Photos from Fright Night Theatre presents A CADAVER CHRISTMAS

On December 16th, Horror in the Hammer brought some holiday Ho-Ho-Ho-Horror to Hamilton with its screening of the zombie comedy A Cadaver Christmas at The Staircase Cafe Theatre.

A Cadaver Christmas -- director Joe Zerull's loving homage to the grindhouse days of indie cinema (now available on DVD and VOD from Level 33 Entertainment) -- proved the perfect set piece for an early evening of fear and Christmas festivities. With stockings full of freebies from our sponsors at Burdin's Comics, Bayshore Hobbies, Crash Landing, and Alice Hearts Welsh Zombies, Horror in the Hammer made sure Christmas came early to every lucky boil and ghoul who joined us! 

The Host, Jay Winger, begins his holiday makeover at the hands of HITH director Aaron Allen

As horror fans gathered outside the main theatre for drinks and to buy their tickets for our raffle contest, Horror in the Hammer volunteers were as busy as Santa's elves setting up for the show. Unfortunately, The Host -- Jay Winger -- hadn't been seen since last month's screening of Snow Shark. Few people realize that, in order to transform into The Host and put on Fright Night Theatre, Jay must call upon the evil powers of his Shiny Pants. Last month, he forgot to revoke that power, and we feared that the evil of his pants had driven him to wanton acts of murder. Thankfully, Jay managed to stumble in before the show began. In order to suppress the dark power of the pants, Horror in the Hammer director Aaron Allen decided to subject Jay to a holiday wardrobe makeover. Nothing says "Christmas" like a knitted sweater adorned with Scottish Terriers and - yes - shoulder pads.

Makeover Complete. Shiny Pants powered-down.

With the power of the Shiny Pants in check, it was time to begin yet another fantastic Fright Night Theatre presentation.

Don't miss another show. Follow Horror in the Hammer on Facebook.

A big thanks is due to director Joe Zerull and everyone at Level 33 entertainment as well as everyone who came out for A Cadaver Christmas. Check out all the fun you missed in this photo gallery from December's show (photos by Kenny Pereira of Shout Studio).

CLICK FOR HIGHER RESOLUTION

Horror fans assemble at The Staircase Cafe Theatre

Aaron draws the winner for our first prize pack

Tina working her box office magic.

Fright Night attendees, just slightly more traumatized than when they came in

Two Fright Night patrons with impeccable horror trivia knowledge.

Did they survive? That's for the courts to decide.

Aaron and Jay draw for our Christmas gift packs

BLOOD IN THE SNOW: Kelly Michael Stewart talks Horror from Canada's Newest Genre Film Festival

Canada's a pretty scary place, eh?

Sure, people think we're all nice and polite up here, sipping our Tim Horton's and watching our hockey, but if you look at the genre films that are steadily sneaking out of Canada, it's hard to deny that there's something wonderfully macabre happening in the independent Canadian film community. And there's no better proof of Canada's claim on the creepy than the Blood in the Snow Canadian Film Festival.

Festival Director: Kelly Michael Stewart

Earlier this month, Toronto's The Projection Booth theatre played host to the first annual Blood in the Snow Canadian Film Festival -- a three-day showcase of some of the best new horror and genre films to come from our home and native land. Horror in the Hammer was able wrangle festival director and Fangoria writer Kelly Michael Stewart for a little post-festival chat and a run-down of what's hot in Canadian horror.

***

HORROR IN THE HAMMER: So, now that the first year of Blood in the Snow has ended, let's go back to the beginning. What was your inspiration for starting the festival?

KELLY MICHAEL STEWART: Well I have been writing for Fangoria and more recently for Planet Fury, which led to me hosting my own monthly movie night at the Projection Booth theatre in Toronto called Fright Nights. That has been going on for about a year now, and during that time I would get submissions for content from all walks of life, but much of it was Canadian content. I had so much great content on my plate for the fall season it occurred to me that I would need to expand it to an entire weekend to show all the films on my plate. So that led things organically to making it into a film festival. Thus Blood in the Snow was born.

HITH: For decades, Canada has been a simmering birthing ground for cinematic horror. Why do you think that is, and what does Canadian horror bring to the table that we don't see in other genre offerings?

KMS: In Canada it tends to come in waves, but overall it's a good breeding ground for it because horror films aren't really expensive to make compared to other genres.

What has happened in the past few years to help nurture this local talent is that two of the four major horror publications are produced mainly out of Canada. First of course Rue Morgue but since Chris Alexander took over Fangoria magazine three years ago he has been making the magazine out of his underground lab in Oakville. The magazine is still published out of New York but he has also brought on a number of more local writers like myself, Lianne Spiderbaby and Dave Pace that have given some more attention to emerging Canadian content. Other festivals have certainly paved the way as well like Fantasia and Toronto After Dark.

