“This year the Eerie Horror Fest received submissions from 25 different countries,” says Festival Director John C. Lyons. “Every film submission was watched by at least 4 members of our programming team and we broke our own rules to select 6 Pitch Competition finalists. We were blown away by the amount of talent out there. The horror genre is truly alive and well!” 

The Eerie Horror Fest takes place at the historic Warner Theatre in downtown Erie, Pennsylvania October 4-7, 2023. For tickets and more information, go to www.eeriehorrorfest.com.

First Wave Film Selections

he following films will be screened in competition at the Eerie Horror Fest. Screening schedules and additional films will be announced in the coming days. 

Each selected feature film will receive hotel accommodations at our partner, Red Roof Inn PLUS & Suites, for the duration of the festival. Films are also eligible for awards including $1,000 prize for Best of the Fest and “Skullie” awards designed by “Monster” Mark Kosobucki for Best Feature, Best Short, and New Blood which is awarded to a first-time Feature or Short Filmmaker. 

Demon Box – 14 minutes – Canada – Sean Wainsteim

After festival rejections, a director revises his intensely personal short film about trauma, suicide, and the Holocaust, and transforms it into a painful, blunt and funny dissection of the film and his life. Ten years in the making. *Please be advised that this film deals with themes of trauma and suicide.

English Tutor – 10 minutes – Republic of Korea – Jaho Koo

A Korean university student takes on an unusual tutoring job and encounters a young child who refuses to write in English. As the tutor attempts to get to the root of the child’s reluctance, she uncovers a shocking revelation about the child and her mother. *First time filmmaker.

Match – 8 minutes – Spain – Victor Basallote
Rachel, a bored and insomniac young woman, contacts Zalir through a dating app, a creature who will do the impossible to make their paths cross, forever…

Mother Nocturna – 100 minutes – Italy – Daniele Campea
Agnese is a wolf biologist who gets back to her family after a long hospitalization in a mental institution. Her daughter Arianna is an introverted teenager who lives for dancing and has a problematic relationship with her mother. Her husband, Riccardo, is a doctor who tries to hold the pieces of a family about to collapse. The moon has an occult power over Agnese, whose mind begins to disrupt and her body transforms, while the visions of the “God of the Woods” intrude on reality. As Riccardo gets seriously ill due to the pandemic, mother and daughter will find themselves alone to deal with the ghosts from the past, locked in a house surrounded by woods, where nightmares take over, and obscure presences become evermore disturbing.

Sætnere – 8 minutes – Pittsburgh, United States – Jeremy Parsons
Set in 1888, a traveling vampire seeks lodging with an unsuspecting rural family. The family has other intentions.

Treeline – 12 minutes – United Kingdom – Freddie Bonfanti
11-year-old Neil ventures into local woods to find his missing brother Vincent, only to discover a truth that challenges the community’s accusations against their father. *First time filmmaker.

We Forgot About the Zombies – 4 minutes – United States – Chris McInroy
Two dudes think they found the cure for zombie bites.

Pitch Competition Finalists

Each project listed will be pitched, live and in-person, to our panel of industry professional judges by the screenwriter(s) on Thursday, October 5th at 5:00 PM in the Warner Theatre’s 2nd Floor Lounge. Festival attendees are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Each Pitch Competition Finalist will receive hotel accommodations at our partner, Red Roof Inn PLUS & Suites, for the duration of the festival. The winning project will receive a consulting package from Blood Oath and a “Skullie” award designed by “Monster” Mark Kosobucki.

Arkham: The Thing on the Doorstep – Bradley & Christopher Thompson

Photojournalist Natalie Rice begins a new life in the strange city of Arkham, where the denizens hide many dark secrets. One of those citizens, Randolph Carter, also begins a journey of self-discovery while battling an addiction to a mysterious drug. Throughout their journeys they meet several strange characters, such as a body stealing magician, a mystical sailor, a dark religious order that attempts to manipulate their lives from the shadows, a lawyer that is plotting his own coup, a handyman that knows more than he lets on, and many creatures. Will these two people find their way each other and overcome the powers against them?

Beyond A Goodbye – Jacob Perrett & Taylor Rhoades

Following the suicide of her father, Natalie is unable to walk the aisle without him. In an effort to gain closure, she visits “The Limbo Room,” a place where the living can meet with the dead. Natalie spirals when she encounters a stranger claiming to be her true deceased biological father.

Look Twice – William Davis & Kyle WIlson
A night surveillance security guard spots a trespasser on the property, then regrets grabbing their attention once he realizes the intruder is paranormal.

Oread – Lee Copeland

A group of friends takes a trip to the mountains to reconnect and have some fun only to cross into the realm of myth, madness, and horror.

Queen of the Night – Lauren Pruitt

An introverted young woman in NYC attempts to sabotage her love interest’s current relationship as she discovers a newfound thirst for blood.

The Tale of Nick Stalker – Katie Nixon
A young woman named Lilah moves to Azaela Valley to start a new life as a lawyer. However, she quickly becomes entangled in an affair with her boss, who starts to exhibit some alarming behavior. After breaking things off with him, Lilah finds herself trapped in a new, nightmarish reality.

The post EERIE HORROR FEST ANNOUNCES FIRST WAVE OF FILMS AND PITCH COMPETITION FINALISTS appeared first on EERIE HORROR FEST.

