10 Years of Fears at Tampa Bay Screams

Last weekend, we celebrated 10 years of fears at the 10th annual Tampa Bay Screams horror convention. Our afternoon was spent at the OCC Roadhouse and Museum in Clearwater, Florida. Despite the rainy, chilly, weather the pavilion hosting the dealer’s dungeon, panel stage, and film festival was lively and attendees were in good spirits.

While last year’s convention showed the resilience of the Tampa Bay horror communities in the face of seemingly endless budget cuts, this year radiated a sense of confidence and air of “we aren’t going anywhere.” After the Tampa Bay area was hit with two devastating hurricanes in late 2024, events like this are more important than ever as they bolster relationships and support systems in the arts community.

Seeing the menagerie of subgenres and fans is always a treat at conventions like this. There is just as much enthusiasm for the high-concept, high-budget, classics as for the cult-classics and backyard projects. Nine homegrown horror shorts were highlighted in the FilmMaker Beserk Film Festival at Tampa Bay Screams. The stand-out short for me was Pluck directed by Ason Intrigue and Keenan Parry. It was a modern, slow-build body horror reminiscent of Martin Scorsese’s 1967 short The Big Shave. Indie horror staple Joel D. Wynkoop also peppered the small screen this year, wrapping up the film fest with the crude, outrageous Christmas short All Chopped Up and Nowhere to Go.

FilmMaker Berserk is a program that gives filmmakers a crash course in all things movie-making from screenplays to paperwork. They are “a resource that arms filmmakers with knowledge, experience, and practical tools to succeed.” The panel with founder, Krista Grotte Saxon, gave attendees an in-depth look into the industry and its many pitfalls. Saxon shared her own experience and how it led her to begin this mission of equipping future filmmakers with everything they need to make their ideas come to life.

Other panels covered topics like Horror Movie Music and Special Sound FX with Alan Howarth (The Thing, They Live, Army of Darkness), Special Horror FX with SFX artist T. Brooklyn Bellissimo, and Horror Host History with Count Gore De Vol/Dick Dyszel. It was such a treat to hear about all the incredible experiences, inspirations, and work put into producing innovative genre hallmarks like the traps from Saw or the quirky characters introducing the Saturday night slasher.

Among the big names already mentioned, Tampa Bay Screams hosted French-Italian actress Barbara Magnolfi who played Olga in Dario Argento’s Suspiria. Alongside her giallo royalty were scream queens, Jill Whitlow (Night of the Creeps, Porky’s, Weird Science), April Hunter (The Clock), Cathy Wyknoop (187 Times), Jennifer Nangle (Malvolia, the Queen of Screams), and Denise Duff (Subspecies, The Exorcists).

Small to medium-sized conventions like this are special because the celebrity guests are so welcoming and happy to fawn over their favorite projects with you. I was able to speak with Alan Howarth about a score he composed for a little-known 2009 slasher called Basement Jack. It’s a film that I’ve had a slight obsession with since my first viewing so I was absolutely thrilled to hear Howarth immediately recognize the film and even claim that it is one of his best works! Interactions like this and the community built by former convention owner and filmmaker Sean Donohue and current owner Andy L. are what brought us to 10 years of Tampa Bay Screams and hopefully many more.

To keep up with all things Tampa Bay Screams, visit their website tampabayscreams.com or follow them on Facebook, Instagram, or X @tampabayscreams.

Our Tampa Bay Screams highlights

@lovehorroruk Last weekend, we attended the fantastic Tampa Bay Screams horror convention. In this video we give you a little taste of some of the exciting things that took place at this 10th anniversary event. #tampa #tampabayscreams #horror #horrormovies #convention ? original sound – LoveHorror.co.uk