Listen closely. A faint collection of sounds. Static, the crackle of electricity, the creaking of joints and pistons long motionless, slowly stirring. Moving.
It’s the sounds of life, or something like it, as this long-slumbering entity begins to stir, shaking off cobwebs and dust and lethargy with slow, deliberate movement.
It’s awakening. And it has things it wants to share.
Keep watching this space.
As stated in this year’s press release, things have gotten a bit of a shake-up in the roster: “Every year, we have taken it upon ourselves to create PSAs urging people to donate. You can’t think horror without thinking blood and horror is all about facing your fears. Anyways, what’s one small prick in a world filled with an epidemic of pricks, right?
Over the years the PSA has grown to include and spotlight artists from across the globe. This year was our first year to include feminists of any gender. Our goal has always been inclusion, support, and awareness. Many of these artists wouldn’t have their voices heard without opportunities such as those gifted from events like Women In Horror Month.”
Among this year’s stable of fresh meat, there are contributions from Nicole McClure (The Unbearable Lightness of Boning), Joe Magna (Hellevator), Lisa Ovies (Puppet Killer), Andy Stewart(Dysmorphia, Remnant) Tristan Risk (American Mary, House of Manson) and the debut of Blood Drive’s youngest auteurs to date, 17-year olds Veronica Hampson and Kate Taeuschel.
So enough talk. Press “play”, soak in some quick & dirty work from some of the best in the business, then get out there and donate!
A word of warning, though, straight from the source:
I had every intention of writing my review of CRIMSON PEAK. I really did.
I was going to tell you that it’s a beautiful, chilling Gothic Romance with great performances and the wonderful visual aesthetics that are part-and-parcel of a Guillermo Del Toro movie, and that you should see it in theatres to soak in all of its splendour the way it was meant to be seen.
In short, I would have been repeating what others have said before me with more eloquence and critical clarity than I would have been able to.
I’ve said it before: I’m a lousy critic, but a pretty mean cheerleader. I’ve always been very vocal about the works and artists that I admire, and that will never change. But lately, the urge to create my own works, maybe even gain some cheerleaders of my own in the process, has become a strong one. I have been dabbling with the notion of writing for years – honest-to-goodness, pen-to-paper storytelling – without ever really committing to completing it. So many “ideas”, so many unfinished stories, just sitting there.
So now’s as good a time as any to stop yapping about it and do it.
I’ve given myself a goal. Deadlines. Scheduled time every night to get in 300 words a day, good, bad or otherwise. I’ve even signed up to compete in this year’s NaNoWriMo. Not so much to win, but to keep momentum going. I’m not getting any younger, and I don’t want this to be one of my regrets on my deathbed. So this is where my focus needs to be. In short, I’m treating it like work. As it should be.
It’s time for a little story, and I assure you, it’s a fitting one.
October 2013: A Night With Stephen King, part of the International Festival of Authors. After the Q&A, King was doing a signing: one item per person. I brought my copy of Stephen King On Writing, a source of great education and inspiration (and mandatory reading for anyone interested in the craft). It was a gift from my wife, Katherine, and she had written an inscription on the title page:
Because you can be just as great.
Love you with all my heart.
XO
-K-
I got to the signing table. King was signing at top-speed, ensuring no one got left behind, and then it was my turn.
He opened the book to the title page and paused to read the inscription. Then he smiled. He looked up at me and said “So? How’s it working out for ya, then?” I told him it seemed to be working just fine. He scrawled his autograph beside Katherine’s words and handed the book back. “Well, maybe she’s on to something, then. Good luck.”
I’m well into my first draft now. Over 3,000 words so far, and miles of paragraphs and sentences to go before it’s over. Maybe she IS on to something. And the only way I’m going to know for sure is by doing it.
Time to go underground for a while. Not away, not permanently. But long enough to see this through.
If I have something cool – like, extra-special super-cool – to share with you, I’ll post it here. But for now, it’s about time I got to work.
See you all when I see you again. Scout’s honour.
And many thanks to Mr. King for the much-needed kick in the ass.
Ron McKenzie
Vancouver’s Luchagore Productions have made a reputation for themselves as purveyors of vicious, no-holds barred cinema in a very short time. Blending Mexican folklore and religious iconography with bloody grindhouse-style violence, director Gigi Saul Guerrero and the Luchagore crew have made their presence known on the festival circuit with the shorts, EL GIGANTE and MADRE DE DIOS.
Which brings us to PALOMA, a total about-face from Luchagore’s signature style and a most-fitting musical selection for this year’s Dia de los Muertos or Day of The Dead.
