The Haunted Newport Horror Film Festival is set for a 3-day celebration of independent horror films, to be held at the Firehouse Theater in Newport, Rhode Island, Friday, October 25 through Sunday, October 27. Official opening night event of the Festival, features Aleister!, Chris Marikian's mockumentary about the 19th century magician/occultist Aleister Crowley. (Seems the creepy Crowley once visited Newport.) Festivities begin with a special Alice Cooper tribute performance starring Mario Neves, who will perform "Welcome To My Nightmare". Following the film screening, there will be a Q&A session with the cast and director, and a "meet the cast" reception (with a "boo-ffet" of assorted “horror d'oeuvres”).

Selected features are The Cries of Lorena, directed by Hellmuth Brikisak (Greg Sly, California); DEN, directed by Greg Arce (Clown Tears Productions, California); Hell's Highway, directed by S. Lee Taylor (Poushay Productions, California); I'll Bury You Tomorrow, directed by Alan Rowe Kelly (New Millenium Pictures, New Jersey); The Shape of Evil, directed by Marc Anthony Massimei (Mapproductions, California); and Suspended Animation, directed by John Hancock (FilmAcres, Indiana).

Selected shorts are Dwindling, directed by Arnie Lerner (Lerner Film, New Mexico); Imagination, directed by Danica DeCosto (Danica Pictures, Texas); Liberta Me, directed by Pearry R. Teo (Aaquinas Productions, Arizona); Out of the Coffin, directed by Karl Niemiec (Coconut Production, California); The Puzzle, directed by Robert Harrari (Harari Productions, Maryland); and Samuel, directed by Jody Fedele (3 Point Landing Productions, California).

Now in its fourth year, Haunted Newport is the largest month-long Halloween "spooktacular" in North America, established in 1999 to promote a positive view of Halloween. In October 2002, the city-wide program began with nearly 200 events, including Opening Day Scaremony, Horror Film Festival (and the Opening Night Ghoula), Metaphysical Faire, Halloween parties, ghost and cemetery tours, haunted hayrides, Ghost Ship, murder mysteries, Edgar Allan Poe Weekend, Skeleton Fiesta and more.