Okay, I’m way behind.  Chalk up summer, playing dad, gearing up for the ’08 Pacific Northwest Writers Conference next week in SeaTac (I’ll be volunteering as well as pitching), and reworking my current manuscript.  Still, I wanted to pass along the official Rue Morgue Festival Press Release.   So here goes.  We’ll catch up later.

For Immediate Release – July 10, 2008

FESTIVAL OF FEAR RETURNS FOR 5TH YEAR

Toronto, CANADA – Rue Morgue, Canada’s distinguished horror magazine, and Hobby Star Entertainment are proud to bring back the RUE MORGUE FESTIVAL OF FEAR – National Horror Expo for its 5th Annual run. The massive genre event will descend upon the Metro Toronto Convention Centre the weekend of August 22-24, 2008 as part of Canada’s National Expo (with ComiCon, CNAnime, SFX and GamesX), and is expected to draw more than 42,000 fans over three days.

Rue Morgue is happy to announce a very rare public appearance from legendary horror film pioneer WES CRAVEN (A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Hills Have Eyes, Scream) as the official Guest of Honour of this year’s FESTIVAL OF FEAR. In over 35 years, Craven has established himself as a creative cornerstone of the modern horror film. His long-ranging influence has inspired generations of filmmakers worldwide.

Joining Craven will be genre veteran TOBE HOOPER (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Poltergeist, Salem’s Lot), notorious cult film idol SID HAIG (House of 1000 Corpses, The Devil’s Rejects, Spider Baby), Academy Award nominated actor BRAD DOURIF (The Exorcist III, Child’s Play, The Lord of the Rings), taboo Italian horror film outlaw RUGGERO DEODATO (Cannibal Holocaust, Phantom of Death), iconoclastic cult-film supervixen TURA SATANA (Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!, Astro Zombies), scream queen legend LINNEA QUIGLEY (Return of the Living Dead, Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers), horror/cult film siren KRISTY SWANSON (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Deadly Friend) and horror film starlet SHAWNEE SMITH (Saw, Saw II, Saw III).

Also appearing will be legendary actor JOHN SAXON (Black Christmas, A Nightmare On Elm Street), indie-film guru LLOYD KAUFMAN (The Toxic Avenger, Poultrygeist), child star-turned-acclaimed actor SEAN ASTIN (The Goonies, The Lord of the Rings), cult icon EDWARD JAMES OLMOS (Wolfen, Blade Runner), 21st century scream queen MALANTHA BLACKTHORN (Death Race, Sinners & Saints), horrorbilly musical sensation THE CREEPSHOW, goth pop trio JOHNNY HOLLOW, and sexy tattooed alternative pin-ups THE SUICIDE GIRLS (The Wizard of Gore).

Also joining this year’s line-up will be Canadian cult-film hipsters BRUCE McDONALD (Pontypool) and HUGH DILLON (Durham County), plus effects man turned director ROBERT HALL (Laid To Rest, Lightning Bug), award winning SFX team GASLIGHT STUDIOS (300, Diary of the Dead), acclaimed horror writer GORD ROLLO (The Jigsaw Man), and more.

SPECIAL OFF-SITE EVENTS!
The 5th Annual RUE MORGUE FESTIVAL OF FEAR also features intimate and interactives, autograph sessions, workshops, dealer tables, screenings, parties, panels and special events.

On Friday August 22 Rue Morgue presents SINS OF A SUPERVIXEN An Intimate Evening With TURA SATANA feat. a screening of Russ Meyer’s Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (Bloor Cinema – 506 Bloor St. West, 9:00 pm). Satana will introduce the movie and answer questions about her legendary role in Meyer’s landmark film.

On Saturday August 23 Rue Morgue presents THE NIGHT THAT DRIPPED BLOOD Official Party of the 2008 Festival of Fear (Revival Nightclub 783 College St. West 10:30 pm) featuring a Midnite Costume Contest hosted by cult-film icon LINNEA QUIGLEY and a special performance by Canada’s own horrorbilly musical sensation THE CREEPSHOW.

On Sunday August 24 Rue Morgue and Daniloff Productions present AMERICAN MONSTERS An Intimate Evening with TOBE HOOPER feat. a screening of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and a Q&A with the legendary director speaking about his milestone film (Bloor Cinema – 506 Bloor St. West, 9:00 pm).

Currently, Rue Morgue is one of the leading genre magazines in the world, and hosts a series of offshoot events, including Rue Morgue Radio (the world’s original all horror music show), Rue Morgue Presents CineMacabre (a monthly screening of new, rare, classic and cult horror films in Toronto’s legendary Bloor Cinema), and its ever popular annual Halloween Bash in October. Rue Morgue’s presence as the pre-eminent horror brand is also supported by its film production company Rue Morgue Cinema and online presence Rue-Morgue.Com.

Okay, back from vacation with some creepy news in hand. The Rue Morgue Festival in Toronto sent out a mailing of the new additions to this year’s line-up (make sure to check out their new website). The Guest of honor is Wes Craven. Also appearing is director/screenwriter Tobe Hooper, of Salem’s Lot, Poltergeist and Texas Chainsaw Massacre fame. Here is the bit of the e-mail about Tobe:

“A giant of the horror genre, Tobe Hooper has helmed some of the most time-honoured films in a career spanning three and a half decades, beginning with the breakout success of his 1974 sophomore effort THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, which today is recognized worldwide as the Holy Grail of savage cinema. Hooper followed his timeless classic with offerings such as EATEN ALIVE, SALEM’S LOT and THE FUNHOUSE before mastering the big budget horror blockbuster with POLTERGEIST in 1982. His other contributions to the genre include the films LIFEFORCE, INVADERS FROM MARS, THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2, NIGHT TERRORS, THE MANGLER, CROCODILE and TOOLBOX MURDERS, among many others. Tobe’s work has also been seen in two seasons of Showtime’s hugely popular MASTERS OF HORROR series. Recently, he announced a big screen adaptation of Stephen King’s FROM A BUICK 8.”

More guests include actors Sid Haig and Brad Dourif. The festival runs from August 22nd to 24th. You can also check out some spooky radio waves streaming from the website, at Rue Morgue Radio. Good old fashioned eerie stuff.