PHILIP ANSELMO's Solo Project, DOWN, CROWBAR To Perform At HOUSECORE HORROR FILM FESTIVAL

In what can only be described as a match made in hell, the worlds of heavy metal and horror collide this fall as the first-ever Housecore Horror Film Festival (HHFF) erupts in Austin, Texas. World-famous heavy metal musician Philip H. Anselmo (PANTERA, DOWN, SUPERJOINT RITUAL) and internationally renowned, best-selling true crime author Corey Mitchell ("Hollywood Death Scenes", "Dead And Buried") have teamed up to create the ultimate underground, three-day horror and heavy metal fan event that will combine live concerts from some of the biggest bands in metal and hard rock with more than 70 screenings of horror, true crime, and heavy metal films, music videos, and more — and special guest appearances from three of the world's most revered underground directors of horror.

The Housecore Horror Film Festival will take over the entire Emo's complex in the newly revitalized area of East Austin for three days of shock and roll. HHFF will feature seven screens, which will display more than 70 horror, true crime, and heavy metal film screenings, including feature-length films, short films, documentaries, classic horror films, world premieres, music videos, vintage and faux movie trailers, and more. As darkness descends each night, a dozen heavy metal and hard rock acts, handpicked by Anselmo himself, will hit the stage.

The nefarious brainchild of Anselmo and Mitchell, the Housecore Horror Film Festival spawned from a mutual love for all things horror that was discovered while the two were collaborating on Anselmo's upcoming autobiography (Simon & Schuster, 2014). Wanting to bring their passion for — and knowledge of — extreme music and horror films to legions of fans, HHFF was born, with the goal of showcasing the best in a wide range of horror films — from the obscure to the extreme, from quality mainstream to the most unrepentant gore — and the heavy music that goes hand-in-hand with it.

Two confirmed special guest film directors include the notoriously controversial Jörg Buttgereit ("Nekromantik", "Nekromantik 2", "Schramm") and revered do-it-yourself guerilla filmmaker Jim VanBebber ("The Manson Family", "Deadbeat At Dawn"). Additional guest film directors will be announced as the festival nears.

Several top-tier metal and hard rock bands have signed on to perform at the inaugural event, and HHFF today announces the first round of confirmed artists: Anselmo's own Southern metal supergroup DOWN, which also features CORROSION OF CONFORMITY guitarist and lead singer Pepper Keenan, CROWBAR guitarist and lead singer Kirk Windstein, EYEHATEGOD and SUPERJOINT RITUAL guitarist Jimmy Bower on drums, and CROWBAR bassist Patrick Bruders; New Orleans masters of metallic doom CROWBAR; and the Texas premiere of PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS, Anselmo's greatly anticipated extreme metal solo project.

With films screening inside Emo's East, and smaller screening rooms throughout the Emo's complex, and nightly concerts inside the 2,000-capacity Emo's East, organizers are planning for an immersive, three-day, horror and heavy metal fan mecca. HHFF will also host several "Side Show" attractions — from "gore-lesque" routines to suspension exhibitions to rare horror memorabilia displays. In addition, there will be dozens of horror- and metal-centric vendors dispersed throughout the complex plying their scare wares for the public to check out.

Filmmakers, screenwriters, producers, and actors in attendance will introduce their works and hold question-and-answer sessions after their screenings and will be available to the public at an outdoor celebrity signing and chat booth. Several notable authors of horror, mystery, true crime, and heavy metal will be also be signing books throughout the weekend.

And since no horror fest would be complete without creating some terror of its own, festival-goers can take a walk through the Haunted Corridor and allow festival-goers the opportunity to be scared all weekend long. The Haunted Corridor will be constructed by a Texas haunted house team with creative design help from Anselmo, who is one of the original co-founders of the internationally beloved House of Shock haunted house experience from New Orleans, Louisiana.

Whether it's a classic horror film, a big budget blockbuster, an underground gore-fest, an experimental flick, or a quiet chiller, it will be screening at HHFF. Filmmaker submissions open today, with an early submission deadline of March 20. Feature-length or short films, big budget or shot on a cell phone — if it's well made, compelling, and chilling, Anselmo and Mitchell are ready to select it. HHFF is an IMDb-qualifying festival, which means that all films in consideration will receive an invitation to create a title page on the Internet Movie Database web site.

Films can be submitted here.

The official web site launches today, where interested filmmakers can find more information on how to submit their work. The web site will also contain continuous updates, including new band and special guest announcements, film screening schedules, vendor and sponsorship opportunities, contact information for HHFF staff, and occasional musings from Anselmo and Mitchell.