- Free screening of new Lovecraft documentary tomorrow in CYBERSPACE!
February 26, 2010 - KINGDOM OF THE SPIDERS - Special Edition
January 23, 2010 - The House On Sorority Row: 25th Anniversary Edition
January 21, 2010 - PARANORMAL ACTIVITY get live commentary treatment this Sunday at The Aero!
January 7, 2010
Written by 
Free screening of new Lovecraft documentary tomorrow in CYBERSPACE!
You’ve read the headline correctly. I am intrigued and excited by this screening of “Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown” that will be taking place tomorrow in the Second Life universe. The full scoop is listed below. I invite everyone to check it out. The filmmakers will be in attendence.
On February 27th, leading Second Life(r) roleplay community, Erie Isle will host a unique screening event for the award winning documentary, “Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown”. Plans for this special evening include a screening of the movie, a live Q&A session with the filmmakers, a Lovecraft themed costume contest, and more. The public is invited as the filmmakers, Wyrd Studios creative partners Frank H. Woodward, James B. Myers, and William Janczewski join the Erie Isle characters and their guests in-world for the evening.
“Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown” is a chronicle of the life, work and mind of author H.P. Lovecraft, his work, and the mind behind, the man who created the Cthulhu mythos. Director Frank H. Woodward tells Lovecraft’s life story, helped by appearances from modern horror and weird tales luminaries such as John Carpenter, Andrew Migliore, Neil Gaiman , Guillermo del Toro, S.T. Joshi, Ramsey Campbell, Caitlín R. Kiernan, Andrew MiglioreNeil Gaiman, Robert M. Price, Peter Straub, and Stuart Gordon. This documentary film won Best Documentary at the 2008 Comic Con International Comic-Con and represents extensive research into this controversial and often misunderstood pioneer of horror fiction.
The Erie Isle backstory begins with the isle as a vacation playground during Lovecraft’s era but its charm faded as it succumbed to dark supernatural forces. Roleplay is set in current day as the town’s population struggle with forces and fears that are not always known. Erie Isle has been and innovator in SL roleplay by offering events that can be enjoyed both by out-of-character guest, and by the community of in-character players that reside there. Mixed reality events spin-off roleplays that then become part of Erie Isle’s ongoing storyline.
While screenings in Second Life aren’t unheard of, the “Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown” screening will go beyond the normal leveraging of the SL platform. Wyrd Studios is actively engaging a popular existing community that is not only excited to have them, but has the resources and experience to make their screening resonate in SL as a whole.
The event is free for everyone to attend. Those wishing to attend that are not currently Second Life users may sign up and go to the in-world location directly by using the “Sign Up” button on http://www.erie-isle.com/
“Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown” Screening Schedule* for February 27th:
3:30PM - Pre-screening cocktail reception hosted by the Muircastle Trust
4:00PM - Screening of Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown
5:30PM - Question and answer session with filmmakers Frank H. Woodward, James B. Myers, and William Janczewski.
Immediately following Q&A- Street party and Lovecraft costume contest co-hosted by Erie’s Twilight & Dreadshift. Prizes provided by Vanilla C Designs, Wyrd Studios, Cinevolve Studios and Erie Isle.
*all times reflect Second Life time (PST)
Written by KINGDOM OF THE SPIDERS - Special Edition
Written by Fido
From the very opening of the movie and the immediately out-of-place title music, it’s hard not to get wrapped up into Kingdom Of The Spiders right off the bat. Slow moving spiders beating up even slower reacting people – sign me up. It brings back fond memories of lazy Sunday early evenings in Southern California watching Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, on Channel 9 while settling into an amazingly cheeseball, but fun movie.
It’s always good to see William Shatner in any role outside of Captain Kirk, or a character alluding to Kirk. And in this flick, he delivers an oddly "dramedic" (drama + comedy) performance under the moniker Arizona’s own Dr. Robert “Rack” Hansen. Now I won’t spoil the story behind the catchy spy-guy nickname, but instead I will whole-heartedly recommend that any fan of horror or ‘70s movies in general grab this puppy up as soon as they can.
Alongside Shatner is Tiffany Bolling playing the alluring female lead. From her very first zero reaction to finding a giant tarantula in a vanity drawer for no reason, her performance falls right in line with what you expect (and want) from the role.
How many William Shatner films can you see where Shatner is the most under-control actor (well, at least until his attack scene that he mysteriously survives when others were knocked off with one nibble)?
