Author Archives: Wes Forsythe

Film Festival

The Films of The Scarefest 2021 Film Festival

Hunting for Justice
Hunting For Justice
A father and son go on a hunting trip one fateful day and accidentally discover the horrors of the human spirit in the heart of the wilderness. Hunters become the prey in these woods. Justice is the game. Runtime 17:22
Director Tom Smith, a Philadelphia native, has a lifelong abiding interest in horror. In 2012 he graduated from Tom Savini’s Special Make-up Effects Program with an Associate Degree in Specialized Business. During school, Tom was hired as creature and prop designer, plus lead make-up artist, supervising his own team for Cynik Lethal Productions. He worked at some of the biggest haunted attractions, including Castle Blood, in the Pittsburgh area, as prosthetic designer. Since 2007. Tom has worked on over two dozen films, where he has numerous nominations and won two best sfx awards. Tom has traveled to conventions and festivals showcasing his work. Working with other filmmakers, learning from them and is currently venturing forth into filmmaking with writing, producing, and directing his own films and other producers.
Stay Calm
Stay Calm
NominatedAll of humanity has been infected with a rage zombie virus that lies dormant until triggered by adrenaline spikes in its host. A love triangle consisting of ZACK, his wife, GABI, and their best friend, PATRICK, have escaped the city and taken refuge in a desolate desert home. The trio must control their emotions and most primal instincts in order to keep from turning into a monster. Runtime 17:57
Nominations: Best Short, Best Actress (Daniella Mendoza)
Miss Mary Mack
Miss Mary Mack
NominatedSet against the backdrop of the heart of the Covid19 pandemic in Seattle, Washington, Miss Mary Mack is a spine tingling, thriller/horror film. At its heart, Miss Mary Mack explores the universal themes of family dynamics and sibling relationships, which are often fraught with complex emotions, rivalry, jealousy, resentment, shared circumstances, love, joy and tragedy. The underbelly of the film is a sinister one, however which eerily evolves into a suspense filled nightmare. Runtime 17:50
Nominations: Best Actress (Lexi Lovering)
Sleep. Walk. Kill.
Sleep. Walk. Kill.
NominatedIn a quiet suburban town, a group of neighbors must survive the night when their friends and family become sleepwalking monsters. News reports tell of an earth-shattering sound heard along the entire East Coast. Nobody knows where it came from. Nobody knows what it means. That night, people start walking in their sleep. And killing in their sleep. When the screaming stops and the blood dries up, the ones who are left have to work together to stay alive. Heads will roll, eyeballs will fly, but for Edgar, hell is still just other people. His ex-wife, his parents and all his neighbors are hiding out at his house. And they’re even worse than the murderous sleepwalkers. Runtime 1:27:00
Nominations: Best Comedy
Familiar
Familiar
It is 1942, in the dark woods of Pennsylvania, Richard Mason is the Familiar to a hideous ancient vampiric creature living in the bowels of an isolated mansion. Every day he must bring a new victim for it to feed on and tolerate its physical and mental abuse. Runtime 10:00
Familiar is a call back to the classic horrors of the 1930’s such as Tod Browning’s ‘Dracula’ (1931) as well as a love letter to the silent cinema era such as ‘Nosferatu’ (1922) and ‘Dr. Mabuse The Gambler’ (1922). This can be seen in the wide master shots of Familiar as well as the absence of dialogue from the single lead role.
Manifest
Manifest
NominatedA Marine Corps drill instructor with a damaged past falls victim to a curse by two recruits, exposing his fears and sending him into a demonic possession that connects to his dark childhood trauma. Runtime 01:33:26
Nominations: Best Feature, Best of Horror, Best Actor (Leon Brown), Best Director
Whitetail
Whitetail
NominatedA hunting trip doesn’t go as planned. Runtime 15:52
Nominations: Best Short, Best Actress (Tara Parker)
Wicked Ones
Wicked Ones
NominatedWhile returning to Carpenter Falls, The Lawson family come to their final confrontation with The Wicked One, a serial killer with whom their last encounter has haunted them for a decade. Runtime 01:43:48
Nominations: Best of Horror, Best Actor (Jason Crowe)
OverKill
OverKill
Nominated‘OverKill’ is a film with a comedic take on a familiar setup: when too-woke-for-their-own-good college kids are terrorized by an unstoppable masked killer, the final girl must outsmart him to survive. Only in this movie, the killer literally cannot be stopped (or killed). Runtime 14:45
Nominations: Best Comedy, Best Kill
Cruel Summer
Cruel Summer
A group of college students plan a pre-graduation getaway at a secluded lake house for the ultimate “80’s murder mystery” weekend, unaware that a masked psycho has decided to join the celebration. Will anyone survive the slaughter…or is this going to become a truly Cruel Summer? Runtime 01:18:00
Shot during the height of the pandemic – and with a practically non-existent budget, CRUEL SUMMER was a true labor of love for everyone involved. It is Director Scott Tepperman’s goal to show that even with a lack of any major funding, the only real barriers for creating an enjoyable, competent feature film are drive, determination, creativity, and tireless devotion. It’s a lot of work, but always rewarding. He truly hopes everyone enjoys watching this movie as much as he enjoyed making it.
