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Since T-shirt mogul Johnny Cupcakes moved into my neighborhood, every few months I have had to deal with shoving my daughter’s stroller through a sidewalk cramped with high-fashion bad-postured skater youth in lawn chairs waiting, literally for days, for the opportunity to buy a t-shirt.  What’s the big deal, right?

Basically, at the time of the tee-shirts release, Count Cupcakes (A.K.A. Johnny Earle) arrives in a well-curtained hearse, completely sealed in a coffin, and is carried to the storefront by pallbearers. His casket is ceremonially opened, and this graphic-designer turned prophet rises to bestow his free t-shirt blessings on frenzy-faced worshippers.  So you see, he is worthy of creepster adoration.  This October, the collectible designs feature the not-so universal monsters (i.e. Elm Street’s Nightmare, the Hockey-faced Hacker, and the super-sized doughboy) as well as the JC logo in bile-colored brains.

Johnny Cupcakes is located at 7959 Melrose Avenue, in the West of Fairfax Revival, adjacent to Tarina Tarantino, Kid Robot, Fitzu, BAPE, and Agent Provocateur.  Preview the designs here.

I personally find the SAW franchise uninspired and lame, but that doesn’t mean I’ll deprive the rest of you from happily wallowing in whatever filth you personally enjoy.

This week (starting tonight), Arclight Hollywood is showing a SAW film each night, leading up to the premiere of the SAW V on Friday.

I’d love to link you to Arclight’s page about this film series, but their website is being wonky today. Moviefone indicates that the films play at 10pm each night. Presumably that is correct.

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...]

The Los Angeles Chapter of Thrill the World will be performing the Thriller dance at Hollywood & Highland on October 25th. This is part of a worldwide movement to get as many citizens of planet earth as possible to perform the Thriller dance all at once. This will be a historic and newsworthy moment that can be a part of your lifestory BUT, there is a catch. You cannot just show up and wing it by doing “zombie arms”, you need to attend practice sessions, and there is a full schedule as follows:

Sat Oct 18th: Hollywood@ Pan Pacific Regional Park. 11am-3pm
Ogden & Romaine, WeHo 90046

Sun Oct 19th: South Bay
@ Pollywog Park. 12pm-2pm
1600 Manhattan Beach Blvd, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266

Tues Oct 21st: UCLA
@ Campus. Wilson Plaza or nearby. 3:30pm-6:30pm
center of campus UCLA, Westwood CA

Wed Oct 22nd: Santa Monica
@Virginia Avenue Park. Time: TBD
2200 Virginia Ave, Santa Monica, CA

Fri Oct 24th: Hollywood *FINAL PRACTICE!
@ Pan Pacific Regional Park. 5pm-7pm (we may stay later)
7600 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA

That’s right, this is serious! Anyone/Everyone/All ages Welcome! Free! Gratis! If you come, we’ll teach you how to do the dance! It takes 2-3 practices to learn the dance, so there are practices scheduled throughout September & October. Locations will rotate so it will be in your neck of the woods at least twice. When you come to a practice, make sure to write down our phone numbers so you can call us if you can’t find us or need more info about the event!
Mahdroo 323.217.8184, Amanda 310.489.3357

For full details, visit the Thrill The World Myspace Page. See you there!

GHOULA meets for cocktails in haunted places on the 13th of each month. “SPIRITS WITH SPIRITS” is a casual gathering of regional ghost hunters. Open to all, from the curious skeptic to the passionate phantom pursuer. Make friends, find ghosts! Come see the “hot spots” with “cold spots.”

All those who attend will receive a free G.H.O.U.L.A. button. If you have already received your button, please wear it so others can find you. Also, G.H.O.U.L.A t-shirts will be available for sale. ($10.00 each).  Free 1-Card Tarot reading for all attendees!

