Sunday, May 31, 2009

Internet Archive


Seeing the blog about Hulu, I was reminded about the huge website The Internet Archive, which has a sci-fi/horror collection - films which are now presumably in the public domain. So, how did "Night of the Living Dead", "City of the Dead/Horror Hotel", "Dementia 13", "Carnival of Souls" become public domain? A while ago, I wondered why I would see various bargain bucket DVD collections including such same titles, along with others like "Horror Express" and "The Last Man on Earth", which this website has. They also have recently added "Daughters of Darkness" and "I, Monster". There's over 200 movies in all.

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Hard Boiled Records

Today, the lovely Ms. Greaves and I had brunch at the Four Moon Tavern and took a leisurely walk down Roscoe, poking about on a lovely Saturday afternoon, when we went into one of my favorite stores in the Chicago-land area. Hard Boiled Records.



Now I am not just saying this because Mark, the owner is a fan of WildClaw, came and saw and loved our show, and plugged it on his blog...although that did not hurt. I am saying this because honestly, this place has warmed my sick and twisted heart for years. Sci Fi, Horror, Martial Arts, the weird and the wacky, the sick and the twisted, if he does not have it, he can tell you where to get it. In fact, back in the day when Mark rented videos, that was the only place that I could find The Story Of Ricki Oh.

If you are not familiar with The Story of Ricki, well, here...



I needed it for a bachelor party. Porn and violence, you know, before the stripper arrived. The Bachelor was none other than our own Morlock himself. Anyhoo...

I searched all over creation and Mark over at Hard Boiled was the only guy who had it. Talking to him today, he recommended to me Ichi The Killer, which I will have to check out soon. While there, after browsing through tons of cool books, videos, and records, I picked up Clive Barker's The Great And Secret Show, which looks like a good summer read.

So, WildClaw's Blood Radio gives it's highest possible endorsement to Hard Boiled Records, located at 2010 W. Roscoe. They are open from 12-8 Tue-Frid, and Sat 12-6, and their phone number is 773-755-2619. The Claw highly recommends you stop by and check them out soon.

Friday, May 29, 2009

Hulu for Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror! Two Bloody Thumbs Up!


Okay, I know I am really really late to the Hulu thing. You know it's bad when your mom has used something on the internets before you have. So I decided last night to give it a try after failing yet again to get the netflix instant play to work on my Mac...grumble. Verdict: Hulu was fabulous!

I was also pleased to see that they have a whole channel dedicated to horror! You can watch episodes of long cancelled sci-fi and horror shows like The Invisible Man and the awesome American Gothic! There are clips from upcoming films like 30 Days of Night as well as full on movies like The Birds and Aliens. All without any cost, nothing to download, and limited commercials. You do need speedy internet and sometimes the quality can be a bit gritty. But hey...free goes along way. You can even watch my beloved Buffy and Joss Whedon's latest, The Dollhouse!

ARMY OF DARKNESS this weekend at the Music Box



What with DRAG ME TO HELL kicking up a storm this weekend, why not really indulge your Sam Raimi fix?

ARMY OF DARKNESS (1993)
Through a magic spell, Ash (Bruce Campbell), a modern-day discount-store employee, finds himself back in the middle ages. Given the key to return home by an alchemist, he bungles the incantation and, instead, releases the forces of darkness. Now Ash has one job to do before transporting to the future: defeat the army of the evil dead - if they don't defeat him first.

Showtimes: Friday and Saturday at Midnight

The Music Box is located at 3733 North Southport Avenue, Chicago. Metered street parking is available on Southport Avenue. The Music Box is a short walk east from free street parking on Ashland Avenue. There is a parking lot one block north of the theatre at the Blaine School ($10). The theater is near the Southport station on CTA's Brown Line and the 152 Addison, 9 Ashland and 80/X80 Irving Park bus routes. For public transit information, call 836-7000.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

The Zombie Zeitgeist

LA Weekly has a great article on the whole zombie mania currently exploding in pop culture right now.

