We ran the contest, and the best hostess won! Colleen Jones will be one of the hosts for this years film festival. New have many great events and films to show this year, and we have an excellent line up of hosts to help Colleen survive the weekend…maybe. After all, there is word of a zombie invasion coming on Saturday, and poor Colleen will be the only defense to keep the zombies from invading the festival.

But she won’t be the only one to grace our stages. Master Ron Fitzgerald will be helping to host various events as well as parts of the festival. As well as Mr. Willy will be on stage and even for a few moments, horror festival behind the scenes wizard and horror author, Jason R. Davis will take the nod. We will also have more additional guest hosts to help keep you tied to your seats, (plus the industrial strength rope to tie everyone in as well and you just, will never want to leave.)

And the Rumor is, that Jason will have a special announcement on Sunday!

So get ready. It just might be the fright of your lives!

We have finally released more details on Zombie Day, our day full of Zombie goodness and gore as a part of this years Chicago Horror Film Festival.  Get your hands on all the zombie, guts and blood juicies!  You can click on the above link as to the Zombie Day details or just read below.

Zombie Day!

September 25th

Z Day – It is coming.  Are you ready for the invasion?

A part of the 2010 Chicago Horror Film Festival

11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Zombie Walk Prep at Portage Park.  We will be meeting under the pavilion on the western side of the park.  To anyone who does not do their own make up, we will have Make up artists there to help provide the make up.  Tips are always welcome to the F/X artists.

Make up provided by Hank Carlson (Children of the Night and Buffy the Vampire Slayer) of Autumn Night Studios and Colleen Jones

12:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.  Zombie Walk – We will make a trip through the park and maybe make a second round, before we walk down Irving Park Ave. to Milwaukee Ave.  At Milwaukee, we will turn north and walk to the theater where we have planed our bloody finale you will have to see to believe!

Showing Zombie filled Horror Short Films from 2:30 p.m. until 4:40 p.m.

4:40 p.m. – 5:20 p.m. – Fright Mobile Presents Zombie Dance Off.  If your a Zombie and want to dance until your arms come off, then come up on stage.  The best Zombie Dancer (dance in the way a recently dead and decaying corpse can) will win prizes!  Prizes will also be available for second runner up.

5:20 p.m. – 7 p.m. More and more Zombie Films!

7 p.m. – Sinister Visions presents Zombie Pin ups – So if you are a Zombie and a Pin Up, come up on stage to win prizes.  Price packages presented by Sinister Visions!

7:45 – 11:30 p.m. – More Zombie Films.  Yes, we have More Zombie Films!  We are going to overload you with as many Zombie films as you can probably withstand!  Think you can Handle IT?  Then get ready, as Z-Day is coming!

Zombie Day – September 25th

A part of the Chicago Horror Film Festival

running from September 24th – 26th.

Order your tickets online

http://chicagohorrorfest.eventbright.com/

Or purchase them at the door!

The CHFF Horror Host/Hostess has been extended to September 3rd! So you still have time to get your videos done and sent in! Send the links to us! jdavis@chicagohorrorfest.com

Chicago Horror Film Festival 2010 Schedule
Please check out the video section of our page to view trailers for many of these films.

Friday, September 24th

5:15 p.m.
El Monstro Del Mar!

7:00 p.m.
Block of Short Films Featuring
Clemency
Summon’ Lovin’
Necromicon
The Avon Lady

7:40 p.m.
Death Stop Holocaust

9:30 p.m.
Block of Shorts Featuring
DemiUrge Emesis
The Many Monsters of Sarah Roth
Before Mirrors
United Monster Talent Agency

10:30 p.m.
John Lechago’s Contagion

Saturday, September 25th

2:30 p.m.
Zomblies

3:20 p.m.
Opstandelsen

4:10 p.m.
Alice Jacobs is Dead

4:40 p.m.
EVENT
Zombies get down
Any Zombie attending the festival can participate in this dance off to see which Zombie can get down the baddest! Prizes provided by Festivals of Fright

5:20 p.m.
Farm

6:30 p.m.
CONTAINMENT

6:45 p.m.
Zombies and Cigarettes

7 p.m.
EVENT
Sinister Vision Presents Zombie Pin Up Contest
Zombie Pin ups pose on stage where the best and most pin up like Zombie shall win. Prizes provided by Sinister Visions

7:45 p.m.
Rise of the Living Corpse

7:45 p.m.
Flesh

8:00 p.m.
Chemical 12-D

8:15 p.m.
Dead Justice

8:30 p.m.
Vs. The Dead

10 p.m.
Broken Springs

Zombie day comes to a close as we prepare for our paranormal investigation of the Portage Theater

11:30 p.m.
I Hunt Ghosts Documentary and Paranormal Presentation

Sunday, September 26th

2 p.m.
The Sacred

3:40 p.m.
Block of Short Films Featuring
82 Westing Street
Stranger Danger
2:22
Nickel Children

4:00 p.m.
Night of the Beast

4:40 p.m.
Written By

5:00 p.m.
EVENT
I Want to Hear You Scream contest
Think you have what it takes to scream like your in a horror film. Open to Scream Queens and Kings, come up on stage and scream yourself to death.

5:30 p.m.
The Man Who Collected Food

7:10 p.m.
Cyrus: Mind of a Serial Killer

8:50 p.m.
Devil’s Creek

9:20 p.m.
Enter the Dark

9:40 p.m.
Unusual Occurances

The Chicago Horror Film Festival needs a new host. Our previously scheduled host has well, been eaten by Zombies and will no longer be available come this September. So, we have decided to open it up and let our fans try out for hosting. So if you would like a chance to host this years festival, get to see all of this years chosen films before they show at the festival, and have a lot of fun, submit for your chance to win.