L-R:  Gabriel Carrer, Chad Archibald, Kelly Michael Stewart,
Robert Nolan, Navin Ramaswaran and Ryan M. Andrews.

HITH: Independent Canadian films produce their fair share of bloody and disturbing movies. In your opinion, who are some of the indie creators and talent in Canada that horror fans should be keeping their eyes on?

Fangoria editor-in-chief and
Blood for Irina director Chris Alexander

KMS: Well obviously I need to mention the filmmakers in my festival like Gabriel Carrer, Christopher Harrison, Chris Alexander, Ryan Nicholson and Ryan M. Andrews, but what is amazing is that Blood in the Snow 2012 really just scratches the surface. Justin McConnell (The Collapsed) is working a major feature with Michael Biehn that I am excited about. The Foresight team (Monster Brawl/Exit Humanity) up in Collingwood of Jesse Cook, John Geddes, and Matthew Wiele has no less than three features in the can that will be out in 2013. Also I can't forget the Astron-6 boys (Father's Day/Manborg) who are like nothing else out there right now. It’s an exciting time in Canadian cinema and things are just getting started.

HITH: Of all the films that you screened, which do you think shocked the audience most? Which do you think were the most surprising?

KMS: Well, planning a festival, you never know what is going to hit and what is going to miss. Both Sick and In the House of Flies were expected to debut to packed houses and they both delivered. Once and a while you get a film that might be a little more dangerous though. In dangerous I mean the audience just might not get it. The risky choice for me this year, hands down, was Blood for Irina. This European-styled art film was done completely without dialogue and shot in an intentionally deliberate and static way. It has either has won awards or had walkouts depending on the audience. In our case the audience really embraced it. People packed the theatre and it got an excellent reaction (winning Best Music Score), so it was a relief to end the festival on such a high note.

HITH: It's never too early to think about the future. Any plans or machinations you can let us in on for BLOOD IN THE SNOW 2013?

Plans are in the works for BITS 2013 for sure. The festival was too successful to make it a one-time event. We are just going over ideas right now and we should have some news to announce likely in early 2013, but it would be safe to say that you'll hear more from us really soon. The blood has just hit the snow.

Click for more Fright Nights events at The Projection Booth.

Interview: Joe Zerull (dir. A CADAVER CHRISTMAS) - Part Two

Interview with Joe Zerull

(director A Cadaver Christmas)- 
Part 2

[ START WITH PART ONE ]

We're only a few days away from our Fright Night Theatre screening of the zombie horror/comedy A Cadaver Christmas on December 16, so it's time to get into the zombie-killing holiday spirit.

To further jingle your bells and frost your snow man, we bring you part two of our interview with A Cadaver Christmas director Joe Zerull that we started over on The Zed Word - Zombie Blog. In Part One, Zerull describes the origins of A Cadaver Christmas. Now, in Part Two, learn about some of the setbacks that threatened to derail the project.

***

HORROR IN THE HAMMER: The music in A Cadaver Christmas has an amazing grindhouse / spaghetti Western feel. Who was involved in shaping the sound-scape of the film and how did you all work together to get the right sound you wanted for the movie?

JOE ZERULL: The music was a tricky thing for us because our first guy we hired decided to retire before we were even finished filming the movie.  His influences and style fit exactly what I was looking for…you can hear his music in our first teaser trailer we did while we were still shooting the film…it is pretty awesome.



We scrambled to find someone else to fit the bill, which delayed the completion of the film for about a year…but the music was such an important element for us that we knew we couldn't rush it.  We didn't want to just slap in pre-produced music…and we wanted a reoccurring theme in the music throughout the movie as well, and William Campbell provided that for us.

But since we were a smaller budget film, Cadaver was on the back burner for him so we hired another composer, Josh Weitzel, to add in elements and fill in the professor's flashback scenes as well as other pieces including the end credit music. Both William and Josh did incredible jobs on the film, and I think/hope their two different styles blend together seamlessly.

HITH: Hanlon Smith-Dorsey is exceptionally funny and endearing in A Cadaver Christmas. How did he get involved in the short and the feature? In what ways did he put his stamp on the character of Tom?

JZ: Dan [Rairdin-Hale, the star of A Cadaver Christmas] and Hanlon became good friends in graduate school…and I knew Dan from college before that, so when it came time to do another short film for the 48 Hour Film Project, Dan brought Hanlon along. He did an awesome job in the short, and he was very fun to work with.

Hanlon has a very lovable quality about him that just makes you laugh out loud, and Dan did a great job of writing to Hanlon's strengths during that janitor's closet scene.

