The Eureka Springs Zombie Crawl events kick off days before zombies saunter through downtown, with the Nightmare in the Ozarks film festival showing films in The Auditorium on Wednesday, Oct. 22.
Coltan Scrivner, Zombie Crawl organizer and Nightmare in the Ozarks founder, said the film festival will last four days, featuring world and U.S. premiere showings of the latest horror, thriller and sci-fi films.
“It’s your opportunity to be a tastemaker for new horror films,” Scrivner said. “Some of them have distribution. Some don’t. Some are going to theaters or streaming after being shown here, and you get the first taste.”
The confirmed U.S. feature film premieres include “Southern Nightmare,” “We Put The World To Sleep” and “Mister Sandman.” The cast and crew will be in attendance for each of those showings. The confirmed Arkansas feature film premieres include Catch A Killer, The Red Mask, The Lost Episode and Sheryl. The cast and crew will be in attendance for Sheryl.
“We have some really great films this year,” Scrivner said.
This is the second year the film festival has accompanied the Zombie Crawl. Scrivner said he was delighted to see the response to the festival’s first year, selling 600 tickets and receiving shout-outs in local and regional media platforms.
“A lot of film festivals are pretty small in their first year, even their first five years,” Scrivner said. “But Eureka Springs is a great place to be in October, especially for Halloween week with the Zombie Crawl on Saturday. It was just a huge success.”
Anyone with a film festival pass can take part in the Severed Lines Writers Workshop on Thursday, Oct. 23. Scrivner said the workshop will teach writers how to pitch their book to booksellers and how to novelize films.
“We’ll have some people from the Horror Writers Association giving talks on that,” he said.
Another returning event this year is the Brain Buffet, taking place on Saturday, Oct. 25 before the Zombie Crawl. The event invites contestants dressed in zombie garb to eat “brains” made from gelatin, and the Brain Buffet winner receives a trophy. It was a huge hit last year, Scrivner said.
“The park was full last year of people watching. It’s just fun to watch people eating brains and competing,” Scrivner said.
Vendors will be set up in The Auditorium basement all day Friday and Saturday, with the Macabre Market on Center Street all day Saturday leading up to the Zombie Crawl. Scrivner said he’s excited to see everyone come out to celebrate spooky season in Eureka Springs.
“Eureka Springs is known for its festivals, and the Zombie Crawl is probably the biggest one of the year. It’s certainly one of the most attended parades of the year,” he said. “People get really into it. I’m pretty enmeshed in the horror community, and I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s a one-of-a-kind spectacle.”
Don’t forget your food donation Taking part in the Zombie Crawl is easy. Each participant must bring two food donations for Flint Street Fellowship, and they are welcome to walk or drive in the parade. Flint Street Fellowship is a faith-based ministry providing groceries, nourishing lunches, clothing and assistance with rent, utilities and transportation.
Stay up to date
For a full Zombie Crawl schedule, visit www.eurekaspringszombie-crawl. com. Updates will be frequently shared on the event’s Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/ eurekaspringszombiecrawl.
Get your tickets now!
Nightmare in the Ozarks tickets are $20 for a day pass and $40 for access all four days of the festival. For more information on tickets, visit www.NightmareIn-TheOzarks.com. Locals receive a 50 percent discount — just reach out to the film festival on Facebook to let the organizers know you live in Carroll County.
