ATLRetro

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 sixth annual Monsterama Convention (Little Shoppe of Monsterama) invading the Atlanta Marriott Alpharetta and haunting all your senses this weekend (Sept. 27-29)! From legendary actors to spook shows to monstrous sightings, here are our top reasons to get your classic monster fix at MONSTERAMA 2019!

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 Jack Arnold’s REVENGE OF THE CREATURE in 3D (1955) on 16mm, Saturday beginning at 4pm!

2) FANGTASTIC FILM. It’s monster movie madness with screenings of hellacious classics (most screening in 16mm) including Lucien Hubbard’s THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND (1929); Enrique Lopez Eguiluz’s FRANKENSTEIN’S BLOODY TERROR (1968); Leon Klimovsky’s DR. JEKYLL VS. THE WEREWOLF (1972); Denis Sanders’s INVASION OF THE BEE GIRLS (1973); EDGAR ALLAN POE Shorts scored by Valentine Wolfe; Michael Reeves’s THE CONQUEROR WORM (1968); John Badham’s DRACULA (1979) in its original theatrical color; Russ Meyer’s BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS (1970); Mario Bava’s BLACK SUNDAY (1960) and more!

3) GHOULISH GUESTS OF THE BIG SCREEN. Catch some killer guests including Jackie Joseph [LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS]; Ian Ogilvy [RETURN OF THE SAINT (78-79); DEATH BECOMES HER (1992); THE SORCERERS (1967)]; Jane Merrow [THE SAINT (1965); THE PRISONER (1967); THE AVENGERS (1967)]; Pauline Peart [THE SATANIC RITES OF DRACULA (1973); CUBA (1979)]; and so many more!

4) HAUNTED ARTISTS. Without killer artists there would be no monsters to love! Get your fill with the creaturific Kool Kat Mark Maddox; comic artist Craig Hamilton [AQUAMAN; GREEN LANTERN]; comics colorist Matt Webb[FLESH AND BLOOD]; and so many more!

5) MONSTER MAKE-UPS & MORE. Get goregous with monster make-up galore as part of this year’s Makers Track! Kevin Meaux delivers a monstrous “Painting Masks” panel, Fri. at 6pm, followed by Shane Morton’s “Grande Illusions – Special FX from Stage to Screen” panel at 8pm. On Sunday at 11:30am “Make Monsters” with FACE OFF’s Roy Wooley, and so much more monster make-up mayhem in between! Stick around for a creeping cornucopia of frightful faces and monster masks!

6) MONSTER ATTACK!  Award-winning illustrator, Mark Maddox teams up with jack-of-all creative trades, Jim Adams, Kool Kat Madeline Brumby and Clay Sayre letting loose upon the unsuspecting public a monstrous creation, their podcast MONSTER ATTACK! Maddox and Adams’s beastly baby aired its first episode on January 11, 2016, diving head first into the monster madness that started it all for these monster kids [William Castle’s spine-chilling, THE TINGLER (1959) and Douglas Hickox/Eugene Lourie’s THE GIANT BEHEMOTH (1959)]. Catch the Monster Attack! squad at 1pm on Sunday!

7) WARPED WRITERS. Writers make the monstrous world go ‘round, so check out guest authors including our Kool Kat of the Week Nancy A. Collins [SONJA BLUE Series; VAMPIRELLA; SWAMP THING]; Amanda Dewees [NOCTURNE FOR A WIDOW; A HAUNTING REPRISE]; Dacre Stoker, Bram Stoker’s great grand-nephew (DRACUL; DRACULA THE UN-DEAD); Charles Rutledge [DRACULA’S REVENGE]; Jeff Strand [EVERYTHING HAS TEETH; FEROCIOUS; BLISTER]; Neil Vokes [FRIGHT NIGHT; THE KEY ETERNAL]; John Horner Jacobs [SOUTHERN GODS; THIS DARK EARTH]; and vampire aficionado J. E. Browning [GRAPHIC HORROR: MOVIE MONSTER MEMORIES], and so many more!

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 Rebecca Perry!

MONSTERAMA main con hours are Fri. Sept. 27 from 2 to 12 a.m.; Sat. Sept. 28 from 9 a.m. to 12 a.m.; and Sun. Sept. 29 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more info, visit the MONSTERAMA official website here.

By Ray Dafrico
Contributing Writer

THE QUIET ONE (2019); Dir. Oliver Murray; Documentary about Bill Wyman featuring Eric Clapton, Bob Geldof, Andrew Oldham, Glyn Johns; Opens Friday, July 5 at the Landmark’s Midtown Art Cinema; Trailer here.

Upfront, a disclaimer of sorts, I am a huge Rolling Stones fan. As a rock and roll musician myself, I believe them to be archetypal band, from the quintessential, charismatic front man Mick Jagger; the effortlessly cool, eternal Keith Richards; to the diverse, multitalented abilities of Brian Jones, Mick Taylor and Ron Wood. Ultimately however the band was always at its heart a rhythm and blues band, with its foundation in the rhythm section of Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman, the subject of a new documentary THE QUIET ONE.

The film, directed by Oliver Murray, features commentary from Eric Clapton, Bob Geldof, Andrew Oldham, Glyn Johns and others. Wyman was the Stone who never received the attention that some of his bandmates did,  but amongst musicians, he is considered one of the world’s best bass players. Non-musicians and casual fans probably don’t know that much about him as he was content to stand stoic and mysteriously to the side and back of the stage, being the glue, holding down a machine firing on all cylinders. As Wyman himself says in the film: “We could blown any band off a stage.”

The film begins with Wyman recalling his earliest memories. Born as Bill Perks on October 24, 1936, Wyman recalls the bombings during World War II and how deeply this experience affected him. He could remember classmates suddenly not showing up for school after a bombing raid due to the fact that they had been killed.  The film then reveals Wyman’s relationship, or rather lack of one, with his parents. He was alienated from them and felt closest with his grandmother through whom he discovered collecting and documenting things—something that Wyman, along with photography and music, would continue to do extensively for the rest of his life.  He would become the unofficial archivist for The Rolling Stones, and part of this film’s attraction is its unseen footage from Wyman’s own collection. The death of his grandmother when Wyman was still a child devastated him. His father then pulled him out of school and forced him to work as a bet collector in a local pub. Not unlike a Dickens novel, you feel the pain of this childhood.

Bill Wyman in the Studio. Photo credit: Bent Rej Photography. Used with permission.

Tired of living in dangerous working class Penge, England, Wyman, then still named Bill Perks (which he hated), joined the British armed forces in the late 1950s and ended up stationed in Germany where he discovered rock and roll via Armed Forces Radio and records which American GIs had. He also befriended a man named “Gordon Lee Wyman,” who Wyman describes as “quite a character.” Young Bill Perks was impressed enough to change his name legally to Bill Wyman. Soon after, and under the spell of rock ’n’ roll, Wyman modified his first bass by hand and started his first band The Cliftons.