It has all of the hallmarks of a good ‘70s horror romp – the overacting; the grainy, gritty film feel; the low budget stretched to the Nth degree; the appropriate yet still completely abrupt ending; and a ton of other entirely endearing qualities that make the ‘70s era of horror (and film in general) one of the most interesting and now influential eras in film history.
The opening scene in which a prize show-cow is assaulted by one of the offending beasties is shot from the spiders’ point of view. Call me crazy (as many have before and will again) but I love when older horror movies take a P.O.V. shot from a bug and treat it as high drama – which this movie does do not once, but a couple times. It’s this kind of sensibility in these films that I find so magnetic. Simple little devices used in unintentionally funny ways that draw you into even the worst of films are few and far between nowadays. Kingdom Of The Spiders finds a way to be unintentionally funny without being thoroughly terrible or unentertaining.
There’s also this wonderfully blurry line between TV movies of the era and movies of the same time period. This one has the same “could’ve been an ABC Sunday Night Movie” feel, but it doesn’t take anything away from the fun.
One of my favorite aspects of the movie is that 90% of the music is a lifted score from The Twilight Zone. And it’s not only used once or twice; it’s the dramatic underscore for a vast majority of the movie. Although it’s recognizable, it does nothing but add to the heaping amount of chuckles. When it’s not The Twilight Zone as the backbone of the musical drama, it’s a melodramatic score that overplays even the smallest of incidents, but again, that’s not a bad thing in this case.
As far as the special features go on the DVD, there’s a couple damn interesting nuggets. The first and best one is a rare behind-the-scenes film shot during the making of the movie. There aren’t many movies of that era with the foresight to archive some of the making of the movie and there are less DVD-authoring companies that will go the extra mile to find stuff like this. For that alone it’s worth getting the DVD. But there are other features: one on the spider wrangler for the movie, an interview with the venerable William Shatner, and an interview with the writer of the film. And though all the features (including the original trailer which is an ass-kicker) are sweet, it’s that behind-the-scenes one that really grabs you.
On top of that Shout has done something wonderful that may be of little note or care to others, but to me it’s the way these kinds of movies (or actually any movie on DVD to that end) should always be released – they used the original theatrical poster as the cover for the DVD – awesome!
As a totally related Trek side note – if you like this, go treat yourself to the giant rabbit invasion that is Night Of The Lepus (hopefully Shout will release that one with the same care they released this gem. It stars DeForest Kelley (Dr. McCoy) and is equally if not more entertaining in every wrong way possible.
Anyway, aside from any kind of hoity-toity film analysis, Kingdom Of The Spiders is an unabashedly entertaining fun example of a filmmaking sensibility that has sadly gone by. You go watch now.
The House On Sorority Row: 25th Anniversary Edition
Written by Fantasma el Rey
“Sister in life, sisters in death.” That’s the tag line for The House On Sorority Row, the 1983 horror/thriller that recently (late 2009) spawned a remake. I don’t know what the remake is like but the original is a fun little romp filled with bad ‘80s hair, decent suspense, and killings galore plus a good amount of nudity. The plot isn’t too terribly bad either.
Writer/director Mark Rosman opens his thriller with a doctor’s house call on a stormy night in 1961 and we witness what appears to a botched childbirth by C-section. Fast-forward to the then-present, early 1980s, and that same old house on Sorority Row. We see a handful of happy young girls after their graduation, filled with hope for the future; little do they know that that future will be slashed short.
The mean-spirited housemother kicks all the girls out by a certain day every year, no exceptions. This year’s lot of girls isn’t going to play her game and they’re gonna stay anyway and party like crazy; no crabby old coots stopping them. So the girls of Theta Pi sorority plan their party and a prank on the old maid they despise so much. But their prank goes tragically wrong and the old bag is killed and “hidden” in the old green, slimy pool out back or so the girls think.
While the graduation party rages on, a few extra rowdy guests head out back to play in the filthy pool and as the nervous girls rush to herd the boys back inside, they discover that the body is missing. And this is when the fun starts. The girls involved begin to disappear one by one as they are killed off and thrown in the pool. So the slayings go on and the old doctor from ‘61 is phoned and brought back into the picture. Ninety-one minutes and a somewhat cliché ending later all is revealed.
