Matt Tuckey is a writer from Oldham, England. He covers celebrities, night life, Manchester, fitness, creative writing, social media, psychology and events. Some of this may, in some way, help others. Or maybe it'll just entertain you for a while.
For the Love of Horror, a horror movie convention by Monopoly Events, was a rip roaring success this year with cast members from Terrifier, Evil Dead and Halloween to name a few. See part 1, part 2 and part 3 of my writeup.
Something I left out of the previous blog posts covering: supplementing the Terrifier cast in attendance (Catherine Corcoran and Jenna Kanell were there for photo ops, autographs and a Terrifier panel), organisers also showed this Ice Nine Kills promo music video for their track The Art of Dying.
There were kids at this event and it just seemed a bad decision to show this video, featuring mass murder on the big screen. Especially when it’s set at a music concert – something that has happened several times across the world in recent years (Bataclan, Manchester Arena, just down the road, and Vegas). Especially not when it involves murdering a pregnant woman while she gives birth.
My two pennies.
I’ve always been opposed to film censorship, something the UK has been a stickler about for most of my life, but not when kids are concerned.
Also there was no cinema room this time like there had been in previous years showing films from the stars in attendance.
Otherwise, it was and incredible movie convention and I’m hugely looking forward to next year’s.
I haven’t seen this yet so it was a bit lost on me.
The stars of Sam Raimi’s 1981 horror comedy classic The Evil
Dead. Theresa Tilly (Shelly), Besty Baker (Linda) and Hal Delrich
(Scott) take to the stage. Delrich tells of his audition.
BB: When he drags me out of the cabin, you can see it’s me in
the mask. I lost my eyelashes because of the mask. She was kind of a
sweet girlfriend.
AQ: What’s your favourite scene in the movie?
HD: I was an action movie fan as a kid. My favourite scene was
when I died.
TT: My fave was when I sing the song.
BB: Bruce Campbell gave me this necklace. He loved the fact that
we did 20 takes of kissing, by the way. I had the honour of being the
first person to kiss Bruce Campbell on camera. Bruce and Sam grew up
together.
The cast, it seemed, were in no mood for a wrap party.
BB: We couldn’t get out of that state quickly enough.
TT: I thought, what are we in?! I never thought we’d be talking
about it to this day.
HD: We had no idea the cast had a reunion 20 years later. I said,
‘what?!’
COMPARE: Were you aware of the controversy in the UK with video nasties?
TT: The 2013 remake was fun; we were invited to the premiere. It
was fantastic. Ours was a comedy, though.
BB: Sam Raimi was 19, 20 at the time (of the original). You could
see he was filming the car to make it look like it was going to tip
over. I’m not surprised he went on to do Spiderman.
BB: I’m sure the cast were helping the process of laying wood
for the camera to run across. He didn’t have the money to hire the
crew.
COMPARE: Were you put through the ringer?
TT: I’m still experiencing PTSD! We lived in the same house.
HS: We found Sam sleeping on the table with the storyboard he’d
done overnight.
BB: We could have walked off, and said, ‘this is crazy.’ But
none of us had a car. So we all said, ‘Let’s do this.’
COMPARE: There was 18 months between the shoot and the release.
Were you nervous?
TT: Yeah. I took my mom to the premiere. When we got to the tree scene, I said to my mom,
‘look over there!’ We went to a convention to see what it was
like, but we wore trenchcoats so no one could recognise us.
Last to the main stage: a Carpenter Classics panel, featuring
stars of several John Carpenter movies. Adrienne Barbeau (Stevie Wayne in The Fog, Maggie in Escape from New York, voiced computers in The Thing, Demolition Man and Judge Dredd, Wilma Northrup in Creepshow, Nina / Serski in Argo), Tommy Lee
Wallace (director of IT, Halloween III, Fright Night Part II, played Michael Myer in the closet scene in the original Halloweeen), Tom Atkins (Nick Castle in The Fog, Cpt Rehme in Escape from New York, Stan in Creepshow, Dr Dan Challis in Halloween III, Michael Hunsaker in Lethal Weapon) and Stacey Nelkin (Ellie Grimbridge in Halloween III) gather to answer fan questions.
