Creepy

Aint It Cool News and Legendary Pictures invite you to a FREE screening of the unreleased Hallowen classic, "Trick R Treat."

Last week the Mighty Worm reviewed “Trick R Treat,” a Halloween centered horror film that for some reason only known to the Great Pumpkin and some executives at Warner Bros. has been postponed for release for well over a year. As much as I loved the film, I was sad that Worm’s review would have little impact since there weren’t any forseeable opportunities to catch the film…

Well, awesome news, Halloween fans - Aint It Cool News and Legendary Pictures are holding a special screening of “Trick R Treat” this Thursday at 8:30pm at Mann’s Chinese Theatre. It sounds like this will be in the main theatre, so there will be plenty of seats, but you’d best RSVP soon

Here are the instructions from Moriarty:

To get in, all you have to do is send me your name and the names of any guests you want to bring. You have to send the e-mail to my e-mail address, and you have to make sure the topic line of the e-mail is “I WANT TO TRICK OR TREAT”. If you don’t use that exact topic line, your e-mail won’t be included in the final guest list. It’s a very small price to ask.

After the jump, the trailer for Trick R Treat, as well as the animated short that inspired it all. [click to continue...]

I’m disappointed that every year before Halloween, Disneyland overhauls its perfectly creepy Haunted Mansion ride with the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay. I can understand this change once every few years, but please don’t remind about Christmas just yet.

That said, I was very happy that the Mostly Ghostly Music Sharing Blaaahhhggg!!! uncovered this vintage film reel Disney produced of a ridethru at the Haunted Mansion:

If you know of any other vintage film clips of anything creepy around Los Angeles, let us know!

pic by Adam Cohn, used under Creative Commons

Sounds like the beginning of a horror film:

Centro Botanico La Santisma, a San Diego voodoo store, burned to the ground after a lit candle set off the blaze. Smoke from the fire poured into the surrounding neighborhood, forcing evacuations. A nearby taco shop was also damaged.

Fortunately, there have been no reports of injuries… nor any reports that the smoke turned nearby residents into a zombie mob.

More at KGTV San Diego.

Vintage press kit still from Vinnie's unofficial "Carrie" fan archives.

If you’re still undecided for what costume to wear this year, let “Carrie” serve as inspiration: 70s prom wear! Heck, why not show up to the screening in your worst polyester suit? Ladies, any ‘ol bridesmaids dress will do, especially if you add a tiara and a splash (or four) of fake blood.

And what better opportunity to show off these costumes at Cinespia’s surprise screening of Brian dePalma’s “Carrie” at Hollywood Forever Cemetery!

$10 suggested donation lets you inside the gates for a chance to spend an evening inside Halloween’s legendary just days before Halloween.

Local trivia: Pier Avenue High School, now the Hermosa Beach Community Center, and Palisades High School stood in for Carrie’s alma mater, Bates High School.

Hollywood Forever Cemetery, 6000 Santa Monica Blvd.
Saturday, Oct. 25th, 7pm, gates open at 5:30pm. More details.

Love Manor has made creepy labels for you to print and decorate with. Free!

All Hallows Steve presents his annual “Make Your Own Halloween Special.”

Elvis has left the casket and is now Twittering: @Dead_Elvis.

Monster Brains, the creepy devil art blog, reminds us that the late Senator Jesse Helms, defying expectations and suspicions, revealed that he had no cadavers hidden in his house. Plus photographer Joel Peter Witkin explains his photo, The Raft of George W. Bush, with a refresher course in the monsters who have served in his administration.

Gothtober, the online Halloween “advent” calendar is back with all new goodies for 2008.

The Whittier, CA house where Shia LeBouf snooped on the killer next door (and the hot chick also next door) in “Disturbia” is for sale for $1.25 million.

Neatorama has compiled some spooky trivia about three classic horror films. Did you know “Night of the Living Dead” was originally a horror comedy about “teenage aliens who make friends with Earthling teenagers?” Or that one of the girls being babysat in “Halloween” is Paris Hilton’s aunt? Or that some theatres gave out barf bags during screenings of “The Exorcist?”

