ATLRetro

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor

Kike Narcea’s I’LL CRUSH Y’ALL (2023), was the opening night feature at the 16th annual Buried Alive Film Festival (BAFF), Atlanta’s Premiere Horror Film Festival, which ran Sept. 29 – Oct. 1, 2023, invading the historic Plaza Theatre once again. Narcea’s action-packed gut punch of a film is crushing the genre film festival circuit across the US with two wins so far under its bare-knuckle belt, winning the Audience Choice Award at Fantastic Fest during its world premiere in Austin TX, and hours after this interview, the film took in another win and was voted Best Feature at Buried Alive. There’s nowhere to go now for this killer film, but up!

ATLRetro sat down with actor Mario Mayo Piedra [“Gabriel”/”Tarado”] and one of the film’s producers Jaime Arnaiz Rebollo of JAR Produccion in the Twin Peaks-inspired room at The Plaza to get down to brass tacks about the film, the inspirations behind the making of I’ll CRUSH Y’ALL and the current state of action/horror film in Spain.

ATLRetro: Are you guys having a good time at Buried Alive Film Festival? Favorite films you’ve seen at the festival?

Jaime Arnaiz Rebollo: Great question. First of all, we’d like to give a big shout out to Josh Gould the Director of the festival. He has treated us great, and we are actually feeling like we’re home over here. The theatre is amazing. The smell, whenever you enter, is like coming back to our youth. I mean, this is a very nice place, the theatre inside is also, and the audience was great. So, yeah, we are having a really good time. And from my point of view, the project that I liked most from what we saw is a short film called “Bookworm” directed by a Spanish guy also, named Javier Yanez. It’s actually very interesting. It’s related to manga, and it has some horror. It’s about a librarian. It’s pretty interesting.

Mario Mayo Piedra: We have seen a lot of short films, and we were very interested in “Bookworm.” I have seen a lot of short films with many good qualities and the features are great, too.

J: We saw this 10th Anniversary screening of THE DEMON’S ROOK, directed by James Sizemore and it was a very interesting movie. It was selected for Sitges and Fantasia and other places. The movie was very interesting, especially since they had such a low budget. They had this props designer that made these awesome devils and monsters.

M: And zombies.

J: It looked very good.

M: Yes, I remember James’ film.

J: Yeah, we were here also with the producer team. He’s from Atlanta and he was actually really excited about screening the movie here. Josh is part of the cast also. The movie is very funny actually.

M: Yes, it was very funny.

How did you get involved with I’LL CRUSH Y’ALL? Any special backstory about getting involved in this film?

J: Yeah, it’s all Mario’s fault. (laughs) I mean, I’m the producer, along with four other producers from Spain who are Kiko and Javie Prada (The Other Side Films), Bruno Martin, and Jesus Loniego, along with our own company, but we all got together because of Mario. He’s the spiritual producer of the movie who has been behind our backs the whole time whipping us and crushing us all in order to motivate us. He’s been the heart of the movie, the project.

M: I have a love for working in movies like this kind because I think in Spain we have a lot of potential for doing these kinds of movies, but I think in this moment, we have a poor production of action movies. I think we can do more and more and more, and a good job of these movies, actions movies. For example, our neighbor France makes a lot of action movies, but in Spain…

J: We don’t do that many over there in Spain, no.

M: Yes. And I think we can do it.

J: Actually, I agree with Mario. One of our main goals is to create this branch of movies of live action. We have many references in Europe, in Asia, and the States about live action, but we don’t have that much content of live action in terms of content in Spain, but we have Mario who has this huge camera presence and a very strong physique-

M: Thank you.

J: -and he is a very good actor also, so we want him and all our cast actually to become new action heroes and new action villains. That would be only if we could go step by step by step by creating new projects and I’LL CRUSH Y’ALL did really well and it’s doing very well. We are now preparing the sequel, I’LL CRUSH Y’ALL 2, where Mario is going to be smashing more heads (laughs).

M: Ha!

The film just won the Audience Choice award at Fantastic Fest. What was it like winning that award at the film’s world premiere?

J: Goosebumps. I mean it’s awesome. I’m an independent producer with this low budget movie and with our own resources. We don’t have any funds from the government from Spain, no funds from a funding company. We did it with our own resources. And getting this award, this Audience Award at Fantastic Fest, which is one of the ten largest genre festivals in the world, it’s an awesome achievement. Last year, this award was won by THE MENU, so last year THE MENU was here and this year I’LL CRUSH Y’ALL is here, so not bad at all. I mean, we are actually living the American dream. This is the land of opportunities, and this is actually a small one getting a great opportunity, so I think that this is actually paying off for the year we invested in this, not only this movie, but, our careers, professionally.

M: It was great! Now I am at the same level as Ralph Fiennes, as an actor. No?

J: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

M: Sorry, Ralph. (laughs)

J: And it’s also been an amazing time because we didn’t know actually how the movie was going to do in the market and as soon as we got the award, the very next day we started getting proposals and opportunities, so right now we are just making decisions for the movie to be screened all around the world.

Clearly this is a very physical film, it being about “crushing” folks. What was the most physically difficult part to film?

M: Maybe all of the filming – we filmed the movie in six weeks and during the filming I lost more than 5 kilos because it was very physical and I sweated a lot, a lot, repeat, repeat, repeat, but I think that is important because you can choose the better frames, the better scenes and I remember all of the filming was very hard.

Were the fight scenes choreographed or were most of them improv?

M: No, they were prepared.

J: They were prepared because Kike Narcea, he’s a great choreographer, he’s the director but he’s a great choreographer because he’s seen a lot of movies (Asian, French, Italian, German, all of the countries) and he loves action movies. And when we were on the set he had very clear ideas.

So, he pretty much had a vision?

Both: Yes, yes.

J: Our director is a geek.

As we all are.

J: Yes. That is why we are here. He’s a geek. He has a great background in action movies and not only action movies, but all types of cinemas and he really had a clear idea of the movie in his mind. So, whenever we were going to shoot any scene he would sit down with the team beforehand and then after that with the cast and he will explain everything to the team first, then he will explain everything to the cast and then they will try to do some testing, but he had everything ready, like “You are launching the punch and halfway I’m cutting so you don’t need to do it all the way.” So, he has perfectly clear in his mind the editing of the movie, so that actually helps us a lot. Although, there is a scene in the movie that was improvised. Only one scene. Can you guess?

Was that the pallet scene?

Both: Yes, yes.

I only know that because I was at your Q&A, and it was mentioned there.

J: Yes, it’s actually a very unique scene for us. A very interesting scene.

The pallet scene is where a lot of the comedy kicked in for me.

J: Yes.

So, what was it like working with the dogs?

M: Wow, marvelous. I love dogs. I am more friends with dogs than with people. I have cats, I have a dog and I love animals.

J: It’s great. It was amazing to me. They were very nice.

Did they take direction well from the Director?

J: Yes, so usually you should never shoot with animals or kids because it’s really hard, but on this occasion we were very lucky because the owner of the dogs is one of the cast members. So, this scene where the dogs are actually eating from a guy, they are killing him, and the truth is that, as he is the owner, we just put some jam on him and the dogs were kissing him, but on the screen it actually seems like they are feasting on him. It’s actually very cute. They didn’t die during the movie, a little spoiler, but everybody was like, “Oh the dogs,” you can see them at the beginning of the movie, and I don’t know if people were thinking, “Oh, they are going to die,” but in the end they don’t die and they have a very important role.

M: And their sounds helped a lot for scenes like this [dog eating the man], the sound-

J: The sound designing, yes, we did a great sound design and all the music of the movie, everything just fits perfectly. The music composer is Daniel Maldonado, who is a Spanish composer, and he did a great job. Also, the final song that we have in the movie, which is like the main track, it was composed by the owner of the dogs – he’s the owner of the dogs, the owner of the house, he did the main theme – we got a lot of great things from Diego Paris, thank you for everything Diego – we love you.

Anything else you’d like our audience to know about the film?