Hanlon also added a lot of extra depth to his character for the film that better explains the way he is, which we ultimately decided to cutout because it didn't fit very well into the movie…but his performance was great in those cut scenes. Hanlon's stamp is all over this movie, and it goes beyond the character of Tom. 

It was very hard to get this film made with the lack of money we had, and if it wasn't for people on set like Hanlon motivating us through the days, helping move equipment, etc. - we wouldn't have ever finished it. 

He really needs to be in more films.  The drunk has definitely been the fan favorite in most festival screenings I've attended

HITH: If you got caught in the zombie apocalypse this holiday season, what holiday decoration would you use to defend yourself?

JZ: Probably a stocking full of coal

-------------------

Don't forget to come see A Cadaver Christmas for yourself at the last Fright Night Theatre of 2012! Tickets are still available at Crash Landing and Bayshore Hobbies, or available at the door at The Staircase Cafe Theatre (27 Dundurn St. North) on December 16th. We have so many prizes to give out and raffle that you'd think they fell off the back of Santa's sleigh.

Don't be a Grinch! See you there.

WIN free ticket to see A CADAVER CHRISTMAS in Hamilton (Dec 16)

Ready to deck the halls with boughs of gory?

Horror in the Hammer is giving away two (2) free tickets to see our holiday screening of the zombie Chrismas horror/comedy A CADAVER CHRISTMAS

On December 16th, Fright Night Theatre brings A Cadaver Christmas to the Hammer for a night of holiday cheer with lots of door prizes and raffles to be won.

A Cadaver Christmas is the story of a janitor, town drunk, and discraced cop who must save Christmas from flesh-hungry zombies. If you love Grindhouse, Hobo with a Shotgun, and The Evil Dead series, come stuff your cinematic stocking with A Cadaver Chrismas at The Staircase Cafe Theatre (27 Dundurn St. North).

HOW TO WIN

1.) Like Horror in the Hammer FB page
2.) Join the Fright Night Theatre: A Cadaver Christmas event page
3.) On the event page wall, post your answer to this question: "Which Christmas decoration would you use to kill a zombie?"

On December 14th, we'll pick two winner at random.  

Meet the Hamilton Zombie Walk Makeup Artists

On October 27th, Hamilton was invaded by flesh-hungry undead for the Hamilton Zombie Walk. To help bring these zombies to (un)life, Horror in the Hammer was joined by a crack team of makeup volunteers to establish a zombification station at The Central Library. 

Let's meet the team!

LISA KRALICK

Lisa Kralick is a graduate of Versailles Academy of Makeup Arts and Esthetics and Mohawk College. She has been interested in the Makeup Arts for over 20 years and has volunteered her services at Cable 14 studios in Ottawa , ON as well as CHCH Studios here in Hamilton, ON. She is currently working on her portfolio and website and is very interested in being involved and working in the Special Effects Makeup side of the Industry. Her  favorite horror movies include : A Nightmare on Elm Street, Saw, Dawn of the Dead and Night of the Living Dead. For more of her work, visit Lisa on Facebook: www.facebook.com/lisa.kralick or send her an email.

CHRISTI FEDECKY

This blood-slinger has over five years of experience working on over 20 short films throughout Southern Ontario as a prop master, mold maker and special effects makeup artist. A Sheridan College graduate, Christi Fedecky hooked up with the Hamilton horde to bring the undead to life at this year’s Zombie Walk. Don’t let the dead things in her basement scare you though; Christi also specializes in puppet and prop building. Check out her online portfolio and follow her on Twitter: @dashafterdash



CATHARINE RHODES

In addition to providing her makeup skills to the 2012 Hamilton Zombie Walk, Catharine Rhodes works at Professional Events Management, a company specializing in planing services for weddings, parties, and other large events.



Thanks again to all our amazing Hamilton Zombie Walk volunteers that helped make our 2012 march of the walking dead such a bloody success!

THE LIFE ZONE (Review)

THE LIFE ZONE (2011)

review by AARON ALLEN

Directed by Rod Weber
Written by Ken Del Vecchio

Starring Robert Loggia, Lindsey Haun, Angela Little, Blanche Baker, Nina Transfeld
-------------------------------------------

Abortion is one of the most divisive debates in North American culture. 

It's a complex and sensitive topic that brings into conflict some of the most important issues of the day: science, religion, gender, and reproductive freedoms. In the right hands, these cultural tensions could be the perfect ground for a truly shocking and socially gut-wrenching horror film. Along comes The Life Zone, a highly controversial film about three kidnapped women forced to give birth against their will. Despite marketing itself as a horror movie (think Saw or Human Centipede with a religious bent), The Life Zone's marketing material hides its true face: a poorly written, pro-life Christian polemic with one of the most bizarre and offensive twist-endings I've ever seen.  

