If running from pumpkin-headed ghouls and reciting “Candyman” three times in front of a dusty mirror are two of your favorite pastimes, this weekend’s Salt City Horrorfest will have you screaming bloody murder in delight.

The 2014 Salt City Horrorfest will be held at Syracuse’s Palace Theatre on Saturday. Doors open at 11 a.m., and tickets cost $15 in advance and $20 at the door of the theatre for a day full of movies and horror-themed happenings.

What began 14 years ago as an event featuring movies and bands has morphed into a full-fledged movie festival, with beer, wine, food trucks and a slew of horror-related activities.

The fest will offer up 10 spooky favorites, including “Halloween II,” “Candyman,” “Pumpkinhead” and “The Lost Boys.” Although the screened films will span from a range of five different decades — the oldest having been released in 1960 and the most current offering from 2007 — all films will be screened in 35mm film.

Jemola Addley, co-director of the festival and co-owner of Resurrected Tattoo parlor, explained that the appeal of screening movies in 35mm is its nostalgic feel.

“The horror-loving community is into the ‘retro’ aspect of the fest. They love the free movie posters, trivia and special film trailers screened,” Addley said.

The Salt City Horrorfest is considered the biggest 35mm Horror Film Festival in Upstate New York. Attendees are also encouraged to come dressed up as their favorite horror movie icon.

In order to ethically provide the audience with the movies they want at an affordable cost, the directors of the event made sure to obtain screening rights from the original film studio of each movie being played, Addley said.

“(Fans) love the fact that they can see their favorite horror film on the big screen, the way it is meant to be seen and not pay the excessive fees corporate film chains charge,” Addley said.

In addition to the lineup of flicks, the event will include two trivia sessions with prize giveaways and a chance to win a brick from the cabin of the original “Evil Dead” movie through a live auction. Signed movie posters from Bobcat Goldthwaite and Joel Schumacher will be auctioned to help raise funds for the Syracuse International Film Festival, hosted each year in October.

The Horrorfest is funded entirely by local artists, bands and community groups. Though it’s managed in Syracuse, word of the upcoming Horrorfest reaches a worldwide audience through movie directors, bloggers, horror websites and podcasts.

“There are five key people that run the fest,” Addley said. “We use thousands of our own hard-earned dollars putting this event on for the community and Upstate New York.”

Movies screened earlier in the day will be more kid-friendly, while “The Girl Next Door,” which carries an “R” rating, will play past midnight, ending the festival sometime in the eerie, early Sunday hours.

As for what makes a movie worthy of being part of the festival, Addley explained his own criteria: it needs to be, well, scary.

Said Addley: “A ‘good’ scary movie is a film that makes you jump and keeps your attention on the screen — not on your cellphone.”

Published on April 17, 2014 at 1:00 am

Contact Michelle: mkpolizz@syr.edu