Skip to main content

The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies & Spectacular Optical present Michael Ironside Live in Conversation at Fantasia and new Toronto Horror Express Bus Tour!

Image
By


Sister organizations The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies and Spectacular Optical have two special events planned for horror fans in Montreal and Toronto this summer.

In partnership with the Fantasia International Film Festival and the Frontières International Co-Production Market, The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies will be presenting a career talk with iconic Canadian cult actor Michael Ironside at the festival on July 20th, moderated by film writer and producer Heather Buckley.

To celebrate Fantasia’s screening of Knuckleball, a Frontières project, the Miskatonic Institute will present career talk with one of the most iconic character actors of our time, and a true legend of the genre film world. Over an hour-long illustrated discussion of the key films, directors and collaborators in his life, Ironside will discuss his many film roles – which includes work with David Cronenberg, Claude Jutra, Jean-Claude Lord, Tony Scott, Walter Hill, James Glickenhaus, Paul Verhoeven, RKSS and more – as well as his origins and approach to acting, how he captures his characters, and his command of voice and physicality.

Spectacular Optical will also be at Fantasia, offering its fourth annual Barry Convex Award for Best Canadian Feature of Co-Production making its Canadian, International or World Premiere at the festival. Winners receive $1000 cash from the Paul A. Ray Memorial Fund and a (fittingly convex-shaped) trophy designed by renowned Canadian genre artist “Ghoulish” Gary Pullin. The jury for this year’s Barry Convex Award are House of Psychotic Women author (and founder of the award) Kier-La Janisse, producer Michael Kronish, Arrow Video’s Nora Mehenni and Fright Fest programmer/Sight & Sound critic Shelagh Rowan-Legg.



PLUS! In Toronto on August 4th, the first-ever Horror Express, a chartered bus tour of iconic horror film locations, taking place throughout the greater Toronto area. This 6-hour tour hosted by writer, musician, filmmaker and ex-Fangoria EIC Chris Alexander will stop at 15 iconic horror locations for photo ops and pass by many others as we navigate through the history of Toronto’s cinematic underbelly.

Spectacular Optical artistic director and film locations aficionado Kier-La Janisse conceived of the tour after being asked for several years where certain iconic locations were, such as the Black Christmas house or the Somafree Institute from David Cronenberg’s The Brood. “Only days after I first moved to Toronto in 2014, Bill Ackerman of the Supporting Characters podcast said he was coming to Toronto for a visit and wanted to go see locations with me,” says Janisse. “Since I had only just moved here, I didn’t know where anything was, so I just spent a few days researching and our resulting locations tour became a great way for me to get oriented in a new city.”

The tour will wind up at The Royal Cinema at 608 College, where the Royal programmers have lined up a 35mm screening of Mark Lester’s Toronto-shot Class of 1984 with star Lisa Langlois in person!

Tickets for the bus tour and screening are sold separately.

Tickets for the bus tour are $70 and available HERE: http://www.spectacularoptical.ca/store/product/horror-express-bus-tour-toronto/
Note – there is extremely limited seating on the bus so act fast!

Tickets for the screening are $12 advance / $14 door and available through the Royal HERE: https://www.universe.com/classof1984
Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

POPULATION PURGE Trailer and Release Info

By
In a dystopian world where a radical government has unleashed a deadly poison to control population, only those with blood type AB positive remain unscathed. But instead of outright death, the rest of the population is left to suffer in a state of chronic illness, causing widespread chaos and panic. As the majority slowly succumbs to the effects of the poison, their only hope lies in receiving transfusions of AB positive blood from the few immune survivors, like Charlie and his granddaughter Maya. Living in the decrepit remains of an abandoned amusement park, Charlie is a renegade supplier of blood to the underground market. But their sanctuary is threatened by the iron-fisted rule of District 22's ruthless warden, Onslow, who will stop at nothing to save his own dying son. As Charlie and Maya fight to defend their haven and their own sanity, the eccentric duo must navigate through a world of danger and betrayal. POPULATION PURGE was written by Brian Johnson and Toby Osborne and di
Read More

A SACRIFICE Trailer and Release Info

By
Written and Directed by Jordan Scott Produced by Ridley Scott, Michael Pruss, Jonas Katzenstein, Maximilian Leo, Georgina Pope Starring Eric Bana, Sadie Sink, and Sylvia Hoeks A Sacrifice is an emotionally turbulent story that follows American social psychologist Ben Monroe (Eric Bana) who is investigating a local Berlin cult connected to disturbing events. While he immerses himself in his work, his rebellious teenage daughter, Mazzy (Sadie Sink), becomes embroiled with a mysterious local boy who introduces her to the city’s underground party scene. As their two worlds head toward a dangerous intersection, Ben will need to race against the clock in order to save his daughter. A SACRIFICE will be in theaters on June 28th, 2024
Read More

Blue Underground to Release Goodbye Uncle Tom on 4K/Blu-ray!

By
  In a bold move, Blue Underground has announced the upcoming release of "Goodbye Uncle Tom" on Limited Edition 4K UHD and Blu-Ray on April 23rd. This release will offer viewers a chance to witness one of the most notorious and graphic films ever made, showcasing a haunting portrayal of America's dark history of slavery. Originally released in 1971, "Goodbye Uncle Tom" is an Italian mondo-docudrama directed by Gualtiero Jacopetti and Franco Prosperi, the masterminds behind "Mondo Cane." Drawing from period documentation and historical accounts, the film vividly recreates the antebellum South and delves into the horrors of the slave trade. However, the film's unflinching depiction of slavery's atrocities sparked controversy from its inception. Distributors in the US insisted on radical edits to tone down the graphic content before its release. Despite these efforts, "Goodbye Uncle Tom" continued to stir strong reactions among critics a
Read More