Haunted House FearFest, presented by HauntTV with media sponsor Den of Geek, has announced the full film and programming slate for its 6th annual festival, which will run October 24 – 26, 2024, at the Triad Theater in New York City.
This year’s lineup is highlighted by a special screening of season 3 of HauntTV’s hit series “Haunted Discoveries,” featuring “Ghost Hunters” star Mustafa Gatollari, who will be in attendance to present an episode from the new season. The festival will also feature special pre-screening introductions from filmmakers, including Academy Award-nominated director John R. Dilworth, who will introduce his short film “Howl If You Love Me,” and award-winning director Lauren Keller, who will introduce her short films “A Little of Glass of Rum” and “Dark and Stormy.”
Renee Huff will continue as the festival’s Owner and Executive Director in 2024, having taken over ownership of the festival in 2022. Haunted House FearFest is dedicated to celebrating and showcasing the work of innovative independent filmmakers, game developers, and artists from around the world, with a special focus on promoting the talents of women and underrepresented groups in the horror genre.
“Haunted House FearFest is the fulfillment of my lifelong dream – to immerse audiences in the art of horror while transforming bold ideas into lasting legacies,” said Huff. “It serves as a powerful platform for filmmakers and game developers from all backgrounds, with a special emphasis on elevating women creators. Here, their stories are not just shared; they are honored, amplifying voices that deserve to be seen, heard, and celebrated in ways that transcend the screen.”
The festival will close on October 26 with a special closing night awards ceremony, during which select films will be honored with awards, including the grand prize, the “Grim Reaper Award for Best in Show.” Kodak Motion Picture will also award filmmaker grants to the winners of “Best Director” and “Best Cinematography.”
For tickets and show times, visit https://www.hauntedhousefearfest.com/. This year’s complete lineup can be found below:
Television
Haunted Discoveries (Season 3)
The American Paranormal Research Association applies the stringent methodology that’s yielded shocking results in the first two seasons of “Haunted Discoveries” to some of America’s most celebrated haunted locations and long-guarded historical sites for the team’s third round of cases. Joining hosts Brandon Alvis and Mustafa Gatollari in season 3 is world-renowned scientist Dr. Harry Kloor, who subjects decades of supernatural claims to a stricter scientific standard while also crafting experiments tailored to each investigation that will either bolster these widely believed supernatural claims or challenge the paranormal community’s faith in their validity.
Feature Films
Maldoror
Directed by: LP Behbahani
Starring: Kelsey Jaffer, Benjamin Milliken, Sam Sage, Pete Giovagnoli, Pamela Strateman, Emma Terrazas, Nicolas Silva
Synopsis: An aspiring author working on her new book summons a malevolent entity intent on consuming her soul.
A Stranger in the Woods
Directed by: József Gallai
Starring: Bill Oberst, Laura Ellen Wilson, Lynn Lowry
Synopsis: A young film student is making a documentary about an elderly man who has been hiding from the world for many years. But as secrets from his past come to light, their strange relationship takes a fateful turn.
The Lady of the Lake
Directed by: Ryan Grulich
Starring: Amanda Paulson
Synopsis: A researcher investigates hauntings attached to a 1937 murder and finds herself at the crossroads of violence, history, and the supernatural.
Operation Bloody Hunt
Directed by: Louis Mandylor
Starring: Quinton Rampage Jackson, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Louis Mandylor, Sonia Cooling
Synopsis: The Reverend accompanies a ragtag group of military rejects to a remote South Pacific Island to investigate the disappearance of Marine units said to be at the hands of the Japanese Imperial Army.
Shorts
Dark and Stormy
Directed by: Lauren Keller
Starring: Stu Ford, Kat Kersting
Synopsis: As lighting cracks, a man wakes from his slumber to find out he’s not alone in his bedroom.
A Little Glass of Rum
Directed by: Lauren Keller
Starring: Stu Ford, Kat Kersting
Synopsis: After grieving over the murder of his wife and son, a prison guard dines with the killer for his last meal.
The Queue
Directed by: Michael Rich
Starring: Burt Bulos, Jeff Doba
Synopsis: An internet content moderator confronts the darkness within the videos he screens.
Don’t Let Them In
Directed by: Peter Collins
Starring: Ashley Dingwell, Danny McLeod, Ihechi Marcus
Synopsis: After surviving an abusive relationship, Heather’s fragile reality unravels as she’s stalked by a vampiric shape-shifter from her past. With a cryptic symbol as its calling card, she must confront both her trauma and the creature determined to enter her home.
