Saw VI

What Halloween is complete without another Saw movie? I know the series has gotten really crazy, but critics say this one is better than the last few.

What: Saw VI
When: Friday, October 30, 2009 - 8:10pm Please meet us there with your ticket by 8:00pm at the very LATEST.
Where: AMC Kanata 24, 801 Kanata Avenue

Please purchase your tickets at least 20min in advance as we will be finding seats 10min before the movie starts (we might have someone inside reserving seats if needed). The group will be to the right of the ticket windows (if you are standing facing the windows) and I will bring, if not wear my tiara (it's Halloween, I can get away with it) so you can recognize us.

Please RSVP on Facebook or to mhartlin@gmail.com so we know to look and wait for you.

Ottawa Zombie Walk

I don't mean to trump the Carleton Place Zombie walk, but there is also one in Ottawa happening on .... the same day! Sunday, October 25 at 3:00pm. Do you know what that means? That means you can go be a zombie downtown and then drive out to Carleton Place and do it again to double your fun!

The route: Start at Beechwood Cemetary (note: DO NOT go in the cemetary, we do not have permission to be on the premises), heading west down Beechwood, continuing on St. Patrick. Turn left on Cobourg, turn right at St. Patrick, continue on Murray St. Turn left at Clarence into the market, walk through the market, up through the Rideau Centre, then to Parliament Hill.

They are on Facebook. If the link doesn't work look for: Official Ottawa Zombie Walk 2009
If you have any questions contact: akaneonfire@hotmail.com

Ottawa International Animation Festival

Well, the Ottawa International Animation Festival was a hit again this year attracting large crowds. As an introverted crazy person who comments continually on movies these aren’t the optimal viewing conditions, but I attended several of the events none the less.

This year there was a special retrospective called: The Horror! It was described on the site as follows: This program is NOT for the faint-of-heart, the squeamish, the easily frightened, the type who hides under the covers, and it is definitely not for kids. This presentation contains some of the most frightening animated films ever made. If you think that the only true scare is live-action gore, then you have another thing coming. Join us and see what happens when there are no limits to the imagination. NB/ The Ottawa International Animation Festival cannot be held responsible for any personal injury or illness that may result from attending this screening

I can only assume this was in jest. The session began with a classic Porky pig and Sylvester cartoon and ended with a definitely horrifying (but not the right kind of horror) song from the Wiggles (if you are unfamiliar with them, they are children’s entertainers) featuring puppets with haunting smiles and psychedelic colour patterns in the background. These were the best two of the shorts in my opinion. There were quite a few films in between with creepy dolls and eerie scenery, but nothing that was truly terrifying. This could also be partly due to my lack of understanding of the films. Several of them, unless they were included to display technical aspects of horror (mood, setting, soundtrack), were beyond my comprehension. If you’ve ever been to see the short competitions you would understand. All in all, it was a fun set of films that provided for an interesting evening.

Though it has nothing to do with horror, here is one of the shorts by the National Film Board of Canada that was a crowd favourite: Git Gob

Finally, even though horror is not always a topic at the festival, there are usually a few shorts each year (and this year a feature: Coraline) that would be of interest to any horror fan. I strongly suggest that you check out at least one of the screenings next year if you have never attended.

Progtoberfest at Carleton U

This Saturday, October 24th, Carleton University will host Progtoberfest. Why is this Ottawa Horror news? Well one featured band is Orco Muto, who's keyboard player is former Goblin member Maurizio Guarini. Guarini and Goblin were featured heavily on the soundtracks of films by Italian horror master Dario Argento. And if you don't know who HE is then shame on you! Go watch some of his films...Right now!... Go on!... I'll wait...

Now that you know, be sure to check out the show. They'll be doing covers of classic Goblin tunes as well as originals.

Carleton Place Zombie Walk

Carleton Place is holding a Zombie Walk! Yup... you heard me... Carleton Place. Organized by the folks who run the CP Cinemas, the Walk will be held Sunday Oct. 25th at 6PM. The walk will be followed by a screening of "From Dusk Till Dawn" at CP Cinemas (Ok, ok... it's not really a ZOMBIE movie, but it IS loads of fun). You can find out details at http://zombie.codewhite.net

Silent Horror Film Festival

First up is this little gem from our friends at the Mayfair. Starting October 16rh they will be presenting classic silent horror films, with brand new LIVE musical scores, provided by some of Ottawa's best bands. Tickets are on sale now. In addition Lee, Ian and Josh have filled the Mayfair October schedule with all sorts of great horror film goodies! Check out times and details at http://mayfairtheatre.ca/

It's October!

Once again it's October! That wonderful time of year when, for a month anyway, everyone shares our fascination with the genre. Newspapers will run lists of the best horror films, people will share spooky stories, and everywhere we'll see ghost, goblins and vampires, as the Great Marketing Machine kicks into gear to get us to buy as much Halloween merchandise as possible (ok... I've got my wallet out...). And as such, we'll be announcing as many Halloween and Horror related items on the site as we can. If you know of something you'd like to see covered here, please let us know!