DEATHSCRIBE 2010 Author - Liz Siedt interview

We thought you would like to hear from our DEATHSCRIBE 2010 Festival selections authors. Let's talk to Liz Seidt, whose piece in the show will be Tape Deck, directed by Bob Fisher.

LIZ SIEDT

1) Where horror is concerned, what does radio give us that visual media cannot?

 I don’t think it’s so much about what audio horror gives us as much as it is what it doesn’t. You can’t see anything happening in front of you, so your mind starts filling in the blanks. And nine times out of ten, whatever you’re imagining is worse than what they could have shown you. Plus, because you’re the one visually constructing these terrifying things, it’s like you’re a part of it- you are basically an accessory to whatever the author has concocted.

2) "Tape Deck" creeped us out. What is it about "Tape Deck" that creeps you out?

 Ha... “Tape Deck” creeps me out because it’s based on something that actually happened to me! Not the whole thing, thankfully... At my last apartment a woman- a very drunk woman- somehow managed to get past my apartment’s front gate and ring my buzzer six or seven times, at four AM. Then she started screaming and yelling and pounding on the doors. I pressed the “Talk” button on my buzzer and told her to go away or I’d call the cops, and then I hit “Listen.” She said, “Is this your apartment, or mine?” like she was genuinely trying to work it out, and then she walked away. Now it’s funny, but at the time it really freaked me out. So I just thought, what if that situation had gone a bit differently?

3) What's the sound cue in your piece that you're excited to hear in foley?

Well, one of my characters actually doesn’t have any lines- he’s just a collection of sound effects, so I’m really looking forward to hearing his “dialogue” with the other characters: mostly the barely audible breathing sounds he makes. I hope everyone in the audience leans forward to try and hear it better!

4) What actor, from any time, has the best voice for horror?

You’ll think I’m weird for saying this (weirder anyway) but George S. Irving, the guy who did the voice of Heat Miser in The Year Without a Santa Claus is my pick. To be clear- I’m not scared of Heat Miser. I think he’s sorta cuddly-looking. But when I was a kid, George S. Irving read the audiobook of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz, which was my favorite collection of scary folktales and urban legends. (I was a horror enthusiast from a young age.) For an eight-year-old, the books are unsettling enough, especially with Stephen Gammell’s illustrations that look like they’re reaching off the page at you, but Irving reading it out loud was actually sort of terrifying. He’s got this pretty friendly-sounding voice, but something about the way he reads these stories- like he’s really savoring them- is just really creepy.

5) What difficulties does a 10-minute constraint present when writing, especially where horror and/or radio are concerned?

With horror, you definitely want to give your story time to build up suspense and also to lull people into a false sense of security, but with only ten minutes, you have to pretty much cut to the chase. Also, there’s less time to establish characters for an audience to identify with, so the audience only has a few minutes to think “Oh, I like this guy, he’s an awful lot like me. I hope nothing bad happens to him,” before you do something really nasty to him.

***


The DEATHSCRIBE 2010 Jury will be dining at the Morseland.

Kitley's Krypt MYSTERY PHOTO #68

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!

Our last photo was from Eduardo (co-director of The Blair Witch Project)Sanchez's unjustly overlooked alien invasion flick, ALTERED (2006). This low budget creature feature never overextends its hand, yet delivers up some mighty fine effects and solid performances from a cast of relative unknowns. As you might have noticed, the Kryptic crew rarely shines the spotlight on more modern flicks in the Mystery Photo section, but every once in a while, we like to use it to recommend a film that somehow managed to fly under the radar of genre fans. Consider this a solid "check it out" from us to you.



Let's see how you fare with this week's selection:



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. Even if you don't know the answer, we welcome any sorta-kinda educated guess! So, send in your emails today and good luck!

Wildclaw Wishes You A Happy Thanksgiving!

DEATHSCRIBE 2010 Author - Jude Mire interview

We thought you would like to hear from our DEATHSCRIBE 2010 Festival selections authors. Let's talk to Jude Mire, whose piece in the show will be Monitor Spectare, directed by Lance Baker.

JUDE MIRE

1) Where horror is concerned, what does radio give us that visual media cannot?

Radio has a lot of the same great advantages that traditional writing has. Both require the participation of the audience to fill out the story. I can toss a character, creature, or setting into a story or radio play and every member of the audience is going to visualize their own version, personalize it. In film, there is a definitive version. You can’t come up with your own ideas because everything is right there on the screen. Stories and radio plays allow you to participate. Also, radio isn’t limited by a special effects budget; it doesn’t cost more to set the story in an exotic location or have massive scale events taking place. This gives more freedom to the author.

