Sean Parker
Salem Horror Fest isn’t your typical Film Festival. Festival director Kay Lynch starts planning next year’s event almost as soon as the curtain falls on the prior year’s festival, jam-packing the next two consecutive weekends with nightmarish exploits galore! It’s almost enough to make a horror hound’s head explode. This year’s festival sees the most ambitious activities in the festival’s history as Salem Horror Fest takes over the city. With book talks, a five-star dinner at a notorious movie location, listening and dance parties with horror royalty, multiple live podcasts, a George Romero retrospective that invades a Boston cinema, plus an incredible lineup of horror films, secret screenings, happy hours, and a Sanderson Sister’s return to Salem.
This year, the festivities will be all around Witch City. The Peabody Essex Museum, a staple festival location for years, will host most of Salem Horror Fest’s events. Films will also play inside the uniquely Salem retailer Die With Your Boots On, restaurant Hallowed Ground, and the Salem Access Television studio. Don’t fret too much if your screenings are in different locations; the entire radius of the events is within about a half mile.
Lynch is not only spreading the love throughout the city of Salem but also into the historic Coolidge Corner Theater in Brookline, partnering with the newly renovated Coolidge for four screenings of zombie classics from the master of undead cinema himself, George A. Romero. Weekend one brings Night and Dawn of the Dead to the Coolidge, while weekend two continues with Day and Land of the Dead. And that’s not all. Salem Horror Fest will also host the premiere screening of Brandon Salisbury’s documentary George A. Romero’s Resident Evil, which chronicles the beloved director’s visionary hopes of bringing an adaption of the hit video game franchise to the silver screen and unveiling the truths about why it was never made.
Salisbury’s documentary will no doubt be one of the hottest Salem Horror Fest screenings for anyone who loves Romero, the Resident Evil games, or both, and you won’t have to move some statues, collect some artifacts, and do other puzzles while a burly Nemesis chases you through the Peabody Essex Museum. Still, it’s an ominous location for Salisbury’s work to be displayed during Weekend One.
Speaking of Weekend One, what would Salem Horror Fest be without its opening night ceremony? Kicking things off on Thursday, April 25, author Alexandra West (Gore-Geous: Personal Essays on Beauty and Horror) will deliver the keynote address, which will be followed by remarks from Suzanne Romero-Desrocher from the George A. Romero Foundation, Linnea Quigley (Return of the Living Dead, Night of the Demons), and Kay Lynch. A drag performance by Miz Diamond will then introduce the night’s main event, as an iconic witch graces Salem Horror Fest with her presence.
Coming to Salem as if a virgin lit the black-flame candle is Kathy Najimy, a.k.a. Mary Sanderson in the Hocus Pocus films. Najimy will partake in a moderated discussion with Rue Morgue’s editor, Andrea Subissati, at the PEM on April 25, followed by a screening of Hocus Pocus. VIP ticket holders will also have the luxury of priority seating for the event, partaking in a meet and greet with the actress, having their picture professionally taken, and receiving a signed item from Najimy.
Friday is stuffed-to-the-gills, like the aquatic horror lounge provided to the festival by Hallowed Ground. Relax in the beachside vibe of Hallowed Ground’s signature cocktails while they present a marathon of terror featuring horrors from the deep. Hallowed Ground presents multiple nights of curated features throughout Salem Horror Fest and pairs delicious one-of-a-kind beverages to accompany the on-screen entertainment. On April 27, hang with Linnea Quigley for Coed Killers night. Then, on weekend two, come back for a body horror marathon (Flesh n’ Bone) on May 3 and Beauty Queens night on May 4. Admission is free and the festivities run from 5:00 PM to 12:30 AM each night.
If you love Linnea Quigley as much as I do (and you should!), then you’ll really want to make it to two unforgettable events happening on April 26. Quigley will host a listening party at Residency Records of The Return of the Living Dead soundtrack LP and Terror Vision’s recent release of the Horror Workout LP at 6:30. On weekend two, Residency Records will be spinning John Carpenter’s latest release, Lost Themes: Noir.
After spinning some ’80s slasher hits, Quigley will celebrate her filmography at Asian Fusion bar Koto for an off-the-wall dance party helmed by Corrosion Boston’s DJ Brian L. Koto will also be host to multiple parties throughout the festival Goth Night, an 80’s Prom, Horror Trivia night, and a weekend two dance party with DJ Brian L featuring post-punk band Low Lives and a vampire aesthetic. People are encouraged to dress up for these events, so show off your best prom attire and dance, dance, dance until you die!
Saturday sees an explosion of events! Happy Hour at Notch Brewery, Meetups at arcade BitBar, Horror Book Talks at Die With Your Boots On, and a dinner invitation unlike any other at the Heidi Hawthorne House. If you’re a fan of Rob Zombie’s Lords of Salem, you’ll want to RSVP immediately to The Lords’ Dinner. Set in the location of Zombie’s film, guests will be served a to-die-for five-course meal and watch the movie with the director’s commentary. Catered by Brody Bellamy with Wine provided by Rodney Strong Winery, the Heidi Hawthorne House and Salem Horror Fest have created a unique experience drenched in atmosphere and exquisite cuisine. Seating is extremely limited for this event, and tickets must be purchased specifically for the event to attend, so get these while they last.
Hopefully, with all these spectacular events going on, you haven’t forgotten a horror movie festival is happening. I’ll begin with two recommendations to get you started.
