Can’t Look Away: The Lure of Horror Film

Source: EMP Museum

EMP Museum announced the opening of its new exhibition Can’t Look Away: The Lure of Horror Film which takes an in-depth exploration into horror, its link to humanity, and how that connection is expressed through cinema, biology, history, and contemporary culture. EMP invited some of the world’s most prolific horror film directors – Roger Corman, John Landis, and Eli Roth – to curate a selection of their favorite films that exemplify the genre and illustrate the creative power of horror film. Can’t Look Away: The Lure of Horror Film opens October 2, 2011 at EMP.

"Audiences have been fascinated with horror stories for centuries, but its presence in popular culture is now more pervasive than ever," says EMP’s Senior Curator, Jacob McMurray. "This exhibition will examine how horror film has evolved over the last century, why we as a culture are drawn to these macabre narratives, and how fear and horror are a vital component to our human identity."

Through a combination of artifacts, interactive installations, and screening rooms, Can’t Look Away: The Lure of Horror Film explores films from the last 100 years, and is a balance between classics and cult favorites, and domestic and foreign motion pictures. They include: Nosferatu (1922), Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Les Diaboliques (1955), Rosemary’s Baby (1968), Suspiria (1972), The Exorcist (1973), Psycho (1973), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), Alien (1979), The Shining (1980), A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), The Fly (1986), The Thing (1982), and many others.

The exhibition will feature a selection of iconic artifacts from horror films including:
•Alien creature suit from Alien
•Scavenger demon from Constantine
•Jack Torrance’s axe from The Shining
•"Gill Man" mask from Creature from the Black Lagoon
•Bram Stoker’s Dracula manuscript
•Script from Night of the Living Dead

Interactive installations include:

Scream Booth: In a soundproof booth, visitors will watch a scene from a horror film and are encouraged to scream on cue. A camera takes multiple shots, which are displayed outside the booth.

Horror Soundscapes: Visitors will be able to explore basic music elements and scoring techniques used in horror film to enhance the sense of suspense and horror.

Monster Timeline: A large infographic explores the popular monster archetypes in horror, why they persist into our modern times, and why they resonate.

Shadow Monsters: An installation by visual artist Philip Worthington where visitors can see their projected shadows and watch them morph into monster-like forms.

HOURS
Winter hours September 6, 2011 - May 24, 2012, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Summer hours May 27, 2011 to September 5, 2011, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

CONTACT INFO
325 5th Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98109
206-770-2700, main line
206-770-2702, box office
1-877-EMP-SFM1, toll-free
www.empmuseum.org

The 2011 Viscera Film Festival Celebrates Female Horror Film Makers

Source: Rachel Grubb / Jamie Jenkins

The moment has arrived. If you think women are too soft to make cut-to-the bone horror, then this festival is for you. If you know women can be just as twisted, emotionally grinding, terror-inducing and splatter spewing as men, this festival thanks you. And if you are one of those horror chicks, this festival is because of you.

Join the celebration of contemporary female directed/produced horror films from across the globe at the 2011 Viscera Film Festival. Seating is limited and you do not want to miss this opportunity to help promote equality and creativity within the horror genre.

During the festival you will be witness to some of the most creative and original new short horror films made by women today. Some are terrifying, some are pulse pounding, and some are hilarious. All showcase what can be accomplished when twisted, cool, darkside-proud women get down to business.

Sunday 17, JULY 2011

The Silent Movie Theater
611 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, Ca. 90036
(323) 655-2520

http://www.seeing-stars.com/theatres/SilentMovie.shtml

TICKETS!

http://www.brownpaperticke​ts.com/event/154825

Advance tickets - $15.00
Door Price - $20.00

SCHEDULE:

5:00 PM - Festival begins! Sit in your seats!
8:00 PM - After Party on the back patio.
10:00 pm - After, After Party at the Rosewood Tavern

SPECIAL GUESTS:

ATTENDING GUESTS

Denise Gossett, Brea Grant, Jonathan Tiersten, Elizabeth Stanley, Amanda Diebert, Cat Staggs, Joe Lynch, Mark Hengst, Dave Decoteau, Brinke Stevens, Chris Gore, Anthony Masi, Paul Solet, Jamie Andrews, Michelle Boyd, Peter Cornwell, Michelle Tomlinson, Dai Green, Devanny Pinn, Danielle Harris, Susanna Lo, Gabby West, Reggie Bannister, Gigi Bannister, Hart D. Fisher, Bill Moseley, John Skipp, Emma Jacobs, Tara Cardinal, Elissa Dowling, Jeff Dylan Graham, Rhianne Bergado, Natalie Pohorski, Bill Oberst, Matt Chassin, Rachel Grubb, Kevin Tenney, Paula Rhodes, Stephanie Thorpe, Nicholas Harsin, Devi Snively and Chela Johnson

ATTENDING FILMMAKERS

Annette Slomka, Nikki Wall, Lori Bowen, Karen Lam, Staci Layne Wilson, Marichelle Daywalt, Mae Catt, Tyrrell Shaffner, Molly Madfis, Susan Bell and Rachael Deacon

The films listed below are the reason for all the jubilation. Feast your ravenous eyes, horror fans!

