Universal City, Ca, September 28, 2009– Chiller and Universal Studios Hollywood announce the winner of the 2009 “Halloween Horror Nights-Chiller Scary Good Film Competition,” which offered filmmakers an opportunity to have their scariest short film rewarded with a broadcast on Chiller, a $1,000 cash prize and a trip for two (2) to the October 2 opening night of Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood.
“Bedfellows,” submitted by Drew Daywalt of Oak Park, California, was selected as this year’s winner by Internet voters who visited www.HalloweenHorrorNights.com/Chiller to pick their favorite among a field of ten finalist films.
Prospective filmmakers were invited to submit short films of 90 seconds to three minutes in length. A panel of horror industry professionals, including “Saw VI” Director Kevin Greutert, Syfy’s Executive Vice President of Programming and Original Movies, Thomas P. Vitale and Universal Studios Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights Creative Director John Murdy, first judged the pool of entries, narrowing the field to ten. Criteria included storytelling skill, originality and the degree of the “good scare.”
Writer/director Drew Daywalt says he knew he was destined for a life in horror cinema ever since he was a child in Ohio, staying up late to watch old horror films. Since moving to Los Angeles, Mr. Daywalt has written and directed features for Quentin Tarantino’s A Band Apart, Tony Scott and Jerry Bruckheimer. He spent the last year writing and directing 30 terror-filled short films for the critically acclaimed Horror Troupe FEWDIO.
This year’s all-new “Halloween Horror Nights” at Universal Studios Hollywood will feature four new maze experiences including “Saw: Game Over,” “Halloween: The Life and Crimes of Michael Myers,” “My Bloody Valentine: Be Mine 4 Ever,” and “Chucky’s Funhouse,” six new “scare zones,” a new live stage performance of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show: A Tribute,” as well as a fully re-imagined “Terror Tram” backlot studio experience. The all-new “Halloween Horror Nights” for 2009 will be the most intense and terrifying “live” horror event ever to be presented in a theme park environment.
“Halloween Horror Nights” will continue on consecutive weekends and selected weekday nights beginning on Friday, October 2 through Halloween, Saturday, October 31. Event dates are: October 2-3, 9-11, 15-18, 23-25, 28-31. The event will begin nightly at 7:00 p.m.; closing hours vary by night throughout the event. Tickets are now on sale at www.universalstudioshollywood.com/hhn including limited-time advance purchase discounts.
Universal Studios Hollywood (www.UniversalStudiosHollywood.com), The Entertainment Capital of L.A.SM includes a full-day, movie-based theme park and Studio Tour; the CityWalk entertainment, shopping and dining complex; the Universal CityWalk Cinemas; and the Gibson Amphitheatre concert and special event venue. The theme park features such groundbreaking attractions as “The Simpsons Ride,” “Revenge of the Mummy – The Ride,” “Shrek 4-D,” “Jurassic Park – The Ride,” and the world-renowned Studio Tour, which takes guests behind-the-scenes of such landmark TV and movie locations as Steven Spielberg’s “War of the Worlds.” Universal Studios Hollywood is a unit of Universal Parks & Resorts, a division of NBC Universal.
Chiller, the recently-launched channel from NBC Universal, is the only network devoted to delivering viewers round-the-clock scares. Chiller’s eclectic slate of adrenaline-fueled, soul-stirring entertainment includes classic drama and anthology series (Tales from the Darkside, Twin Peaks, Nightmare Cafe), international programming (Spine Chillers, Strange) and a broad offering of films, including feature-length premieres on the first Friday of each month. Chiller is currently available in nearly 34 million homes. To learn more, visit: www.chillertv.com.
NBC Universal is one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May of 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80% owned by General Electric, with 20% controlled by Vivendi.