"House of the Wolf Man" Mid-West Premiere Pics

Just the other day, I posted my review of the new indie film House of the Wolf Man.

The Midwest premiere was held last month at The Ligonier Theater, home of Ligonier, Pennsylvania's community theater troupe, Valley Players of Ligonier. It was a nicely restored old showcase cinema, set near a charming town square that's right out of Back to the Future.

But I digress. The VQ and I were at the event, which was a lot of fun. We took pictures, natch. So here's the visuals to go with the film review.

The security guards outside were kinda rough looking and intimidating--especially the green guy in the back, although he was nice to little kids who came up:

Event host Ron Adams of Monster Bash and Creepy Classics renown was in a giddy, affable mood:

Paisley, daughter of the Adams Monster and fan of Creature From the Black Lagoon, was her usual charming self:

The event was well attended. But these patrons couldn't tell if they were coming or going:

Once inside the lobby, great gals Ursula Adams (Ron's better half) and Monster Bash staff member Barb Heiss were there to lend a hand at the snack bar:


Inside the theater auditorium itself were two old phantasmagoric art works, plus a creepy looking tragedy mask, all of which lent atmosphere to the event:

It was nice to see singer Mark Statler in attendance--his latest CD I recently reviewed here:


There was a thrilling preview for Monster Bash 2010, and these attendees were clearly startled and delighted by it:

Executive Producer and HOTWM actor (as creepy mute butler "Barlow") John McGarr was there to introduce the film. Here he is as he was seen in the film:

And as he appeared at the screening:

Uh-oh! When he finds out the Drunken Severed Head is in the house, he summons security to escort it (I mean, me) OUT!

No, I kid, I kid. I think he just acknowledging the work of Ron Adams in bringing fans of old horror films together in this photo.

Well, that's all the photos, but you can see a cute 1960s-style faux "toy commercial" for House of the Wolf Man action figures here. I'd buy 'em if they were for sale!

An afterthought: After I first posted, it occurred to me that the initials of the movie--HOT WM-- can be found in classified ads in alternative papers all over the nation!

Slick marketing move! (Insert winky emoticon here.)
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Image source for top photo and pic of McGarr as Barlow found here.

Web of Love

Scopitones were the "music videos" of their day. Thanks to "Creeping Bride" at the Classic Horror Film Board, I have seen my newest favorite Scopitone! It's actress Joi Lansing singing "Web of Love"!

Take it away, Joi!

Jovanka Vuckovic steps down from RUE MORGUE mag

Jovanka Vuckovic, the editor who built Rue Morgue magazine into a Rondo Award-winning horror journal par excellence, has decided to leave, having a baby on the way and wanting to focus on other artistic endeavors. As she announced on her Facebook page,

"After seven years as Editor of Rue Morgue Magazine, the time has come for me to move on. I worked very hard to make the magazine the best it could possibly be the entire time I was there and I'm proud of my contribution to it and the status I helped elevate it to. But a career in journalism has never been a goal of mine. It was an interesting detour, that's for sure, but I have always been a writer and an artist and have had a strong desire to follow my instinct to create...

"In the meantime, I am currently focusing on my most creative and challenging endeavour to date: the birth of my first child, which is currently growing in my womb...It's an exciting and very happy time for my fiancee and I. We couldn't be more thrilled."

She will be missed! I wish her success in her new projects and my best wishes for a healthy baby and a happy family life.

I had the pleasure of getting to know her a little at this year's Wonderfest convention, and was there win she picked up the Rondo Award for Rue Morgue. Here she is, about to put her "stamp of approval" on my head!

Halloween's over. Back to "normality"?

Halloween is over (sigh), and most people are ready to leave behind the costumes and masks, scary movies and horror decor that are embraced in October.

Not me! I thank Cthulhu that I live in a haunted place--a refuge from the mundane.

Why, even my yard's haunted!

My wife and I have just seen the ghost of a wild beast in our back yard--and here's the picture to prove it:

Okay, it's only the ghost of a deer, which ain't nearly as cool as having the ghost of a lion or a bat around, I know. But hey, it's a ghost.

Now, as to why can you can see a door through that deer--don't ask. I don't know. Guess I got the ghost of a door out there, too.

Yeah, that's it! That's my answer and I'm stickin' to it!

HOUSE OF THE WOLF MAN: A review

Above: Promo artwork for House of the Wolf Man by the talented Chris Kuchta. Source found here.


Old horror movies, and movies made with an obvious love of creature feature classics, (like The Monster Squad) are my bag, man.

