ATLRetro

by Melanie Crew
Managing Editor

Get horrified, literary-style this weekend at the 25th Annual World Horror Convention, this year presented by the Horror Writers Association (HWA), haunting Thursday-Sunday May 7-10 at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis! Guests of Honor include legendary bestselling horror author and Marietta local, John Farris; author Kami Garcia (BEAUTIFUL CREATURES); author Christopher Golden; author Charlaine Harris (TRUE BLOOD); author Lisa Tuttle; and Godzilla artist extraordinaire Bob Eggleton, as well as toastmaster Jonathan Maberry and over 150 more writers, editors, filmmakers, publishers, and artists! This year’s World Horror Society’s 2015 Grand Master has been awarded to William F. Nolan, co-author of the novel LOGAN’S RUN, and it’ll be presented with awards for the year’s best in horror fiction Saturday night at the HWA’s Bram Stoker Awards Banquet!

World Horror Con is held in a different location every year, so we think it’s pretty spooktacular that the 25th anniversary con is back in the Monster Kid Capital of the USA. The 1995 and 1999 WHCs were also in Atlanta.

Here are our 10 scariest retro reasons to get downtown.

1) 25th ANNUAL WHC CREEPY COSTUME BALL! Kool Kat Shane Morton, a.k.a. ghost host with the most, Professor Morte and the Silver Scream Spook Show will have you shakin’ in your boots during the Creepy Costume Ball, Friday, May 8! Slither on down for this spooky spectacle which will have you monster mashin’ it up with DJ Extreme Gene and more at the creepiest party of the year! $100 cash prize for best costume, $50 for second place and a free Bram Stoker Awards banquet ticket for third. Party begins at 8:30pm and will rattle your bones through 12:30am!

2) MASS AUTHOR SIGNING! Come one, come all (free and open to the public) to the Mass Author Signing on Friday, which will be bookin’ it from 6:30-8pm! This is an event you won’t want to miss, because you’ll get the chance to catch more than 100 of your favorite horror/spec-lit/weird fiction (and more!) authors, including John Farris, local legendary author and all the other Guests of Honor; Grand Master William F. Nolan; Jack Ketchum, Lifetime Achievement Award recipient and author of such novels as THE GIRL NEXT DOOR; renowned SF/F/H editor Ellen Datlow; New York Times bestselling splatterpunk pioneer and bizarro author John Skipp; Weston Ochse, author of SEAL TEAM 666, which is being developed into a major motion picture starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson; Shirley Jackson Award-winning author Nathan Ballingrud, Scott Nicolay, author of ANA KAI TANGATA, Rue Morgue magazine’s Best Fiction Collection of 2014; many Bram Stoker Award-winning and nominated authors such as Yvonne Navarro, Usman T. Malik, Damien Angelica Walters and Stephen Graham-Jones; our very own wickedly weird kool kitten, ATLRetro publisher Anya Martin; and we kid you not – about 100 more! Atlanta’s Eagle Eye Books is the official bookseller of the WHC, and will be located in the Dealers Room, so stop by and pick up books by your favorite attending author to sign this weekend!

3) THE WEIRD SOUTH. Dig deep into horror’s heritage in Southern Gothic literature, with dark panels galore! On Friday, May 8, you won’t want to miss Voices of the Mountains: Manly Wade Wellman and Karl Edward Wagner at 9 pm, exploring the two pioneers of Southern Horror. The A Good Horror Isn’t Hard to Find: The Dark Side of Flannery O’Connor and Southern Gothic Lit panel gets grotesque Saturday, May 9, at noon!

4) FANGTASTIC FILM!  With the support of Atlanta’s own Buried Alive Film Festival (Nov 21-22, 2015) and the Tabloid Witch Film Festival, this year’s film program will spotlight some of the most exciting short and feature films created by Georgia and Southern filmmakers, as well as will showcase recent works by other attending professionals and exciting shorts from around the world. Freaky Friday includes Kool Kat Daniel Griffith of Ballyhoo Motion Pictures discussing his recent documentary endeavors surrounding Jeff Burr’s FROM A WHISPER TO A SCREAM (1987), with exclusive clips from the documentary and giveaways, during The Night(s) Indie-Horror Came to Georgia: An Hour With Daniel Griffith on Friday at 2pm! Get brutal and exploited during a screening of Kool Kat James Bickert’s throwback to ‘60s/’70s exploitation films, DEAR GOD! NO! (2011) is a bloody ruckus at 3pm, with an introduction by Prof. Morte! And stick around for the Filmmakers Lounge at 5pm, where you’ll get to witness film shop talk and learn the fun parts of making horror films! Sinister Saturday brings you a screening of Jason Brock’s THE ACKERMONSTER CHRONICLES (2013), revisiting the life and times of mega-fan Forrest J. Ackerman at 9am (includes a Q&A with filmmaker and William F. Nolan)! Spend an hour with “Fun Boy” Michael Massee (THE CROW) at 11 am! Get sinister during Skipp’s Saturday Sinema Funtime featuring screenings of John Skipp and Andrew Kasch’s AN HONEST MISSTAKE (2014), Izzy Lee’s POSTPARTUM (2015) and Gigi Saul Guerrero’s EL GIGANTE (2015), beginning at noon! At 1pm, the Buried Alive Film Festival and Kool Kat Blake Myers, present Ryan Lieske’s ABED (2011), based on the Elizabeth Massie story and produced by Atlanta’s own late Philip Nutman (WET WORK, Fangoria), followed by their screening of Kool Kat Eddie Ray’s SATANIC PANIC 2: BATTLE OF THE BANDS (2014) at 2pm. And finally, the Buried Alive Film Festival presents Its Bloody Best, a block of the best shorts screened at past Buried Alive Film Festivals, at 3pm! And stick around for the Filmmakers Lounge where talking shop never gets dull, at 5pm!