TRAILERS:

American Mary by the Soska Sisters - WORLD PREMIERE
Adventure Girls by Dara Moats and Jon Deitcher
Blood on the Flat Track by Lainy Bagwelll, Lacey Leavitt
The Blood Shop by Annette Slomka- WORLD PREMIERE
WIH Month PSA by the Soska Sisters
You Can Execute Her but You Can't Kill Her by Jasmine Hirst
L.A.G.P. by Susan Bell - WORLD PREMIERE

FILMS*:

2-15-1996 - Mae Catt (USA) - WORLD PREMIERE
Aftershock - Lori Bowen (USA)
Bon Appetit - Kate Shenton (U.K.) - US PREMIERE
Doll Parts - Karen Lam (Canada)
Blood Bunny - Molly Madfis (USA)
A Fever and a River - Rachael Deacon (USA) - LA PREMIERE
Short Lease - Jennifer Eiss (U.K.)
Box - Nikki Wall (USA) - WORLD PREMIERE
The Ghost and Us - Emily Carmichael (USA)

Intermission - 15 Minutes

The Party’s Over - Gigi Romero (Spain) - US PREMIERE
Lump - Faye Jackson (U.K.)
Threnody - Tyrrell Shaffner (USA)
Nursery Crimes - Laura Whyte (U.K.)
The Key to Annabel Lee - Staci Layne Wilson (USA)
The Many Doors of Albert Whale - Marichelle Daywalt (USA)
Daddy’s Girl - Helen Komini Olsen (Norway)

*Mature Content. Parental Discretion Advised

FILMMAKERS Q&A

Filmmakers Karen Lam, Mae Catt, Rachael Deacon, Nikki Wall, Lori Bowen, Molly Madfis, Staci Layne Wilson, Marichelle Daywalt, and Tyrrel Shaffner onstage to answer your questions!

AWARDS!

Winners of Best Film, Best Director, and Best Cinematography announced!

This is some exciting stuff! But don’t grab your hat yet. The fun and festivities don't end there. Immediately following the festival will be the After Party on the back patio until 10PM! Drinks, food, and fun with filmmakers, guests, and more!
And for those who just can't stop the party there is the After, After Party.

Rosewood Tavern
448 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, Ca 90036
(323) 944-0980
http://rosewoodtavern.com/

VISCERA SPONSORS

Fearnet.com, Final Draft, Gorilla Software, Fangoria Entertainment, Fangirltastic, The Chainsaw Mafia, 33 Rooms, Women in Horror Month, Malibu Wines, Farmer’s Daughter Hotel, Matt Orsman, Crimson Stained Lace Productions, Kimyoo Films, The Horror Digest, DOA Bloodbath Entertainment, Rotten Cotton, Hot Zombie Chicks, There is No Halo, Annie M. Vickar Dolls & Skellery, Angel City Derby Girls, Zerner Law, Jessica Grundy, Morgue Art Films, Friendly Misanthrope, 1428 Films, Dan Dillard, Mike Merryman, Caisson Films, Hannah Foreman, Nick Goodrick, Assorted Oddities, Jen Morgart, Scary Art, The Big Bad, Lia Scott Price, Amityville Studios, Quirk Films, Philly Chick Pictures, Laughing Vixen Lounge, Brent Schoonover, Irene Langholm, Shannon Rose, Mark Berryman, Cassandra Sechler, Mike Snoonian, Mary Katherine Sisco, Simon Nisbet, Post-Mortem Depression, Susan Bell, Jeffrey Kane, Dreams for Dead Cats, Charon Pictures, Fable & Fury, Entertainment Partners.com, Emy’s Gift Shop, The Womanimal, FoamyWader, Neverland Jewelry, Red Carpet Crash, Kaci Hansen, Fright Rags, Drix Productions, Rude and Reckless, Gabrielle Faust, The Big Bad, The Zombified, Alternative Cinema, Obscure Artifacts, Have a Heart for Horror Cookbook, Terrorscribe and Cryes Creations.

