MACABRE MUSIC: GHOULTOWN LIVE AT THE FESTIVAL OF FEAR

Texan horrorpunk band Ghoultown rode into Toronto last weekend for Rue Morgue Magazine’s Festival of Fear and delivered a rockin’ and robust performance during Friday night’s Shocktail party at The Courthouse venue.

PUTRID PREVIEW: WORLDWIDE SHORT FILM FESTIVAL’S “FREAKY” PROGRAMME

The Worldwide Short Film Festival is currently underway in Toronto, and horror fans will want to hit The Bloor Cinema tonight just before midnight for the “Creepy” portion of the festival’s two-night Midnight Mania programme. (The “Freaky” section, which is bizarre but not really horror, plays tomorrow night at the Royal Ontario Museum.)

MACABRE MOVIES: I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE (1978) + VIDEO

 

I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE (1978)

Starring Camille Keaton, Eron Tabor and Richard Pace

Written and directed by Meir Zarchi

Anchor Bay Entertainment

Is I Spit on Your Grave misogynist trash or feminist horror? That question has been asked ever since director Meir Zarchi put out Day of the Woman back in 1978. You likely know it by its more outrageous title, which distributors used when they re-released Day in 1980, minus the MPAA-induced cuts which bowdlerized much of the brutality from Zarchi’s rape-revenge story.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MS. BARBARA STEELE!

Today is 73rd birthday of Barbara Steele, star of such horror classics as Black Sunday, The Pit & the Pendulum, the original Piranha and Nightmare Castle. Those of you unfamiliar with Ms. Steele, start with Black Sunday (1960), her only collaboration with Italian director Mario Bava. Her dark beauty and irresistible sensuality have made her a favourite of horror fans for decades and inspired many acts of devotion, including this one by yours truly:

Barbara Steele tattoo by Bob Tyrrell

 

PUTRID PREVIEW: THE HALLOWEEN ISSUE OF RUE MORGUE MAGAZINE

I always get a thrill picking up Rue Morgue‘s Halloween issue each year, not only because my writing is inside but because it’s always a thing of beauty. This year’s 13th anniversary edition is no different, with a cover story on the legacy of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho which turns 50 this year. And look at that cover, courtesy of art director Gary Pullin. Norman’s almost pretty enough to kiss!

Issue 105 of RM hits stands October 1 and here’s a rundown of what you can expect.  Go buy it!

FESTIVAL OF FEAR, PART 2

Heather Langenkamp and The DLB

More photos from 2010′s Festival of Fear…

THE FESTIVAL OF FEAR IN PICTURES: FRIDAY

Rue Morgue Magazine‘s Festival of Fear, headlined by David Cronenberg, is over again for another year (boo!), and we were there, meeting fellow horror peeps at the Rue Morgue booth, getting hammered at the parties and taking photos of all of it. Here’s proof of Friday’s debauchery:

RM's Monica S. Kuebler, art by Justin Erickson

MACABRE MUSIC: RUE MORGUE PRESENTS “HYMNS FROM THE HOUSE OF HORROR”

ON MAY 1st, RUE MORGUE RADIO RELEASES FREE, DOWNLOADABLE

HORROR MUSIC COMPILATION, HYMNS FROM THE HOUSE OF HORROR!

In honour of Rue Morgue’s 100th issue, our favourite horror mag will be releasing a free, downloadable compilation album titled Rue Morgue Radio Presents…Hymns from the House of Horror! Thousands of bands have graced the pages of Rue Morgue magazine and airwaves of Rue Morgue Radio over the course of thirteen years, more than 300 radio shows and 100 magazines. RM enticed some of the many artists they believe best encapsulate the world of Rue Morgue into giving them exclusive mixes, previously unreleased tracks, rarities and classic cuts for this morbid mixtape, hosted by Rue Morgue Radio’s Tomb Dragomir.

This downloadable album will be available at the stroke of midnight May 1st at rue-morgue.com and ruemorgueradio.com, will be promoted on Rue Morgue Radio and their social networking sites. Listeners can check out the bands, link to their websites and download Hymns from the House of Horror, complete with printable album artwork designed by RM’s Justin Erickson.

A four-page feature article about the compilation in their expanded 100^th issue spotlights each artist/band and the song they contributed, exploring the origins of each track’s conception.

Hymns will receive further exposure on the award-winning weekly Rue Morgue Radio (ruemorgueradio.com), and at Rue Morgue events such as the upcoming Black 100 Celebration (Friday, May 7 at Revival Event Theatre in Toronto) and the Rue Morgue Festival of Fear, the country’s largest horror expo (August 27 – 29, 2010).