Mrs. Barker’s Chair
Directed by: Aaran McKenzie
Starring: Stephen Sitkowski, Susan Jeffrey, Faye Bennett, Terry Pearson
Synopsis: Believing his newly bed bound Mother (Brenda) is suffering with Dementia, Chris steps up to take care of her at her own home, but is deeply unsettled when she claims it was the chair that did this to her.
Aurora
Directed by: Rita Osei
Starring: Djinda Kane, Ella-Rae Smith, Melanie Gray, Joshua Osei, Edwin de la Renta
Synopsis: A perimenopausal vampire is on a quest to kill a habit that won’t die!
The Wastelander – Sector 23
Directed by: Jonathan Bentley
Starring: Paul Kavanagh, Graham McTavish
Synopsis: In a sprawling apocalyptic world, an unnamed wanderer runs from personal tragedy. But Sector 23 is not for the faint of heart, and his encounters with warring mutants, insane robots, and deadly predators will put his pursuit of the Oracle, and need for answers, in jeopardy.
Sticks
Directed by: CJ Beasley
Starring: Tristian Path, Paige Moran, Ben Black
Synopsis: A “couple” gets lost in the woods, unaware that something else lurks in the sticks.
No Sleep Tonight
Directed by: H. Owen Richardson
Starring: Saffron Richardson, Verity Richardson
Synopsis: A girl catches a glimpse of a ghastly apparition at the end of her bed.
Howl If You Love Me
Directed by: John R. Dilworth
Synopsis: Boy has girl. Boy loses girl. Boy wins girl back, but girl is a werewolf.
The Scalpel
Directed by: Richard H. Lyford
Starring: Barbara Berger, Eystein Berger, Richard H. Lyford
Synopsis: A mad doctor transforms into a monstrous killer and creates mayhem in a medical institute. (The Scalpel is a 1936 never-released film by then 19-year-old filmmaker, Richard Lyford with a score by Ed Hartman.)
Blinded
Directed by: Blake Hay
Starring: Melissa Godbold, Yogesh Mahajan; Chivelli
Synopsis: Feeling the pressure to propose, a man gives his heart.
Blank
Directed by: Avishai Weinberger
Starring: Tova Umetuka, Nayib Felix, Quentin Thomson
Synopsis: A young woman experiences dissociative “blank-out” moments. As they grow more frequent, they threaten her relationship and her life.
Occupied
Directed by: Liam Fink
Starring: Alex Chang, Liam Fink
Synopsis: A park ranger is closing facilities for the night, only to realize that one of the bathrooms is still in use….
Frequency
Directed by: Phil Beastall
Starring: Sarah Carmel, Andy Turvey, Matt Connors-Jones
Synopsis: A sound designer Lucy spends her life surrounded by noise. But in the silence, a dark presence awaits. The more Lucy craves the quiet, the more compelled the entity is to find ways to interact with her.
All In A Day’s Work
Directed by: Troy Fortenberry
Starring: Justin Whitney, Melissa Gratia, Kacey Samiee
Synopsis: A man’s quest for enlightenment leads him to a New Age workshop that proves to be more than his mind can handle.
The Invisibles
Directed by: Julia Beney
Starring: Sean Chen, Makenna Pickersgill, Selena Nicholas, Rianna Persaud
Synopsis: A troubled boy realizes his new home is haunted when two girls break into his house ghost hunting, the apparition however is not at all what the trio expect, and yet, exactly what they need.
Gretchen
Directed by: Dean Addison
Starring: Anto Sharp, Amy Marie Lucas
Synopsis: Lenny takes his girlfriend Lily into the woods for a romantic evening away, little does she know that he has an ulterior motive. A viral social media trend to tempt fate by summoning the fabled Gretchen, but with a twist, they’re on the hallowed ground from where the legend originated. Is it just an urban legend? or will Gretchen exact her revenge for Lenny’s deception?
Wicked Image
Directed by: Caitlin Scherer
Starring: Jessica Sherr, Heather Brittain O’Scanlon, Amanda Leigh Corbett, Hope Blackstock, Gabriel Rysdahl
Synopsis: In this satirical comedy, regular everyday people have become so evil that the epitome of evil -Satan, the Devil and Lucifer- start to struggle with imposter syndrome and wonder whether they’re still the most evil beings. After meeting with a publicist from hell, the trio realizes it’s time to make a change.
