Shock is heading to Toronto
Toronto runs red with blood beginning Friday as Rue Morgue Magazine‘s Festival of Fear kicks off its 3-day hunk o’ burnin’ love for horror this Friday at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. And as in the previous years, this warped retreat for purveyors of the macabre will be sharing expo space with sci-fi, fantasy and anime aficionados – which often makes for a diverse communal experience, but it never builds to the West Side Story-esque segregation of genre factions and all-out back alley turf wars like I often dream of, sadly enough (I kid).
The guests on hand this year are cut from the ’70s horror cloth. Wes Craven (25/8), Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and Ruggero Deodato (Cannibal Holocaust) lead the line-up followed by Child’s Play franchise mainstay Brad Dourif, Sid Haig (The Devil’s Rejects), Tura Satana (Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!), scream queen Linnea Quigley (Return of the Living Dead), John Saxon (Black Christmas), Kristy Swanson (former Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Shawnee Smith, Robert Hall (Laid to Rest) and many more.
All of the above will be featured throughout the weekend during celebrity Q&A and autograph sessions. The Rue crew is also hosting off-site evening events such as “Sins of a Supervixen Starring Tura Satana” on Friday night and “American Monsters: An Evening with Tobe Hooper” on Sunday night. Saturday is being reserved for cuttin’ loose during “The Night That Dripped Blood” bash at Revival (783 College St. West). A costume contest goes down at midnight with Quigley serving as the judge.
A full schedule is now available online – you can view is here. Yours truly will be venturing up to Toronto Friday morning to cover the event. Keep it here for breaking news, photo updates and event reports daily. I always feel like the Toronto horror fans welcome outsiders with open arms (and chilled beers) – plus, it gives me an excuse to go to Toronto for something other than a set visit – so I’m eagerly looking forward to this year’s fest.
Source: Ryan Rotten
