Chicago's 'Best Looking Film' Moves On to Ohio

The award given to short film Red Luck at this spring's Chicago Underground Film Festival has an unusual name and an even more unusual statuette. For their efforts, writer-director Mike Olenick and cinematographer Barry Horschakt claimed the honor of "Best Looking Film" and a Kenneth Anger doll.

This weekend, the Midwestern journey continues. Olenick, who was born in New Jersey and is based in Columbus, will roll out the Ohio premiere of his latest effort at that city's Shock Around the Clock. Billed jokingly as the 666th Annual Ohio 24-Hour Horror Marathon, the event starts at noon Saturday and runs continuously until noon Sunday. Following the afternoon Red Luck debut and Q&A, there will be a Costume Contest, a Scream Contest and much more.

In an interview with ColumbusLive.com, Olenick recalled some of his personal Shock Around the Clock experiences and suggested he's not going to be put off if Red Luck divides this year's audience (one of the film's main devices involves action unfolding in the blurry background while the camera focuses on an object in the foreground):

"I’m totally expecting mixed reviews. Because of the nature of the film, I expect some people will absolutely love it, and other people will hate it. I honestly just want people to watch it, and for the imagery to stick with them. Tenebrae by Dario Argento is one of my favorite movies, and though I’ve seen it 100 times, I’d have a hard time explaining the convoluted plot; but it’s so beautifully shot that the images haunt you. Even if people don’t like the movie itself, I hope they remember how it looked."

Also Ohio-premiering at this weekend's Drexel Theatre extravaganza: New Zealand haunted house comedy Housebound and Italian horror tribute The Strange Color of Your Body's Hair.



[Mike Olenick]