PALOMA was created by Luchagore, after accepting an invitation to take part in Capilano University BOSA Centre for Film and Animation’s run of final projects for their Cinematography Class. Working with the stipulated guidelines (one day of preparation, followed by two hours of filming ), the film was subsequently chosen as the opening film for this year’s MORBIDO FEST in Puebla, Mexico, “an elegant and very Mexican piece…the right way to start”, according to Morbido’s Festival Director and CEO, Pablo Guisa.
And he’s absolutely right. While still working within the confines of Mexican occultism and traditions, the result is a languid, static yet haunting vignette -a take on an oft-reinterpreted Spanish standard (beautifully performed by Shadan Saul Guerrero ) that is equally beautiful and jarring – that goes against the grain of what Luchagore’s best known for. And I dig it.
They say variety is the spice of life, and PALOMA shows that Guerrero can slow things down without losing the visual punch of her more brutal works. A sign of true talent and diversity stepping outside familiar territory, and a strong indication that Guerrero and Luchagore Productions are no flash in the pan.
Up next for these Vancouver superstars? DIA DE LOS MUERTOS, a featured segment in the upcoming Mexican horror anthology, MEXICO BARBARO, out on DVD/Blu-Ray and VOD tomorrow!(Ain’t synchronicity a beautiful thing?).
And after that? Who can say? But I can’t wait to see what’s next.
And so, another Toronto After Dark Film Festival has come and gone. Celebrating ten years of genre cinema, both homegrown and international, it’s safe to say this was probably one of the festival’s most successful years with multiple “sold outs” screenings across the board.
Personally, I didn’t get to see as many films as I had hoped, so for those who were able to make it out each and every night… you have my respect and envy. But I saw enough of After Dark’s offerings ( including the opening gala, TALES OF HALLOWEEN, which was reviewed right here ) that it warrants some thoughts and opinions for public consumption. So let’s take a look, shall we?
THE HALLOW: Synopsis – “After a young family move from the big city to a peaceful Irish woodland cottage they find themselves in a desperate fight for survival in a prolonged confrontation with some vicious creatures lurking in the forest.”
Beautifully shot, with the visual aesthetic of the darkest of fairy tales, THE HALLOW is a masterclass in building tension. A slow-and steady escalation towards intense confrontation between the family and the long-time residents of the dark and foreboding winds that makes up the last half of the film, which kicks into “siege mode” hard and fast. It also works because the supernatural elements are contrasted with primal, universal fears – children in peril (and the parental fear of failing to protect them), isolation in foreign territory and the disintegration of the family unit – grounding the story and its characters in the real world. Great performances by Joseph Mawle & Bojana Novakovic, as the besieged couple & newly-minted parents, also anchor the film as truly sympathetic characters in a very-bad situation. Then there are also the creatures of The Hallow and dear lord, they are glorious! As with any creature feature, the stand-or-fall ratio depends on how the monsters come across, and THE HALLOW succeeds – no, exceeds – those expectations. Created through practical effects and designed by concept designer, Ivan Manzella (Prometheus, Edge Of Tomorrow), the “Fair Folke” are equal parts folkloric menace and bio-eco horror, rendered with old-school mastery and shot beautifully. They are menacing, nightmarish and wholly original.
This is director Corin Hardy’s debut behind the camera, and if it’s any indication of what to expect, Hardy’s got a very bright (or dark – depending on your penchant for horror-film analogies) future ahead. Directed with confidence, shot beautifully and expertly paced, THE HALLOW deserves to be seen in wide relase, as it puts most mainstream horror output to shame. Endorsed with the highest and most enthusiatic of recommendations.
CHRISTMAS HORROR STORY: Synopsis – “Yule-themed horror tale about all hell breaking loose in the small town of Bailey Downs on Christmas Eve, including Santa having to fight off an outbreak of zombie elves!”
The second of this year’s “holiday anthologies”, CHRISTMAS HORROR STORY takes the polar end of the holiday spectrum, with four stories set in the Yuletide season. Strangely enough, it’s also the darker of the two. Where TALES has been called by some a “GOOSEBUMPS for adults” (and I only wish I had come up with the analogy myself), CHRISTMAS has much more in common with the black-and-white pulp terrors of Warren Publishing’s pulp CREEPY and EERIE magazines: it’s got a bit of a mean streak to it, albeit a delightful one.
