A Killer Lineup: Eerie Horror Fest 2024

Eerie Horror Fest

In a streamlined, jam-packed, 65-event celebration of all things horror, the Eerie Horror Fest is planning a spooky time at the Warner Theatre. With film screenings, kids activities, Q & A panels, celebrity appearances, vendors, and more, get the Halloween season off to a scary start.

Beginning Friday, Oct. 4

The Eerie Horror Fest (EHF) is set to return this October, and this time, catching the whole thing just got a lot more possible. After listening to audience feedback, the regional film festival decided to consolidate their events and screenings into just two days. "Even though people love all the programming going on, it's tough to take that much time off of work" explained Margaret Dieudonne, EHF's executive director and 2024 40 Under 40 honoree.

That certainly isn't to say that there isn't a huge amount to see and do.

From Friday afternoon until late Saturday night, there are more than 65 different events and screenings to catch. Nine full-length films will be shown along with a whopping 42 short films.

FRIDAY, OCT. 4

Kicking off the fest will be My Life with the Living Dead, a documentary about the co-writer of Night of the Living Dead and the man directly responsible for inventing modern zombies as we know them, John A. Russo.

Following that will be Adjust Your Tracking, making its return to the Eerie Horror Fest after its 2013 debut. This brilliant love letter to the obscure underbelly of geek collector culture was made by Erie's own Dan Kinem and regional filmmaker Levi Peretic, and saw a limited edition 10-year anniversary Blu-Ray release last year.

Friday evening will also see a screening of the 1988 camp classic Killer Klowns from Outer Space. Prior to that, there will even be a Killer Klown costume contest, making for a colorful showing to be sure.

Late Friday night will be a presentation of Dracula: Prisoner of Frankenstein featuring an introduction by John Dickson and Will Morris, hosts of the ironically named Oscarbate podcast — just in time for their miniseries on the films of Spanish B-movie maestro Jesús Franco.

SATURDAY, OCT. 5

What's this? Saturday morning will see a screening of Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, a family-friendly centered event with trick-or-treating for the kids following the film.

Director Tyler Hall will introduce his new film Phantom Lights: UAPs of the Forest. The documentary explores the Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (the new term for UFOs) witnessed throughout Chestnut Ridge, just an hour south of Pittsburgh.

Following that will be a block of short films which garnered special awards from the fest. Wake, We Joined a Cult, A Prayer for My Father, SCRATCH, JUGGERNAUT, Les Bêtes, Floater, and The Red Stone each walked away with deserved distinction. "We are here to highlight independent filmmakers," Dieudonne detailed. "It does not matter the level that they're at, we want them to know that their film was incredible. It needs to be shown on an incredible stage such as the Warner Theater."

Special guest and director Rusty Cundieff will on hand for a Q&A about his 1995 movie Tales From the Hood. Cundieff will also be available for meet and greets on both days of the fest.

Capping things off will be a midnight screening of Lisa Frankenstein. The hit comedy-horror film was written by Diablo Cody and directed by Zelda Williams, and will tie in with an '80s themed party at Voodoo Brewery.

Dieudonne noted that one of this year's goals was "making the Horror Fest more accessible, bringing horror and multiple forms of media to Erie and the surrounding area." With a fully-packed schedule that won't require more than a half-day off work, the 2024 Eerie Horror Fest is thinking on its feet, something so many unfortunate victims on screen fail to do. Showcasing diverse viewpoints, time periods, and sub-genres, the fest hopes to illustrate the true breadth of the medium "showing people that horror is accessible, horror is human."

2:15 p.m. to 1:55 a.m. on Friday, 10:15 a.m. to 1:41 a.m. Saturday // Warner Theatre, 811 State St. // All Access Passes $45, Single Day and Saturday morning passes also available // For tickets and more information, go to eeriehorrorfest.com