CORVALLIS - At just under 17 minutes and 30 seconds, "Fishhead," a new horror film by local film Company 23 Chamber Dada, is a short film, but there is a lot going on.

In the film, mass industrialism sparks the gods to create, from toxic waste and nature, the Fishhead, who devastates the camping adventures of five innocent young adults.

Harrison White, the film's writer and director (who also portrays a detective in the film), is a graduate of Crescent Valley High School and attended Linn-Benton Community College and the University of Oregon. He drew on a wide variety of influences from classic horror formulas - think "don't go in there!" - to science-fiction in the vein of classic "Twilight Zone" episodes, as well as Japanese monster movies, Umpqua Indian legends and and the use of cut-out paper art techniques in the film.

"Fishhead" was shot in the small Oregon towns of Peel, Glide and Idlewylde and features a mostly local cast: Wendy Burns, Launa Davis, Jeremy Ford,Heidi Gould, Levi Chase Melendez, Jeff Oliver, Roy Raines, Luis Rivera, Jacob Rogers, Kyle Vatland, Alexander White and Harrison White.

There will be two Halloween night showings of the film, at 9 and 10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, at Darkside Cinema. Several other short films including a previous horror project of White's called "Necronomicon Nights" will also be shown. There is a suggested donation of $5 for the shows, but no one will be turned away and the audience is welcome to come for just one or two of the films.

Another Crescent Valley graduate, Jeff Oliver, stars in both films.

According to White, almost everyone in the movie shot the camera at least once during production and most also got a chance to portray the Fishhead. "We were very low-budget," he said.

The film was also shot entirely in black-and-white using natural lighting. Luckily, the murkiness of some of the scenes fits in well with the feel of the genre.

Information: e-mail fishhead

movie@gmail.com or see www.myspace.com/fishhead

movie. To see a trailer on youtube, see http://bit.ly/3LooQl.