The theme of the ninth annual Salem Horror Fest, which kicked off last night at Salem’s Peabody Essex Museum, is “scratch the surface.” The phrase conjures a variety of implications when it comes to the genre and beyond, but Victoria Price — daughter of horror legend Vincent Price — eloquently encapsulated the message in her keynote address: “What you find when you scratch the surface is our tell-tale hearts.”
Accompanied by her dog, Allie, Victoria shared a multimedia presentation featuring lore from her father’s illustrious life and legacy while tracing her own journey to finding joy in horror despite not being a fan of the genre. She also participated in a brief Q&A with returning master of ceremonies Xero Gravity, self-proclaimed cousin to Salem Horror Fest.
Festival co-directors Leslie Adams and Brody Bellamy took the stage to announce this year’s jury award winners: Blood & Guts by Carlye Rubin, Katie Green, & Tina Grapenthin for Best Feature, Very Prosperous Men by Josiah Walker for Best Interlude (films running 15-60 minutes), and Mangittatuarjuk (The Gnawer of Rocks) by Louise Flaherty for Best Short.
The pair also presented this year’s George A. Romero Foundation recipients: Ricardo Albarrán, director of the shor Pelacaras, will be mentored by Matt Leslie (Summer of 84); Wendy Wang, director of the interlude The Man Upstairs, will be mentored by Travis Stevens (Girl on the Third Floor); and Donnie Hobbie, director of the feature Jump Scare, will be mentored by Jenn Wexler (The Sacrifice Game).
A screening of Mangittatuarjuk followed. The 14-minute Inuit folk horror tale about two young women trapped in the titular monster’s lair is beautifully told through stop-motion animation with textured characters and detailed environments. It’s easy to see why it took home the jury award.
The guest of honor was cinematic icon Dee Wallace, who, despite being under the weather, exuded the same maternal warmth that she’s brought to the screen for the last 50 years. She left her life as a Kansas school teacher behind to pursue an acting career in spite of many naysayers. “In less than seven years, I starred in E.T., so if you’ve got a dream, say ‘fuck you’ and go anyway,” Wallace advised the audience.
Interviewed by Rue Morgue’s Andrea Subissati, Wallace shared anecdotes about many of her most beloved films — The Hills Have Eyes, The Frighteners, Rob Zombie’s Halloween, and more — but the highlight was hearing her speak on life in general. Much like when she’s in front of the camera, Wallace was not afraid to get vulnerable as she recounted how she has overcome tragedy with love.
The evening concluded with a screening of 1983’s Cujo starring Wallace. The film holds up better than many Stephen King adaptations of the era, and the viewing was enriched by the context Wallace provided beforehand — including working with the 13 dogs used to create the illusion of a rabid St. Bernard.
Salem Horror Fest will continue through May 3 with screenings of official feature selections Blood & Guts, Deep Hallows: A Brazilian Gothic Fable, Frankie, Maniac Woman, Jump Scare, Lily’s Ritual, Regression, The Barn Part III, and The Mid-Night Driver, along with over 40 interludes and shorts.
There will also be repertory screenings of Blood Shine, both the 1942 and 1982 versions of Cat People, Let the Right One In, Pet Sematary, and Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama with live commentary, plus a special showing of The Vincent Price Legacy accompanied by dinner prepared with recipes from Price’s cookbooks.
Additional events include meet-and-greets with Wallace, Price, Michael Berryman (The Hills Have Eyes), and Linnea Quigley (The Return of the Living Dead), panels, live podcasts from Girl, That’s Scary and Movie Jawn, a horror drag show, vendor markets, and more.
Salem Horror Fest 2026 passes are on sale now.