VISCERA PARTNERS

National Horror Festival of Wales
Mile High Horror Festival
All Things Horror
Shriekfest
Fanta Festival
FilmDemic festival
The International Horror & Sci-Fi Festival
Jaipur International Film Festival
ZedFest
A NightMare to Remember Film Festival

For further information regarding the festival please visit http://viscerafilmfestival.com

So what are you waiting for? You know you’re itching to be there. Maybe you even have ideas for films of your own. But seating is limited so you’ll have to hurry!

It's Monster Movie Madness At The Los Angeles Museum Of Art!

Written By: Ken Hulsey

Sources: LA Times / LA County Museum of Art

The Los Angeles Museum is going crazy for monster movies in July with an exhibit of artwork by macabre movie master Tim Burton plus a series of monster movie screenings suggested by the film maker.

The first in the series of movie screenings is this Saturday (July 2nd) and features "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad"!

Here is the info:

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art presents a major retrospective exploring the full range of Tim Burton's creative work, both as a film director and as an artist, illustrator, photographer, and writer.

Tim Burton was born in Burbank in 1958. After studying at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), he worked as an animator at the Walt Disney Studios before breaking out on his own. Taking inspiration from popular culture, fairy tales and traditions of the gothic, Burton has reinvented Hollywood genre filmmaking as an expression of a personal vision.

The exhibition brings together over 700 drawings, paintings, photographs, moving-image works, storyboards, puppets, concept artworks, maquettes, costumes, and cinematic ephemera, including art from a number of unrealized and little-known personal projects. Many of these objects come from the artist's own archive, as well as from studio archives and private collections of Burton's collaborators. Hundreds of never-before-exhibited artworks and sketches will be joined by a selection of film posters accompanied by music composed for the exhibition by Burton's longtime collaborator Danny Elfman.

Two large-scale outdoor artworks are also installed on campus: a topiary inspired by Edward Scissorhands (1990), and Balloon Boy, an enormous figure based on an amalgamation of characters that Burton first introduced in his 1997 book The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories.

This exhibition was organized by The Museum of Modern Art, New York.The Los Angeles presentation was made possible in part by LACMA’s Wallis Annenberg Director’s Endowment Fund.

And on the monster movie series:

The 7th Voyage of Sinbad
July 2, 2011 | 2:00pm

“The 7th Voyage of Sinbad” (1958): Directed by Nathan Juran, the film was the first of three “Sinbad” movies Columbia produced that special effects pioneer Ray Harryhausen designed and animated with the dazzling stop-motion technique he called Dynamation. It took Harryhausen 11 months to complete the painstaking work on the film, which features creatures including a cyclops and a cobra-woman; Sinbad (Kerwin Matthews) even has a sword battle with a skeleton. The late Bernard Herrmann, who is the subject of several centenary celebrations this year, penned the score. Three years ago, “Sinbad” was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

Fantastic Voyage
July 9, 2011 | 2:00pm

“Fantastic Voyage” (1966) Directed by Richard Fleischer, this thriller finds a group of doctors, assistants and a CIA agent miniaturized and injected into the body of a scientist who escaped from the Soviet Union. (The scientist is comatose after an assassination attempt and this experimental effort is believed to be the only way to save him.) Stephen Boyd, Edmond O’Brien, Donald Pleasance and Raquel Welch, in her first major film role, star. The movie won Oscars for art direction (color) and for its then-cutting-edge special effects.

The Thing
July 16, 2011 | 2:00pm

“The Thing From Another World” (1951) Produced by Howard Hawks and directed by Christian Nyby (though for years it has been contended that Hawks actually directed the classic), “The Thing From Another World” is set at a base in the North Pole where six scientists find evidence of a crash by an unknown flying object. A U.S. Air Force re-supply crew is sent to the base where a frozen, tall alien creature (played by a young James Arness) is discovered. Margaret Sheridan, Kenneth Tobey and Dewey Martin are among the stars. Time magazine named the movie, which was remade in 1982 by John Carpenter, as the greatest sci-fi film produced in the 1950s

Journey to the Center of the Earth
July 23, 2011 | 2:00pm

“Journey to the Center of the Earth” (1959) James Mason, Pat Boone, Diane Baker and Arlene Dahl headline this film, based on the novel by Jules Verne. The sci-fi fantasy revolves a professor in Edinburgh who leads an expedition to the center of the earth after he receives an unusual rock from one of his students. Bernard Herrmann also penned the score for the film, which earned three Oscar nominations, for art decoration-set decoration, effects and sound