CHRISTMAS relates the events that occur one Christmas night in the small burg of Bailey Downs (ten bonus points for the CanCon horror fan who recognizes that name – for everyone else, Google it ). Four separate stories, joined together a “host” of sorts in the form of William Shatner as the town’s local DJ, the episodes range from a haunting in the local private school, a family outing for a Christmas Tree that yields much more – and worse , a family stalked by the season’s vengeful “anti-Claus”, Krampus and Santa Claus fending off an elf-zombie apocalypse at the North Pole. Each installment would work incredibly well on its own, with the “Christmas Tree” and “Santa” episodes being especially noteworthy, despite being on complete opposite ends of the spectrum. “Tree” is a dark, slow-building piece that surprisingly shares much in common with the above-mentioned THE HALLOW, bleniding family drama and folkloric horror. “Santa” is a giddily violent riot, with Ol’ St. Nick laying the smackdown on the foul-mouthed, flesh-hungry elves in a Raimiesque splatstick extravaganza. While the stories are joined by the most threadbare of narrative threads – a character here, a reference there – the crossover was, according to the filmmakers, a matter of fiscal neccesity rather than a creative choice. Which makes it all the more amazing when it all comes together in the film’s climactic confrontation between… you know what? I’ve said too much already. Let me leave it at this: it takes a lot to surprise me. This one had me literally clapping out loud. A lot of fun, and a worthy add to your holiday movie collection
THE HOLLOW ONE: Synopsis – “an artifact unleashes a demonic force upon the people of a small farm town. With most of the townspeople possessed, two young sisters find themselves in a race against time to try and stop the sinister force before its evil purpose is achieved.”
Another directorial debut, this time by Nathan Hendrickson, THE HOLLOW ONE is an ambitious blend of rural family drama and grand cosmic horror. While many have already made comparisons to Clive Barker’s HELLRAISER, most notably for the puzzle-like apparatus at the heart of the story that summons the titular evil, the film owes a much stronger debt to the works of H.P. Lovecraft and Nigel Keane (who also inspired John Carpenter’s brilliant metaphysical horror masterpiece, PRINCE OF DARKNESS). The Hollow One itself is a truly alien being of ancient age and unfathomable purposes, and placing such an unknowable force in the American heartland gives the film an eerie and original feel. It’s also one of the more visually interesting movie monsters to appear in a very long time, which always gets a win in my books. Performances are good, tension is consistently raised and although the film occasionally trips itself up in the “otherwise smart characters making really bad decisions” trap, it’s a minor quibble. Despite its low-budget and related production values, THE HOLLOW ONE has ambition to spare, with the hints of a much greater and expanisve mythology lurking in the background and that’s rare in this day and age with so many low-budget filmmakers trying to break in with “Zombie Apocalypse Movie #342”. At the post-screening Q&A, Hendrickson hinted that he would like to tell more stories in the universe he’s built for this first film. Here’s hoping that comes to fruition, as THE HOLLOW ONE shows incredible potential, both for its director and its future as an expanding mythos.
BACKTRACK: Synopsis – “After a series of unnerving ghostly encounters in the city, a troubled psychotherapist returns to his rural home town to try and solve the dark mysteries that date back to his childhood.”
Of all the films I caught this year, the Australian host story/murder mystery BACKTRACK was the most underwhelming of the bunch. Shame, really, because all the moving parts work just fine. It’s a good-looking film, with atmosphere and shadow aplenty. We have great work from Adrian Brody ( as the film’s haunted protagonist, who also pulls of an impeccable Australian accent) and Robin McLeavy (in a complete 180 from her work as the psychotic Lola in THE LOVED ONES, as a local cop drawn into Brody’s hunt for answers). We have well-played out scares, of both the slow-and-creepy and “jump scare” varieties. There’s really no reason this shouldn’t have worked.
It’s just that we’ve seen this story before, most notably in WHAT LIES BENEATH and (my personal favourite) STIR OF ECHOES: a person, haunted by the past, is chosen by vengeful/wronged/lost spirits to undertake a mission of redemption/forgiveness/revenge. The plot twists and turns to keep you guessing, but even those convoluted contrivances and red herrings only end up leading us to familiar territory. While the route may be different, the destination is all too familiar.
It’s not horrible nor exceptional. In the end, BACKTRACK rests in the grey zone of “passable entertainment” and will probably find its audience with those looking for a good night out for some chills and thrills. For the more seasoned horror/suspense moviegoer, though, it’s deja-vu all over again..
PATCHWORK: Synopsis – “ A re-animated corpse, made from the stitched together body parts of three murdered young women. On waking after the operation, The Creature decides to go on a quest to find the girls’ killer and avenge their deaths with both bloody and darkly humorous results.”