Horror fans should instantly recognize the face at right: Jessica Harper starred in Dario Argento’s “Suspiria,” “Phantom of the Paradise,” “Shock Treatment” (the sequel to “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” replacing Susan Sarandon as Janet), and an episode of “Tales from the Darkside.” And that’s not to mention the rest of her work… Jessica toplined Woody Allen’s “Stardust Memories,” “Pennies from Heaven” with Steve Martin, and “My Favorite Year” with Peter O’Toole.

More recently, Jessica has been authoring children’s books - “Underpants On My Head” comes out in January, and adapting entries from her personal blog into “The Crabby Cook Book.” Speaking of, she’s asking CreepyLA readers to submit their own creepy recipes at her site…

On Halloween night, she’ll guest host Fox Legacy’s airing of “Phantom of the Paradise”, hosted by Fox Film chairman Tom Rothman, who also happens to be her husband. (Fox Film Channel, 8pm)

You’ve done your share of supernatural horror, but have you ever seen an actual ghost?

I have never seen a ghost, but if I ever do, I hope it’s Caspar.

Your favorite horror film? Any movie in particular scare the crap out of you?

The first movie that scared the crap out of me was “The Wizard of Oz,” which I saw at age five. When those damn monkeys flew, I knew what it was to be terrified. Later in life, it was “The Haunting.” I practically had to be hospitalized. After that, I decided to stick to Disney movies.

What was your reaction to hearing Juno refer to “Suspiria” as her favorite horror movie?

I fell off the couch.

Any thoughts on the “Suspiria” remake, or rumors that Natalie Portman could be reprising your role?

Geez, am I that old? They’re remaking me already?

[click to continue...]

In this newest of DirectTV’s ads utilizing footage from classic films, Craig T. Nelson reprises his role from “Poltergeist” telling the audience, “Forgetting to switch to DirectTV? Yeah, that’s gonna haunt me,” as Heather O’Rourke stands at the foot of his bed. O’Rourke died at the age of 12 a few months after wrapping work on “Poltergeist 3.”

On a related note of trivia, did you know that both O’Rourke and Dominique Dunne, who played her older sister in “Poltergeist,” are both interred at Pierce Brothers Westwood Memorial Park?

[h/t Hunter Stephenson at Slashfilm]

Photo by Choppercabra666 (he made the skull himself), from the CreepyLA Flickr group.

See the CGI sequel Resident Evil: Degeneration for free in Los Angeles on November 18th. Details at Dread Central.

Remember those plastic Jack-O-Lantern Happy Meal pails? Ah, McDonalds memories…

Frazgo spotted the first home in Monrovia to decorate for Halloween… unsure if that McCain/Palin yard sign is part of the decor.

Simpsons writer Matt Selman is asking for help coming up with his “Treehouse of Terror” name. Mystery prize involved. My suggestions: Matt Invisible Selman. Matt Wolf Selman. Matt Bat Selman. Notice a trend?

Print and build your own mini Disney Haunted Mansions.

Hate Halloween? Learn how to help abolish and replace it in your neighborhood with a more wholesome, more Christian friendly “Light the Night” festivity.

Also, Landover Baptist Church, the most upstanding church in the U.S. of A., where only the worthwhile are welcomed to worship, has tips for Christians on how to ruin Satan’s birthday on October 31st. While their full-fledged Holy War on Halloween has yet to surface on their site, they already have some early pointers for witch hunting, how to effectively impress upon children that Jesus will most definitely sling them into Hell if they even so much as think about trick-or-treating and other wholesome family fun. They even have some nifty bumper stickers for God’s favorite presidential candidate.

Creature Feature terrorizes the Whiskey on October 28th for their annual Halloween party.