Upon his return to England he went to an audition that a friend had told him about that would lead to Wyman joining the soon-to-be Greatest Rock and Roll Band in the World. At this point, Wyman’s life accelerates at warp speed—constant touring, fame, riots, rebellion, arrests, sex, and, for most of the band, drugs. Wyman never had any interest in the latter. However, he does describe smoking a joint that was laced with animal tranquilizer and said, “ I don’t need this.”

The Rolling Stones on tour in North America. Photo credit: Bob Bonis Archives Inc./Promotone. Used with permission.

The 1960s were a cultural phenomenon, and The Rolling Stones were front and center. Although the Stones were reaching incredible artistic heights at the time, authorities targeted the band as a threat to society. “It was really us vs. them” is how Wyman describes it, and he then goes on to talk about the deterioration and eventual death of bands founder Brian Jones, in 1969.  Despite a momentous concert in London’s Hyde Park and a very successful US tour, the dark times would continue later that year at the free concert at Altamont, California, where a man was stabbed to death directly in front of the stage while they played. Wyman says he doesn’t like to talk about it because it was so horrible.

The 1970s saw the Stones having to flee the U.K for France because they were so far in debt and British taxes were so high. Wyman dreaded leaving and recalls the madness of recording EXILE ON MAIN STREET in the basement of Keith Richard’s villa in Villefranche-sur-mer. What he would discover was he really liked France and struck up friendships with the likes of Marc Chagall and James Baldwin. Wyman would end up keeping a home there to this day. The Stones continued to tour and record throughout the ’70s, but Wyman felt the need to express himself creatively and was the first member of the band to release a solo LP, MONKEY GRIP, in 1974, followed by “STONE ALONE” in 1976. While these records were mostly just side projects for Wyman, he scored a worldwide hit in 1981 with the song “(Si Si) Je Suis un Rock Star.”

Production Still – Bill Wyman working in his archive. Photo credit: Luke Varley. Copyright: The Quiet Ones Ltd./Promotone. Used with Permission.

While he never fell for drugs, sex, however, was Wyman’s vice, and he explains that his loneliness was probably the cause of  it. Hearing  this in context with his childhood, it is easy to imagine how he could feel this way. Combined with the isolation that fame can bring, it is also easy to understand when Wyman states that it was “sometimes very difficult to keep one’s sanity.” He was first married in the late 1950s to Diane Cory, and they had a child, Stephen from the marriage. When the couple divorced, he felt his son should stay with his mother as he was constantly working and touring. He later found that his son was miserable, sick, and not even being fed. He won custody, and Stephen lived with him from then on. Swedish model Astrid Lundstrom was Wyman’s companion throughout most of the 1970s.

The Rolling Stones were never a band without controversy and Wyman would receive his share when he fell in love with and then married 18-year-old Mandy Smith on June 2, 1989. The tabloids had a field day. In the film Wyman, who was 51 at the time, reflects upon what a mistake it was. He would later go on to meet and marry his current wife, Suzanne Accosta in April 1993. Wyman officially left The Rolling Stones in January 1993 after the very successful STEEL WHEELS comeback tour. He says wanted to leave on a high note and felt that was the time. Wyman talks of his life after The Stones playing with his band The Rhythm Kings, and in the film’s conclusion he tells a wonderful story about a meeting with Ray Charles.

A line from the film that struck me was Wyman saying that all of his heroes were “the little guys.” Director Oliver Murray successfully takes us through Wyman’s journey of a somewhat reluctant rock star’s life. THE QUIET ONE is a surprisingly touching film that speaks from the heart and one which I would highly recommend regardless if you are a Rolling Stones fan or not.

Contributing Writer Ray Dafrico is a guitarist, singer/songwriter and founding member of The Nightporters and Kathleen Turner Overdrive.

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor

The Chattanooga Film Festival kills it again during its 6th year invading downtown Chattanooga (Chattanooga Theatre Centre (CTC), The Moxy Chattanooga and Miller Park) this Thursday-Sunday April 11-14. CFF has way more to offer than your average film festival and promises a weekend chock full of killer films (features and shorts blocks), workshops, presentations, podcasts and parties! CFF prides itself in sharing films with the masses that are “unique, challenging, critically significant, and a helluva lot of fun!” This year’s festival showcases films ranging from monsters, rockin’ tunes, geek magic, sinister good times and homages to classic films and bizzaro television series. Here are our top 10 reasons to high tail it on up to our wonderfully weird little sister city to the north for the Chattanooga Film Festival!

1) MALLORY O’MEARA & THE CREATURE. Delve into Mallory O’Meara’s recently released biography, The Lady from the Black Lagoon (Hanover Square Press, March 5, 2019). Take a peek into the life of Millicent Patrick, killer actress, make-up artist, special effects designer and creator of the head costume for Universal’s Gill Man, a.k.a “The Creature.” Patrick’s legacy was nearly forgotten, but O’Meara gives Patrick her due in this monstrous retrospective. O’Meara is scheduled to give a 30-minute talk, a reading and will sign books for all you Millicent Patrick fans. Catch O’Meara’s event from at 3pm on Friday, April 12 in the Classterpiece Theatre! And if you’ve never caught Jack Arnold’s monstrous classic CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON (1954) on the big screen, then you’re in for a special treat! Chill with the Creature at 8:30pm at Miller Park on Saturday, April 12!

2) CRISPIN HELLION GLOVER. Spend the night with cinema icon, Crispin Glover [BACK TO THE FUTURE franchise; television series “American Gods”; David Lynch’s WILD AT HEART (1990)] from 7pm – 11:3pm Friday, April 12, as he presents a “Big Slide Show 2,” screens IT IS FINE! EVERYTHING IS FINE (2007), which he co-directed with David Brothers and tells a psycho-sexual tale about a man with severe cerebral palsy who has a fetish for girls with long hair. According to Glover, screenwriter Steven C. Stewart “wanted to show that handicapped people are human, sexual and can be horrible” – a film you definitely will not want to miss! After the screening, stick around for a book signing and meet ‘n’ greet with Glover! An Evening with Crispin Glover takes place in the Bruce Springscreen Theatre.

3) GARY SHERMAN.  CFF Guest and horror film director/producer Gary Sherman [POLTERGEIST III (1988); DEAD & BURIED (1981)] brings you special treats at CFF this year! First, catch a screening of his ‘80s thriller film with mutilator pimps, Hollywood hookers and more, VICE SQUAD (1982) on Saturday, April 13 at 4:20pm with an introduction and Q&A afterwards with the director, screening in the Bruce Springscreen Theatre! On Sunday, April 14 at 10am, learn The Secrets of Poltergeist III with Sherman in the Classterpiece Theatre. You won’t want to miss Sherman dive deep into the “smoke and mirrors” behind the film’s practical special effects and more!

4) SO-CAL DESERT PUNK. CFF presents their Sonic Cinema Block screening of Stuart Swezey’s documentary DESOLATION CENTER (2018) and see the untold story of the Reagan-era anarchic punk rock desert events that have seeped into our culture by way of phenomena such as Burning Man, Lollapalooza, Coachella, etc. The film will be screened in the Bruce Springscreen Theatre on Saturday, April 13 at 12:30pm!

