Dave Alexander was imported from Deadmonton, Alberta in 2005 to become Rue Morgue’s Managing Editor. A film studies grad, award-winning short film-maker and former Editor-in-Chief of the University of Alberta student paper, he co-programs CineMacabre movie nights, and works on scripts in his spare time.
“What is Shirt Punch?” you say?
Is that when someone jerseys you by flipping your T-shirt over your head, smashing you in the face and laughing manically as you stumble around?
Not quite. It’s actually a new site that offers pop-culture-themed T-shirts with the twist that a new design is offered daily and only available for 24 hours. Tomorrow’s design is aimed squarely at fans of The Walking Dead, as you can see, and we’ve got the exclusive sneak peek.
Ti West’s The Innkeepers Opens Feb 3rd at TIFF Bell Lightbox in Toronto and you can win one of six double passes to attend the 9pm premiere. All ya gotta do is send an email to marketing@tiff.net with the answer to the following question…
Those mad creators of documentaries about the cool and arcane have posted their latest, a look into the arcane goings on in the Big Apple. Presenting The Midnight Archive‘s Occult New York, Parts 1 and 2.
Mike Nordstrom of Burlington, Vermont is obsessed with Garamon, a monster from 1960s Japanese TV that looks like a Muppet crossed with a turtle crossed with a barnacle. So obsessed that he has a blog dedicated to the creature (and its “recycled alter-ego” named Pygmon), called Garamania.
His love of the kaiju critter has also led him to launch an art show dedicated to it, called Garamaniacal, which will take place at the FOE Store & Gallery in Western Massachusetts from February 10 to March 4. The opening night takes place from 6 k – 9 on the 10th (full details here).
Rue Morgue contributor and 3-D expert Jason Pichonsky checks in with a look at the latest tech treat for 3-D fans, 3-D TV, to see what it offers horror fans. This time: a remake of an ’80s classic.
As a fan of the original Fright Night, I didn’t expect much from this remake – yet another re-imagining of an ’80s horror classic in the long line of retreads mining the decade’s horror gold. As a teen of the era, I saw a direct reflection of myself in the film’s protagonist, Charley Brewster, and I didn’t imagine this adaptation would hold up to affection for the original. I did however have high hopes for the 3-D viewing experience. After all, Hollywood’s current flirtation with 3-D movies is now over three years old, proving it to be more that a fad. Isn’t it? And this new version, Fright Night 3-D, was designed for and shot in true 3-D. So the 3-D should be spot on. Shouldn’t it?.
Ronni Thomas of The Midnight Archive dropped us a line to share this short doc they made about the Grand Guignol theatre in Paris. There are some fantastic stills in it, as well as some solid info from their expert. Did you know that men were more likely to faint during a Grand Guignol production than women? Watch The Grand Guignol to find out why.
Good-bye to a true original. It was an a honour to have him at the 2010 Festival of Fear. That’s him in the middle, flanked by David Cronenberg and myself.
More info on Ken Russell’s life and career here, here and here.
I’ve been going on about how much I like the cover for the first issue of Dark Horse’s adaptation of Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan’s The Strain — it reminds me of Justin’s art and has that same shadowy, sinister look to the illustration.
Well, lo and behold, I stumbled across this blog post today that shows the evolution of it, which includes the rough first sketches, alternate concepts and, of course, the final product.
Go to the Dark Horse site to see the rest, and try not to think about these creatures making out with your mom…
Zoinks, Scoob’! The folks behind the Year of the Dead calendar, featuring zombie babes in beachwear, are giving away five of their 2012 calendars, so you can tack one up at home or at work and get disapproving looks all year around. If this appeals to your sick bastard sensibilities, all you have to do is the following:
Send an email to theyearofthedead@gmail.com with the subject line Year of the Dead/Rue Morgue contest and tell ‘em your idea for a future Year of the Dead zombie babe photo shoot. For example: “I’d like to see an undead beach babe in a deck chair sipping brains out of some guy’s skull like it was a piña colada.” Or, “Show me a trio of zombie girls washing a hot rod with bloody water.”
