Horror fans, beware!
The Haunted House FearFest Film Festival — a one-of-a-kind showcase of indie horror films and video games — will take place from October 6-7 in New York City.
The event will be sponsored exclusively by HauntTV — a worldwide free streaming TV channel for paranormal enthusiasts.
“Haunted House FearFest presented by HauntTV will captivate audiences with a program of both short and feature-length films, live events, and activations,” the festival said in a press release, adding the venue will be “at Midnight Theatre in the heart of New York City at 75 Manhattan West Plaza in midtown. HHFF is an unparalleled cinematic celebration, which promises to deliver an unforgettable experience that simultaneously delights and sends shivers down the spines of fans of this genre.”
HauntTV offers a wide range of shows with paranormal themes, such as Hotel Paranormal (narrated by Dan Aykroyd), Haunted Gold Rush, Paranormal Survivor, and many others.
“I am excited that HauntTV has signed on as a premiere sponsor for the Festival,” Renee Huff, the festival’s owner and executive director, said in a statement. “Our discerning eye and expertise in the paranormal and horror is an ideal match, along with the seven industry experts who will ensure that the Festival showcases the very best in the genre.”
“We are excited to scare up this partnership with Haunted House FearFest and connect U.S audiences with our global free streaming channel, HauntTV,” Craig Junner, SVP, Programming and Content Strategy, Global Media, Blue Ant Media added. “HauntTV is known for celebrating the Halloween season year-round, with spine-tingling, jump scare shows that we know American thrill-seeking audiences will love.”
The festival will also feature a panel of judges assessing the submissions of filmmakers and game developers from all over the world in five categories, including PEOPLE’s own Red Carpet Live host Jeremy Parsons, Entertainment Weekly Senior Writer and “You’ve Got Red On You: How Shaun of the Dead was Brought to Life” author Clark Collis, Blumhouse creative producer Jungyoon Kim, among others.
A ‘Stranger Things’ Haunted House Is Coming to Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights 2023
“One film will receive the Festival’s ultimate “Grim Reaper Award” in recognition of being named Overall Best of the Fest,” HHFF said, per the release. “A total of 15 awards will be announced on Saturday, October 7 at the finale of the Festival.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories
Back in March, Huff told PEOPLE that the festival — founded in 2017 — is for creatives “to showcase their work for well-crafted horror and its sub-genres, including psychological, Giallo, gore, monsters, slasher, zombie, and experimental — that will have you glancing over your shoulder until the very end.”
‘The Exorcist: Believer’ Haunted House Is Coming to Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights 2023
“As a lover of horror films, I’d been aware of the festival,” she added. “So, when I learned the founder was stepping down, I saw it as an opportunity to not only take over the existing festival but also grow it in line with my creative vision and goals.”
The festival has showcased films like Wicken, directed by Faisal Hasmi, The Stairs, directed by Peter “Drago” Tiemann, and Puppet Killer, starring Aleks Paunovic, Lee Majdoub, Lisa Durupt, and Richard Harmon.
Horror enthusiasts can submit films and video games up to August 20 to showcase their creative talents — on September 10. Finalists will be announced on the Haunted House FearFest website.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education