5) GEEK LOVE – EYE OF THE BEHOLDER. If you’ve ever wondered where the art for Dungeons & Dragons originated, look no further! Directors Kelley Slagle and Brian Stillman present their 2018 documentary, EYE OF THE BEHOLDER, which explores the history, influences and stories behind the artwork that helped create the world of Dungeons & Dragons. The film will be screened in Bruce Springscreen Theatre on Sunday, April 14 at 10:30pm!

6) BJORK IN THE JUNIPER TREE. Get medieval with Bjork with a 4k restoration screening of Nietzchka Keene’s debut Brothers Grim-esque film THE JUNIPER TREE (1990) on Sunday, April 14 at 8:40pm in the Bruce Springscreen Theatre!

7) METALPUNKOCALYPSE. CFF plans to rock your face of this weekend! Get hellbent during the Metal Madness After Party on Thursday, April 11 at 10pm at The Moxy, celebrating the Heavy Metal in cinema with themed cocktails, metal face painters and more! Or catch a screening of Eric Pennycoff’s heavy metal terror SADISTIC INTENTIONS (2018) on Friday, April 12 at 5pm in the Screena Turner Theatre, followed later that night by Jonas Akerlund’s LORDS OF CHAOS (2018) where an obsession with creating “true Norwegian black metal” turns truly sinister at 11:30pm! And who needs Saturday morning cartoons when you’ve got Destroy All Movies!!! The Punk on Film Panel with Zack Carlson and Bryan Connolly at 10am Saturday, April 13 at The Moxy, with a hilarious take on Hollywood vs. the Punk Rock Movement “when horror films and party comedies became infested with mohawks and mayhem!”

8) MEMPHIS ‘69. CFF presents a rare treat with a screening of Joe LaMattina’s documentary MEMPHIS ’69 (2019), which showcases the 1969 Memphis Country Blues Festival celebrating the 150th anniversary of Memphis, all thanks to Fat Possum Records’ acquisition of the nearly 50-year-old footage. LaMattina’s doc features a rare view of performances by Johnny Winter, Bukka White, Rufus Thomas and more, screening Friday, April 12 at 3:30pm in the Bruce Springscreen Theatre!

9) HELL-BENT AND BEWITCHIN’. Atlanta’s own Ben Winston’s feature debut, HELLBOUND (2018) world premieres at CFF! You won’t want to miss this witchy, satanic tribute to the classic films of the ‘70s, shot in B/W on 16mm, and described by CFF staff as giving off an “Easyrider/Texas Chain Saw Massacre/Race with the Devil vibe.” The film screens Saturday, April 13 at 2:30pm in the Bruce Springscreen Theatre! Winston and producer Tim Reis will be on hand for the film’s introduction and a post-film Q&A!

10) COWBOY WHO? Get weird as CFF presents a screening of the first season of Canada’s bizarre children’s show “Cowboy Who” which aired from 1990-1994 (condensed to 90-oddball minutes) curated and introduced by Peter Kuplowsky. Have a wacked out good time on Saturday, April 13 at 10am in the Screena Turner Theatre.

Chattanooga Film Festival main hours are Thur. April 11 from 4:30pm to 12am; Fri. April 12 from 10am. to 1am; Sat. April 13 from 10am. to 1:30am; and Sun. April 14 from 10am to 12am. For more info, visit the Chattanooga Film Festival official website here.

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. 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 at 8pm, featuring a Prix Fixe Menu (Feb. 14)! The Fox Theatre gets some soul and jazzes it up with their 13th Annual Valentine Celebration for Lovers & Friends featuring Baby Face and Keith Sweat (Feb. 14)! Jazz it up with Phil Perry at Suite Food Lounge (Feb. 14)! Empress of the Blues Sandra Hall & The Shadows bring you a special bluesy Valentine’s Day at Blind Willies (Feb 14)! Orchestra Noir gifts you with their Black-Tie Valentine’s evening at The Wimbush House, with two concerts, dinner, a soiree and more [5:30pm and 8:30pm] (Feb. 14)!

2. BLACKHEARTS ROCK ‘N’ HOOTENANNIES GALORE. The Star Bar gets hellacious with some horror, love ‘n’ punk during the first annual BIG RED BALL, featuring The Living Deads, Slim & The Gems, and Crypt 24 (Feb. 14)!  Have a psychobilly Valentine’s Day with the Gutter Demons and Screamin’ Demons at The Earl (Feb. 14)! If yer hankerin’ for a night of love won, love lost and just some plain ‘ol foot stompin’ tunes, make your way to the Clermont Lounge for a night with Kool Kat Spike Fullerton and the Ghost Riders Car Club (Feb. 14)! Stomp on down to the Red Clay Theatre for a folksy night with Suzy Bogguss (Feb. 14)! Jam it up at the Tabernacle with Joe Russo’s Almost Dead (Feb. 14)! Bluegrass it up at The Earl Smith Strand Theatre’s Strand Ole Opry: Love & Heartbreak concert at 8pm (Feb. 16)!

3. OH LA LA!Have a sin-sational time atPULP’s free adults-only event, THE X-SHOW featuring erotic art, champagne, chocolate by local artists as well as art by Clive Barker, Larry Clark, Jock Sturges, and ‘70s skin-sational star Annie Sprinkle, from 6-10pm (Feb. 14)! Get sinfully seductive at and shimmy on down to the Red Light Café for Just Can’t Quit You: A Valentine’s 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 Celebration!  $110 gets you 2 admissions, a photo, champagne in keepsake glasses and more (Feb. 4-17)!

