Tuesday, February 06, 2007

World Horror Convention '2007

World Horror Convention '2007 Logo
For the first time in its seventeen-year history, THE WORLD HORROR CONVENTION is being held outside the United States.
With a theme exploring "The Diversity of Horror", WORLD HORROR CONVENTION 2007 will take place over MARCH 29-APRIL 1 at the four-star Toronto Marriott Downtown Eaton Centre, located in the heart of TORONTO, CANADA.
www.whc2007.org

The key guests' list feature: [UPDATED!!! - thanks to an anonymous comment!]
  • GAHAN WILSON - SPECIAL HWA GUEST

    previous winner of the Horror Writers Association Lifetime Achievement Award.

    Best known for his macabre cartoons in PLAYBOY and THE NEW YORKER.

    His work has been collected in GAHAN WILSON'S GRAVESIDE MANNER, THE MAN IN THE CANNIBAL POT, I PAINT WHAT I SEE, IS NOTHING SACRED?, . . . AND THEN WE'LL GET HIM, THE WEIRD WORLD OF GAHAN WILSON, GAHAN WILSON'S CRACKED COSMOS, STILL WEIRD, EVEN WEIRDER, GAHAN WILSON'S GRAVEDIGGER'S PARTY, GAHAN WILSON'S MONSTER PARTY and THE BEST OF GAHAN WILSON.

    Some of his short stories were collected in THE CLEFT AND OTHER ODD TALES

    Wrote 2 unusual mistery novels - EDDY DECO'S LAST CAPER and EVERYBODY'S FAVOURITE DUCK - and some children's books.

    Edited the anthologies FIRST WORLD FANTASY AWARDS and GAHAN WILSON'S FAVORITE TALES OF HORROR.

  • MICHAEL MARSHALL SMITH - Guest Of Honour

    Author of SPARES, ONLY FORWARD, ONE OF US and the international best-selling THE STRAW MEN trilogy (under the byline "Michael Marshall").

  • NANCY KILPATRICK - Guest Of Honour

    Author of "The Power of Blood" vampire series (comprising the novels NEAR DEATH, CHILD OF THE NIGHT, REBORN, BLOODLOVER and TRANSFORMATION).

    Winner of Canada's Arthur Ellis Award for short fiction.

    Co-editer of the horror anthology OUTSIDERS (with Nancy Holder).

    Compiled THE GOTH BIBLE: A COMPENDIUM FOR THE DARKLY INCLINED.

  • JOHN PICACIO - Artist Guest Of Honour

    Cover artist for works by Michael Marshall Smith, Harlan Ellison, Neil Gaiman, Joe R. Lansdale, Graham Joyce, Lucius Shepard, Charles De Lint, and others.

    Winner of the International Horror Guild Award (Best Artist), the Chesley Award (Best Paperback Cover) and the World Fantasy Award (Best Artist).

    COVER STORY: THE ART OF JOHN PICACIO is a new retrospective collection of his work.

  • DON HUTCHISON - SPECIAL PUBLISHER GUEST OF HONOUR

    Author of the non-fiction study THE GREAT PULP HEROES - nominated for the Bram Stoker Award.

    Author of the Aurora Award-winning series of the landmark NORTHERN FRIGHTS anthologies (6 volumes).

    In 1990 he received The Lamont Award "for outstanding effort in keeping alive the memory and spirit of the pulp magazine era".


  • PETER ATKINS - SPECIAL MEDIA GUEST OF HONOUR

    Has scripted HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER II, HELLRAISER III: HELL ON EARTH (1992) and HELLRAISER: BLOODLINE (1996).

    The following he wrote WISHMASTER.

    The 1st movie of WISHMASTER was adapted by Atkins himself to the stage musical THE DJINN (2001), complete with cockney Vaudevillians and Commedia dell'Arte clowns with electric guitars.

  • JOE R. LANSDALE - WHC 2007 GRAND MASTER WINNER

    Author of more than 30 novels, including ACT OF LOVE, THE NIGHTRUNNERS, COLD IN JULY, THE BOTTOMS and THE DRIVE-IN series.

    Wrote 7 novels about the 2 friends Hap Collins and Leonard Pine from East Texas who solve several macabre and violent misteries. The series begun with SAVAGE SEASON in 1990 and the last one published was CAPTAINS OUTRAGEOUS (2001).

