver Award!
ONE MUST FALL wins the Carver Award!
Attendees were blown away by ONE MUST FALL! Producer Taylor Christine, representing film director Antonion Pantoja and crew, accepted the Carver Award for Best Horror Film. from Highlands Film Fest director Rob Kneller.
Olivia Anton Wins Best NJ Film Prize
ONE MUST FALL wins the Carver Award!
Olivia Anton Wins Best NJ Film Prize
The director of TILLIE was with us to accept her award for Best NJ Film from the Highlands Film Fest. TILLIE features the iconic Asbury Park cartoon character and was filmed on the Jersey Shore!
Mayor Opens Highlands Film Fest
Mayor Opens Highlands Film Fest
Olivia Anton Wins Best NJ Film Prize
Mayor Rick O'Neill was kind enough to open the Film Fest on Friday night with a laudatory speech that highlighted the benefits to the town of Highlands.
We Had Fun!
Mayor Opens Highlands Film Fest
Our New Award--Yorick's Skull!
Attendance was great. We had many local fans attending as well as film makers from all over the East Coast. Here is one of the fans who camped out at the door waiting for the Fest to begin.
Our New Award--Yorick's Skull!
Mayor Opens Highlands Film Fest
Our New Award--Yorick's Skull!
Our new Highlands Film Fest award has been christened "The Yorick" in honor of Hamlet's famous graveyard scene. Sort of appropriate for a horror award, don't you think?
Featured Films Friday, October 4, 2019
STRANGE CLOWNS
STRANGE CLOWNS
STRANGE CLOWNS
A lonely killer clown turns to online dating when ax murder just isn’t enough anymore. The results are horribly comical.
Director: Michael Paul
ONE MUST FALL
STRANGE CLOWNS
STRANGE CLOWNS
A crime scene cleanup crew is on a job that turns deadly when they discover that the killer never left the scene of the crime. Director: Antonio Pantoja
SQUEEZE TOY
STRANGE CLOWNS
SQUEEZE TOY
A young man is on the brink of losing his mind to a self-constructed conspiracy, wherein an evil trio is after him.
Director: Chris K. Daniel
RUN
AFTER DARK
SQUEEZE TOY
Basil begins to have second thoughts when she discovers that her new friends may have Satanic leanings.
Director: Michelle Burger
AFTER DARK
AFTER DARK
AFTER DARK
Black magic, zombies, bloody vomit combine to create an eerie and disturbing tale of murder and mayhem.
Director: Isaiah Gomez
DECEPTION
AFTER DARK
AFTER DARK
Was it a hit and run? Or an execution? Now he's wracked with guilt and being deceived by his girlfriend.
Director: Amanda Clark
Featured Films, Saturday night, October 5, 2019
THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED
THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED
THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED
Following classic horror tropes while turning others on their head, this is a horror/ thriller short film set in the 1970s.
Director: Lindsay Barrasse
TILLIE
THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED
THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED
When Julia and her friends spend the day at the local carnival, Julia’s friends start to go missing. Will Julia be next?
Director: Olivia Anton
THE TATTOOED HEART
THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED
THE TATTOOED HEART
A creative writing instructor at a juvenile detention center tries to help a troubled student and finds herself in great danger.
Director: Sheldon Wong Schwartz
37 GHOSTS
WHISTLER"S MOTHER
THE TATTOOED HEART
A contract killer. A dark night, a single shot to the chest of the victim, collect the cash and take off. It would be simple, if the Ghosts would just leave him alone.
Director: Collins Abbot White
JERKY
WHISTLER"S MOTHER
WHISTLER"S MOTHER
A Feminist Horror movie about a recluse falconer, her quirky neighbor Alice, and the things in the forest that slither between the trees.
Director: Brent Braaten, Amy Trefry
WHISTLER"S MOTHER
WHISTLER"S MOTHER
WHISTLER"S MOTHER
James McNeill Whistler spent years trying to capture her essence—not to create a masterpiece—but to save his mother from possession by an evil Russian witch.
Director: Robbie Robertson
HIGHLANDS FILM FEST SCHEDULE
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4 STARTING AT 7 P.M.