THIS ZOMBIE MOMENT: HUNTING FOR WHAT LIES BENEATH THE UNDEAD ZEITGEIST
"Zombies are always the monster for fear of something larger than yourself, whether it's the recession, or going on boats without pirates attacking, or countries far, far away plotting our doom. Zombies make sense right now."
BY GENDY ALIMURUNG

Plus a great slide show: WHAT LIES BENEATH: ZOMBIES, SERIAL KILLERS & SUICIDE GIRLS


Photo by Anne Fishbein

Dismember Me Zombie Plushies

Think Geek brings you Dismember Me Zombie Plushies.



Sam Raimi returns to form...


This is not a review, more simply a WildClaw stamp of approval.

A large group of us WildClawians went to a preview screening of Sam Raimi's latest, DRAG ME TO HELL, thanks to our friend Nick.

I highly recommend this movie. It has been said, incorrectly, on our podcast, that I do not believe that horror movies should be anything but rated R. That was not true. My beef has always been that I hate PG-13 horror movies. More often than not, they suck. They are trying to play both to the children and the adults, and end up doing neither. My attitude was that horror should be R or PG, and should not muck about in the middle.

This movie, with its blood, ooze, jumps, suspense, and evil talking goat, changed that. I see that it can be done. You just need a quality filmmaker with a love of the genre and a story to tell. This is the first PG-13 rated horror movie that I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a good summer horror popcorn flick.

Guillermo del Toro's The Strain Trailer

Wired magazine has a good Guillermo del Toro interview with the trailer to his vampire movie, The Strain.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

A Whedon-less Buffy?

A slight diversion from the purely horrific, although I find the following frightening and disgusting...

OK, so I have read about this three times now. Due to the successful re-booting of Star Trek and Batman, both of which I am a fan of, they are now in the early stages of planning to re-boot Buffy The Vampire Slayer, only, without Joss Whedon.

Buffy comes back

Entertainment Tonight.

Chicago Tribune.

Why must Hollywood be so f@cking stupid?

So many things wrong with this I cannot begin to comprehend it. First of all...aaaarrrgh! I cannot find the correct words. I brought this to the attention of Ms. Aly Greaves, WildClaw company member, founder of Undead America and resident Buffy expert. She simply said "Yes, I am aware. I am currently ignoring that."



I cannot believe that anyone involved in the series, which was wonderful, would consider doing this without Joss Whedon. And if no one from the series is doing it and Joss is not doing it...you have now lost the fans entirely.

In my opinion, it was not the concept that made that show so good...it was the execution. That show had huge potential to be horrible. In the wrong hands, it could have been right up there with Cop Rock.

Now, I am not a Whedon junkie like Ms. Greaves, but the guy is good at what he does. This was a landmark in television. It is still right there in our collective memory. I mean seriously, 2003 is not that long ago folks, not long enough for anyone to have forgotten. And I was not a fan of this show for 5 of its years, but not until I sat down in 2001 with my 70 year old father and watched two episodes back to back. Dad and I remarked at the end that we were surprised at how much we enjoyed it. Like, really, enjoyed it, had fun while watching, did not feel markedly stupider after viewing...I was very surprised, as I had often made fun of my friend Krista for her devotion to this show. I was wrong, and I was hooked. Vampires, demons, monsters, hot chicks having sex, and kills, quality kills. What more can you ask for in TV?

I was going to let our resident Whedon expert Ms. Greaves address this at some point, because she is well versed and more articulate than I, but...then I read it a third time...seriously people. This must be stopped. For so many reasons. It is time to tell Hollywood that they need to actually pay for creative people to come up with new stories, or they must pay fair price for the old ones. Seriously, today I am having one of those days where I am fearing deeply for the future of our people. If they make Buffy without Joss Whedon, the terrorists have won.

Hollywood is so out of touch. I mean, you know, there is this thing called the Buffyverse, and it is real, and these pop culture nerds (one of whom I happily reside with) can hold their own with Trekkies, Trekkers, Star Wars geeks, Dungeons and Dragons nerds...I just don't think Hollywood thought this one through...

Jane Randolph Dies



Jane Randolph, the star of two 1940's Cat People movies, passed away at age 94.

Happy Birthday PETER CUSHING, CHRISTOPHER LEE and VINCENT PRICE!!!

