World Horror Convention 2007: Film Programme

Although World Horror Convention 2007 is predominantly a literary event, we will have a film programme running in the King Room (2nd level meeting rooms) throughout the Friday and Saturday, from 10:00 am to midnight.

Much of this will, of course, be based around our Guests of Honour PETER ATKINS and JOE R. LANSDALE, but we will also be programming some special events for those horror film fans who are attending.

CHILL
We are delighted to present a very special preview of Rojak Films' CHILL (Dir: Serge Rodnunsky). Loosely inspired by H.P. Lovecraft's short story "Cool Air" (with a bit of "Herbert West—Re-animator" thrown in for good measure), CHILL is a new contemporary horror film starring Thomas Calabro (TV's MELROSE PLACE), Ashley Laurence (HELLRAISER), Shaun Kurtz and James Russo (THE NINTH GATE).

When aspiring writer Sam (Calabro) gets a job at a LA grocery store owned by the mysterious Dr. Munoz (Kurtz), he soon befriends attractive neighbourhood shop owner Maria (Laurence), who is being stalked by her former boyfriend, psychotic police detective Defazio (Russo).

CHILL Trailer

While Defazio investigates the disappearances of hookers in the area, Sam soon learns that his creepy benefactor, Dr. Munoz, is a former research scientist whose rare skin condition forces him to live in sub-freezing temperatures. However, it quickly becomes apparent that the doctor died many years ago, and that he is keeping himself alive through regenerative tissue experiments utilising the skinned flesh harvested from his victims.

Written, photographed, edited and directed by Canadian-born co-executive producer Serge Rodnunsky, CHILL is guaranteed to do just that!

You can find more information on the cast page, the film's page at MySpace.com, or www.chillmovie.com, or click on the adjacent window to view the trailer.

THE WITCH'S DUNGEON: 40 YEARS OF CHILLS
For fans of the old Universal and Hammer horror films, we are also pleased to present to Canadian premiere of Colorbox Studios' THE WITCH'S DUNGEON: 40 YEARS OF CHILLS (Dir: Dennis Vincent). Celebrating the non-profit Bristol, Connecticut, museum of "Hollywood Horrors" created four decades ago by Cortlandt Hull, this fascinating and entertaining two-hour documentary also honours all the elements that inspired it, from the actors and make-up effects wizards, to colourful posters and rare behind-the-scenes photos.

THE WITCH'S DUNGEON: 40 YEARS OF CHILLS features appearances by a host of celebrities and fans, including Christopher Lee, Sara Karloff, Bela G. Lugosi, Ron Chaney, Dick Smith, Tom Savini, June Foray, Basil Gogos, Zacherley the Cool Ghoul, Elvira Mistress of the Dark, Ben Chapman, Ricou Browning, Michael Ripper, Veronica Carlson, Caroline Munro, Rex Reason, Dee Wallace Stone, Bob Burns, Forrest J Ackerman and many others.

For anyone interested in the history of horror movies, this is a must! You can find more information on the cast page or go to www.witchsdungeon.com or www.preservehollywood.org.

To ensure that everybody has the opportunity to see CHILL and THE WITCH'S DUNGEON: 40 YEARS OF CHILLS, they will be shown on both the Friday and the Saturday at various times. Please refer to the Film Programme in your delegate bag for details of these and other screenings.

Please refer to the Film Programme in your delegate bag for details of these and other screenings.

Among the short films we will be showing at World Horror Convention 2007 are director Mark Steensland's LOVECRAFT'S PILLOW and SUCKER.

Scripted by Rick Hautala, "from a suggestion by Stephen King", LOVECRAFT'S PILLOW is about would-be horror author Martin Hale (Shannon Solo), who discovers the actual pillow that H.P. Lovecraft slept on in the window of a local pawn shop. However, when he takes it home to use as inspiration, it has a horrific effect on his wife Alice (Christine Mangone). In SUCKER, a creepy guy (Solo again) abducts an innocent young girl (Camile Jones) off the street and drives her to a secluded area of woodland, where a supernatural surprise is awaiting him.

"I made LOVECRAFT'S PILLOW in August of 2006," Steensland told the Stephen King Short Movies site. "I had just finished another short, called SUCKER, and I was looking for something else to make.

"I spent a lot of time in pre-production, building sets and set pieces (such as the pawn shop sign and the insane asylum padded cell). The actual shooting only took a few days total, but the rest of the work around those few days totalled many weeks.

"In terms of actual money spent, I would say less than $250.00. I am fortunate enough to have all my own gear and most of the things I built were from found materials—that is, stuff I already had or could find easily."

LOVECRAFT'S PILLOW premiered at FantasyCon XXX in Nottingham, England in 2006 before being shown at the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival in Portland, Oregon; the Eerie Horror Film Festival in Erie, Pennsylvania, and the Stephen King Short Films Festival in Argentina. SUCKER premiered in competition at last year's Festival of Fantastic Films in Manchester, England, before moving on to ShockerFest in California (where its young star received an Honourable Mention in the Rising Star category) and the Eerie Horror Film Festival.

You can find more information on the cast page for Sucker (2006), the cast page for Lovecraft's Pillow (2006) or go to www.marksteensland.com.

Compiled by Jim Minton and described as "An International Collaboration of Dark Cinema", EXQUISITE CORPSE assembles the twisted imaginations of surrealist directors, underground animators, and fantastic multimedia artists from different countries around the world, including the USA, UK, Canada, the Netherlands, Turkey and Chile.

Each film-maker had one goal: to create their own unique interpretation of the writings of author Michael A. Arnzen, who will be on hand to introduce our screening. The result is an exquisitely twisted patchwork of disturbing and bizarre cinematic poetry that fascinates and frightens in hauntingly beautiful and unforgettable ways. For more information, go to: www.exquisitecorpsemovie.com.

Jacob's Cooney's THE FROLIC is a chilling adaptation of the short story by Thomas Ligotti, co-scripted by the author himself. Michael Reilly Burke, Maury Sterling and Jennifer Aspen star in this tale about a mysterious, child-abducting "John Doe".

Film-makers and distributors who wish to have their product screened at World Horror Convention 2007 should contact: films@whc2007.org

For more information, please contact the Convention Chairperson Amanda Foubister.