2) "Monitor Spectare" creeped us out. What is it about "Monitor Spectare" that creeps you out?

I think the creepiest things are the concepts behind the character. Sure, events may be gory, creepy, and unsettling, but unless it has something to do with the point of the story, it doesn’t connect with me. In Monitor Spectare the thing that really creeps me out is that the main character really is a good guy who does everything right and it doesn’t matter, horrible things still happen.

3) What's the sound cue in your piece that you're excited to hear in foley?

There are some lines spoken in Latin. Latin is creepy. After all, it’s a dead language.

4) What actor, from any time, has the best voice for horror?

Hard to say. It’s difficult to separate the voice from the movies. If by “best” you mean actually scary, chilling, I’m going to have to go with Anthony Hopkins’, Hannibal Lechter. Vincent Price is up there, but he’s got just a little too much cheese at times to be truly frightening.

5) What difficulties does a 10-minute constraint present when writing, especially where horror and/or radio are concerned?

It’s all about fitting everything in. There are a lot of components to a good horror story. You’ve got about three minutes to introduce the setting, the characters, and what their goals are. Another three to establish the problem so the audience knows exactly what’s going on and how that conflicts with what the characters want. Then you’ve got about three minutes to ruin everything and, hopefully, kill a bunch of characters. Oh, and at some point you should have made sure your audience cares about the characters you’re killing. Few people cry over road kill, unless it’s your pet. Emotional investment matters in horror.
***


The DEATHSCRIBE 2010 Jury will be dining at the Morseland.

The Four Moon Tavern sponsors DEATHSCRIBE

WildClaw Theatre is very pleased to announce that The Four Moon Tavern is generously sponsoring DEATHSCRIBE 2010.

This cozy tavern, located in Roscoe Village at 1847 West Roscoe Street, has been a WildClaw favorite for years. With a great jukebox and a superior menu full of a variety of comfort foods (Meatloaf, Shepherds Pie, Fish and Chips, Chicken and Dumplings and two kinds of Bratwurst, just to name a few), the Four Moon Tavern has carved out it's own distinct place in the pantheon of Chicago's great neighborhood joints. With daily food and drink specials, a cozy back room and a pool table, it is the perfect place for a casual evening with friends, or to catch a Bears or Bulls game. WildClaw highly recommends stopping by on a Saturday or Sunday for the tasty brunch and the recession-busting buck fifty Miller High Life special.

Stop by soon, and tell them WildClaw sent you.

RIP Ingrid Pitt! We'll Miss you...and Your Bosom!

Ingrid Pitt...star of Hammer films like Vampire Lovers (a Carmilla Adaptation FYI) has died due to heart problems.  We at Wildclaw are sad.

DEATHSCRIBE 2010 Author - David Schmidt interview

We thought you would like to hear from our DEATHSCRIBE 2010 Festival selections authors. First up - David Schmidt, whose piece in the show will be The Change in Buckett County, directed by Carolyn Klein.

DAVID SCHMIDT

1) Where horror is concerned, what does radio give us that visual media cannot?

Radio give us a big and damn-dark old closet for our minds to throw our worst imaginings into, and then invites them to come crawling out.  A movie can hope to engage the audience's imagination through suggestion, but radio demands it.  In listening, you start to actively imagine the scene, and once you're imagining - you've engaged a part of yourself in the story.

2) "The Change in Buckett County" creeped us out. What is it about "The Change in Buckett County" that creeps you out?

The first thing I thought of when I wrote this script was the *setting*.  Desolate farm fields in winter.  Feet crunching through the snow at night.  Skeletal tree creaking.  Wind blowing the drifting snow.  I used to visit my Grandparents' farm as a kid, and that barren landscape seems like a really bleak place to be when something terribly wrong is happening... 

3) What's the sound cue in your piece that you're excited to hear in foley?

There's a part in the story where something is making a leathery flapping sound in the trees.  I'm really curious how they'll interpret that, and what they'll use to make that noise! 

4) What actor, from any time, has the best voice for horror? 

I love so many - Karloff, Welles, Cushing, Lee, etc.  But the best has to be Vincent Price.  He has such a rich texture, and a fun way of rolling words around.  He could make anything sound exotic and sinister.  Plus, he always seemed to take such great delight in making it good ghoulish fun.