My opinion of the new "old" film House of the Wolf Man ? Man, it's a mixed bag!

The plot of this black and white homage to the horror hits of yesteryear, according to its IMDB page, is "Five strangers are invited to a castle under the pretense that one may inherit it. Little do they know what dangers await at the House of the Wolfman." There's also a curse, mad science, and some dark family secrets waiting to be exposed, too.

Bad news (as I see it) first: the writing, direction, and acting are very uneven. The writing is generally pastiche Universal Gothic, which is a plus. I like my horror old-fashioned, very much so.

But the script reminds me less of The Cat and The Canary, The Old Dark House or any of the Frankenstein and Wolf Man movies, which is what I think it shoots for, than lesser efforts like Horror Island and the 1941 The Black Cat (with, wisely, less "comedy relief.") Throughout, the acting ranges from bad to well done; a better consistency in the performances would have helped. Too, not all of the performers seemed to be experienced professionals. However, the actors Dustin Fitzsimons (playing the young male lead "Reed Chapel"), Jeremie Loncka (the bespectacled brainiac "Conrad Sullivan") and Cheryl Rodes as the sexy "Elmira Cray" showed the most skill as performers, I thought, and I enjoyed watching them work their craft.

I found myself occasionally wishing that the camera moved more. My impression, after only one viewing, was that wasn't as much camera movement as in films like Bride of Frankenstein or other classic horror films. Not a huge distraction, but it registered. But there's not a LOT of camera movement in good television series either, and as most people are going to see this on a smaller screen, it's probably the complaint is a minor one.

The movie includes sly visual references to the original The Wolf Man, and presents a story that would fit into the classic Universal "universe." Some of the script elements indeed honor the best traditions of old Universals. But sometimes, sadly, the worst as well.

For example, there was some not-very-funny comedy relief, and a couple of examples of outright send-up: an African native character actually says "Cowabunga, oomgowa!" at one point, and another African native character sees a monster and we are shown a closeup of him doing a "Buckwheat"-style, big-eyed, jaw-dropping take. And in a climactic fight, we see the stone walls of the castle shake when hit three times.

I think these things were included to make the film more "authentic," in a sense--but I feel it was a mistake not to scrap them. Fans can forgive such bad choices and bloopers in old movies, but who wants them included in a NEW film trying to be like the horror classics of yesteryear? I don't, and my wife felt the same way. They pushed the film briefly into parody, not pastiche, and as the film is apparently intended as a tribute to the classics, they're out of place. (Again, IMHO--your mileage may vary.)

The scenes of actor and Lugosi impersonator Michael Thomas as Dracula don't make up much more than a cameo, and his last line is the end of the film. Unfortunately, the line isn't very dramatic, and I thought all the momentum of the film evaporated with his last scene, making for an unsatisfying coda.

Now the GOOD news! The lighting, the sets, the set decoration and props, costumes, makeup, and fight choreography are ALL excellent. It looks much better than I expected. (I'm guessing it was shot on hi-def video; it was presented in digital projection.) When there are so very few new movies to see in "glorious black and white", it is wonderful to see one done with such care.

The musical score by Nate Scott is a fantastic asset to the film ; an evocative piece of composition that aids in creating mood and tension.

WARNING: Two small spoilers ahead!

There are two scenes in the film that will stand up to the test of time, and remain in the memories of viewers. The first one involves a mysterious, badly disfigured character revealed in a hidden room. It was one of the creepiest scenes I've ever seen, and I thought one that Browning would have been proud of. The other is the film's climactic fight between the Wolf Man and Frankenstein's Monster--it is what the fight in Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man SHOULD have been! Great choreography, editing, and camera work come together to make it marvelously memorable. I loved it.

So House of the Wolf Man, if I had to rank it with any of the Universal monster movies, would be somewhere between House of Dracula and Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man in quality. Which is fitting, I suppose, because it mostly goes in for a 1940s Universal flavor. Too bad that was a lesser decade for GREAT horror films! Still, if only for the look of the film, the music, the makeup, and the two scenes I pointed out for special praise, you should go see it.

Update: I posted pics from the screening here.
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Another, more positive review, can be found HERE.

Chris Kuchta's website is here.

Who is THIS guy?

Someone claiming to speak for me is profiled at the blog Zombos' Closet of Horror. Read what he says, and decide for yourself if it's me, or some loon who oughtta be locked up someplace.

Of course, Zombos' infamously interviewed someone calling himself "Max the drunken severed head" in THIS Halloween post in 2007.