TLW: John Carpenter and I grew up in the same town. We knew music:
The Beatles, The Hollies. At age 9, John decided he wanted to be a
film director. We went to the same film school.
TA: I met John through a barbecue. My friends said, ‘this guy
John Carpenter has just made a movie, come take a look! We go to see
Halloween at the cinema. They spent most of the movie like this. (He
puts his head in his hands.)
COMPARE: The Fog is one of my favourites.
TLW: You used the Fog Machine to make the effect.
AB: In the scene where we were surrounded by the Fog, it was
kerosene.
TLW: We all have cancer now.
Presumably, this is in jest.
AB: John said we have to shoot the scene in reverse. We’ll take
the scene and turn it upside down.
TLW: We needed the Fog to recede.
AB: I had to act in reverse. Something happens in the scene, then
I had to act relieved first, then be scared.
TLW: We had machines called ‘foofers’ that made the fog with
dry ice. It was most mysterious, That was my favourite.
TA: One of my favourite scenes in The Fog a guy is telling this
story to kids. The camera goes up, and comes down on Antonio Bay. A
gorgeous scene. I’ve been in 4 films with Adrienne, but we’ve
never been on screen together.
The mic goes out to the audience. The most memorable question: a
young man tells Barbeau she has the ‘sexiest voice.’
I’m inclined to agree. He asks for a demonstration. She reads out
her character’s sign-off.
‘This is Stevie Wayne, coming to you from Antonio Bay.’
She’s still got it.
For the Love of Horror returns in 2025.
Brooke Smith. Catherine Martin in Silence of the Lambs. Dawn in Series 7: The contenders.
Tucker & Dale vs Evil panel. Katrina Bowden (Allison) and Tyler Labine (Dale)
The Thing set
Tribe of Two doing The Grady Twins cosplay, The Shining
Amelia Kinkade, Angela Franklin in Night of the Demons
Mars Attacks! cosplay
Evil Teletubbies
Predator
Zombie Stormtrooper
Halloween set
Heather Matarazzo. Martha Meeks in Scream 3. Dawn Weiner in Welcome to the Dollhouse. Grace O'Shea in 54. Lorna in Hostel: Part II.
Halloween set
Frank from Hellraiser consplay
Dina Meyer
Trader hall
Tom Fitzpatrick, The Bride in black, Insidious II
Re the Terrifier franchise
Right at the end of the day I managed to grab a pic with Dina Mayer, Dt Allison Kerry in Saw, Dizzy Flores in Starship Troopers.
Back on the theme of director John Carpenter, the Halloween 1978 panel takes place next featuring Will Sandin (child Michael Myers) John Michael Graham (Bob) and PJ Soles (Linda).
Graham, it’s revealed, was in Grease alongside John Travolta, at least until he broke his foot. “I’m there, dancing for a scene, then I got into Halloween. I was an actor in Disney World for 30 years. I did every show. It was great, singing, dancing, I did it all.”
COMPARE: There was a scene in Halloween filmed for the TV cut.
WS: I was in one of them, in hospital with Donald Pleasence (Dr Loomis). It was 4 years later. It was extra footage for the Halloween movie.
The mic goes out into the crowd.
Audience Question: Halloween was my first horror movie and I flew to USA because of it. Over the years, how have you interpreted it?
WS: In the Rob Zombie version (the 2007 remake) he was already a bad kid, torturing animals. In the original he just snapped. It’s a mystery.
PJS: And you have the music. I was blown away by that. I had no idea John Carpenter was the musician. I tried watching it without sound; it just doesn’t work. It’s so contributory to the film’s success.
COMPARE: Tell us about your time on set.
JMG: PJ and I had fun. A lot of laughing.
PJS: It was uncomfortable being in bed with someone you don’t know. John left it up to us.
JMG: Carpenter looked at me like Michael Myers.
John tilts his head, dead-eyed.
JMG: “Just go and say your line.” He had me be me. I had Wayfarers. I said, “can I wear my own?” He looked at me again. “Okay.” I feel like I’m sorta wearing the same glasses. Now wayfarers are totally cool.
AQ: The film had longevity. On the first release, it didn’t hit the mark, then (leading US film critic) Roger Ebert gave it a glowing review. What was that like?
