The Ohio Sci-Fi and Horror Marathons

This guy is sure excited about Stuart coming to Columbus.


So after weeks of delaying, of teasing you all with possible films and hints of possible films, of making some of you look at your watches, then the board, then pounding your heads on the table...here it is: the big announcement, the lineup AND guest for the 1st annual SHOCK AROUND THE CLOCK.

We're beyond pleased to welcome Stuart Gordon back to Columbus for his second appearance at this cinematic thing of ours. Some of you attended the 1992 Night of the Living Drexel event at the dear, departed Drexel North (R.I.P.), during which Stuart appeared with his version of Pit and the Pendulum and From Beyond. That Marathon is still widely regarded as one of the best in the history of the event. For several years now, we've been in contact with him, both for access to his films (notably Dagon and King of the Ants) and in the hopes that he would attend a revival of the 24-hour horrorthon. Finally, this year, our schedules aligned, and now he'll be helping us kick off what will hopefully be a renaissance in Horror Marathon history.

When we first approached Stuart to be our guest of honor, we gave him several options for which films would show in connection with his appearance. He requested that we show something other than Re-Animator, which is very reasonable, considering it's his most widely played film and that he's probably given many a Q+A about it.) So we decided to once again screen From Beyond, which hasn't screened at a Columbus Marathon since that monumental 1992 horrorfest. We also have his second Showtime Masters of Horror episode, The Black Cat. This episode is of particular relevance, as it stars Jeffrey Combs as Edgar Allan Poe, a role which he is currently reprising in the one man show Nevermore, written by Dennis Paoli and directed by Stuart.

To complete Stuart's portion of the program, we gave him the option of introducing a non-Gordon film of his choice. I admired his audacious pick: Gaspar Noe's controversial, disturbing revenge odyssey Irreversible. A few of you might remember that Stuart spoke about the state of modern horror at the 1992 Horror Marathon, and how he found that the truly disturbing, challenging modern films to be ones like Reservoir Dogs and Man Bites Dog. Irreversible definitely plays by similar rules as those two films. It's not a horror film in the traditional sense, and it definitely won't be for everyone, but it's a violent, brutal, shocking, yet often utterly beautiful descent into the darkness of the human soul. I consider myself to have a strong constitution, and it deeply affected me when I saw it a few years back.

"Okay Joe" you say "but what about the other films"? Well, we've lined up the following slate which, combined with the aforementioned films, includes a whopping ten flicks that have never played a Columbus Marathon before. The current list is:

*The Columbus Premiere of the undead thrill ride I Sell The Dead, starring Dominic Monaghan and Ron Perlman.

*A rare 35mm screening of Edgar Ulmer’s atmospheric 1934 version of The Black Cat, featuring terror titans Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi

*The immortal Vincent Price in Roger Corman’s Technicolor, cinemascope, Poe-riffic The Masque of the Red Death

*George A. Romero’s underground zombie classic Day of the Dead

*Kurt Russell in John Carpenter’s icy, classic remake of The Thing

*John McNaughton’s still controversial and shocking Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer

*Seductive vampiress Delphine Seyrig in the lush, erotic Daughters of Darkness

*Larry Cohen’s flying serpent cult favorite Q, in memory of star David Carradine

*Bong Joon-Ho’s 2006 giant monster romp The Host

*Lupine Spanish icon Paul Naschy is the Werewolf vs. The Vampire Woman

Tickets are $35 in advance, $40 at the door

But for you, the Marathoid faithful, as we did at the Sci-Fi Marathon this year,

we're offering a special early vulture price of $33 for this holiday weekend only

(now thru Monday, September 7).


Tickets are available now at:

Grandview Theatre
1247 Grandview Avenue
Grandview Heights
(Hours may vary during construction. Knock 13 times and ask for David.
Or attend the Manhattan Short Film Festival, September 25-27 and pick them up then.)

Laughing Ogre Comics
4258 North High Street
Columbus
highstreet@laughingogrecomics.com
Monday & Tuesday 11:00-7:00
Wednesday thru Saturday 10:00-8:00
Sunday 12:00-6:00

Tickets may also be purchased online via PayPal

(please add $2 per ticket service fee) payable to: scifimarathon@hotmail.com.


Tickets may also be purchased by mailorder

with check or moneyorder payable to the Grandview Theatre

(please add $1 per order service fee) to:

Horror Marathon

Grandview Theatre

PO Box 12129

Columbus OH 43212

There's more to be said, and I might edit in some more comments as the night goes along. In the meantime, you have the basics. Run wild.