  

5) What difficulties does a 10-minute constraint present when writing, especially where horror and/or radio are concerned? 

I don't think I'm particularly good at short stories.  I have a tendency to want to embroider things and expand them into larger arcs.  (Sometimes to my own detriment.)  But something about writing short-form for radio seems to really inspire me.  Maybe it's that dark closet door creaking open inside my head...  :D
***

The DEATHSCRIBE 2010 Jury will be dining at the Morseland. 

WildClaw Theatre and the Chicago DCA present CARMILLA

WildClaw Theatre presents a terror-filled vampire thriller

at the Chicago DCA Storefront Theater

January 13 – February 20, 2011

WildClaw Theatre, in association with Chicago DCA Theater, presents the world premiere stage adaptation of J. Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla. Female vampires unleash upon the stage in this Victorian horror story, adapted by Aly Renee Greaves. The production comes to Chicago DCA’s Storefront Theater at 66 E. Randolph Street, from January 13 to February 20, 2011.

A young English woman living in a remote castle in Eastern Europe becomes intrigued by a mysterious house guest, the enigmatic Carmilla. As the neighboring countryside and villages fall victim to a series of unexplained grisly murders, young Laura finds herself swept up in a whirlwind of forbidden desire quite extraordinary for a 19th-century woman. Before Edward, before Lestat, before Dracula, there was Carmilla.

Performances of Carmilla are on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings at 7:30 pm. and Sunday afternoons at 3 pm. There is no performance on Friday, February 11, due to the holiday, but a special Valentine’s Day performance will take place on Monday, February 14, at 7:30 pm. A post-show discussion with the cast and crew will follow the performances on Thursday, February 3.

Tickets are $20 for general admission and $10 for students and seniors with ID. The preview performance on January 13 also costs $10. Discounts are available for Chicago Cultural Center Mosaic Members, theater industry affiliates, military personnel, ADA companions, and large groups. All tickets are available by calling 312.742.TIXS (8497), visiting www.dcatheater.org, or stopping by the DCA Box Office in the Chicago Cultural Center at 78 E. Washington Street, open Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 6 pm and Sundays, noon to 4 pm. When available, tickets go on sale one hour before each performance at the Storefront Theater.

Cast and Production Team

The cast features WildClaw Company members Brian Amidei, Scott T. Barsotti, and Charley Sherman, with guest artists Brittany Burch, Sarah Gorsky, Steven Herson, Allie Kunkler, Erin Myers, Michaela Petro, Moira B. Smith, Mandy Walsh, and Josh Zagoren.

Scott Cummins directs the performance. The show’s set design is by Alan Donohue, with lighting by Paul Foster and Dani McKenzie, sound design by Scott Tallarida and Mikhail Fiksel, and costumes and makeup by Aly Renee Greaves. Stage Manager is Anna M. K. Brenner. Dialect Coach is Barbara Zahora. Fight Designers are Scott Cummins and David Chrzanowski., and Movement Coach is Karen Tarjan. Jason Piskcher is Technical Director, and Charlie Athanas is Special Effect Director.

Special Events

In association with the production, WildClaw Theatre and Chicago DCA Theater present the following FREE programs:

Film Screening of Let’s Scare Jessica to Death

Wednesday, January 19, at 6:30 pm, Claudia Cassidy Theater in the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington Street.

This eerie low-budget chiller from 1971 has recently released mental patient Jessica (Zohra Lampert) moving to a Connecticut farm with her husband and some friends. But a strange girl named Emily is at the farm too, and it soon becomes obvious that she is somehow related to a young woman who drowned on her wedding day in the 1800s. This screening will feature an Introduction and Q & A with the film’s director, John D. Hancock.

Panel Discussion: Women in Horror, Monday, February 7, at 7 pm, Claudia Cassidy Theater in the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington Street

Best-selling author Leslie Banks, Carmilla playwright Aly Renee Greaves, WildClaw board member Sabine Cummins, Sourcebooks editor Marie Macaisa, actress Michaela Petro, and writer/ editor/game designer Kenneth Hite discuss representations of women in the horror genre.

For more information about WildClaw Theatre’s Carmilla and Chicago DCA Theater, call 312.742.TIXS (8497) or visit www.dcatheater.org. The enhanced website features more about DCA Theater performances and programs, including a blog, photo galleries, and visitor information. More information on WildClaw Theatre is available at www.wildclawtheatre.com.

