HXFF Retro Grade Celebrates BLACK ROSES with Dundas Tour of Shooting Locations and Screening!

The Hexploitation Film Festival's  RETRO GRADE movie night series continues with a screening of the 1988 heavy metal cult creature feature BLACK ROSES preceded by an exclusive walking tour of the film's Dundas, ON shooting locations!

BLACK ROSES (1988)
|| RETRO GRADE ||

DIR. JOHN FASANO, 84 MIN. CANADA/USA

TOUR TIME: Saturday, October 20, 2018 @ 11:00am (Thirsty Cactus, Dundas, ON)
MOVIE TIME: Saturday, October 20, 2018 @ 8:30pm (Staircase Theatre, Hamilton, ON)

SHORT SUMMARY

Demons hypnotize the general public by posing as a rock and roll band.

MOVIE DESCRIPTION

1980s satanic panic becomes reality in this hilariously schlocky glam rock, heavy metal horror creature feature filmed almost entirely in Dundas and Hamilton, ON!

When the sleepy town of Mill Basin (aka. Dundas, Ontario) is invaded by a sleazy band of satanic rockers, the self-righteous adults of the town attempt to shut down the concert series. But when the band -- BLACK ROSES -- overcomes parental censorship and takes to the stage, all hell breaks loose and the town's population of good kids begin to turn bad. BLOODSHED, RIOTS, and MASS MURDER assail the defenseless townspeople as their youth begin to change into murderous monsters before their very eyes!

RETURN TO MILL BASIN -- BLACK ROSES LOCATIONS TOUR

Join Hexploitation Film Festival director Aaron Allen for a personal, guided tour of the film's exterior shooting locations in historic Dundas, ON. Take a trip back to 1987 and experience, first hand, the extensive use of Dundas landmarks and locations immortalized in BLACK ROSES to portray the sleepy, midwestern town of Mill Basin USA. Learn interesting and quirky trivia about the making of this obscure yet endearing heavy metal horror flick in the days before Hamilton became a hot Hollywood shooting location.

* Exclusive Tour Swag for all tour attendees including:

• Exclusive Poster
• T-Shirt
• Other surprise goodies to be announced!

Departure Location: The Thirsty Cactus (2 King Street East, Dundas, ON L9H 1B8)

Check-in Time: 11:00am

Tour Duration: Approx. 90min

Tour Ticket Purchasers will receive an email with detailed tour information.

Starring: John Martin (Fire in the Night), Sal Viviano (The Jitters), Paul Kelman (My Bloody Valentine), Julie Adams (Creature form the Black Lagoon), Frank Dietz (Zombie Nightmare)

*JOINING VIA WEBCAST FOR Q&A - STAR FRANK DIETZ*

HXFF's RETRO GRADE presents CURTAINS (1983) with star Lynne Griffin in Attendance!

The Hexploitation Film Festival's brand new RETRO GRADE moving night series kicks off its inaugural show with a special screening of the 1983 cult Canadian slasher CURTAINS with star LYNNE GRIFFIN (also of BLACK CHRISTMAS and STRANGE BREW fame) in attendance!

Every ticket-buyer will have a chance to win some exclusively cool horror movie prizes.

Saturday, August 18 @ The Staircase Theatre, 27 Dundurn St. N, Hamilton: 8:30PM - 10:30PM

SHORT SUMMARY

Six young actresses auditioning for a movie role at a remote mansion are targeted by a mysterious masked murderer.

FULL DESCRIPTION

In Curtains, a group of actresses are stalked by a masked killer while they are auditioning at the remote mansion estate of a sleazy, shady film director. What begins as a casting session to replace the film's intended and emotionally unstable star devolves into madness and murder when a witch-masked slasher with a creepy doll and some well-sharpened tools makes each wannabe star fight for her life. Curtains features direction by the acclaimed cinematography Richard Ciupka.

