2025 marks UPIKE’s eighth annual Horrorfest, which began in 2018. The idea of Horrorfest came from Andrew Reed, a professor of Film and Media Arts.

Horrorfest’s creation dates back to 2015, with UPIKE’s inaugural film festival, UParodies. UParodies was held every fall and spring until 2018, when the idea of making the fall film festival Halloween-themed came up. Since then, Horrorfest has become one of UPIKE’s biggest events. Horrorfest showcases a diverse range of short horror films, including film parodies, horror comedies, and scary films.

2025’s Horrorfest was hosted on the top floor of the HPEB building on October 29th. A total of 15 films were screened at the event, with most being horror comedies.

I had the honor of filming and submitting my own short film, “The KIllsbury Doughboy Strikes Back,” which won 2nd place at the event. This film was a passion project between my friends Christian Wells and Joshua Burchett, my father, and me.

Back in 2023, I created a short film called “The Killsbury Doughboy”, which starred my father playing the Killsbury Doughboy in costume and stalking his victims. The concept of the short film was so ridiculous and hilarious that I knew I had to come back to make a sequel for my senior year of college. I wrote a script for the possible sequel over the summer of 2025 and entered the fall semester prepared to make the film.

Joshua Burchett was the lead editor of the film and conceived the idea of making it a spoof of crime noir films. This was a great creative decision that I believe led to the success of the short film. Christian Wells was the lead videographer, helping to bring the film to life with multiple exciting and creative shots. Lastly, my father returned to play the Killsbury Doughboy, a slasher-inspired parody of the famously beloved Pillsbury Doughboy mascot.

Two other notable films from the festival include “Between Faces” by Matthew Rogers, which won first place, and “Play Me” by Chloe Hall, which won third place. These short films were notable not only for their placement in the contest but for their creepy atmosphere, which differs greatly from most short films.

Horrorfest’s film submissions are usually very comedic and funny in nature, but freshman Matthew Rogers and sophomore Chloe Hall wanted to put the “horror” in Horrorfest. As a result, both audiences and judges loved their short films for their creepy atmosphere, high-quality production, and scares.

Matthew’s short film, “Between Faces”, features an office employee being stalked by his overly pushy boss before being attacked off-screen, with the protagonist’s fate being left unknown. Matthew’s approach to filming the short film was unique, as he didn’t use a traditional camera. I spoke to him at the event, where he told me he was able to create a grainy and eerie look with the camera by filming with his phone using an app called Blackmagic. This approach made Matthew’s short film stand out as especially spooky.

Chloe’s film, “Play Me”, heavily features the song “Like a Stone” by the band Audioslave. The song itself is about an old man awaiting death so he can be reunited with his family and friends, and it maintains a sinister tone throughout. This made it a great choice to feature in the film, which takes heavy inspiration from “The Ring.” This movie explores the concept of a cursed VHS tape that claims the life of anyone who watches it. “Play Me” is instead about a cursed music video that claims the life of anyone who watches it, adding a twist to the classic horror film.

Overall, UPIKE’s 2025 Horrorfest was a great showcase of creativity and talent, standing out from previous years for its creepier and more horror-themed approach, which many film students took this year compared to past years’ more comedic outings.