5. GROOVIN’ UP SLOWLY.  ATL Collective presents Sade’s “Love Deluxe” at Venkman’s, 8pm (Feb. 14 & 15)! Surf on down to City Winery for a night of acoustic tunes with Donavon Frankenreiter and Brett Bigelow (Feb. 14)! Yacht rock it up with Gino Vannelli at Center Stage (Feb. 15)! Or be a smooth operator and sail on down to Park Tavern in Piedmont Park for Yacht Rock Schooner’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. Feb. 13 –  Emory Cinematheque screens Vincente Minnelli’s AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (1951) at 7:30pm! ‘Here’s looking at you kid!’ Catch a Flashback Cinema screening of Michael Curtiz’ CASABLANCA (1942) starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman 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)]! WUSSY MAG gets all hopeless and romantic with a screening of Baz Luhrmann’s ‘90s classic, ROMEO + JULIETTE (1996) at The Plaza Theater with two screenings at 7pm and 10:30pm, including lobby shenanigans, prizes and more! Get adventurous and catch a screening of Rob Reiner’s THE PRINCESS BRIDE (1987) at SCADShow at 6pm! Relive Emile Ardolino’s DIRTY DANCING (1987) at theatres across Atlanta at [AMC Barrett Commons 24 (Kennesaw); AMC Southlake Pavilion 24 (Morrow); AMC Sugarloaf Mills 18 (Lawrenceville); AMC Avenue Forsyth (Cumming); Hollywood Stadium 24 (Chamblee); Avalon Stadium 12 (Alpharetta); Cinemark Tinseltown 17 (Fayetteville); Regal McDonough Stadium 16 (McDonough); Georgian Stadium 14 (Newnan); Regal Mall of Georgia Stadium (Buford); and Regal Atlantic Station Stadium 18]! Feb. 14 – Celebrate awkward love with a 30th Anniversary screening of Rob Reiner’s WHEN HARRY MET SALLY (1989) at The Plaza Theater at 7pm! Horror Is for Lovers at Sidebar promises a night of screenings of obscure horror flicks on VHS, tasty food and bottomless sangria, from 7-11pm! The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival presents a 30th Anniversary screening of Paul Mazursky’s ENEMIES, A LOVE STORY (1989) at Perimeter Pointe 10 at 7pm, and a 20th Anniversary screening of Rolf Schubel’s GLOOMY SUNDAY (1999) at the Regal Tara 4 at 7:20pm! Feb. 15 – Take a peek at love and romance Old Hollywood-style with a screening of CASABLANCA 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 12am! Spend the night with your partner in crime at SCADShow’s screening of Arthur Penn’s BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967) at 7pm! The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival presents a 30th Anniversary screening of Paul Mazursky’s ENEMIES, A LOVE STORY (1989) at the Regal Tara 4 at 1:50pm! Feb. 16 – I put a spell on you, so come on by The Plaza Theater for their premiere screening of Anne Biller’s THE LOVE WITCH (2016)!

7. CUPID’S CULINARY DELIGHTS.  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 5:30pm, featuring live entertainment and more for $79.95/person (Feb. 14)!

8. WE GOTH YOU COVERED.  Spook on down to Folklore Haunted House in Acworth for their My Bloody Valentine haunt at 7pm (Feb. 15 & 16)! The Highlander brings you NOCTURNIA, Atlanta’s Premier Goth/Industrial Dance Party, a post-Valentine’s Day Defibrillation at 10pm (Feb. 16)!

9. VINTAGE HOLLYWOOD. It’s lights, camera, action on the most romantic Valentine’s Day experience in Atlanta as Valentines in the Garden: Old Hollywood brings vintage cinema to life at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. Enjoy an array of savory bites and desserts from Atlanta’s top chefs, plus dancing, giveaways, vow renewals, cash bars and the only public nighttime viewing of Orchid Daze, where thousands of exotic orchids are showcased in fascinating new ways.  Admission is $50 per person, $45 per person for Garden members. Longleaf restaurant is fully booked for this evening. Please note the following details: A $55 three-course, prix fixe menu will be available (Feb. 14).

10. COMEDY, THEATRE, & SCIENCE, OH MY! Be a pair of star-crossed lovers at the Shakespeare Tavern’s 19th Anniversary Valentine’s performance “Romeo & Juliet” at 7:30pm (Feb. 14), and get the opportunity to catch the show through Feb. 24! Or have a raucous romantic laugh as The Village Theatre brings you SH!T-FACED SHAKESPEARE: ROMEO & JULIET at 7:30pm (Feb. 14-23)!

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor

Get your ukuleles ready and hula on down to the first ever Inuhele Atlanta Tiki Weekender and second annual Atlanta HomeBar Tour Friday – Sunday (Feb. 15-17) at the Atlanta Marriott Century Center brought to you by Jonathan Chaffin and Horror in Clay (see our Shop Around feature here) and Mug Crate. You won’t want to miss a weekend chock full of tiki bar-hopping, panels, vendors, bands, demos, sharing of ideas, community building and all things Polynesian!

Surf on into Friday night’s events with a wide variety of panels including Jonathan Chaffin’s “Tikiphiles United,” daddy-o’est and ATLRetro-tastic artist extraordinaire Derek Yaniger’s (see our Kool Kat interview with Derek here) “Doodlin’ with Derek,” and James Honeycut’s “Surf Music 101!” Or get a fright at the first ever Inuhele Tiki SpookShow (two live sets) with none other than our very own Kool Kat Shane Morton, a.k.a. Ghost Host with the Most, Prof. Morte and his band of go-go island ghouls, magic tricks, jokes, spectacle and frights! Or take a tiki trip on the “Hop On Hop Off Bar Tour Buses” departing every 20 minutes from the front of the hotel. Tour buses will ferry you to island adventures at Trader Vic’s , Tiki Tango and Tiki Iniki  from 6 pm – midnight. VIPs can choose from a private excursion to SOS on Friday or  Tiki Tango on Saturday. And don’t forget to hit up the Trading Post and Bazaar filled with a wide variety of funky retro island vendors.

Saturday events include Lava-lava Revue & Conga (part talent show/part fashion show), fire dancers, panels on all things island and tiki including history, cocktails, cooking and art! You won’t want to miss The Iron Tikitender On Tour Bartending Competition and live entertainment like The Mystery Men? and Kinky Waikiki. Check out our soon to be Kool Kat of the Week, Allison Chaffin as she hosts Team Trivia, and don’t forget to drop by the Bazaar to meet authors Tim “Swanky” Glazner, who will be signing copies of MAI-KAI: HISTORY AND MYSTERY OF THE ICONIC TIKI RESTAURANT from noon to 1 pm, and Darren Long, who will be signing OMNI HUT: CELEBRATING TENNESSEE’S TIKI TREASURE from 2:30pm to 3:30pm. Gather your grass skirts and your tiki mugs and Mai Tai it up with the best of ‘em this weekend!

The Atlanta Marriott Century Center is located at 2000 Century Blvd NE, Atlanta, GA 30345. Standard tickets – $99 (access to Friday and Saturday events)/Deluxe – $140/VIP – $249. Note: Deluxe and VIP tickets are only available until Sunday Feb. 10 at noon ET!

For more information and the complete Inuhele Atlanta Tiki Weekend schedule, visit the website here or the Facebook event page here.

Days of the Dead returns to Sheraton Hotel Atlanta, Friday-Sunday Jan 25-27! Here are our Retro Reasons to catch this year’s chills indoors!

1) SUCH CENOBITES TO SHOW YOU! It’s been way too long since Clive Barker has been at an Atlanta con, and he’s never appeared here alongside Doug Bradley, Barbie Wilde, Nicholas Vince, and Simon Banford, who played cenobites and denizens of Midian in horror cinematic classics HELLRAISER (1987) and NIGHTBREED (1990).  And if that’s not enough Hell, HELLRAISER human cast members Ashley Lawrence and Andrew Robinson will also be there! The sinister Cenobites may be masters and mistresses of inflicting a puzzling kind of pain, but we’ve met Clive and actors who play them and can attest they are nastily nice. See the entire eerie ensemble together on one stage for the Cenobites Panel at 7 p.m. Friday, and signing and doing photo ops all weekend.

2) THE CANDYMAN CAN! Just when you thought that’s a helluva lot of Clive Barker, Tony Todd is in the hellhouse, too. Hear him tell talk about his own dip into the dark dreams of one’s of horror’s greatest authors Friday at 9 p.m.

