Vampires, werewolves and ghouls, oh my!

From creature-features to slasher-thrillers, UCLA’s horror cinema club Shining Stars brings more than horror screenings to its members – it also offers a tight-knit, like-minded community. The club launched in 2024 and meets every Friday at 6 p.m. with a fresh screening of a horror movie. President and founder Colleen de Allaume said she came up with the idea to start the club based on her drive to find other fanatic horror fans at UCLA.

“The reason I started it was, if I’m having enough trouble finding the community of people to do this with as the person who is hosting, I imagine that other people are probably having the same problem,” de Allaume said.

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De Allaume, a third-year ecology, behavior and evolution student, said her goal in starting Shining Stars was to provide a space that catered to both new fans of the genre and die hard devotees. Shining Stars is a club that has no stakes – everyone is welcome, and the members get to explore participating in activities beyond film screenings, such as horror-punk, de Allaume said. She added that the inclusivity of the space offers its members a variety of ways they can experience events, with some regularly attending and others opting to pick and choose their experience.

Because of the collaborative environment in Shining Stars, the organization provides a space which allows for open film discussions and a welcoming environment, said Shea McAuliffe, a third-year psychology student. McAuliffe said she enjoys the consistent shared involvement in the horror activities, such as going to outside screenings as a group, especially as someone who transferred into UCLA.

“It’s a really easy and fun way to spend a Friday night. When you don’t know what to do, (you) can always rely on that 6 p.m. showing,” McAuliffe said. “I’ll go to the brain mapping center, and then I have a movie, and I can figure out what I want to do with the rest of my weekend from there. It’s fun. I look forward to it all week.”

De Allaume said she is drawn to the horror genre because it allows her to talk about scenarios that would otherwise be uncomfortable or hard to confront. Third-year mechanical engineering student Bryan Chun said he appreciates the way this access to new subgenres allows him to grow as a fan and connect to what makes horror thrilling for him – the surprise and suspense of watching something new. De Allaume added that the opportunity for the members to branch out in the horror genre is what makes the club what it is.

“It was always the intention that we would do things that were not just watching movies but that were horror adjacent, and luckily, I think we’ve gotten the opportunity to do that,” de Allaume said. “I’ve made a lot of friends through it.”

De Allaume said she hopes to continue making close relationships through the organization. The club has already received outside attention following its recent launch, she said, with talks of industry professionals being invited to speak about their experience in the genre. De Allaume added that she communicates with Shining Stars members through Discord, Instagram and a specially crafted blog to keep everyone up to date on what is coming up in the future, such as a “Saw” series marathon. She said she hopes to continue offering a space that people feel comfortable approaching, indulging in and discussing horror. With its growing popularity and its members’ welcoming nature, McAuliffe said Shining Stars is a great club to be a part of.

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“People will show up for a little while, and then they’ll go and they’ll come back. And it is genuinely always great to see everyone,” De Allaume said. “I always want more people to come, because the size of the club doesn’t really matter as much as wanting everyone to feel like it is a space for them to go to.”