H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival – Los Angeles

Hello Ghouls and Boils,

This is a very bittersweet moment for me, on a personal level. Today I heard the news that this will be the last year The H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival will be held in Portland. As some of you may know I worked for the Film Fest as a volunteer and employee for 5 years. I made friends there whom I now consider family. SNS reported the happenings at last year’s festival - with audio interviews, recorded panels and more. So, it’s sort of like losing a home away from home. If you can make it to the Portland show, by hook or by crook, you should go! As always, it will be the first weekend of October.

After wiping away the tears, I was happy to find out that this is not the end of the Festival. Aaron Vanek, a friend and fellow Lurker, will be bringing the fest to LA! (And there is hope that next year there will be satellite fests both in LA and Austin). So fear not Lovecraft fans, the Old Ones will continue to haunt theatres for many years to come! If you live in or near LA, or will be in the area mid-September — you really should go. It’s an experience you don’t want to miss. But, I will let Aaron tell you all about it. Enjoy, my fiends! 

Abstrusely,
Sarah L. Covert

THE H.P. LOVECRAFT FILM FESTIVAL® MOVES TO LOS ANGELES – After fourteen successful years of sell-out crowds in Portland, H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival® arises in Southern California on Saturday, September 11, 2010 from 2pm-10pm at the classic Warner Grand Theater in historic San Pedro.

The H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival® promotes the works of famed author H.P. Lovecraft and similar weird tales through motion pictures by both professionals and amateurs, current and classic. The festival was founded in 1995 by Andrew Migliore to promote and encourage film and television adaptations of Lovecraft?s great works.

H.P. Lovecraft (1890-1937) is critically regarded not only as a master gothic horror author, but also an American icon whose strange tales are now part of academic literary studies. Stephen King calls Lovecraft “the twentieth century’s greatest practitioner of the classic horror tale.” Lovecraft’s influence on art and culture can be seen in the many references to his creations the Necronomicon, a dreaded occult book whose history was so detailed that many believed it was  real, and the monstrous alien-god mythology known as the Cthulhu Mythos.

The Los Angeles Lovecraft Film Festival will feature six of the best films that played in Portland over the last 14 years:

Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown (2008) – An award-winning documentary about H.P. Lovecraft with interviews from leading creators in the horror field: Neil Gaiman, Guillermo Del Toro (who recently announced he would begin work on his own feature adaptation of a Lovecraft story), John Carpenter, Ramsey Campbell, Peter Straub, and more. Directed by Frank H. Woodward

Cool Air (1999) – “Never underestimate the power of the human will.” Jack Donner (Transformers 3, Star Trek: The Original Series) stars in this powerful period adaptation of the classic Lovecraft tale about a man who will do anything to survive. Masterfully filmed in Los Angeles on a shoestring budget, directed by and also starring Bryan Moore.

AM 1200 (2008) – Eric Lange (Lost), John Billingsley (True Blood), and Ray Wise (Reaper, Twin Peaks) star in this taut supernatural thriller about a man on the run who flees into a far worse Hell than the one he left. A modern Lovecraftinspired tale directed by David Prior (Fight Club DVD design and bonus features).

During the intermission, the Astra Dance troupe will perform a routine from their upcoming Halloween show inspired by Edgar Allan Poe, one of Lovecraft’s favorite authors and of similar style and influence.

The Music of Erich Zann (1980) – One of the earliest film versions of Lovecraft’s most popular stories. A boarder is drawn into the web of his mysterious old musician neighbor, who plays haunting music for an unseen audience. Directed by John Strysik (screenwriter, Stuck)

The Call of Cthulhu (2005) – Filmed in MythoScope, this black and white film was made as if it were produced in 1926, the year Lovecraft wrote his definitive tale about a worldwide cult bent on raising their obscene god from the depths of the ocean floor. Expertly crafted by the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society, this is the most faithful Lovecraft story adaptation to date and winner of many awards. Directed by Andrew Leman

Re- Animator (1985) – This extreme 80′s horror movie spawned many filmmakers to follow in its footsteps. Starring Jeffrey Combs (Star Trek, The Frighteners) as Herbert West, a scientist obsessed with curing death. 2010 is the 25th anniversary of this outrageous horror-comedy. Directed by Stuart Gordon

The Warner Grand Theater, built in 1931 by John Warner and recently refurbished, is a grand art deco venue perfectly suited to the classic style and tone of Lovecraft’s stories.

CONFIRMED GUESTS
Portland H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival®founder Andrew Migliore
Directors Frank H. Woodward , Bryan Moore, David Prior, Andrew Leman & Sean Branney
Actor Eric Lange (AM 1200, Lost)
Cast and crew from The Call of Cthulhu: Noah Wagner, Barry Lynch, Patrick O’Day, Richard Lucas, Leslie Baldwin, cinematographer David Robertson and visual effects artist Dan Novy.

INVITED GUESTS
Stuart Gordon, Guillermo Del Toro, John Carpenter, Jack Donner, Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton, Matt Foyer, artists Adam Byrne and Tony Salmons (“The Strange Adventures of H.P. Lovecraft” comic book), Bernie Wrightson (“Swamp Thing”, “Frankenstein”) 

Vendors carrying the finest Lovecraft-themed and related merchandise will also be selling their wares in between screenings and during intermission.

Following the movies, there will be an after-party the nearby Whale & Ale pub(two blocks from festival) with live jazz and absinthe cocktail spirits sponsored by Lucid Absinthe (to be confirmed). 

The H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival® – Los Angeles seeks merchandise vendors and sponsors. Interested parties should contact Aaron Vanek

Saturday, September 11, 2010
2pm-10pm
at the Warner Grand Theater
478 West 6th Street
San Pedro, CA 90731 

Tickets are $20 until August 11, $25 after and at the door.
For more info and tickets: Brown Paper Tickets

H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival® website
Warner Grand Theater website
Whale & Ale pub website

Contact:
Aaron Vanek

The Warner Grand Theatre is a facility of the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs. The H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival® name, concept, and logo is copyright Lurker Films, Inc. and used under license.