Zombies Strike in Bridgeport! Next Up? Vampires...

 
It has been my pleasure to welcome Bridgeport to the Vault of Horror, and I hope to be able to do so for some time to come. Coming fresh off my second monthly installment of BEDLAM AT THE BIJOU in the city's historic downtown district, I have to say it is just about the most fun I've ever had. Sharing my passion for horror with like-minded individuals, and opening the minds of intelligent folks giving it a chance for the first time? Count me in!

And speaking of "Count", that brings to mind my *next* BATB presentation, happening next month on Thursday, November 15. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

The Bedlam faithful take in the undead goodness.

The Captain in human guise prepares to bloody up some moviegoers.

Last Thursday night, I had the privilege of screening a zombie double feature made up of White Zombie and The Last Man on Earth (yes, I know it's technically not a zombie film, but anyone who's seen it knows why I included it.) Just like my first Godzilla/Them double feature last month, it was truly a blast bringing these flicks back to the big screen with fans old and new on hand. I cannot thank those who came out to support the event enough.

I am especially grateful to the Bijou's tireless Molly Ann Sabas, who put up with all my anal retentive crap and made sure everything ran smoothly from a technical standpoint. I was very excited to see my zombie-themed photo montage pre-show flash on the big screen prior to the movies. I must also thank the amazing Chad Anderson, who took more great pictures of the event, and Michael Barnes, who designed another fantastic poster for the event (I'm officially stealing a copy of every poster he creates for BATB!).

One of our adventurous patrons gets zombified by Cruella!

Dr. Paffenroth drops some zombie knowledge.

The lovely Captain Cruella was on-hand to zombify a few of our patrons right there in the Bijou's sumptuous lobby, and the Bram Stoker Award-winning author and good friend Dr. Kim Paffenroth made the trek all the way from Westchester to be my special Q&A guest. Just as it was last month, the Q&A was my favorite part of the evening, and I got a huge kick out of some of the very thought-provoking questions that were asked and answered.

And what can I say about seeing Bela and Lugosi and Vincent Price up on the big screen? These movies will never be as enjoyable as they are in an environment like this, and the Bijou is such a beautiful venue for it. I'm not sure what was more enjoyable--feeling the excitement of long-time fans as they witnessed these movies 20 feet high, or watching the rapt discovery of those who had never seen, or maybe even heard of them, before.

I was proud to discuss the unique cultural zombie phenomenon at length, and will be equally proud next month when BEDLAM AT THE BIJOU returns with my next double feature: "The Count Begins". I cleverly called it that because I'll be screening a double feature of the first two screen adaptations of Bram Stoker's Dracula: the original 1922 Nosferatu, and the classic 1931 Universal film Dracula. I'll be joined by another great horror non-fiction author, Paul Bibeau--whose book Sundays with Vlad proves what a Dracula aficionado he is. I'm also working on scoring some live musical accompaniment for Nosferatu, which should be enthralling. And of course, what would a Dracula double feature be without some wine specials? After all, he may never drink it, but that doesn't mean we can't.

The good Doctor and myself.

Sharing the stage with our newly minted zombies.

So I hope you'll join me for the next BEDLAM AT THE BIJOU, coming up Thursday, November 15 at 7pm. If you love these movies, or want to discover them for the first time, I encourage you to come down to the Bijou Theatre. For more info, check out the Bijou website!

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VAULT VLOG: Be a Part of the 1st-Ever Zombie Cruise!!

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Village Invasion 3: The Hudson Valley Apocalypse Cometh

Striking a pose at the original Village Invasion.

Back in October 2010, I had the distinct privilege of witnessing something truly amazing in the horror community: The birth of a grassroots "cosplay" event that would eventually grow to become the Northeast's premiere zombie-themed extravaganza. It was the Saugerties Village Invasion Zombie Crawl, conceived and hosted by the one and only Captain Cruella of the Carnivorous Cadavers. I got to cover the event for Fangoria, and enjoy the proceedings with a little glimpse behind the undead curtain, if you will. In a word, it was thrilling.

And now, fast forward two years, and yours truly is officially a part of the event itself, as the 3rd Annual Village Invasion, like W.B. Yeats' rough beast, slouches toward the Village of Saugerties to be born. Things are moving quickly, as this unique event takes shape, and I've got a front row seat for it all.

So what is this Village Invasion, you may ask. 

