Deepwells Mansion to host Halloween horror film festival

Spend Halloween watching scary movies at the Deepwells Mansion Macabre Film Festival in St. James on Oct. 31. Over 25 independent films in the horror genre will be screened at this inaugural event.

"When I walked into the space, I said this 181 year-old mansion needs to be a venue for filmmakers in some capacity," says creative director Jaret Martino, of Kings Park. "Because of all the ghost stories attached to the mansion, it made sense to do a thriller/horror film festival. We hope to make it an annual."

From 5-10 p.m., various short films are set to be shown followed by a five-minute Q&A session with the filmmakers. This will lead up to the premiere of the sole feature screening of the supernatural thriller "Mittens," starring Arina Bacigalupo ("Cursed Hearse"), Cassadee Pope ("The Voice") and Kellin Quinn ("Paradise City"). Executive producer/director of photography/editor Oliver Ricketts, of Lindenhurst, will be on hand to address the crowd. In fact, part of the film was shot in Plainview and Ronkonkoma.

"After young Alice befriends a stuffed cat named Mittens, a strange pattern of violence and disappearances surrounds her. She swears it was Mittens," Ricketts says. "Fast forward to a 30-year-old Alice, who reconnects with her furry childhood friend right as a custody hearing for her stepdaughter begins."

The movie screen will be on the front lawn in a 35-foot heated tent with sides. Refreshments will be sold, and the Deepwells Haunted Mansion display will be open for VIP ticket holders to peruse.

Over 150 submissions were made to the festival, and awards are given out to best feature film and best short film.

"Horror is something that typically you can shoot on a lower budget with one or two locations," Martino says. "If it’s a good script and you have talent that can pull it off, you could make something like ‘Obsession.’ That movie was made on the shoestring budget and garnered over $500 million."

Costumes are encouraged — a basket filled with local gift cards gets distributed to the winner of the costume contest. But the spotlight is on the filmmakers, who are coming from London to Mexico City and beyond to attend.

"The big challenge for filmmakers is, who’s going to watch their films?" Martino says. "The festival focuses on building relationships and helping the filmmakers find the right audience for their work."

For tickets ($22, $33 VIP) and more information, visit: deepwellsmansionmacabre.com.