Three of the most beloved horror icons in film history celebrate birthdays yesterday and today - sadly, only one of them is still among us to blow out his candles. But being that this is the world of horror and fantasy, who knows?

VINCENT PRICE (May 27, 1911 - October, 25 1993)


















CHRISTOPHER LEE (May 27 1922 - )


















PETER CUSHING (May 26, 1913 - August 11, 1994)

Kitley's Krypt - MYSTERY PHOTO #4

Another week, another MYSTERY PHOTO!

Jon Kitley, pillar of the Chicago Horror Community and head honcho over at KITLEY'S KRYPT, wants to challenge your horror knowledge. Week in, week out, he posts a Mystery Photo - sometimes from an obscure horror title, sometimes just an unusual shot from a well-known classic. We figured our faithful Claw readers would enjoy the challenge!

Last week's MP is required viewing for both theatre and horror fans alike. It's none other than Vincent Price and Diana Rigg from the 70s classic, THEATRE OF BLOOD (1973), where Price's ham actor Edward Lionheart takes on his critics, proving the sword is oftentimes mightier than the pen! In all honesty, this is one of Price's finest roles, as evidenced by this quote from the Los Angeles Times: "If horror pictures were taken seriously, he would surely be an Oscar contender next year." If you haven't seen it already, put it in the queue, write yourself a note, set the Tivo, whatever, but see it!


Let's see how well you fare with this week's offering:


Send your guesses to: jon@kitleyskrypt.com

If you provide the correct answer, your name will be announced next week on the Kitley's Krypt website (http://www.kitleyskrypt.com), along with a new photo. Good luck!

Monday, May 25, 2009

The Revenants Is Over


Laura Hooper and Brian Amidei in The Revenants

We would like to thank everyone who came to our latest production, The Revenants by Scott T. Barsotti, as directed by Anne Adams. We will be posting many photos of the show later today. For those of you who tried to get tickets the last couple of weeks and found The Revenants to be sold out, please come see our future productions early. We want you to see our shows.

And thank you to Rich and everyone at Angel Island Theater for being such great hosts.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Angry White Guy likes him some Zombies

Don Hall is not so angry. And he likes us.

And we like him.

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Zombie Disco Party


Celebrate the Horror Society's One Year Anniversary at Viaduct Theater on June 20th with their first annual Zombie Disco!

DJ Joe Wallace will spin your favorite retro disco beats mixed with horror classic tunes all night in tandem with screenings of classic zombie movies.

Come dressed as a zombie or get zombified on the premises and win the Best Zombie Contest!

Other games and events include Zombie Twister, Shoot'em In The Head, booze, trivia, games, vendors, raffle & more!

ViaDuct Theater
3111 N Western Ave
(Belmont and Western, under the bridge on Western)

Tickets only $10 at the door or online
More info:
http://www.horrorsociety.com/disco
http://www.viaducttheatre.com

Cannes Taken Over By Zombies

Hollywood distributors are biting for a piece of "Colin", a zombie movie made for $70.00.

Friday, May 22, 2009


This just in from the fine folks at Madison Horror....


On Saturday July 18th, Madison Horror will be presenting a one time only theatrical screening of the Jack Messitt directed film Midnight Movie. Midnight Movie was released to DVD in January and only received a handful of theatrical screenings. The film won best feature and best cinematography in the 2008 Chicago Horror Film Festival and was selected as Fangoria’s DVD of the month. To read the review in Fangoria click here. To listen to the Graveyard Show interview with Jack Messitt click here.

At a run down theater in a sleepy suburban town, a group of friends attend the midnight screening of a 1970s cult horror film. These unsuspecting teenagers are unaware that the director and star of the movie made a bloody escape from a psych ward five years earlier and may still be on the loose.

As the midnight movie begins, the kids heckle the old black-and-white scenes. But they are jolted when the killer butchers one of their friends...on screen! They soon realize that the killing is not a prank. They are locked inside the theatre and the killer from the movie is after them!

Caught between reality and the screen's flickering shadows, are they becoming the unwilling stars of the very horror movie they are watching?

