After an award-winning tour through festivals across Europe, the U.S., and Canada, Vampire Zombies… From Space! will head home for its local premiere on Saturday, Oct. 26, at the Windsor International Film Festival.

The genre-bending comedy-horror claimed the Best Feature Film Award at the Fright Nights Film Festival in Austria and both the audience choice and student jury awards at the Ravenna Nightmare Festival in Italy.

“These accolades solidify the film’s growing reputation as a fan favourite on the festival circuit,” says writer-director Mike Stasko (BA 2002), a professor in the Department of Communication, Media, and Film.

The project employed an entirely local crew — including a number of UWindsor students and alumni — in historic Windsor-Essex locations.

“We’re always trying to push ourselves as local filmmakers, and this production raised a lot of bars for us,” Stasko says.

Describing the film as a loving tribute to classic sci-fi and horror movies, he hails a blend of influences, from directors Mel Brooks and Ed Wood to the television cartoon series South Park.

“We follow a group of unlikely heroes fighting Dracula’s latest plot: turning a small town into an army of vampire zombies,” Stasko says. “A grizzled detective, a skeptical rookie cop, a chain-smoking greaser, and a determined young woman must band together to save the world.”

He notes cast, crew, and local supporters are eagerly anticipating the hometown debut, which promises an appearance by actress Judith O’Dea, who portrays a member of the Vampire High Council in the film and played Barbra in the 1968 George Romero classic Night of the Living Dead.

The premiere is set for 8:30 p.m. Saturday in the Chrysler Theatre at the St. Clair College Centre for the Arts, with a follow-up on Halloween in the Capitol Theatre’s Pentastar. Find details and tickets n the WIFF website.

For more information on the hometown premiere or upcoming screenings, visit www.vampirezombiesmovie.com.