    His novella BUBBA HO-TEP, about an aged Elvis Presley and black John F. Kennedy battling a soul-sucking mummy, was filmed by Don Coscarelli in 2002.

    His short story, "Incident On and Off a Mountain Road" was adapted as the first episode of the first season of TV's MASTERS OF HORROR series.

  • SÈPHERA GIRÓN - MISTRESS OF CEREMONIES

    Author of HOUSE OF PAIN, THE BIRDS AND THE BEES, BORROWED FLESH and MISTRESS OF THE DARK.

    Her book HOUSE MAGIC: THE GOOD WITCH'S GUIDE TO BRINGING GRACE TO YOUR SPACE was published in 2001 under the author's tarot name, "Ariana".

  • PETER CROWTHER - SPECIAL PUBLISHER GUEST OF HONOUR

    Award-winning author, respected anthology editor and prolific publisher.

    His short stories are all in the collection LONESOME ROADS.

    Co-writer in the novel ESCARDY GAP (with James Lovegrove).

    Driving force behind PS Publiching, winner of the British Fantasy Award for Best Small Press (4 consecutive years) and of the 2004 World Fantasy Award Special Award (Professional)


You can visit their official website »» World Horror Convention '2007 «« for all the details in how to attend and participate in this event, and for the latest news and advertisements.

Monday, February 05, 2007

Fantasporto '2007


Another edition of the Oporto International Film Festival (Festival Internacional de Filme Fantástico do Porto) - FANTASPORTO - is being held in Oporto, Portugal for its 27th year, on FEBRUARY 19 - MARCH 4.

The festival is divided into 8 sections regarding the characteristics and aim of the various films that it presents to its audience
  • Official Section - Competition for Fantasy Films - feature and short films (maximum 15 minutes length) and European Fantasy Film "Méliès d"Argent" Award
  • Directors Week - Competition for Feature Films (no thematic strings attached)
  • Orient Express Official Section (for asiatic feature films)
  • Panorama & Première/Films of the World (Non Competitive)
  • Love Connection (Non Competitive)
  • Anima-te (Animation Feature, Non Competitive)
  • Porto in Shorts (Non Competitive)
  • Retrospectives (Non Competitive)
This year it also features some musical features and not only the movies as it used to.

This festival is responsible for bringing recognition to talents such as:
  • David Cronenberg - "Shivers" (1981)
  • Brian de Palma - "Carrie" (1981)
  • John Carpenter - "Dark Star" (1981)
  • Ridley Scott - "Blade Runner" (1983)
  • Luc Besson - "Le Dernier Withbat" (1984)
  • Joel & Ethan Cohen - "Blood Simple" (1986)
  • Pedro Almodovar - "Matador" (1987)
  • Freddy Krugger - "Nightmare On Elm Street" (1987)
  • Stephen King - "Maximum Overdrive" (1988)
  • Peter Jackson - "Bad Taste" (1990)
  • Quentin Tarantino - "Reservoir Dogs" (1993)
  • Guillermo Del Toro - "Cronos" (1994)
  • Danny Boyle - "Shallow Grave" (1995)
  • David Fincher - "Seven" / "Alien 3 " (1996)
  • Takashi Miike - "Fudoh - The New Generations" (1998)
  • Vincenzo Natali - "Cube" (1999)
  • Bill Plympton - "I Married a Strange Person" (1999)
  • Ben Hopkins - "The Nine Lives of Thomas Katz" (2000)
  • Pitof - "Vidocq" (2001)
  • Eli Roth - "Cabin Fever" (2004)
  • Rob Zombie - "House of 1000 Corpses" (2004)
  • Chan Wook Park - with "Oldboy" (2005)
  • Anders Banke - "Frostbitten" (2006)
  • Eric Khoo - "Be With Me" (2006)

It also brought to my attention masterpieces like:
"A Tale Of Two Sisters"
(Janghwa, Hongryeon)

by Ji-woon Kim
"28 Days Later"
by Danny Boyle
"Room 36"
by Jim Groom
"Hypercube: Cube 2"
by Andrzej Sekula
"Ghost In The Shell 2"
(Inosensu: Kôkaku kidôtai)

by Mamoru Oshii
"Hostel"
by Eli Roth
"3 Extremes"
(Saam Gaang Yi)

by Fruit Chan, Takashi Miike and Chan-Wook Park


You can see the festival's program and all other information in its »» Official Website««