If there’s a “Sleeper Hit” award for After Dark, PATCHWORK wins it, hands-down. With less visibility or advance buzz than some of the fest’s “big ticket” films, I had zero expectations or preconceptions going in. And I loved it. A violent, laugh-out-loud funny and very bold feminist take on Frankenstein, PATCHWORK delivers a consistently funny script, a cast of incredibly gifted actors with great comic timing and a hit-list of gore gags across the board. Once the three victims learn how to work their new body together, they go on a killing spree that takes out every man who ever done them wrong – and may have done them in. Ex-boyfriends, date-rapey fratboys, etc. – all gruesomely and humorously eliminated by the three-in-one avenging angel.
Much of the film’s success lies in the chemistry between its three female leads, only seen onscreen together in their “hive-mind” pow-wows – an accidental shared consciousness created by making one body out of their three corpses. Tory Stolper (strait-laced Jennifer) , Tracey Fairaway (party girl Renee) and Maria Blasucci (mousey loner Madeline) are all exceptionally talented and create a great dynamic together ( I overheard someone else at the screening call it the horror version of Pixar’s INSIDE OUT, and I’m using it here because dear God, it’s SO spot-on). It’s Stolper, though, as the physical “body” itself who merits special attention with her brilliant physical comedy and timing, especially in the early stages of their “awakening”. Evolving from spastic and twitchy shambling corpse to confident and swaggering engine of destruction, Stolper’s performance has been compared to Bruce Campbell‘s splatstick brilliance in EVIL DEAD 2. And that’s high and accurate praise indeed. Also features a fun, understated performance by James Phelps (One half of HARRY POTTER’s Weasely Twins), a med grad student who becomes The Creature’s makeshift medic and unwitting love interest ( their sex scene – funny, gory and necrophiliac as all get-out – is one of the film’s absurdly brilliant highlights.).
I have yet to see an announcement for PATCHWORK’s release, theatrical or otherwise, but it is still touring on the festival circuit. Here’s hoping there’s news soon, as it’s a clever, smartly-written and flat-out funny flick that deserves a bigger following.
DEATHGASM: Synopsis – “a group of metalhead outcasts unwittingly unleash a horde of vicious demons upon their sleepy suburban neighbourhood. To win back the town they face an epic duel of blood, music and metal with Satan’s hordes!”
And here we are, the closing gala and the final film of After Dark 2015. Did they save the best for last? By and large, yes. Yes, they did. I’m sure you’ve read other reviews on the big horror websites. I’m sure you’ve seen the gushing praise on social media.
And it’s all warranted. Every last word.
DEATHGASM is a flat-out, balls to the wall gorefest, with outrageous kills, crackerjack pacing and zero f*cks to give about social acceptability. Death by dildo, blood-farts, castration by Weed-Whacker, decapitations, two-fisted chainsaw combat… all lovingly rendered in a gleefully cartoonish manner that will bring back fond memories of DEAD ALIVE (aka BRAIN DEAD) for folks in my age bracket. It’s also incredibly funny, and kind of sweet, with the heavy metal bromance between best friends Brodie (Milo Cawthorne, with more than a passing resemblance to Jason Mewes) and Zakk (James Blake, equal parts Heath Ledger and Glenn Danzig) at the heart of the film. It’s Kimberly Crossmah, as high school object of affection and burgeoning metalhead, Medina, who steals the show. Medina is smart, quick with an axe and even quicker with her wit, as she gets in some of the best lines in the film. Growing up as a horror and metal fan in my teenage years, DEATHGASM is the kind of film 16-year old me would have given a limb or eyeball to see. And it’s totally been worth the wait.
Director Jason Lei Howard knocks it out of the park with his first film the very definition of “crowd-pleaser”, endorsed by the enthusiastic laughter and roars of approval at the film’s most spectacular gore gags from Friday night’s audience. A truly good time and a fitting closer for one of Toronto’s longest-lasting (and rowdiest) film festivals.
So there you have it: How I Spent My Time In The Dark. And it doesn’t even cover the films I WISHED I had seen, including NINA FOREVER and THE DEMOLISHER, all of which generated considerable heat from the festival’s crowd.
Perhaps next year, I’ll gain the reserves and the time to see absolutely everything. But for now, I’ll take my little victories where I can.
Congratulations, Toronto After Dark, on ten years of genre cinema love and continuing to grow as one of the best movie-going experiences the city has to offer. Long may you reign.
And now, rest. Until next time…
The past week or so has been a busy one, to say the least. On top of starting a new job (hooray for gainful employment), there’s also been a number of screenings at Toronto After Dark ( and yes, I will be sharing my thoughts on said films very soon. Honest ) . But first, let’s talk about the other genre gathering that just happened this weekend.
Let’s talk about Horror-Rama Toronto.
