Eerie Horror Fest returns: 'Exorcist,' 'Halloween' actresses part of spooky lineup

Lots of creepy, supernatural and mysterious cinematic offerings are coming to downtown Erie’s Warner Theatre.

The 16th Eerie Horror Fest kicks off Wednesday and runs through Saturday, featuring special guests, lots of film screenings, musical performances, vendors, panel discussions and more.

Erie-based filmmaker John C. Lyons, director of the Eerie Horror Fest and director of programming for the Film Society of Northwestern Pennsylvania, said about 1,400 people attended the 2022 Horror Fest “and we expect to have more than that this year."

The Film Society is in its third year running the Horror Fest.

2022 Eerie Horror Fest: Live commentary of a Stephen King classic, local film creators and more set for Eerie Horror Fest

"We’re going bigger and better this year," Lyons said. "To have an event like this, where this time we’ll have filmmakers from as far away as Spain, is obviously great for Erie and the hotels and restaurants and other businesses downtown.”

Thursday features a competition where six filmmakers will pitch their movie ideas to a panel of judges that includes Jungyoon Kim, a producer at film and television production powerhouse Blumhouse Productions, the company that brought "Paranormal Activity," "Get Out," "Us," "The Black Phone," M3GAN" and other fright flicks to multiplexes across the world.

There are plenty of screenings of feature-length and short films.

And Saturday also offers something for families/kids: a screening of 1993’s spells-and-witches comedy “Hocus Pocus” starring Bette Midler, followed by trick-or-treating.

Here are some of the event’s highlights:

‘Night of the Living Dead’ jump-starts Horror Fest

The multi-day event starts Wednesday with a Warner screening of George A. Romero’s iconic, independent, black-and-white 1968 zombie thriller “Night of the Living Dead,” widely viewed as one of the most influential horror films of all time. Romero’s classic was shot about 100 miles south of Erie near Evans City in rural Butler County.

The screening will feature live accompaniment by the New York City-based band Morricone Youth. The group’s mission is to “compose, re-interpret, perform and record music written for the moving image," according to its Instagram page.

Romero’s daughter Tina Romero, vice president of the George A. Romero Foundation, will also be in attendance.

‘Mothman Prophecies’ director comes to town

On Friday, the Horror Fest will screen director Mark Pellington’s 2002 cult classic “The Mothman Prophecies,” starring Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Debra Messing and Will Patton.

Pellington will be in the audience.

Shot in Pittsburgh and Kittanning, the film features Gere as a Washington Post reporter investigating the sightings of a strange creature and other supernatural phenomena in a small town.

The movie is based on the 1975 book of the same name by parapsychologist author John Keel. The film claims to be based on real events that occurred in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, in 1966 and 1967 that were detailed in Keel’s book.

Pellington also directed the 1999 domestic terrorism drama “Arlington Road” starring Oscar winners Jeff Bridges and Tim Robbins, as well as music videos for numerous artists, including U2, De la Soul, Crystal Waters and Pearl Jam.

Lyons said that Pellington will take part in a question-and-answer session with the audience immediately following “The Mothman Prophecies” screening.

Pellington will also be part of an industry panel on Saturday and be available for meet-and-greet and autograph signing/memorabilia sessions with fans.

“He’s bringing props, storyboards and other things from the movies and music videos he’s directed, things from his personal collection,” Lyons said. “We are really happy that he’s coming out. He said that he hasn’t been to a screening of ‘Mothman' in 20 years.”

‘Exorcist,’ ‘Halloween’ headliners

Eileen Dietz, a horror film veteran best known for her role as the face of the demon Pazuzu in the 1973 classic “The Exorcist," will be available to meet fans and sign memorabilia during the event.

Dietz doubled for Linda Blair in several scenes in the film that involved heavy make-up or were too disturbing or violent for Blair to perform. Now 79, Dietz remains active as an actress; she has appeared in various film, television and stage projects.

Nancy Louise Kyes, known professionally as Nancy Loomis, will also make a Horror Fest appearance.

She famously portrayed Michael Myers' victim Annie Brackett in the original “Halloween,” directed by John Carpenter and released in 1978. Kyes also appeared in other Carpenter films, including “Assault on Precinct 13” (1976) and “The Fog” (1980).

‘The Crazies’ screening; Goblin performs

Saturday features a screening of Romero’s 1973 film “The Crazies,” about a small town afflicted by a military biological weapon that gets into the local water supply and unleashes a highly-contagious virus.

Also Saturday, Italian rock band Goblin, fronted by keyboardist and composer Claudio Simonetti, will perform.  Simonetti, a frequent and longtime collaborator of legendary horror director Dario Argento, has specialized in horror film scores since the 1970s.

If you go to Eerie Horror Fest

When: Wednesday, doors open at 5 p.m. for premium pass holders and 7 p.m. for other pass holders; Thursday, doors open at 4 p.m.; Friday/Saturday, doors open at 10 a.m. both days.

Where: Warner Theatre, 811 State St.

Tickets: All-access VIP pass, $130; single day passes $25 on Thursday, $30 on Friday and Saturday; Tickets for Wednesday's screening of "Night of the Living Dead," $25; Saturday day pass with a ticket to the Goblin concert, $60; Goblin concert only, $40, "Hocus Pocus" family event on Saturday, $15. More information: 814-452-4857, eeriehorrorfest.com/passes.

Schedule information: eeriehorrofest.com

Contact Kevin Flowers at kflowers@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ETNflowers.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Eerie Horror Fest: classic fright flicks, local filmmakers and more