Nina Transfeld discovers she needs a higher thread count

As the film opens, three female strangers wake up together in a large room with no escape. The women (played respectively by Lindsey Huan, Nina Transfeld, and former Playboy model Angela Little), we learn, are pregnant. The last thing they remember is going into clinics to receive abortions. Now, they are the captives of a mysterious man on a TV (Robert Loggia) and a pro-life OB/GYN (Dr. Wise played by Blanche Baker). For the next nine months, they will be forced to bring their babies to term. Locked in a room and unable to determine their location, the women have also been implanted with electronic devices that will incapacitate them if they attempt to escape. Regardless of their choices or beliefs, they will be forced to give birth.

The Life Zone is not a good movie. Please do not be mislead by the marketing or by the faint praise I'm about to give it. This movie is an insult to both the debate over abortion and to the technical craft of storytelling and character development, but I have to admit that the premise is a fascinating twist on a modern horror formula. Instead of kidnapping victims and making them commit heinous acts upon themselves or others in order to survive, these women have been kidnapped so they can be kept in good health and do what most of us would agree is something that comes naturally -- giving birth. For some reason, that subversion of their free will to reproductive biology is theoretically more terrifying than any torturous puzzle Jigsaw could come up with. It's at this point, however, that The Life Zone ceases to have anything worthwhile to offer.

"I'm not Charlie, and you sure as hell ain't my angels."

Like the Left Behind films, The Life Zone is not really a movie. It's a political argument pretending to be a story. The three women are incredibly weak characters who are reduced to talking heads for a sexist representation of women and pro-choice talking points. If we can parse some kind of message about women from these characters, it's that women are either sinful yet repentant children led astray, duplicitous and mercenary beauties, or bitter and careless girls who reject the maternal and feminine. Sure, horror movies are known for their stereotypes, but the only thing horrific about The Life Zone is its evocation of so many right-wing depictions and straw-women arguments used to prop up anti-abortion arguments.

Even worse, there's absolutely nothing interesting or scary or entertaining about this movie. I can't think of anyone who would call 80 minutes of characters discussing abortion in overwrought, unnaturally phrased dialogue a good time. Most of the time, the women sit around eating while watching one-sided movies and tinpot documentaries about abortion that take on increasingly pro-life conclusions. Yes, you too get to experience the mind-numbing boredom of enduring right-wing, Christian propaganda alongside the characters. Even when The Life Zone attempts to be scary in nightmare dream sequences that the women share, these sequences are tainted with a vague racism and xenophobia. These abortion-seeking women dream of swarming insects, Nazi imagery, and violent animals that is inter-spliced with footage of African tribes people and a Chinese dragon celebration. Uh...ok. Later, the women share a dream about men telling them to abort while women scream at them to abort in foreign languages. Yeah.

The joys of forced child birth

The real kicker comes at the end when director Weber and writer Del Vecchio lob a real stinker of a twist that even career suicide specialist M. Night Shyamalan wouldn't touch with a ten-foot-pole. The twist is neither coherent nor marked by any signposts outside of a pre-existing Christian context, and it only serves to drive home the movie's insultingly reductive pro-life ideology

HIGHLIGHT FOR SPOILERS

After all three women go into simultaneous labour, Staci (Huan) -- the one woman who has fought most consistently against the pro-life ideology of her captors -- refuses to accept her babies while the other mothers give in to their maternal inclinations. The other mothers literally disappear from the movie in maternal bliss leaving our poor pro-choice heroine to discover that she's somehow become pregnant again. Turns out, as Robert Loggia explains in a ham-fisted exposition dump, Staci and Dr. Wise have been in hell all along. Wait for it: Robert Loggia is the devil! In hell, Staci and the OB/GYN will be forced to live out an eternity of constant birth and delivery because Staci had an abortion. Dr. Wise, on the other hand, is damned for committing suicide after her marriage fell apart because she was infertile. So what's the message here? The only good way to live is to have babies. If you avoid motherhood or make the choice to have an abortion, you're damned to hell. If you can't have a child, your life is pretty much over as no one will love you and your husband and parents will consider your life a failure. But if motherhood is supposed to be such a divine thing, why is it used as a punishment in hell? The thrust of the film is as muddled and clunky as its script, but one thing is clear: The Life Zone considers women and women's issues about as important and complex as what comes out of their vaginas.

No matter what side of the abortion debate you find yourself, you'll be hardup to find anything entertaining, scary, or edifying from this movie's clattering script of mind-numbing propaganda and fear-mongering twists.

The Life Zone is now available on VOD and will hit DVD shelves December 11th.