Film

EMBRACING THE ODD: MidWest WeirdFest Set for Spooky Showings

festival is March 4-6 at Micon Downtown Cinemas in Eau Claire

Parker Reed |

LET'S GET WEIRD: The 2022 edition of MidWest WeirdFest features dozens of weird, spooky, and scary films from independent filmmakers from around the world. (submitted photo)
LET'S GET WEIRD. The 2022 edition of MidWest WeirdFest features dozens of weird, spooky, and scary films from independent filmmakers from around the world. (Submitted photo)

Can you think of a better place to hold a freaky film festival than the homeland of infamous killers such as Jeffrey Dahmer and Ed Gein? We didn’t think so.

The sixth annual MidWest WeirdFest is back in Eau Claire at Micon Downtown Cinema in 2022, taking place from Thursday, March 4 through Sunday, March 6. The event is a cinematic celebration of all things fantastic, frightening, paranormal, and just plain weird, showcasing horror, sci-fi, fantasy, mystery, and dramatic films from underground filmmakers from around the world.

Director Dean Bertram said the festival, which has been held at Micon Cinemas each of its six years, has remained largely the same in spirit while slightly expanding its programming to meet the growing needs of its audience. 

“It’s grown over the years, but we’ve largely wanted to keep its essence intact,” Bertram said. “It’s still the cinematic celebration of all things fantastic, frightening, paranormal, and just plain weird that we always wanted it to be. We’re remaining true to those roots, but we still manage to have more guests and more films in an intimate setting every year.”

This year MidWest WeirdFest will feature 17 feature films and 80-90 shorts after receiving several hundred submissions, a record for the festival. Included in this year’s program is the world premiere of a new documentary entitled Alien Abduction: Answers. This documentary features world-famous writer and alien abductee Whitley Streiber, author of the best-selling Communion book series. This documentary is directed by John Yost, and MidWest WeirdFest will be the first location viewers will have the chance to take it in.

Also included in the programming for this year’s MidWest WeirdFest will be The History of Metal and Horror, a captivating documentary that explores the history of heavy metal and horror films, and how the two genres merged over time. These are just two films featured at the festival, which will give a number of the filmmakers featured the chance to meet directly with their audience after the showings.

“We pride ourselves on our relationships with our filmmakers,” Bertram said. “We bring our filmmakers to their audience in such a casual and hometown manor. Literally, after a screening, our filmmakers are able to talk to their audience in the lobby, or at a bar next door over a drink. We’re very proud that a festival like ours can bridge that daunting gap between a film and its audience.”

Bertram, who has directed film festivals internationally for over a decade, said having a film festival in the cold and spooky land of Wisconsin is a match made in horror heaven. 

“There is a sense of weirdness here in Wisconsin,” Bertram said. “There are tales of people like Ed Gein, there are UFO landing ports, the Hodag, and all sorts of other weird and wonderful tales. What better place to have a weird festival in than Wisconsin?” 


Tickets for MidWest WeirdFest are available now at midwestweirdfest.com