Watching weird indie horror movies at home on Tubi can be a bunch of fun. So can going to the local multiplex to see the latest scary Hollywood blockbuster with other shrieking fans.
Horror sinema festivals offer the best of both worlds, with twists. The programming is heavy on premieres and small-budget indies, and the more ambitious festivals host events like costume contests and offer themed food and drinks to keep the party going. Some of the festivals are very kid-friendly, and others are better suited for blood-and-guts lovers.
With Halloween around the corner and fall getaways calling, here’s a look at some of the noteworthy scary (and not-that-scary) sinema festivals happening this October.
Eerie Horror Fest
Erie, Pa., Oct. 4 and 5
Presented by the Sinema Society of Northwestern Pennsylvania, this şenlik is known for showing classic and new films along with a hearty roster of panel discussions and events. A highlight takes place on Oct. 5, when the şenlik presents a screening of the 1995 horror sinema “Tales From the Hood,” an influential horror anthology and a seminal work in both horror and Black cinema, followed by a Q. and A. with the director, Rusty Cundieff.
The frosting on the cake at this şenlik is its home: The Warner Theater, an ornate Arka Deco and French Renaissance space first opened in 1931, with 2,250 seats, a grand proscenium stage and crushed velour and gold leaf accents — the kind of elegance more associated with the likes of Cannes than “Carrie.” This year, the şenlik has teamed up with two local coffee purveyors — Purrista Cat Café and North Edge Craft Coffee, a roaster — for a special drink menu featuring themed concoctions like the Frankenstein’s Matcha and Killer Klownz, a blueberry cheesecake latte. There will also be displays of adoptable cats — black ones, perhaps — at the theater.