Well, it happens to be an event which takes place every year in the heart of Saugerties in New York's Ulster County. Masses of zombie fanatics come dressed in their ghoulish best and mob the streets like a scene from Day of the Dead or any of your other favorite living dead opuses. Local businesses stay open all night, offering specials to the passersby. Live music, public readings...you name it. Take a pub crawl, add in zombies, expand it to the tenth degree, and you can begin to get a notion of what the Village Invasion Zombie Crawl is all about.

 

This year, the whole thing is literally bigger and better than ever--and that's not just hyperbole. The good Captain has an official sponsor this time--the Village Apothecary, located right in downtown Saugerties. It's owned and operated by Neil "Chip" Smoller, who has swooped in to help take the Invasion quite literally to the next level this year, with billboards, radio spots and more in the works. The newly minted Invasion board of directors also includes one Perri Naccarato, who has become known by Invasion partygoers for the vintage horror flicks he projects on the massive wall outside his store, The Computer Guys.

In fact, Village Invasion is now officially a non-profit organizaiton, and the whole shebang will be raising money to help rebuild and revamp Small World Playground, a local spot frequented by kids from the Boys & Girls Club and other tykes in the surrounding vicinity. In short, it's caring through sharing, folks, and what red-blooded horror fan wouldn't want to be a part of that?

So when is it happening?

Glad you asked. That would be Saturday, October 20, from 6 to 11pm. This year, the streets of downtown Saugerties will be closed off to automobiles, meaning the zombies will have free reign to roam like never before. And given the annual tradition of the costume contest, that means competition will be hotter than ever as these wannabe ghouls high-step it around town. Past years have given us some outrageous ghouls indeed, so I'm pretty curious as to what our costumed meatbags have in store this time around.

Nearby hotels will be filling up fast, so if you're looking to stay the night, start thinking about getting a room (the local Comfort Inn will actually be setting up a special event rate, so stay tuned for that.)

If you'd like to find out more about the Village Invasion, the brand new website is now live (though still being "fleshed" out.) There is also a new Facebook page, as well as an official Twitter feed you can follow. Check them out here:

VillageInvasion.com
Village Invasion Facebook page
Village Invasion Twitter feed

And as always, feel free to keep tabs on Captain Cruella herself through the various online domains in which she has her meathooks, from Facebook to Twitter to the Cruella's Crypt blog.

Thousands of people are preparing to descend upon Saugerties for the biggest zombie confab this side of the Monroeville Mall. It will be an event you won't want to miss--truly Bigger, Badder and Bloodier than ever. I'm honored to be a part of it, and I hope to see you there!

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VAULT VLOG: Zombelina & Skeleton Jack at the Monster Truck Rally of DOOM

Never let it be said that my progeny are not exposed to the finest in culture--popular culture, that is. And this time, they were treated to an epic monster truck battle which left them flabbergasted, awestruck, and most importantly, ready to vlog. Why vlog, you ask? Well, because these were monster trucks of course, and that certainly makes the whole experience most relevant to The Vault of Horror, wouldn't you say? (Just go with it, trust me.)

And so, without further ado, I give you the return of Zombelina and Skeleton Jack, recounting their experience earlier this month at the Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam in Bridgeport, CT...

BEHOLD THE GRAVEDIGGER! (the miniature foam version, anyway...)

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Special Teaser for Visions from the Vault: The Dark Poetry of H.P. Lovecraft!

I'm quite passionate about H.P. Lovecraft, and have recently also become quite passionate about public reading. So when Ashley Drewes of the amazing Sugartown Vintage Boutique in Saugerties, New York offered me the opportunity to combine the two, it was kind of a no-brainer. And so was born, Visions from the Vault: The Dark Poetry of H.P. Lovecraft!

Lovecraft is known first and foremost as a prose writer, so I figured it might be interesting to spotlight some of his verse--not to mention more digestible for the attention-span challenged and HPL newbies. I've got an eclectic lineup of Lovecraft poems I'm looking to read come Saturday, April 9 at Sugartown, and the Captain and I are anxious for any opportunity to return to the lovely land of Saugerties, anyway.

In the meantime, as you await the event with bated breath, take a listen to this little promo Ashley and I put together. You might say I was channeling my inner Vincent Price just a bit...

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How I Ate My Heart Out for Valentine's Day.