This was year two for the upstart horror convention, spearheaded by Shock Till You Drop’s new editor-in-chief, Chris Alexander, and Suspect Video‘s head honcho, Luis Ceriz, and it can be summed up succinctly: growth.
More space ( in downtown Toronto’s The Hyatt Regency ), more guests, more panels, more vendors… just more all around. A sizable leap from last year’s inaugural show, but keeping the cozy ambience. And it’s a nice change of pace. I’ve done my share of the larger conventions across Canada – on both sides of the curtains, as well – so to go to a con where socializing with fellow congoers with room to spare and no need for yelling… it’s actually very welcome.
There’s definitely more than enough room for the American-style “hotel con” here in Toronto, especially one that caters to a group that… let’s be honest… tends to get the sharp end of the bloody stick at the larger conventions.
I hope this year was a success. I hope it continues to grow with each year. And I know I’ll be back again next year.
For now, enjoy some photographic highlights from this year’s show. And thanks to Chris Alexander and Luis Ceriz for letting me play in the sandbox for the weekend.
Three familiar faces, welcoming guests to the show. I swear I saw one of them move…
Where wolf? There! There wolf!
It was a rough weekend. Rougher for some more than others.
So many vendors. SO many movies. Seriously, between VHS, DVD, rare import, there was literally something for every taste.
MonsterMatt Patterson, artist and full-grown “monster kid”, selling his works at his table.
Convention organizer and weekend MC, Chris Alexander holds court.
George Mihalka, director of the Canadian slasher cult classic, MY BLOODY VALENTINE, and all around awesome guy.
Con guest, and horror icon, Michael Berryman meets a fan.
Steve Niles, comic writer extraordinaire, with the book (fittingly so ) that put him on the map and revitalized the horror comics industry. That’s not hype, folks. That’s just science.
Tristan Risk (AMERICAN MARY, THE EDITOR) with Holy Scar, up to no good at the booth…naturally.
Next time: Highlights and recommendations from the tenth annual Toronto After Dark Film Festival. Honest.
Thursday saw the launch of the Toronto After Dark Film Festival, now celebrating its tenth year of highlighting the latest in cinematic genre fare. And if the filled-to-capacity gathering for last night’s opening gala is any indication, it looks like this might be one of their biggest years yet.
As such, it couldn’t be more fitting that the opening gala of this October institution was custom made for this holiday season. I’m talking about the Halloween-themed anthology, TALES OF HALLOWEEN. A loosely-connected (and I mean by the slimmest of threads) collection of stories set on one Halloween night, TALES was concocted by the filmmakers’ collective, deliciously dubbed The October Society, and spearheaded by producers/directors Mike Mendez and Axelle Carolyn.
Now, I feel it’s important to get this out of the way: there will be inevitable comparisons to Mike Dougherty‘s now-seasonal-perennial TRICK ‘R TREAT. Yes, both are anthologies set during All Hallows’ Eve, but that’s as far as the comparison goes. Whereas TRICK was a singular vision connected through multiple plotlines written and directed by Dougherty, TALES has ten separate tales from ten different filmmakers, each one different in tone and style from each other, resulting in a much more eclectic mix. The story parameters given to each director were simple and open-ended: one Halloween night in the suburbs, bad things happen.
Among my personal favourites? The list begins below:
TRICK (Adam Gierasch): two young couples are menaced by a gang of murderous trick-or-treaters. Clever, brutal with a sick and vicious punchline.
BAD SEED (Neil Marshall): A killer jack-o-lantern runs amuck, and it’s up to one tough cop to put an end to its rampage. What makes it work is how Marshall plays out this goofy concept with po-faced 80s B-movie straightness.
GRIMM GRINNING GHOST (Axelle Carolyn): a pitch-perfect campfire ghost story. As an aside, Carolyn excels at this kind of slow-burn creepshow (watch her film, SOULMATE, to see what I mean) and GHOST mines a lot of tension in its short running time, ending with a satisfying (and spooky) payoff.
FRIDAY THE 31st (Mike Mendez): A flat-out gonzo slasher parody that evokes the early gore-splattered films of Sam Raimi and Peter Jackson. One of the big crowd-pleasers with the After Dark audience, and with good reason. It’s bloody hilarious.
THE RANSOM OF RUSTY REX (Ryan Schifrin): a kidnapped trick-or-treater who’s not what he appears to be proves to be an unholy handful for his two kidnappers. A clever concept loosely based on the O. Henry story “The Ransom of Red Chief”, bolstered by the performances of Sam Witwer, Jose Cantillo and John Landis. Another winner with the opening night crowd.