If you need a soundtrack for October, be sure to dig up “The Greatest Show Unearthed” by L.A.’s own musicians of the macabre, Creature Feature. The “two-fiend band”, known individually as Erik X and Curtis Rx, describes themselves as “a band that forces you remember why you used to sleep with the lights on.” (listen to some samples here to see if you’d agree)

What were some of your favorite Halloween costumes growing up?

Erik X: Probably the year I handmade an exact replica of the “Edward Scissorshands” costume. It took me six months to make and I actually shaved my eyebrows off for authenticity, the weeks after that were a little awkward—without eyebrows.

Curtis Rx: As a little kid, one year I dressed up as a Ghostbuster and I had one of those store bought toy backpacks, I also glued some other weird pieces onto it to make it look cooler, like old calculators, parts of broken clocks, etc. I also used an old pair of gardening goggles and glued paper towel tubes and random stuff to it to make Ghostbuster goggles. Now, In theory this all sounds cool, until it started sprinkling. By the end of the night everything I attached to it was melting off and I left parts of my costume laying all over the streets for miles, but I still got a pillowcase full of candy.

What are some of the creepiest parts of Los Angeles?

Curtis Rx: There are a ton of places in Los Angeles that become creepy after dark and that’s what we like about it. No trip to Los Angeles is complete without visiting “Hollywood Forever” cemetery, the house used in the filming of “Nightmare On Elm Street”, and the “Roosevelt Hotel” where you can stare into the legendary mirror that is said to hold the restless ghost of Marilyn Monroe. [click to continue...]

Once again, CreepyLA is joining evil forces with Film Radar’s Horror Fan mailing list to bring subscribers a weekly email treat of horror film listings, haunted house openings, other events to help feed your Halloween needs.

To join, enter your name below, click “go” and then check your inbox to confirm your subscription.

Kenneth Anger photo by Jiri Szeppan, used under a Creative Commons license.

During funeral services held last year for filmmaker Curtis Harrington at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Kenneth Anger repeatedly interrupted the proceedings with assorted outbursts, including one where he predicted the date of his own death: Halloween, 2008.

According to Fortean Times, Anger cut off a eulogy by standing up, announcing he was dying of prostate cancer, and said, “Oh yes, It’s been con­firmed. I know the date of my death. On Hall­ow­e’en 2008. My mem­or­ial. RIGHT HERE! HALL­OW­E’EN 2008!”

Anger, the controversial filmmaker perhaps best known as the author of “Hollywood Babylon,” was a lifelong friend of Harrington’s, and both were practitioners of occultist Aleis­ter Crow­ley.

...photo by 7D7 Studio (Omar) used under Creative Commons...

If you ever wanted to be in close proximity to your favorite celebrities, all you need to do is visit Hollywood Forever Cemetery. On the downside, the celebrities will likely be dead, and in most cases they’ll be no closer than 6 feet, so don’t expect photographs or an autograph.

But if you’re interested in an intimate tour of the cemetery grounds, almost every Saturday film historian Karie Bible will take a small group around to it’s more infamous plots, sharing tales of the Hollywood legends lives and deaths along the way.

[click to continue...]

Dr. Ronald N. Kornblum, the L.A. County Coroner who oversaw the autopsies of John Belushi, William Holden, Natalie Wood, Karen Carpenter, and Truman Capote passed away last week at the age of 74.

While his legacy will associated with celebrity, he was also an expert witness in cases nationwide regarding chokehold deaths, and “earned high marks as a forensic pathologist recognized for his knowledge of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and fatalities involving Taser guns.”

He once said he wanted to change the public image of the coroner.

“Everyone thinks of a coroner walking with a limp; he’s got a humped back, he’s covered with blood,” he said in 1988. He said that image was no closer to reality than the version popularized in the long-running TV drama “Quincy, M.E.,” in which actor Jack Klugman played a Los Angeles County coroner who was a medical examiner, action hero, Sherlock Holmes-style sleuth, judge and jury all rolled into one. “Life,” Kornblum said, “isn’t like that.”

More at the L.A. Times.