The Haunted House FearFest, presented by HauntTV, has added a screening of the 1999 documentary-style film Curse of the Blair Witch to its 2024 lineup. Set to take place from October 24 to October 26 at the Triad Theater in New York City, this year’s festival will feature a variety of independent horror films, short films, and video games, celebrating contributions to the horror genre.
The special screening of Curse of the Blair Witch is scheduled for Saturday, October 25. Fans will have the chance to participate in a Q&A session with producer Michael Monello, known for his work on The Blair Witch Project and as the creator of the award-winning video game Broken Spectre. The festival will also honor Monello with the “Best Video Game of the Year” award for Broken Spectre, recognizing his influence in both horror cinema and gaming.
Other highlights of the three-day event include an exclusive preview of season 3 of Haunted Discoveries, a spinoff of Ghost Hunters. Host Mustafa Gatollari will be present to introduce a new episode. The lineup also features special filmmaker introductions, including Academy Award-nominated director John R. Dilworth, who will present his short film Howl If You Love Me, and Lauren Keller, who will introduce her works A Little Glass of Rum and Dark and Stormy.
The festival will conclude on October 26 with an awards ceremony, featuring honors such as the “Grim Reaper Award for Best in Show” and grants from Kodak Motion Picture for winners of “Best Director” and “Best Cinematography.”
Under the leadership of Renee Huff, Owner & Executive Director, the Haunted House FearFest continues its mission to showcase innovative independent films, video games, and other horror media. The event emphasizes support for women and underrepresented creators in horror, offering a platform to celebrate diverse voices in the genre.
For more information on the Haunted House FearFest, including event passes and the full schedule, visit the festival’s official website.
Television Line-Up
HAUNTED DISCOVERIES (Season 3)
Available to Stream on HauntTV
Season 3 Synopsis: 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 Line-Up
CURSE OF THE BLAIR WITCH
Directed by: Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sánchez
Starring: Frank Pastor, Rachel Braaten, Randy Campbell
Synopsis: A mockumentary exploring the life of the Blair Witch and the three missing student filmmakers.
OPERATION BLOOD HUNT
Directed by: Louis Mandylor
Starring: Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Louis Mandylor, Peter Dobson
Synopsis: Prolific expert of the occult and whiskey, Reverend Conte, accompanies a ragtag group of military rejects to a remote South Pacific Island to investigate the disappearance of Marines units stationed there in 1944, said to be at the hands of the Japanese Imperial Army. Upon speaking with the island’s inhabitants, they soon discover the Marines had actually been massacred by a group of Lycanthropes, known to most as WEREWOLVES.
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.
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.
A STRANGER IN THE WOODS
Directed by: József Gallai
Starring: Bill Oberst Jr., Laura Ellen Wilson, Lynn Lowry
Synopsis: A young film student is about to make 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.
Shorts Line-Up
HOWL IF YOU LOVE ME
Directed by: John R. Dilworth
Synopsis: A romantic horror comedy about Jim and his girlfriend Jane, who is a werewolf. The drama emerges when Jane is put in danger and Jim is forced to make a decision that will transform his life.
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.
STICKS
Directed by: CJ Beasley, Noah Ishihara
Starring: Tristian Path, Paige Moran, Ben Black
Synopsis: A “couple” gets lost in the woods, unaware that something else lurks in the sticks.
WICKED IMAGE
Directed by: Caitlin Scherer
Starring: Jessica Sherr, Heather, Amanda Leigh Corbett O’Brittain Scanlon, 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.
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 SCALPEL
Directed by: Richard Lyford
Starring: Roger Bassett, Eystein Berger, Barbara Berjer
Synopsis: A mad doctor transforms into a monstrous killer after injecting a serum into his thyroid gland.
BLINDED
Directed by: Blake Hay
Starring: Melissa Godbold, Yogesh Mahajan Chivelli
Synopsis: Feeling the pressure to propose, a man gives his heart.
THE WASTELANDER – SECTOR 23
Directed by: Jonathan Bentley
Starring: Paul Kavanagh, Dunyasha Barrow, Natassia Bentle, 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.
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.
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 QUEUE
Directed by: Michael Rich
Starring: Burt Bulos, Jeff Doba, Nova Reyer
Synopsis: An internet content moderator confronts the darkness within the videos he screens.
THE INVISIBLES
Directed by: Julia Beney
Starring: Sean Chen, Selena Nicholas, Makenna Pickersgill, 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.
A LITTLE GLASS OF RUM
Directed by: Lauren Keller
Starring: Stu Ford, Nick Mitchell, Kurt Shaw, Jennifer Louise Deigan, Lucas Morris-Steele
Synopsis: After grieving over the murder of his wife and son, a prison guard dines with the killer for his last meal.
DARK AND STORMY
Directed by: Lauren Keller
Starring: Stu Ford, Katt Kersting
Synopsis: As lightning cracks, a man wakes from his slumber to find out he’s not alone in his bedroom.
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.
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?
DON’T LET THEM IN
Directed by: Peter Collins
Starring: Ashley Dingwell. Danny McLeod, Ihechi Marcus
Synopsis: While dealing with the aftermath of escaping an abusive relationship, Heather starts to believe there is a vampiric shape shifting creature trying to trick her into getting inside her home. Memories of witnessing a traumatic event years ago involving the same creature come flooding back after she is mysteriously gifted the creatures calling card – a smooth stone engraved with a strange symbol. With the help of a supportive friend, Heather must finally confront her demons in the form of the monster that is haunting her, and summon her inner strength to finally defeat it.
