Day One of the Eerie Horror Fest, held in historic Erie, PA -- note the Erie/eerie pun -- kicked off Wednesday evening, October 10, with an appearance by special guest Adrienne Barbeau and a screening of John Carpenter's original 1980 horror film The Fog, starring Barbeau .

The kickoff event was nicely attended, with plenty of horror fans and press, as well as other members of the community eager to meet Barbeau. There was an air of excitement. It was the first day of the festival, the

kickoff event, and everyone was thrilled to be there.

From the outside, the scene looked like it came straight from the early ‘80s, with Barbeau's name and The Fog prominently displayed on the lighted marquee at the historic Erie Playhouse. Luckily no fog was in evidence. Inside, it was obvious we were in the twenty-first century as cell phones and digital cameras recorded Barbeau's arrival.

During questions and answers, Barbeau noted that she had never thought of herself as a horror actress; it was just something she "fell into." In fact, she said she tends to steer clear of scary movies because they scare her. In reference to The Fog, she mentioned that the scariness factor had been upped after completion when John Carpenter reviewed the finished product and decided it wasn't horrific enough. Barbeau mentioned several additions that had been made, including the frightening scene of unexplained shaking and banging at the minimart and several additional ghostly hands reaching through the church windows near the end. Carpenter himself appears early in the movie as a janitor sweeping the church and wondering when he's going to get paid.

Questions came thick and fast, to the point that the moderator had to cut it off so Barbeau would have time for an autograph session before evening's end. Barbeau was asked about her most memorable shoot: Swamp Thing, shot in the sweltering swamps of South Carolina in the summer. The production was plagued by budget problems which included the repossession of the makeup trailer during the shoot. She also talked about her favorite character: Wilma in Creepshow.

Barbeau recommended a movie of hers The Convent, which many people haven't seen because it was never released in the United States. She talked a little about her marriage to John Carpenter. She was a gracious, open, and funny speaker.

After the Q&A, fans lined up to get Barbeau's autograph and exchange a few words with her. The crowd, which included several Erie-based filmmakers, could take away several messages: (1) if your film isn't scary enough, make it scarier - or - if you're not satisfied with your final product, you don't have to shelve it, and (2) you don't have to live in Los Angeles to see stars.

Smaller film festivals like the Eerie Horror Fest can be a great place to chat with actors and meet other filmmakers.

Now on to Day Two, which included six horror shorts and appearances by actor James Duval and writer/producer Sean Clark.