'They're ravenous.' Why Knoxvillians love horror movies so much

Linda Hickman embraced the horror genre – both as a viewer and an actor – in her 70s.

"I just enjoy horror," she told Knox News at the Knoxville Horror Film Festival. "I'm here representing the older women. It's time to come out of the closet and admit that we love Dracula, Frankenstein, and the werewolf and that we love horror."

The fest, which took place last weekend, started in 2009 as a short film night. Its growth is evidence of one thing: Knoxville loves scary movies.

Here's why some of the genre's most passionate fans think Knoxville has become a destination for horror lovers and why they can't get enough of scary movies - not just around Halloween.

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Keep scrolling through photos and read their captions for the full story.

Festival co-organizer William Mahaffey is drawn to horror for a few reasons: that desire to find the rare movie that scares him, introducing people to films they might not have seen, and "when these films are able to get a point or message across, but they do it in an entertaining way."

Jeremy Braden, a longtime attendee of the fest, views horror in a "forbidden aspect" given his upbringing.

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For some, scary movies are a source of nostalgia. Attendee Laurie Braden remembers watching horror movies as a kid with her mom, so it's her way of revisiting her childhood.

The horror genre has been a major part of artist Mayra Fersner's life. She owns HagCult and creates custom art.

"I actually grew up watching horror movies when I was a kid with my family so we've always been attracted to it," Fersner told Knox News. "It was like something we did on the weekends. We'd rent a horror movie and watch it as a family."

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The community gathers at the festival and at places like Central Cinema and now Grindhouse Video, which moved to Knoxville this year.

Filmmaker Jill Gevargizian comes to Knoxville annually to celebrate horror culture.

"It's not a type of storytelling that's passive," she said. "It's something that you really have to engage with and it's going to affect you. Of course, for the most part, some of it's just fun, which I like that too."

Atlanta-based Brian Lonano has made short films for the past 17 years and appreciates the culture in Knoxville.

Lonano likes the aesthetics, atmosphere, and practical elements of scary movies. He is always championing short films and the Grindhouse Grind-Out, which tasks local filmmakers to create trailers for fake horror movies.

"They're ravenous. They love it," Lonano said of Knoxville horror enthusiasts. "One of our favorite things about the festival is the Grind-Out, so we can watch the crazy local talents ... make these films and they're really wild and they really go for it."

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A regional filmmaker from Shelbyville, Tennessee, Dalton Turner drove to Knoxville for his short film "Warmth of the Skin," which he submitted for the Tennessee Terrors short film contest.

"Growing up, I watched movies that I could recognize were scary, but they didn't really scare me," Turner said. "So I was like, 'I want to scare the hell out of people with just weird intricate plot lines and ideas ... that stand out among the crowd.'"

Filmmaker Dylan A. Young submitted a trailer for a fictitious film called "The Kid's Revenge" as part of the Grindhouse Grind-Out. He finds that horror has the power to stick with audiences in a way that other films and genres can't capture.

"I think genuinely impacting people's emotions through fear allows people to, in their head, revisit your film more," he said.

Based in Louisville, Kentucky, Young primarily works in East Tennessee because there's "a lot more going on with indie horror in Tennessee," with several filmmakers producing work here.

"It's consistent work for cast and crew members and we all get together and have a good time," he said.

Brandon A. Anthony is a local actor who's appeared in over 20 short films since 2015. He enjoys the suspenseful horror since he has a "strong stomach, so nothing ever grosses me out," which has worked in his favor throughout his career.

He talked about how much time and energy goes into making even a short film. Even a "seven-minute short film may take 15 plus hours to film."

"I've always been a person that has loved the filmmaking process," Anthony said. "Like I love the final product, but my fascination is also with what it takes to make it."

Linda Hickman isn't the only actor in her family. Her daughter, Jamie Hickman, also is an actor with Fig City Productions.

Jamie has starred in several Grindhouse Grind-Out trailers that have premiered in Knoxville. Linda was recruited last year for her debut role in a trailer and loved it.

"Everybody's really like supportive and collaborative," Jamie Hickman said. "And I've met a lot of people actually through the Horror Fest. It's always the same people every year. It's a family. It's a community."

Festival co-organizer Nick Huinker said the horror genre is an "umbrella" with many varieties fitting underneath it. That brings a lot of different people in.

"You can't get that for a comedy film festival or a romantic film festival, or even sci-fi. But horror, especially this time of year, the people who like it, love it, and they are open to experiencing anything."

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knoxville Horror Film Fest attracts scary movie fans around Halloween