J: For sure. We are very happy and pleased about getting this award at Fantastic Fest and hopefully we may get some awards here at Buried Alive. It’s up to the jury. But we are working really hard in order to get the movie on all platforms and theatres. We’ve already got some offers from American distributors, but we want to keep on working, not to just be on the American market but also the whole world and this is because, as I said before, we are really willing to make a new branch of movies, action movies, with Mario as lead role.

And you said you’re working on a sequel?

J: We are working on the sequel. We actually do have half the script and we have the whole plot idea. Also, we are already gathering the actors to cast and gathering the funds. If everything goes well, maybe next year or in two years we will be done with the sequel.

What is your favorite action film from any time period that’s important to you and epitomizes what you love about the action movie genre?

J: I have two references. I’m not the director, so, for sure this question would be much better answered by Kike, but from my point of view as a producer, I have two references that for me I would like to achieve the quality of entertainment. The first one is a movie called AIRBAG. It’s a Spanish movie directed by Juanma Bajo Ullow. It was a movie shot in the late nineties, early 2000s and is very funny. It’s an action and thrill movie, but it’s all fun and—

M: Manic comedy.

J: Comedy. Everybody is crazy and the characters are unique people. And I think we have similarities in our movie. And another production I really love is HOME ALONE. I mean, actually, we don’t have Macaulay Culkin in our movie, but we have Mario Mayo, which I think he’s going to have a great career.

There’s actually a line in the movie about HOME ALONE, correct?

J: There’s a line that we actually speak about it and it’s just because Kevin McCallister stays in his house—

M: I am Kevin McCallister.

J: Yes, and he has to keep it from these burglars. Mario is like Kevin McCallister. He has to remain in his house, and he has to keep his house safe from all these people that are coming over. So, more or less, there are some similarities, but I would love as a producer the success of those two movies. I mean, for me HOME ALONE is the best reference along with INDIANA JONES and THE GOONIES—the most well-known movies ever and AIRBAG – I’m pretty sure for every Spanish person thinks it’s one of the funniest movies and I invite you to see it because I’m sure you will enjoy it.

M: I think for example, this movie looks like, more or less, FIRST BLOOD, Sylvester Stallone, he doesn’t want to have problems but problems find him and maybe my character is more or less like Rambo. And also, there is a kind of movie or cinema in Spain called cine kinki (cine quinqui)—

J: Not the English “Kinky.” In Spain in the 80s we had a big problem with drugs, heroin, and we have a lot of crime, and we have this urban tribe called kinki people, which were like outsiders, ex-drug dealers, ex-consumers and they were involved in crime, robbery and stealing and so that way of life was called the kinki life—being underground, and being an outlaw. So, during the late 80s and 90s this new branch of cinema called the kinki cinema was about that type of people. It was just resembling what our society had and in our movie we are showing a little bit of the low-income part of society, so it has some reminders of those kinki movies.

M: Yes.

J: It’s not the same kinki as you have here.

M: No. Many years ago in Spain, many directors were filming film kinki.

J: So basically, we did a movie to have fun, we enjoyed the filming and what we liked most is that the audience liked the movie. I mean, it’s very interesting how we showed the movie in Spanish and most of the jokes are internal Spanish jokes.

M: Yeah.

J: But we were shocked that the American audience reacted very well with those jokes. Although they didn’t understand all of them they got many of them and also we were told that our translation is not the best and so we have to keep on working on it, but it’s only been the third screening ever, so we’ve only been showing the movie for one week in only five theatres that have seen the movie. And we are just getting the first feedback.

Nice! What’s next for you guys?

M: Now I am working with Alex de la Iglesia in a serial for Netflix, and it’s a small character, but it’s great. Working with Alex is awesome. He is one of my favorite filmmakers. I expect I will work with him again on another project.

J: Well, I’m studying to become a pharmacist. I’m in my fifth year of school for this career. Because cinema is a little like a roller coaster – it’s tough to survive because of this.

M: He’s a great producer. You are going to be a producer, a great producer. There will be more than what we’re doing now.

So, a legal drug dealer then?

J: I’m actually going to spend all the money I get from drug dealing on cinema. But legal drug dealing (laughs). No actually, I’m studying the career, but at the same time I’m doing all of these productions. We are preparing a new movie we are shooting in February which will be directed by Bruno Martin, and we are going to be co-producing it and also I shot three different short films this year.

M: Yes, I am also in this film.

J: He is also in this new film that we are going to film, but as I said, we shot three different short films this year with different genres. One of them is action – fights between the Spanish mob and Chinese mob. We have a drama about a mother and daughter who get evicted from their house and she tells her daughter that they are going on holiday, so the daughter doesn’t realize what is actually going on. We have this other project called SHAKESPEARE IN SMOKE, directed by Francesco Cocco. It’s like an essay about what it is to be an actor your whole life. Three different actors who are different ages, but they all have the same path, and they share their experiences. And I’m in many other projects but at the moment we would like to enjoy and harvest all that we have already planted.

Photo by Rebecca Perry – (L-R) Mario Mayo, Jaime Arnaiz, Josh Gould

Buried Alive Film Festival (BAFF) brings both new and Retro cinema scares to the historic Plaza Theatre for its 16th annual outing this weekend, Friday Sept. 29 through Sunday Oct.1, 2023. Over the years, the festival founded by Gorehound Productions has never failed to impress with a mix of independent features and groundbreaking shorts from all over the world. Tickets are available for individual films and short blocks here, but we recommend going all in for the $80 all-inclusive festival pass! Why? Well, where the HELL do we start and how the HELL do you choose?! If you’re not DEAD SET on attending, check out the festival trailer featuring Professor Morte and the practical FX masters of Silver Scream FX Lab NOW!

Festival Insider Tip: The curated short blocks are BAFF’s pièce de résistance! Year after year, the film selection committee outdoes itself in unearthing some of the highest quality, zaniest, creepiest horror shorts by filmmakers ranging from local talents to creators from all over the world. Expect to be surprised and blown away because anything from anywhere may show up on the big screen from hellacious humor to spine-tingling scares, from old-school Gothic to the craziest Bizarro, from atmospheric supernatural to pushing the envelope of skin-crawling bloody gore-fantastic.

FRIDAY SEPT. 29

SINEMA CHALLENGE (6 PM). Local indie filmmakers randomly selected a horror genre from a deck of Cards Against Humanity and had 13 days to make a movie! The results are always a riot but also a chance for some of Georgia’s most talented film creators and crews to go all in with no Hollywood rules. Be the first to see these wacky and innovative shorts made especially for BAFF.

I’LL CRUSH YA’LL (Os Reviento, DIR: Kike Narcea, 8 PM), the opening night feature, is a bloody bare-knuckle horror/action comedy from Spain about a retired boxing champion and his dog defending his family farm from wave after wave of gangsters. A hit at Fantastic Fest, let’s just say the trailer is just as over the top as you’d expect if you’re a BAFF regular!

SHORT BLOCK 1 (10 pm),  The first program of BAFF’s curated horror shorts from around the world includes surprises at a farewell ceremony to a dead sister, voracious hunger, a possessed office printer, terror in Mumbai’s decaying red light district, insect love, and more! Stick around for filmmaker Q&As after the screenings.

SATURDAY SEPT. 30

If you can only do one day of BAFF, get ready to camp out at the Plaza ALL DAY Saturday.

YOKAI MONSTERS; SPOOK WARFARE (DIR: Yoshiyuki Kuroda, 1:30 PM) Professor Morte and the Silver Scream Spookshow present one of the wildest Yokai movies of all time. For the uninitiated, the Yokai are strange supernatural entities from Japanese folklore known for wacky shapes and trickster humor which you hope is on your side. This is the second of a trilogy and a not-to-miss chance to see it on the big screen with the Spookshow experience as the cherry on top! Here’s a trailer to the trilogy because after seeing Spook Warfare, you’ll want to see the rest.

SHORTS BLOCK 2 (4 PM). The second program of our curated horror shorts from around the world includes a lovely glittering earworm, an offbeat Dublin-based short about a hard-to-please dad, cobwebs in the…gulp…throat, something provocatively titled Titsferatu, boogie-ing ghosts at a high school dance, and more! Stick around for filmmaker Q&As after the screenings.

