1st Annual South African Horror Festacular

Fri 28 Oct @ 6:15 pm and Thur 3 Nov @ 8:15pm (Labia, Orange Str)
South Africa doesn't have a huge legacy when it comes to horror, scary, or freaky cult movies. We hope to change this perception by enhancing each year's schedule with a collection of locally made short flix from the darkside. We encourage more moviemakers to go out and shoot that off-centre project they've been putting off, as there is now a platform for them. This first collection, Distorted Visions, includes dark, grisly, and bloody short tales from Aryan Kaganof (A Funeral), an AFDA-produced short (Dark Farm), and one from festival director Paul A Blom (imPERFECTION). Californian Ron Athey's It's Scripted is also included, and you'll get to see eerie music videos from 187 Films' clip for Sibot of The Real Estate Agents' track Super Evil Me, and Gregoire Pinard's animation for international rock band A Perfect Circle's track, "Blue".

Fri 28 Oct @ 8:15 pm and Sun 30 Oct @ 8:15 pm (Labia, Orange Str)
Alex Chandon's gory cult favourite brings back the visceral elements of horror without pulling punches. Cradle Of Filth vocalist Dani plays The Man, who ventures out in a shroud of evil, executing his master's bidding from behind bars in an asylum. In about half a dozen chapters the audience gasps at blood-drenched scenes of madness to a soundtrack featuring, among others, Cradle Of Filth, Dark Poets, Rugged Vinyl, and Slacker.

Sat 29 Oct @ 8:15pm (Labia, Orange Str)
George A Romero's first classic Zombie flick reinvented an entire genre. With true filmmaking ingenuity he created a shocking and memorable landmark film without a huge budget. With the dead rising and craving the flesh of the living, survivors grouping in a farmhouse not only have to guard against the zombies trying to force their way in, but also have to prevent their inner tensions from tearing one another apart.

Sat 29 Oct @ 10:15 pm (Labia, Orange Str)
A decade after his Night Of The Living Dead, Romero unleashed this incredible flesh-eating follow-up, in which a group of survivors barricade themselves in a large shopping mall as the world succumbs to the unstoppable growing number of zombies. Many have seen the recent remake, but once you've watched this original gem with Tom Savini's special make-up effects, you'll know where it's really at! (Distributed by New Amsterdam Entertainment, Inc / © 1978 The MKR Group, Inc.)

Halloween Night, Mon 31 Oct @ 8:15 pm (Labia, Orange Str)
This classic 1925 version of Gaston Leroux's tale of a facially deformed man living in the catacombs of a Paris opera house, obsessed with one of the singers, is a true cinematic landmark. With so many takes on the tale, this is the definitive one, featuring Lon Chaney Sr in the title role. For this auspicious occasion on Halloween Night you can witness this silent classic accompanied by a live string quintet led by Matthijs Van Dijk, delivering an original soundtrack! A rare event indeed, which is not to be missed.

Tues 1 Nov @ 8:15 pm (Labia, Orange Str)
One of the legendary leading men of horror, Vincent Price, stars in this post-apocalyptic movie where a viral epidemic has wiped out the world's population. Immune to this virus, Dr Morgan tries to hold onto his sanity as bloodthirsty ghouls hound his door by night. Based on Richard Matheson's I Am Legend.

Wed 2 Nov @ 8:15 pm (Labia, Orange Str)
This thrifty but highly effective and funny little flick by notorious exploitation mogul Roger Corman tells the wacky tale of Seymour, a nerdy florist assistant in Skid Row, who finds a strange plant with a craving for human blood and flesh! This has bloomed into a cult phenomenon with stage plays and a remake by Frank Oz. Features a young Jack Nicholson as the masochistic dental patient! All tickets will be R20 each, except for the string quintet-accompanied The Phantom Of The Opera on Halloween Night, which will be R30 each. Come early to avoid disappointment!

Please note: Shadow Realm Vol. I and Cradle Of Fear both get two screenings.

Festival Special Events

•    As mentioned above, The Phantom Of The Opera will be accompanied by a live string quintet soundtrack, right there, in front of the big screen. This original soundtrack was written by Matthijs Van Dijk (violin) and he will be accompanied by Petra Hofmeyr (violin), Janet Claassen (viola), Theresa Burger (cello) and Gerhard de Jager (double bass and trumpet). A rare and incredible event for Halloween Night, 31 October at 8:15 pm sharp (Labia Theatre, Orange Street, Gardens, Cape Town).
•    We hope to encourage local film and video makers, young and old, to break out of the mould and realise their visions without restraint, as we'll include these flix each year, hoping to further boost local moviemakers.
•    There will be a Horror Dress-Up on the evening of Saturday 29 October for the two George A Romero screenings of Night Of The Living Dead (8:15 pm) and Dawn Of The Dead (10:15pm). These two zombie movies set the standard for all that followed (including their remakes, of course). Costumes and make-up needn't be limited to zombies, so you can come as vampires, monsters, beasts, spooks, ghouls, psychos, you name it - nothing will be too outrageous. The best (or most horrifically) dressed patrons will stagger home with cool prizes, including everything from movie tickets, horror DVDs and T-Shirts to the hectic PlayStation 2 game The Suffering (courtesy SK), and a vampire's second favourite drink, Absinthe ...
•    Shadow Realm Inc and High Fidelity will host a Fright Store at the Labia every night from 28 October to 3 November, selling horror DVDs, collectible T-shirts and more.
•    The Labia Theatre is a licensed venue, so you can buy the drink of your choice and even take it into the cinema!

The SA Horror Festacular's internet home is at Flamedrop.com's horror-dedicated site, www.SHADOWREALMinc.com.

For this 1st Annual SA Horror Festacular we hope to get the interest generated as widely as possible to congregate the fans at these screenings and make it better and better each year. This is a 100 percent independently funded venture. Please spread the word to whomever you can, so we can make this one hell of a blast!

Don't hesitate to contact us.

We hope to see you there, shrieking in front of the Big Scream!

Paul Blom (Festival Director)
Sonja Ruppersberg (Festival Co-ordinator)

www.SHADOWREALMinc.com / www.FLAMEDROP.com
cell: 082 92 88337
e-mail: f8paul@yahoo.com.



LitNet: 24 October 2005

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