WQED celebrates Pittsburgh’s horror heritage and Halloween spirit with ‘Dead Air’
This month, WQED-TV is inviting viewers to discover the people, places, and stories behind the Pittsburgh region’s love of horror, Halloween, and the wonderfully weird.
“Dead Air” features television premieres from local independent filmmakers, a newly digitized 1979 portrait of horror icon Tom Savini, and other discoveries from WQED’s archives.
New specials from Rick Sebak and Nebby Nick join the lineup, along with opportunities to watch George A. Romero’s classic “Night of the Living Dead” at home and on the big screen.
“Dead Air” takes over the WQED-TV airways every Thursday at 8 p.m. on WQED-TV. Then, on Oct. 27 at 7 p.m., WQED is hosting a live screening of “Night of the Living Dead” at the Oaks Theater in Oakmont. Admission is free, but registration is required.
“Pittsburgh’s creative spirit takes many forms, and our horror tradition is part of what makes this region unique,” said Jason Jedlinski, WQED’s president and CEO. “With “Dead Air,” we’re celebrating that creativity and inviting more people to discover or reconnect with WQED. It’s part of our broader effort to connect neighbors through shared experiences-including the fun of enjoying a Pittsburgh classic together in a neighborhood theater.”
WQED is also bringing a rarely seen piece of Pittsburgh film history back to the screen. Retrieved from deep storage and newly digitized, the 1979 documentary “Tom Savini: Master of Metamorphosis” returns to television for the first time in decades on Oct. 29, at 10 p.m. The half-hour film offers an early portrait of the Pittsburgh native known for his influential work as a makeup and special-effects artist, actor, and director.
The discoveries continue with “Dead Air: The WQED Archives Resurrected,” a collection of Halloween-season stories originally broadcast from 2004 to 2008. Airing Oct. 29, at 11 p.m., the special invites viewers to revisit the people and places that helped WQED capture the region’s Halloween spirit.
Two new specials – “Lucky to Live in Pittsburgh: Cemeteries” and “Nebbin’ Around Town: Halloween” – explore the region’s cemeteries and Halloween attractions, while Rick Sebak’s 1991 special, “George Romero and the City of the Living Dead” revisits the filmmaker’s enduring connection to Pittsburgh.
On Halloween night, “Dead Air” comes to a close with back-to-back airings of “Night of the Living Dead,” starting at 9 p.m.
Younger viewers can enjoy family-friendly scares with two blocks of Halloween episodes from PBS KIDS favorites like “Arthur,” “Wild Kratts,” “Cyberchase,” and “Odd Squad” on Oct. 25 from 6 a.m. to noon and Oct. 30 from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m.
For the full “Dead Air” schedule, go online to wqed.org/deadair.