The House On Sorority Row isn’t really a slasher as Rosman tries to pay homage to Hitchcock and other masters of film, having some murders off screen or in shadow. The ending, which is the best part, makes the whole damn picture worth seeing for that scene alone. Too bad we didn’t see a bit more of that or the original ending for that matter which Rosman was forced to cut by his backers. He describes the lost scene pretty well and leaves us thinking that the original ending would have put this movie truly over the top in cult-horror film history.
Bonus features to this 25th Anniversary Edition DVD include a story board comparison, photo gallery (with some nice stills) and a decent audio commentary by Rosman and actors Eileen Davidson, who we see topless in the film, and Kathryn McNeil. The DVD cover is also noteworthy for the fact that it features a scantily clad hottie in front of a creepy, gothic looking big window. Hubba, hubba!
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY get live commentary treatment this Sunday at The Aero!
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY gets The American Cinematheque’s live commentary treatment as director Oren Peli and producers Jason Blum and Steven Schneider will be on hand to provide insights into the making of the film DURING the screening. It’s a unique opportunity to get a backstage look into one of the most successful independent films of all time and be scared silly at the same time.
When:
Sunday, January 10th at 7:30 PM
Where:
Aero Theatre
1328 Montana Ave.
Santa Monica, CA 90403
Order your tickets in advance from Fandango. The live commentary films are usually sell-outs!
Universal Studios Monsters Book Signing
It promises to be a fun event for lovers of the classic Universal horror films. There will be trailers. There will be cake, (to celebrate Boris & Sara Karloff’s birthday next week). Plus in addition to the book, there will be merchandise from karloff.com.
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY expands to a theatre near you
After a young, middle class couple moves into what seems like a typical suburban “starter” tract house, they become increasingly disturbed by a presence that may or may not be demonic but is certainly most active in the middle of the night.
Especially when they sleep. Or try to.
Official Site
I saw this film in 2007 at Screamfest (the 2009 edition of Screamfest starts next Friday) and it blew me away. It is a truly scary film. It works by building tension and anticipation and by playing on the fact that what is not shown can be more frightening because your imasgination fills it in for you.
I am glad that they are finally releasing it as the originally planned big budget remake would have fallen flat. The lack of special effects and recognizable stars helps fuel the illusion that you are watching real footage and not a piece of fiction.
Now is your chance to see what everyone is talking about. See it on the big screen with an audience for the best effect.!
DRAG ME TO HELL DVD Giveaway
Enter to Win!
The film marked Sam Raimi’s triumphant return to the horror genre. Now you have a chance to win one of four Drag Me To Hell DVDs courtesy of Universal Home Entertainment.
To enter, send an email with “Drag Me To Hell” in the subject line along with your name and shipping address to:
contest@filmradar.com
One winner a week will be chosen. You must be a FilmRadar newsletter subscriber to win. Entries from non-subscribers will automatically be signed up for the FilmRadar weekly newsletter and Horror Fan newsletter.
SYNOPSIS:
Christine Brown (Alison Lohman) is on her way to having it all: a devoted boyfriend (Justin Long), a hard-earned job position, and a bright future. But when she’s forced to make a tough decision that evicts an elderly woman from her house, Christine becomes the victim of an evil curse. Now she has only three days to dissuade a dark spirit from stealing her soul before she is dragged to hell for an eternity of unthinkable torment. Director Sam Raimi (Spider-Man and the Evil Dead trilogy) returns to the horror genre with a vengeance in the film that critics rave is “the most crazy, fun and terrifying horror movie in years!” (Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly)
Visit the official site
Own it October 13th on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital download.
Includes two versions of the movie -
Unrated Director’s Cut and Theatrical
THE STEPFATHER (1987)
Written by Senora Bicho
The Stepfather is a thriller loosely based on the real case of John List. I was a 14-year-old when it was released and remember it being pretty creepy. I haven’t seen it in many years and was curious if it would still be as spine-chilling as I remembered.
It opens with a blood-covered man who has apparently just murdered his family. He cleans himself up, takes his bloody clothes, and leaves town. One year later, he appears as Jerry Blake (Terry O’Quinn) and is recently married to widow Susan Main (Shelley Hack). Susan’s 16-year-old daughter Stephanie (Jill Schoelen) dislikes Jerry and blames him for creating distance in the relationship with her mom. When Stephanie gets expelled from school, she suggests going to boarding school in an attempt to get away from Jerry, but he won’t allow it. Jerry continues to try and win Stephanie over, but she continues to keep his at a distance.
