CHICAGO – Excelsior! Comic book legend Stan Lee’s famous exclamation puts a fine point on the third and final play of Mark Pracht’s FOUR COLOR TRILOGY, “The House of Ideas,” presented by and staged at City Lit Theater in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood. For tickets/details, click HOUSE OF IDEAS.
Horror
Interview, Audio: Trey Edward Shults Directs ‘It Comes at Night’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 7, 2017 - 12:44pmCHICAGO – In 2016, a new filmmaker voice made its way into the scene, and it was significant. Trey Edward Shults released his debut film “Krisha,” a shattering story of addiction and its effect on family. The film got him a deal with the distributor/producer A24, and his sophomore effort – the horror/thriller “It Comes at Night” – will be released on June 9th, 2017.
Film News: Asian Pop-Up Cinema Presents Zombie Thriller ‘Train to Busan’ on Apr. 19, 2017
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 17, 2017 - 4:42pmCHICAGO – The fourth season of Chicago’s Asian Pop-Up Cinema series continues with a screening of the popular South Korean film “Train to Busan,” on Wednesday, April 19th, 2017, at the AMC River East Theatre in downtown Chicago. “Busan,” directed by Yeon Sang-Ho, broke box office records in major Asian cities when it was first released last year. For complete details and to purchase tickets, click here.
Film Review: ‘Get Out’ is Funny, Scary & Tells Us About Us
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 24, 2017 - 11:11amCHICAGO – When he got his chance, writer/director Jordan Peele (“Key & Peele”) completely understood what he had to do – combine his skewered hilarity, love of horror movies and true social conscience, and put them all into one great movie. Ladies and germs, “Get Out.”
Slideshow: ‘Days of the Dead’ Convention in Chicagoland, Nov. 18-20, 2016
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 18, 2016 - 11:42amCHICAGO – The “Days of the Dead” convention is an annual event in Chicagoland and elsewhere, that brings together admirers of the horror film genre, cult movies enthusiasts, vendors and panel discussions related to it all. Several celebrities also attend the event, including Alice Cooper, Ric Flair, Judge Reinhold and Shannon Elizabeth. The 2016 convention is being held this weekend – Nov. 18-20 – at the Chicago Schaumburg Marriott in Schaumburg, Ill. (see details below).
Film Review: ‘Don’t Breathe’ is a Terrifying Sensory Experience
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 27, 2016 - 6:21pmCHICAGO – The horror genre can be a complex creature. The great films can show you the difference between ‘horror’ and ‘terror’. Some horror is all shock and no substance, while terror can be all fear, but no shock. The difference between them is so nuanced that only a skilled director, like Fede Alvarez, can show you the difference in his latest film, “Don’t Breathe.”
Interview: Actor Stephen Lang, Director Fede Alvarez Advise You to ‘Don’t Breathe’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 26, 2016 - 4:35amCHICAGO – The horror genre in film is always looking for a shot in the old fear factor, and the new release “Don’t Breathe” delivers that injection (heh-heh). The second film by director Fede Alvarez (“Evil Dead”) features character actor favorite Stephen Lang – he prefers “Slang.” The film opens nationwide on August 26th.
Entertainment News: Chandler Riggs of ‘The Walking Dead’ at Walker Stalker Con in Chicago From May 28-29, 2016
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 27, 2016 - 2:31pmCHICAGO – It’s promoted as “for fans, by fans” and the Walker Stalker Con delivers the goods for those admirers of all things zombie, horror and cult based. The celebrities – including Chandler Riggs of AMC Network’s “The Walking Dead” – the exclusive talks/panels, the photo ops and the floor “walkers” themselves, will create an atmosphere of fun and dread at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill., on Saturday and Sunday, May 28th and 29th, 2016.
Interview: Directors Chris Lofing, Travis Cluff Swing on ‘The Gallows’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 8, 2015 - 8:10pmCHICAGO – Horror films have many players, but few contenders. Writer/directors Chris Lofing and Travis Cluff debut with “The Gallows,” a “found footage” movie about a force that haunts a typical American high school, complete with familiar student types, and touches on the mysteries of unresolved events and their backlash.
Film Review: Gothic Originality in ‘We Are What We Are’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 12, 2013 - 8:01amCHICAGO – Finding something truly original in the horror genre is rare. The most effective scare tactics are ones that touch the heart of our familiarity and psychosis. Re-imagining a Mexican film from 2010, director Jim Mickle gets right to the gothic heart of it all in “We Are What We Are.”
Interview: Director Jim Mickle of ‘We Are What We Are’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 7, 2013 - 5:35pmCHICAGO – One of the more unique horror film stories is in the upcoming release of “We Are What We Are,” a re-imagining of a 2010 Mexican film, co-written and directed by Jim Mickle. In moving the story to America, Mickle changes the mood of how the rituals transpire, and attaches those rituals to extreme religion.