Will set a  Halloween tone Oct. 29 at Nicolet College

A collection of short films packed with suspense and horror will fill the screen in the Nicolet College Theatre when the Scare Your Shorts Off showing takes place Thursday, Oct. 29. The free event starts at 7:30 p.m.

“It’s the perfect lead-up going into Halloween,” said Steven Schreier, who curated the films along with fellow film buff Tom Jerow.

The two pored through more than 60 scary short films and selected the best eight, each lasting from about one to 13 minutes.

“We looked for variety to show people a wide range of filmmaking techniques and processes,” Jerow said. “The styles range from noir to animation to a few foreign films and even parody.”

While a solid fright factor was a requirement for all the films selected, “we drew the line on the ones that were too graphic or too violent,” Schreier added. “If there’s a single theme for all of the films, I think the word to use would be suspenseful.”

So why did they pick short films? Why not go for a good full-length feature or two?

“Short films are a genre that most people just don’t see anymore,” Schreier explained. “It’s almost a forgotten art form that people don’t get to see unless they seek them out. We thought it would be fun to put together a collection so people can experience just how fun and entertaining short films can be.”

During the evening the two long-time film aficionados will give brief introductions of each film and then lead a discussion with the audience at the end to talk about what they had just seen.

While costumes are not required to attend this free event, “we do strongly encourage people to dress up in their Halloween finest to help set the tone,” Schreier said, adding that prizes will be awarded to those with the best costumes.