FEATURE: FAT FLESHY THINGS (DIR: Various, 6 PM). This anthology film made entirely by alumni of the BizaroLand Film Festival tells the tales of eight hapless souls infected with a monstrous sexually transmitted parasite that holds eldritch powers over its host’s mind! Teaser trailer here. Preceding the feature is a short to be insane fun short film, CONTENT: THE LO-FI MAN, by BAFF favorite Brian Lonano and BAFF co-founder Blake Meyers!

SHORTS PROGRAM 3 (8 PM). The third program of BAFF’s curated horror shorts from around the world features a horrifying VD, fire, a kaiju-sized robotic creature, an eventful evening in the life among death of a mortuary artist, puppetry, a haunted Spanish library in 1979, and much more! Stick around for filmmaker Q&As after the screenings.

FEATURE: DEMON’S ROOK (DIR: James Sizemore, 10 PM). 10th anniversary screening of a festival-awardwinning indie horror classic which FearNet called “a virtual love-letter to early 80s Italian zombie cinema”! A young boy named Roscoe finds a portal to another world where he is taught magic by an elder demon known as Dimwos. Dimwos raises the boy into manhood, revealing to him many secrets. Trailer here!

SUNDAY OCT.1

FEATURE: SEX DEMON (DIR: J.C. Cricket 1975, 1 PM). An ultra-rare chance to see a long-lost underground “queer horror” cult classic on the big screen! According to the Plaza’s Website: “All hell breaks loose when John’s last-minute anniversary gift inadvertently causes his younger lover Jim to become possessed by a SEX DEMON who wreaks havoc on New York’s gay cruising spots. Openly inspired by both THE EXORCIST and its Blaxploitation cousin, ABBY, J. C. Cricket’s SEX DEMON is a ferocious mix of the erotic and the grotesque that’s primed and ready to shock audiences again after being lost for the past forty years. In the words of Gay Scene critic Bruce King, ‘the squeamish may not want to watch, but if you do, you won’t forget it!’”

SHORTS PROGRAM 4 (3 PM). The final installment of curated horror shorts from around the world features the terrifying ultimatum “stop moving until you die,” a hallucinatory nightmare road trip, a Vietnam vet turned into an ultra-violent test subject, a “silver gleaming death machine,” a man obsessed with starring in his own snuff film, and more! As always, stick around for filmmaker Q&As after the screening.

FEATURE: SPOOKT (DIR: Tony Reames, 5 PM). Fresh from its world premiere at Fright Fest in August, Spookt is the highly anticipated first full-length feature by television director Tony Reames, whom BAFF 2019 attendees may remember  for fan-favorite short PLAYTIME’S OVER. When paranormal investigator Claire and sceptic Rachel join forces to discover the truth behind a missing girl and the infamous Dr Byler, beliefs are tested when unexplained occurrences begin to happen, centring around the notorious Gibson house. Check out the Red Band trailer here!

BAFF AWARDS (7 PM). After all the screenings, find out which shorts and features won the BAFF Awards, chosen by this year’s judges and audience votes.

Peek into the magical world of Hogwarts in immersive exhibits such as the entrancing Divination chamber at Harry Potter: The Exhibition. Photo by Randi Tucker.

Review by Randi Tucker
Contributing Writer

For adults who loved the Harry Potter books in the 1990s and were spellbound by the movies in the 2000s (and for their kids who are getting to know them now), HARRY POTTER: THE EXHIBITION is a must-see-and-do experience in Atlanta. But hurry, the magic only happens through February 28, and starting January 17, take advantage of buy-one, get-one-free tickets on Tuesdays.

Billed as “a groundbreaking touring exhibition that celebrates the iconic moments, characters, settings, and beasts as seen in the Harry Potter™ film series and the Wizarding World,” HARRY POTTER THE EXHIBITION was even more magical than this reviewer imagined. Equal parts museum (original costumes and props from the Harry Potter and FANTASTIC BEASTS movies, as well as the HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD play, are on display behind glass cases) and interactive technological experience, the exhibition offers fun for both longtime Harry Potter fans and newer generation guests.

Upon entry, choose your favorite house, wand, and patronus, and enter your identification information to go with it. This will all be important later, so don’t skip this step! A guide takes you into the exhibit and begins the experience with a brief quiz. Here you get a chance to see your name on the Marauder’s Map. Mischief Managed!

Next, take a self-guided tour of the remainder of the exhibit. There are rooms and rooms and more rooms (did I mention many rooms?) of artifacts, information and interactive activities to see and do. Just when you think you’ve come to an end, you turn a corner and the exhibit keeps on going. Conservatively, I’d say you need a few hours to really experience everything. As a huge Harry Potter fan myself, I seriously could have used a half-day here, but my family had other ideas.

Great Hall at Hogwarts in Harry Potter: The Exhibition. Photo by Randi Tucker.

For an extra fee, an audio tour is available as a complement to signs posted throughout the exhibit, and I recommend it for people who have time to linger in each room as it plays. For those who are time-crunched, much of the info can be read quickly on the posted signs.

The exhibit is filled with interesting details in every nook and cranny, so keep your eyes peeled for these details. Holes labeled “Look Here” are not to be looked over. Pro tip: look up and down, not just around (i.e. take note of the floors and ceilings). In addition to marveling at the movie memorabilia, you get a chance to earn points for your house when you practice spells, brew a potion, plant a mandrake, read your future in a crystal ball and hone your quidditch skills. Don’t miss any of these interactive experiences! They are hands-on fun for all ages.

Prepare to be spellbound at Harry Potter: The Exhibition. Photo by Randi Tucker.

Also, there are so many Instagram-able areas of the exhibition. Sit in Hagrid’s massive chair in his hut, perch behind Professor Umbridge’s desk in her puke-inducing pink office, pop out of Newt Scamander’s case of fantastic beasts, place a call in the Ministry of Magic telephone booth entrance and even lie back in Harry’s cramped cupboard under the stairs, for the picture-perfect pose. Take time to also make the magic happen with the elder wand and see yourself in the pensieve. You’ll need someone to capture these extra moments for you, as a selfie won’t do.

Definitely take a look at your professional photos that the staff took of your group at the entrance. Though you might not want to shell out extra dough for the photos on the spot, you will be instructed on how to view the photos later online, and you can also purchase them at that time. Remember that identification information I said would be important later? This is when you’ll need it.

Don’t miss the gift shop and café! In addition to limited-edition, exhibition-specific merchandise, the gift shop offers loads of fan-favorite merch and even bottled butter beer. The café is a great spot to sit a spell and sip on a signature drink (mocktails and cocktails available) and enjoy a meal or snack. There are fun things to read and see in the café as well, so don’t skip it, even if you aren’t hungry or thirsty.

Sip on magical mocktails at Harry Potter: The Exhibition. Photo by Randi Tucker.

Suffice it to say, visiting HARRY POTTER THE EXHIBITION made this muggle’s day!

HARRY POTTER: THE EXHIBITION is located in the 200 Peachtree Building at 155 Carnegie Way NW. More information and tickets are available here. Choose general admission, VIP or flextime tickets for adults, children and groups, based on the day and time of your visit. Prices will vary; and starting January 17, take advantage of buy-one, get-one-free tickets on Tuesdays.

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor

No clue what holiday shindigs to attend this year? We at ATLRetro are here to help with a list chock-full of merry tidings and Xmas tree rockin’ to help you have a super swell retro holiday season! Check out all the shakin’ shenanigans and classic fun we’ve dug up just for you!

