The night before the big Fangoria Trinity of Terrors horror extravaganza was set to start, a more modest horror-film event unfolded in the back room of the Griffin bar Downtown to an intimate but engaged audience. The Blacklist Art & Film Festival featured nine short horror films, plus a display of some creepy art, and the quality on display certainly deserved more than the fairly meager audience of about 15 who showed up for the 10:30 p.m. film screening (which actually started a little after 11).

Event organizer Jeff Speed, who’s put on four Blacklist festivals in Lake Tahoe and one in San Diego to much larger crowds (around 400 at a showroom in Tahoe’s MontBleu casino, according to Speed), seemed a little disappointed at the turnout, and at the futile efforts to recruit bar patrons to attend. Still, once things got going, it was an especially strong program of shorts, including one from Speed himself (the stylishly gruesome Stink Meat). Other highlights included Spider from Nash Edgerton, whose superb noir feature The Square played CineVegas this year, and the very funny Treevenge, about killer Christmas trees.

The films had already shown to a similarly small audience at 7 p.m., and another showing was scheduled for around midnight (or a little later). Even with a more crowded bar, the Griffin would still be just the wrong venue for this event. The audience in Vegas for underground cinema may be small (smaller even than in Tahoe, apparently), but it’s dedicated, if you know how to reach it. One patron was so excited about attending that she promised to watch the whole program twice. More of those people could make the next Blacklist event, hopefully at a more suitable location, the success it deserves to be.

The Blacklist Festival screens again October 30 at 7 and 9 p.m.