The screening will be held at 7PM only at the Market Square Cinema located at 6604 Odana Rd. In Madison, WI. There are limited seats available for this screening so get your tickets early. Tickets for the event are $5 advance and $7 day of the show. Advance tickets may be purchased on the events page at www.madisonhorror.com

Kitley's Krypt - MYSTERY PHOTO #3

Another week, another MYSTERY PHOTO!

Jon Kitley, pillar of the Chicago Horror Community and head honcho over at KITLEY'S KRYPT , wants to challenge your horror knowledge. Week in, week out, he posts a Mystery Photo - sometimes from an obscure horror title, sometimes just an unusual shot from a well-known classic. We figured our faithful Claw readers would enjoy the challenge!

Last week's was probably an easy one for all you old school 50s-60s big bug fans out there. It was the giant mollusk from THE MONSTER THAT CHALLENGED THE WORLD (1957), which if you haven't seen already is great fun and available on DVD. Check it out!


Let's see how well you fare with this week's offering:



Send your guesses to: jon@kitleyskrypt.com

Correct answers will be announced next week on the Kitley's Krypt website (http://www.kitleyskrypt.com), along with a new photo. Good luck!

Thursday, May 21, 2009

iZombie For Your iPhone



And here's a good review for iZombie: Death March from Appversity.

Still Accepting Submissions for Deathscribe 2009

We are still accepting submissions for DEATHSCRIBE 2009. So far we are seeing some good stuff, but we think YOU can do better. For more details click here.

Seriously. Even this guy



can write a 10 minute horror radio play. Why not you? Start writing, and submit your nightmare!

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

SPINE-TINGLING SATURDAY at the PORTAGE!



This Saturday, May 30th, Big John has put together another eclectic and
exciting lineup for Chicago sci-fi/horror fans to close out the month.
4 flicks for $10, plus vintage toys and collectibles on sale in the
lobby!

ATTACK OF THE CRAB MONSTERS (1957) - 6pm
IT CONQUERED THE WORLD (1956) - 7:20pm
TIME MEN (new indie sci-fi flick from Mark Gumbinger) - 8:45pm
DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS (1962) - 10:30pm

The Historic Portage Theater
4050 N Milwaukee Ave Chicago, IL 60641
(773) 736-4050


Visit http://www.portagetheater.org for
more info

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Who Is WildClaw?

Some have asked, "Who is this bunch of lunatics called WildClaw Theatre?" Well, here are a few brief snapshots into their daily lives to let you see them as more than just artists dedicated to bringing horror to the Chicago stage.


Charley Sherman (WildClaw Artistic Director) and victim, Tony Akins (Comic Book Artist)


Paul Foster (WildClaw Literary Manager, Technical Director, Graphic Design) and Allison Greaves (WildClaw Costume Mistress and Podcast Queen)


Brian Amidei (WildClaw Managing Director/Zombie) and Nora O'Sullivan (Horror Cutie)


Aaron Christensen (Dr. AC and WildClaw Director of Audience Development) and Anna McKibben (Scream Queen)
Photo by Jessica Wells


Anne Adams (WildClaw Casting Director and Director of The Revenants)
Photo by The Devil's Candy Store


Charlie Athanas (WildClaw Graphics Designer, Webmaster, Set Designer) and a vampire.

Four Revenants Performances Left


Laura Hooper as "Molly" in The Revenants
Photo by Kirstie Shanley

Do you love zombies?

Do you love Love?

Do you love zombie infestations, car crashes, blood-spattering headshots, Bozo, bloody biting, gun-fire, the song "Fly Me To The Moon", vomit, chainsaws, "Easy Rider", and getting eaten alive?

Then get your ass online and get your tickets to the most claustrophic, zombiest, bloody lovefest you'll see this side of Budapest.

Only four more performances of WildClaw's acclaimed zombie play, The Revenants, are left. When it's gone, you'll be slapping your head and saying, "What do you mean it's live and happens right in my lap? And when it's over, it's OVER? I can't see it?! Whadda ya mean I can't see it? Didn't you videotape it or something, I mean, it's two thousand and frickin' nine, man?" Nope. When it's gone, it's gone.

And hell, if one of the zombies gets loose and actually bites you, your ticket is free. Now - you can't beat that.

Stop For Me. It's The Claw.

"Daddy Ate My Eyes."

"Daddy ate my eyes."