The brother of Jerry’s last wife, Jim Ogilvie (Stephen Shellen), convinces a reporter to run an article on the slaying of his sister, which surfaces at a neighborhood BBQ. Jerry becomes enraged, and Stephanie witnesses a tantrum in the basement. She becomes suspicious and writes to the newspaper asking for a picture of the suspected murderer. Jerry intercepts the photo when it arrives and reacts with another violent outburst.
Ogilvie continues to investigate his sister’s killer and Stephanie confesses to her psychiatrist that she is frightened of Jerry, who continues to unravel as the film moves towards its climatic conclusion.
A couple of special features are included on the DVD. There is an audio commentary with director Joseph Ruben who later went on to direct Sleeping with the Enemy, The Good Son and The Forgotten, three intense thrillers worth seeing. “The Stepfather Chronicles” is a new featurette with interviews and behind-the-scenes information on the film.
O’Quinn is absolutely frightening as a man teetering on the edge. The film gets its first-ever DVD release on October 13th. There is also a remake being released in theaters October 16th with Dylan Walsh in the lead role. Walsh has large shoes to fill as O’Quinn’s performance is the reason the original works so well.
Shriekfest is this weekend!!!
October 1st - 4th, 2009 Raleigh Studios, Hollywood
Shriekfest is an international festival and screenplay competition dedicated to getting horror/thriller/sci-fi/fantasy filmmakers and screenwriters the recognition they deserve. What makes our festival unique is that we proactively help the filmmakers and screenwriters by promoting their work to the industry.
We are dedicated to celebrating the art of independent filmmaking without all of the politics!
Shriekfest Film Festival’s 2009 lineup includes such recognizable names as Jeffry Combs in “Dark House”, Ving Rhames in “Evil Angel”, Dameon Clarke and Matthew Gray Gubler (Without a Trace) in “How to Be a Serial Killer”, Dean Cain in “Maneater”, “John Carpenter, George A. Romero, Joe Dante, and Roger Corman in “Nightmares in Red, White, and Blue”, Billy Zane in “Surviving Evil”, and Tiffany Shepis in “Thirsty”.
The roster encompasses 40 films and 39 screenplay finalists. Awards will be awarded in many categories, including an award for the Best Feature Film and Best Under 18 film/screenplay.
All screenings will be in the Chaplin or Pickford/Fairbanks Theatres at Raleigh Studios, 5300 Melrose Ave Hollywood, CA. Tickets are $8 per film program. See www.shriekfest.com for ticket information and schedules. Tickets may be purchased online.
Festival Directors Denise Gossett and Todd Beeson oversee Shriekfest, now in it’s 9th year.
Carnival of Darkness Film Festival
The 1st Annual Carnival of Darkness short film festival will be held August 6th at The Majestic Crest Theater in Westwood, Ca.
Carnival of Darkness showcases the very best new work from independent horror filmmakers. This celebration of ‘creepy’ and original film shorts and music videos will culminate in a one hour panel discussion featuring top names in the horror world.In addition to the live appearances, fans will be able to purchase exclusive comic books, t-shirts and DVD’s relating to the horror genre at the venue.
Co-producers Alex Bram and Leah Cevoli have selected the historic landmark Crest Theater not only because of its state-of-the-art sound and projection equipment and large seating capacity (465 seats), but also because it exemplifies the indie spirit of the festival. The Crest is one of the last remaining independently owned and operated theaters in Los Angeles.
http://CarnivalofDarknessFestival.com
Panel Speakers:
Juliet Landau- Actor (Buffy/Angel),
Marc Sheffler- Actor (Last House on The Left),
Katt Shea-Director (Poison Ivy, The Rage: Carrie 2)
Jason Miller- Musician (Godhead),
Stephen Wozniak- Actor (Exorcism).
Panel Moderator:
Leah Cevoli- Actor/Writer (Deadwood, Robot Chicken)
When:
Thursday August 6th
Where:
The Majestic Crest Theater
1262 Westwood Blvd 90024
Admission: $10
Doors: 8:00pm
This event is all ages, open to the public, general admission seating. Refreshments Available.
B-Movies & Bad Science
On Sunday, June 28th, the Natural History Museum kicks off a series that promises to be fun & entertaining for the whole family.Join members of the Museum's history and science departments for a lighthearted exploration of the "science" behind Hollywood's creature features. You'll discover what makes these creatures and plots implausible off screen, and see some of their "real life" counterparts from the Museum's collection!
