Hanging at the BAZAAR of the BIZARRE

I'm a sucker for cool handmade items.

Mass-production is all right for heavy duty stuff, like refrigerators. But for other things - those that add beauty, curiosity, and fulfillment to your life - there's nothing like the care and attention to detail of an artisan's touch.

And then there's the weird & wonderful. I like when artisans and the weird & wonderful round the same corner and smack into each other. The result is often far more satisfying than a mere chocolate/nut-paste confection.

And that leads me to the Bazaar of the Bizarre.

I discovered the Bazaar of the Bizarre last spring on the recommendation of artist David Irvine. It's a Toronto showcase for artisans, created by Plastik Wrap boutique's Adriana Fulop.

Here's how she describes the now twice-annual one-day event:

If you have not attended the last bazaar and do not know what to expect, you are in for a real treat! It is a marketplace filled with amazing vendors. Artists, designers, craft-folk, publishers, and other independent makers of all things exotic, whimsical, and macabre are assembled to attack all of your senses.

Sounds like my kind of market place.

Last spring we picked up several very cool items, including a pair of skull cuff-links to add some macabre pizazz to a business suit.

Then it hit me: I'm an independent maker of macabre stuff.

So, we have a booth at the next Bazaar of the Bizarre on Sunday October 10th to add some "AAAAAH!! Indie Horror Hits", Cryptwear, and Black Widow Hearse Club swag to the Bazaar's mix.

Scare you there...

LINKS:
Bazaar of the Bizarre
Bazaar of the Bizarre Facebook event page
Plastik Wrap
David Irvine's MySpace page

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NOW AVAILABLE: "AAAAAH!! Indie Horror Hits, Vol. 2" DVD

October!

My favourite month of the year is here!

And to celebrate October we're announcing the DVD release of "AAAAAH!! Indie Horror Hits - Volume #2".

It's available right now at our web site: http://www.aaaaah-films.com.

And, as an added bonus, our checkout is now also PayPal friendly!

Why am I so excited?

There are nine-plus reasons.

We're calling volume 2, "More Killer - No Filler". That's right, 'more' because... well, there's more on this disc.

We're featuring 9 - count 'em 9 - great short indie horror films on this DVD, for a total running time of 122 minutes - over 2 hours of terror-inducing cinema - plus Extras!

So, you'll pardon my high adrenaline level.

In alphabetical order, the great short horror films on volume 2 are:

"GNAW" by Frank Merle
"HELL'S HABIT" by Mike Jackaon (also "The Veil" from vol. 1)
"HUMAN NO MORE" by Christopher Alan Broadstone (also "My Skin!" from vol. 1)
"THE KOOKY KASTLE" by Paul Carty
"LEGEND OF THE SEVEN BLOODY TORTURERS" by Conall Pendergast
"OUT OF THE DARKNESS" by Nicholas Rucka
"THE ROOM" by Diego Meza-Valdes
"THE STRAIN" by Mike Doyle
"TRICK OR TREAT" by Oliver Pearce

We premiered advance copies of the DVD at Rue Morgue's Festival of Fear during FanExpo in August. And the response was huge! Folks who bought volume 1 the first time around now snapped up volume 2 sight unseen. Thank you!  Your feedback is invaluable!!

It's going to be a full month with promo events. Hope you enjoy all of October as it twists and turns toward a Happy Halloween.

Dim the lights and enjoy!

LINKS:
AAAAAH!! Indie Horror Hits

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New AAAAAH!! Vol. 2 Trailer Unveiled

Greetings fans of indie horror...

BREAKING NEWS!!

The wait is finally over!

We've got the "AAAAAH!! Indie Horror Hits, Volume 2" DVD ready to roll out in a month. Stay tuned for more about that right pronto.

In the mean time, feast your squinties on our achingly new trailer.

It features a greatest hits of clips from the nine (yes, nine!) short horror films on volume 2, as well as the fang-tastic "AAAAAH!! Indie Horror Hits Theme" by Adrian Ellis.

If you like the trailer, wait till you see the films themselves. Until then, enjoy this tasty morsel.



