With most people deciding to (understandably) stay in this Halloween season, Shudder has decided to host a newly announced virtual event SHUDDERFEST to keep those locked up something fun to do! Even better it is going to be hosted by none other than Keith David!
Here's the official description:
ShudderFest” is a free, day-long, global celebration open to all with star-studded panels and presentations—plus a Shudder members-only secret screening of a future Shudder Original.
This incredible day-long virtual event will feature panels, presentations, conversations and screenings led by legendary genre icons, fan-favorite musicians, and acclaimed directors, writers, and producers, free to all and available anywhere in the world via the shudderfest.com website.
Highlights of the event include a virtual hang with “horror royalty” including genre luminaries Tony Todd (Candyman), Robert Englund (A Nightmare on Elm Street) and others; a conversation between the stars and creators of 2020’s Zoom-horror Host and the makers of 1999’s found footage masterpiece, The Blair Witch Project; a panel of musicians who love Horror, including Bright Light Bright Light and Starcrawler’s Arrow De Wilde; Scary Story Time with Scare Me’s Josh Ruben and friends; a special recording of The Kingcast podcast with Creepshow showrunner Greg Nicotero; and a one-time secret screening of a future Shudder Original film that won’t be available until 2021.
Most people aren’t able to go out for Halloween this year due to the pandemic, so we decided to bring Halloween home to them with an all-day celebration of everything that’s spooky and scary. And it’s not limited to Shudder members either—anyone around the world can participate in ShudderFest, because Halloween is a holiday that everyone should be able to enjoy,” said Craig Engler, Shudder’s General Manager.
The full schedule includes:
12pm EST: Welcome to ShudderFest with host Keith David – Horror Royalty Hangout
Doug Bradley (Hellraiser franchise), Robert Englund (Elm Street franchise), Lance Henriksen (Alien franchise), Kane Hodder (Friday the 13th franchise), actor/director/FX master Tom Savini, Lin Shaye (Insidious franchise), and Tony Todd (Candyman franchise), moderated by Yahoo Entertainment’s Kevin Polowy.
1pm EST: Blair Witch x Host
The Blair Witch Project co-director Eduardo Sánchez, producer Michael Monello and co-producer Greg Hale in conversation with Host director/co-writer Rob Savage and stars Haley Bishop and Emma Louise Web, moderated by Shudder curator Samuel Zimmerman.
2pm EST: The Future of Black Horror
A look at the thrilling present and bold future of Black Horror with Rusty Cundieff (director, Tales from the Hood), Tananarive Due (exec producer, Horror Noire), Shannon M. Houston (writer, HBO’s Lovecraft Country), Victor LaValle (author, The Ballad of Black Tom), and Kamil Oshundara (cultural executive, Monkeypaw Productions), moderated by journalist/writer Evan Narcisse.
3pm EST: Interview with the Glampire: A blood draining dissertation with Paperbacks from Hell’s Grady Hendrix
4pm EST: Musicians Who Horror
Pop star Bright Light Bright Light, GWAR’s The Berserker Blothar, Pustulus Maximus & Sawborg Destructo, Grammy-winning composer and guitarist Steve Stevens, and Starcrawler lead singer Arrow de Wilde, moderated by Yahoo Entertainment’s Lyndsey Parker.
5pm EST: Story Time with Scare Me’s Josh Ruben & Friends
Scare Me’s writer-director-star Ruben shares spooky stories with friends Frank Garcia-Hejl (Scare Package), Noah Segan (Knives Out), Dreama Walker (Doubt) and Astronomy Club’s Jonathan Braylock, James III and Jerah Milligan.
6pm EST: Inside The Mortuary Collection
Meet the team behind the horror anthology that Sam Raimi called “a twisted tapestry of grisly fun and endlessly inventive terror” — writer/director Ryan Spindell, star Clancy Brown, and producers Allison Friedman and T. Justin Ross.
Followed by Kirk Hammett’s Top Five Moments in Horror and Keith David Answers Your Questions
7pm EST: The Kingcast podcast with special guest Greg Nicotero
The Kingcast, a podcast devoted to Stephen King by veteran film bloggers Eric Vespe and Scott Wampler, sits down to discuss adapting the author’s works with showrunner, writer, director and FX maestro Greg Nicotero, who has directed two King stories for Creepshow and created FX for multiple other King adaptations.
9pm EST: Members Only Double Feature: Halloween and Secret Screening on Shudder TV*
Shudder members can wrap up their ShudderFest with a special double feature of John Carpenter’s 1978 classic (US and CA only) at 9pm ET/6pm PT and a special one one-time-only preview of a future Shudder film that won’t stream again until 2021 (but we can’t tell you which one!) at 10:30pm ET/7:30pm PT (in all Shudder territories).
*Available only via the Shudder TV feed on Shudder’s apps and site in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. Shudder membership required; 7- day free trial available.
The fun starts at 12pm EST on Halloween, Saturday, October 31st, with all events available to stream for free on ShudderFest.com – aside from the secret screening, only for members.
So what do you guys think? Any plans this Halloween? If not, willing to give SHUDDERFEST a shot? Either way, sound off below!