May Screening: Scanners (Dir David Cronenberg 1981)
Hope you guys enjoyed our Aussie double feature last month! Was great to see some support for the local horror biz, especially for a true independent like filmmaker Shannon George and his short film ‘The Last Mile’.
This month it’s time to whip out some old-school body horror in the form of master filmmaker David Cronenberg’s ‘Scanners’! A fusion of psychic theory, chase movie and twisted thriller, ‘Scanners’ is one of the Canadian auter’s best genre efforts and was enough to inspire two interesting, albeit ultimately lacklustre sequels. Also, it has one of THE BEST exploding heads in cinema history (De Palma’s ‘The Fury’ runs a close equal!).
If the above sounds like a good night out then please, come and join us at Rancho Notorious (above 1000 £ Bend on Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne) at 7:30pm on Tuesday the 17th and meet some fellow horror nerds. Society memberships can be purchased in person at the screening or alternatively you can email us at: melbournehorror@gmail.com to get it sorted prior to the event via PayPal.
And don’t forget, you can keep up to date with all MHFS happenings via our Facebook Page and Twitter account.
Keep it horror!
- Bob, Matt & Sam
April Screening: Long Weekend (Dir Colin Eggleston, 1978) & Body Melt (Dir Philip Brophy, 1993)
Thank you once again to all those who turned up last month for our ‘Night of the Demon’ screening – twas a blast as predicted! Perhaps now you have some idea of just how much an influence a major studio can have over a filmmaker’s artistic vision…and not always for the better to say the least.
As we roll on through into autumn, we here at MHFS feel we owe you guys something special this month, something most cinema establishments can’t offer. No, not extra large choctops or over-sized popcorn kernels but 2 X AUSSIE HORROR FLICKS FOR THE PRICE OF ONE! That’s right, this month we’ll be screening survival horror ‘Long Weekend’ (the original of course) as well as wacky antics of ‘Body Melt’ (see Harold from ‘Neighbours’ in his most insane role yet!); two backdoor epics lying somewhere between the undiscovered and the criminally underrated. Either way, they’re more than worthy of your time. To round off the above features we also have the pleasure of hosting an exclusive screening of ‘The Last Mile’ – a terrific short film by local emerging talent Shannon George.
As usual you can catch us at Rancho Notorious above the one and only 1000 £ Bend (361 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne), this time on Wednesday 27th April at 7:30pm to help partake in the madness. Newcomers are encouraged to purchase themselves a membership in person at any MHFS screening or alternatively you can email us at: melbournehorror@gmail.com to get it sorted prior to the event via PayPal. Either way please show your support for the genre we all love!
Also, don’t forget to keep track of all the society’s happenings via our Facebook Page and feel free to leave any comments or suggestions you may have on the wall.
Oh, and you can also follow us at http://twitter.com/melbournehorror.
See you again soon!
- Bob, Matt & Sam
Hope you guys enjoyed the screening of ‘Braindead’ last month, not to mention with the addition of Cameron McCulloch’s short film ‘Home’! Two fine zombie epics with vastly different yet entirely compelling approaches to the sub-genre. And please, if anyone out there has a short production of their own that they would like to showcase at MHFS just let us know and we’ll help organize a screening for you!
This month we take a trip back over sixty years into the days of classic monster movies, albeit with a unique twist. On Wednesday 30th March at our usual jaunt, 1000 £ Bend (361 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne), we will be screening Jacques Tourneur’s 1957 classic ‘Night of the Demon’, a film with a somewhat notorious production history but still a great example of a bygone era in Hollywood/British horror filmmaking.
Newcomers can purchase themselves a membership in person at any scheduled MHFS screening or alternatively you can email us at: melbournehorror@gmail.com to get it sorted prior to the event via PayPal.
Also, don’t forget to keep track of all the society’s happenings via our Facebook Page and feel free to leave any comments or suggestions you may have on the wall.
Oh, and if you’re tweeting like the rest of the planet you can also follow us at http://twitter.com/melbournehorror.
