Salem Horror Film Festival returns for its eighth edition from April 30 to May 4, with today bringing a full lineup reveal in addition to the previously announced Opening Night special screening of Hellbound: Hellraiser II with star Ashley Laurence in attendance.
Newly added repertory screenings include a 20th anniversary screening of Neil Marshall's The Descent (with the UK ending – not the American one!), the infamous Troll 2 followed by The Horror Show live podcast presented by Bloody Disgusting, The Girl With All The Gifts with Girl, That's Scary! live podcast recording with Professor Tananarive Due, pro-choice anthology film Give Me An A, with fundraising for Yellowhammer Fund and National Network of Abortion Funds, and Coralie Fargeat's outrageous body horror The Substance as part of the Faculty of Horror live podcast with Andrea Subissati and Alexandra West.
Previously announced 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.
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.
That's not even close to everything – this year's Salem Horror Fest boasts a ton of vendors, shorts blocks, trivia and even a dance party with scream queen Linnea Quigley in attendance.
Read on for the new features added to the lineup and for more details and ticket info head over to Salem Horror Festival's official site.
The Rebrand
Jury Award – Feature
Kaye Adelaide | Canada • English
Feature • Official Selection | 1 hr 19 min
Fri May 2 8:30 PM | Die With Your Boots On
Encore screening Sun May 4 2:00 | Hallowed Ground
East Coast Premiere
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.
Pater Noster and the Mission of Light
Christopher Bickel | US • English
Feature • Official Selection | 1 hr 37 min
Fri May 2 10:30 PM | Die With Your Boots On
New England Premiere
Max, a record store clerk, finds her “holy grail” album in a thrift store and that leads her to the 1970s commune who released the record. A journey to the aging cult's compound results in a harrowing, grisly experience for Max and her friends.
So Fades the Light
Get Super Rad | US • English
Feature • Official Selection | 1 hr 20 min
Sat May 3 2:30 PM | Hallowed Ground
Sun was worshiped as a child by a right-wing gun cult that the US government violently destroyed. Fifteen years later, Sun lives on the road hiding from her past. Tormented by terrible memories, she is driven to travel back to the cult compound to finally close that chapter of her life.
Head Like A Hole
Stefan MacDonald-Labelle | Canada • English
Feature • Official Selection | 1 hr 32 min
Sat May 3 4:30 PM | Hallowed Ground
In dire financial 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
Izzy Lee | US • English
Feature • Official Selection | 1 hr 34 min
Sat May 3 4:30 PM | Salem Access TV
New England Premiere
Grieving widow Mia must survive psychological and supernatural horrors while under house arrest.
The Dæmon
David Yohe, Matt Devino | US • English
Feature • Official Selection | 1 hr 28 min
Sat May 3 8:30 PM | Die With Your Boots On
New England Premiere
Haunted by the aftermath of his father's suicide, Tom abandons his wife and seeks refuge at the lakeside cottage where his father met his tragic end. There, his tormented memories from childhood resurface, all intricately connected to an ancient, mystifying force lurking beneath the lake's depths, driving Tom inexorably towards madness.
Catch a Killer
Teddy Grennan | US • English
Feature • Official Selection | 1 hr 18 min
Sat May 3 10:30 PM | Die With Your Boots On
After Otto is prevented from being the city’s youngest detective, he becomes a bioremediation specialist cleaning up after a serial killer. With an uncanny knowledge of horror films and his natural born instincts, Otto and his girlfriend Lex crack the code to where the killer is going to strike next… now they just gotta catch him.
