Madison has a complicated history with horror festivals, and Jason Davis is looking to change that.
Madison is no stranger to horror, and I don’t mean what you might run into at Freakfest on Halloween. Those who spend their late weekend nights channel-surfing have surely come across Bordello of Horror, the CW57’s weekly schlock cinema staple. The midnight public domain showcase boasts several hosts, but its mastermind is Rich “Freakshow” Peterson, a bug-eyed, green-skinned horror and sci-fi enthusiast. Peterson and his cadre of costumed misfits have treated viewers to underrated gems like The Devil’s Nightmare and Mystery Science Theater fodder like Phantom From Space, becoming something of a B-movie institution in the process. (Wisconsin Film Festival staffers Jim Healy and Ben Reiser even stopped by earlier this year to plug the fest.)
In 2008, Peterson branched out from local production into local exhibition, launching the Madison Horror Film Festival. A mix of independent regional and world cinema, the festival offered a wide variety of horror programming and face-to-face exposure to industry guests in makeup and effects artists. As its genre is wont to do, the Madison Horror Festival attracted its intended audience but faced challenges catching the attention of non-enthusiasts. Uneven promotion, dwindling time and resources, and date changes stymied the event over the years, and while Peterson continues to host horror-themed area events, Madison hasn’t seen another festival since 2012.
Enter Jason Davis, who’s spent this past year working with Peterson on bringing a brand new festival to the city. The author of a zombie apocalypse series and a filmmaker in his own right, he founded the Chicago Horror Film Festival back in 2003 after growing frustrated with the lack of organized horror outlets in the Midwest. Davis, who moved to Wisconsin in 2009 relaunched his old promotional organization Festivals of Fright for his and Peterson’s latest venture, Madtown Horror. The new festival will run at Market Square Cinemas on Oct 24 – 25, and Davis and Peterson have already begun announcing titles. The pair plan to have the entire schedule released by Sept 1, when they kick off a month-long trivia challenge on their Facebook page.
Having moved to the Madison suburbs this past year, Davis spoke with me via email about the Madtown Horror Festival, explaining the ins and outs of a “I Want to Hear You Scream” contest in the process.
You started the Chicago Horror Film Festival in 2003, and it’s still going today, so I imagine that’s been a pretty successful project for you.
Jason: The Chicago Horror Film Festival has been a staple for indie horror and has been continuing to grow every year. While I did step away from the festival in 2010, taking time away from putting together film festivals, I have continued to watch it grow and enjoy continually going to it every year.
Why bring a horror festival to Madison?
Jason: When Rich Peterson organized the Madison Horror Film Festival [years ago], I was honored that he had talked to me as well as other festivals when putting on his amazing event. As his own show has continued to grow, he has found it hard to find the time to put on the event but still would like to see a Madison horror festival. I talked to him about it, and we both started working to make Madtown Horror a reality.
What will be different about Madtown Horror?
Jason: For the last Chicago Horror Film Festival that I was a part of, I created some fun events that made the festival not just another film festival. Everyone had a lot of fun, and I would like to bring those elements into Madtown Horror. We will be showing some amazing independent horror films from all around the globe but in addition, we will have a costume contest, a block of family friendly horror films, as well as a more mature costume contest later on Saturday evening. We also plan on bringing our “I Want to Hear You Scream” contest.
You’ve already started to announce titles. Where will your films and filmmakers be coming from?
Jason: We are working on that. We have heard some filmmakers will be making the trip, and we are working with other filmmakers to see what we can do to help them attend the festival.
Will you be showing anything local?
Jason: There are a couple of films made by filmmakers in Madison and Janesville. They will be announced soon.
What’s this “I Want to Hear You Scream” contest all about?
Jason: We started doing this contest in ’08, and it has become one of the most popular parts of the festival. Anyone who is attending can come up and scream as though they were getting killed. It can get pretty wild with some of the death wails. Some go for creativity, others are more straightforward screams. The top three screams win prizes.
Market Square has been particularly friendly to local film release parties and a number of festivals in the past. Is that what attracted you to the venue?
Jason: They have been very friendly with supporting independent film, and we are very happy to be able to support Market Square. We had inquired to many other local venues and found that Market Square fit our needs for the first year of this event. They have been great to work with.
You’re working with Rich Peterson. Who manages what?
Jason: It’s not so well-defined. I guess I would say I am lead crazy person of the asylum, but Rich is right there with me. It’s hard to say which one of us has more screws loose. But I’d say that about anyone who puts together an event like this. I hate titles.
- The Madtown Horror Festival runs at Market Square Theaters at 6604 Odana Rd on Sat Oct 24 and Sun Oct 25. Admission is $8 each day or $15 for a weekend pass. Tickets are now available for purchase.