June 28th @ 2:00 PM
Screening The Monster That Challenged the World in which an earthquake in the Salton Sea lets loose a horde of angry mollusks and after the movie, stick around for a lively and light-hearted discussion about the movie with Lindsey Groves, Malacology Collection Manager.
July 5th @ 2:00 PM
Screening The Beginning of the End (1957), which finds gargantuan grasshoppers terrorizing the streets, but Entomology Curator Brian Brown is on hand to settle your nerves.
July 26th @ 2:00 PM
Screening The Flying Serpent (1946) where you'll bear witness to Aztec god Quetzalcoatl wreaking havoc after resuscitation by an evil archaeologist. Anthropology Curatorial Assistant Jennifer Saracino illuminates the impossibilities of that scenario, but also reveal cool Aztec facts.
Admission:
Adult - $9
Seniors (62+) - $6.50
Children 13 through 17 - $6.50
Children 5 through 12 - $2
Children under 5 - FREE
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
900 Exposition Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90007
(213) 763-DINO
GHOSTBUSTERS 25th Anniversary Premiere Event
FANGORIA is calling YOU to a GHOSTBUSTERS 25th
Anniversary Premiere Event!
Fire up those Proton Packs!
FANGORIA ENTERTAINMENT, SONY PICTURES, SCREENING SERVICES GROUP, and ATARI are calling YOU to a GHOSTBUSTERS 25th Anniversary Blu-ray Premiere!
Fans will be among the first (and possibly only) to experience the high-def version of this timeless classic on the big screen at this EXCLUSIVE (and FREE) GHOSTBUSTERS Blu-ray Premiere. We’ll be screening the high-def movie in its entirety, along with all of the Blu-ray bonus features - all in the company of SURPRISE CELEBRITY GUESTS!
While waiting in line, a SONY video crew will be available for fans to record their “job applications” for www.GhostbustersIsHiring.com and FANGORIA readers will be able to be among the first to play Atari’s GHOSTBUSTERS: THE VIDEO GAME!
WHEN: Wednesday, June 3 @ Midnight (line up starts at 9PM)
WHERE: Ticket PICK UP at 8760 Wilshire (Press check in and line start at 9 PM) - Corner of Wilshire and Willaman
COST: FREE!
FANGORIA’s MIDNITE MADNESS SCREENING AT THE FINE ARTS THEATRE
8556 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills, 90211
Phone: (310) 360-0455
One block west of La Cienega
The GHOSTBUSTERS Blu-ray Disc oozes with special features and interactivity including Slimer Mode, a picture-in-picture graphical viewing experience and a featurette on the refurbishing of Ecto-1. Atari’s GHOSTBUSTERS: THE VIDEO GAME contains an all-new adventure from the film’s original writers Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. Directed by Ivan Reitman, the sci-fi blockbuster comedy stars Bill Murray, Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Ramis, Rick Moranis, Annie Potts and Ernie Hudson.
GhostbustersIsHiring.com is a fun, visually engaging new Web site that offers worldwide fans the chance to become the “next” Ghostbuster. “Candidates” are asked to submit video “job applications” showing if they have what it takes to be a part of the Ghostbusters gang. The pieces are then uploaded to GhostbustersIsHiring.com. One lucky “winning” candidate will be featured on the site as well as on the GHOSTBUSTERS BD-Live bonus material. Visitors can also fill out an online application for a chance to win a trip next year to Comic-Con 2010 in San Diego.
***ATARI’S GHOSTBUSTERS: THE VIDEO GAME, based on the smash hit motion picture franchise, is penned by original GHOSTBUSTERS writers and stars Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd and reunites many of the original cast members to recapture the unique blend of humour and fright that established Ghostbusters as a pop culture sensation. The game’s launch on 16 June 2009 coincides with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment’s worldwide debut of the original motion picture on Blu-ray Disc(tm).
In addition to Aykroyd and Ramis, original Ghostbusters Bill Murray, and Ernie Hudson lend their voices and in-game likenesses to the original story set two years after GHOSTBUSTERS II, with Manhattan once again overrun by ghosts and supernatural forces. The player joins up as a new recruit with the original team, testing a variety of unique equipment and gadgets, to track, wrangle and trap this wide range of awe-inspiring phantasms in an all new funny and frightening battle to save New York City from its latest paranormal plague.
For more information about GHOSTBUSTERS: THE VIDEO GAME please visit www.ghostbustersgame.com.