THE WEAK AND THE WICKED (Paul Solet): This one’s a little tougher to nail down. I’m going to call it an “urban supernatural western”. With teenagers. The real “wild card” of the bunch and, letting it stew since first seeing it, it’s becoming one of my favourites of the ten.
Which brings us to the film’s cast. Did I mention the cast? Because Sweet Baby Jeezus … it’s a who’s who of cult and genre cinema history including… *deep breath*… Barry Bostwick, Lin Shaye, Dana Gould, Tiffany Shepis, John Savage, Caroline Williams, Robert Rusler, Joe Dante, Adam Green, Adam Pascal, Mick Garris, Stuart Gordon, Barbara Crampton and Adrienne Barbeau. And that’s just for starters.
Like I said, anthologies are a hit-and-miss kind of deal. Some stories stick it on the landing, some never get their footing. But with ten short blasts of horror crammed into ninety-or-so minutes, there’s bound to be something here for a wide array of tastes and preferences. Above all that, though, you can feel the love that went into making TALES (trite, I know, but hear me out). The cast of genre luminaries, the EC Comics vibe and the old-school practical effects make it more than just a fitting tribute to Halloween, but a love letter to (and from) the generation of monster kids – my generation -who grew up reading Fangoria and gathering with like-minded individuals for VHS-fueled horror movie marathons.
It’s also just a lot of fun. Probably the most fun I’ve had with a horror anthology since my young and unsullied eyes first took in CREEPSHOW all those years ago. So here’s hoping this “October Society” thing becomes an annual deal. Because I would gladly support that.
TALES OF HALLOWEEN is now available for your seasonal viewing on VOD, including iTunes.
NEXT TIME: A one-two shot of After Dark fare, with A CHRISTMAS HORROR STORY and THE HALLOW.
Photo Credit: Ninedoors Photography
The conversation started with a simple question: “Where should we begin?“
Considering everything that’s happened for Tristan Risk since her scene-stealing performance in The Soska Sisters‘ AMERICAN MARY, it’s a legitimate question. After turning heads and gaining cred as the body-modded Betty Boop doppleganger, Beatress, Risk has been making a name for herself, including appearances in THE ABCs OF DEATH 2 ( in the Soskas’ T IS FOR TORTURE PORN segment) and Astron-6‘s THE EDITOR. And she hasn’t taken a break since, racking up a number of recent back-to-back projects.
For starters, Risk has been making the rounds (cinematically, at least ) on the festival circuit, with Izzy Lee’s INNSMOUTH as the first one out of the gate. “Without giving too much away, this is my second film with Izzy, and this is based on the Lovecraft story, The Shadow over Innsmouth.” What makes INNSMOUTH interesting is its gender-flipped (and decidely un-Lovecraftian) approach. “This is a very female-centric cast, as well as most of the crew, and I am interested in how people will react to the… ‘special thing’ in this particular film, and with such a female-specific bent, how people will look at it. So far, all of the response has been very, very positive. I play Alice Marsh, the town’s matriarch, and she’s guarding her town’s secrets very jealously. That was a really fun project to be a part of. I’m sure this is going to get me either loved or hated, one of the two. It’s probably going to be the most “GIFed” thing in my career.”
Following completion of INNSMOUTH, Risk moved onto her next short film, Luchagore Productions‘ blood-soaked (and just a pinch blasphemous) MADRE DE DIOS. “I’ve been trying to work with (Luchagore) for two years, and it’s taken this long because we’ve both been so stupid-busy doing all of our projects. It’s just like shooting laser beams across the universe at each other. Finally, the stars and the planets aligned, thankfully, and we were able to get together. Gigi (Saul Guerrero) came to me and said would you be into reading this and what do you think.” Both Risk, and Luchagore, are expecting a little bit of religion-backed “outrage” with this one, as it blends sacred and the profane in equal doses. 
“Now, I should stress here that I am not Catholic. So, certain things are going to upset some people more than most. I, myself, didn’t think that this was a particularly offensive script, although I was assured by other people that they might be excommunicated for it. I think it’s a beautifully shot film. The art department took it to the next level. And just watching this team work together was really, really cool and gratifying. So I hope to be able to work with them again in the future, but I have enjoyed all of their projects up until this point, so it was really nice to be part of one of them now.” The film also marked a continuing ‘familial’ thread for Risk, too. ” The fun part of that for me was that there’s a snake that appears in it, and it’s actually my boyfriend’s snake, Indigo, so that’s kind of like “oh, look it’s our snake-baby in there, too! She’s getting work!” There was another time that I had a pet in a film was AMERICAN MARY – her bird, that was in the cage – that was actually my parrot. I have this trend in films where I sneak my pets into them, somehow.”
