Coldwater’s Monster Fest returns to Tibbits Opera House Oct. 24 with a punk show, “The Frighteners” and a Michigan horror author’s book signing

COLDWATER, Mich. — Tibbits Opera House will celebrate an early Halloween on Saturday, Oct. 24, with Monster Fest, its Halloween tradition of live music followed by a film, this year with a Michigan horror novelist signing books in its art gallery.

Doors open at 7 p.m., and seating begins at 7:30, according to Tibbits. The night starts at 8 p.m. with a set by Coldwater punk band Sissy SpaceX, followed by a screening of “The Frighteners,” director Peter Jackson’s 1996 supernatural comedy starring Michael J. Fox as a con man who can see ghosts. The film is rated R for terror and moderate violence and gore.

The author. J.C. Vande Zande, who teaches English and creative writing at Delta College near Saginaw, will sign books in the Tibbits Art Gallery. He recently finished his gothic Orphan Island Trilogy, set in Northern Michigan’s woods and islands, and all three books, “The Dance of Rotten Sticks,” “Blood of the Witness Tree” and “Coven of the Worm Moon,” will be for sale. Vande Zande has written seven novels, and his “American Poet” won a Michigan Notable Book Award from the Library of Michigan in 2013, Tibbits says.

Also on site. Battle Creek artist Lanessa Miller will sell “Live on Location” paintings she makes during the band’s performance.

Tickets. Admission is $10, fees included, through Tibbits.org, by phone at 517-278-6029 or at the Tibbits office, 93 W. Chicago St., during business hours. The theater is at 14 S. Hanchett St. Concessions, including alcohol, will be sold, and no outside food or drink is allowed.

Note. A Haunted History Trail of Michigan listing for the event names a different opening band; this story follows Tibbits’ own Oct. 16 announcement. For more around Battle Creek this weekend, see things to do in Battle Creek Oct. 23–25.

Sources:
Tibbits Opera Foundation and Arts Council, “Tibbits to Host Book Signing with Michigan Horror Author J.C. Vande Zande During Monster Fest,” Oct. 16, 2026, https://tibbits.org/tibbits-to-host-book-signing-with-michigan-horror-author-j-c-vande-zande-during-monster-fest/
Haunted History Trail of Michigan, “Monster Fest 2026” event listing, https://hauntedhistorytrailmichigan.com/events/monster-fest/
Photo: Pajameson, “Tibbits Opera House Modern Theatre Facade.JPG,” Oct. 15, 2009, Wikimedia Commons, public domain, cropped and color-adjusted, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tibbits_Opera_House_Modern_Theatre_Facade.JPG

Battle Creek

Tags: Battle Creek · Things to Do · Coldwater · Tibbits Opera House · Halloween · Movies