Curtains stars a cast of cult film icons including John Vernon (Animal House, Killer Klowns from Outer Space), Samantha Eggar (The Brood, Demonoid), and Lynne Griffin (Black Christmas, Strange Brew).

*IN ATTENDANCE* STAR LYNNE GRIFFIN

 RETRO GRADE is a new, ongoing film series presented by the Hexploitation Film Festival where audience are given the chance to grade our selections from our back catalog of interesting and entertaining thrillers, chillers, and cinematic killers of yesteryear. We also invite special celebrity guests, horror genre film experts, cinema scholars, podcasters, and writers to drop  knowledge bombs about the making of these freaky flicks and school us with their insidious insights and anecdotes

So sharpen them pencils, grab your notebooks, and prepare to venture into the hallowed halls of hackademia for a lurid lesson in retro horror.

CIRCUS OF THE DEAD to Make Canadian Premiere at Fright Night Theatre

On May 9, Fright Night Theatre is sending in the clowns for the Canadian Premiere of the gory killer clown epic CIRCUS OF THE DEAD

Straight from the blood-soaked indie film world of Texas, Circus of the Dead is the ferocious feature-film debut from Billy Pon (DOLLBOY). To celebrate the Canadian debut of this gruesome new horror picture, Fright Night Theatre will be transforming the lovely Staircase Theatre into a Bloody Big Top Experience for a night of killer clowns and creepy circus thrills.

SYNOPSIS

After a night at the circus, a family man must fight for his life when a marauding troupe of sadistic clowns led by the deviant Papa Corn (Bill Oberst Jr.) ensnares him in an all-night crime spree through oil-soaked West Texas. Armed with guns, knives, and a 68 Camaro, Papa Corn and his insane clown posse bring blood, gore, and mayhem to all they encounter.  Circus of the Dead is the Devil's Rejects meets Texas Chainsaw Massacre of killer clown movies. If you're not already afraid of clowns, you will be.....

THE GORIEST SHOW ON EARTH featuring...

* CREEPY CLOWN MAKEUP CONTEST!
* DISCOUNT ADMISSION FOR CLOWNS!
* CIRCUS GAMES!
* PRIZE RAFFLES sponsored by FANGORIA!
* LICENSED VENUE!

BUY TICKETS

Saturday, May 09, 2015

8:00pm - The Staircase Theatre
(27 Dundurn St. N.)
Doors and Seating @ 7:00pm

ONE SCREENING ONLY!
FOR MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY

Screens With Short Film: CLOWN & OUT || North American Premiere ||  (dir. Tom Lox)

Admission

• $10.00 (advance) BUY ONLINE
• $12.00 (at-the-door, cash only)
• $2.00 DISCOUNT at-the-door for attendees in clown makeup

Join Facebook Event

YOU GOTTA SEE THIS! Praise for CIRCUS OF THE DEAD

“There’s a TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE vibe to this entire film as the level of lunacy reaches a fever pitch early on in this film and doesn't let up until the end.” - Ain’t It Cool Horror

"[A] phenomenal film that will be damned hard to beat.” - Horror Society

“With it’s unflinching and unapologetic display of the blackest, most evil of capabilities that can exist in people, Circus of the Dead does what we ultimately want a horror film to do…it horrifies.” - Legless Corpse

"If you are prepared to see a film so menacing it will stay with you for days, "Circus of the Dead" is a must!” - Horror News Network

"This might be the bad guy horror fans have been waiting for. Billy Oberst Jr's performance as Papa Corn is one of the most exciting things I have seen in an indie horror film in the last few years.” - Nathan Thomas Milliner, Horror Artist

POSTERS

IMAGES

VENUE

WEREWOLF DOUBLE FEATURE: LATE PHASES & WOLFCOP (March 21)

WEREWOLF DOUBLE FEATURE

== Late Phases (7:00pm) & Wolfcop (9:30pm) == 

Poster by Pat Sparrow

This March, unleash your inner beast at Fright Night Theatre! On Saturday, March 21st, we're bringing you a hairy and scary double feature of howling good modern werewolf films: the man vs. werewolf horror-drama LATE PHASES followed by the hilarious Canadian cult phenomenon WOLFCOP. Thanks to our awesome sponsors FANGORIA and SHOCK STOCK we'll be giving away monstrous prizes all night long, including free weekend passes to the SHOCK STOCK 2015 horror and exploitation weekend (April 24 - 26, 2015). in London, ON. Read on for full details and purchase your tickets early to avoid disappointment. 

