LoveHorror at FrightFest 2010 – Day 1/Part 1

Thursday 27th of August and as the rain fell on Leicester Square the darkness and drizzle did nothing to dampen the spirits of the spook loving cinematic supporters gathered for the opening of FrightFest 2010.

The venue for this five day horror event, the Empire Cinema Leicester Square, was lit up like a serial killer cooking on the electric chair as I headed towards it press pass in hand and full of more egger anticipation than a werewolf waiting for a full moon.

Inside hundreds of horror fans horded the auditorium buying merchandise, snacks and beverages and getting ready for the fun and frolics of the films to come. I headed into the cinema to the LoveHorror allocated seat, a seat I would be spending a lot of time with over the next few days, and got myself comfortable just as the lights dimmed.

After a couple of classic trailers and some slight technical difficulties the stage was taken by the wonderful team of organisers responsible for the event, Greg Day, Paul McEvoy, Ian Rattray and Alan Jones.

Ian Rattray, film distributor and film booker with over twenty years experience within the UK film industry runs his own film booking and distribution company while Paul McEvoy is the co-owner of the highly successful Cinema Store chain of shops that has branches in Central London and Nottingham. Alan Jones is an internationally renowned journalist and writer on the fantasy, horror and science fiction genres in all media and Greg Day an experienced film and Television PR, has worked with many names as the former head of entertainment publicity at Channel 4 and head of Drama and Entertainment PR at FIVE. Firm fans all with an interest in the genre they came from different backgrounds bonded by a common love of all things horror and gave the world FrightFest.

Staring in 2000 the festival celebrates its 11th year running after premiering a terrifying ton of movies and moving from the world famous London grindhouse cinema The Prince Charles to the larger and more prestigious Empire.

Welcoming the audience and thanking the multitude of people who helped organise and support the event including Film4 and The Horror Channel the guys promised us all a killer line up full of frights and surprises and then introduced the man behind the opening movie, director and writer Adam Green.

Having fostered a strong relationship with FrightFest over the years it seemed fitting that Green’s slasher sequel Hatchet II be the first film screened at the 2010 festival. A fan favourite and hilarious guy he introduced his film by saying it was “much better than the original” and insisting that the audience “be Fing loud” throughout the movie.

His advice was definitely heeded as the screening was met with laughs and cheers throughout as Victor Crowley (played by the man behind Jason Voorhees, Kane Hodder) picks up where he left off haunting the swamps and cutting up anyone who gets in his way.

After escaping the deformed hatchet wielding killer Marybeth (Danielle Harris from Urban Legend and Rob Zombie’s Halloween remakes) visits the mysterious Reverend Zombie (horror icon Tony Todd) who tells her the truth about her family’s fateful involvement in the curse of Victor Crowley.

Out for revenge she returns to the Louisiana swamps with an army of hunters all out for the bounty set by Zombie on Crowley’s head. But pretty soon the hunters become Crowley’s prey and it seems only Marybeth holds the key to stopping the axe happy madman.

Boasting a bigger budget and a bigger body count Green’s movie is an old school slasher with some spectacular gore and highly original killings including an amazing double chainsaw massacre. The cast is great especially Danielle Harris and Tony Todd who relishes a lead role after cameoing in so many other movies.

With more of everything from the first Hatchet and tongue-in-cheek throughout packed with horror movie in-jokes it is definitely a film for the fans enjoyed by the fans and with a special thank you in the credits to FrightFest it was the perfect opener.

The film was followed straight after by an audience question and answer session with Adam Green and main cast members Danielle Harris, Kane Hodder and Todd Terry making his first appearance at the festival.

Questions came from the crowd predominantly to Green who talked in depth about the making of the movie. Although he always planned a sequel and set many things up for it in the first film he passed 5 times on directing until he was finally convinced. Admitting he wrote the film in less than a week and shot his first draft the shoot was done predominantly on a sound stage swamp which Green said ended up giving most of the crew e-coli.

A firm believer in integrity and honesty, something unheard of in Hollywood, Green uses the same crew for all his films and having promised Danielle Harris and Todd Terry main roles in the Hatchet sequel he delivered something both where very appreciative of even though Harris missed out on being cast in the first film.

All three actors had tons of fun especially Harris who got to beat up two men twice her size and although he spent 15 hours a day in make-up Kane Hodder was happy he got a sex scene this time.

Asked who would win in a fight between Jason Voorhees and Victor Crowley, Hodder said Victor all the way however when Terry was asked if Candyman could take Crowley he diplomatically avoided the question saying he was too close to Hodder to possibly comment although when Hodder interrupted him Terry jokingly acted enraged making it look like the crowd may find out who would win that horror match up for real.

The group ended by discussing what they had coming up next which included a Goonies style kids horror Killer Pizza in collaboration with Chris Columbus for Green, Final Destination 5 for Terry and vampire movie Stake Land for Harris along with lots and lost of slashers for Hodder. Green’s final words to the crowd “I hope you liked it I made it for you” where more than fitting considering the venue and event and where met with mass applause as he left the stage.

FrightFest Day 1/Part 2 is Here.

Hatchet II Trailer:

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Alex Humphrey

Alex studied film at the University of Kent and went on to work for Universal Pictures in their Post Room gaining an inside look at the movie industry from the very bottom. Constantly writing reviews in everything from local magazines to Hip Hop sites Alex honed his critical skills even spending a brief period as a restaurant critic. Read more

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