TCC Wins Tabloid Witch Award.

The Hollywood Investigator's managing editor Thomas M. Sipos announced the winners of the 2007 Tabloid Witch Awards, including my own The Crypt Club as Best Dramatic Short Horror Film.

Sipos hailed the film as "a welcome return to classic, ghostly horror. A morality tale set in a creepy cemetery on a snowy night."

This year's Hollywood-based festival demonstrated the worldwide appreciation of horror films with winning entries from England, New Zealand, Argentina, Canada, and the USA.

This is the 18th award for The Crypt Club, which is an official selection of over 45 international film festivals.

This award places The Crypt Club in some pretty good company as Mike Flanagan's Oculus and Christopher Alan Broadstone's Human No More are both past Tabloid Witch Award winners and AAAAAH!! Indie Horror Hits participating films.

The premiere screening of this year's award winning films will be at the Santa Monica Public Library on October 27, 2007, from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The screening is free and open to the public on a first come first seated basis. There will be a filmmaker Q&A.
2007 Tabloid Witch Awards

Carnival Diablo article on K-W.

On September 15, I was at the 15th Anniversary performance of Carnival Diablo at the Rose Theatre in Brampton, Ontario. I'd heard about this show for years, but was never in the right place at the right time to attend one of their macabre performances.

Finally, we coincided. And I was pleasantly surprised that a dear friend of The Crypt Club - Hearsella's mom, Thea - is now part of the Carnival Diablo troupe. Small (twisted) world, indeed.

I wrote my thoughts on the performance and the state of the disappearing carnival sideshow for the latest Killer-Works newsletter. Enjoy, and remember to tip your server generously.
Killer-Works article

The Crypt Club screens at SharpCuts.

The first SharpCuts - Guelph Indie Film and Music Festival featured The Crypt Club as part of its Friday Fright Night line-up. I was on hand to introduce the film and answer post-screening questions. Also screening that night were local filmmakers and festival organizers Thomas Gofton (Mind's Eye) and Nick Montgomery (Summoned) [top right, left & right, respectively].

The three-day festival included world premieres and filmmaking workshops. Florida's own Alex Ferrari (Broken, Cyn) presented several insightful workshops for eager filmmakers and cinephiles. [Bottom photo, filmmakers from left: Thomas Gofton, Marc Lougee, Gabriel Teran, Alex Ferrari, Miguel Gallego]

Organizers plan a bigger, better event with increased industry sponsorship for 2008.
SharpCuts

JTR Walk article on K-W.

This time, instead of being the subject of a Killer-Works article I'm the author of a special Friday edition piece.

Regular newsletter subscribers have the chance to score a prize package by guessing the reason for this irregular edition, dated Friday, August 31. The main clue is the article's subject matter: a review of the the most celebrated of London, England's Jack the Ripper Walking Tours.

You may have been a winner if you guessed that today, August 31, is the anniversary date of the murder of Mary Ann (Polly) Nichols, believed to be the first victim of the notorious Whitechapel killer (a.k.a. Jack the Ripper).

Last February my wife & I did the tour, hosted by world famous Ripperologist and author of The Complete Jack the Ripper, Donald Rumbelow [pictured, left]. Little did I know then that I was doing research for an article. Always pays to take notes and photos.http://www.londonwalks.com/
London Walks
Killer-Works article

Scouting Rue Morgue's Festival of Fear

This weekend I attended Rue Morgue Magazine's annual Festival of Fear horror convention in Toronto. Accompanying me was Jill Cooper of Killer-Works.com, on her first foray into the FOF. We're here partly to gawk and be fans, and partly to do scope it out to get a dealer table for FOF 2008.

For the uninitiated, the FOF is part of the monstrous Fan Expo Canada convention that covers Comics, Sci-Fi, Horror, Gaming, and Animé. An estimated 40,000 bodies crowd through the turnstyles during the 3 day weekend.

I'm not sure if that number represents just those in the horror section or all sections combined. But that's a lot of serious geeky fanboy/girl types all under one roof. Feels like home. Tons of dealer booths, celebrity autograph opportunities, screenings, games, costume contests, and more.

My convention highlight: meeting legendary Famous Monsters of Filmland cover artist Basil Gogos [pictured, right]. Lovely man. Way too many memories bubbled up while going through his decades of artwork.

Can't wait until next year.
Basil Gogos
Rue Morgue's Festival of Fear