5) MULTI-CULTURAL WORLD HORROR. What’s more fitting when exposing the diversity in the dark underbelly of spec-lit and horror than doing so in the city that was the center of the Civil Rights Movement? Catch Different Visions: African-American Spec-Lit from Afro-Futurism to Beloved on Friday, at 1pm, and get a peek through the lens of the African-American experience from slavery to the Civil Rights Movement to the first black president! On Saturday, May 9, you won’t want to miss Pushing the Diaspora Darkly: Horror from Multicultural Perspectives at 1pm, which explores diversity and an emerging global view of spec-lit and horror as it moves into the 21st century with a new generation of writers from different cultural backgrounds.

6) WHC LIFETIME ACHIEVMENT AWARD RECIPIENTS.  This year’s Lifetime Achievement Award recipients are Tanith Lee, author of more than 90 novels across the entire spectrum of speculative literature; and Jack Ketchum, author of 32 books to date, with five of his novels making their way to the big screen [The Lost, The Girl Next Door, Red, Offspring and The Woman]. Celebrate Tanith Lee’s achievement during Dancing With Darkness: A Tribute to HWA Lifetime Achievment Award Winner Tanith Lee on Friday, at 10am! And you won’t want to miss the HWA Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Interview: Jack Ketchum at 2pm, Friday!

7) H.P. LOVECRAFT IN THE 21st CENTURY.  Learn about Lovecraft’s legacy in modern horror fiction, which has been cemented for more than half a century in his Cthulhu Mythos and his exploration of cosmic, existential horror. More recently, the tentacles of Lovecraft’s more troubling legacy—as a voice for some of the last century’s most vile expressions of racism and xenophobia—have found their way into the center of the discussion of his work, so creep on down, Friday at 3pm for the H.P. Lovecraft in the 21st Century: The Problematic Legacy of the Great Old One of Horror and the Weird panel!

8) THE STEPHEN KING HOUR. Are you Stephen King’s biggest fan? If so, you won’t want to miss The Stephen King Hour at 5pm on Friday, and catch the experts discuss the most important horror writer of this generation! (One lucky contest winner will get the chance to sit on this horrorific panel!)

9) READINGS, READINGS AND MORE READINGS! What’s better than reading the works of this century’s wickedly weird and catastrophically creepy writers, who have reaped what our horror forefathers of yore, sowed many murderous moons ago? Why, getting the chance to experience the horror spewing from their own lips! Friday, May 8, brings you readings by Charlaine Harris, William F. Nolan (co-author of Logan’s Run and more), Kami Garcia, Usman T. Malik, Joe McKinney, Nathan Ballingrud (North American Lake Monsters), Scott Nicolay (Ana Kai Tangata) and more! Saturday, May 9, brings you readings by Jack Ketchum; Christopher Golden, James A. Moore, Lisa Tuttle, Jonathan Maberry, Weston Ochse, Yvonne Navarro, Damien Angelica Walters, Molly Tanzer (A Pretty Mouth, Vermilion and more) and Jesse Bullington [The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart, The Enterprise of Death and more]!

10) HISTORIC HORROR: FACT & FICTION! The written word has a way of bringing reality to life and vice-versa! Don’t miss out on a special presentation by Dacre Stoker, Bram Stoker’s great grand-nephew at 11am during the Bram Stoker / Dracula Travel Guide New Discoveries 118 Years Later event, exploring his specialized travel guide surrounding Bram’s most famous novel, Dracula. Dacre’s one-hour PowerPoint presentation includes stunning photos of sites associated with Bram’s life in Dublin, his holidays in Whitby, Cruden Bay Scotland, Count Dracula and Vlad Dracula sites in Romania. At 2pm get monstrous during the Atlanta Radio Theatre Company’s presentation of “The Passion of Frankenstein” by Thomas E. Fuller. This classic radio theatre retelling of the classic story by Mary Shelley is sure to thrill and chill! And, what are the limits of horror’s human side? Catch the Horror’s Human Side: There Are NO Limits, Or Are There panel at 5pm, which explores Joyce Carol Oates’ take on horror fiction and realistic fiction, whether some subjects are too horrific to be horror, and what’s the line between realist literature and horror lit?

