October may seem pretty far away right now but the team behind this year’s Salem Horror Fest is already hard at work on putting it together, and they’ve just announced via press release today that cult film legend John Waters will be attendance at SHF 2019!

The Salem Horror Fest will host John Waters for a live performance of This Filthy World: Filthier & More Horrible on Wednesday, October 9th at the Peabody Essex Museum.

“I can’t wait to get my warlock little self to Salem to meet all the witches, gore hounds and punk goblins; together we’ll cast a horror spell like no other,” Waters said in a statement.

Musing on his early childhood in Baltimore, Waters will identify his favorite horror influences, including tacky drive-in movies and local burlesque performers. He recalls his rocky introduction to film, how his longtime friend Divine, a genderbending drag performer known for his outlandish stunts, inspired some of his most famous work and what he really thinks about “this filthy world.”

The performance comes in the midst of a ten-day festival that will feature premieres, parties, live music, lectures, podcasts, celebrity appearances and more in the Halloween capital of the world beginning Thursday, October 3 through Monday, October 14, 2019.