3) SPIN ANOTHER ROUND OF FREEBIRD!  Not only are Sid Haig and Bill Moseley back, but they’re offering a dual in-costume photo-op in their iconic roles of Otis and Captain Spaulding (Rob Zombie’s HOUSE OF 1,000 CORPSES (2003) and THE DEVIL’S REJECTS (2005)! We can’t put into words how much we love these guys. Sid is one of those rare B-movie icons and character actors whose career spans the decades back to Jack Hill’s blaxploitation films of the 1970s. Quite frankly you scared the sh-t out of us and since we’re not easily scared, for that we salute you both! Experience Sid Haig’s High on the Hog Panel Sunday at noon and Bill’s panel Sunday at 2 p.m.

4) TRICK OR TREAT! John Carpenter’s original HALLOWEEN (1978) is the cult classic that really kickstarted the slasher oeuvre! Two Michael Myers, Jim Winburn and Tony Moran, will be stalking Days of the Dead this year, along with doomed victims Sandy Johnson, Nancy Loomis, and PJ Soles, whom we can’t love enough because she’s also Riff Randell, the punk rebel who put the rock into ROCK N ROLL HIGH SCHOOL (1979). The HALLOWEEN Panel is Saturday at Noon.

5) BREAK OUT THE SOUR BALLS! NIGHT OF THE DEMONS (1988) stars Amelia Kinkade and Linnea Quigley know more than a little about throwing a graveyard party! See them on stage at 8 p.m. Friday night!

6) KAIJU KRAZINESS!!! The Japanese created monsters and superheroes like no others, and we are ready to bow in gratitude when we meet two of the men inside these wacky wonderful costumes, Tsutomo Kitagawa (MILLENNIUM GODZILLA [2000]) and Bin Furuya (ULTRAMAN TV series [1966])! Catch them on the very first panel of the weekend at 6 p.m. Friday.

7) SO MANY RETRO CULT HORROR PEOPLE! If the line-up we listed already wasn’t enough to inspire you to get off your couch and get downtown, see double with two Jasons ATLRetro pal Kane Hodder (FRIDAY THE 13TH VII-X) and C.J. Graham (VI) Sunday at 1 pm, Edward Furlong rides in to talk about TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY (1991) Saturday at 2 pm, pose with Alex Vincent (CHILD’s PLAY [1988]) and the CULT OF CHUCKY (2018) puppet in the funnest photo op of the weekend, test your vocal capacity with SCREAM (1996) stars Skeet Ulrich and Roger Jackson (voice of Ghostface) (SCREAM panel SAT 1 pm), Plus Christine Romero (CREEPSHOW [1982]), John Amplas (George Romero’s MARTIN [1978]), Larry Zerner (FRIDAY THE 13TH PART III), guitar legend Vinnie Vincent (KISS), Kathy Najimy (Peg, KING OF THE HILL & HOCUS POCUS [1993]) and more!

8) BLACK AND BLUE GORE-IFIC PANELS! Look for celebrities on the Black Track. But bruises can also be Blue, so be sure to check the Blue Track for plenty more tricks or treats for the diehard horror fan, including a who’s who of Atlanta’s local horror talent. One highlight is the Women of Indie Horror panel Saturday at Noon, moderated by Lynne Hansen  and featuring Kool Kat Vanessa Wright, Brooklyn Ewing, Melissa Kunnar, Tiffany Warren and Viva T!

9) FRIGHTENING FILMS! The Independent Horror Film Fest features new indie horror you won’t see in theaters plus resurrects Retro cult classics. We always look forward to the Etheria Film Festival, spotlighting works by emerging women directors

10) SPOOKTACULAR SHOPPING. Horror cons are the perfect place to stock up on both macabre movie memorabilia, cult classics on DVD and creepy clothing, costumes and accessories!

11) MACABRE MAKE-UP, CREEPY COSTUMES AND PHANTAMAGORIC PARTIES!! Check the schedule for make-up demonstrations and competitions, , tattoo contest and more!  Friday Night Frights include Scareoke at 11 pm! On Saturday, scare up your best costume and make-up and win prizes in the Chaostume Costume Contest (3 p.m.), followed by That Damn Tattoo Contest (4:30 p.m.), FX Makeup Showdown (6 p.m.), VIP party (9 pm; open to VIP ticketed attendees only), and a horrorific late night party (10 pm) with Kool Kats The Casket Creatures and ELZIG!

Days of the Dead main con hours are Fri. Jan. 25 from 5 to 11 p.m.; Sat. Jan. 26 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Sun. Jan. 27 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with parties going late into the night on Friday and Saturday. VIP badges get daily early access (4:30 pm & 10:30 pm) and preferred seating. For more info, visit https://www.daysofthedead.net/atlanta/

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor

Ring in a vintage New Year with ATLRetro!  Come celebrate what once was in 2018 and welcome with open arms what will be in 2019! Start the New Year off with a bang with all the hoppin’ shindigs we’ve dug up just for you!

1. BLUES, SOUL & FUNK, OH MY. 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 $50 gets you guaranteed seating, party favors and a champagne toast at midnight! Boogie down into the New Year with Funk You and Universal Sigh at Aisle 5! Doors at 9pm/$15 advance. Fire up the blues at the Northside Tavern with Eddie Tigner, Lola & the Atlanta Horns, Albert White and Beverly “Guitar” Watkins! Spend NYE at the Crimson Moon Café with the EG Kight Trio!

2. HEY! HO! LET’S GO! The Star Bar is throwing one helluva killer Kool Kat New Year’s Eve party with Gringo Star (Kool Kats Nick and Peter Furgiuele), Anna Kramer, Mammabear, Kool Kat Rod Hamdallah and Chrome Castle! Doors at 8pm: $17.50 advance/$20. Eat, drink and be scary during The Highlander’s SKARYOKE New Year’s Evil Party! Hey all you miscreants! Get rebellious and rock into the New Year with The Coathangers, Vincas and Paralyzer at The Earl! Doors at 9pm/$25. The Georgia Players Guild delivers a rockin’ NYE Royalty Show: A Tribute to Prince & Queen at The Earl Smith Strand Theatre, at 9pm. $40 cover. Get heavy with Sevendust at the Masquerade at 7pm! $45 advance tickets. Rock out and pay tribute with Led Zeppelified at Smith’s Olde Bar (Atlanta Room)! $12 advance/$20 day of show. The Fox Theatre continues their 30+ year tradition and jams into the New Year with Widespread Panic! Doors at 8pm/tickets start at $75.

3. 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, and immersive experience, at 7:30pm! Get bewitched at Battle & Brew during A New Year’s Eve Yule Ball! Special prizes for the most eloquently dressed witches and wizards! Doors at 7pm!