The History of Metal and Horror
The History of Metal and Horror
NominatedA documentary that explores the history of heavy metal and horror, and how the two genres merged over time. Hosted by Michael Berryman, and featuring Alice Cooper, Rob Zombie, Kirk Hammett, John Carpenter, Tom Savini, Dave Mustaine, Jonathan Davis, Corey Taylor, and many more. Runtime 01:40:48
Nominations: Best Documentary
Night of the Devil
Night of the Devil
In 1978 four teens enter the woods the night before Halloween and come face to face with the Devil. Runtime 11:05
Director Anthony Calvitti has been a horror fan since early childhood, spending his Saturday afternoons watching old Hammer and Amicus movies on television. Anthony is a musician and has released two hard rock albums with his band, Alchemy. He also is a producer of independent horror shorts and films. Some of his upcoming projects include, “As They Continue to Fall” with the writer, C. Robert Cargill (Sinister) and “Kiss the Devil in the Dark” starring actor Doug Jones.
Reeds Point
Reeds Point
A missing teen raises a conspiracy theories about the infamous Jersey Devil legend.  Runtime 01:17:00
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The Lake
The Lake
“When a young man takes his girlfriend out on the lake to propose, they are faced with the dark spirits beneath the surface. Runtime 5:48
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The Alternate
The Alternate
NominatedThe Alternate follows Jake, a videographer who discovers a portal to another dimension in which he has everything he has always wanted: the perfect version of his wife Kris, the filmmaking career of his dreams, and the daughter he never had. Jake quickly starts traveling back and forth between these two worlds – spying on his other self, falling in love with the alternate Kris, and getting to know his daughter. Jake soon sees that his alternate is not as perfect as he seems and decides to change places with the alternate Jake and take the good life for himself. Runtime 01:27:30
Nominations: Best Actor (Ed Gonzales Moreno), Best Kill
Snowblind
Snowblind
Snowblind, a heavy metal band on tour, Syd, Kurtis, Ransom, and Brent Hinds(Mastodon), indulging in the dark side of the road. Drugs, booze, girls, and partying all come to a crossroad, where one man’s burden, becomes a metal band’s curse. Runtime 29:00
Director Lucas Godfrey currently is an Atlanta GA based, film and television professional working as a Special Effects Makeup Artist(The Walking Dead, HELLFEST, Superstition, Black Lightning) Propmaster(Creepshow, Tropical Cop Tales).
Reunion From Hell
Reunion From Hell
Since his father’s passing, Riley Conner has not returned to his home town. But when the new of a murdered friend comes to light, Riley is forced to return home, unknowing that his life, and those of his friends, will soon be in grave danger. Runtime 01:26:00
Woodland Cemetery
Woodland Cemetary
A photographer has the assignment to shoot Skogskyrkogarden, a cemetery located in the woods of Stockholm. There she sees an old woman placing a lantern on a grave. When the photographer shoots a picture of this very private moment, she soon finds out that this haunting image is more haunted than she bargained for. Runtime 9:46
Nominated: Best Cinematography
The Attached
The Attached
NominatedSeven stories of seven haunted attachments. Be careful of what you bring home. Runtime 01:30:00
Nominations: Best Documentary
Save Me from Everything
Save Me from Everything
Four generations of Emmy’s family members have turned dangerously insane on their 30th birthday. In order to prevent her own demise, Emmy travels to Ireland to find the person who may be responsible for this family curse. Runtime 01:23:06
Nominations: Best Cinematography, Best Actress (Paige Henderson)
Bee-El
Bee-El
NominatedA bullied young girl befriends a mysterious entity that’s inside her closet to do her bidding. Hell hath no fury like a little girl scorned! Runtime 9:30
Nominations: Best Short
The Last Frankenstein
The Last Frankenstein
NominatedBuried in a dormant life and a dead end relationship, Dr. Jason Frankenstein, the last of his family, finds himself frustratingly approaching the middle of his life with little progress to show towards carrying forward his family’s experiment. But after a creature from his past brutally re-enters his life, he is catalyzed to finally complete his work. With the help of a pair of drug dealing paramedics and a nurse with a shady past, he sets down the blood-soaked path to create a living being from the bodies of the dead. Runtime 01:41:53
Nominations: Best Kill
Dice
Dice
NominatedA man facing financial troubles stumbles across a bizarre and sinister solution to his predicament. He soon finds himself in a spiraling descent into darkness as dependence takes the reins. Runtime 12:55
Nominations: Best Short
Holes in the Sky
Holes in the Sky: The Sean Miller Story
NominatedIn 2013 Sean Miller disappeared for four days. 7 years later a group of documentary filmmakers found out why. Runtime 01:54:01
Nominations: Best Feature, Best Director
Film Festival

