Three generations of vampires must survive in a changing ecological and economic landscape in "Love Immortal," the first scheduled film at the fourth annual Desmond District Demons Friday.

The movie was shot throughout Michigan, using locations in Holly, downtown Detroit and the Port Huron waterfront. The story is composed of three vignettes across three periods of time, beginning in 1789 and running through modern day and into the near future.

"At its core, it's a warning about our environmental and economic surroundings," "Love Immortal" director Robert Butler said. "I do it in a very even-handed way that's not preachy or didactic."

The annual event is adding an art show to this year's lineup of independent horror films.

Desmond District Demons kicks off on Friday, with the art show at Tio Gordos starting at 5 p.m. and "Love Immortal" starting at 7 p.m. at Sperry's Moviehouse. This year's selections include from Michigan-made films like "Love Immortal" and filmmakers from around the United States and abroad.

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Art show

The art show has work from seven different artists. It runs from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, and 1 to 9 p.m. Saturday, said the show's organizer, Nicholas Farley.

Much of the work runs along a dark theme to mirror the horror festival. Works on display will be for sale. Farley said it's a good opportunity to support local artists and maybe take home something nice.

"Mostly a laid back, go enjoy yourself kind of vibe," Farley said.

Profiling the area

Tyler Moldovan, one of the film festival's organizers, said this year's event seeks to showcase the Blue Water Area as a destination for film production.

"I think people in Port Huron or the Blue Water Area take for granted what a beautiful locale we have for film making or just creative process here," Moldovan said.

The format of the showings also seeks to profile the area. Last year, the festival was divided into blocks by topics like "Killers and Gore" and "Monsters and More." This year, each block has a mix of themes, but are named for haunted or otherwise spooky landmarks in the area, such as Morrow Road, Beards Hills and Fort Gratiot Lighthouse.

Moldovan said he wanted the festival to be more friendly to the filmmakers themselves, offering them opportunities to network with each other, and promoting returning contributors to the festival.

"We wanted to do little profiles to kind of raise them up as filmmakers and let them tell their story to our audience here in Michigan," Moldovan said.

An emphasis on storytelling

Jackson, Mississippi-based filmmaker Chris Moore is one of the artists being profiled and is returning to the festival for the third time. His face is depicted on a promotional card for the festival, with horns drawn protruding from his head.

His film, "A Stranger Among the Living" tells the story of a teacher who survives a school shooting, but is then haunted by ghostly figures.

Moore said the film deals with the stress and pressure in modern culture from events of mass violence.

"This violence and stuff that's not showing any sign of stopping soon," he said.

"I kinda hope it makes (the audience) think about their own mortality."

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"A Stranger Among the Living" had a small preview in Mississippi mostly for cast, crew and their friends and family. Moore said Desmond District Demons will be the first venue to go before a truly public audience.

Moore said he's come back to the festival each year in part due to the organizers' emphasis on storytelling, and appreciates the love he's been shown over the years.

"They're not obsessed with big name stars and really high budgets and stuff like that," Moore said. "They're strictly about stories, which I think is really refreshing."

"Sometimes with certain festivals, you feel like 'oh, the only way I'm going to get in is if I cast this big name star, or if I made it for $5 million."

Anyone interested can visit desmonddistrictdemons.com for a schedule and other details. Tickets are $15 per showing and can be purchased at sperrysmoviehouse.com or at the door if available.