ROCK AROUND THE XMAS TREE: Stomp on over to Napoleon’s for Michelle Malone & The Hot Toddies Holiday Show (Dec. 5), or catch Yacht Rock Schooner’s Ugly Sweater Holiday Show (Dec. 9)! Kool Kat Jeffrey Butzer continues one of Atlanta’s favorite retro holiday traditions with his Charlie Brown XMas at The Earl (Dec. 10, 11, 12)! Boogie down dino-style at Fernbank After Dark: Holiday Party (Dec. 10)! Dance the night away at Mary’s during their Naughty is Nice! Holiday Dance Party (Dec. 11)! Get hellaciously rocked during ELZIG’s Christmas Spectacular Variety Show at Little Tree Studio in Avondale (Dec. 18)! Eddie’s Attic brings you a rockin’ line-up this season with Ed Roland’s Annual Winter Wonder Bash with Collective Soul (Dec. 6/7); the Third Annual Burchfield Family Christmas (Dec. 9); Lauren Morrow’s Christmas Extravaganza (Dec. 10) and more! Get countrified at Strand Ole Opry’s Country Christmas (Dec. 16)! Have an Earl XMas with Brother Hawk and more (Dec. 25)! 

MERRY MORSELS, SPIRITS & MORE: Miracle on Monroe Holiday Pop-Ups unwraps its sixth season in the city returning to the Midtown Promenade restaurant Tapa Tapa and Bon Ton will once again get into Mele Kalikimaka spirit as it hosts Sippin’ Santa, a Christmas-themed tiki takeover. Both locations offer special holiday cocktails, a fun festive staff, and enough cheer for everyone through the month of December! Make your way to Napoleon’s for a festive Christmas brunch and enjoy a live performance of Vince Guaraldi’s A Charlie Brown Christmas (Dec. 12)!

FESTIVE FILMS: Spend the holidays at the Plaza Theatre and catch screenings of John Carpenter’s THE THING (1982) in 35mm (Dec. 11, 12 & 16); Jeremiah S. Chechik’s NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION (1989) (starting Dec. 11); John McTiernan’s DIE HARD (1988) (starting Dec. 17) and Frank Capra’s classic, IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946) in 35mm (Dec. 18 & 19)! Or throw on your pajamas and head to Strand Marietta’s Christmas Eve marathon of IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946) (Dec. 24)! Regal Atlantic Station screens Joe Dante’s GREMLINS  (1984) (Dec. 4); Jon Favraeu’s ELF (2003) (Dec. 11); and NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION (Dec. 18)! 

MAGIC ON STAGE: It’s the most wonderful time of year as Aurora Theatre presents their annual Christmas Canteen revue now through Dec. 23, and the kiddies will not want to miss their ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas Puppet Show (Dec. 4)! Atlanta Ballet brings you their classic presentation of The Nutcracker at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center, through the month of December! The Center for Puppetry Arts brings back a classic family tradition, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer running through Jan. 2! Get down with the Grinch with Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas: The Musical at the Fox Theatre (Dec. 7-12)! Boogie down to Strand Marietta for A Christmas Tradition (Dec. 10-23)! Scrooge it up and catch the Alliance Theatre’s presentation of A Christmas Carol through Dec. 24!

KRAMPUS SIGHTINGS  & SPOOKY FUN (in-person): Hey kiddies! Get beasty during Wreck the Halls: The Little 5 Points Krampus Krawl (Dec. 4)! Creep on over to Junkman’s Daughter in L5P for Family Portraits with Krampus, 1pm – 5pm (Dec. 5)! NETHERWORLD closes out its 25th year with two ho-ho-holiday horror events: A Lights on Tour returns Dec. 11, and A Haunted Holiday returns Dec. 18 featuring a performance of RISE OF THE NETHERSPAWN with a yuletide twist! 

VINTAGE & VIRTUAL: Catch the Trans-Siberian Orchestra – Christmas Eve & Other Stories online at 3pm (Dec. 5)! Hometown to Hollywood, LLC presents their online event, Scrooge Through the Years at 7pm (Dec. 9), or catch A Classic Hollywood Christmas online event at 7:30pm (Dec. 21)! Bizarre it up with Blackwell’s Xmas Oddities Auction online at 8pm (Dec. 10)! Catch a spooky online lecture, The Krampus & The Old, Dark Christmas at 3pm (Dec. 12)! Or catch A Charlie Brown Christmas Live On-Stage online at 6pm (Dec. 12)! Catch a sighting of Santa Live from The North Pole online at 11am (Dec. 19)! Get bewitched during the Cabot Kent Hermetic Temple’s online Yule Ritual at 4:30pm (Dec. 19)!

HO-HO-HOLIDAY SHOPPING: The Masquerade is gettin’ into the holiday spirit with BOGO concert tickets Dec. 3! Cryptid Creatives Collective presents their Winter Gift Marketplace in EAV featuring local vendors (including The Cryptid Cannery), artists and more (12pm – 6pm, Dec. 4)! Or make your way to Indie Craft Experience: Holiday Market (Dec. 4)! Head on over to Kirkwood for an Empire Arts Gallery Outdoor Holiday Pop-Up Market (Dec. 4)! Catch Bizarre Bazaar’s Holiday Market at the Imperial (Dec. 12), and don’t miss out on their Little Five Points Last Minute Holiday Extravaganza (Dec. 22)! Make your way to the Winter Solstice Market at the Park (Dec. 18)!

SANTA GETS CLASSY: Spend Christmas with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (Dec. 9 & Dec. 11), or get Baroque and experience Handel’s Messiah with the ASO (Dec. 17 & 18)! Catch the spirit of the holidays at the Fox Theatre during Sarah Brightman – A Christmas Symphony (Dec. 13)! Ansley Stewart and Friends gift you with A Very Vintage Christmas at Napoleon’s (Dec. 16)! StewartGet retro ‘n’ royal during Strand Marietta’s Christmas Royal Tea and Grand Yuletide Ball (Dec. 18-22)! Spend the holidays with Joe Gransden [Swing on by Callanwolde Fine Arts Center (Dec. 4); or croon on over to Cigar Cellar in Kennesaw for A Crooner Christmas with Joe & Josh Sirten (Dec. 6); you won’t want to miss The Joe Gransden Christmas Quintet at Napoleon’s (Dec. 12); or make your way to Eddie’s Attic for Joe’s Big Band Holiday Show with Robin Lattimore (Dec. 20 & 23)! 

TREE LIGHTINGS, SPARKLY LIGHTS & FESTIVITIES: The annual Vinings Jubilee Christmas Tree Lighting, Vinings’ oldest holiday tradition including 40s-style carolers singing all the classics (Dec. 2)! Callaway Gardens’s Fantasy in Lights runs the entire month of December! There are more than two million twinkling lights ablaze at Stone Mountain Christmas! The Lighting at Colony Square is making Midtown merry and bright (Dec. 4)! Get artsy and make your way to Hapeville for their #FreeArtHapeville Holiday Event (Dec. 4)! Avondale Estates gets down with Santa during their Winter Wonderland event (Dec. 4)!

TINSELED TUNES (Albums/Singles, etc.): The Aquadolls cover The Waitresses’ holiday classic “Xmas Wrapping” featuring Angelo Moore of Fishbone and El Jefe of NOFX! New Found Glory celebrates their favorite holiday songs in their new single, “Holiday Records” on their new album, DECEMBER’S HERE out Dec. 3! 

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor

The horror! The horror! Atlanta kicks off its Halloween celebrations with a bang! Spook up the weekend with a whole lotta horror classics by haunting on down to the 8th annual Monsterama Convention: The Tomb of Monsterama coupled with Spy Con 2, invading the Atlanta Marriott Alpharetta and haunting all your senses this weekend (Oct. 8-10)! From legendary actors to spook shows to monstrous sightings, here are our top reasons to get your classic monster fix at MONSTERAMA 2021!

1) SILVER SCREAM SPOOK SHOW. Kool Kat Shane Morton, a.k.a. ghost host with the most, Professor Morte and the Silver Scream Spook Show featuring the Go-Go Ghouls terrify with a live spook show, followed by a monstrous screening of Don Taylor’s ESCAPE FROM THE PLANET OF THE APES (1971) on 16mm Scope, Saturday beginning at 4pm!

