The South African Horrorfest takes place every year in late October and early November at Labia Theatre in Cape Town. It is not only the longest-running but possibly the only event of its kind in South Africa. The festival features cinema, literature, music, and Halloween dress-up events. It attracts thousands of attendees with its new, as well as classic and rare movies, premiere and early release screenings, readings, and live soundtrack performances. The first edition of South African Horrorfest took place in 2004. Its first event was unveiled on Halloween in 2005.
Movie Screenings
The film festival is the main highlight of the event. South African Horrorfest accepts all movie styles, as long as they contain horror, chilling, terror or monsters. It could be animation, docu-feature, documentary, experimental, music video, narrative fiction, short film, musical, mystery, or a silent movie. Viewers can expect a really creepy line-up featuring all kinds of witches, demons, and ghosts. There are many indie movies and classics as well as innovative short films that include plenty of African premieres. Some interactive performances encourage audience participation.
Live Soundtrack Performance
Live Soundtrack Performance is another feature that marks every South African Horrorfest. The soundtracks for classic silent films and other movies are played by The Makabra Ensemble and other bands. The Literary Division of the Horrorfest includes live readings from authors of horror and dark fantasy novellas. The entries should be between 15,000 and 30,000 words. Three winners could be selected for publication.
Costumes
Halloween Dress-Up and Market is one of the favorite festival events for everyone. Plenty of great prizes for the best costumes await the participants. Halloween bazaar consists of unusual stalls with some rare, strange, and Halloween-related merchandise.
The SA Horrorfest is a unique event in Capetown. The festival was included in prestigious lists of Best Horror Festivals In The World by Movie Maker Magazine and Dread Central. For the tickets and latest updates, please check with the official websites (see External Resources below.) Also, take a look at the map suggesting the best accommodations nearby.
