What Scares the Woman Behind Atlanta’s Horror Film Festival? The Answer May Surprise You
Shannon Ford Thompson loves a good scare, but the woman behind Atlanta’s Buried Alive Film Festival is all about spreading kindness, celebrating the weird, and giving independent filmmakers their shot. Meet the horror enthusiast who’s building a community where everyone belongs ... monsters and all. Image: Shannon Ford Thompson
Shannon Ford Thompson doesn’t scare easily, except when it comes to cruelty in real life. The owner of Atlanta’s Buried Alive Film Festival, a four-day celebration of all things gory, is committed to combating her biggest fear through inclusion.
Her projects, including the Atlanta Horror Society and the 13 Day Sinema Challenge, are all rooted in her passion for bringing creative people together by building opportunities for independent filmmakers. Catch Shannon in action at this year’s Buried Alive Film Festival at the Plaza Theatre, starting November 5.
What sparked your interest in filmmaking?
Poltergeist. I watched it as a young child, and that movie did a number on my psyche in just 90 minutes. One minute it was beautiful and magical, and the next I was lying in bed at night making sure that stupid clown wasn’t under it. I still have coulrophobia, the fear of clowns, to this day.
Think about that. A movie can take you on this incredible emotional journey, make you believe in something completely unreal, and leave a lasting impression decades later. I thought that was absolutely incredible. I was hooked on the magic of filmmaking.
Why horror?
The horror community is one of the most loving, inclusive, and genuinely kind communities I’ve ever known. These are people who welcome the weirdos and celebrate differences. Maybe we’ve spent so much time looking at fictional horror that we recognize the real thing when we see it.
You took over the Buried Alive Film Festival from the original owners. What did you do to make it your own?
I wanted to honor what was built while giving the festival my own flavor of weird. I’ve worked to make Buried Alive more than a place to watch underground horror movies. I want it to be a community where filmmakers connect, collaborate, find their audience, and feel like they belong.
Some of the most exciting ideas in horror come from people who don’t have a Hollywood budget but have incredible imaginations. I love helping create a space where those voices can be heard. Running a festival like this allows you to find truly incredible people. You never know when you’re watching the next cult classic, and I want Buried Alive to be one of the places where those filmmakers get discovered.
Is anything TOO scary for you?
The real horror to me is not the monsters we create for movies, but what we’re capable of doing to one another in real life. Over the past couple of years, I’ve become increasingly frightened by how cruel we can be to one another. Families are being torn apart, people are struggling financially, and the dream of owning a home feels out of reach for so many. I look at the world sometimes and wonder: Where did we go wrong that so many people seem to have so much hate in their hearts?
I’ll take a room full of monsters over a world without compassion any day.
What’s your superpower?
ADHD. Between Buried Alive, founding the Atlanta Horror Society, and curating the 13 Day Sinema Challenge, I took one horror project and somehow turned it into several. Apparently, I don’t know how to sit still.
Why is supporting independent filmmakers such an important undertaking for you?
Independent filmmakers are out there making movies with their hearts, souls, credit cards, and whatever happens to be lying around the garage. They deserve opportunities to show their work and connect with audiences.
What do you want filmmakers just starting out to know?
Stop waiting for permission to make the thing you want to make. Write the script, shoot the movie, start the project, and gather the people who believe in your vision.
You don’t need Hollywood’s permission to be creative. You need imagination, persistence, and the willingness to figure things out as you go. Some of the best things come from people who simply decide to do them.
And never underestimate the value of knowing someone with a fog machine.
What’s your advice for parents wanting to introduce their kids to the horror genre?
Know your kid! Some kids can watch a zombie movie and immediately start planning their apocalypse survival kit. Others will need the hallway light on for the next six months.
Start with something age-appropriate, watch together, and let them decide what they’re comfortable with. Horror should be fun, not a lifelong commitment to sleeping with a baseball bat under your pillow. And don’t assume your kid will love the same movies you did. We all have that one movie that traumatized us.
What’s your favorite Atlanta neighborhood to spend an afternoon?
I really love Mambo Zombi and The Plaza Theatre. But if I were going to pick a neighborhood in Atlanta, it would be Piedmont Park or the East Atlanta Village.
As a filmmaker, where do you go to get inspired?
Honestly, a lot of my inspiration comes from watching my friends or just daydreaming. I love drawing, painting, sculpting, and making things with my hands. I also love sitting on the porch, listening to nature, and enjoying a little peace and quiet.
What’s next for Buried Alive?
I want to keep growing the festival while protecting what makes independent horror special. That means discovering new talent, bringing filmmakers and audiences together, and creating opportunities for artists to get their work seen. We’ve built something special over the years, and I want to keep making it bigger, better, and a little weirder.
What’s your best piece of advice?
Be kind. You never really know what someone else is going through, and the world could use a little more compassion. Take the time to look at things from all sides before you judge, and always be honest with yourself. Self-awareness is everything. Know who you are, what you stand for, and where your time and energy are going.
LIGHTNING ROUND
What movie will you be watching on Halloween? Still deciding! But probably Sleepy Hollow, The Thing, Return of the Living Dead, and Tina Romero’s Queens of the Dead.
First stop when you want to impress an out-of-towner? Netherworld Haunted House! If it’s not open, I’d take them to the Plaza Theatre. I absolutely love the Plaza. It’s such a special place. I used to go there with my dad as a kid.
What’s your go-to cocktail? It’s called a Vampire Kiss, and you can’t just order my version anywhere because you need a stove to make it! I can make a mean one, though. There’s something fitting about having a signature vampire cocktail when you spend your life in horror.
What’s an Atlanta restaurant dish you can’t get enough of? Chicken masala from Turmeric in Marietta. We go two or three times a month.
Favorite movie snack? SNO-CAPS!!! Mic drop.
Favorite (or most recent) travel destination? I recently enjoyed New Jersey for the Smodcastle Film Festival, but I absolutely love New York City. It’s such a wonderful city. There’s always something happening, so much creativity and art everywhere you look, and enough interesting people to inspire about a thousand ideas.
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Beth Clayton
For over 20 years, Beth Clayton has either been working in a newsroom or pitching one. A natural storyteller and word nerd from the moment she could pick up a pencil, she earned her journalism degree from Butler University and spent the next decade as a writer, reporter, and editor. She now lives in Louisville, KY with her husband, three kids, and a very bad dog, and loves immersing herself in old lady hobbies such as houseplants and macrame.
