Eerie Horror Fest Announces Second Wave of Films

September 5, 2023 - Erie, Pennsylvania - The Eerie Horror Fest is excited to announce their Second Wave of Official Film Selections.

"This year the Eerie Horror Fest received submissions from 25 different countries," says Festival Director John C. Lyons. "Everya

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.

SECOND WAVE FILM SELECTIONS:

The 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.

Alicia - 6 minutes - Spain - Tony Morales

Carolina deals with the childhood fears of her daughter Alicia, who has just gone blind and believes that an old woman lives in her room.

Bad Boy Buck - 22 minutes - Ireland - James Fitzgerald

After a one-night stand with another man, a married farmer attempts to hide the affair from his family as the truth drives him to breaking point.

Deadline - 13 minutes - Israel - Idan Gilboa

Deadline is a black comedy stop-motion short that explores the power balance between bureaucracy, death, and feline devotion of the elderly.

Eerie Times - 10 minutes - Pittsburgh, United States - Aerie Lombardozzi

Dani is covering for their co-worker's closing shift at the bar and the evening vibes are definitely off.

Escalation - 15 minutes - Italy - Christian Bachini

Chris, a paranoid and self-centered man, is happily avoiding all human contact, preferring to escape from reality in whatever's on TV. When a friend reaches out to him to confront him about his past promises, Chris has to decide what kind of person he is inside, or it may just eat him...alive. *First-Time Filmmaker

Jeong-dong - 23 minutes - Republic of Korea - Choi Woo Gene

Yoo-bin has a nervous breakdown after experiencing strange phenomena in his new home. His childhood friends So-dam and Ha-seung gather at his house to find out what's going on, and their deep-seated traumas and wounds come to the surface.

La Nueva (The Newcomer) - 15 minutes - Spain - Ivan Villamel

Maria is the new teacher who arrives at an old religious school. On her first day, she will have to teach a group of rebellious kids who are part of a punishment class. An unexpected event will turn the classroom into a real hell.

Portraits - 84 minutes - United States - Stephanie Paris

When Mira inherits a building from an unknown relative, it isn't long before her fate draws her deeper into her family's secret past, and her attraction to her mysterious new friend, Madeline, slowly reveals itself. A string of brutal murders besiege those around her. Do her series of re-occurring nightmares point to the unknown killer, or are they a link to Mira's dark ancestral history? *First-Time Filmmaker

Room Tone - 9 minutes - United States - Michael Gabriele

When a sound guy's attempt to capture "room tone" is constantly thwarted by the noisy antics of his coworkers, he takes extreme measures to achieve silence.

She Dreamt Alone - 6 minutes - United States - Nina McNeely

A short story expressed through the art of dance about a young outcast who, from childhood's hour, had not been as others were - had not seen as others saw - could not love from a common spring, could not awaken her heart to joy with the same tone. And all that she dreamt…she dreamt alone.

Sigil - 110 minutes - Meadville, United States - Jacob Perrett

Two girls unknowingly conjure a witch during their anniversary retreat to the countryside.

Some Visitors - 28 minutes - United States - Paul Hibbard

A woman mourning the loss of a child is home alone in an area that has been afflicted with recent home invasions. She receives a knock on the door from a mysterious man who wants to be let inside.

Tears of the Witch - 23 minutes - Denmark - Poul Erik Madsen

A psychological folk-horror film with a touch of dark humor. The story takes place in three different time periods. Slowly we discover the horrifying truth that emerges, as everyone unknowingly steps into the witch's trap. It is a kaleidoscopic nightmare that unfolds on a beautiful midsummer day.

The Pump-King - 3 minutes - Edinboro, United States - Ethan Joseph Johnson

The rotten art of a pumpkin sculptor. *First-Time Filmmaker

The Smile - 15 minutes - Netherlands - Erik van Schaaik

When a world-famous film star (a crocodile) is accused of eating his female co-stars, his career goes down the drain. That wipes the smile off his face!

The Sprayer - 9 minutes - Islamic Republic of Iran - Farnoosh Abedi

In the land occupied by the sprayer's army, no one has the right to grow any kind of plants either in public or private. So many of the people and soldiers do not even know how a plant grows or what one looks like, until one day one of the soldiers finds a seed buried deep down in the dust. His curiosity is just the beginning of something extraordinary, something big, something revolutionary.

Why We Don't Visit Anymore - 22 minutes - Nigeria - Orok Duke

Jr, his younger brother Eyo, and Dad have been going through a hard time recently. A weekend trip to Grandma's is just the thing they all need to ease their minds. Father is extremely secretive about his family, and Grandma never visits. In fact, they haven't met her before.

Film stills and posters from these selections and more are available here:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1_a3pgGaXa2VJcAu8ahxMUaxi0Qrol_U0?usp=sharing

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), 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.