Happy Halloween, everyone!
It’s also Rue Morgue‘s birthday, and to celebrate we’re hosting a screening of the extended cut of the original My Bloody Valentine, with cast and crew in attendance, at the TIFF Bell Lightbox in down town Toronto (corner of King and John) this evening at 6:30. (More details here.)
Slasher films don’t get much more fun, or Canadian, than My Bloody Valentine, and this is your chance to see it like it’s never been seen before on the big screen, with a crisp picture, all the benefits of the killer sound system at the Lightbox and several of the deleted gore scenes put back in the film. After the screening, we’ll have a Q&A with director George Mihalka and several other crew and cast members. Plus, we’ll have a few other treats for audience members too. Join us for a Harry Warden Halloween tonight!
This (Thursday) evening, Rue Morgue and TIFF are co-presenting the first in a series of del Toro screenings. It begins at 7pm at the Lightbox with In Conversation With… Guillermo del Toro, which is exactly what the title implies. If you’ve ever heard him talk, you know the man is a fount of insight and a great storyteller. (Details here) After that he’ll be introducing an Italian film he programmed called L’arcano incantatore.
In addition, we’re showing two of his early features at the Lightbox this coming Sunday: Cronos and The Devil’s Backbone.
October’s CineMacabre is upon us, and holy paternal violation is it ever a sweet one. Well, maybe sickly sweet is a better description…
We’ve got the WORLD PREMIERE of Father’s Day — the exploitation explosion courtesy the Astron-6 film collective based out of Winnipeg — playing TONIGHT as part of the Toronto After Dark Film Festival, at the too-perfect venue of The Toronto Underground Cinema. More details here at the TADFF page.
Now, the term “exploitation explosion” gets used quite a bit, but it couldn’t be more appropriate here, as the film crams in so much violence, nudity, gore, sex, horror, chainsaws, demons, shotguns, outrageous dialogue, maple syrup, jaw-droppingly dangerous stunts and grindhouse references that you may need a Purell shower after watching it, just to feel clean again — that is, if you want to…
If you haven’t heard, Drafthouse Films is releasing a project called The ABCs of Death, in which 25 established horror filmmakers from all over the world each make a short film, in which someone dies horribly, based around a different letter of the alphabet. “But wait!” you say, “There are 26 letters in the alphabet, dummy!” Correct…
“What is Shirt Punch?” you say?
Ti West’s The Innkeepers Opens Feb 3rd at TIFF Bell Lightbox in Toronto and you can win one of six double passes to attend the 9pm premiere. All ya gotta do is send an email to marketing@tiff.net with the answer to the following question…
Mike Nordstrom of Burlington, Vermont is obsessed with Garamon, a monster from 1960s Japanese TV that looks like a Muppet crossed with a turtle crossed with a barnacle. So obsessed that he has a blog dedicated to the creature (and its “recycled alter-ego” named Pygmon), called 
Rue Morgue contributor and 3-D expert Jason Pichonsky checks in with a look at the latest tech treat for 3-D fans, 3-D TV, to see what it offers horror fans. This time: a remake of an ’80s classic.
I’ve been going on about how much I like the cover for the first issue of Dark Horse’s adaptation of Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan’s The Strain — it reminds me of Justin’s art and has that same shadowy, sinister look to the illustration.
Happy Halloween, everyone!
This (Thursday) evening, Rue Morgue and TIFF are co-presenting the first in a series of del Toro screenings. It begins at 7pm at the Lightbox with In Conversation With… Guillermo del Toro, which is exactly what the title implies. If you’ve ever heard him talk, you know the man is a fount of insight and a great storyteller. (Details 
October’s CineMacabre is upon us, and holy paternal violation is it ever a sweet one. Well, maybe sickly sweet is a better description…
If you haven’t heard, Drafthouse Films is releasing a project called The ABCs of Death, in which 25 established horror filmmakers from all over the world each make a short film, in which someone dies horribly, based around a different letter of the alphabet. “But wait!” you say, “There are 26 letters in the alphabet, dummy!” Correct… 
