Horror movies are back. Some Island fans say it never went away

Islanders have a taste for fear. Tivoli Cinema in downtown Charlottetown is benefiting from a big year in horror. Staff here say the genre is always the most popular for small theaters, but they've had even more demand lately. Earlier this year, the cinema had huge crowds for Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma. We were able to bring it out, and outside of the initial run, we were the only place in Charlottetown that was playing it, and it just felt that there was the demand there, and we had to fill in extra screenings, and the film is just fantastic. Things ramp up during the Halloween season, but horror has kept the theater busy all year round. I was shocked when Elevation offered us Back Rooms on release. I mean, I think it was like second week in, and Cineplex couldn't keep up with the demand of it, and they needed another screen. We took it on. It was gangbusters. Great time. Good movie. The owner of City Cinema says it can be hard to compete with larger theaters like Cineplex when it comes to securing bigger-budget films. But the hunger for horror has fans and creators excited. One superfan says indie theaters have always picked up horror movies that big theaters don't want, even movies that ended up being blockbusters. I think back to seeing the original Scream movie at City Cinema back in the 90s because our main corporate theaters weren't going to bring it in. And it was a massive hit, right? It's happening again. Stewart thinks some of the popularity comes from who is making scary movies these days. Some are young creators who started on YouTube, and that trend is hitting PEI. Just last week at Anchor Film Fest, a new short shot on the island debuted. Voices like Carrie Parker and James Parsons, they're absolutely blowing up the industry as we're speaking. And myself, I also started on YouTube making little short films of superheroes and stuff with my friends. So yeah, hopefully the pipeline works. Stewart says scary movies are often a trend, the popularity eventually falls off, but he hopes PEI can become a home for fans and filmmakers. Tony Davis, CBC News, Charlottetown.