SCADFILM In Focus Scares Up Screenings of ‘Crystal Lake’ and ‘Friday the 13th’
Industry professionals from Netherworld, Peacock, and more to host panel discussions and screenings Friday, Oct. 16, at SCADshow
ATLANTA (Oct. 13, 2026) — SCADFILM and the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) are proud to present SCADFILM In Focus: Art of Fear Friday, Oct. 16, spotlighting the popularity of the horror genre on film, television, and streaming platforms. SCAD recently launched a new horror minor degree program as part of the top-rated SCAD School of Film and Acting, one of The Hollywood Reporter's Best Film Schools.
"Horror has always been one of the most resilient genres in entertainment, and we're seeing it drive some of the most ambitious, boundary-pushing work being made today," said SCADFILM director Mollie Brock. "Through direct mentorship, master classes, and hands-on collaboration with top industry professionals, our students graduate having already built the relationships and the reel to build career success."
Tickets for each session are free for SCAD students, faculty, alumni, and staff, and $10 for the general public. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit SCADshow. Programming topics are subject to change.
SCADFILM IN FOCUS: ART OF FEAR
Crafting the Nightmare: Thirty Years of Netherworld Haunted House
Noon, SCADshow Stage 2
Step behind the scenes of Netherworld Haunted House and into the creative mind behind 30 years of fear. Join Ben Armstrong, Netherworld co-founder and creator, as he takes you inside the making of one of the country's most iconic haunted attractions. Armstrong will discuss developing the stories, designing elaborate costumes and characters, building immersive worlds, marketing the experience, and even stepping into the haunt himself to spook guests. Discover what it takes to keep audiences terrified and coming back year after year, and how creativity, storytelling, performance, and a little bit of madness have shaped three decades of Netherworld and horror season experiences in Georgia.
Creating Fear with The Third Floor
2:30 p.m., SCADshow Stage 2
What makes a scene feel unsettling, terrifying, or downright disturbing? Join visualization supervisor Jason Thielen from The Third Floor for a behind-the-scenes look at how pre- and post-visualization help bring fear to life on screen. Drawing from his work across film and television, Thielen will explore the creative choices, visual techniques, and effects that build tension, create unease, and turn the impossible into something audiences can't look away from.
Screening and Conversation: Welcome to Crystal Lake
5 p.m., SCADshow Main Stage
Step back in time to the world of Camp Crystal Lake with a special screening of Crystal Lake, Peacock's highly anticipated Friday the 13th prequel series. Set years before the events of the original film, the series explores the story of a young Jason Voorhees and his mother, Pamela, returning audiences to the camp where the legend began. Following the screening, series creator, writer, and showrunner Brad Caleb Kane will discuss bringing the iconic horror universe to the small screen, from expanding its mythology and shaping its characters to capturing the atmosphere and spirit of the original franchise for a new generation.
Screening: Friday the 13th
7:30 p.m., SCADshow Main Stage
Get ready for a fear-filled night at Camp Crystal Lake! Grab a spooky treat, settle in, and revisit the iconic horror classic Friday the 13th. Starting at 6:30 p.m., we'll have camp-themed snacks and bug juice waiting before the screening begins at 7:30 p.m. At Camp Crystal Lake, a group of young counselors arrives to reopen a summer camp with a dark and deadly history. As night falls, the counselors begin disappearing one by one, turning an ordinary summer into a fight for survival. Whether you're revisiting the film or experiencing it for the first time, join us for the slasher film that launched one of cinema's most enduring franchises and cemented summer camp horror forever in pop culture.
SCADFILM
SCADFILM produces premier events for students and professionals working in film, television, animation, gaming, AR/VR, performing arts, and video production. Audiences experience year-round programming that includes screenings, master classes, and behind-the-scenes presentations from industry luminaries. SCADFILM's events calendar includes SCAD AnimationFest, SCAD TVfest, SCADFILM In Focus, and the SCADFILM Storytelling Series.
The preeminent authority in film and television education, SCAD is the only university with professionally run casting offices, located in Atlanta and Savannah. With more than 8,100 SCAD students and alumni working in animation, entertainment, film, media production, writing, editing, broadcast media, and performing arts — with over 2,800 in Georgia alone — SCAD helps drive the multibillion-dollar film and television industry in Atlanta, Business Facilities Magazine's No. 1 city for film production, and Savannah, MovieMaker magazine's No. 1 small city for filmmaking. Additionally, SCAD students, alumni, and faculty have won Oscars, Grammys, Emmys, Golden Reels, Tonys, Annies, and more.
SCAD: THE UNIVERSITY FOR CREATIVE CAREERS
SCAD is a private, nonprofit, accredited university, offering more than 100 graduate and undergraduate degree programs across locations in Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia; Lacoste, France; and online via SCADnow. SCAD enrolls more than 17,000 undergraduate and graduate students from more than 100 countries. The future-minded SCAD curriculum engages professional-level technology and myriad advanced learning resources, affording students opportunities for internships, professional certifications, and real-world assignments with corporate partners through SCADpro, the university's renowned research lab and prototype generator. SCAD has earned top rankings for degree programs in interior design, architecture, film, fashion, digital media, and more. Career success is woven into every fiber of the university, resulting in a superior alumni employment rate. A 2026 study found that 99% of recent SCAD graduates were employed, pursuing further education, or both within 12 months of graduation. SCAD provides students and alumni with ongoing career support through personal coaching, alumni programs, a professional presentation studio, and more.
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