Saturday, March 21, 2015

The Staircase Theatre (27 Dundurn St. N.)
Hamilton, ON

DOUBLE FEATURE ADMISSION
$15 (LATE PHASES & WOLFCOP)

SINGLE FILM ADMISSION
$10 (advance)
$12 (at the door, cash-only)

* LCBO LICENSED VENUE!
* FANGORIA PRIZE RAFFLES!
* WOLFCOP BINGO!

BUY TICKETS ONLINE

Join Facebook Event

LATE PHASES - 7:00pm
Directed by Adrián García Bogliano
(USA) 2014, 95 mins

Principal Cast: Nick Damici, Ethan Embry

Screens With Short Film: THE MAN WHO CHOKED || Canadian Premiere ||  (dir. Ross Jameson)

Seating from 6:30pm

When a wounded war veteran (Nick Damici, STAKELAND) moves in to the retirement community of Crescent Bay, he discovers that residents are dying in a series of grisly attacks. But his take-no-prisoners attitude is just what he needs to survive as it becomes clear that the increasingly violent and horrific attacks are being caused by beasts that are neither animal nor man, and the tight-knit community of Crescent Bay is harboring something truly sinister in its midst. Also starring Ethan Embry (CHEAP THRILLS, EMPIRE RECORDS). LATE PHASES is the English language film debut of director Adrián García Bogliano (HERE COMES THE DEVIL).

THE MAN WHO CHOKED

An elderly patient in an institution encounters a sadistic nurse.

WOLFCOP - 9:30pm
Directed by Lowell Dean
(CANADA) 2014, 95 mins

Principal Cast: Leo Fafard, Amy Matysio, Sarah Lind

Screens With Short Film: THIS NEIGHBORHOOD || Canadian Premiere ||  (dir. Jerry Ochoa)

Seating from 9:15pm

It's not unusual for alcoholic cop Lou Garou (Leo Fafard) to black out and wake up in unfamiliar surroundings, but after Garou finds himself at the center of an occult conspiracy, his life begins to get a lot hairier. When the moon is full, Lou becomes a rage-filled, booze swilling, pistol-slinging werewolf cop with a hunger for justice. With the help of his friends, he sets out to clean up his town and become a better man...one transformation at a time.

THIS NEIGHBORHOOD

A deeply disturbed man stalks his neighbors, believing God has instructed him to murder everyone around him in order to save mankind.

VENUE

ALL OUT FOR ANG Fundraiser at Fright Night Theatre a Success!

Thank you to all who came out last Saturday for the Fright Night Theatre Canadian Premieres of Radio Silence and Call Girl. Due to your generosity and the support of our awesome sponsors at Fangoria and Raven Banner Entertainment, we were able to raise an additional $50.00 in raffle proceeds for the All Out For Ang cancer fundraiser!

Presented by Ben Rispin, Crash Landing and Rebel Time Records, All Out for Ang was a charity punk show organized to raise funds for Angela Orchard, the drummer for The Rotten, in order to help her in her ongoing battle against cancer. Horror in the Hammer donated a prize pack for raffles at the event and also took the extra step to put together a second round of charity raffles at our Fright Night Theatre Canadian Premiere of the German horror/thriller Radio Silence that very night. For more on Ang's story and to make further contributions, visit http://www.dontstopbelieving.ca.

Thank you to all our loyal fans, generous attendees, and amazing sponsors for supporting us in not only our ongoing celebration of independent horror cinema but also in our efforts to give back to the local community and make a difference in people's lives.