World Horror Con main hours are Thur. May 7 from 6 p.m. to midnight.; Fri. May 8 from 9 a.m. to midnight; Sat. May 9 from 9 a.m. to midnight; and Sun. May 10 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., with parties going late into the night on Friday and Saturday. For more info, visit www.whc2015.org.

Buried Alive! Film Fest; Friday, Nov. 9 7 p.m. – 11 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 10 4 p.m. – 11 p.m.; Plaza Theatre; Schedule here; Tickets $20 (all access, both days), $5 per programming block, available at Plaza box office.

By Aleck Bennett
Contributing Writer

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into Atlanta’s historic Plaza Theatre, the Buried Alive! Film Fest (BA!FF) returns the weekend of November 9-10 to once again delve into all things horrific and fantastic.

The festival was founded by local horror fiend Luke Godfrey, whom you’ll know as the co-creator of Chambers of Horror (Atlanta’s only adult Halloween attraction) and the award-winning film series Splatter Cinema, as well as being the head undead behind Zombie Walk Atlanta. Buried Alive! Film Fest has proven year after year to be one of the many reasons that Atlanta is recognized as among the horror capitals of the world, and this year proves to be no exception as Festival Director and filmmaker Blake Myers has loaded the schedule with the weird, the wonderful and the outright outrageous.

The festival launches Friday night at 7 p.m. with a suite of shorts under the umbrella “BIZARRO: A Journey Into the Gory.” The program opens and closes with, respectively, two celebrated selections from the 2011 H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival: Thomas Nicol’s THE WINDOW INTO TIME and EDGAR ALLAN POE’S “THE RAVEN” from Christopher Saphire and Don Thiel (which was selected by Guillermo del Toro at the HPL Film Festival as one of his favorites). In between, we’re treated to a wide variety of short bursts of terror ranging from a mysterious plunge from London’s streets into the wilderness of Jonathan and Richard Chance’s TIMESLIP to the stop-motion animated skeletons of Theo Pingarelli’s DOPPELGANGER and IDLE WORSHIP.

ABED, directed by Ryan Lieske.

Following the shorts program, the short film ETHEREAL CHRYSALIS sets the stage for the opening double feature of ABED and MANBORG. ABED is based on the controversial short story of the same name by two-time Bram Stoker Award-winning author Elizabeth Massie. The film was written and directed by filmmaker Ryan Lieske (CLEAN BREAK, DOWN TO SLEEP, which screened at the 2010 and 2011 BA!FFs) and co-produced by Fangoria scribe Philip Nutman, who also was an associate producer and co-wrote the screenplay for JACK KETCHUM’S THE GIRL NEXT DOOR. Though the movie places us in the midst of a zombie uprising, it primarily centers on the building horror and desperation developing between two living characters: Meggie, whose husband was lost early on, and her mother-in-law who is intent on bringing some normalcy back into this world at any cost. MANBORG, on the other hand, is an over-the-top tribute to blood-soaked 1980s sci-fi/action flicks like ROBOCOP and TERMINATOR. The movie, in which a dead soldier finds himself resurrected as a cyborg killing machine, is the latest insane creation from the collective known as Astron-6, was directed by team member Steven Kostanski and won “Best of Fest” at the 2012 Boston Underground Film Festival.

On Saturday, buckle your theater seatbelts (they make those, right?) for a day chock-full of tasty morsels you won’t want to pass up. It all starts at 4 p.m. with a shorts program dedicated to “Serial Killer and Alternate Universes.” An international smorgasbord of horrific delights awaits you; from the quiet terrors of SILENCE (from Italy’s Angelo and Giuseppe Capasso) to the agoraphobic serial killer of HIM INDOORS (from the UK’s Paul Davis). That’s followed by a delicious selection of “Rotten Peaches,” featuring four short films from local filmmakers.

The poster for Javier Chillon's DECAPODA SHOCK, which screens during Friday's 7 p.m. shorts program.

Saturday night’s feature is a real NAILBITER. The Grand Jury prizewinner for Best Feature Film at Shriekfest 2012, Patrick Rea’s latest feature depicts a woman and her three daughters seeking refuge from an oncoming tornado in the basement of a seemingly abandoned house. However, they soon find that someone—or something—is upstairs and is intent on keeping them trapped below deck.

The festival closes with a real treat for even the most casual of horror film fans: a screening of Dario Argento’s 1977 masterpiece SUSPIRIA. Jessica Harper stars as Suzy Banyon, a newly-arrived ballet student at the celebrated Tanz Akademie of Frieburg, who finds herself ensnared in the machinations of a coven of witches under the leadership of Madame Blanc, played by Joan Bennett. Bennett, best known to horror fans as Elizabeth Collins Stoddard from television’s DARK SHADOWS (and its first big-screen adaptation, 1970’s HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS), returned to the screen after a seven-year absence for this, her final feature film, and brought with her that role’s association with gothic romanticism which was so integral to the series. SUSPIRIA is simultaneously strikingly beautiful and brutal, evocative both of fairy tales and of the hyper-violent gialli of Italian cinema. And it features what is perhaps one of the greatest (if not the single greatest) musical score (composed and performed by the Italian band Goblin) to ever accompany a horror film. In fact, the film is unimaginable without it. (Ed. note: Read our Retro Review by Andrew Kemp here)

A mere $20 for all of this? (And only $5 for each individual block of programming?) It’s the best bargain in town for anyone remotely interested in horror as a genre, much less the hardcore genre fanatic. Tickets are available at the Plaza box office, so stop by and get yours as soon as possible.