“Mark Pellington creates stories and images that haunt the viewer,” says Festival Director John C. Lyons. “I’ve been a fan since I first saw his video for Pearl Jam’s ‘Jeremy’. ‘The Mothman Prophecies’ is one of those rare films that holds up over the years because of his grounded, emotional approach to the material. I can’t be more thrilled for him to screen it with us after all these years.”

About Mark Pellington

Mark Pellington worked at pioneering video channel MTV from 1984–1990, directing music videos for U2, Malcolm McLaren, Crystal Waters, De la Soul, PM Dawn, and Pearl Jam. His video for Pearl Jam’s “Jeremy” won four MTV awards in 1993, including Best Director and Video of the Year. In total, Pellington has created over 100 iconic music videos and worked with a wide variety of beloved musical artists including R.E.M., Bruce Springsteen, Alice In Chains, Demi Lovato, Foo Fighters, Nine Inch Nails, Cage the Elephant, Jon Bon Jovi, Linkin Park, The Fray, Dave Matthews, Michael Jackson, Public Enemy, Moby, The Flaming Lips, and many more.

Pellington began directing feature films including Going All the Way (1997) starring Ben Affleck and Rachel Weisz, as well as Arlington Road (1999) starring Tim Robbins and Jeff Bridges, leading to The Mothman Prophecies (2002) starring Richard Gere. Pellington also directed the landmark mini-series The United States of Poetry for PBS in 1995, which won the INPUT (International Public Television) Award, and AIDS awareness doc film Red Hot and Dance (1992) in addition to creating the look of pilots for hit network TV, directing and producing shows such as Blindspot (2015), Red Widow (2014), The Enemy Within (2018), and Cold Case (2003-2009).

Find Mark Pellington’s press photo here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1phgrLOAKL6_oDpKSk3SgLO_ddu-L6G1F/view?usp=sharing

The post EERIE HORROR FEST ANNOUNCES FILMMAKER MARK PELLINGTON AND SPECIAL SCREENING OF THE MOTHMAN PROPHECIES appeared first on EERIE HORROR FEST.

“In his 40+ year career, Claudio Simonetti remains one of horror’s greatest composers and performers,” says John C. Lyons, Festival Director. “We’re elated to welcome him to the Eerie Horror Fest. Experiencing his extensive catalog accompanied by visuals from the films and the historic Warner Theatre backdrop are guaranteed to be a night long remembered.”

About Claudio Simonetti

In addition to creating iconic music for the films mentioned above, fans will most likely recognize Simonetti for his many collaborations with acclaimed giallo director Dario Argento. The duo has collaborated 10 times with an 11^th film currently in the works. Simonetti is also known for leading Daemonia, a heavy metal band formed in 1999 with the purpose of updating Goblin classics in addition to releasing original material.

This is the first time Simonetti will be performing in Erie; the concert will close an exciting week for the festival, featuring a Night of the Living Dead screening with a live score performed by NYC-based rock band Morricone Youth, a 50th anniversary screening of The Crazies with live commentary from members of the George A. Romero Foundation, a celebrity appearance by Jenna Davis of M3GAN, and more.

The post Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin to Take the Stage at Eerie Horror Fest; Tickets Now On Sale appeared first on EERIE HORROR FEST.

Films and Pitch materials can be submitted until the late deadline July 31, 2023 via FilmFreeway.com/EerieHorrorFest, the international standard for accredited film festivals.

CATEGORIES & EARLYBIRD SUBMISSION FEES

Narrative Feature Film: $30

Narrative Short Film: $15

Narrative Pitch Competition: $75

Documentary Feature Film: $30

Documentary Short Film: $15

Each selected feature film and pitch competition project will receive hotel accommodations for the duration of the festival (1 free room per film/project). Pitch Competition finalists must attend, in person, to present their project to our industry panel of judges. 

Films that spend 60% or more of their budget in Erie and/or Crawford Counties in Northwestern Pennsylvania are eligible to receive a fee waiver. Projects must be registered with the Greater Erie Film Office prior to submission to receive the waiver code. Contact us for details.

TIMELINE

Earlybird Deadline: March 31

Regular Deadline: June 30

Late Deadline: July 31

Notification Date: September 4

Event Date: October 4-7

AWARDS AND PRIZES

Each selected feature film and pitch competition project will receive hotel accommodations for the duration of the festival (1 free room per film/project).

BEST OF THE FEST – $1,000 cash awarded to best Feature or Short Narrative or Documentary film. Plus a “Skullie” award designed by “Monster” Mark Kosobucki.

PITCH COMPETITION WINNER – Consulting package from Blood Oath*: 2 sessions/1 hour each to discuss the project and give development notes with the possibility of becoming a Blood Oath project. Plus a “Skullie” award designed by “Monster” Mark Kosobucki.

NEW BLOOD – Awarded to a First-time Feature or Short film director(s) – “Skullie” award designed by “Monster” Mark Kosobucki.

BEST FEATURE and BEST SHORT – “Skullie” award designed by “Monster” Mark Kosobucki.

* Blood Oath is a curated group of like-minded, passionate experts in independent film, with an emphasis on genre filmmaking. For more information: https://www.jointhebloodoath.com

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