4. RAISE A ROCKABILLY/FOLKSY/ROOTSY RUCKUS.  Get swampadelic at Terminal West with Larkin Poe and Andrea Colburn & Mud Moseley! Doors at 8pm/tickets start at $26. Have a helluva NYE with Kool Kat Hot Rod Walt and the Psycho-DeVilles at Porterdale Bar & Grill! Rock into 2019 with Drivin N Cryin at the Buckhead Theatre with Dan Baird & Homemade Sin! Doors 8pm. Have a folksy New Year’s Eve dinner and show with ESOEBO at the Red Clay Theatre! Jam out at the Tabernacle with Umphrey’s McGee! Doors at 7pm. 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 21st annual New Year’s Eve Bash! Stomp on down to Hottie Hawgs BBQ and raise a New Beers Eve ruckus with Whiskey Dixie and The Possum Kingdom Ramblers! Cover: $60, Doors: 6:30pm.

5. SMOOTH OPERATOR. Get ‘70s toasty and sail into 2019 with Yacht Rock Revue at Park Tavern during their all-inclusive shakin’ shindig at 9pm! $200/VIP Pass includes champagne, tasty treats and more! Soft rock into the New Year at Smith’s Olde Bar (Music Room) with Rumours – A Fleetwood Mac Tribute. $30 advance/$40 door/$200 VIP tables. Get your fill of ‘60s and ‘70s tunes with The Atlanta Seven at the Clermont Lounge at 10pm! $15 cover.

6. 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! $109 general admission/$149 VIP. Hula on down to The SOS Tiki Bar for a Tiki Holiday Celebration!

7. THE CURE FOR BANANARAMA. Electric Avenue rings in the New Year with a night of MTV-era rockin’ shenanigans at The Vista Room! Doors 8pm and $45/person. Eighties it up with Kool Kat Becky Cormier Finch with Denim Arcade at Wild Wing Café in Alpharetta at 10pm!

8. RAT PACKIN’ & ALL THAT JAZZ.  Swing into the New Year in style with Joe Gransden and Francine Reed as they celebrate with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra at City Springs at 8pm! Or croon it up at the Red Phone Booth for their Rat Pack New Year’s Eve Celebration featuring live music with Johnny Porrazzo. Doors 7pm and $150/person.

9. PUTTIN’ ON THE RITZ. 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 Speakeasy Electro Swing presents their 3rd annual Gilded Age Gala, featuring live tunes, a Burly-Q feast for the eyes, music by MC/DJ Doctor Q and so much more! Doors at 8pm/$40 advance/$60 at the door. Or boogie on down to the Euclid Avenue Yacht Club’s Suck It 2018 NYE Dance Party, featuring DJs, party favors and a free champagne toast at midnight! Get criminal and make a fabulous getaway to Bonnie & Clyde’s NYE Masquerade Ball! Doors at 9pm/$150. Roar into 2019 with The Great Gatsby Gala featuring tasty treats, a champagne toast and more at 8pm!

10. SCI-FI IT UP. The Plaza Theater gives you an intergalactic start to the New Year with a screening of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968) at 10pm

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! BAFF is brought to you by Festival Director, Kool Kat Blake Myers and Event Director, Kool Kat Luke Godfrey and a helluva team of mad scientists working behind the scenes. Gore it up with five blood-filled days (November 14-18) of film terror, including 7 features, 59 short independent horror films from around the globe, and four extra special events, bringing its sinister shenanigans for a third year to 7 Stages Theatre in Little Five Points.

BAFF kicks off Wed. Nov. 14, 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: For the Love of the Undertaker, which includes Kool Kat Dayna Noffke’s TEASER (USA) where death is a dance; Tyler Macri’s creaturific short WHAT COMES FROM A SWAMP (USA); Ilja Rautsi’s horror comedy where a woman must survive a horde of men’s frail egos in HELSINKI MAINSPLAINING MASSACRE (Finland); Daniel Stankler’s SHOULD YOU MEET A LADY IN A DARKENED WOOD (UK) and so many more! The Opening Night Feature is Joe Baden’s psychological weirdness, THE GOD INSIDE MY EAR (2017) featuring our Kool Kat of the Week William Tokarsky (interview coming soon) screening at 9pm, preceded by the short film BAGHEAD (UK), directed by Alberto Corredor Marina.

Tricks ‘n’ treats abound as Friday brings you Shorts Program 2: Bury Me with My Favorite Films, which includes Lorene Yavo’s animated supernatural short COUNT YOUR CURSES (Belgium); Kate Dolen’s cheap thrill(er) CATCALLS (Ireland); Joshua Long’s award-winning POST MORTEM MARY (Australia) and more!  Stick around for the 8pm Feature, Jason Trost’s THE FP2: BEATS OF RAGE (USA) for a bloody good time! 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 Carl Boese and Paul Wegener’s THE GOLEM (1920) with a live soundtrack by Atlanta-based jazz group Samadha, followed by a special midnight grind-house screening of Kool Kat James Bickert’s AMAZON HOT BOX (USA), preceded by Jill Gevargizian’s sinister short, 42 COUNTS (USA).

The heads just keep rolling as Saturday brings you Shorts Program 3: It’s Never Too Early to Start Digging Graves including Marinah Janello’s ENTROPIA (USA), a search for beauty at all costs; WIHFF co-director Sam Kolesnik’s award-winning MAMA’S BOY (USA); Fredrik S. Hanna’s crime-laden ROSALINA (Norway) and more followed by a 4pm Feature, Marc Martinez Jordan’s twisted film FRAMED (Spain), preceded by Guillem Dols’ short PSYCHO KINO (Spain). At 6pm, BAFF gets wickedly weird as they team up with The Eyeslicer, featuring shorts by Kool Kat Brian Lonano (CROW HAND (2014)/GWILLIAM’S TIPS FOR TURNING TRICKS INTO TREATS) and more! At 8pm get ready for another hellacious Feature with Ujicha’s torturous VIOLENCE VOYAGER (Japan), preceded by Laura Sparks’ short MADDER ISLE! And to top off the evening, BAFF offers a special treat with a screening of Joel Schumacher’s cult classic, THE LOST BOYS (1987), 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 an encore presentation of Carl Boese and Paul Wegener’s THE GOLEM (1920) with a live soundtrack by Atlanta-based jazz group Samadha, followed by a 2pm Feature documentary, SURVIVAL OF THE FILM FREAKS (USA), where Directors Bill Fulkerson and Kyle Kuchta explore the phenomenon of cult film and film fanatics, preceded by Anthony Cousins’ short THE BLOODY BALLAD OF SQUIRT REYNOLDS (USA). Shorts Program 4: Why Bury Good Meat?! Vampires, Zombies and Cannibals. Humans Taste So Good! promises a monstrous good time with screenings of Dayna Noffke’s GENTLEWOMAN’S GUIDE TO DOMESTICITY (USA); Felipe M. Guerra’s MRS. OLDINA GOES SHOPPING (Brazil); Pete Tompkies’ ONCE BITTEN (UK); Sam Kolesnik’s FRIENDSGIVING (USA) and more! And last but not least, BAFF presents the World Premiere of Todd Sheets’ CLOWNADO (USA) at 6pm as the Closing Feature, preceded by Brian Lonano’s BFF GIRLS (USA)!

