Salem Horror Fest returns for its 8th edition from April 30-May 4, with a first wave lineup reveal promising genre delights across nine venues in the legendary spooky city of Salem, Massachusetts.
Kicking things of at the Peabody Essex Museum on Opening Night is a special screening of Hellbound: Hellraiser II with star Ashley Laurence in attendance, followed by a Q&A moderated by Rue Morgue‘s Andrea Subissati, and words from keynote speaker Professor Tananarive Due (The Reformatory, Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror).
Opening night also includes Local Mass Hysteria, a collection of shorts from filmmakers local to New England and Session 9, which was filmed just down the road from Salem at the historic Danvers State Hospital.
Other repertory screenings include the 40th anniversary restoration of Stuart Gordon's sci-fi classic Re-Animator, and Chain Reactions, Alexandre O. Philippe's documentary about The Texas Chain Saw Massacre with talking heads Patton Oswalt, Takashi Miike, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Stephen King, and Karyn Kusama.
As always, Salem Horror Fest will be hosting an eclectic selection of live events including The Faculty of Horror's live podcast along with a screening of Coralie Fargeat's The Substance, a live Girl, That’s Scary! recording with special guest Tananarive Due and Bloody Disgusting’s The Horror Show live recording and horror trivia party.
Read on for first wave features and shorts, and for more information, including ticketing and further lineup details, head over to Salem Horror Festival's official site.
Catch a Killer
directed by Teddy Grennan
When a horror movie buff gets kicked off the police force, he and his girlfriend hunt a serial killer copy-catting the murders from famous horror films.
Head Like a Hole
directed by Stefan MacDonald-Labelle
In financial dire straits, a man accepts a strange, high-paying job where he must take up residence in a home and measure a hole in the wall of the basement to determine whether or not it’s growing in size.
House of Ashes
directed by Izzy Lee
Grieving widow Mia must survive psychological and supernatural horrors while under house arrest.
Pater Noster and the Mission of Light
directed by Christopher Bickel
Max, a young record store clerk, stumbles upon a rare vinyl LP and is drawn into the world of a 1970s hippie commune. An invitation to the remnants of the cult and its unholy spawn leads to grave circumstances for Max and her friends.
So Fades the Light
directed by Get Super Rad
Sun was worshiped as a child by a cult. 15 years later, Sun lives on the road hiding from her past. Tormented by memories, she travels back to the compound, unaware that the cult’s former leader is on his way back home.
The Dæmon
directed by David Yohe & Matt Devino
Haunted by his father’s suicide, Tom abandons his wife and seeks refuge at the lakeside cottage where he met his tragic end. Unaware of the sinister malevolence seeping from the lake, Tom becomes a willing vessel for the same evil that claimed his parents and now threatens all who dare draw near.
The Rebrand
directed by Kaye Adelaide
Nicole, an eight months-pregnant bisexual videographer, is hired by a lesbian lifestyle influencer couple to film a redemption documentary after they’ve been publicly cancelled, but Nicole quickly discovers that the couple have nefarious ulterior motives.
Local Mass Hysteria Shorts
Forever War
Shana Figueroa
Humanzee
Taro O'Halloran
Bill Came Back
Kenneth Lawrence
Day Dreams
Michael Perik, Olivia White
Indicator
Vinnie Pagano
Katie’s Skin
Steven Schloss
Mordrake
Erika Rodgers
Paper Dolls
Zoe Katzen
The Guest on Topsfield Road
Luke St. Germaine
The Halloween Party
Erica Stockwell-Alpert
Shorts
A Drive at Dawn
Joe D'Ovidio
Be Bad
Lauren Hart
Bedlamer
Alexa Jane Jerrett
Bloody Mary
Drew Underwood
Bush
Emma Mazurek
Cruelty
Sam Das
Doppelgänger
Brian Mitchell, Ian Start
Feedback
Xavier Coleman
Find You Here
Jo Smyth
Frankenbabes From Beyond The Grave!
Andrew Bowser
Full Moon Glory Hole
Thom Newell
Gaslighter
Virginia Powers Hendry
Her House
Will Lee
How to Stay Awake
Vanessa Magic
If Martin Clunes Wore Lip Gloss
Amy McLeish
It Draws Closer
Joshua David Matthews
Izzy
Yfke van Berckelaer
Les Bêtes
Michael Granberry
My Child
Deniz Akyurek
Nervous Ellie
David Yorke
Out of Body
Joseph Le
Pocket Princess
Olivia Loccisano
Poppy's Saturn
Nicole Tegelaar
Pumpkin Guts
Bryan M. Ferguson
Safe
David Yorke
Scrumptious
Paul Jacob Presley
Sweaty Larry
Vanessa Ionta Wright
The Last Thing She Saw
Anthony Cousins, Rebecca Daugherty
The Night Side
Sophie Whipple
The Seance
Hunter Burns, Jordan Spalding
Turn It Off
Senda Maud Bonnet
Unravelling
Aimie Willemse
VHX
Alisa Stern, Scott Ampleford
Wake
Sean Carter