The Incredible Shrinking Man
July 30, 2011 | 2:00pm

“The Incredible Shrinking Man” (1957) The great sci-fi writer Richard Matheson penned the film, which is based on his novel; Jack Arnold, who helmed the 1954 3-D hit “Creature From the Black Lagoon,” directed. Grant Williams stars in the title role, playing a businessman who is hit by a radioactive cloud while sailing with his wife. Six months later, he begins to shrink due to the radiation and pesticides. A hit with both critics and audiences, the film won the 1958 Hugo Award for the year’s best science fiction or fantasy dramatic presentation

Jason and the Argonauts
August 6, 2011 | 2:00pm

“Jason and the Argonauts” (1963) Ray Harryhausen considers this to be his best film, and it does feature his memorable stop-motion sequence in which Jason (Todd Armstrong) and two of his men battle an army of skeletons. The sequence took Harryhausen nearly five months to complete. Bernard Herrmann also penned the evocative score

Mothra
August 13, 2011 | 2:00pm

“Mothra” (1961) The female creature first appeared in the serialized novel “The Luminous Fairies and Mothra” before she made her film debut in this Japanese feature. A giant lepidopteron with butterfly-moth characteristics, Mothra has been an ally with Godzilla but often the two square off in combat — with Mothra winning most of the bouts. When the film was released in the U.S. in 1962, it ran on a double bill with “The Three Stooges in Orbit.”

This Island Earth
August 20, 2011 | 2:00pm

“This Island Earth” (1955) Shot in Technicolor and featuring innovative special effects for its time, the film, directed by Joseph M. Newman, stars Jeff Morrow as the intellectual alien Exeter who recruits Rex Reason as scientist Cal Meacham and Faith Domergue as Dr. Ruth Adams for a “special” research project.

Horror of Dracula
August 27, 2011 | 2:00pm

“Horror of Dracula” (1958) The first — and arguably the best — in a long line of Dracula films from Hammer, the film cast towering Christopher Lee as the vampire count and Peter Cushing as his nemesis Van Helsing. It was released in the UK as “Dracula” but was renamed for the U.S. so as not to be confused with Tod Browning‘s 1931 Universal classic starring Bela Lugosi.

The exhibit of Tim Burton artwork runs from May 29th through October 31st!

For more info please visit - http://www.lacma.org/series/saturday-monster-matinees

Celebrate The 100th Birthday Of Vincent Price With HOUSE OF WAX in 3D!

Source: Downtown Independent

I just wanted to quickly pass along this information on a special screening of the Vincent Price classic "House of Wax" at the Downtown Independent cinema her in Los Angeles on June 11th.

Here are the details:

The Board of the Vincent Price Art Museum Foundation and the Family of Vincent Price invite you to celebrate
THE ONE HUNDREDTH BIRTHDAY OF VINCENT PRICE and THE GRAND OPENING OF THE VINCENT PRICE ART MUSEUM.

Join us for a 3-D screening of 1953's HOUSE OF WAX starring Vincent Price PLUS "THE LIFE AND ART OF VINCENT PRICE" slide show and talk by Vincent's daughter, Victoria Price.

Proceeds raised will benefit THE VINCENT PRICE ART MUSEUM.

Everyone will receive a set of commemorative 3-D glasses!

TICKET INFORMATION:
$85 VIP tickets or $150 for 2 tickets:
($50 per person is tax-deductible)
includes 6:30PM rooftop pre-screening celebration.
Beer, wine, and culinary selections from A Treasury of Great Recipes by Mary & Vincent Price.
Meet Victoria Price, Museum Director Karen Rapp, and VPAM Board Members.
$25 Tickets for: "The Art & Life of Vincent Price" and HOUSE OF WAX in 3-D.

More Info: http://www.downtownindependent.com/events/the-one-hundreth-birthday-of

See Also: The Fly - Bobble Head Figure / Shock It To Me! Brings Two Classic Vincent Price Movies To San Francisco's Clay Theatre / Vincent Price Presents - A Wonderful Horror Comics Anthology From Bluewater / House of Wax (1953)(Warner Bros)

Godzilla To Invade Washburn University This Weekend!

Written By: Ken Hulsey
Source: Washburn University

I just got tipped off to a great Godzilla movie festival at Washburn University (Kansas) this weekend. It's actually a Godzilla film festival with a touch of Frankenstein thrown in for good measure. Now I don't expect all of you to start packing for Topeka immediately after reading this, but if you are close by you should check it out.

Here is the press release:

The big green guy is stomping back to Washburn University for the sixth annual Godzilla and Friends Festival on May 6 and 7. No admission is charged and the public is invited to this event that celebrates the cultural history behind the giant creature in all of its bizarre diversity.

