The genre of horror films is filled with lasting eerie images
like the shower in “Psycho,” the twins in “The
Shining” and the mask in “Scream.” Add to that
list the cello in … “Killer Cello.” Although UCLA
graduate student Lisa Kohn never imagined herself as a director of
horror movies, for her short film, “Killer Cello,” she
became exactly that. This weekend, as part of the Screamfest Film
Festival at the Fairfax Laemmle Theater in Hollywood, Kohn’s
murderous instrument will be viewed, as part of a series of short
and feature-length films honoring independent filmmakers in the
horror genre. The festival runs from today through Sunday. In
“Cello,” a young girl’s father forces her to play
the accordion, while she wishes to play the title instrument. Then,
with the help of a supernatural cello, the girl takes revenge on
her parents. As a young girl who was forced to play the piano when
she wanted to play the cello, Kohn says that the movie is, to a
certain extent, auto-biographical. “When I was a kid, I
wanted to play the cello, but my father didn’t think it was a
good idea. He really wanted me to take piano lessons. I thought
playing the cello was an act of rebellion against him, so I started
playing the cello, and it was kind of a piece of revenge,”
Kohn said. “There’s also other things … in the movie
where the girl’s parents pay her off not to do
cheerleading,” Kohn continued. While the final product of her
childhood cello memories turned into a horror film, according to
Kohn, it started as a general concept, and only later, did the
story develop its … killer instinct. Among the other shockers,
frighteners and willy-inducers slated for screenings are “The
Exorcist” (director William Friedkin will conduct a Q&A
session Thursday night) and “The Evil Dead” Saturday
night. A panel discussing the pros and cons of film censorship will
feature horror film director Wes Craven (“A Nightmare on Elm
Street”). As an undergraduate student at Stanford, Kohn
wasn’t looking to these nausea inducing classics for
inspiration. Instead, she majored in American studies. But, a few
years after graduation, she decided to go back to school in order
to pursue her dream in writing and filmmaking, which landed her at
the School of Theater, Film and Television at UCLA. “I was
really interested in improv comedy and also in writing “¦ but
as I started writing more, people commented that my writing was
very visual and so from there I sort of segued into film,”
Kohn said. While Kohn’s first film, “Apart from my
Doll,” was a serious documentary, Kohn decided that she would
not pursue a career in non-fiction work, due to its serious tone
and lack of whimsical creativity. Kohn wanted to shift her focus to
projects that were playful, such as her second film, “Lonely
Socks” and now to “Killer Cello.” Despite
Kohn’s late coming to the genre of the macabre, organizers of
Screamfest still chose her film as one of several student entries
to be screened Sunday at 10 a.m. Finally, there’s some
respect, for the … cello. Don’t expect Kohn’s film to
be the only one out to make a bloody mark at Screamfest. The
competition this year should be very stiff for the student films,
according to founder and director of Screamfest, Rachael Belofsky.
And she encourages anyone interested in filmmaking or horror to
attend. “They should go and see some of the creative work
that was done and the hard work that went into making these films.
Especially for those that are filmmakers and wannabe filmmakers,
it’s a great networking opportunity,” Belofsky said.
Maybe, if you make it out alive…
For more information about showtimes and tickets, visit www.screamfestla.com.