JMG: An experience. It was filmed in 3 weeks. I was no expert, but but it was a success. It grows and grows, and becomes more and more of a shock.
WS: It was one of the scariest films I ever saw. The parents and kids loved it. The box office I didn’t even think of. At that time, movies we’d see on cable a year later.
PJS: Because it wasn’t a studio picture, it’s more of a success. I was a young actor, I didn’t think it’d be more than something for my showreel. Then I did Private Benjamin (with Goldie Hawn) and Stripes (with Bill Murray) as a result. We’re talking 46 years! Will, were there friends who weren’t allowed to play with you?
WS: Not really, they thought it was cool. Every October, they’d say ‘hey, it’s your month!’ I’ve been a sheriff in LA now for 17 years.
After For the Love of Horror a week ago, I think I have at least 3 more blog posts to go up about it. I took a stupid amount of notes. They’re just too good not to include.
Last week saw 3 more events that I’d like to report on, mostly social meetups. Nights out. Bar launches. The newest bar is Simmons, which I managed to get into with a mate last Friday, the first public night.
I try and keep my meetups to new places to stay varied, so that’s where we’ll head next! If you fancy joining us and trying out the 80s themed venue complete with karaoke booths and live band stage, Manchester Nightlife will be heading to the Deansgate branch Saturday.
Manchester Psychology Social Group is growing well. I set up this group to meet new people, chat about psychology and learn about the science. 86 members so far. The first meeting we had to cut short as the venue was closing. I’ve booked in another meeting for Wednesday, but the venue I picked, once again, doesn’t stay open as late as I’d thought. I need a place that’s open 7-9, ideally later, that doesn’t serve alcohol, isn’t loud and can seat a group of us. We’re throwing around ideas of venues and topics to discuss. Sadly the UK is lacking that European evening cafe culture.
I’m open to suggestions! And of course, to new members!
“This is my first time in Manchester,” tells Brooke Smith. “I have ancestry here. I was 23 in Silence of the Lambs; I’m 57 now.”
Smith, Katherine Martin in Jonathan Demme’s 1991 horror hit, is the first guest on stage at For the Love of Horror, the movie convention now in its 6th year, here at Bowlers Exhibition Centre in Trafford.
COMPARE: How did you get in? Did you know it was going be a big deal?
BS: I did, it was part of Manhunter (the first film to feature Hannibal Lecter in 1986). I’d just got skinny; it’s part of being an actress. I had to gain 25lbs (11kg) and be naked.
Audience questions and Smith’s answers reveal that she never saw Hannibal, the sequel!
Ted Levine (serial killer and skinner of girls ‘Buffalo Bill’), she describes as ‘a sweetheart.’
AQ: Did you read the book? Take any inspo?
BS: I read the book, and I’ve seen Manhunter. In the book, she was smoking pot with her boyfriend, eating potato chips and thrown in the well.
When I get back to the stage area, James Duval has taken over. His most prominent role was Frank the Bunny in 2001’s Donnie Darko, the surrealist movie that flung a young Jake Gyllenhaal into the public conscience. It’s here that, decades later, it’s pointed out that Duval was also Miguel, the son of the crop dusting conspiracy theorist Russell Casse (Randy Quaid) in Independence Day (1996).
JD: I got the audition for Donnie Darko and fell in love with the script. Frank the Bunny was 6”tall (1m82). (For me) it probably wasn’t going anywhere. I made complete sense of it. I can explain it. We got this kid Jake Gyllenhaal from October Sky. Great movie. If it wasn’t for Drew Barrymore, nobody would watch it. She said, ‘You’re gonna do it exactly as it is.’ She gave director Richard Kelly $3.5 million. Richard wanted to make it exact. We had a meeting. All the actors were there: Jake Gyllenhaal, Patrick Swayze, Drew Barrymore. A guy says, ‘This is terrible. It breaks all the rules.’ Another guy says, ‘I disagree with you. That’s why it’s so good: Because it breaks rules.’
COMPARE: Did you think you’d be here?
JD: No. Part of it I love it, can’t believe I’m in it. It made millions. Then a little thing called 9/11 happened, no one wanted to watch a film about a jet engine falling out of the sky. Nobody cared. 2 years later, I was walking through town and a security guard said, ‘Frank!’