Horror fans have a unique way of celebrating Valentine's Day. For a classic example, look no further than the series of Zombie Love Songs that recently were shared here in the Vault. We just have to inject a bit of gallow's humor to make it palatable, and that's more than okay with me.

Another case in point would be the recent event held at the Sugartown Vintage Boutique in idyllic Saugerties, New York, which I was honored to be a part of a couple weeks ago. I got to parade around in some outlandish Mr. Ferley-esque and Henry Hill-ish duds, which was certainly a blast. But at the center of the festivities was the ghastly and gorgeous Captain Cruella, who graced the store with her presence for the purpose of a zombified makeup demonstration. The event was called, appropriately enough, "Eat Your Heart Out".

"I was looking for away I could pool my talents and the talents of Captain Cruella to bring attention to the store, to bring people into the store," said Ashley Drewes, owner and proprietor of Sugartown. "She's a fantastic makeup artist, so I thought it would be really great to have a glamorous event where she demonstrated her makeup, and also an opportunity for people to try on vintage clothing, and have a professional photographer come in and take photos. I thought that was a perfect way to introduce people to the store."

The photographer of whom Ashley speaks is none other than the enormously talented J.D. Fielding, who was on hand to chronicle the festivities for posterity, and of course capture me looking like a 1970s street-level gangster. J.D.'s keen eye certainly brought out the life in what was going on, which might be ironic considering it was a member of the undead who was the center of attention.

Using makeup samples kindly donated by the edgy cosmetics company RockABetty Beauty, Cruella got her claws on an assortment of mortals, treating each to her own unique sense of style in the form of a makeup makeover. In honor of the event, the Captain was less... zombie-like...choosing instead to appear more human than most have ever seen her. It's enough to make some speculate that the good Captain might be toning down her ghoulish ways in favor of a more glam look. But Ashley assures us this is not the case.

"I think she's always had a little bit of pin-up in her, or busting out of her," she says. "So I don't necessarily think that I'm moving her away from that. She did come out today wearing one of her zombie contact lenses [Ed. note: It's a contact lens??], so she's still a little creepy. She's still dressed in black, and she still brings the dark and gothic, but she's also sexy and beautiful, which is part of her persona. And I don't think that's going to change."

As all this went on, patrons of the store got to sample some the amazing vintage items on hand. I will say I certainly got carried away in the proceedings, busting out some seriously groovy threads. It was a lot of fun, and a testament both to what a cool establishment Sugartown is, and also what a fascinating town Saugerties is.

"I want people to know that this is a really fun place, where no matter who you are, you can find something really unique and gorgeous to wear any day of the week, or at special occasions," said Ashley. "It can also be a really thoughtful gift for someone else."

"Eat Your Heart Out" was a smashing success thanks to the efforts of Ashley and Cruella, and Sugartown is fast becoming one of the highlights of downtown Saugerties. In fact, I'm proud to announce that I will actually be returning there in just a few weeks to do a public reading. It's called Visions from the Vault: The Dark Poetry of H.P. Lovecraft, and it all happens on Saturday, April 9. Check back right here in the Vault for more information as the date approaches...

* All photos courtesy of J.D. Fielding Photography

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A Christmas Carol: Live from the Ghouls' Yule!

Last night, I had the pleasure of doing something I've never done before. As an old English major, it was something I had always wanted to do, and thanks to Captain Cruella's Ghouls' Yule, I finally got my wish. As the good Captain and I began to plan our Christmas/horror-themed event in the quaint village of Saugerties, New York, I decided to finally indulge my long-running wish. I volunteered to read passages from my very favorite holiday tale, Dickens' brilliant ghost story, A Christmas Carol. A story which perfectly combines the spirits of Christmas and of horror--both of which have long been dear to me.

Further, thanks to a timely suggestion from Bryan White of Cinema Suicide, I did more than just read for the live audience at The Inquiring Mind bookstore--I also engaged in a little experiment, broadcasting the reading live on the internet on UStream. It was my first time using the service, and I sincerely hope that some of you out there were actually able to view the live broadcast. But for those that didn't, I present it here. Enjoy, Merry Christmas... and God bless us, everyone!

(And please forgive the echo--it goes away after the first couple of minutes. As I said, first-time UStream user!)



Further Reading: My review of the classic 1951 film version of SCROOGE, over at Cinema Geek...

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