All night ‘dusk to dawn’ drive-in fest promises classic horror thrills in Sterling

STERLING, Ill. (WTVO) — The Midway Drive-In is hosting its annual “Dusk to Dawn Horror Fest” this weekend, featuring four classic creature features.

The event will feature vendors selling horror-themed T-shirts, posters, horror merchandise and more, with Chicago film critic Nick Digilio as host.

The drive-in show also features classic horror trailers and vintage drive-in concession ads, recreating a nostalgic movie-going experience.

First up will be director Stuart Gordon’s off-beat retelling of H.P. Lovecraft’s “Re-Animator,” the 1985 movie whose tagline promised “Herbert West has a perfectly good head on his shoulders, and another one on his desk,” telling the story of a medical student who discovers a formula that brings dead bodies to life.

“Re-Animator” will be showing on an original 35mm film print, while the subsequent 3 features will show on digital formats.

The 2nd feature is 1983’s controversial “Halloween III: Season of the Witch,” which infamously did not feature series boogeyman Michael Myers, but instead tells the story of an insidious plot to use black magic to kill millions of children on Halloween night, via a popular line of rubber masks.

The third feature to screen will be director Edgar Wright’s comedy debut, “Shaun of the Dead,” a UK import that stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost as two layabout buddies who awake one morning in the midst of a zombie apocalypse, and race through London to reunite with their friends and loved ones.

The evening wraps up with 1990s “Bride of Re-Animator,” which finds Dr. West and company seeking to create a living woman, but finds his efforts hindered by the return of his antagonist’s living-but-severed head.

Gates open at 5 p.m. on Saturday, September 20th, with the pre-show scheduled to begin at 7:45 p.m.

Admission costs $20 for adults and $5 for children. The Midway requires an additional $10 food permit if guests plan to bring in outside food and beverages.