To see the trailer a little bigger and clearer you can watch it here.

And - for you eager readers - I'm at FanExpo in downtown Toronto this weekend (Friday Aug. 27- Sunday Aug. 29) with an advance pre-sale box of DVDs and ghoulishly cool CryptWear swag. I might even have some Black Widow Hearse Club gear with me too.

So, if you can't wait for the official DVD release... claw your way to Booth #715 in the Rue Morgue's Festival of Fear section at FanExpo, North Building (Front St. Entrance) of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

Scare you there.

LINKS:
FanExpo
Adrian Ellis
AAAAAH!! Indie Horror Hits

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Bill Plympton Doc Seeks Assistance

Two very cool people are involved in one extremely cool project. Performer & Filmmaker Alexia Anastasio is creating a documentary about renowned, Academy Award nominated indie animator "Bill Plympton called Adventures in Plymptoons!"

Why make a documentary about Bill Plympton, "King of the indie animators"?

Well, here's what some people you probably recognize say about Mr. Plympton and his doc-worthiness.

"Bill is an extraordinary animator. He has an extraordinary mind....He seems to get right to the depth of the human condition." - Terry Gilliam

"Bill Plympton's imagination, and the way that he was able to deconstruct animation....was something I'd never seen before." - Matthew Modine

"I think he's one of the few guys who does what I say people should do, which is your own films....Bill's a great animator." - Ralph Bakshi

"You don't want to meddle with genius...Bill's just amazing." - Weird Al

“Bill has an impossible ability to carelessly marry the absurd with the profound. I’ve always just loved his stuff.” - Seth Green

"Bill Plympton just keeps on creating his amazing cartoons, a true American artist." - John Landis

The film is currently in post-production and needs dinero to get it done.

And that's where you and www.kiskstarter.com come in. Alexia has set a $10,000 donation challenge. If good folks (like you) donate that amount by the deadline then the film gets the money. If donations fall short (by even one dollar!) then nothing happens and pledges are dropped.

If you can lend a hand to help create a lasting documentary about one of the world's great indie animators... just think how cool you'd be too. Every single dollar counts.

The nail biting Donation Deadline is October 12, but why wait to act on a good impulse?
LINKS:
Kiskstarter page
Alexia Anastasio Bill Plimpton page
Alexia Anastasio web page

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Zombie Car Wash - Suds of the Dead

It's late in the summer and your trusty ride is looking tired & grungy. What do you do?

You can take it to an automatic car wash and let the machine do the work, or you can break out the sponge & hose and do some environmental damage yourself...

OR, you can let the un-dead do your menial automotive beautification work for you.

Sounds like a no-brainer to me... (mmm, brains...)

But where can this magical act transform my wheels into a gleaming object of both transportation and envy?

The Bloods 'n Suds Zombie Car Wash, brought to you by the thoughtful, gentle, and caring ghouls of the Toronto Zombie Walk.

ONE DAY ONLY! Saturday, August 21.

Come and support one of Toronto's top events. And be sure to look your best (beast?) for the cameras from SPACE TV. Yep, they're coming to cover the car wash.

NO CAR? NO PROBLEM. Bikes, Hearses, Wagons, etc. are most welcome! If it has wheels the TZW zombies will wash it.

Here are the details of the TZW's final "fiendraiser" before the 8th annual big event on Saturday, October 23 - more info on that soon. And, thanks for all our past support.

BLOODS 'N SUDS
The Zombie Car Wash in support of the Toronto Zombie Walk

Saturday, August 21 form 1:00pm - 5:00pm

Classic Coin Car Wash
1247 College St. (one block East of Lansdowne Ave.)
Toronto, ON

"You'll feel like a KING/QUEEN (of the dead) when you sit back, relax, and let these hideous flesh eaters clean your automobile in un-dead automaton fashion -- that is, if you can make it through the initial blood curdling fear!"

Car Wash (no blood) $10.00
Car Wash (with blood, full zombie attack) $15.00

Let the un-dead help you come clean so you can ride out the summer in style.

LINKS:
Toronto Zombie Walk page
Bloods 'n Suds Facebook page

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