If you’ve followed me in the last few years, you know I’m a massive fan of Michelle Iannantuono. She’s the brilliant entrepreneurial mind behind Octopunk Media and a rockstar on her Twitch live streams, where it’s easy to see why she’s amassed such a passionate fanbase. Iannantuono constantly delivers fresh entertainment and has, in the past, had her actors participate in pigeon dating simulator games and other riotously amusing games. Yet, her ferocious talent behind the camera keeps people coming back for more. She caught my attention four years ago when I stumbled upon Livescream, and being a lover of video-game horror, I took a chance. When she contacted me with news of a sequel, I was all ears.
Livescreamers may be a sequel, but you don’t need to see the first to enjoy it. You absolutely should, regardless. Like its sequel, it’s spectacular, and those who have seen it will be treated to a few callbacks. Livescreamers strikes a dissonant chord about the current state of gamer culture, rattling streamers through the world of a killer supernatural game, which Iannantuono also designed for the film, and bringing a deadly reckoning to those with hidden secrets playing it. I may have a slight bias being a co-producer of the film, but when I say you won’t want to miss this one, I absolutely mean it. But you don’t have to believe me. The movie has been leaving a trail of festival wins in its wake, winning the Jury award for Best Feature Film at Nevermore and Best Screenplay and Best Ensemble at Genreblast.
The other film I submit for your viewing pleasure is Weekend II’s Black Lake: Director’s Cut. Director, writer, and star K/XI first unleashed this glorious beast of a film during 2020’s Salem Horror Fest. This fantastic allegorical metamorphosis story about discovering a horrifying injustice and being forever changed stirred 2020 audiences, but something about the film felt incomplete to the director. After finishing cutting together her first film, Maya, which played at Salem Horror Fest last year, K/XI decided to revisit her sophomore film and provide it with pieces she felt added to the experience. If you thought you had seen Black Lake before, I can promise you that K/XI’s Director’s Cut will feel very new. The film remains a poised work of art, retaining raw, emotional depictions of tenderness and furious anger Black Lake always contained, now with new scenes that reinvigorate the contextual focus of the film’s narrative.
Iannantuono and K/XI will both be in attendance at Salem Horror Fest, and you will definitely want to meet these exceptionally talented female filmmakers, even if only to say, “I knew them when.” They are both destined for great success. You can also check out the podcast episodes JP Nunez and I did with Michelle Iannantuono and K/XI last year to get you hyped for their movies in the coming weeks.
As far as other titles in Salem Horror Fest’s menagerie of the macabre go, I am excited to see Alice Maio Mackay’s latest, Carnage for Christmas. The progressively transgressive Australian filmmaker has been hard at work the last few years pumping out queer horror hits like So Vam and the politically charged T-Blockers. Here, she sets her sights on Christmas as a recently transitioned true-crime podcaster returns to her haunted hometown and suffers the wrath of a vengeful spirit. Mackay always seems to deliver on the guts, gore, and social allegories, and given the Dickensian Carol she’s creating, I can only imagine it will be nothing short of memorable.
Editing Carnage for Christmas is none other than the notorious Vera Drew, whose closing night film, The People’s Joker, made headlines in 2022 when it was pulled from the Toronto International Film Festival at the last minute. The film, a queer parody of Todd Phillips’ The Joker, based on the DC Comics character, was receiving great press until a “rights issue” was brought into focus. Well, the air surrounding the matter has finally been cleared, and the lush visual style of Drew’s gender identity opera can finally be seen. Richard Brody of The New Yorker says it’s “the best superhero movie I’ve ever seen” and “has all the wild humor and transgressive freedom of John Waters’s films.”
Jill Gevargizian, the immensely creative director of The Stylist, invites you to behold her latest film, Ghost Game. If you saw the Helen Hunt-led 2019 home invasion flick I See You, the plot is a little on the same end, only with an internet challenge proposing players squat alongside the inhabitants, moving items around the house and causing them to think they’re going insane. Gevargizian’s film ups the ante by taking the game to a family living in a haunted house, where unexpected incidents keep things extra tense. Gevargizian’s Stylist was so good I have nothing but high hopes for Ghost Game. The fact that Gevargizian and actor Michael C. Williams won the Audience Awards for Best Director and Best Actor at Panic Fest for the film only creates more hype.
If you’re looking for more films inspired by internet challenges, Sweet Relief may be another film you want to take in. Nick Verdi’s ambitious suburban panic thriller features an online game where the player nominates somebody they’d like to see dead, but is it supernatural forces, or could a police informant who also happens to be a vicious child murderer be the culprit? Jess (Alisa Leigh) will face it head-on when she finds herself in a deadly situation involving the killer.
Woman of the Photographs director Takeshi Kushida prepares My Mother’s Eyes for the viewer’s visual consumption. This time around, he’s bringing the horror into focus via a different lens, futuristic contacts to be precise. Mother and daughter cellists are psychologically bonded through the use of this advanced technology, allowing them to share a single ocular experience after a horrible traffic accident leaves one blind and the other paralyzed. However, the result of their newfound reality transcends their physical and mental limitations and may cause them both to lose their sanity. Kushida’s film looks like it will be both gripping and gory, making it one you’ll undoubtedly want to see with your own eyes.
Salem Horror Fest is always stuffed with interesting features. Based on the images on the website alone, I know I’ll be pulled into It’s Not Paint, The Vizitant, and Sins of the Father. There are so many that I can’t mention everything. I implore you to check out the whole lineup, including some incredible shorts, including Face Crusher director Luke St. Germaine’s The Devil on Derby Street, Ramon Menon’s award-winning My Scary Indian Wedding, and Dima Barch’s wild The Power of the Strike which will make you see how deadly a bowling alley can be when the lights go out.
No matter what kind of horror fan you are, Salem Horror Fest always has something for everybody, and this year, there are so many options that allow you to choose your own adventure. I will be at Salem Horror Fest both weekends, and I can’t wait to see all of the films and discuss them here on the site and with people at the festival. I hope to see you there.
