International film festival Thriller! Chiller! brings independent action, sci-fi, horror and more to Wealthy Theatre

With Halloween around the corner scary movies are back in season! If you are unsure of what to watch the Thriller! Chiller! international fantastic film festival is back at Wealthy Theatre October 23rd through the 27th. The film festival kicks off with a takeover of the Meanwhile Film Series, where Thriller! Chiller! is sponsoring a classic John Carpenter double feature of The Thing and They Live.

The very next day it is followed by Night of the Living Dead, A Cinema Lab event. Thursday offers Michiganders a chance to see locally made horror films while Friday is filled with some of the goriest movies from all around the world. The festival wraps up on Saturday with some of the grooviest sci-fi, action, and thriller flicks there are.

This year Thriller! Chiller! is screening sixty different films from eleven different countries such as Australia, China, France, South Africa, Ireland, Japan, and many others. Thirteen of these films are feature length and the rest are shorts. If you want to catch some Michigan made horror then you are in luck because seventeen of them are right from home. If you still aren’t convinced to stop by then you should check out some of these trailers. Personally Area 51: The Alien Interview, Nosferatu Re Animated, and Smileys all seem neat, creative, and fun. If you want to see some more trailers they have a whole 2018 playlist!

If you want to see the John Carpenter double feature at 8 p.m. on Tuesday its only $10, $8 for GRCMC members. Or if grindhouse films are more your style then Bum Maggot Fest: The Revenge is right up your alley the same day for the same price and includes two feature films and two shorts along with a burlesque show in between.

Night of the Living Dead on Wednesday is presented as a Cinema Lab event and includes an audience discussion of the film afterwards. This can be a fun way to connect to other cinephiles who are just as passionate about film as you are. And even if you aren’t one, it's still worth it to sit in and listen and learn exactly why it is you felt and reacted the way you did thanks to lighting, camera angles, framing and more! Tickets for this night of zombies and film enthusiasts is only $6, $5 for CMC members or free admission with a pantry drive donation for the Baxter Community Center. Suggested $5 value donation. See wealthytheatre.org for pantry needs. Drop off station will be at the box office.

You can also buy tickets as either a Day Pass or an All-Access Pass. The day passes are sold Thursday and Friday for $12 each, $10 for GRCMC members and Saturday for $15. The All-Access Passes are $50, but are currently are sold out, but did offer a basic membership to the Wealthy Theatre Media Center. The membership includes access to the bar for members twenty-one and older and ticket discounts. Even though the All-Access Passes are sold out, it is still possible to buy a membership from the GRCMC here!

Friday Night Freak-out includes “Chapel of Ghouls” by Nicholas Hartman at 6 p.m. This art show lets you take a break from the moving picture and settle your mind on some dark watercolors, acrylics, and paper mâché! His theme for the show is using horror as a cathartic experience to face your real life fears. His show outlines his necrophobia (a fear of death), anxiety, and panic attacks through the representation of ghouls.

Saturday rounds out the week with an award show! Featuring awards for best action, sci-fi, horror, and many other categories. Join the filmmakers in the excitement of the closing awards and hope that maybe your new favorite horror movie will get the Boomstick! Award! for best in the festival!

If you have been looking for a scare or just want to get out of the house this Halloween season stop by Wealthy Theatre in Eastown for several nights of monsters, ghosts, and murderers.

Additionally I want to thank Shirley Griffin, the director of The Thriller! Chiller! Film Festival, for answering all of my questions.