This upcoming weekend, two film festivals will take over the Micon Cinema in downtown Eau Claire.

From the evening of Thursday, Mar. 5 through the evening of Sunday, Mar. 8, both MidWest WeirdFest and A Night of Horror will be screening films. 

WeirdFest will feature a mixture of science fiction, horror and just plain weirdness on film. This festival, directed by Dean Bertram, is now on its tenth annual installment. The full program includes a variety of films across genres, many being shown publicly for the first time.

Bertram introduced this year’s festival in a statement on the MidWest WeirdFest website. 

“I have always hoped that MidWest WeirdFest would evoke the awe and chills of the sideshow alley of a dark carnival, a place filled with terrors, wonders, and forbidden surprises,” Bertram said.

The full MidWest WeirdFest program for 2026 boasts the world premieres of “Incubation,” “The Philip Experiment,” “Sunset Strip Killers” and “Variations on Violence.” 

Other films, having already premiered, include “Psychopomp,” “We Put the World to Sleep” and a memorial showing of “The Rules of Attraction” to commemorate the late James Van Der Beek.

Simultaneously, A Night of Horror’s 18th edition — though 2026 is only its third year being staged in the United States — will be showing horror through the weekend. The festival, also directed by Dean Bertram, includes some of the same films but also a lot of unique inclusions.

One notable film making its debut in the Midwest is “Creature Fear.” Directed by Manny Gumina, the film is inspired by Bon Iver’s own song of the same name. “Creature Fear” made its world premiere at the 18th annual Buried Alive Film Festival on Nov. 7, 2025.

Gumina was asked about filmmaking and about “Creature Fear.”

“I wouldn’t consider myself necessarily a dark person, but I find writing and creating horror very cathartic,” Gumina said. 

Gumina said that it’s about being able to express yourself in a dark way that doesn’t hurt others.

“Creature Fear” is Gumina’s first feature length film, though not his first foray into filmmaking. Gumina previously wrote and directed the short films “Beer Party” and “Ash People.” 

Gumina has not previously screened any films at A Night of Horror, but having grown up in Wisconsin, he was excited to show “Creature Fear” to an Eau Claire audience.

“I made this movie for Wisconsinites, people who know Bon Iver, know who Ed Gein is. One used this loneliness and heartbreak to make something extremely beautiful, where the other guy descended into madness,” Gumina said.

Gumina draws parallels between “Creature Fear” and Gein, who was a Wisconsin native. He described the film as a “folk horror noir” about violence spurred on by the consumption of diseased venison. The film takes place in Waushara County. 

According to Gumina, “Creature fear” aims to explore “complex human relationships” and “societal anxiety,” which may be another connection between creatives like Bon Iver and people like Gein.

The film is in good company, with other shorts featured at the festival written to explore the same themes. 

A Night of Horror and MidWest WeirdFest will unite on the afternoon of Saturday, Mar. 7, co-presenting a selection of short films including “The Stay,” “Homemade Gatorade” and “Texas Strange.” 

Both festivals will begin at 6 p.m. on Mar. 5, with the first film starting at 6:30 p.m. Season passes as well as day passes and tickets to individual films are available online and at the box office. Organizers recommend purchasing tickets in advance to ensure they don’t sell out.

Zien can be reached at [email protected].