Up next on the release schedule? FRANKENSTEIN CREATED BIKERS, James Bickert‘s follow-up to his oh-so-un-PC bikers vs. Bigfoot sleaze-terpiece, DEAR GOD NO!. “As of today, (BIKERS) has officially wrapped all of their filming now, they are going into editing now, so this was the last day – Boom! It is done. So considering it started filming in June, and being that they are filming on 35mm film, not digital, that’s incredible. I am so proud of them for doing that, so good on them for sorting that out. I’m excited to see it, I’m excited for everyone who was involved with it. It was definitely a labour of love.”
Unlike many of her previous roles, Risk got to have some straight-up Russ Meyer-vixen fun with firearms and explosives in this outing. “I play Val, who leads a rival biker gang, and other special interest groups against the lead bikers. I have a penchant for blowing things up with ever-present grenades. I love it. I didn’t think I would love it, but I did.”
With more film work under her belt, Tristan’s next project returns her to roots in stage magic and burlesque. Starting this month, British Columbia will get their first look at The Carnival of Creeps. Hearkening back to the heyday of the travelling sideshow, but with a very modern sensibilities, The Carnival is a collaboration of many hands, spearheaded by Risk and Burns The Dragon, a Vancouver-based sideshow performer/juggler and snake handler. “This happened because Burns came to each of us in the troupe and said ‘ we all have these different skill-sets and we have these really cool acts. We don’t do anything together in town and it’s a bit hard, because it’s a bit of a saturated market in Vancouver right now, so do we want to take this one the road?’ And we all agreed – it would be cool. So we have a great variety of performers -burlesque dancers, magicians, acrobats, contortionists, jugglers, fire performers, sideshow freaks. All people who have been doing their own thing for a quite a long time, coming together and collaborating. It’s very exciting for me to be doing this with fresh faces. We are all excited to do this tour. And it’s all in the week before Halloween, so we are able to bring all of our more dark and creepy circus stuff, because it’s just the perfect time of year for it.”
While the initial run is limited to BC, the long-term goals are much more intercontinental. “The ultimate plan is to have a full touring circus. When we get to that level, we would be interested in touring Canada, The USA, Europe. Potentially Mexico and, if possible, New Zealand and Australia. Just kind of doing what Hellzapoppin’ (Circus Sideshow Revue ) does, where they have the circus show that they travel with, and then have local talent join them up on stage to round it out. As a collective, we’re able to swap out members if not everyone can tour at the same time. Some tours will be larger, some smaller. So we’re really excited to get our brand and our name out there.”
Something Wicked This Way Comes: A taste of The Carnival of Creeps’ sideshow magic.
” It’s exciting. Burns went and bought a bus that sleeps seven and it says ‘The Friendship Express’ on the front, and ‘Seven Dudes, One Bus’ on the back. This is going to be a blessed voyage.”
After the dust settles for 2015, Risk is already eyeing the next item on her to-do checklist. Only this time, it will be from behind the camera. With tentative plans set for 2016, Risk is preparing to shoot her first short film: an adaptation of her short story, CAT LOVER (originally published in Malevolent Magazine). “It’s a thing. It’s going to happen.”
In the meantime, Tristan Risk will be joining the list of guests for this weekend’s HORROR-RAMA Toronto and while there’s no concrete plans for her to perform, that doesn’t mean she’s not game for trying. “We all know – let’s be real, here – that if there’s a party, there may be an unscheduled performance. It all depends on how many libations I have prior to that. I know myself well enough that I will pack a costume, because you never know.”
HORROR-RAMA takes place on October 17th and 18th at The Hyatt Regency, Toronto.
INNSMOUTH and MADRE DE DIOS are both currently playing on the festival circuit.
FRANKENSTEIN CREATED BIKERS‘ release date is TBD.
For more of the wit, wisdom (and occasional bouts of literary scribbling) of Little Miss Risk, make a point of checking out her blog, HIGH BARBED WIRE WALKING, while you’re at it.
As mentioned earlier on this here webpsace, HORROR-RAMA TORONTO is just a little over a week away. With a great line-up of guests and vendors, it’s shaping up to be a solid show and a fitting warm-up to Halloween.
But wait… there’s more!
Once you’re done shopping and chit-chatting with guests and fellow congoers on the Saturday, you could do worse things than attending the official after-party. Horror-Rama takes over Cherry Cola’s Rock ‘n’ Rolla Cabaret & Lounge for a night of rock, drinks and fan-to-fan socializing.
So who’s on the playbill? As well as performances by shock-rock/performance artist, Corpusse, and “punk gods” Adaptive Reaction, featured guest and co-founder of The Runaways, Cherrie Currie, will take the stage with Sprocket Damage, for what’s sure to be one hell of a show.