Aleck Bennett is a writer, blogger, pug warden, pop culture enthusiast, raconteur and bon vivant from the greater Atlanta area. Visit his blog at doctorsardonicus.wordpress.com.

By Philip Nutman
Contributing Writer

Splatter Cinema Presents THE BEYOND (1981), fully remastered and uncut direct from Grindhouse Releasing; Dir: Lucio Fulci; Starring Catriona McColl, David Warbeck, Cinzia Monreale; Tues. March 13 9:30 PM; Plaza Theatre; Trailer here.

Originally an art critic who became a filmmaker (he made 18 comedies before becoming renowned as one of the most violent, gory Italian horror movie directors), the late, great – some might say “crazy” – Lucio Fulci made some of the coolest, most demented flicks of the late 70s/80s. Need a roll call? ZOMBIE (1979), promoted in Europe as a sequel to Romero’s DAWN OF THE DEAD; THE HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY (1981), THE BEYOND (1981), etc., etc (he made over 50 movies).

What accounts for the violence in his later films? His wife’s suicide back in 1969 and a daughter’s fatal car accident several years later always weighed heavily on him, and his hyper-violent films such as THE NEW YORK RIPPER (1982) caused him to be branded a misogynist by prentious critics, although he always claimed that he loved women. He also struggled with severe type 2 diabetes, a fact he tried to hide from colleagues, fearing he would be deemed unemployable.  And he was an inveterate gambler.

So what about THE BEYOND? For those who are not die-hard horror fans, the basic scenario is this:

…E tu vivrai nel terrore! L’aldilà, its original Italian title, also known as SEVEN DOORS OF DEATH, is Lovecraftian in tone. The film has gained a cult following over the decades, in part because of the film’s gore-filled murder sequences, which were heavily censored when the film was originally released in the United States in 1983.

Cinzia Monreale as the creepy Blind Girl in THE BEYOND (1981); Grindhouse Releasing.

In 1927, Louisiana’s Seven Doors Hotel is the scene of a vicious murder as a lynch mob crucifies an artist named Schweick, whom they believe to be a warlock. The artist’s murder opens one of the seven doors of death, which exist throughout the world and allow the dead to cross into the world of the living. Several decades later, a young woman inherits the hotel and plans to re-open it for business. But her renovation work activates the hell-portal, and soon she and a local doctor find themselves having to deal with the living dead, and Schweick, who has returned as a malevolent, indestructible corpse, apparently in control of the supernatural forces.

Need I say more? Other than get down to The Plaza Theatre Tues. night, March 13 for a rare, gory treat of Italian horror weirdness.

Contributing Writer Philip Nutman  knows a thing or two about zombies: he is the author of the cult classic undead novel, WET WORK, and recently produced ABED, the sickest zombie love story ever, in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

By Philip Nutman
Contributing Writer

Nils Lofgren, OLD SCHOOL
Ian Hunter Live at Rockpalast, Featuring Mick Ronson
Public Image Limited Live at Rockpalast
MVD Entertainment

In 1971 I would wear my sister’s stack-heeled red boots, steal Mum’s mascara, lipstick and face powder.

I wanted to be Bowie/Ziggy. Mott the Hoople were my favorite band. Yes, I was a Glam Rock kid pretending to be a rock n roller (I can’t play any instrument or sing; I will never play Madison Square Garden and open for Aerosmith). As I grew older, it was Blue Oyster Cult, Motorhead and The Damned…then Cheap Trick (but I grew up listening to early Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Who)…

MVD have just released a CD of rare Nils Lofgren songs and two DVDs of German Rockpalast performances: Public Image Limited (PiL) and Ian Hunter (of Mott  plus Mick Ronson of Ziggy-era Bowie fame). They are “must haves.”

Nils makes my heart soar. The PIL performance with John Lydon (rather fat, but performing “Anarchy in the UK”) made me pogo on the couch and throw myself on the floor.

The Hunter/Roson DVD drove me nuts…visuals fluctuate, but audio nearly destroyed my sound system.

You love music? BUY THESE NOW (and thank me later).

Note: This is a preview of more extensive reviews of all three that will appear on ATLRetro.com soon.

Contributing Writer Philip Nutman has been FANGORIA magazine’s longest running reporter ­ 30 years this May ­ but also knows a thing or two about rock music. He is also the author of the cult classic zombie novel, WET WORK, and just wrapped filming ABED, the sickest zombie movie ever, in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

By Philip Nutman
Contributing Writer

Splatter Cinema Presents CANDYMAN (1992); Dir: Bernard Rose; Based on the short story by Clive Barker; Starring Tony Todd, Virginia Madsen, Xander Berkeley; Tues. Feb. 14 9:30 PM; Plaza Theatre; Trailer here.

