For a long time, I was one of those people who wrote off horror films as cheap scares or excuses to get as gory as possible. But once you study what a good horror film can be, it becomes obvious the genre is especially suited to exploring outdated social norms and changes in the world.

That was one of the things that attracted Denver native Haylar Garcia to the genre, when he became interested in screenwriting and filmmaking after an initial interest in music.

“Horror films are wonderful for mimicking issues seen in our culture,” he said. “I love allegory, and so social horror films are really interesting to me as a filmmaker.”

Now Garcia’s third film, “Apartment 212” which was shot in the metro area and in his RiNo studio, is being released in 10 cities, on-demand, and is available on iTunes, Google Play, and other streaming services, after being acquired by Gracitas Ventures.

The movie was released at the Sie FilmCenter in Denver, 2510 E. Colfax Ave., as well as theaters in Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, Detroit and other major cities.

Produced by Unreal Media and Wrecking Ball Productions, in addition to Gravitas, the film stars Penelope Mitchell, Sally Kirkland and Kyle Gass, of Tenacious D fame. Mitchell stars as Jennifer, a small-town girl fleeing an abusive relationship and aiming for a new start in the city. But when she starts waking up with bites taken out of her, she has to confront the demons hot on her trail.

“The film deals with empowerment and overcoming abuse, but it’s also about the things that eat at all of us in our daily lives,” Garcia explained. “We all have things that scare us, things we need to face that take a lot out of us.”

The film has won several awards in the horror-film festival circuit, including Best Horror Feature Film at Los Angels’ Shriekfest.

As an Denver native, it’s important to Garcia that his films highlight the thriving arts scene in the metro area.

“There are so any great artists in the area that deserve a voice, and so many creative communities that deserve to be employed,” he said. “It just seems like the right thing to do to bring national talent here to be a part of it all.”

Springtime for Lone Tree Brewing

The Front Range is on the cusp of warmer weather, when greens start appearing amidst all the browns and yellows.

Which makes it the perfect time for Lone Tree Brewing Company, 8200 Park Meadows Drive, No. 8222 in Lone Tree, to announce its 2018 batch of Bière de Printemps. This is a spring seasonal that belongs to Lone Tree’s Branching Out Series of small-batch, specialty beers.

Bière de Printemps, a Bière de Mars, is a palate-awakening French-style spring ale fermented with French ale yeast that yields spicy aromas and subtle citrus notes. It is brewed with Noble Hops and a touch of soft winter wheat. The bright lemon notes from this beer’s yeast finish out the experience and open the senses to the aromatics of spring.

The drink was bottled for the first time in 2017, and is available on draft at Lone Tree’s tasting room and in bombers across Colorado while supplies last.

For more information, visit www.lonetreebrewingco.com.

This is the music you’re searching for

There are some movies that just wouldn’t be the same without the score to deepen the story and add some nuance to characters. And composer John Williams’ score to the “Star Wars” films is perhaps the quintessential example of the power of the two forms.

For me, the first film, “A New Hope,” will always be the best entry into the series, and it features some of Williams’ most iconic themes. Now fans of the movies, music or both can experience them in a new way.

The Colorado Symphony will be performing the score to “A New Hope” live while the film shows at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 22 at the 1st Bank Center, 11450 Broomfield Lane in Broomfield.

The performance is sure to leave you humming these classic tunes for the rest of the night. To get tickets, go to www.1stbankcenter.com.

God Save the Queens

The Hi-Dive is a great venue for seeing bands for a good cause, and audiences can expect a raucous good time with some of the most creative and dynamic punk bands in the area.

The third installment of God Save the Queens: Denver Queer Punk Night will be at 9 p.m. on Monday, March 26 at the Hi-Dive, 7 S. Broadway in Denver.

God Save the Queens is an evening for all genders and gender expressions, queer people and allies alike to come together and hear a variety of punk subgenres, from postpunk to protopunk, goth, deathrock, queercore, riot grrrl, electropunk and more.

There’s no cover for the show, but it is a 21 and older only event.

For more information, visit www.hi-dive.com.

Clarke’s Concert of the Week — A$AP Ferg at Ogden Theatre

When it comes to A$AP Mob, a rap collective from New York City, the name most people probably recognize is A$AP Rocky. As the de facto leader of the group, Rocky has recorded with pop stars like Selena Gomez and Maroon 5 and with rap mainstays like ScHoolboy Q, Drake and Kanye West.

But A$AP Ferg, another member of the group, has proven himself to be the breakout star, bringing a dark menace to even his most radio-friendly tracks. He’s already released two very good albums, and now he’s heading to Denver.

A$AP Ferg will be stopping by the Ogden Theatre, 935 E. Colfax Ave. in Denver, at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 28.

In addition to Ferg, audiences will be treated to performances from Denzel Curry and IDK, both off whom are making serious waves in the hip-hop community.

For tickets, visit www.ogdentheatre.com.

Clarke Reader’s column on culture appears on a weekly basis. A community editor with Colorado Community Media, he can be reached creader@coloradocommunitymedia.com.