SALEM HORROR FEST FOUNDER KAY LYNCH TO STEP DOWN AS DIRECTOR
The annual horror fest will return in 2025 for its eighth year on April 30 through May 4 under the direction of the newly formed Horror Arts Collective comprised of legacy staff.
Salem Horror Fest today announced it will return for its eighth year on April 30 and run through May 4, 2025 in the historic Halloween capital of the world: Salem, Massachusetts. The news comes as founder Kay Lynch will step down as director and empower the newly formed Horror Arts Collective, comprised of high-level festival staff, to carry the torch into the future.
“I am so proud of what the Salem Horror Fest has grown to become over the last eight years. I set out to create a cathartic safe space for marginalized groups and independent filmmakers to connect and find community within the horror genre.
Despite being located in a world class tourist destination, that is precisely what we are known for today.”
- Kay Lynch, Founder
Declared one of the “best genre festivals in the world” by MovieMaker Magazine, Salem Horror Fest has presented several hundreds of screenings and hosted dozens of notable guests including Cassandra Peterson, John Waters, Tony Todd, Linnea Quigley, and Joe Dante with integral core partnerships featuring horror academics Alex West and Andrea Subissati of The Faculty of Horror podcast who have presented live shows every year since the festival’s debut in 2017, and the George A. Romero Foundation who joined forces with the Salem Horror Fest in 2020 to institute a filmmaking mentorship program that supports bold and innovative voices embodying a DIY punk rock spirit.
“None of this could have been possible without the incredible support of a dedicated team of volunteers.
I am deeply grateful and honored for their enthusiastic passion and interest to move the fest forward. Some changes may be made, but we share the same vision and commitment to the founding mission.”
Lynch will remain involved with the festival as an advisor as she shifts focus on film commentary for physical media, special screenings, and educational programs with the historic Coolidge Corner Theater in Brookline, Massachusetts. Further updates are expected in the near future. The final deadline for film submissions is December 21, 2024.
More information can be found at filmfreeway.com/salemhorrorfest.
ABOUT SALEM HORROR FEST
Salem Horror Fest is a celebration of diverse voices and innovative filmmaking within a genre that best reflects our cultural demons and anxieties. Named one of the World’s Best Genre Festivals by MovieMaker Magazine, the annual event has featured hundreds of independent filmmakers and Hollywood icons such as Cassandra Peterson, John Waters, Joe Dante, Linnea Quigley, John Kassir, Dee Wallace, Rachel True, Riccou Browning, and Ken Foree.
ABOUT KAY LYNCH
Kay Lynch is a film historian and founder of Salem Horror Fest. Named by MovieMaker Magazine as one of the best genre festivals of the world, she set out to create a safe and welcoming space for people to find truth and catharsis in the dark shadows of cinema. Deemed “so queer it’s scary” by Advocate Magazine, Lynch is committed to the texts, creators, and trends that best reflect our cultural anxieties.
ABOUT HORROR ARTS COLLECTIVE
The Horror Arts Collective celebrates the expression of horror, dread, suspense, and fear in cinema, literature, music, dance, and the visual arts. From arthouse to grindhouse, sublime to sleaze, the Horror Arts Collective curates events that scare, terrify, and delight those who share their passion for the horror genre.