Screen Screams

Maybe it’s the trains, maybe it’s the river, maybe it’s just a bunch of ghosts, but for some reason, this area is rife with budding horror filmmakers. Some of their bloody fruits are part of the KC Creepfest Horror Film Festival, screening today and Friday in Westport. Part of this weekend’s Westport Fright Nights, the film festival begins at the Westport Coffeehouse Theatre (4010 Pennsylvania) tonight at 4 p.m. with a showing of horror classic The Killer Shrews, followed by a bunch of locally made scary shorts and a performance by the band Mr. Fish. Starting at 4 p.m. Friday, the big screen at Tivoli Cinemas will light up with the depravities imagined by area filmmakers Ty Jones (Last Breath), Brian Boye (Bride), Timothy Friend (Bonnie and Clyde vs. Dracula) and others. Following the final onscreen screams is an afterparty at McCoy’s, during which the not scary at all local music doc 72 Musicians will provide comfort and distraction. For a complete schedule, see kccreepfest.com/blog.

Thu., Oct. 29; Fri., Oct. 30, 2009