2) FANGTASTIC FILM. It’s monster movie madness with screenings of hellacious classics (most screening in 16mm) including a Nightmare Theatre Screening of Ed Wood’s PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE (1959); Jimmy Sangster’s LUST FOR A VAMPIRE (1971); W.D. Richter’s THE ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BANZAI ACROSS THE 8TH DIMENSION (1984); Eugenio Martin’s HORROR EXPRESS (1972); Mario Bava’s DANGER: DIABOLIK (1968); a Paul Naschy Film Festival (Hosted by Rodney Barnett of the NaschyCast) with screenings of Leon Klimovsky’s DR. JEKYLL VS. THE WEREWOLF (1972), THE WEREWOLF VS. THE VAMPIRE WOMAN (1972), Javier Aguirre’s COUNT DRACULA’S GREAT LOVE (1973); and so much more!

3) GHOULISH GUESTS. Catch some killer guests including Trina Parks (DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER; THE BLUES BROTHERS); Elizabeth Shepherd [TOMB OF LIGEIA, POLTERGEIST: THE LEGACY, HELL BOATS]; Marta Kristen [LOST IN SPACE, TERMINAL ISLAND]; Clayton Landey [THE BLOB; A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3]; Kool Kat Madeline Brumby [DEAR GOD NO!, SPRING BREAK ZOMBIE MASSACRE, FRANKENSTEIN CREATED BIKERS]; Tiffany Grant [ONIGIRI; CHIVALRY OF A FAILED KNIGHT] and more!

4) MONSTER MAKE-UPS & MORE. Get ‘gore’gous with monster make-up galore as part of this year’s Makers Track! Pick up a brush and learn the basics of Horror Painting with Shane Morton; learn “Makeup secrets and surprises from The Outer Limits and The Twilight Zone” with Clay Sayre & Kevin Meaux; check out “Foam Fabrication for your Monster Room!” with Clay Sayre and Steve Bugg; catch a “Skulls and Epoxy! A fiendish Demo” with Sawyer Gosnell; or a demo with FACE OFF’s Roy Wooley and his monster-making tips and tricks. Stick around for a creeping cornucopia of frightful faces and monster masks!

5) EERIE EDUCATION.  There will be one helluva line-up of screamtastic and informative panels this year, so stick around and learn a little! You won’t want to miss Shane Morton and Jim Stacy’s “History of Haunted Attractions;” the Nightmare Theatre Crew’s “Horror Hosting for Dummies;”, “From The Wicker Man to Midsommar: Witchcraft in Horror Films” with Marlena Frank, Dr. Dea Mozingo-Gorman, Jessa Phillips, and Kelley M. Frank; “Demons of the Crossroads/Origins of Crossroads Demon Lore” with Dr. Dea Mozingo-Gorman; and more!

6) WARPED WRITERS & HAUNTED ARTISTS. Writers make the monstrous world go ‘round, so check out guest authors including Kool Kat Nancy A. Collins [SONJA BLUE Series; VAMPIRELLA; SWAMP THING]; [; Dacre Stoker, Bram Stoker’s great grand-nephew [DRACUL; DRACULA THE UN-DEAD], and more! And without killer artists there would be no monsters to love! So come on out and get your fill with the creaturific Kool Kat Mark Maddox; Ed Godziszewski; and more!

7) KILLER KAIJU. Have a monstrous good time with Monsterama’s debut Kaiju Programming Track! If you’re a fan of Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra, Ultraman, Gamera, and other Japanese monster and sci-fi movies and television, get ready to spend your weekend here! Noted author, expert, and collector Sean Linkenback is whipping up a weekend-long slate of panels and programs just for you.

 8) SCARE-TASTIC SHOPPING. Horror cons are the perfect place to stock up on both classic horror memorabilia, cult classics on DVD and creepy clothing, costumes and accessories. So come on down to the dealer’s room and check out all the toys, collectibles and monstrous goodies you can get your ghoulish little hands on!

9) MONSTER PROM. Hey all you boils and ghouls, get frightfully funky at this year’s Monster Prom, Saturday at 8pm! Dust off the old rat-infested tux, clear out the cobwebs, shine up your shoes and get ready to do the Monster Mash, and maybe even Time-Warp into the wee hours of the morning with DJ Mike Ensley!

MONSTERAMA main con hours are Fri. Oct. 8 from 2 to 12 a.m.; Sat. Oct. 9 from 9 a.m. to 12 a.m.; and Sun. Oct. 10 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more info, visit the MONSTERAMA official website here.

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor

Get to roarin’ and ring in a much-needed vintage New Year with ATLRetro! Help us safely welcome with open arms 2021 while kicking 2020 to the curb! Start the New Year off with a bang with all the hoppin’ virtual and socially distanced shindigs we’ve dug up just for you!

1. PUTTIN’ ON THE RITZ & ALL THAT JAZZ. Celebrate the New Year in style! Flap on over to Red Phone Booth’s annual Roaring 20s NYE Party featuring a full band with Yacht Rock Schooner and more! Gatsby it up at Ventanas during their Gatsby Penthouse NYE Party at 8:30pm! Jazz it up during Pink Martini’s NYE Good Riddance 2020! online concert at 3pm! Get jazzy and live stream the Gordon Vernick Quartet hosted by the Red Light Café at 9pm (12/30)!

2. BLUES, SOUL & FUNK, OH MY. Funk it up this NYE! Head on down to the bayou for a virtual Mudcat New Year’s Eve at 11:30pm! Get down and funk it up with Lola at the Northside Tavern’s NYE Party)! Raise a Ruckus with Eddie 9V & His Big Band at Blind Willie’s this NYE! $40/Doors at 7pm. Get some soul with Davis & The Love at Park Tavern’s Goodbye 2020 NYE Party! Funk it up with The Orange Constant at Best End Brewing Co.!

3. HEY! HO! LET’S GO! Hey all you miscreants, why not rock into the New Year! Brotherhood pays tribute to The Doobie Brothers livestreaming this NYE hosted by Eddie Owens Presents – Red Clay Theatre! Nightrain rocks out and pays tribute to Guns ‘n’ Roses at 37 Main Avondale Estates at 9pm!

4. I PUT A SPELL ON YOU: MONSTERS, MADNESS & WITCHY FUN. Battle & Brew gets mad during their Mad Hatter’s NYE Tea Party featuring free console gaming all night, photo booth, complimentary champagne at midnight and more! $30/Doors at 7pm!

5. RAISE A ROCKABILLY/FOLKSY/ROOTSY RUCKUS. Raise a ruckus and have a helluva NYE with Kool Kat Hot Rod Waltand the Psycho-DeVillesat The Social Goat Tavern in Covington! Folk rock it up with The Avett Brothers during their Virtual NYE Concert at 8pm! For a New Year’s Eve filled with foot stompin’ Americana, blues and rock ‘n’ roll, make your way to Eddie’s Attic for two hoppin’ helpings of the sultry Michelle Malone Band and her 23rd annual New Year’s Eve Bash!

6. SMOOTH OPERATOR.  Get your soft rock fix at MadLife Stage & Studios as On the Border pays tribute to The Eagles with two NYE shows (8pm and 10:30pm)!

7. LIFE’S A BEACH. Hula on down and spend the holidays at The S.O.S. Tiki Bar in Decatur during their NYE Celebration beginning at 5pm (reservations required)!

8. THE CURE FOR BANANARAMA. Electric Avenuerings in the New Year with a night of MTV-era rockin’ online here at 10pm and can be viewed through Jan. 3! Eighties it up with Kool Kat Becky Cormier Finchwith Denim Arcade at Del Rio Mexican Grill in Dacula at 9:30pm!

9. MASQUERADES AND GALAS GALORE. Get dressed to the nines and make your way to Dancing Skulls for their NYE Masquerade Party! $75 entry fee includes preset menu, a cocktail, and a champagne toast at midnight! Doors at 7:30pm! Hey all you lovers of glitz and glam! Shimmy on down to the NYE: Pink Elephant Cabaret virtual party at 1:30am!

10. SCI-FI IT UP & More.  Jumanji it up at My Sister’s Room during their socially distanced New Year’s Eve Party! Doors at 7:30pm! Spend NYE at Atlanta Botanical Gardens set against the glimmering backdrop of Garden Lights at 9:30pm! Get really retro during Shakespeare’s New Year’s Shakin’ Eve online at 9:30pm!