Rue Morgue Radio’s Hymns from the House of Horror tracklisting:

(Tomb Dragomir’s Greeting)

1. The Creepshow – Rue Morgue Radio

2. Midnight Syndicate – Haunted Nursery

3. Cauldron – Into the Cauldron

4. The Independents – Black Dream

5. Ghoultown – Return of the Living Dead

6. The Ghastly Ones – Banshee Beach

7. Psycho Charger – Redneck Zombies (Tomb Dragomir Mix)

8. Harley Poe – It’s Only the End of the World

9. Those Poor Bastards – Nightmare World

10. Dead Man’s Bones – My Body’s a Zombie for You

11. Forbidden Dimension – Hand of Glory

12. Zombina and the Skeletones – Something Weird

13. Creature Feature – Grave Robber at Large

14. Damn Laser Vampires – Saint of Killers

15. Balzac – Hurt

16. The Handsome Family – The Lost Soul

17. The Unsettlers – Oil and Blood

(Tomb Dragomir Bids You Farewell)

And to whet your appetite’s, here is The Creepshow performing “Rue Morgue Radio” live at Toronto’s late and lamented Reverb club, filmed by The DLB himself:

FESTIVAL OF FEAR: THE DLB INTERVIEW WITH HORROR ICON BARBARA STEELE!

The divine Barbara Steele and The Dark Lord Bunnykins

The Dark Lord Bunnykins had the pleasure of moderating a Q & A with horror icon Barbara Steele (Black Sunday, Nightmare Castle) at last year’s Festival of Fear, and Part I of that interview is to be found in this week’s edition of the Rue Morgue Radio podcast, at the 15-minute mark. Stream or download the podcast at http://www.ruemorgueradio.com/.

Thanks to Tomb Dragomir and Stuart Andrews for putting it together. Part II runs next week.

Barbara in "Black Sunday"

RUE MORGUE MAGAZINE CELEBRATES BLACK 100!

You can bet The Dark Lord Bunnykins will be at this party. Someone owes him extra drink tickets! Seriously, Issue 100 of Rue Morgue Magazine is going to be amazing, not least because yours truly has a major feature in it. Here is the official press release. See you there!

Toronto, CANADA – RUE MORGUE, Canada’s home for horror, is proud to celebrate yet another milestone with the release of its 100^th EDITION SPECIAL ISSUE on stands May 1, 2010. The perfect-bound varnish-finished 100-page special issue will feature one of the magazine’s boldest and unusual covers to date, along with all-new and exclusive interviews with Hammer horror legends CHRISTOPHER LEE and INGRID PITT, plus thirteen years of horror across the spectrum with words from JOSS WEDON, GEORGE ROMERO, MIKE MIGNOLA, ROBERT KIRKMAN, DARREN LYNN BOUSMAN, MAX BROOKS, WILLIAM LUSTIG, R.L. STINE, JULIAN MAURY, ALEXANDRE BUSTILLO and many more.

RUE MORGUE#100 will also feature exclusive and original art from CHET ZAR, KRIS KUKSI, TRAVIS LOUIS, GRIS GRIMLY, WILLIAM BASSO, JASON D’AQUINO, BOB TYRRELL and others, plus an original music compilation and tons more! The issue will be the focus of a media blitz including but not limited to a month long city wide postering campaign in anticipation of its release.

To commemorate the event, RUE MORGUE will also be celebrating this important milestone in its 13 year history with RUE MORGUE CELEBRATES BLACK 100 (Friday May 7, 2010 @ Revival Event Theatre – 783 College St. doors: 10 PM). Sponsored by Anchor Bay Entertainment and Warner Bros Home Entertainment, the highly publicized black carpet event will feature a host of electrifying performances and celebrity guests including GEORGE ROMERO and others TBA, along with a very special performance from sinister synth duo SQUID LID, the ever popular Rue Morgue Go-Go Ghouls, Suicide Girls and the sinister sounds of Shannon and LaMort. All this and the unveiling of the official guest list for the Rue Morgue Festival of Fear National Horror Expo 2010! Black dress code will be in effect.

RUE MORGUE’s 100^th EDITION SPECIAL ISSUE and BLACK 100 celebration will be the focus of an aggressive awareness campaign on Rue Morgue Magazine, Rue-Morgue.com, The Official Notice From the Rue Morgue House of Horror weekly newsletter, and ongoing promotion from our media partners.

Tickets for RUE MORGUE Celebrates BLACK 100 are $20 at the door or in advance directly from: www.Rue-Morgue.com or in person at the Rue Morgue House of Horror (2926 Dundas Street West, Toronto – weekdays 10-6 PM).

Now in its 13^th publishing year, RUE MORGUE is home of Canada’s leading magazine of horror entertainment (Rue Morgue Magazine), the world’s original all horror broadcast (Rue Morgue Radio), and multi award-winning horror film production company (Rue Morgue Cinema). www.Rue-Morgue.com