The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs is dedicated to promoting an ongoing celebration of the arts and supporting the people who create and sustain them.

Musings on Foley for Deathscribe

So Deathscribe is coming...FAST.  Seriously buy your tickets because these scripts are amazing.  At the moment, I am going over them very closely trying to figure out how to make sounds like "claws rending flesh" and "1,000 mouths opening". 

So that got me thinking, what was your favorite foley effect from previous Deathscribes?  Listen to the podcasts and respond!  And come to see this year's spooky offerings on December 6th. 

Or you could stay at home and watch a crappy holiday movie...a nightmare in and of itself.

MORSELAND sponsors DEATHSCRIBE!

WildClaw Theatre is very pleased to announce that Morseland is generously sponsoring DEATHSCRIBE 2010.

This restaurant, bar, and music venue located in Rogers Park is one of the best places in town to check out a local band, get an after work cocktail, or relax with a game of pool. Located right down the street from The Mayne stage at 1218 W. Morse Ave, we highly recommend that everyone attending DEATHSCRIBE stop in for a bite beforehand, and a drink after.

They have great daily food and drink specials, and fabulous menu served until 10:30 daily, a late night menu served till close, brunch on Sundays, and a super friendly staff.

It is one of the best intimate live music venues on the North side, with styles range from jazz to hip-hop to latin to rock and everything in between.

WildClaw recommends that everyone check out this jewel of a nightclub on Chicago's northside. It would be a horror if you missed out. And, in particular, if you want to check out this great place before DEATHSCRIBE, check out the band BIG TIME, Chicago's premier Tom Waits tribute band, on November 30th. And don't forget to tell them WildClaw sent you.

One more reason why Team Carmilla rulez...

...and Team Edward is toolz.

Full Body of Horror's MONSTER DRAW #3

Come on down to Lucky Number Grill on BLACK FRIDAY for MONSTER DRAW #3! Stuff your face full of turkey, smack the rude members of your family, then escape to Lucky Number to drink and draw monsters and the people who love/fight them.

November 26th they'll start at 8:30PM and draw until around 11PM. There's a $5 cover ($1 of each cover goes to the charity, Women For Women, and the rest pays the models.)

Artist who have attended MONSTER DRAW include: Dave Dorman, Tony Akins, Pat Loboyko, J Anthony Kosar, the folks from Chateau Grrr and many others. You'll never know who'll you will meet.

Zombie Memoirs

Just in time for your holiday gift giving, "My Death in Pictures: A Zombie's Eye-Socket View of Hollywood."

http://www.slate.com/id/2274299/

Happy Birthday Robert Louis Stevenson!

Born on this day in 1850, Robert Louis Stevenson was a literary celebrity in his day, and is one of the most translated authors in the world today. Author of such classics as Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and of course, the horror classic Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde was an huge success and is to this day one of Stevenson's best-selling works. Stage adaptations followed its publication almost immediately and it has gone on to inspire multitudes of major film and stage performances. It has been called:

• Emblematic of the western cultures inner conflict of humanity's sense of good and evil.
• An example of the Freudian Theory that the thoughts and desires banished to the unconscious mind motivate the behavior of the conscious mind.
• A Victorian morality tale of unleashed sexual depravity, or an allegory for the necessarily double life of the Victorian homosexual.
• A representation of Scotland and the Scottish character, with the duality representing the national and linguistic dualities inherent in Scotland's relationship with the wider Britain and the English language respectively, and also the repressive effects of the Calvinistic church on the Scottish character.

Keep an eye out this spring, for another interpretation of the literary classic, as our dear friends at The Mammals stage The Dream Journal of Dr. Jekyll, featuring our very own Scott Barsotti.

DEATHSCRIBE 2010 at the Mayne Stage - Dec. 6th!

Hero Complex Interviews Guillermo Del Toro

The LA Times HERO COMPLEX has a cool interview with filmmaker, Guillermo del Toro.

Wildclaw Salutes Our Veterans!

We thank you for your service!

Kitley's Krypt MYSTERY PHOTO #67

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!

Our last photo was from Meir Zarchi's classic exploitation film, I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE (aka Day of the Woman) (1978), starring Camille Keaton. A female writer heads off into the countryside, seeking a little solitude in order to begin her latest project. What she encounters is a nightmare, with four local yokels repeatedly tormenting and sexually assaulting her. However, it is the second act, where the attackers have the tables turned on them, that has generated the most controversy, as Keaton doles out some of the most vicious revenge scenarios ever captured on screen. The debate still continues as to whether the film itself is an exercise in misogyny or in female empowerment. Watch it and judge for yourself.