See you again soon!
- Bob, Matt & Sam
February Screening: Braindead (Dir: Peter Jackson 1992)
Big thanks to everyone who turned out this month for our ‘Candyman’ screening – our first flick to kick off the new year! For those of you who didn’t eat your candy (compliments of the man himself, by the way) you might need to take a look in your closest mirror because somebody’s probably waiting for you…
However, for those who did indulge in the sweet stuff we hope you can all make it to our next screening of Peter Jackson’s undead splatstick masterpiece ‘Braindead’! That’s right fans, for those of you who may not have known the now illustrious kiwi had an entire career of pictures under his belt before unleashing ‘Lord of the Rings’ upon the mainstream movie-going public and this (in our mind at least) is by far one of his best. After all, how often do you come across a movie with deformed baby chuckin’ as a point of comedy? Case closed.
Plus we have our first Australian made short horror film screening; Cameron McCulloch’s ‘Home’ will screen prior to the main event.
For all you newbies keen to join up and bag yourself a membership you can purchase one in person on the night at 1000 £ Bend or simply email us at: melbournehorror@gmail.com to get it sorted before the event via PayPal.
Also, don’t forget to keep track of all the society’s happenings via our Facebook Page and feel free to leave any comments or suggestions you may have on the wall. You can also utilize the page to RSVP for screenings and be kept up to date should there be any (unlikely) venue or screening date changes.
Oh, and if you’re tweeting like the rest of the planet you can also follow us at http://twitter.com/melbournehorror.
See you all on Wednesday 23rd February from 7:30pm at 1000 £ Bend (361 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne)!
- Bob, Matt & Sam
January Screening: Candyman (Dir Bernard Rose 1992)
Our first screening for 2011 is the intelli-gore hookfest Candyman! Based on Clive Barker’s short story “The Forbidden” this is one of the stand out horror films from the 90′s. Forget the sequals, become a member of the best horror film society in town and get your arse down to the Bend for the first of our films for this year.
If you want to come to this months screening you can purchase film society membership on the night, at 1000 £ Bend or email: melbournehorror@gmail.com to get it sorted before the event via paypal.
Your best bet is to head to our Facebook Page that way you can RSVP for the screening and we can get in touch if there are any venue or screening date changes. If you’re into Twitter you can also follow us at http://twitter.com/melbournehorror
The screening is on Wednesday 19th January from 7:30pm at 1000 £ Bend (361 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne).
Merry Whatever; See You In January
That’s it! The inaugural year of the Melbourne Horror Film Society is done. Cheers to all of our members, we hope you’ve enjoyed the screenings and the chance to meet up with other horror fans as much as us. Our first film for next year is the 90′s hook-fest; Candyman, screening on 19th January. In the meantime check the Facebook page for miscellaneous developments and to shoot the shit.
Have a ruddy, bloody, lovely break and see you next year,
Bob – Knight Supreme Commander of the Stars || Matt – Doctor of the Planispheres || Sam – Sublime Prince of the Royal Mystery
End Of Year Screening: Nosferatu (F W Murnau)
Our final screening for the year is the silent classic Nosferatu by F W Murnau with a new score played live on the night by Melbourne electronica artist Worng.
The screening will kick off just after 7:30pm next Tuesday 14th December at 1000£Bend and you need to be a member to attend. Membership can be purchased on the night and costs $20 for a mini (3 screenings) or $70 for a full membership (12 screenings).
We’re also finalising our program of films for next year this week so the website should be updated soon. Make sure you get onboard our Facebook page to get the lowdown on the new program.
Late November Screening: Lake Mungo (Joel Anderson 2008)
Cheers to everyone that came to the Halloween screenings at 1000£Bend and the Astor in St. Kilda. Seeing the extended version of Halloween and then backing that up with Halloween II was IMHO truly excellent, as was watching Re-animator in a fairly packed Astor Cinema.