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor

Hey all you dapper fellas and glitzy gals! Cupid got your tongue? “Be Mine” vintage-style this year and celebrate all that is vintage and Valentine’s in ATLRetro!

1. CROONERS, RED HOT JAZZ ‘N’ BLUES. Swoon on down to Atlanta Symphony Hall and spend the night with Tony Bennett and experience his I Left My Heart Tour, with special guest Antonia Bennett (Feb. 14)! Salsa it up this Valentine’s Day with Bandleader Gilberto Santa Rosa at The Roxy (Feb. 14)! The Vista Room gets jazzy with Joe Gransden’s Valentine’s Dinner Show with Robin Latimore at 8pm, featuring a Prix Fixe Menu (Feb. 16)! The Fox Theatre gets some soul and jazzes it up with Ken Ford and Stokley with their Valentine’s Celebration (Feb. 14)! Get funky and make your way to Suite Food Lounge for Michael Henderson’s Valentine’s Concert (Feb. 13)!  “Empress of the Blues” Sandra Hall & The Shadows bring you a special bluesy Valentine’s Day at Blind Willies (Feb 14)!

2. BLACKHEARTS ROCK ‘N’ HOOTENANNIES GALORE. Who needs chocolates and roses when you can get retro-rocked with Chrome Castle at The Earl during their Record Release Party with The Preakness and Kool Kat Jeffrey Butzer’s The Compartmentalizationalists (Feb. 14)! Come feel the love with West End Motel and Sash the Bash at their Lonely Hearts Show at Boggs Social & Supply (Feb. 14)! Get romantic with Frankly Scarlett playing all your favorite Grateful Dead tunes at Smith’s Olde Bar (Feb. 14)! Yacht Rock Schooner and The Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus bring you The Best Damn Queen Show Ever at the Variety Playhouse (Feb. 14)! Get your Americana fix at Waller’s Coffee Shop with Heart Hunters, Sarah Burton and Nerdkween (Feb. 14)! Experience the Aurora Theatre’s Valentine’s Cabaret: A Tribute to Heart at 8pm (Feb. 14)! The van must be a rockin’ cause Kool Kat Spike Fullerton and the Ghost Riders Car Club are gettin’ down at the Clermont Lounge during their Pre-Valentine’s Day Soiree (Feb. 13)! Scream the night away during The Highlander‘s Mad Love Skaryoke (Feb. 12)! Stomp on down to the Red Clay Theatre for a countrified night with Wynn Varble and Gary Hannan (Feb. 14)!

3. OH LA LA! Shimmy it up with Kool Kat Katherine Lashe and her burly-Q gals of Syrens of the South during Tease Tuesday Burlesque: Hearts & Heartbreakers at the Red Light Café (Feb. 11) ! Or get sinfully seductive with your best guy or gal at the Red Light Café for Ariel Allegro’s Sweet ‘n’ Sultry Valentine Burlesque Show (Feb. 14)!

4. MEDIEVAL & CLASSIC. For all you knights in shining armor, get really retro and romantic with the royal one in your life and joust on down to Medieval Times for their Valentine’s at the Castle event! $110 gets you 2 admissions, a photo, champagne in keepsake glasses and more (Feb. 3-17)!

5. GROOVIN’ UP SLOWLY. Groove on down with your favorite guy or gal to Venkman’s for two chances to catch Prince: Once Kiss at a Time at 6:30pm/9:30pm (Feb. 14)! Venkman’s presents a free Sade Acoustic Tribute featuring an intimate breakdown of her R&B classics (Feb. 15)! ATL Collective presents Sade’s “Love Deluxe” at 7:30pm and 9:30pm at City Winery (Feb. 14)! Or be a smooth operator and sail on down to Park Tavern in Piedmont Park for Yacht Rock’s’s evening of smooth and silly love songs! It’ll be an evening of smooth 70s and 80s love songs, so put on your dancin’ shoes and come aboard (Feb. 15)!

6. LOVIN’ ON THE SILVER SCREEN. TCM Big Screen Classics presents a screening of Arthur Hiller’s LOVE STORY (1970) at theatres across Atlanta at 7pm [AMC Barrett Commons 24 (Kennesaw); Hollywood Stadium 24 (Chamblee); Avalon Stadium 12 (Alpharetta); Perimeter Pointe 10; Georgian Stadium 14 (Newnan); AMC Sugarloaf Mills 18 (Lawrenceville); Regal Mall of Georgia Stadium (Buford); AMC Avenue Forsyth (Cumming); Regal McDonough Stadium 16; and Movie Tavern (Tucker)] (Feb. 12)! Wussy Wednesdays (WUSSY MAG) return to The Plaza Theater with a screening of Baz Luhrmann’s MOULIN ROUGE (2001) at 8pm, including lobby shenanigans, prizes and more (Feb. 12)! Catch a Legacy Series screening of Gene Kelly’s SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN (1952) at SCADShow at 7pm (Feb. 14)! Catch a screening of James Cameron’s TITANIC (1997) at theatres across Atlanta [Northlake Festival Movie Tavern (Tucker); GTC Merchant’s Walk Cinemas (Marietta); Movie Tavern at Horizon Village (Suwannee); and The Springs Cinema & Taphouse (Sandy Springs) (Feb. 12)! “Here’s looking at you kid!” Take a peek at love and romance Old Hollywood-style with a screening of Michael Curtiz’ CASABLANCA (1942) at The Earl Smith Strand Theater at 8pm, featuring a live organ pops variety show and sing-along featuring The Strand’s Mighty Allen Theatre Organ at 7:30pm! Or if you’re lookin’ for a little late-night rendezvous with a few transsexual aliens, stick around and catch The Strand’s screening of Jim Sharman’s THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (1975) at 11:55pm (Feb. 15)!

7. CUPID’S CULINARY DELIGHTS & VINTAGE VENDING.  Got last minute shopping to do? Why not shop local for your loveys and make your way to the Valentine’s EAV Maker’s Market from 5pm – 10pm (Feb. 14)! The French are known for their romantic gestures, so get romantic at Petite Violette (formerly Petite Auberge) for their special 5-course Valentine’s Day Menu beginning at 5pm, featuring live entertainment and more for $79.95/person (Feb. 14)!

8. WE GOTH YOU COVERED.  Spend the night with the Green Fairy as RITUAL brings you a bloody fantastic time during their Moulin Rouge Gothic Valentine Party going down at Heretic, at 10pm (Feb. 14)! Want something a little spookier this season of love? Why not spook on down to Netherworld for their Scream in the Dark event at 6:30pm (Feb. 15)! The Highlander brings you NOCTURNIA: My Gothic Valentine, Atlanta’s Premier Goth/Industrial Dance Party at 10pm (Feb. 14)!

 9. DECADENT DECADES. Dance through 80 years of romance at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. Enjoy themed music, tasty bites and more! Twist the night way at a fabulous ‘50s sock-hop, slide into the ‘60s with a groovy love-in packed with flower power, then take a turn on a ‘70s disco dance floor! Flash back to big hair with live music at a totally tubular ‘80s prom, then swing through the ‘90s with vintage snacks and live tunes by Boy Band Cover Band! Admission is $50 per person, $45 per person for Garden members. (Feb. 14).

10. COMEDY, THEATRE, ART & SCIENCE, OH MY! Be a matchmaker and skedaddle on over to the Fox Theatre for their presentation  HELLO DOLLY at 8pm (Feb. 14)! Experience The 2020 LXXX You Awards: A Valentine’s Day Soiree, hosted by Videodrome, The Bakery, Mammal Gallery and more, at 8pm (Feb. 14)! Fernbank After Dark: It’s Electric geeks it up with sultry  science and some killer ‘80s tunes with Electric Avenue (Feb. 14)! Be a pair of star-crossed lovers at the Shakespeare Tavern’s 20th Anniversary Valentine’s performance of ROMEO & JULIET at 7:30pm (Feb. 14)!