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 BAFF bumper here.

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor

Calling all you ghastly guys and ghouls! Come see why we think you should raise hell in ATLRetro this Halloween season!

1. HEAD ROLLING TUNES. Get sinister for All Hallows Eve with one helluva rockin’ season across ATLRetro! Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin performs SUSPIRIA at The Earl (Oct. 31)! Get hell-bent and Halloween Bash it up with The Fabulous Thrillbillys, ELZIG, AM Gold and more at The Star Bar (Oct. 27)! Have a hellacious good time at Sweetwater Bar & Grill in Duluth and get haunted with Kool Kats The Casket Creatures, Freakshow Sinema and Never Fall (Oct. 27)! Get rocked at The Vista Room with their Halloween Throwdown featuring Runnin’ Down a Dream (Tom Petty tribute) and Rolling Thunder (Bob Dylan tribute) (Oct. 27)! Get ready to BOOgie during Gareth Asher’s Halloween Party at Tin Roof Cantina (Oct. 27)! Do Halloween in style at City Winery as Elton Dan & The Rocket Band pay tribute to the piano master (Oct. 31)!

2. FANGTASTIC FILMS. Emory Cinematheque delivers a special treat with a screening of Alfred Hitchcock’s VERTIGO (1958) (Oct. 31)! Get horrorfied at The Plaza Theater with screenings of THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (1975) (Oct. 27); Tim Burton’s BEETLEJUICE (1988) (Oct. 27), Tom Holland’s CHILD’S PLAY (1988) (Oct. 28) and Andrew Fleming’s THE CRAFT (1996) (Oct. 31)! And don’t forget that the Return of the Fifty Foot Film Festival invades The Plaza, with our Kool Kat of the Week Debbie Hess (Oct. 30)! Spook on down to Regal Atlantic Station Stadium 18 for a screening of Tim Burton’s THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (1993) (Oct. 27)! Get bewitched with screenings of Kenny Ortega’s HOCUS POCUS (1993) at theatres across Atlanta [AMC North Dekalb Mall 16; AMC Phipps Plaza 14; AMC Southlake Pavilion 24 (Morrow); AMC Sugarloaf Mills 18 (Lawrenceville); and AMC Northpoint Mall 12 (Alpharetta)] (Oct. 27 & 28), and at The Collective at Concourse at 6:30pm (Oct. 30)! Have a haunted Halloween at Battle & Brew’s screenings of Bill Menendez’ IT’S THE GREAT PUMPKIN CHARLIE BROWN (1966), Andrew Fleming’s THE CRAFT (1996) and Mel Brooks’ YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN (1974) starting at 5pm (Oct. 27)! Time Warp on down to theatres across Atlanta for a screening of Jim Sharmon’s THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (1975) [AMC North Dekalb Mall 16; AMC Southlake Pavilion 24 (Morrow); and AMC Sugarloaf Mills 18 (Lawrenceville)] (Oct. 27)! Haunt on down to The Earl Smith Strand Theatre for a screening of Roland West’s silent classic THE MONSTER (1925) featuring Lon Cheney, with a live accompaniment by Kool Kat Ron Carter at 3pm (Oct. 28)! Spook it up at the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern’s Flashback Cinema series screening of Stanley Kubrick’s THE SHINING (1980) at 2:30pm/7:30pm (Oct. 28)! Spook on down to the Syncrhonicity Theatre for the final haunting day of the Atlanta Horror Film Festival 2018 (Oct. 27)! Joystick Gamebar, Videodrome and Patina Pictures haunt it up with a screening of Tim Burton’s BEETLEJUICE (1988), followed by a Séance Dance Party (Oct. 29)! The Landmark Midtown Art Cinema spooks it up with The Hallowscreening, A Festival of Six Shorts (Oct. 30)! Noni’s Bar & Deli screen’s Tommy Lee Wallace’s HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH (1982) (Oct. 31)!

3. PARTY WITH THE DEAD. Spook it up at Scarendipity 2018 with Kool Kat Roxie Roz and more (Oct. 27)! Something wicked this way comes to Skyline Park Atlanta at Ponce City Market during their Haunted Heights Halloween Party (Oct. 27)! Tromp on down to Virginia Highlands for their Halloween in the Highlands Block Party from 6pm-2am (Oct. 27)! Make your way to Live! At the Battery Atlanta for a Freak Show Halloween (Oct. 27)! Rock on down to the Center Stage for their 9th Annual Boos & Brews Halloween Party (Oct. 27)! BOOgie down at the Krog Street Market’s Monster Prom Halloween Party (Oct. 31)! Put on those dancin’ shoes and groove like a ghoul ‘90s/’00-style at The Basement as they get down during their ‘90s-‘00s Halloween Dance Party (10/27)! Eighties it up and party down Halloween-style with Kool Kat Becky Cormier Finch with Denim Arcade at Buzzy’s Grille in Kennesaw!  (Oct. 27)!

4. TERRORIFIC TOURS. Get ghastly during the Historic Oakland Cemetery’s annual Capturing the Spirit of Oakland Ghost Tours, featuring music, a fortune teller and more! Come on out and tiptoe through the graves, make a few new spirited friends and hear the hallowed tales of some of their eternal residents, through Oct. 28! The Fox Theatre dishes out a spooktacular time as they haunt it up during their annual Fox Theatre Ghost Tours, chilling your bones through Oct. 30! Dead men tell no tales, or so they say, but the Aurora Theatre begs to differ. Creep on down and see during their Lawrenceville GA Ghost Tours, through Oct. 31. Stone Mountain Park gets ghastly with A Tour of Southern Ghosts, through Oct. 29!

5. GOTHIC, GHASTLY & VICTORIAN. Get monstrous and boogie down with Kool Kat VJ Anthony during his Coffin Classics: Halloween Prom at Amsterdam Atlanta featuring Goth, dark 80s and more (Oct. 27)! Gear up for the Atlanta Steampunk Expo: Victorian Nightmares haunting through Oct. 28!

6. HORRIFYING HIKES & HAUNTS. Nightmares are what this season’s all about! Haunt on down to Netherworld Haunted House’s new deadly digs in Stone Mountain for their horrorific 22nd season, getting gory through Nov. 4! Get hellacious and creep on down to Six Flags’ Fright Fest and experience Kool Kat Shane Morton’s spooktacular haunted house, Madeline Mendoza’s Casa De Meurte, weekends through Oct. 31!  Spook on down to the Sleepy Hollow Christmas Tree Farm in Powder Springs for Stranger Things Tours & a Nighttime Corn Maze, through Nov. 3! The Fernbank Museum of Natural History hosts their Woodland Spirits outdoor experience, so haunt on down WildWoods for a Ghastly Gathering (Oct. 28)! Get terrified at Sinister Suites Haunted Hotel in Griffin, GA, spooking through Oct. 31! A little blood splatter never hurt ya, so trek on down to Carrolton, GA for a helluva lot of haunted hillbillies ‘n’ dead rednecks at Camp Blood, horrifying through Oct. 31! Make your way to Lithia Springs for Containment Haunted House, a multi-media immersive theatrical horror experience, terrifying through Nov. 3! 13 Stories Haunted House gores it up for another haunted season in Newnan! And get freaked at Folklore Haunted House in Acworth, haunting through Nov. 3!