Events are planned 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, May 6, and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, May 7, with film and trailer screenings, various commentaries, contests and giveaways in room 112 of the Henderson Learning Resources Center.

A contest to see who can put forth the best imitation of the monster Japanese film star will be Saturday afternoon. All films will be shown in English.
The new edition of the festival includes the theme of “Monster Mash,” in which numerous giant monsters compete for screen time and challenge one another.

The schedule is:

May 6 (Friday)

7 p.m.: “Destroy All Monsters,” (1969), features monsters from the earlier series plus creatures who warranted their own feature films, such as “Varan, the Unbelieveable.” Previews of other monster films will be shown.


May 7 (Saturday)

“Ghidorah, The Three Headed Monster,” (1964). Created by Toho Studios, this giant creature is an unusual adversary who was resurrected many times to Battle Godzilla. Here he meets Godzilla, Rodan and Mothra in what would be the fifth entry in the initial Godzilla (Gojira) series.

“Monster Mash” entry I: “House of Frankenstein,” (1944), starring Boris Karloff and Lon Chaney Jr. and includes the Wolf Man, Count Dracula, the Frankenstein Monster, the mad doctor and the hunchback.

“Monster Mash” entry II: “How to Make a Monster,” (1958). Teenage Frankenstein and Werewolf are at the mercy of a studio make-up artist gone mad. A cheapie black and white movie that ends in a firey color climax.

Bill Tsutsui, author and University of Kansas professor, will share his experiences during the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

A surprise feature film will conclude event.

The Godzilla and Friends Film Festival VI is hosted by KTWU TV and is made possible with support from the Washburn University office of international programs, office of multicultural affairs and Center for Diversity Studies, the Center for East Asian Studies at the University of Kansas and donations from audience members.

In conjunction with the festival, KTWU will show their own giant monster movie, “The Giant Gila Monster,” at 10:30 p.m. Saturday, May 7. This oddball offering from 1959 is a “Godzilla” knock-off in which a giant gila monster roams the desert and attacks trains and people before finally being stopped by a band of industrious teenagers. The special effects are of the low-tech variety with miniature trains being burned with match-size flames.

For information, call Bill Shaffer at 785-670-1111.

Godzilla, Frankenstein and The Giant Gila Monster? Kansas is the hip place to be this weekend monster maniacs!

"Godzilla, Frankenstein and Gila Monsters! Oh, My! Now I... I know we're not in Kansas!"

See Also: Godzilla - Kreeeang Silver T-Shirt / Loathing "King Kong vs. Godzilla"? / GODZILLA To Get Spoofed In NOTZILLA: DUKE OF THE MONSTERS / "Godzilla, King of the Monsters!" 55 Years Ago / IDW Releases Info On GODZILLA Comics For July / IDW Launches GODZILLA: KINGDOM OF MONSTERS eBay Auction To Aide Japan / GODZILLA: KINGDOM OF MONSTERS #4 And GODZILLA: GANGSTERS AND GOLIATHS Coming In June / Is Legendary Pictures About To Hand GODZILLA Over To Del Toro / Godzilla To Stomp On 70 Comic Book Stores This March / What Was It Like To Play Godzilla, King Kong, Rodan, Mothra ......? / Godzilla: Kaiju World Wars Board Game / The 100 Greatest Monsters From Movies And Television #10 - #1 / Godzilla Stomp Card Game / Gareth Edwards Talks About GODZILLA To The Press / Is There Going To Be A New "Japanese" Godzilla Movie In 2012? / Reflections On The Hiring Of Gareth Edwards As The Director of Godzilla / Gareth Edwards To Direct Legendary's Godzilla / More Info On GODZILLA MONSTER WORLD From IDW / Godzilla vs The Gryphon - Exclusive Art From Todd Tennant / Godzilla - 13-Inch Plush - Doll / Chinese Entertainment Co. Buys Share In Legendary Pictures / Godzilla Goes Prime-Time! - Godzilla vs Megalon On NBC In 1977 / Putting Legendary Pictures Godzilla 3D (2012) Into Perspective (Part 2) / Godzilla 2012: Brian Rogers On Legendary Pictures Film Plans / GODZILLA 2012 Producer Brian Rogers To Speak At 3D ENTERTAINMENT SUMMIT / It's GODZILLA Vs TUFFZILLA In Court / New Legendary Pictures GODZILLA Design To Be Revealed At Comic Con! / Arkansas Family Builds Ultimate GODZILLA Suit / Tim Burton On For MONSTERPOCALYPSE - Still In Line For GODZILLA? - More Film Details! / A Reason To Be Optimistic About Godzilla 3D (2012)?