From screenings of retro favorites to anticipated new releases, from live radio horror play performance to a Gremlins 30th anniversary Q&A, the 2nd SpectreFest is looking to celebrate the Halloween season in Hollywood on an even bigger scale than it did last year. Fright fans will have the chance to attend events spanning two months at this L.A.-based festival, including an appearance by Clive Barker.
From SpectreVision, the company founded by Elijah Wood, Daniel Noah and Josh C. Waller, the 2nd SpectreFest has events scheduled beginning September 4th and ending on October 31st at the Cinefamily movie theatre in Los Angeles.
Highlighting SpectreFest is the world premiere of Nightbreed: The Director’s Cut, with writer/director Clive Barker in attendance to give a special "Show and Tell" presentation. A double feature of Dead Snow and Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead is also on the calendar, along with a 30th Anniversary screening of the Gremlins preview cut followed by a Joe Dante Q&A, a live performance of Tales From Beyond the Pale presented by respected horror figures Larry Fessenden and Glenn McQuaid, and much more. We have the official press release with the complete SpectreFest schedule below (via Fangoria):
Press Release — "SpectreFest returns to Los Angeles on September 4th to kick off two months of special programming to showcase a diverse selection of genre film and music, it was announced by SpectreVision partners Elijah Wood, Daniel Noah and Josh C. Waller.
“We’re so excited by how much SpectreFest has grown since its humble beginnings last year,” says Noah. “We’re showcasing new films and old, music, theater, art, and so many special guests. In the great company of Beyond Fest and the excellent October programming at the New Beverly, L.A. is quickly becoming the place to be for lovers of the macabre arts during the Fall season.”
Once again, in partnership with Cinefamily, SpectreFest 2014 will host the Los Angeles premieres of a number of films, with appearances by stars and filmmakers, including such acclaimed titles as The Babadook, Open Windows, Drafthouse Films’ Nacho Vigalondo shorts program Confetti of the Mind, Kevin Smith’s Tusk, Housebound, the double feature of Dead Snow and Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead, and the documentary The Creeping Garden, among many others. The festival kicks off on September 4th with director Adam Wingard’s The Guest, starring Dan Stevens and Ethan Embry.
SpectreFest will also be the site of the world premiere of Clive Barker’s director’s cut of Nightbreed, with a rare appearance by the writer/director, along with a special Show and Tell presentation by Barker, sharing items from his personal collection of ephemera. In addition, there will be an ongoing exhibition of highlights from Barker’s private notebooks, featuring early drawings that led to some of his most iconic works.
Cartoon impresario Jerry Beck will host an evening of specially chosen vintage cartoons with the program Spooktacular With Jerry Beck.
Music will continue to be a prominent part of SpectreFest 2014. Acclaimed Synth master Chrome Canyon will return for a reprise of last year’s sold-out live score to the classic silent film Metropolis. Polish electroacoustic composer/performer Jacaszek will make his SpectreFest debut with a live performance to accompany the screening of the 1920 horror masterpiece The Golem. Also featured will be the L.A. edition of the live radio play series Tales From Beyond the Pale hosted by horror icons Larry Fessenden and Glenn McQuaid, and featuring a surprise cast of local guest stars.!
The festival will also feature the 30th Anniversary screening of Gremlins, featuring the original preview cut of the film. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion led by director Joe Dante and other key players on the events that led to the creation of the PG-13 rating.
SpectreFest 2014 will culminate with the L.A. premiere of The Babadook. As a celebration of things that go bump in the night, The Babadook will be followed by a sleepover marathon of kinder-carnage and childhood haunts, plus other surprise events.
9/4 Opening Night Event – THE GUEST (dir. Adam Wingard) Scheduled to attend: Adam Wingard, Simon Barrett
9/16 TUSK (dir. Kevin Smith) (co-presented by Fantastic Fest) Guest: Kevin Smith
9/18 HOUSEBOUND (dir. Gerard Johnstone)
9/25 WHITE SHADOW (dir. Noaz Deshe) Guest: Noaz Deshe
9/30 THE GOLEM with live score by Jacaszek
10/4 CONFETTI OF THE MIND (co-presented by Fantastic Fest) and OPEN WINDOWS (dir. Nacho Vigalondo) Guests: Elijah Wood, Nacho Vigalondo
10/9 DEAD SNOW 1 & 2 (dir. Tommy Wirkola) Guests: Martin Starr, Jocelyn DeBoer, Tommy Wirkola
10/10 THE CREEPING GARDEN (dir. Tim Grabham, Jasper Sharp)
10/16 NIGHTBREED Director’s cut (dir. Clive Barker) Guest: Clive Barker
10/23 METROPOLIS with live score by Chrome Canyon!
10/25 Spooktacular with Jerry Beck
10/29 TALES FROM BEYOND THE PALE Guests: Larry Fassenden, Glenn McQuaid!
10/30 Gremlins 30th Anniversary (dir. Joe Dante) followed by PG-13 panel. Guest: Joe Dante
10/31 THE BABADOOK (dir. Jennifer Kent)
Ongoing: Clive Barker notebooks exhibition"
Here's a look at the official poster for this year's SpectreFest (courtesy of SpectreVision!):
Raised on a steady diet of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Derek has been fascinated with fear since he first saw ForeverWare being used on an episode of Eerie, Indiana.
When he’s not writing about horror as the Senior News Reporter for Daily Dead, Derek can be found daydreaming about the Santa Carla Boardwalk from The Lost Boys or reading Stephen King and Brian Keene novels.
Daily Dead's Official Podcast! Daily Dead's Official Podcast!