THE DATE: October 13th, 2008 (Monday)
THE PLACE: Philippes the Original (1001 N. Alameda St.)
THE TIME: 8pm to 10pm (Meet on Haunted 2nd Floor) - Maybe followed by drinks in Chinatown
THE GHOST: This month, Philippes celebrates its 100th Birthday. For a century, this landmark restaurant, located in the heart of Los Angeles, has been serving up great food at reasonable prices. In that life-span, this historic eatery has also been the subject of many rumors and legends. Most of these tall tales concern the restaurant’s most famous creation, the “French Dipped Sandwich.” How exactly it was invented (or even if Philippes actually invented it) is still up for debate.

But, there is another set of stories that people don’t talk about in public, and these stories concern the building’s upstairs dining area.

Although, Philippes (as a business) has been around since 1908, it has only been at this location since 1951. So, what was at 1001 N. Alameda Street before Philippes moved in, and took over this building? The restaurant‘s website diplomatically referred to it as a “hotel,” though it was more likely a run-down boarding house. Furthermore, given that it was placed in the center of the area’s “red-light” district, it was most likely a brothel. Whatever the truth may be, the racy history is the one that employees repeat when talking about the other legend connected with the upstairs.

It is said that there is the ghost of a “lady of the evening” that haunts the 2nd floor. Many people, over the years, have seen her white form strolling down the hall only to vanish as she steps into one of the adjoining rooms. This prostituting phantasm is also said to be the source of a strong perfume that seems to invade the upstairs when no one else is present.

So, the next time you’re enjoying the pleasures of their “French Dipped Sandwich” and a cold beer, take a look at the upstairs where women used to sell pleasures of another kind, you just might come face-to-face with something scarier than the jar of purple, pickled eggs downstairs.

Although it is too late for Creepsters to catch Re-Animator, there are still three perfectly decent spooky films showing at the Regency Fairfax for under 10 buckaroo banzais:

October 17th: THE LOST BOYS - Synopsis: Teen dreams Corey Haim (Representing all that is good in this world) and Corey Feldman (representing all that is Evil) fight to the death at a Vampire carnival in Santa Cruz. Something like that.  I think they were trying to save his brother from eternal darkness.   Prologue to The Two Coreys.

October 24th: NOSFERATU - Synopsis:  Black and white film about old-school creepy guy obsessed with a nice gal from down the street, with many layers of the human psyche examined… I think.

October 31st: NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD: Synopsis: Hungry Zombies are Really Mad!

Insomniac Cinema was created by Andrew Gaultieri in 2004 in an effort to bring films to the big screen that were meant to be experienced in the movie house, instead of on your stinkin’ blue-ray-hi-def- gigantor-flatscreen beheamoth that takes up way too much space in your one bedroom apartment and/or bedroom. It is soooo much better to shove greasy popcorn in your face with a fresh fountain cola chaser while watching perfectly innocent civilians being attacked by bloodthirsty ne’er-do-well paranormal beasts.

Attention all zombie hunters and living dead - It is time to set aside your differences and get your groove thing on with Zombie Karaoke at Ground Control on Monday October 13th.

For those unfamiliar with the only alternative karaoke night in Los Angeles, this weekly event is not your neighborhood bar with the inevitable collection of drunks caterwauling the same Frank Sinatra song over and over again.  Hell no! You can expect nothing but the best in alternative rock and goth/industrial music in a very relaxed environment with such perks as WiFi and internet terminals as well as dinner available.  (Check out their website for a .pdf file of songs available.)

Ground Control is located at Jewel’s Catch One (4067 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles 90019).  Free, secure self-parking is available in a walled and guarded lot.  Doors open at 8:30 pm and you’ve got to drag your rotting carcass home at 2 am.  With a $4 cover (18+ welcome!), this is the most undead bang for your buck you will get this Halloween season with regards to an event.

As part of the build-up to the Weho Halloween Carnaval Street Party, the City of West Hollywood is holding an Intergenerational Pumpkin Carving Party at the Plummer Park Community Center on Santa Monica & Vista St.  I believe this title implies, or begs, “Please don’t carve penises or vaginas or put strap-ons on your squash because children and seniors will be present”.  You know, save it for the street party, which never fails to produce several full body penis costumes each year.  Here is the announcement:

Calling all Master Carvers! It’s time to dust off your carving tools and show off your skills in Plummer Park’s annual Intergenerational Pumpkin Carving Party. Compete for best in show and stay for raffle prizes! This event is FREE but space is limited so sign up at the Plummer Park Office beginning October 1st. For more information, please call 323/845-0174. TTY for the deaf and hard of hearing at 323/848-6496.

