2023
EERIE HORROR FEST ANNOUNCES FIRST WAVE OF FILMS AND PITCH COMPETITION FINALISTS
The Eerie Horror Fest is excited to announce their First Wave of Official Film Selections as well as the Pitch Competition Finalists.
“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.
About Eerie Horror Fest
The Eerie Horror Fest includes four days of selected short and feature-length films, celebrity meet-and-greets, cast and crew Q&As, panel discussions, a vendor hall, and receptions, all in the beautiful historic Warner Theatre in Erie, Pennsylvania. Our mission is to host trailblazing films and trendsetting filmmakers, provide opportunities to develop knowledge, skills, and relationships, and inspire all generations of fans and creatives.
Recent guests include John Adams and Toby Poser of Wonder Wheel Productions (Hellbender, The Deeper You Dig), Michael Biehn (Aliens, Terminator), David Naughton (An American Werewolf in London), Carter Smith (The Ruins, Swallowed, Bugcrush) Mark Patton (A Nightmare on Elm Street Part II, Swallowed, Scream, Queen!) Courtney Gains (Children of the Corn, The ‘Burbs) John Franklin (Children of the Corn, The Addams Family) John Philbin (Children of the Corn, Return of the Living Dead), and Fritz Kiersch (Children of the Corn, Tuff Turf).
The Eerie Horror Fest is presented by the Film Society of Northwestern Pennsylvania, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. For more information and to sign up for the EHF monthly newsletter, please visit eeriehorrorfest.com.
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Contact
John C. Lyons | Festival Director | info@eeriehorrorfest.com | (814) 636-1029