- NIGHT OF THE FLUFFET directed by Chris Roe. A cautionary tale about the dangers of bringing a wild Fluffet into your home. 7:47
- STRANGE CLOWNS directed by Michael Paul. A lonely killer clown turns to online dating when ax murder just isn’t enough anymore. 11:00
- DECEPTION directed by Amanda Clark. Hit and run or an execution? Can he trust her or is he being set up? 2:17
- AFTER DARK directed by Isaiah Gomez. Was it really suicide? Or some sort of cult murder? 11:52
- CONTINGENCY directed by Morgan Barth. Gripped by a disturbing anxiety, a young woman struggles with fear. 2:22
- RUN directed by Michelle Burger. Her new friends may have Satanic leanings. A message tells her to RUN... but can she? 12:32
- SQUEEZE TOY directed by Chris Daniels. A college student descends into madness. 8:05
- ONE MUST FALL directed by Antonio Pantoja. This FULL LENGTH FEATURE follows a crime scene cleanup crew on a job that turns deadly when they discover the killer never left. 1:24:15
SATURDAY AFTERNOON MATINEE, STARTING AT 4 P.M.
- HOLLOW POND directed by Rolfin Nyhus. After being abandoned by his brothers, a young Masai boy must outwit a mysterious force to be reunited with his family. 14:00
- CHARLIE -- SOMEONE'S IN THERE directed by Paolo Casarolli. In post apocalyptic Italy, Antonio tries to save his Dad and keep his companion. 14:00
- THIS IS FINE directed by Roth Rind. A meteor is hurtling towards Earth, about to destroy our planet. For three ex-best friends, it might be the best thing that’s ever happened. 7:06
- NASTY HABITS directed by Allisyn Arm. A young aspiring musician befriends a lonely truck driver, who picks her up as she hitchhikes her way to Los Angeles. 11:23
- OKABT directed by Christopher Gros A surreal horror short depicting a house plant from hell. 8:45
- LOST BASKET directed by Kevin Anton. The Lost Basket is the story of two men on an adventure to discover a seemingly hidden treasure somewhere in North America. 4:00
- A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A SERIAL KILLER directed by Rafael Gutierrez. A quirky young lady gets her fix by going around killing people and using selfishness as as excuse to do it. She breaks the forth wall to explain her logic. 9:21
- THE BUMBRY ENCOUNTER directed by Jay Kay Raja. The year is 1961. Jackie and Terry Bumbry are a mixed race couple who have a paranormal encounter of the wrong kind. 16:57
SATURDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 5 AT 7 P.M.
- 37 GHOSTS directed by Collins Abbot White. A hired gun, haunted by the ghosts of his past kills, and struggling with guilt, goes on his final hit. 16:12
- BAD DREAMS directed by Stuart Fryer. A boy in bed thinks something’s escaped the cellar. Suddenly...a deformed face looms over the boy with a harrowing scream... 8:29
- BOXED directed by Wanjiru Njendu A fictionalized short film based on the true story of the terrifying daring escape of Henry "Box" Brown, who escaped from slavery in 1849. 6:09
- GHOST TURD directed by Charles Ward. Three young friends sit in a bedroom sharing horror stories when suddenly their evening is interrupted by a strange, old man... 14:44
- I HEART VALENTINES directed by Eric Poe. A mail carrier, who just wants to have a nice, peaceful smoke, chooses the wrong Valentine, at the end of a long day. 5:00
- JERKY directed by Brent Braaten, Amy Trefry. A Feminist Poetic Horror movie about a recluse falconer, her quirky neighbour Alice, and the things in the forest that slither between the trees. 12:51
- LITTLE DONNIE directed by Chel White. A stop-action animation that brings to life a murderous doll that terrorizes the owner's home. 3:45
- LOST PROPERTY directed by C.J. Barnes. They check into their room, a strange briefcase left behind makes them a bit uneasy. And then the whispers start... 7:00
- THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED directed by Lindsay Barrasse. A man drives along unhurried and relaxed. If only his pasenger felt the same! Set the 1970s... 12:00
- THE TATTOOED HEART directed by Sheldon Wong Schwartz. Creative writing instructor at a juvenile detention center is drawn to a troubled student but finds herself in great danger when she tries to help her... 9:00
- TILLIE directed by Olivia Anton. Julia and her friends secretly visit the abandoned “Tillie” mural in Asbury Park, Then Julia’s friends start to go missing. ...she may be next! 23:04
- WHISTLER'S MOTHER directed by Robbie Robertson. The artist spent years trying to capture the essence of his mother—not to create a masterpiece—but to save his mother from possession... 14:54
- WICKEN directed by Faisal Hashmi. A young woman Skyping with her long distance boyfriend late night realises that an ancient evil presence may have been unleashed upon her. 7:36