The CineFiles

I definitely recommend the Shortsfest weekend for folks who just want to dip a toe into the waters of the festival. In addition to a couple general packages at the beginning and end, there are genre and topic specific collections so you can try out new options or films of a type you know you enjoy. We just did the Opening Night, which we almost always do, as it tends to be full of really quality shorts to start things off with a bang. It’s also a really mixed slate of programming with documentary, live action and even the odd animated short in a real broad variety of formats and topics. Because we are creeps, we checked out the DIY Demonology package as well and were not disappointed. Funny, creepy, scary in equal parts, the shorts were also really top quality for the majority. And if you want to take a date out for a sweet romantic Asian horror film, look no further than Vampire Cleanup Department. It’s downright adorable. It’s got a few very minor jump thrills and isn’t particularly gross and gory, so it’s a gentle way to get into the hopping vampire genre that’s been a mainstay of Chinese horror films since the 1980s. Yes, they hop. Rigor mortis and whatnot. Yes, it’s adorable. Yes, it can be creepy and ominous.  Just go with it.