Event Report: Music Box Massacre IV

Clive Barker signing @ THE MUSIC BOX MASSACRE

On a chilly Fall day in Chicago, over a thousand horror enthusiasts made their annual trek to the Music Box Theatre for 24-hours of blood-soaked entertainment on the big screen October 25-26. For the fourth year in a row, the Music Box is playing host to the "MASSACRE" - a lineup of new and classic films with special guests, memorabilia vendors, charity auctions, and a general celebration of the genre we hold so dear.

I've attended all but the first event, staged by Chicago's Movieside Film Festival and curated by my good friend Rusty Nails. Movieside itself is an interesting beast that has grown from a handful of small events held at unconventional venues such as the legendary Fireside Bowl, to massive screenings at golden-era movie palaces like the Music Box, Congress, and Portage Theatres. The 'Massacre itself has spawned spin-offs as well, with a winter installment last February co-sponsored by FANGORIA and held to coincide with the Chicago stop on the WEEKEND OF HORRORS tour - and a summer edition dubbed TERROR IN THE AISLES, held in August at the Portage.

The Fall event is always the highlight of the year, and this year is the prime example. While past 'Massacre's have sold-out, none have done so as quickly as the 2008 show. By mid-afternoon, the Music Box had already reached it's maximum capacity. Further tickets were made available, but only after midnight as seats began to open. While it would be easy to assume that the event was filled with Chicago-area viewers, that assumption would be wrong. Die-hards from New York (in-attendance four years in a row) made the drive complete with custom t-shirts announcing that they'd "survived" the 'Massacre since 2005. I spoke with people from Milwaukee, Kansas City, Los Angeles, and Canada as well. It was evident that what was once a localized affair had quietly become something of a North American destination.

While the movies and guests might be the star attraction at a Movieside event, the true sense of "community" is certainly taking hold. An added bonus has been building friendships with others, and seeing many of them make the leap from viewers to creators themselves. I chatted with Richard Diaz, (known to many as "Gory" from the FANGORIA forums) who's been working on DISTORTION, his debut feature as a writer/director (see news item here). Just a few months back, he filled me in at TERROR IN THE AISLES on his personal struggle to get the film rolling. Two months later, and the project is on the way.

Then there's Aaron "Dr. AC" Christensen, a fixture at Chicago horror events that has grown from editor of the acclaimed book HORROR 101 to founding member and host of Wildclaw Theatre, who's debut performance DEATHSCRIBE (see news item here) recently premiered. And the list goes on.

So which films were shown this year? Here's the line-up:

Noon - THE HAUNTED HOUSE 12:30 p.m. -DR. JEKYLL & MR. HYDE 1:45 p.m. - THE OLD DARK HOUSE 3:15 p.m. - EYES WITHOUT A FACE
5 p.m. - MAY 7:30 p.m. - MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN (with Clive Barker in person) Preceded by RUE MORGUE founder Rodrigo Gudino's short film THE FACTS IN THE CASE OF MR. HOLLOW 10:15 p.m. - FRIDAY THE 13TH: THE FINAL CHAPTER (with director Joseph Zito) 12:30 p.m. - DEAD ALIVE 2:15 a.m. - THE PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE 4 a.m. - BLACK SABBATH 6 a.m. - PIECES 7:45 a.m. - JACK BROOKS: MONSTER SLAYER 9:30 a.m. - THE EXORCIST

Clive Barker signing The highlight of the event for many was undoubtedly the appearance of Clive Barker, who was in-town not only for the 'Massacre but also a showing of his original artwork at Chicago's Packer Shopf Gallery (See Photos Below). In addition to introducing the screening of MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN, Barker held a rousing Q & A prior to spending a good couple of hours chatting with attendees and signing. Each year, a charity auction is held - this year benefiting Vital Bridges, a Chicago organization that provides support for low-income families living with HIV/AIDS. Mr. Barker generously contributed a brand-new piece of artwork to the auction - an original drawing of the iconic "Pinhead" from HELLRAISER, created in his hotel room earlier in the day. After a brief bidding war ensued, the drawing was purchased by a lucky attendee, then signed by Barker himself.

Clive Barker with the Original PINHEAD art won at auction

While FANGORIA was represented at the event by Scott Licina and myself (with FANGORIA GRAPHIX on-hand), it was great to see so many other horror outlets taking notice. We spent time chatting with Jude and Jill from Killer-works.com, Mitch and Brian from HorrorSociety.com, Tim and Danny from Bloody-Disgusting, and Dave from Twitchfilm - an enthusiastic bunch who each help spread the horror gospel in their own way.

While this year's 'Massacre was undoubtedly a memorable event, the looming question that was buzzed-about all day was "Is this the year that the 'Massacre has outgrown the Music Box?" Time will tell, and we might have to wait until October 2009 to find out...

More Photos from MUSIC BOX MASSACRE 2008:

Thanks to J. Anthony Kosar for providing FANGORIA with the following photos from Clive Barker's presentation at the Packer Shopf Gallery on 10/26/2008

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Comments (4)

|2008-11-10 19:56:58 Rachel (zombie chick)

Im one of the zombie gals above. I must say that its not the most flattering picture of me but, being a bloody chicago-an is what i do best. Music box massacre this year was absolutely fantastic. I would recommend it to anyone who Likes horror movies and likes to network with people of the same interests. It was a pleasure to meet the people from Fangoria and i cant wait to see you guys at other shows!
XoXo Rachel and remember GET MASSACRED!
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|2008-10-31 19:47:07 John Z

I LOVE the Music Box. One of my favorite theaters when I lived in Chicago. Perfect fit for Fango. Thanks for the report and the many photos. Wish I had been there.
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|2008-10-27 13:03:02 James

Likewise! Look forward to seeing you again at Weekend of Horrors. There's a costume contest at the 'Con, so start making plans :)

James
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|2008-10-27 12:24:26 Stacy and Freddie

it was such a pleasure meeting you...cant wait to visit the fangoria convention

p.s.
we were the freddie vs. jason
the picture looks great!
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