7. THRILLING & CHILLING GHOST STORIES, THEATRICS, FESTIVALS, ART & PARADES. Have some spooky fun at Lake Claire Landtrust with Scary Fireside Stories for Halloween (Oct. 27)! Spook on down toKavarna for Hauntings & Howls: Twisted Tales that Will Give You the Creeps, featuring readings by John Carr, Jyll Thomas, Winston Ward,Stephanie Roman, Steven Williams and John Carroll (Oct. 27)! The Wren’s Nest haunts with The Edgar Allan Poe Experience, an immersive theatrical event, through Oct. 31! Have a witchin’ weekend during ATL Craft’s Samhain Soiree, through Oct. 28! You won’t want to miss what’s brewing at Arches Brewing’s 1st Annual Halloween Art Show (Oct. 31)! Or make your way to the Healium Center’s HELLium: Interactive Halloween Art Show (Oct. 31)! Unleash ancient evil spirits with George Reinblatt’s EVIL DEAD THE MUSICAL hosted by the Newnan Theatre Company, killing it through Oct. 29! Get bewitched at Atlanta Symphony Hall with their Halloween at Hogwarts event at 1:30pm/3pm (Oct. 28)! Hang with your favorite band of specters at the Center for Puppetry Arts as The Ghastly Dreadfuls bring you creepy tales, frightful songs and devilish dances (Oct. 27)! Be the Headless Horseman’s next victim and get your bones chilled at Serenbe Playhouse’s thrilling presentation of their immersive spooky attraction and show, THE SLEEPY HOLLOW EXPERIENCE, haunting through Nov. 11! Make your way to the Atlanta History Center for the Day of the Dead Festival featuring traditional dance, crafts, authentic Mexican food and more (Oct. 28)!

8. TRICKS, TREATS & A WITCHIN’ GOOD TIME.Bring the kiddies and get spooky with dinos at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History during their Dinosaur Trick or Treat event (Oct. 27)! Get weird ‘n’ geeky during My Parents’ Basement’s October Bizarre Bazaar, from 12p – 6p (Oct. 28)! Get ghoulish and make your way to Halloween at Krog Street Market, with trick-or-treating and costume contests (Oct. 31)! Make your way to the Atlanta Zoo for their annual Boo at the Zoo event, running through Oct. 28!

9. BOOLESQUE. Niki Nuke’m and her boo-ly-Q pals shake a sinister tail feather with The BOO-doir: A Halloween Show at the Red Light Café (Oct. 30)!

10. UNHOLY & UNDEAD.ATL Collective delivers an evening of rotting flesh as they raise the dead with their performance of Michael Jackson’s Halloween classic, “Thriller” at Aisle 5 (10/27)! Spend the weekend with the undead during Walker Stalker Con at the Georgia World Congress Center through Oct. 28!

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 fifth annual Monsterama Convention invading the Atlanta Marriott Alpharetta and haunting all your senses this weekend (Oct. 5-7)! From legendary actors to spookshows to monstrous sightings, here are our top reasons to get your classic monster fix at MONSTERAMA!

1)  200th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION OF FRANKENSTEIN. Valentine Wolfe is back for another year with the release of their new creation,THE HAUNTING OF MARY SHELLEY,providing an eerie auditory experience as they accompany Thomas Edison’s 1910 classic silent horror film, FRANKENSTEIN, on Saturday at 1pm, featuring narration by Kool Kat Madeline Brumby!

2) 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 will terrify with a live spook show featuring special guest Luciana Paluzzi at 4pm, followed by a spook-tacular screening of Kinji Fukasaku’s THE GREEN SLIME (1968) on 16mm, Saturday beginning at 4pm!

3) FANGTASTIC FILM. It’s monster movie madness with screenings of horrorific classics (mostly screening in 16mm) including Jules Bass’ MAD MONSTER PARTY (1967), Don Dohler’s FIEND (1980), Howard Ziehm’s FLESH GORDON (1974), Kinji Fukasaku’s THE GREEN SLIME (1968), Thomas Edison’s FRANKENSTEIN (1910), Paul Annett’s THE BEAST MUST DIE (1974), Mel Welles’ LADY FRANKENSTEIN (1971), Paul Naschy’s NIGHT OF THE WEREWOLF (1981), Val Guest’s WHEN DINOSAURS RULED THE EARTH (1970), Sam Irvin’s ELVIRA’S HAUNTED HILLS (2001), Jim O’Connolly’s THE VALLEY OF GWANGI (1969)
and more!

4) CINEPROV RIFFS THE FIEND. Madness, monsters and corpses OH MY! Hilarity ensues as New MST3K writer Larry Johnson and CINEPROV riffs Don Dohler’s FIEND (1980) in 16mm, Friday at 10pm!

5) SPOOKTACULAR GUESTS. Catch some killer guests, including our Kool Kat of the Week, Director Jeff Burr (FROM A WHISPER TO A SCREAM), Sam Irvin (ELVIRA’S HAUNTED HILLS; OBLIVION), Mark Goddard (LOST IN SPACE; THE RIFLEMAN), Luciana Paluzzi (THUNDERBALL; THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN), Rachel Talalay (FREDDY’S DEAD: THE FINAL NIGHTMARE; TANK GIRL), Ken Sagoes (A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3), creaturific artist Kool Kat Mark Maddox, Kool Kat Shane Morton, ghost host with the most, a.k.a. Professor Morte, glamour ghoul Kool Kat Madeline Brumby and so many more!

6) MONSTER MAKEOVERS.  Get gore-gous with monster make-up galore as part of this year’s Makers Track! Kevin Moe delivers a monstrous “Mask Making” panel, Fri. at 9:30pm! Bethany Marchman-Arriagada apes it up with her “Girl Makes Gorilla” panel, Sat. at 10am! And win some monstrous prizes with the annual FACE-ON make-up contest, Sat. at 5:30pm! And don’t forget to stick around for a creeping cornucopia of frightful faces and monster masks!

7) WARPED WRITERS & LITERARY PANELS. Writers make the monstrous world go ‘round, so check out guest authors, Dacre Stoker, Bram Stoker’s great grand-nephew (DRACUL; DRACULA THE UN-DEAD), Nancy A. Collins (VAMPIRELLA; SUNGLASSES AFTER DARK), Georges Jeanty (BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER Comics), James A. Moore (THE LAST SACRIFICE; BLOOD RED), Charles Rutledge and vampire aficionado J. E. Browning (GRAPHIC HORROR: MOVIE MONSTER MEMORIES), and so many more!

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!

MONSTERAMA main con hours are Fri. Oct. 5 from 2 to 12 a.m.; Sat. Oct. 6 from 9 a.m. to 1 a.m.; and Sun. Oct. 7 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more info, visit the MONSTERAMA official website here.