Continuing to make sure that October remains the scariest month of the year, the Spooky Movie International Horror Movie Festival returns for its ninth annual edition on Oct. 9-18 at the AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Opening Night: It’s a double slam bang on Oct. 9 with two exciting new entries in insanely popular horror franchises. First up is V/H/S Viral, where the gruesome series goes online with startling Internet videos directed by Todd Lincoln, Nacho Vigalondo and more. Then, that’s followed by The Dead 2: India, another tale of international zombie madness once again directed by Howard J. Ford and Jon Ford.
Closing Night: It’s retro massacre time on Oct. 18 when local horror legend Count Gore De Vol hosts a special screening of Wes Craven’s classic mutant thriller The Hills Have Eyes. This special screening will be presented just like Count Gore’s classic “Creature Feature” TV show with special interactive intermissions and more surprises.
Other films to look out for: Spooky Movie alum Richard Bates Jr. returns on Oct. 11 with his latest horror black comedy, Suburban Gothic, about a young slacker who may have just found his special calling: Hunting ghosts.
Housebound is a terrific mash-up of all things horror directed by Gerard Johnstone screening on Oct. 17. Ghosts, psycho killers and other creeps that go bump in the night that are uncovered by a female thief sentenced to house arrest in her — possibly haunted — childhood home.
Another great Spooky Movie alum is Stuart Simpson who is back with a deranged tale about an obsessive ice cream truck salesman in Chocolate Strawberry Vanilla, screening on Oct. 16.
Eduardo Sanchez, part of the team that brought us The Blair Witch Project, will screen his latest terror in the woods thriller, Exists, on Oct. 10. No witches in this one, but there is a pretty angry Sasquatch.
Proudly keeping the “International” part of the fest’s name alive, there will be a screening on Oct. 11 of the much talked about vampire drama from Iran, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night by Ana Lily Amirpour.
There’s lots more screening on these 10 terrifying nights. The full Spooky Movie film lineup is below, but please visit the fest’s official website for more info.
October 9
7:00 p.m.: V/H/S Viral, dir. Todd Lincoln, Nacho Vigalondo, Marcel Sarmiento, Gregg Bishop, Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead. This third entry in the anthology series focuses on haunted Internet videos.
Screening with:
Service, dir. Jerry Pyle
9:30 p.m.: The Dead 2: India, dir. Howard J. Ford and Jon Ford. An American engineer needs to cross a wasteland filled with zombies to rescue his pregnant girlfriend in Mumbai, India.
Screening with:
Knock Knock, dir. Jeff Betancourt
October 10
7:10 p.m.: Exists, dir. Eduardo Sanchez. A group of friends plan to party all weekend at a cabin in the woods, but the good times are ruined by an angry Sasquatch.
Screening with:
Shepherd, dir. C.W. Prather
Welcome to Dignity Pastures, dir. Brian Lonano
9:45 p.m.: Call Girl of Cthulhu, dir. Chris LaMartina. Inspired by the work of H.P. Lovecraft, this gonzo horror romp has an innocent virgin boy fall in love with a female escort who just so happens to be the chosen bride of an ancient alien god.
Screening with:
Liquid, dir. Kaichi Sato
Mineral, dir. Michael J. Marino
October 11
4:30 p.m.: A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, dir. Ana Lily Amirpour. A vampire looks for potential victims in a nearly deserted Iranian ghost town.
Screening with:
400 Ways to Kill a Vampire, dir. Christine Parker
The Working Dead, dir. Lee Arter
7:10 p.m.: Suburban Gothic, dir. Richard Bates, Jr. A slacker who can’t find a job moves back in with his parents and becomes embroiled in a supernatural mystery.
Screening with:
Monstro!, dir. Chris Romano
The Jigsaw, dir. Rashad Al-Safar, Basil Al Safar
9:45 p.m.: The Babadook, dir. Jennifer Kent. A single mom and her son are terrorized by a monster that appears out of a story book.
Screening with:
Hellyfish, dir. Patrick Longstreth
Waterborne, dir. Ryan Coonan
October 12
4:30 p.m.: The Bone Garden, dir. Mike Gutridge. Doom follows a beautiful wife living in an old Victorian house with her family.
Screening with:
Usuario Desconhecido, dir. Sandro Azevedo
Room 203, dir. Shivaan Makker
7:10 p.m.: Teenage Ghost Punk, dir. Mike Cramer. A high school cheerleader hires a paranormal investigation team when she thinks her house is haunted by a teenage punk rocker and his friends.
Screening with:
The Blue Rhino vs. The Infernal Invader, dir. Adam Bradley
Blackout, dir. Justin Warren
9:30 p.m.: Afterimages, dir. Tony Kern. This horror anthology is based on urban legends of Singapore.
Screening with:
Dead Hearts, dir. Stephen W. Martin
Special, dir. Mikeal Burgin
October 13
7:10 p.m.: Scars, dir. Sean K. Robb. Two women meet under violent circumstances and embark on a killing spree together.
Screening with:
Dark Origins, dir. Evan Randall Green
October 14
7:10 p.m.: The Smiley Face Killers, dir. Andrew Fitzgerald. A documentary filmmaker goes missing while working on his latest project that seeks to expose a gang of serial killers.
Screening with:
Lucis, dir. Kevin K. Shah
The Infected, dir. Barry Morgan
October 15
7:10 p.m.: The Shower, dir. Alex Drummond. Following a baby shower, an expectant mother and father must help their neighbor who has just brutally slain his wife.
Screening with:
The Creed, dir. Kevin James
I Owe You, dir. Mike McNeese
October 16
7:10 p.m.: Chocolate Strawberry Vanilla, dir. Stuart Simpson. A degenerate ice cream truck driver is tormented by his customers and is obsessed with a beautiful soap opera star.
Screening with:
The Estate Agent, dir. Nils Lindemann
Bloodlines, dir. Peter Frizalone
October 17
7:10 p.m.: Housebound, dir. Gerard Johnstone. A woman is confined to house arrest in her childhood home, which she comes to believe is haunted.
Screening with:
Disengaged, dir. Christopher G. Moore
The Security Guards, dir. Jody Fedele
9:45 p.m.: Mar Negro (Dark Sea), dir. Rodrigo Aragao. The residents of a small fishing village are transformed into half-fish monsters and a lonely Albino must rescue the love of his life from them.
Screening with:
M Is for Malnutrition, dir. Peter Czikrai
The Heebie-Jeebies, dir. Todd Slawsby
October 18
9:30 p.m.: The Hills Have Eyes, dir. Wes Craven. A family on vacation run into a gang of cannibalistic mutants in the American desert. This special screening will be hosted by local legend Count Gore De Vol, who will present the film in the style of his classic “Creature Feature” TV broadcasts with interactive intermissions and other surprises.