So what do you need to do? We ask anyone who would like to submit to create a short video of you introducing your favorite horror film. Make sure to have some fun with it, as a good host is funny, and informational. The video should be about two minutes in length introducing first yourself and then the film.

Then post the video on YouTube and email us the link at jdavis@chicagohorrorfest.com Make sure to include in the subject line Horror Host Contest and your name and phone number in the message of the email.

Contest is open to anyone, both ghouls, gals, and whatever have you. The deadline will be August 22nd, with the winner announced August 25th.

All videos may be possibly shown, and if we, the festival organizers have a hard time choosing, we may open it up to public voting.

Thank You,

Chicago Horror Film Festival

John Lechago, filmmaker behind the independent horror films, Magus and Blood Gnome, has topped himself in the making of his latest horror film which will be premiering at the 2010 Chicago Horror Film Festival. John Lechago’s “Contagion” will be showing on Friday, September 24th as a part of this years Chicago Horror Film Festival Lineup.

The film itself is a gory independent horror film that is reminiscent of John Carpenter’s “The Thing” as we follow a strange creature that is released in a run down apartment building. This strange unlikely group of porn filmmakers, unsuccessful artists and dead beats must find a way out if they are to survive the Contagion. Gothic Illusionist Master Ron Fitzgerald lends his voice to the creature for this gorefest that we look forward to show you!

The trailer is available to watch in our videos section, and we highly recommend watching it.

in less than 24 hours, the promotional price for passes to the Chicago Horror Film Festival will have ended and the regular prices for this years season will have begun.

We have already announced some great films and there is still much more to come. Plus we have Zombie Day. A day jam packed with Zombie films, a Zombie Walk, Sinister Visions Zombie Pinup Contest, and much more. We will also have our “I Want to hear you Scream” contest!

We bring you three days of madness, bloodshed and horror! Get your tickets now before it is too late!

The Chicago Horror Film Festival runs from September 24th-26th at the Portage Theatre,

For Tickets: http://chicagohorrorfest.eventbrite.com

For more information: http://chicagohorrorfest.com

We have been deep in watching the many film submissions that have been submitted this year, and while there is still a couple days until the entry deadline for this years festival, we have chosen a few standout films that we are accepting to the festival.

These are just a few films selected, but they are excellent films and we invite you to check out the video section of the page to watch the trailers.

And the films are…

Death Stop Holocaust
Death Stop Holocaust is a 70′s throwback horror film, modeled after the original horror greats. Set in a remote location with plenty of horror conventions, Death Stop offers everything a 70′s and 80′s Slasher film would. With plenty of blood, power tools and screaming, Death Stop Holocaust delivers a non-stop ride of terror!

The Sacred
Five university students travel to a remote patch of land in the Florida swamps to study an ancient Indian tribe believed to raise the dead. As they quickly find out, some places are better left alone.

Devil’s Creek
When a small town preacher is saved from a near death experience by a park ranger, he soon finds that his rescuer quickly becomes his captor.

Alice Jacobs is Dead
A scientist races to find the cure to a horrific virus before it turns his wife into something monstrous.

Necronimicon
Do you want to be a nicer person? Are you looking for inspiration to do good things? Well keep looking. But if you’re into opening up terrifying vistas of reality then the Esoteric Order of the Old Ones and Cthulhu Cultists want to help.

The 2010 Chicago Horror Film Festival will be donating $1 for every 3 Day Pass that is purchased through July and August to chicagolandhalloween’s Haunts Against Hunger.

In Addition to the donation, we will also be setting up a collection box at the entrance to the film festival for anyone wishing to donate food goods for the charity. Anyone who donates will get $2 off entry into the festival off the At Door prices. Yes, it is still cheaper to get your tickets online, but you can bring and Donate food as it is going to a good cause.

“Hunger remains a serious issue for many residents of Illinois, as almost a half-million people each year rely on food provided by the Greater Chicago Food Depository’s network of pantries, soup kitchens and shelters. Working poor families, parents of young children and the elderly are among those who need our assistance to not go hungry.

In 2009, Chicagolandhalloween.com is heading up the 2nd Annual “Haunts Against Hunger” Food Drive with the Greater Chicago Food Depository. If it is in your means, we will be taking donations of non-perishable food that will be donated from October 17th to October 31st just in time to help families for the Thanksgiving & Christmas season!

Our headquarter drop site is at the Worth Halloween House in Worth. To find our network of collections sites go to chicagolandhalloween.com

If your decorated home or business is the Halloween hit of your area and you would like to help provide food for hungry people in the Chicago metropolitan area, we would love to have your home become part of the CLH “Haunts Against Hunger” team and become a “Collection Haunt” (drop off point). To become a “Collection Haunt” go to chicagolandhalloween.com!

This year we hope not only to entertain fellow Halloween lovers but to try and help our community as well. You can too!

We need items high in protein canned meats, beef stew, chili and peanut butter. Also needed are canned vegetables and fruits, rice, pasta and cereal. With your help, we can restock the shelves with food for hungry people. Thank you for joining us in the fight against hunger!

The CHFF site, if you noticed, was upgraded a month back. Part of this upgrade opened the door to allow for the site to better allow for mobile browsing from your smartphone, rather it be android or even better, iPhone based.

This is a temporary work around to allow you to use the site as though it is a mobile app. All you have to do is add it to your homescreen and you will be able to keep up with the latest news at any time.

Another thing added to the site, is an easier to navigate on Mobile, a videos section. Check it out. Older videos have yet to be reintegrated to the new design, but please enjoy the newer videos.