Let's see how you fare with this week's selection:



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. Even if you don't know the answer, we welcome any sorta-kinda educated guess! So, send in your emails today and good luck!

DEATHSCRIBE 2010 - In One Month!

In one month, at Chicago's Mayne Stage theater, WildClaw Theatre will present the Third Annual International Festival of Horror Radio Plays. On December 6th, 5 tales of terror will be performed radio-style, complete with live music and sound effects accompaniment for the prize of the Bloody Axe. We'll be listening for you.

Kitley's Krypt MYSTERY PHOTO #66

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!

Our last photo was from John Landis' spirited take on vampirism (after having already left an indelible mark on the lycanthrope saga with An American Werewolf in London), INNOCENT BLOOD (1992). A strong blend of comedy and horror, with a healthy dose of sex appeal courtesy of the lithesome and luscious Anne Parillaud (the original La Femme Nikita). She is accompanied by a worthy cast that includes Anthony LaPaglia, Robert Loggia and Don Rickles, the subject of the pic below. Looks painful, no?



Let's see how you fare with this week's selection:



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. Even if you don't know the answer, we welcome any sorta-kinda educated guess! So, send in your emails today and good luck!

Happy Guy Fawkes Day!

Since we here at Wildclaw are 1/8th redcoat....Happy Bonfire Night!

Horror fans get Creepy...

Horror Fans once again get 'Creepy' and 'Eerie'.

Good News on the Horror Comic front.

Do you remember Uncle Creepy? If you do, then you undoubtedly were a fan of Warren Publishing's Creepy magazine in the 1960s, '70s and early '80s. If the name doesn't ring a bell, don't worry, you once again have a chance to make acquaintance with the ghoulish host of the horror comics magazine.

Special thanks to Dave Dorman for the heads up.

DIY Walking Dead Zombie

In case you want to watch the awesome new show in character....

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid83327935001?bctid=648222632001

And in case you want to read the awesome comic....

Happy Birthday Tom Savini!

Today's birthday is a big one in the world of horror. Mr. Tom Savini, the Godfather of Gore, the Sultan of Splatter, turns 64.



A graduate of Carnegie Melon (as is our own Aly Greaves, costume Queen and adapter of upcoming CARMILLA), Tom got his big break, as I am sure most of you know, when he was tapped by George Romero to provide a wrist slashing effect to the movie Martin. The very next year, Romero enlisted him for Dawn of the Dead, and the rest, as they say, is history. The list is too long to put here, but some of the highlights include Friday the 13th, Creepshow, Maniac, Trauma, Monkeyshines, Necronomicon, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, and Day of the Dead. Savini has worked, as an actor, director, or makeup artist with the likes of Dario Argento, Tobe Hooper, Twisted Sister, Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, to name a few, and has even voiced himself on an episode of The Simpsons.



Savini runs the Special Effects Make-Up and Digital Film Programs at the Douglas Education Center in Monessen, Pennsylvania. He is the author of several books on special effects including Grande Illusions I and II (1983, 1994) which detail the production and mechanical workings of many of his famous film effects. He is also associated with other books including Horror 101, by our very own Aaron "Dr AC" Christenson, for which he wrote the foreword.

So, from the very bottom of our black little hearts, everyone at WildClaw would like to send a big and bloody Happy Birthday to Tom Savini. We cannot imagine where we would be without you.

Happy Birthday Steve Ditko!

Happy Birthday to Steve Ditko, the comic book artist and writer who worked on such important works as Creepy, Eerie, Question, The Many Ghosts of Doctor Graves, and of course, Dr. Strange, The Hulk, and the Amazing Spider-Man.

Happy Birthday Steve!

Walking Dead...

Um, hell yeah. So what did you think?



For Mr. Morlock's money (which ain't exactly legal tender, so take it how you will) Walking Dead looks to be a winner.

True to the grim, creepy, not-Hollywood-schlock source material. Well adapted, designed and performed. In a word: really fucking good. Three words.

In a strange way, it's kind of sad not to have that sense of ownership of being in the tasteful minority: this is going to be popular as well as critically acclaimed. But then again, if popularity prevents another Firefly disaster, let's welcome the mouth-breathing masses.