Based on the Clive Barker short story, “The Forbidden,” which appeared in the fifth volume of his BOOKS OF BLOOD, CANDYMAN (1992) was a considerable hit with horror fans and made actor Tony Todd something of a horror icon. His credits also include the Tom Savini remake of George Romero’s NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1990), THE CROW (1994), THE ROCK (1996) and FINAL DESTINATION (2000), among many others.

While not heavy on the gore quotient, CANDYMAN is one scary movie. The original story was set in England, but the filmic version was transposed to an American setting ­ specifically, Chicago ­ to make it more commercial. Ironically, the movie was made by a British director, Bernard Rose, who had previously made the incredibly creepy PAPERHOUSE (1988).

CANDYMAN stars Virginia Madsen (sister of Michael, of RESERVOIR DOGS ear-slicing infamy) and Xander Berkeley. Xander is perhaps best known for playing George Mason, Jack Bauer’s arsehole boss, in the first incarnation of the hit TV series 24; Jack had to blow his brains out. And since we here at ATLRetro know our pop culture trivia, Tony Todd played an African terrorist in a later season.

Virginia Madsen in CANDYMAN (TriStar Pictures, 1992)

We don’t believe in plot spoilers, so we’re not going to tell you the narrative of CANDYMAN. If you’ve never read the Barker story, you should hunt it down (Note: IN THE FLESH was the American title of the fifth volume of THE BOOKS OF BLOOD) or if you have never seen this movie, then you’re in for a scary treat thanks to the fine folks at Splatter Cinema and the wonderful Plaza Theatre. If you’ve seen the film, you know what we’re talking about. Horror movies are always better seen on the big screen. Either way, do yourself a favor and go see CANDYMAN.

Contributing Writer Philip Nutman has been FANGORIA magazine’s longest running reporter ­ 30 years this May ­ and knows a thing or two about horror flicks. He is also the author of the cult classic zombie novel, WET WORK, and just wrapped filming ABED, the sickest zombie movie ever, in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

By Philip Nutman
Contributing Writer

Silver Scream Spookshow Presents MAD MONSTER PARTY (1967); Dir: Jules Bass; Screenplay by Harvey Kurtzman, Arthur Rankin Jr., Len Korobkin and Forrest J. Ackerman (uncredited); Starring Boris Karloff, Phyllis Diller, Allen Swift, Gale Garnett, Ethel Ennis; Sat. Dec. 31;  kids matinee at 1 PM (kids under 12 free & adults $7) and adult show at 10 PM(all tickets $12); Plaza Theatre; Trailer here.

As much as I love all the Rankin/Bass Xmas specials, for my money, the best “Animagic” (stop-motion) show they ever made was the crazy, wonderful MAD MONSTER PARTY.

C’mon! Boris Karloff voicing Boris Von Frankenstein?  Phyllis Diller as the Monster’s Bride (she is smarter); a script by MAD magazine’s founder Harvey Kurtzman and creature designs by legendary fellow MAD cartoonist/illustrator, Jack Davis ­ what’s not to love?

There are classic monsters gla[gore] (bad pun intended) ­ The Creature from The Black Lagoon, Count Dracula…IT (actually KING KONG, but R/B couldn’t use the name “Kong” for legal reasons). Name ‘em ­ they’re here!

The Baron gathers his gruesome guests for a diabolical dinner in MAD MONSTER PARTY (1967). Courtesy of Lions Gate Pictures.

Songs to learn and love and sing! (The delightful soundtrack is available from Percepto Records; music by R/B stalwart Maury Laws/lyrics by Jules Bass.)

The film is available on DVD from Lions Gate (go to Amazon; there’s a special edition! And Blu-Ray!). BUT…don’t be a couch potato if you live anywhere near Atlanta ­ there’s nothing like seeing a superb print on the *Big Screen* at the Legendary Plaza Theatre!!! (And it’s a SILVER SCREAM SPOOKSHOW presentation brought to you by Professor Morte and his pal Shane Morton!)

YAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!! (ATLRetro is happy to end 2011 on such a mad monster note of sheer fun and grimly fiendish frolics!)

You thought the Halloween season was over? Think again, because the Buried Alive! Film Fest (BA!FF) is about to invade ATLRetro’s favorite movie palace, the Plaza Theatre, over the weekend of November 11-12 and unleash a slew of weird, wonderful horror films on lucky attendees.

Founded by horror fanatic Luke Godfrey (Atlanta’s Godfather of Gore, who started the Zombie Walk Atlanta, as well as one of the sick minds behind Halloween attraction Chambers of Horror and the award-winning monthly Splatter Cinema screenings at The Plaza), Buried Alive! has been generating international attention as the coolest, strangest movie festival in Atlanta. Since we’ve interviewed Luke (here)and Festival Director/filmmaker Blake Myers, (here), we decided to go after Programming Director (and our own contributing blogger) Philip Nutman. Despite his insane schedule, ATLRetro managed to get a few minutes of his time…

ATLRetro: Describe this year’s festival.

