Greetings horror friends! It’s hard to believe that in one week from today Halloween 2015 will have come and gone and we’ll have 364 days to go until it’s that time of year again. In the meantime, we’ve got some fun stories for you including a proposed idea for the world’s leading horror museum!
But first, a Nerdoween note:Â I have created a special series of vlogs for Nerdist to celebrate my favorite time of year. We’ve posted half of them already: the Best Horror Movies to Group Watch with myself and special guest Jessica Chobot, the Scariest Clowns in Pop Culture, and why I denounce the term “torture porn.” The next video, a celebration of old-school horror also featuring Jessica Chobot, will go live on Tuesday so be sure to keep your eyes peeled!
A Horror Museum May Be Coming to The Stanley Hotel
The Stanley Hotel has been making a name for itself in the horror community for years. It all started when Stephen King based the Overlook Hotel from his classic novel The Shining on the space located in Colorado. Then, a few years back, the Stanley Film Festival began, each spring inviting horror fans from around the world to watch genre movies new and old and celebrate all things horror. Now, the hotel is looking to make it official seeking $11.5M from the state of Colorado’s tourism board to add a building that would, according to the LA Times, “house a horror-themed museum, film production studio and film archive.”
Genre allies Elijah Wood and Simon Pegg are on the museum’s proposed board and once the state approves the plans, the project would need an additional $12.5M to achieve its $24M goal. In addition to the museum, the Stanley plans to collaborate for the Colorado Film School in Denver to collaborate with filmmakers to allow them to edit and screen their films.
It seems surprising that there hasn’t been a place like this created before. With horror becoming more popular than ever on film and television as well as novels and comic books, let’s keep our fingers crossed that this becomes a reality! Stay tuned to Horror Happenings for additional details as they become available.
Independent Horror Film Julia Hits Theaters for a Limited Run
This weekend independent genre film Julia hit theaters from first time feature director Michael A. Brown. Julia is the story of a girl who is brutally raped and the revenge she takes on those who have betrayed her. It’s a tough topic, to say the least, and on Friday night I moderated a Q&A with writer/director Brown, and stars Ashley C. Williams and Eye Candy‘s Ryan Cooper. Williams has been winning rave reviews for her portrayal of the title character as well as accolades from the Hoboken International Film Festival, Montreal HorrorFest, Screamfest LA (2014), and MonsterFest (Australia, 2014).
Julia is available in select theaters now and is expected to appear on VOD in early 2016.
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Featured Image Credit: DeviantArtist MisterSali
Clarke Wolfe writes Horror Happenings for Nerdist every Sunday. You can follow her on Twitter @clarkewolfe.