After months of sweating to get a cool line-up together for the very first South African Horror Festacular, Flamedrop, Shadow Realm Inc. and the Labia Theatre assembled a wide range of classic, cult and unforgettable movies to fill up a week of Horrors over the Halloween period. Due to slack venue co-operation, the Johannesburg leg of the Horror Festacular has been postponed, but not cancelled – so watch this space. The Labia in Orange Street, Gardens (the only true independent cinema in Cape Town) will be the venue for the Mother City from Friday 28 October to Thursday 3 November 2005. Read on for detailed info…

We have procured the screening rights to the following movies (confirmed dates & times included):

SHADOW REALM Vol. I: Distorted Visions (1997-2005) FRI 28 OCT at 6:15pm & THUR 3 NOV at 8:15pm (Labia, Orange Str.)

When it comes to Horror, Scary, or Freaky Cult movies, South Africa doesn’t have a much of a screen legacy. We hope to change this perception by enhancing each year’s schedule with a collection of locally made short flix from the darkside (or at least ones with South African links). We encourage more moviemakers to go out and shoot that off-centre project they’ve been postponing, fearing lack of exposure – there is now a platform for those works the mainstream won’t readily embrace. This first collection, Distorted Visions, include dark, grissly, and bloody short tales including fictitious and documentary subjects, animation and music videos. They include physically explicit counterculture experimenta l works by Aryan Kaganof, an AFDA produced short (Dark Farm), and one from festival director Paul A. Blom (imPERFECTION). You’ll also get to see eerie music videos from 187 Films’ clip for Sibot of The Real Estate Agents’ track Super Evil Me, and Gregoire Pinard’s animation for international rock band A Perfect Circle’s track, Blue.

CRADLE OF FEAR (2003) FRI 28 OCT at 8:15pm, & SUN 30 OCTat 8:15pm (Labia, Orange Str.)

Alex Chandon’s gory cult favourite brings back the visceral elements of horror without pulling punches. Cradle Of Filth vocalist Dani plays The Man, who ventures out in a shroud of evil, executing his master’s bidding from behind bars in an asylum. In about half a dozen chapters the audience gasps at blood-drenched scenes of madness to a soundtrack featuring amoung others Cradle Of Filth, Dark Poets, Rugged Vinyl, and Slacker.

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968) SAT 29 OCT at 8:15pm (Labia, Orange Str.)

George A. Romero’s first classic Zombie flick re-invented an entire genre. With true filmmaking ingenuity he created a shocking and memorable landmark film without a huge budget. With the dead rising and craving the flesh of the living, survivors grouping in a farmhouse not only have to guard against the zombies trying to force their way in, but also avoid their inner tensions from tearing each other apart.

DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978) SAT 29 OCT at 10:15pm (Labia, Orange Str.) A decade after Romero’s Night Of The Living Dead, he unleashed this incredible flesh eating follow-up. A group of survivors barricade themselves in a large shopping mall as the world succumbs to the unstoppable growing number of zombies. Many have seen the recent re-make, but once you’ve watched this original gem with Tom Savini’s special make-up effects, you’ll know where it’s really at! (Distributed by New Amsterdam Entertainment, Inc. / © 1978 The MKR Group, Inc.)

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1925) Halloween Night – MON 31 OCT at 8:15pm (Labia, Orange Str.) This classic 1925 version of Gaston Leroux’s tale of a facially deformed man living in the catacombs of a Paris opera house obsessed with one of the singers, is a true cinematic landmark. With so many takes on the tale, this is the definitive one, featuring Lon Chaney Sr. in the title role. For this auspicious occasion on Halloween Night, you can witness this silent classic accompanied by a LIVE string quintet led by Matthijs Van Dijk, delivering an original soundtrack! A rare event indeed, which is not to be missed.

THE LAST MAN ON EARTH (1964) TUES 1 NOV at 8:15pm (Labia, Orange Str.) One of the legendary leading men of Horror, Vincent Price stars in this post-apocalyptic movie where a viral epidemic has wiped out the world’s population. Immune to this virus, Dr. Morgan tries to hold onto his sanity as bloodthirsty ghouls hound his door by night. Based on Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend.

THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (1960) WED 2 NOV at 8:15pm (Labia, Orange Str.) This thrifty but highly effective and funny little flick by notorious exploitation mogul Roger Corman tells the wacky tale of Seymour, a nerdy florist assistant in Skid Row who finds a strange plant with a craving for human blood and flesh! This has bloomed into a cult phenomenon with stage plays and a remake by Frank Oz. Features a young Jack Nicholson as the masochistic dental patient!

All ticket will be R20 each, except for the string quintet accompanied The Phantom Of The Opera on Halloween Night, which will be R30 each. Come early to avoid disappointment!

Please note: Shadow Realm Vol. I & Cradle Of Fear both get two screenings.

Festival Special Events:

As mentioned above, The Phantom Of The Opera will be accompanied by a LIVE string quintet soundtrack, right there, in front of the big screen. This original soundtrack was written by Matthijs Van Dijk (violin) and he will be accompanied by Petra Hofmeyr (violin), Janet Claassen (viola), Theresa Burger (cello) and Gerhard de Jager (double bass & trumpet). A rare and incredible event for Halloween Night, 31 October at 8:15 sharp (Labia Theatre, Orange Street, Gardens, Cape Town). We hope to encourage local film- & video makers, young & old, to break out of the mold and realize their visions without restraint, as we’ll include these flix each year, hoping to further boost local moviemakers. There will be a Horror Dress-Up on the evening of Saturday 29 October for the two George A. Romero screenings of Night Of The Living Dead (8:15pm) and Dawn Of The Dead (10:15pm). These two zombie movies set the standard for all that followed (including their remakes, of course). Costumes and make-up needn’t be limited to zombies, so you can come as vampires, monsters, beasts, spooks, ghouls, psychos, you name it – nothing will be too outrageous. The best (or most horrifically) dressed patrons will stagger home with cool prizes, including everything from movie tickets, Horror DVDs, and T-Shirts, to the hectic PlayStation 2 game The Suffering (courtesy SK), and a Vampire’ s second favourite drink, Absinthe… Shadow Realm Inc. and High Fidelity will host a Fright Store at the Labia every night from 28 October to 3 November, selling Horror DVDs, collectible T-shirts and more. The Labia Theatre is a licensed venue, so you can buy the drink of your choice and even take it into the cinema!

The SA Horror Festacular’s internet home is at Flamedrop.com’s horror dedicated site, www.SHADOWREALMinc.com.

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