NUTMAN: “Psychotronic” – a whacked selection of crazy short films and some cool features. Comedy, gore, zombies, disappearing cats, resurrected goldfish, amputees, killer sperm; this year’s selection of films defy classification. The range is from the bizarre to the very serious, from the downright demented to very funny. Every program block is different. We have a terrific selection of local shorts. But the feature I’m most excited about showing is CHILLERAMA. It is the sickest, most freakin’ insane anthology film I’ve ever seen. It’s a total reinvention of an early 70s grindhouse movie…*very* retro. And I mean *in-f***ing-sane*

Let’s come back to CHILLERAMA. But first, how about the short films? And how do you program them?

My title as “program director” is an honorific; the BA!FF board all watch the movies and we selected them together. Last year was the festival’s most successful to date. This year we received a ton of submissions and we had to make some tough choices. Please don’t ask me to name favorite films; they are all different and we’re excited to show them. ‘ Nuff said…but, check out the program listing at the official website.

Understand this: we do this for love of Independent filmmaking, not money. None of us involved – Luke, Blake, Alyssa Myers, Mark Malek – make a dime off the festival. This is about supporting people who make movies and deserve to have them screened; bringing the best shorts and features we can find to Atlanta; entertaining the audience…and supporting The Plaza, which is a nonprofit and an Atlanta treasure.

Writer/director Ryan Lieske is your guest filmmaker and Patrick Rea is your “featured filmmaker” this year. Why?

Because they are two of the most talented, diverse filmmakers out there. Ryan is coming into town on his own dime – we have no funding to be able to afford to fly people into Atlanta. We screened the fake trailer for CLEAN BREAK  and the actual short last year. Ryan and the Collective Studios gang came into town at their own expense and had a great time. But if DOWN TO SLEEP, his most recent short, which we’re screening, was crap, we would have rejected it. He’s coming back to Atlanta because he loves the festival.

Patrick Rea's EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS.

If all goes to plan, we also will have the world premiere of the trailer of British filmmaker Ashley Thorpe’s new short, BORLEY RECTORY. He’s so hard at work, he doesn’t have the time to come to the festival this year. (Editor’s note: Thorpe won the BA!FF Visionary Award for three animated shorts, including the haunting highwayman story SCAYRECROW, last year.)

Patrick Rea is a prolific filmmaker. He submitted three films last year and we rejected two of them. This year we accepted three out of five. His films keep winning awards and getting better. He’s a director to watch out for. So, since we’re screening three of his films, all of which are different, he deserved to be “featured filmmaker.”

But everything in the festival is solid gold. I’m especially delighted we’re screening Eddie Ray’s SATANIC PANIC: BAND OUT OF HELL, which is totally nuts. And Chris Ethridge and Jayson Palmer managed to pull off what I thought was an unfilmable Stephen King story with SURVIVOR TYPE. These are in the local shorts section. The quality of talent in Atlanta keeps growing, and we want to support that.

So back to CHILLERAMA…

It’s going to blow the audience away. It’s sick, totally twisted and hilarious. It’s a contemporary retro grindhouse anthology film that takes place in an old, about-to-close Drive-In. The four films are written and directed by Adam Green (who made the HATCHET flicks), Joe Lynch (WRONG TURN 2, which was better than the original), Tim Sullivan (2001 MANIACS) and Adam Rifkin (DETROIT ROCK CITY). It’s a love letter to ’50s/’60s/’70s exploitation movies. Sullivan’s I WAS A TEENAGE WEREBEAR is like a ’50s AIP teen monster movie crossed with a Frankie & Annette BEACH BLANKET BINGO film. It’s a musical with gay leather boy werewolves and is hysterically funny. Adam Rifkin’s WADZILLA is the biggest “come shot” on film; giant killer sperm – what’s not to love? Adam Green’s THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANKENSTEIN is like what if Ed Wood made a Jewish anti Nazi propoganda movie starring the Golem. It’s nuts. Joe Lynch is responsible for the wraparound story at the Drive-In which turns into a totally demented narrative with sex-crazed zombies. Words don’t do the flick justice. It’s totally retro with post-modern humor. (I can’t believe I just said that; damn, that sounds pretentious!). Watch the trailer online and “come” see the movie – we have a stunning print. I nearly puked up my dinner with laughter after I first watched it.

And final words?

NUTMAN: If you love independent filmmaking, horror, weird shit – you need to come to the festival and support The Plaza.

Check out the full frightening film schedule here.

By Philip Nutman
Contributing Blogger

It must be Labor Day weekend when hillbillies, hobos (getting sledgehammered; no shotguns), cockfighters and bandits in sports cars invade the Starlight Six Drive-In. Yes, it’s time once again on Sun. Sept. 4 to load up the truck with lawn chairs, coolers and portable grills to hit the low end of Moreland Avenue and get down with the World Famous Drive Invasion 2011.

