Horror film festivals are like those roaches in Creepshow -- they're everywhere! So why, dear filmmaker, should you enter THIS horror film festival, the Tabloid Witch Awards?

1. We're a No Entry Fee film contest & festival. So you needn't fear being scammed for your money.

2. We're located in Santa Monica, California. In Los Angeles County -- Entertainment Industry Capital of the World. Home to film stars, producers, directors, studio executives, and agents. No guarantees, but still, you never know who might wander in to one of our screenings.

Got a horror film?

Want to enter the Tabloid Witch Awards?

Here's how...

WHAT TO DO: If you have a finished horror film -- short or feature length -- then send it to us. Between now and September 30, 2008, we'll review all submissions, selecting the best of the best.

WHAT YOU GET: Winners will be profiled in the Hollywood Investigator for Halloween 2008.

We will select at least one short and one feature horror film, but we may profile additional films and the people involved (actors, musicians, sfx people, etc.), depending on what we see.

Our goal is to award more trophies, in more categories, each year -- and that's been the trend.

Selection of winners will be at the exclusive discretion of the Hollywood Investigator.

TROPHY: The 2005 and 2006 trophy was a lucite starburst. 2007's trophy was a purple brass plaque (right), which will likely remain for 2008.

SCREENING: Our goal is to screen the winning films, but that's never guaranteed. This is a No Entry Fee contest, and no admission is charged to audiences, so the budget is limited. It's always possible that only some, or none, of winning films will be screened.

However, in the past four years of running this contest, we've held five screenings! (In 2007 there was a Premiere Screening in October and an Encore Screening in November.) Five out of four! (sic!) A pretty good track record, no?

ENTRY FEE: There is NO entry fee! We're not looking to soak desperate artists -- only to discover new talent for a news story! (Someday that may change, so enter while it's free.)

FORMAT: DVD. We prefer NTSC but will accept PAL. Format will not affect judging. Winners may be required to submit a good quality, NTSC DVD prior to any public screening.

LANGUAGE: Films must be in English, or English subtitled, or with minimal dialogue such that it may be understood by an English language audience.

GENRE: Horror, broadly defined. Evil space aliens, the supernatural, psychos -- or even horror combined with comedy (Motel Hell, American Werewolf in London) are fine, provided a horror content remains.

DEADLINE: We must receive your entry by September 30, 2008.

ISN'T IT TOO EARLY TO ENTER? No! Some winning films were received nearly a year early. Others were received days before the deadline.

ISN'T IT TOO LATE TO ENTER? No! Films that are received after the deadline are considered for next year's contest.

WHERE TO SUBMIT: Please send DVDs to: Thomas M. Sipos, PO Box 1903, Santa Monica, CA 90406-1903. Films will not be returned, so don't send your only copy. There is no submission form.

Yes, we're on MySpace. Eventually, we'll probably be on Facebook too.

"Hollywood Investigator" and "HollywoodInvestigator.com" and "Tabloid Witch" and "Tabloid Witch Award" trademarks are currently unregistered, but pending registration upon need for protection against improper use. The idea of marketing these terms as a commodity is a protected idea under the Lanham Act. 15 U.S.C. s 1114(1) (1994) (defining a trademark infringement claim when the plaintiff has a registered mark); 15 U.S.C. s 1125(a) (1994) (defining an action for unfair competition in the context of trademark infringement when the plaintiff holds an unregistered mark).