By Rebecca Perry
Contributing Writer

Get traumatized and HORRORfied this weekend as the Days of the Dead Convention kills it at the Sheraton Atlanta hotel for three days of ghastly gore-filled events, running February 7-9, 2020! Here are our Top 10 Terrifying Retro Reasons not to miss this years’ spooky shindig:

1) THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON! Don’t miss one helluva opportunity to meet the last surviving Universal Monsters icon – Ricou Browning! Ricou portrayed the title character in 1954’s THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON, THE RETURN OF THE CREATURE and THE CREATURE WALKS AMONG US. In addition to photo-ops and autograph signings, you can hear Ricou talk about his Creature days on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.

2) TELEVISION’S ADAMS FAMILY ALUM! Get spooky with Lisa Loring, television’s Wednesday Adams! You won’t want to miss The Adams Family Panel featuring Lisa with Felix Silla, a.k.a. Cousin Itt, Friday night at 7pm!

3) GHOULISH GUESTS! This year’s DotD is playing host to a monsterific guest list! Richard Dreyfuss (JAWS, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND), Kathleen Turner (SERIAL MOM, WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT?), John Cusack (THE RAVEN, BETTER OFF DEAD), Tony Todd (CANDYMAN, WISHMASTER), Michael Biehn (THE TERMINATOR, ALIENS), Doug Jones (HELLBOY, PAN’S LABYRINTH, THE SHAPE OF WATER) and Linda Blair (THE EXORCIST) are just a few of the stars you can expect to see this weekend.

4) RETRO REUNIONS! Not only are we getting a SLEEPAWAY CAMP franchise reunion featuring cast members Jarret Beal, Heather Binton, Kendall Bran, Carol Chambers, Amy Fields, Kyle Holman, Mark Oliver and Jill Terashita, but we’re ALSO getting a NIGHT OF THE DEMONS reunion featuring director Kevin Tenney, Amelia Kinkade, Linnea Quigley, Hal Havins, Jill Terashita and Lance Fenton. PLUS Rob Zombie‘s HALLOWEEN reunion featuring Tyler Mane, Danielle Harris, Kristina Klebe and Scout Taylor Compton!

5) EVIL EVENTS! Besides all the great guests this weekend, there are a lot of evil events to enjoy, including a Friday Fright Night pre-party featuring SKARYOKEE!, a Makeup Challenge, That Damn Tattoo Contest, Hell Night Prom After Party dance party and the Chaostume Contest. Check the DotD schedule here for a full listing of events.

6) HOUSE OF INDIE HORROR! There’s a full schedule of panels focusing on the ins and outs of movie making; everything from screenwriting to monster makeup! Catch Kool Kat and exploitation extraordinaire, James Bickert (DEAR GOD NO!, FRANKENSTEIN CREATED BIKERS) and more on the Independent Filmmaker Panel, Saturday at 2:30pm! And you won’t want to miss killer women in horror, Kool Kats Dayna Noffke (“Under the Bed,” “Teaser”) with co-founder of the Women in Horror Film Festival, Vanessa Ionta Wright (“Rainy Season”) amongst others, on the How to Make Your First Horror Movie panel on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.!

7) Reels of the Dead Film Festival! Not only can you learn how to make your own horror flick, you can spend the weekend watching some great spooky cinema. Support Independent Horror, including the Etheria Film Night with Stacy Pippi, celebrating the best women directed genre films!

8) DotD Pre-party! Kick off things early with a rockin’ pre-party at the Clermont Lounge featuring Captain & Maybelle and Beitthemeans, on Thursday, Feb. 6!

9) Spooktacular Shopping! The dealers room is a great place to support independent artists and pick up something creepy cool. Art, jewelry, clothing, DVDs and anything else your monstrous little heart could desire!

10) In-Costume Photo-Ops! Where else could you get a photo with CANDYMAN Tony Todd or HALLOWEEN‘s Danielle Harris wearing their iconic costumes? Book ahead of time as these do tend to sell out fast.

For tickets, hotel information, and more please check out the Days of the Dead Atlanta website. Be there or be scared!

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor

Get to roarin’ and ring in a vintage New Year and new decade with ATLRetro! Come celebrate what once was in 2019 and welcome with open arms what will be in 2020! Start the New Year off with a bang with all the hoppin’ shindigs we’ve dug up just for you!

1. PUTTIN’ ON THE RITZ ROARIN’ ‘20s STYLE. Celebrate the New Year in style! Grab your favorite guy or gal, get dressed to the nines and shimmy on down to the Red Light Café as Kool Kat Johnny Pine hosts a Roarin’ Twenties Burlesque Dance Party, featuring a variety show, a Burly-Q feast for the eyes and so much more! Doors at 8pm/$25/$60 VIP. Drift Fish House & Oyster Bar (Marietta) rings in the New Year with a Roaring Twenties themed fun-filled extravaganza complete with Prohibition-era cocktails, a photo booth, balloon drop and champagne toast! They are featuring a $79 four course menu with optional wine pairings for $29 additional, plus tax and gratuity, starting at 3pm. Get gangster and flap on down to My Sister’s Room for their Roaring 20s NYE Party, featuring the Hellfire Harlots! Doors at 7:30pm! Or flap on down to McCray’s Tavern for their Roarin’ 20s NYE Party, featuring vintage libations, a midnight buffet and more! Party like it’s 1920 at Lawrenceville’s Slow Pour Brewing Company’s Roaring 20s NYE Party, featuring food trucks, libations and more! End Prohibition at Fado Irish Pub and celebrate the New Year, Irish-style, with a complimentary champagne toast and more! Flap it up at Battle & Brew during their NYE The Roarin’ 2020’s Party! Special prizes for the best cosplay! Doors at 7pm!

2. BLUES, SOUL & FUNK, OH MY. Funk it up this NYE! Psychofunk it up into the new year with Voodoo Visionary and The Iceman Special at Aisle 5! Kool Kat Ruby Velle & The Soulphonics dish out a helluva night of rockin’ ‘50s and ‘60s Georgia soul at Venkman’s! For some classic blues and jazz, make your way to Blind Willie’s for a night with “The Empress of the Blues” Sandra Hall! Doors at 7pm and $60 gets you guaranteed seating, party favors and a champagne toast at midnight! Fire up the blues at the Northside Tavern with Lola, the Atlanta Horns, Albert White and more! Spend NYE at the Crimson Moon Café with the EG Kight Trio!

3. HEY! HO! LET’S GO! Rock into the New Year! Eat, drink and rock out at The Highlander’s Punk Rock Dance Party! Or boogie on down to the Euclid Avenue Yacht Club’s Suck It 2019 NYE Dance Party, featuring DJs, party favors and a free champagne toast at midnight! Hey all you miscreants! Get rebellious and rock into the New Year with The Coathangers for two nights at The Earl (12/30 & 12/31)! Doors at 8:30pm. The Georgia Players Guild delivers a rockin’ NYE Show: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin & Queen at The Earl Smith Strand Theatre, at 9pm. $40 cover. The Fox Theatre continues their 30+ year tradition and jams into the New Year with Widespread Panic! Raise a rockin’ Rolling Stones ruckus with Kool Kat Rich Desantis  and the Street Fightin’ Band at the Red Clay Theatre!

4. I PUT A SPELL ON YOU: MONSTERS, MADNESS & WITCHY FUN. It’s a night of monsters, poets and madmen at the Highland Inn Ballroom & Lounge during Frankenstein’s Ball, an immersive experience, at 7:30pm! It’s a night of haunted cabaret rock ‘n’ roll at the Masquerade with Sarah & The Safe Word, The Superelevators, The Keepsake, ozello, Ghost Moths, City Playgrounds and more!

5. RAISE A ROCKABILLY/FOLKSY/ROOTSY RUCKUS.  Stomp on down to The Star Bar and spend NYE with Gringo Star (Kool Kats Nick and Peter Furgiuele), Reverend Bro Diddly & The Hips, Nikki & The Phantom Callers, Ladrones, Kool Kat Rod Hamdallah and more! Doors at 8pm/$13 cover. Americana it up with Railroad Earth for two foot-stompin’ nights at the Variety Playhouse (12/30 and 12/31)! Have a helluva NYE with Kool Kat Hot Rod Walt and the Psycho-DeVilles at Smokin’ Cues in Stockbridge! For a New Year’s Eve filled with foot stompin’ Americana, blues and rock ‘n’ roll, make your way to Eddie’s Attic for two hoppin’ helpings of the sultry Michelle Malone Band and her 22st annual New Year’s Eve Bash!