Duval goes onto describe how he interpreted the script.
JD: In Donnie Darko, I saw myself as a friendly bunny guy, not as a scary rabbit. How does he get there? What’s gonna convince him to give his life to save people? My approach was ‘help Donnie to realise his destiny.’ As an actor you have to make sense of it. I went over the script, and I was the only one who understood it. We’re seeing the undead guy manifested in the suit he died in.
JD: In Gone in 60 Seconds (in which Duvall played Freb) at the screen test they wouldn’t see me. I came across as stupid and that’s what got me the part.
I wanted to do something a little different than just going to bars and clubs and seeing DJs. I want to do all that still, but I’ve been looking for something else to enjoy, possibly midweek, and I couldn’t quite find it. So I put together a new Meetup group: Manchester Psychology Social Group.
I’ve found psychology interesting since I got an assessment for short term memory difficulties in 2009. Since then I’ve been reading, learning, watching things. There’s a cavalcade of info that I find fascinating, and more things I’d like to learn, and I just wondered if anyone else had that same passion. I thought it would be a bit niche for a Meetup group, but there was no harm in trying. I was already paying to be an organiser and I as allowed a third group (after Manchester Nightlife and Manc Mates), but the members started rolling in the moment I set up the group a week or so ago.
I set up a meetup for the Wednesday last week, which I felt might break up most people’s weeks so they aren’t waiting a whole week to do anything social. The plan was to go to Feel Good Club, a cafe with a mental health slant, but their opening hours weren’t particularly obvious. After a bit of digging it seemed they’d be closed at the time of the meeting, so I moved it to nearby cafe / bookshop Chapter One Books.
There were 12 people down to meet: 6 showed up, but that was a good amount. Friendly people, empathetic, positive and full of ideas.
At the time of writing I have 82 members. Make it 83!
I’ve just scheduled a new meeting at Haunt on Peter St next Wednesday. 7:30pm is the earliest I can get there. Join us if it sounds like your thing!
Very busy week this week. I’ve managed to get a day’s leave today, but then I’m covering another day this week when I wouldn’t normally be in. So I still need to book that TOIL, and more leave as well.
Saturday saw film convention For the Love of Horror return. I’ve met a load of horror movie stars, listened to panels and photographed many cosplayers. I’m working on a blog post now. Fascinating day. Hope people enjoy the write-up.
If you’re looking to break up your week, Wednesday night is a great chance. I recently set up another Meetup group. Manchester Psychology Social Group for people who want to meet new mates, eat, talk, learn a little about psychology and do something a little different than just go out and get pissed. So far over 60 people have joined.
To start off the group I’ve set up a meetup on Wednesday night in Feel Good Club, on Hilton St in the Northern Quarter. I’ve not been before but I gather it’s a cafe with a mental health twist to it. I’ve no idea what that means. Let’s find out! There are, so far, 16 of us meeting at 7:30pm Wednesday.
Saturday night: Manchester Nightlife are out in Spinningfields again, 9 pm Oast House. Let’s do a few cocktails and see if we can spot a celeb or two. There are some bars I’ve not taken the group to yet. Let’s hope they actually DRESS SMART ENOUGH to get in this time. I’ve told them...
For the Love of Horror, movie convention, took place Saturday, in which I met 5 film stars. Great day. Working on a blog post. I’ve booked tomorrow off for this.
Saw this Tech House night advertised; sounded interesting. Dissociate took place last night in Off the Square, where a mate of mine had previously DJd. (Hype/Drive launched there in November last year.) Decided I’d run a Meetup in Manchester Nightlife to see what it was like.
Great music featuring a lot of remixes of 90s dance tracks, friendly people – both in the group (all first timers) and in the club.
Next up from The Roasting Tin: See Bass, Asparagus & Spring Onions with Jasmine Rice & a Ginger, Lime & Soy Dressing.
I think I picked this one as overall time was suggested as 25 mins. Took me 57. I think this is largely because I only had brown rice, which takes a hell of a lot longer to boil. None of the veg seemed particularly well-cooked by the end time, which was later than it should have been.
Not a favourite this time. I ate half and binned the rest.