Here’s the details:
Where: Cherry Cola’s Rock ‘n’ Rolla Cabaret & Lounge
200 Bathurst Street, Toronto
Clockwise (from top): Bad Guy#2, Controller, Night Of The Slasher and Point Of View
Wednesday night saw the launch of the fifth season of the ongoing short film series, Little Terrors
The crowd, strong in both size and energy, gathered together in the darkened little theatre at Carlton Cinema, as host/curator Justin McConnell held court at the front of the stage. After a brief introduction to the night’s theme, Control of Time And Space ( and the regular round of giveaways ), the house lights dimmed and the show began.
This latest round of shorts had something for everyone. Offbeat animation, quirky lo-fi, humourous genre offerings and bleak, apocalyptic fare comprised the 12 films on the night’s playbill. While each one had their own unique charms on display, there were a handful of films that deserved special notice. In no certain order, here are a few of the highlights:
NIGHT OF THE SLASHER: an inventive and clever “meta” take on the standard slasher movie tropes, SLASHER follows a teenage girl, as she breaks the horror movie golden rules to lure a familiar masked killer to her and finish him off. Already an official selection of Telluride Horror Show 2015 and Frightfest, SLASHER has a sharp sense of humour with sly references to classic slasher iconography (there’s a great bit, that I won’t spoil here, involving the killer’s choice of mask that should give HALLOWEEN fans a chuckle). The film also has a kinetic energy, thanks to its ‘shot-in-one-take’ cinematography. A lot of fun, and a popular one with the night’s crowd.
I’M YOU, DICKHEAD: a man signs up for a time-travel program, with one goal in mind: go back and convince his ten-year old self to learn the guitar so he can get laid. From that premise, the film has a blast playing with the concept of “time travel paradoxes”, resulting in an escalating series of events that get funnier and more convoluted as it goes on. Highly enjoyable.
BAD GUY#2: a parable of the perils of promotion in the workplace, as a master criminal’s henchman works his way up the goon ranks, with hilariously bloody results. Cartoonish violence, reminiscent of the glory days of Peter Jackson’s early gorefests, sharp comedy and great lead performances by Kirk Johnson (Bad Guy#2) and Dave Maldonado (Kingpin) made this one a real crowd-pleaser.
ONE-MINUTE TIME MACHINE: this one’s already generated viral word-of-mouth via social media, and with good reason. Another comedic riff on the perils of time travel, this one also finds a time-traveler on the make. Using the titular device, our hero is trying to pick-up a woman, hitting the “reset” button every time he makes a mistake. The payoff is brilliant.
POINT OF VIEW: one of the night’s personal highlights. A creepy, fun and perfectly-choreographed piece of terror, inspired (and credited by the filmmakers) by Doctor Who’s iconic ‘Weeping Angels’. Director Justin Harding, present for a Q&A at the night’s screening, explained that the film took five hours to shoot and that efficiency carries over to the final product. It’s tight, tense and unsettling. This one will be screening as one of the many pre-show shorts for this year’s Toronto After Dark Film Festival, and I cannot recommend it enough. Already hard at work developing his next short, a 30-minute sci-fi fantasy parody, Harding is one to keep your eyes on.
CONTROLLER: this “proof-of-concept” piece was one of the more polished and slick films on display. A young woman, able to control reality by pure thought, has been enslaved by a scientific corporation. She “controls” her boyfriend, using him as her weapon and her means of escape. A trippy live-action anime with fight scenes staged in videogame aesthetics, it hints at a much bigger story not yet told. It’s no surprise, then, that CONTROLLER is going the feature-length route, currently in development at 20th Century Fox.
STATE ZERO: another bit of glossy sci-fi, with a squad of soldiers are sent into post-apocalyptic Stockholm to investigate a surveillance tower, bringing them into contact with the abandoned city’s less-than-human new residents. Solid production design, cool creature effects and hints of a conspiracy at the story’s heart – with promises of more to be told, post-credits – made ZERO one of the night’s tightest films.
With short-form cinema quickly becoming the venue of choice for the most inventive and original genre fare, Little Terrors continues to be one of the best showcases for up-and-coming filmmakers to show off their wares. Next month’s screening – surprise, surprise – will be Halloween-centric. Considering the line-up of great films shown this week, it’s a more than safe bet that I’ll be back for October’s installment.
And so should you.
For more information, including showtimes, updates and where to submit your own shorts for future screenings, make sure you check out the Little Terrors Homepage, as well as their Facebook , Twitter and YouTube pages for info and trailers of upcoming films.
Thoughts & Scribbles 