6. SMOOTH OPERATOR. Sail on into 2020 with Yacht Rock Schooner as they get ‘70s and toasty at The Vista Room! Soft rock into the New Year for two nights at Smith’s Olde Bar (Music Room) with Rumours – A Fleetwood Mac Tribute and The Lobsters of Rock on night one (12/30), and with Runnin’ Down a Dream: A Tom Petty Revue on night two (12/31)! Corporate Therapy dishes out some smooth classic rock at Wild Wing Café in Dunwoody!

7. LIFE’S A BEACH. Tiki it up into 2019 at Trader Vic’s New Years Eve in Paradise featuring a special 4-course menu  and a night with Bogey & The Viceroy dishing out some soulful island tunes with a midnight champagne toast! Doors at 9pm! Spend the night with Coast Guard at City Winery for NYE!

8. THE CURE FOR BANANARAMA. Electric Avenue rings in the New Year with a night of MTV-era rockin’ shenanigans at Park Tavern in Piedmont Park, with NAKD! Doors 9pm. Eighties it up with Kool Kat Becky Cormier Finch with Denim Arcade at Gypsy Rose in Roswell at 9:30pm! Boogie on down to 529 for their New Wave Dance Party!

9. RAT PACKIN’ & ALL THAT JAZZ.  Swing into the New Year in style with Joe Gransden at the Waldorf Astoria Atlanta!

10. SCI-FI IT UP. The Plaza Theater gives you a futuristic start to the New Year with a screening of Fritz Lang’s METROPOLIS (1927)  at 7pm!

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor

This haunted holiday season is alive and kicking as the Buried Alive Film Festival (BAFF) kills it with another year of hellacious cinematic treats! BAFF is brought to you by Festival Director, Kool Kat Blake Myers and Event Director, Kool Kat Luke Godfrey and a helluva killer team of mad scientists working behind the scenes. Gore it up with five blood-filled days (November 13-17) of film terror, including 8 features, 51 short independent horror films from around the globe, and two extra special events, bringing its sinister shenanigans for a fourth year to 7 Stages Theatre in Little Five Points.

BAFF kicks off Wed. Nov. 13, at 8pm, with the ever-popular BAFF Sinema Challenge, giving local filmmakers the opportunity to bring to life a horror film in 13 days. Production starts on November 1 and films are screened on the festival’s opening night. The contest is judged by co-creator and exclusive programmer for Turner Classic Movies (TCM) weekly late-night cult movie showcase TCM Underground, Kool Kat Millie De Chirico and “Archer” animation director and Atlanta-based filmmaker, Marcus Rosentrater.

Thursday night kicks off with Shorts Program #1: First Shovel in the Grave is always the best!, which includes Ujicha’s [Director of BAFF 2018’s VIOLENCE VOYAGER] TEMPURA (Japan) about man’s best friend; David Bornstein’s UNHOLY MOLE, where selling one’s soul for guacamole is where it’s at; German Sancho’s FEARS (Spain), delving into a little girl’s frightening world; Miao’s I LEARNED TO DRIVE AT THE END OF THE WORLD (China) and so many more! The Opening Night Feature is Michael Laicini and David Amito’s ANTRUM: THE DEADLIEST MOVIE EVER MADE (2018), a film about a cursed ‘70s film that finally has come to light. Watch if you dare!

Tricks ‘n’ treats abound as Friday brings you Shorts Program #2: Grave worm’s Finest, which includes Tyler Martin’s creepy crawly short, HATCH (USA); Jeon Jinkyu’s THE DEATH VENDOR (Korea), with death for sale; get exorcised with Steven Stull’s D IS FOR DEMON (USA); fight for your life with Kate Trefry’s HOW TO BE ALONE (USA) and more! Stick around for the 8pm Feature as punk mutants take on Vietnam vets in Joe Begos’s VFW (2019), preceded by James Sizemore and Tim Reis’s psychedelic short, BUDFOOT (USA/Local), shot at Kool Kat Shane Morton’s Silver Scream FX Lab! And of course no respectable horror film festival would be complete without screening a few horror classics, and ATLRetro loves all the special events chosen this year, including a special screening of Andrew Lemen’s 2005 silent film, THE CALL OF CTHULHU with a live soundtrack by Atlanta-based jazz group Samadha, followed by a special midnight grind-house screening of Ben Winston’s ‘70s-esque biker flick HELL BOUND (2018)!

The heads just keep rolling as Saturday brings you Shorts Program #3: Who Said Robbing Graves Wasn’t Fun! including Neal O’Bryan and Chad Thurman’s tasty TOE (USA); Jill Gevargizian getting twisted with ONE LAST MEAL (USA); Trevor Mirosh’s intergalactic EXHIBIT MAN (Canada); Tony Reames terrorizing the babysitter with PLAYTIME’S OVER (USA/Local); Stacey Palmer’s toothy gore, TOOTHACHE (USA/Local) and more followed by a 4pm Feature, dishing out sex education at its most sinister with Keola Racela’s PORNO (USA), preceded by Elwood Quincy Walker’s KISSED (USA). At 6pm, BAFF brings you Shorts Program #4: Dig the Grave Deep So They Can’t Crawl Out, featuring some #METOO horror with Yfke van Berkelaer’s LILI (Netherlands); Mia’kate Russel’s MAGGIE MAY (Australia); Ferris Wheels and strange creatures with Carlos Baena’s LA NORIA (Spain); Tomi Malkki’s SKELETONS IN THE CLOSET (Finland) and more! At 8pm get ready for another hellacious Feature with Brett and Drew Pierce’s boy vs. 1000-year old witch, THE WRETCHED (USA), preceded by Rich Ragsdale’s THE LOOP (USA)! And to top off the evening, BAFF offers a special treat at 10pm with a screening of Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz’s splatter classic, THE TOXIC AVENGER (1984), hosted by Atlanta’s award-winning Blast Off Burlesque, who will stage one of their signature TabooLaLa events including a performance inspired by the film before the screening! Last but not least is a midnight screening of local Tony Reams’ (et al) DEAD BY MIDNIGHT (USA).

For those early birds, Sunday kicks off with a 12pm feature of Kool Kat Bret Wood’s THOSE WHO DESERVE TO DIE (2019) [keep your eyes peeled for our Kool Kat of the Week, Producer Kendall Keeling coming soon], preceded by Joshua Giuliano’s IN SOUND WE LIVE FOREVER (USA), followed by a 2pm Feature screening of Sandy K. Boon’s documentary, J.R. “BOB” DOBBS AND THE CHURCH OF THE SUBGENIOUS (USA), exploring the phenomenon of two self-proclaimed weirdos from Ft. Worth who created their own cult following, preceded by Alastar Train’s ALL STRETCHED OUT (UK). At 4pm, BAFF treats you to another feature with Kool Kat Daniel Griffith’s creaturific documentary, MARK OF THE BEAST: THE LEGACY OF THE UNIVERSAL WEREWOLF (USA/Local), preceded by Josh Gould’s MEAT WAGON (USA). Shorts Program #5: The Toll of the Death Bell promises a monstrous good time with screenings of David Oesch and Remo Rickenbacher’s DEAD ANIMALS (Switzerland); Dante Vescio and Rodrigo Gaasparini’s DEAD TEENAGER SÉANCE (Brazil); Charles de Lauzirika’s LOVE BITE (USA), and more! And finally, the closing ceremonies and awards show begins at 8pm!

The 7 Stages Theatre is located at 1105 Euclid Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30307. Individual program block tickets are $12, and five-day festival passes are just $120.

For more information and the complete Buried Alive Film Festival schedule, visit the website here. And view the official 2019 BAFF bumper here.