The Zombie Wars in the Insect World


I love discovering that every now and then Mother Nature can out-freaky even the freakiest of human imagination.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/05/13/national/a062256D48.DTL&tsp=1

Monday, May 18, 2009

More horror from Cannes

Madness and the Anti-Christ.

Sounds...interesting...

At first, it's an elegant grief drama. Then it transforms into "The Shining" meets "Evil Dead" with green politics, torture porn and a fair amount of Lynchian abstractions.


'nuff said?

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Horror at Cannes

They are talking horror at Cannes this year...


Cannes week one: Love, romance and lots of horror


Things took a turn for the bloody -- slurp slurp bloody -- in Thirst, from Korean director Park Chan-wook, in a slightly more playful mood than he was in Oldboy, his previous revenge fantasy. Thirst represents yet another reinvention of the vampire film, this one both beautiful and provocative: it's about a priest who becomes a blood-eater who avoids killing when possible, preferring to sup from the body of a man in a coma. He falls in love with a beautiful woman who turns out to be a lot of trouble. People fly through the air, bite necks, and have a good deal of intercourse: Cannes' ratio of sex to violence keeps tipping this way and that, with violence gaining the upper hand as things move along.

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Only 6 shows left...

If you live in Chicago, and have not seen THE REVENANTS, seriously, buy your tickets now. We are selling out the last 6 shows, and if you do not buy them now, you might not see the show. Sorry. Tickets are limited.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Episode #011 Summer Horror Films & Scott T Barsotti Speaks!

In this episode, an interview with The Revenants author Scott T. Barsotti, a summer horror movie roundup, the Zombie Walk Chicago, Slayathon 2009, and Horrorbles in Berwyn!

Don't forget to see The Revenants!

http://www.wildclawtheatre.com

Only 8 shows left!!!!


Only 8 shows left for the zombie hit of the year, WildClaw Theatre's THE REVENANTS.

8 shows and then these zombies fade into memory. THE REVENANTS must close May 24th.

If you haven't seen them yet, buy your tickets now while there is still time. The critics are raving, the audience is cringing, the zombies are groaning, and everyone is having a good time. Isn't it time you checked our what all the moaning was about before the end?

Tickets still available, $5 discount for industry Thurs and Sun, $10 student rush tickets when available...

Hope to see you soon.

The Daemon of WildClaw

Kitley's Krypt - MYSTERY PHOTO #2

Another week, another MYSTERY PHOTO!

Jon Kitley, pillar of the Chicago Horror Community and head honcho over at KITLEY'S KRYPT , wants to challenge your horror knowledge. Week in, week out, he posts a Mystery Photo - sometimes from an obscure horror title, sometimes just an unusual shot from a well-known classic. We figured our faithful Claw readers would enjoy the challenge!

Last week's was admittedly a doozy, and if you didn't guess correctly, worry not because you were in good company. In fact, only two people guessed correctly that it was from 70s Brit horror director Pete Walker's THE COMEBACK (1978).


If you're not familiar with Walker's work, now's a great time to Discover the Horror with great titles such as Frightmare, House of Whipcord, and The Confessional aka House of Mortal Sin.

Let's see how well you fare with this week's offering:


Send your guesses to: jon@kitleyskrypt.com

Correct answers will be announced next week on the Kitley's Krypt website (http://www.kitleyskrypt.com), along with a new photo. Good luck!

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Rock out with SAVINI EFFECT!



We met the cool cats of Milwaukee's SAVINI EFFECT at Fangoria a couple months back, where they passed along a sampler DVD of their tunes. Good stuff, o my blood brothers...

SAVINI EFFECT is: Paul Schell - electric guitar, effects; Rich Schell - electric guitar, effects/ Nick Wojtal - bass guitar, effects/ Paul Farvour - drums, synthesizer


This is a band that is fueled by two things: horror films and themes from horror films. Once you submerge yourself in these movies, you'll discover some of the most haunting scores ever composed. You can find amazing music in films like 'The Beyond', 'Zombie', and 'Phantasm'. SAVINI EFFECT was formed in 2007 by four guys with one common interest: Horror Movies. All members had always been into Horror (and Science Fiction), but were unaware that each other played musical instruments. Once it dawned on them, they quickly started learning these musical scores, drawing particularly from the Italian Horror genre (Giallo). Composers such as Goblin, Fabio Frizzi, and most notably, Morte Macabre became the initial fountain of inspiration. After a short hiatus and several auditions, they found progrocker and drummer Paul Farvour in late summer 2008. Paul brought to the group talent the likes of Agostino Marangalo and Alan White, as well as basic synthesizer skills. If horror/sci fi flicks arouse your interest and you want a different musical experience, check out SAVINI EFFECT!