In addition to an afternoon/evening of cool bands, headlined by the legendary Roky Erickson of The 13^th Floor Elevators fame (see end of this article for full band list), this year’s movie line-up is a rootin’, tootin’ rough and tumble grab bag, from the silly to the Southern sublime. Where else are you going to get to see HILLYBILLYS IN A HAUNTED HOUSE, the late, great Warren Oates in the very rare COCKFIGHTER, Ernie Borgnine and Lee Marvin smashing the $*#@ out of each other, and relive the high octane fun of SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT?

HILLBILLYS IN A HAUNTED HOUSE (1967) is a ‘60s country store full of old school horror star cameos (John Carradine, Lon Chaney Jr., Basil Rathbone), country and western (let’s hear it for Merle Haggard!), spies and general craziness. En route to Nashville, a carload of country singers with names like Woody Wetherby, Boots Malone, and Jeepers break down and end up in an old haunted mansion. But in addition to ghosts (oh, yeah?), the house is full of spooks of another kind – spies! Forget the plot, this flick’s really a musical showcase, and not a particularly good one, either, but it’s the right kind of silliness to get the movie party started.

COCKFIGHTER (1974) is a striking, unusual, little screen Roger Corman production directed by existential cult fave/cool dude director Monte Hellman. Hellman started out with THE BEAST FROM THE HAUNTED CAVE (1959), but is beloved by movie geeks like Tarantino for the weird Jack Nicholson westerns, RIDE IN THE WHIRLWIND (1964) and THE SHOOTING (1965); but is most famous for the 1971 road movie TWO-LANE BLACKTOP. Based on an off-beat novel by Charles Willeford (best known for his Hoke Moseley detective novels), which won the Mark Twain Award way back when the novel was published, COCKFIGHTER is a bleakly fascinating character study with Oates as a man obsessed with winning a cockfighting award and who’s vowed not to speak until he does. But, hey, his best friend’s played by Harry Dean Stanton who more than makes up for Warren’s silence.

EMPEROR OF THE NORTH (1973) is one of director Robert (THE DIRTY DOZEN) Aldrich’s most interesting and brutal movies – some of the violence is hard to watch as Ernest Borgnine (coincidentally in town this weekend as a Dragon*Con guest), as Shack, a sadistic railroad conductor, uses his sledgehammer on hobos who dare to ride his train. Loosely based on a Jack London short story, the movie’s a battle of wills between Borgnine and Lee Marvin’s “A” Number One, a famous derelict and rail rider who is intent to be the only man to ride Shack’s train and live to tell the tale. Great photography, riveting performances. It’s an ATLRetro favorite!

SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT (1977). Really, what needs to be said? Burt Reynolds, cool cars, a great cast – Sally Field at her cutest, kick-ass Jerry Reed as his partner Cledus, Paul Williams as Little Enos…and Jackie Gleason as Sheriff Buford T. Justice! Time to put the hammer down and burn some rubber…a car chase movie that always leaves a good taste in the mouth thanks to former stunt driver-turned-director Hal Needham’s snappy, slick direction.

WORLD FAMOUS DRIVE INVASION, Sunday, Sept. 4, 2011; Gates at 10 a.m.; Adults $25 Presale / $28 Gate, day of; Kids 3-9 $5; Tickets here.

Includes Silver Screen and Gasoline Car Show sponsored by Garage 71!

Performers: Roky Erickson (headliner), Jack Oblivion & the Tennessee Tearjerkers, Dex Romweber Duo, All Night Drug Prowling Wolves, Gargantua, Hot Rod Walt & the Psycho Devilles, The Disasternauts, Ghost Riders Car Club, Burt & the Bandits, The Marques, Dusty Booze & the Baby Haters, Spooky Partridge

If you missed our ATLRetro features on Hot Rod Walt & the Psychovilles, Ghost Riders Car Club and Burt & the Bandits, read ‘em here, here and here!

Shellie Schmals. Photo credit: Billy Gilbert.

Annual Bettie Page lookalike contests were a sexy staple of early Dragon*Cons. While those were replaced with the Dawn contest in more recent years, that enthusiasm for pin-up and burlesque culture has found new ways of expression in the midst of one of the nation’s biggest pop culture celebration. With so much going on, we asked Minette Magnifique’s beautiful Shellie Schmals, aka Baroness von Schmalhausen, to sort through the schedule to see what some of Atlanta’s burlesque ladies are up to for your Retro entertainment…

By Shellie Schmals
Contributing Blogger

Seriously, I can hardly wait! It’s my first official DragonCon (Sept. 1-5, 2011). Alas, Labor Day is a pretty popular time to get hitched and I’ve found myself out of town every year up to now and unable to attend this glorious tribute to everything pop culture, historical + science fictional. But now watch out world – there’s so much to do + see, especially for those who LOVE and adore everything vintage and retro. These are just a few little things I have on my MUST DO list …

Kessel & ATLRetro's Philip Nutman.

