Calling All Horror Aficionados!
Are you ready to get scared?
The Edmonton Specter Screening Festival is an outdoor film festival in Edmonton, Alberta (address TBA).
The Edmonton Specter Screening Festival features a variety of films and activities that horror enthusiasts of any age would be interested in.
We craved the nostalgia of the drive-in film festivals of the past and strive to replicate that experience.
Do you love the crippling suspense of a thrilling slasher film?
Do you look out your window at night, wondering if anything is watching your every move?
Do you love black-and-white retro horror films like Dracula and Frankenstein and enjoy classic horror from its roots?
The Specter Screening Festival introduces a broad array of horror gems from the dark ages and suspenseful slasher films that are guaranteed to keep you up at night.
Watch out and mark your calendar;
the Edmonton Specter Screening Festival is coming to town, and we're excited to scare you!
Spooky Events
The Edmonton Specter Screening Festival has many activities and events for horror fans of any age group.
Enter our Texas Chainsaw Cook-Off and sample competing dishes inspired by the cult classic. Participate in Jason's Ultimate Shoot-Out and test your survival instincts. Succeed in making one out of three goals and escape with your life. Get lost in our family-friendly Haunted Maze, reminiscent of the hedge maze from the Stephen King cult classic, "The Shining!" These activities and many more are available at the Specter Screening Festival. If you have any recommendations for any additional activities you would like to see featured at the Specter Screening Festival, please do not hesitate to contact us. We always seek feedback to improve the Specter Screening Festival and ensure it satisfies horror enthusiasts of all ages!
Box Office
The Edmonton Specter Screening Festival has a full schedule of films from various horror settings. Are you into grindhouse flicks, found footage films, psychological thrillers or the exploits of your favourite serial killers? The Edmonton Specter Screening Festival has a movie for any audience member, regardless of age or horror fan experience. Feel free to contact our Box Office to view your favourite film's schedule and make any additional ticket or timeslot inquiries. As the setting of our film festival is outside, please ensure that you wear proper clothing for any potential weather conditions. Depending on the intensity of weather conditions, certain films may be subject to cancellation on short notice.
All enthusiasts that experience a cancellation will be fully refunded.
Frightening Eats
Local vendors from Edmonton and the surrounding area will be at this outdoor festival. Are you craving Korean fried chicken or some simple movie theatre popcorn, don't forget the M&M's! Prepare yourself for a delectably spooky experience at the Specter Screening Festival! How about curbing your sweet tooth between scares? We offer mini-donuts, Churros and other baked goods from the variety of vendors that we have on-site. Remember the classics like candy apples, pumpkin cheesecake and delicious candy eyeballs? We have that and more. We still have vacancies available if you are a potential local food vendor and wish to participate in the Specter Screening Festival.
Please feel free to contact us for more information regarding becoming a vendor. We have that and more!
Mature Enthusiasts
At the Edmonton Specter Screening Festival, we are pleased to offer a selection of local brews for our mature audience members. From a delicious Milkshake IPA to a flavorful Raspberry Sour, this will satisfy all your viewing needs if you're a craft beer enthusiast and a horror spectator. We also offer a selection of table wines and local spirits if beer isn't your fancy. For all of our designated drivers, free water and an assortment of fountain beverages are available to quench your thirst! We provide a variety of mocktails, as well. All individuals must possess valid identification before they are allowed access to the beer gardens. The Specter Screening Festival forbids any forms of outside alcohol. Any enthusiasts found breaking these guidelines will be subject to removal from the event.
Patrons must consume alcohol purchased during the event inside the designated beer gardens area.
Our Mission
Over the last few years, streaming has grown rampant in Alberta, with many used video stores closing. The various streaming services have overshadowed the DVDs of the past, and our team strives to revive that experience of enjoying a film with family members in a nostalgic outdoor environment. There is a horror enthusiast base in Edmonton, and we want to create an environment for fellow enthusiasts to network and connect over some classic movies. Classic horror is the theme of this festival;
however, our team is always interested in exploring new film screening opportunities.
Join the Scary Festivities!
Do you have a contribution that you want to make toward the Edmonton Specter Screening Festival? Are you interested in becoming a vendor for the Specter Screening Festival?
Would you like to explore any volunteer opportunities or inquire about a film you would like to see featured?
Select the Contact Us button for an inquiry, and we look forward to hearing from you!
This article is an interesting read from Psychology Today regarding the psychology of horror movies.
The article's author, Mathias Clasen feels "that horror provides an imaginative context in which people can play with fear."
At the Specter Screening Festival, we support that horror fans derive pleasure from horror movies.
During the film, as an audience, you absorb the intense emotions of the actors in the film.
Mathias Clasen also maintains that "horror movies invite viewers to immerse themselves in stress scenarios."
The author suggests that when a person initiates their primal fight-or-flight mode, they find pleasure due to learning about the scenario
and how to overcome it. The author compares this statement to children playing chase in a playground. Stimulating fear
and engaging in the learning potential from overcoming fear is present when you watch any threatening material, such as a horror movie.
Essentially, the author is saying that this is why people enjoy viewing horror movies, engage in the movie's thrilling stimuli,
and activate a person’s fight-or-flight response. The feelings of your hands sweating, your heart pumping blood,
and your breathing escalating are all reactions to fight-or-flight stimuli.
Mathias Clasen additionally suggests that horror movie enthusiasts could endure the pandemic's psychological restrictions more effectively
than non-horror movie viewers. Since horror movie enthusiasts constantly engage in threatening stimuli, they are more psychologically resilient to stressful situations than ordinary people. The Edmonton Specter Screening Festival prides itself on delivering a horror movie experience satisfactory for every horror movie enthusiast of every age. We advocate for the psychology of horror, and the connections are evident from the article. If consistent horror movie viewership strengthens the psychological endurance of enthusiasts,
then watching horror movies may be more beneficial than other sources believe.
Feel free to check out the
article from Psychology Today, and read about the psychology of horror movies!
What's New and Exciting!