The Mammals | Devils Don't Forget

Alright, we're going to assume you've already seen The Revenants. Because that's your top priority, right? Now do yourself a favor and go see Devils Don't Forget. It's creepy, it's unsettling, it's a real good time.




Everything works toward creating the mood. That space, in that building, under that train line. Even though you're going up four floors in an old school cage elevator, you feel like you're falling down, into the rabbit hole, into a half-remembered fever dream. You feel as if you're stumbling through the rainy streets, shadowy basements, dingy speak-easies of any given detective story. Or all of them. Or the Platonic ideal of one.



There's no beginning or end to the story, it just sort of hangs there in space and time. You clutch desperately for some sort of mooring, for something to make SENSE. But it's not there -- you just float away in the same dark water as the amnesiac protagonist. No names, no facts; just grimly flailing and churning, trying not to get killed.



It looks awesome, sounds awesome, is performed awesomely. Mr. Morlock is really picking up on what The Mammals are laying down.

Monday, May 11, 2009

INDUSTRY NIGHT TONIGHT!

WildClaw Theatre's THE REVENANTS is having an industry night, tonight, Monday May 11th.

$10 tickets at the door, first come first served.

Hope to see you there.

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Happy Mother's Day Mrs Bates!


Mom's get into THE REVENANTS today for half-price!

Happy Mothers Day!



We all have a mother, even the undead among us. In honor of our mothers, WildClaw is offering half-priced tickets to all Mom's on this Mothers day.

The show is at 3:00pm. Hope to see you there.

Friday, May 8, 2009

Tonight's codeword is...

Tonight's codeword is DECAY. Use the codeword DECAY at the box office and get $5 off your ticket price for tonight's performance of THE REVENANTS.

Sam Raimi's Drag Me To Hell!

Miss Summer Horror Event Films? Sam Raimi to the Rescue!

Sigh...I wish there was a summer horror film that would get me jazzed the way flicks like Star Trek and Harry Potter do. I saw Star Trek last night and it was tremendous fun...totally entertaining, suspenseful, and appealed to all my trek geekiness without pissing me off (unlike Wolverine...). I guess it's harder to make any horror film an "event film". Nowadays horror movies rarely have a respectable budget and the star power to bring people out in droves. But it wasn't always like that. New York audiences waited for up to four hours in the middle of winter to see The Exorcist! And remember a little film called Jaws?

The last horror movie I remember catching in the summer was Event Horizon...which I liked for the way it mixed a very Clive Barker-esque horror fantasy with a dash of the Shining all set in Space. What's not to like?

But wait...there's hope yet kids...the dark horse in the running is Sam Raimi's Drag Me To Hell opening May 29th! I am getting excited for this one...the cast looks solid and who doesn't think a gypsy with a dead eye is creepy? Not me my friends.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Christopher Lee And Rhapsody



Sing, Christopher, sing!

Discount tickets available to THE REVENANTS this weekend!

WildClaw Theatre's THE REVENANTS is offering discounts all weekend. Only three weeks left, tickets are selling fast, come out and see us soon!

Tonight only, we are offering half-priced tickets to THE REVENANTS, at the door only, first come first served, with the code words...



With the codewords "WALKING DEAD." Tonight only.

This Sunday only, all mothers get in for $10! Bring your Mom to the Zombie Show for Mothers Day!

And, if that weren't enough, Monday night is industry night, all tickets $10, at the door, first come first served.

Hope to see you there

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Zombie VS Kids!



Would you be as brave as these kids? I doubt it.