To Learn: If you’re a fan of burlesque and want to learn a background of the undergarments that slip off so gracefully, then Costumes of History is for you!! Enjoy a panel discussion, which includes Atlanta’s MUAH extraordinaire, Andrea Mast-Kessel.
Day + Time: Sun 11:30am-12:30pm
Where: Costume Track, M103-M105 (Marriott Marquis)

To Spend: Now that you know about the bustles, corsets, + petticoats, you’ll want to spend your money with Delicious Boutique. Delicious Boutique specializes in edgy and unique men’s and women’s independent designer lines such as Skingraft, Junker, Wild Card Leather and, of course, their own line of Delicious Corsets! Where: Dealers’ Exhibit Hall, Marquis Ballroom (Marriott Marquis)

Talloolah Love. Photo credit: Mark Turnley.

To Party: Hosted by none other than Voltaire and Atlanta’s own Talloolah Love, The Grand Pirate and Time Traveler’s Ball will be THE event to attend for the distinguished and refined person at Dragon*Con! So grab your first mate and biggest sword.
Day + Time: Sunday 8:30pm – Mon 1:00am
Where: Westin Peachtree Ballroom

To Dress Up: Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, was the first horror host ever to be syndicated nationally. It only makes sense that she’s the host of Dragon*Con’s very first Comic Book Babes Costume Contest. She’s a legend, and if your costume makes the cut – you will be legendary!!
Day + Time: Sat 8:30pm
Where: Centennial Ballroom I-III (Hyatt Regency)

Stormy Knight.

To Watch: Well, ladies, you’ll want to keep your comic book costumes on for Dragon*Con Cabaret. Produced by Stormy Knight, a leading lady in Syrens of the South Productions, this show features a bevy of burlesque honeys from across the nation performing classic-style burlesque acts as your favorite superheroes and villains! Harley Quinn! Poison Ivy! Dark Phoenix! Oh, my!  I’m way over-the-top excited to place a top hat on my head, as Mistress of Ceremonies, Zatanna Zatara!!
Day + Time: Sat 11:30pm – Sun 1:30am
Where: Regency Ballrooms 5 & 6 (Hyatt Regency)

By Philip Nutman
Contributing Blogger

Silver Scream Spookshow Presents DIE, MONSTER, DIE! (1965); Dir: Daniel Haller; Starring Boris Karloff; Sat. Aug. 27;  kids matinee at 1 PM (kids under 12 free & adults $7) and adult show at 10 PM(all tickets $12; Plaza Theatre; Trailer here.

Originally released by American International Pictures in 1965 on a double bill with Mario Bava’s  PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES, DIE, MONSTER, DIE (aka MONSTER OF TERROR) is another ’60s fright-fest loosely based on an H. P. Lovecraft story, in this case “The Color Out of Space.” The movie marks the directorial debut by former art director, Daniel Haller, who worked extensively with Roger Corman in the 50s and 60s, his distinctive design work adding to the atmospherics of  Corman’s THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (1960),  THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM (1961), THE PREMATURE BURIAL and TALES OF TERROR (both 1962), and a whole slew of other great old Corman/Vincent Price/AIP flicks we love here at ATLRetro.

Like the Corman/Poe films, DIE, MONSTER, DIE! follows the familiar narrative format of a stranger arriving in a strange town – in this case, Lovecraft’s infamous Arkham, transposed to a rural English setting – only to encounter hostility from the locals who shun the inhabitants of the Whitley estate. The stranger in question is Stephen Reinhart (THE GREEN SLIME’s Nick Adams), an American coming to visit his fiancé. Unable to rent even a bicycle to get to the mysterious house, Reinhart notices there’s something wrong with the vegetation the closer he gets to the Whitley place – and discovers a strange crater.

Managing to get into the grounds of the permanently fog-shrouded estate, Reinhart is rebuffed by Whitley patriarch, Nathum (Boris Karloff), but as soon as his daughter (and Reinhart’s love), Susan (Suzan Farmer, who went on to appear in Hammer’s DRACULA, PRINCE OF DARKNESS and RASPUTIN, THE MAD MONK, the following year) learns Stephen has suddenly shown up, the old man agrees to let him stay. Reinhart, it turns out, was summoned to the house by Susan’s mother, Lettia, who is dying a a strange disease which is making her waste away. The mother, played by Freda Jackson, another Hammer veteran (1960’s THE BRIDES OF DRACULA), confides that Helga, the housemaid, has disappeared, that there’s something strange growing/lurking in the greenhouse, and, fearing, for her daughter’s safety, begs Stephen to take her away. Of course, he agrees…by deciding to stay for a few days. Big mistake! And what about that mysterious meteorite Nathum has hidden in the basement?

DIE, MONSTER, DIE! is a fun film and a competent debut by Haller. It’s not the best Lovecraft adaptation (Haller’s  1970 THE DUNWICH HORROR is a much better H.P.- inspired film), and it’s not a great Karloff flick, either. But it’s always fantastic to see Uncle Boris on the big screen, especially at The Plaza, and particularly in the presence of Professor Morte and the Silver Scream Spookshow gang!