New York's Theater
and Filmmakers Celebrate Halloween
By Wendy R. Williams
Halloween is coming around the
bend and you can bet your pumpkins that the ghouls
at New York Cool will haunt the city this year.
On Saturday September 4th I attended a preview
of the ghoulish festivities to come when The
New York City Horror Film Festival presented
an afternoon of old silent horror films at the
Knitting
Factory. The screening was part of the Drop
Dead 2 Festival, fondly known as DD2 to those
of us who are still alive.
On Labor Day weekend, DD2 filled
the Knitting Factory’s three floors for
a three day celebration of the music, fashion,
and culture of the "dead."
|
I saw the 1929 cult classic Nosferatu. |
"Nosferatu" is a not-to-be-missed classic
horror film. And after you have been properly
Noferaturized, you should follow-up by renting
E. Elias Merhige's "Shadow of the Vampire"
(2000). "Shadow" is a super scary film
about the making of "Nosferatu" which
stars John Malkovich and William Dafoe.
All of these festivities are a prelude to the
New York Horror Film Festival which will be held
this year from October 20th -24th.
The year’s Festival will
be housed at the TRIBECA FILM CENTER, 375 Greenwich
Street, in New York City. One of the main attractions
will be a pristine, brand new 35mm print of Tobe
Hooper's 1972 classic "Texas Chainsaw Massacre"
- a very rare treat for horror and film aficionados
alike. Read
here for more details on how to channel your
inner ghoul.
If
you like your horror up close and personal, check
out the Halloween Adventure Haunted House at the
Clemente Soto Cultural Center running
Thursdays – Saturdays from 7 – 12 AM
and Sunday, October 31st from 7 – 1 AM, billed
as the city’s only genuinely frightening
haunted house.
Clemente Soto Cultural
Center
Halloween
Adventure Haunted House is ten room tour of an
eclectic mix of nightmarish and interactive vignettes,
designed by 10 different local NY artists which
will occupythe entire 9,000 square feet of the
Clemente Soto Cultural Center(located at 107 Suffolk
Street between Rivington and Delancey). Now that
building does look a little haunted and you know
how scary Lower East Side artists can be even
when they are just trying to buy toothpaste, so........
For more information see www.hauntedhousenyc.com.
The Theater for the New City, 155 First Avenue
will be holding its 28th Annual Village Hlloween
Costume Ball on October 31st. The festivities
start outside at 4PM, with the doors opening for
the ball at 7:30PM.
The
one-night fiesta takes over all four of TNC's
theater spaces, plus its lobby and the block of
East Tenth Street between First and Second Avenues.
Customarily over 1,400 wildly-clad celebrants
gather for dancing, dining, showing off costumes
and viewing acts from the cutting-edge of Cabaret
and Theater. Admission is $20; costume or formal
wear is required. Reservations are strongly recommended
- (212) 254-1109.
Coney Island, a
wonderfully ghoulish place even in broad daylight,
is going all out to scare the pants off unsuspecting
revelers this Halloween with "Creepshow at
the Freakshow" running Friday, Saturday and
Sunday night from7PM till Midnight and from October
8 - October 31 at Sideshows by the Seashore, 3006
West 12th Street.
Creepshow is advertised as
New York City's only Halloween season
adult oriented spookhouse. Visitors are escorted
on a tour of the Freak Show building including
many spaces, such as the basement and haunted
back steps, not normally seen during the summer
season. Live performers accompany visitors along
the tour, describing and taking part in the season's
theme. See http://www.coneyisland.com
for more information.
Another fun and scary event
to come is the 3rd Annual Spotlight-On Halloween
Festival, which is being held from October 7th
- 31st at the Greenwich Theater.
Here is a quote from the Spotlight
press release, "Selections range widely --
music, variety, comedy, horror, social and political
satire, and camp. NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD --
THE MUSICAL, is a blood covered sing-along (rock
and roll). It comes with the caveat that 'those
offended by political and religious stereotypes
will be eaten first." See www.spotlighton.org
for more information.
The crowning event of
New York City’s
Halloween celebrations has always been the Village
Halloween Parade.
This year's parade will feature
two stars from the Broadway cast of Wicked, Idina
Menzel and Jennifer Thompson (they are not pictured
above) and will take place on October 31st at
7PM,with the line- up starting at 6:30 on Sixth
just South of Spring. So wear a Halloween Costume
and march, baby, march. See http://www.halloween-nyc.com/index.php
for more information.
So trick or treat to you and rock on!
Wendy