Kitley's Krypt - MYSTERY PHOTO

Jon Kitley, pillar of the Chicago Horror Community and head honcho over at KITLEY'S KRYPT , wants to challenge your horror knowledge. Week in, week out, he posts a Mystery Photo - sometimes from an obscure horror title, sometimes just an unusual shot from a well-known classic.

We figured our faithful Claw readers would enjoy the challenge! Let's see how well you fare with this week's offering:



Send your guesses to: jon@kitleyskrypt.com

Correct answers will be announced next week on the Kitley's Krypt website ( http://www.kitleyskrypt.com), along with a new photo. Good luck!

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

The Mammals present DEVIL'S DON'T FORGET



Bob Fisher and our blood brethren over at The Mammals are tearing up the horror stages in May as well. If you're reading this and you're a WildClaw fan, then these guys are your kind of fun. Check 'em out.

And don't just take our word for it - TimeOut Chicago loves 'em too:

http://chicago.timeout.com/articles/theater/74273/devils-dont-forget-at-the-mammals-theate r-review

DEVILS DON'T FORGET – An amnesiac tries desperately to not remember his past, convinced that he was an accessory to some unspeakable evil. But his amnesia provides no refuge when devils he had hoped to forget return to collect their due. Inspired by 50’s hardboiled noir as well as classic Grand Guignol, DEVILS DON'T FORGET is an atmospheric descent into a metropolis populated with Femme Fatales, Punch Drunk Gangsters, and Shadowy Figures seemingly supernatural. It is the story of a man who tries to escape a demonic global conspiracy using self induced amnesia.



DEVILS DONT FORGET is the second of three plays in a cycle entitled THE NOIR TRIPTYCH. Part One was BREED WITH ME, originally presented in Spring of 2003 (Highly Recommended, Chicago Reader). Part Three, THE MEATLOCKER is currently targeted to premiere in winter of 2009.




Cast: Dennis Frymire, Susan Myburgh, Don Hall, Gabe Garza, Nicolle Van Dyke, Katherine Swan, Anya Clingman, and Adam Dodds

Director: Bob Fisher
Asst Director: Brian Seitel
Costume Design: Sarah Elizabeth Miller

To find out more go to the Mammals blog at http://themammals.blogspot.com

Monday, May 4, 2009

Zombies zombies everywhere


Examining the Zombie zeitgeist.

Our friends at the Chicago Tribune have written a nice piece on what they call "The year of the Zombie."

For instance, Chicago's WildClaw Theatre, which specializes in live horror plays, is currently producing "The Revenants" at the Angel Island Theater in Lakeview. It features two couples beset by zombies, and how the crisis tests their resolve.

"One of the strangest things I've noticed are the couples on their way out of the play," said WildClaw managing director Brian Amidei. "I've heard them whispering about the 'zombie conversation,' which is basically a twisted variation of the DNR conversation. Do Not Resuscitate. Except we have wives telling husbands: 'If I'm bitten by a zombie, shoot me in the head.'
"

Ryan Oliver's She Bang Trailer!

Please check out the trailer for Wildclaw's good friend and blood wrangler, Ryan Oliver. I also helped with some of the costumes and many of our lady fans and friends are in the movie...looks like good dirty bloody fun!
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=56716222

Sunday, May 3, 2009

The Damned



The Damned are one the great pioneers of punk, and many of their songs have been horror inspired. These include "The Dog" (based on the character Claudia from "Interview with the Vampire"), "13th Floor Vendetta", "Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde", "Grimly Fiendish", "These Hands", and the song"Nasty", which you can see here in a clip from an episode of the British TV series "The Young Ones"... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYJz-ElfwFI

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Ned teaches killing


WildClaw friend, Chicago ex-pat, and actor/director/fight choreographer extraordinaire, Ned Mochel teaches how to choke and kill.

Friday, May 1, 2009

Free Comic Book Day Tomorrow!


It's like Christmas for nerds like me tomorrow. It's free comic book day...and it's a very good thing. Grab everyone you know (especially kids) and drag them to your local funny book store for some free swag. There is even a horror-centric title in the free comic line-up. Check out Mercy Sparx from Chicago's very own Devil's Due Publishing! They also put out the equally horror-rific Hack/Slash. When you get there, talk up our little Zombie play...