Now in our eighth calendar year!
PCR #398 (Vol. 8, No. 45) This edition is for the week of November 5--11, 2007.
Halloween 2007 Wrap-Up, Screamfest '07 on Demand
Halloween Wrap-Up
Next year, I've promised myself to take at least one week off during the Halloween season to help me get through all the events, conventions, festivals, screenings, birthdays, and visits. This year was one of my busiest. With Screamfest, Cult-O-Ween, Halloween Horror Nights, Dreadwood, the Halloween Horror Picture Show, the Beach Theatre Terrorthon, two major family visits and birthdays, strict deadlines at work, my schedule often became overwhelming, resulting in tough choices when it came to figuring which events I could attend. But, I survived it all, and can't wait 'till next year.
In past Oddservations, I told you about the events I attended, but here were some that I missed with brief commentaries:
- Busch Gardens Howl-O-Scream: After Universal licensed the rights to Freddy, Jason, and Leatherface, Howl-O-Scream looked positively uneventful. Additionally, I didn't like the 'rave'/death DJ ad campaign.
- Beyond Evil on TV!!!: Don't know if anyone caught this, but in what has to be a bonafide miracle, MoreTV Channel 32 actually broadcast this obscure 1980 horror film starring the greatest cast in the world (John Saxon and Linda Day George) over Halloween. The only reasons I didn't tune in were: commercials and the fact I have this cult fave on VHS.
- Scream Awards: I caught a half hour of this screamfest. Okay, so it had its moments, but largely, it was a laughable mish-mosh of neo-'rockers' and horror/sci-fi stars. I'm not sure why we all have to sit through really bad 'punk' bands to get to these self-congratulating awards, but I guess if Spike TV is footing the bill, they're going to demand some entertainment for the Hot Topix bunch. Have to give them a few kudos: they were able to reunite the surviving members of Star Trek (Shatner, Nimoy, Nichols, Koenig, and Takai) who acted like they would rather be anywhere else, and gave Grindhouse a well-deserved award. Also liked a clever gag they did with a demon that swooped down and kidnapped a guy from his seat!
- AMC Monsterfest: Since AMC started playing commercials, this network hasn't been the same. This year's Screamfest wasn't as exciting as previous years (also didn't like the promos and graphics), but they did play a few really good selections: The Flesh Eaters, And Now the Screaming Starts, and The Beast Must Die.
- Haunted House Night: Broke with tradition slightly this year by not taking a night out to drive around and explore any haunted houses in the area. I typically love to do this and see how creative locals are.
Upcoming Events:
After Dark Horrorfest: 8 Films to Die For 2007 (Nov. 9th-18th)
Tampa Comic Con - Sunday, Nov. 11th
Even though early November is the saddest time for a horror fan, we can all look forward to Lionsgate's upcoming After Dark Horrorfest: 8 Movies to Die For, coming up soon. My wife Sandy and I got a head start by watching two of last year's offerings: Penny Dreadful and Dark Ride, which we've added to Wicked Little Things and The Hamiltons as ones we've seen. Not sure if anyone jumped at this, but Best Buy had 7 out of the 8 Films to Die For (2006) on sale for $5/apiece over Halloween week (along with ALL the Masters of Horror episodes from Seasons 1 and 2).
Brighthouse Networks on Demand: Screamfest 2007
To Chris Woods and Joel D. Wynkoop, great job on the Screamfest 2007 coverage on Brighthouse Networks on Demand! I got about half way through it when my VCR timer kicked in and started recording Land of the Giants on the American Life Network, but I promise to finish it up soon! What I saw was really fantastic.
"Oddservations" is ©2007 by Andy Lalino. The Oddservations banner is a creation of Andy Lalino. All other graphics, except where otherwise noted, are creations of Nolan B. Canova. All contents of Nolan's Pop Culture Review are ©2007 by Nolan B. Canova.