Today marks the opening of Shipwreck, the Queen Mary’s Annual Halloween Terror Fest, and “The Most Terrifying Place On Earth,” if their website is to be believed. For those that don’t know, the Queen Mary is an old ocean liner that has been retired and is now permanently anchored in Long Beach (near the aquarium).

Every year for Halloween they trick it out into a series of haunted mazes, which is fairly interesting considering the ship’s own reputation for being haunted (there’s plenty of details about this just a google away).

This Friday, Saturday and Sunday are the “preview nights,” so admission is $19, as opposed to the regular $34. I figured I’d let y’all know about the discount, for those of you conscious of the ol’ wallet. But expect a review of the full attraction from me this coming week.

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.

Taste Burrough’s Last Fix! You can have it all at Kevin Klemm’s Reliquary and Odditorium.

LA’s self-appointed “King of Corpses” Kevin Klemm has opened his Cabinet of Curiosites to be on exhibit at the Hyaena Gallery. While it is too late for Creepsters to attend what would have been a goth-swarmed opening night in the most creepiest of lands known as Burbank, the urge to touch decaying flesh can still be satisfied until September 30, 2008.

Longtime collector of carnival “gaffs”, Klemm has reinterpreted the classic dime museum into a modern incarnation of that traveling wonder which has all but vanished from our landscape. Mr. Klemm invites you to suspend your disbelief and see relics of Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau, William S. Burroughs, and O.J. Simpson. Marvel, as well, at mounted heads of strange beasts such as the ManBull, Zombies, and Vampires before gazing upon the mummy of Anton LaVey…if you dare!

You won’t believe your eyes, or your hands, as your pulsatingly curious fingertips explore relics from the Ed Gein Collection. Mr. Gein is a well known and respected American (USA! USA! USA!) killer and notorious grave robber who exhumed corpses from local graveyards and fashioned gruesome trophies and keepsakes from them. I’m hoping they still have that old Mother’s day gift, or a pair of his human flesh socks which I’ve heard are wonderful for New England winters.

On your way out, don’t forget to oogle at the post-mortem photographs displayed thoughtfully in ACTUAL CORPSE FRAMES. How genius, I can’t believe they thought of that before Martha did. Remember folks, it’s all happening in the true heart of darkness, Burbank, where recently an 80 year old woman mentioned to her neighbor that she had been living with her brother’s corpse since last October. True Story!

The Hyaena Gallery is located at 1928 W. Olive Ave, Burbank, CA 91506.

Just yesterday SCREAMFEST announced that TRICK ‘R TREAT would be the opening film at this year’s festivities. Well, now they’ve finally decided to grace us with a full list of the rest of their line-up.

Another interesting update: You can actually buy tickets to the TRICK ‘R TREAT after party. Interesting. If you wanna mix and mingle with the director and a handful of the stars, and don’t mind shelling out an extra $30 on top of your ticket price - better get crackin’.

If you’re not familiar with the much beleaguered history of the movie TRICK ‘R TREAT, a quick glimpse at the release date on the poster to the right should tip you in the right direction.

Written/Directed by Bryan Singer protégé Michael Dougherty, the movie has been postponed, pushed back and otherwise shelved over and over again the past couple years. The reasons are all suspect: inter-studio politics involving Singer and the Superman franchise, the movie stinks, etc. Doesn’t really matter. End result is the same: the movie has no offical release date and will likely be unceremoniously dumped onto DVD… someday.

Recently news of a random NY screening surfaced, much to the chagrin of the rest of the horror-loving country. Well, sorry still rest-of-country, but good new Los Angelenos!

TRICK ‘R TREAT will be showing opening day (Oct 10th) at this year’s SCREAMFEST! [click to continue...]