Our penultimate film for the year is the recent Australian ghost story Lake Mungo. Shot in a documentary style, the story focusses on the Palmer family as they deal with their grief at the recent death of daughter Alice. For a decent review of the film check out great local horror blog A Nightmare On Samityville Street
Lake Mungo will screen at 7:30pm on Wednesday 1 December at 1000£Bend. If you want to come to this months screening you can purchase film society membership on the night or email: melbournehorror@gmail.com to get it sorted before the event via paypal.
This month we’ve also swapped from having a Facebook Group to a Facebook Page; so if you want to keep up to date with what’s happening with the film society or you were a member of our Facebook Group make sure you head to http://www.facebook.com/pages/Melbourne-Horror-Film-Society and click on ‘Like’.
And finally I’m excited to announce that we have Melbourne electronica artist Worng working hard producing the film score for our screening of Nosferatu which he’ll perform live at the screening on Tuesday 14 December – put the date in your diary.
October Screening: Halloween & Halloween II (Dirs: John Carpenter & Rick Rosenthal 1978 & 1981) Plus Special Halloween Screenings At The Astor
Yeah for October and Halloween; originating from the Celtic festival of Samhain which was a celebration of the ending of the ‘lighter half of the year’ and the beginning of the ‘darker half’….err that doesn’t really work in Australia. But the belief that the border between this world and the otherworld becomes thin on Samhain, allowing spirits (both harmless and harmful) to pass through is perfectly reasonable and thoroughly worth adopting.
October is a big month for the film society and Melbourne horror fans. As part of our normal program we’re screening Halloween I and II on Wednesday 27th October at 1000£Bend from 7:30pm; come along early to grab the best ‘grandad couch’.
Because it’s Halloween we’re also taking over the beautiful, art-deco Astor Theatre in St. Kilda for a number of horror screenings. On Friday 29th October a double bill of two of the best horror films from last year Splice and Thirst will kick off at 7:30pm.
On Halloween (Sunday 31st October) there’ll be a matinee Vincent Price double bill of Twice Told Tales and Diary Of A Madman starting at 2pm. Then starting at 7pm we’ve got the classic Re-Animator followed by the equally brilliant Poltergeist!
This is gonna be wicked, plus society members get discounted tickets to the Astor screenings so make sure you get along and don’t forget your choctop!
If you want to come to this months 1000£Bend screening you can purchase film society membership on the night or email: melbournehorror@gmail.com to get it sorted before the event via paypal.
Your best bet is to join the Facebook group, that way you can RSVP for the screening and we can get in touch if there are any venue or screening date changes. If you’re into Twitter you can also follow us at http://twitter.com/melbournehorror
September Screening: ‘The Beyond’ (Dir: Lucio Fulci 1981)
Staying put in 1981; this months film is The Beyond by Lucio Fulci the second film in his “real estate” trilogy in between City of the Living Dead, a story of a priest who hangs himself thus opening the gates of hell and House by the Cemetery, about one Dr Freudstein who, by transplanting parts of his victims to his own body has managed to stay alive for over a century.
For those that haven’t seen it I reckon this description of The Beyond gets it spot on:
A remote and cursed hotel, built over one of the seven gateways to hell, becomes a yawning malevolent abyss that begins devouring both the bodies and the souls of all who enter in a graphic frenzy of gory crucifictions, chunkblowing chain-whippings, eyeball impalements, sulphuric acid meltdowns, flesh-eating tarantulas, throat-shredding demon dogs and ravenous bloodthirsty zombies. The Beyond is a towering achievement in hair-raising, mind-bending cinematic terror!
If you want to come to this months screening you can purchase film society membership on the night, at 1000 Pound Bend or email: melbournehorror@gmail.com to get it sorted before the event via paypal.
Your best bet is to join the Facebook group, that way you can RSVP for the screening and we can get in touch if there are any venue or screening date changes. If you’re into Twitter you can also follow us at http://twitter.com/melbournehorror
The screening is on Wednesday 22nd September from 7:30pm at 1000 Pound Bend (361 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne). Check out some pics of the venue at http://thousandpoundbend.com.au/cinema/