2021 Scarefest Film Festival Schedule of Films

Film Festival

Fun Time Films

The Scarefest Film Festival screenings are open to ALL Scarefest Ticket Holders.
Festival only tickets will be available at LexLive.

Official Sponsor

Official Sponsor

Izzy's Little Creepers

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 22nd

1-2PM Short Films
Hunting for Justice
Stay Calm
Miss Mary Mack
2-4PM Sleep, Walk, Kill (with Q&A from Writer/Director Justin Miller)
followed by the short film Familiar
4-6PM Manifest (with Q&A from Writer/Actor Leon M Brown)
followed by the short film Whitetail
6-8PM Wicked Ones (with Q&A from Director Tory Jones)
followed by the short film Overkill
10PM Featured Celebrity Presentation
Cruel Summer (with introduction from Writer/Director Scott Tepperman)

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 23rd

11AM-1PM The History of Metal and Horror
followed by the short film Night of the Devil
1-3PM Reeds Point
followed by the short film The Lake
3-5PM The Alternate
followed by the short film Snowblind
5-7PM Reunion from Hell (with Q&A from cast and crew)
followed by the short film Woodland Cemetery
8PM Featured Celebrity Presentation
The Attached (with introduction from The Booth Brothers)

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 24th

11AM-1PM Save Me from Everything
followed by the short film Bee-El (with Q&A from Writer/Director CJ Vecchio)
1PM-3PM The Last Frankenstein
followed by the short film Dice
3PM-5PM Holes in the Sky: The Sean Miller Story (with Q&A from Director Ash Hamilton)

DJ Tre

Silver Screams VIP Halloween Extravaganza: Starts Saturday at 9PM

DJ Tre

DJ Tre

Our VIP Party is going to be a little different this year. We have moved it to Saturday Night at the Corner Bar at LexLive and folded our Costume Judging Finals into it. But don’t worry if you don’t have a VIP Level Scarefest Pass – The Game Day Sports Bar is right next door… in the same building… across the shared lobby.

Except for the Party itself, all of our other events (for example our Horror Drag Show) will have a la carte tickets available either online or at the venue and most are included with ANY Scarefest Pass. And if you think you won’t be able to hear DJ Tre from across the lobby… first time with a DJ is it?

The Costume Contest Finals? It’s a big place… but it’s not that big. The lobby going into The Corner Bar is like right there.

This will allow us to have a dedicated VIP area (21 and over) in a building that is open to the entire family with tons of stuff for everyone to do.