JUNE 28: RADIO SILENCE and CALL GIRL (Canadian Premieres) with Charity Raffles

Fright Night Theatre invites you to a night of Canadian Premieres full of shocking scares, terrifying twists, and petrifying prizes! 

Fright Night Theatre is proud to announce a double-bill of Canadian debuts: Saturday, June 28th at the Staircase Theatre. Our feature RADIO SILENCE (dir. Marco Riedl and Carsten Vauth) is a pulse-pounding horror/thriller from Germany that recently picked up the awards for Best International Thriller and Best Directors at the 2013 Buffalo Dreams International Film Festival.

Our official short selection will also be making its Canadian premiere: director Jill Sixx Gevargizian's CALL GIRL is a violent voyeuristic vignette starring Laurence Harvey (Human Centipde 2) and Tristan Risk (American Mary).

DATE: Saturday, June 28, 2014
ONE SCREENING ONLY!
TIME: Doors @ 7:00pm / Films @ 8:00pm

VENUE: The Staircase Theatre 

(27 Dundurn St. N.)

ADMISSION: $10 (advance) / $12 (at the door - cash only) -- BUY ONLINE

Door Tickets from: 7:00pm / Seating from: 7:10pm.  Join Facebook Event

AFTER-PARTY: ALL OUT FOR ANG! Benefit Concert and Fundraiser

CLUB ABSINTHE - $5.00 w/ Fright Night Theatre ticket

38 King William St

Hamilton, Ontario L8N 1B3

But that's not all! Courtesy of our sponsors Fangoria, Raven Banner Entertainment, and Horror in the Hammer, we'll be holding a horror prize raffle at Fright Night Theatre as a fundraiser for the All Out For Ang Cancer Benefit.

PRIZE #1: Zombi Soundtrack LP (Death Waltz Records) & Free Admission to Sinister Cinema

PRIZE #2: Fangoria Magazines & Free Admission 

to Sinister Cinema

PRIZE #3: Nightmare City Bluray & Admission 

to Sinister Cinema

All proceeds from the following raffle prizes will be donated to the All Out for Ang Fundraiser. Raffle Tickets: $1 for 1, $2 for 3, $5 for an arm's length, $10 for a body's length.

Angela Orchard, the drummer for the punk band The Rotten, has been battling breast cancer for the last four years. After undergoing a double mastectomy and hysterectomy in hopes of stopping the disease, Angela was given a terminal prognosis but continues to fight! Her friends in the local music community have put together an amazing fundraiser benefit show to raise money to help Angela with the cost of standard and usual medical treatments such as chemotherapy/radiation/etc as well as alternative treatment(s). To read her story: http://www.dontstopbelieving.ca

CRETIN COSTUME CONTEST PRIZES

Our generous sponsors at FANGORIA and HAMMER CITY RECORDS have sent us some amazing prizes to give away as part of our Cretin Costume Contest. 

Attend the Hamilton Premiere of RETURN TO NUKE 'EM HIGH (Vol.1) on March 1st dressed up like one of the post-apocalyptic radioactive punks from the film for your chance to win. The most original and creative costumes will be awarded one of three prize packs.

FIRST PLACE - Fangoria Prize Pack (over $150 in value)

A gift assortment of Fangoria magazines, horror movies, and merch

• Fangoria #326-330
• Gorezone #1 &2
• Fangoria Legends presents JOHN CARPENTER
• KISS #2: The Official Album and Tour Magazine
• Blurays: Blood for Irina & Nightmare City
• Fangoria T-shirt – your choice of size (S, M, L) - not pictured
• Free admission for one to SINISTER CINEMA - not pictured

SECOND PLACE - Hammer City Records Prize Pack ($50 value)

A hard rocking goodie bag for Canadian punk and metal maniacs.

• CDS: Main Man: A Tribute to Dee Dee Ramone / Unruled: Butchers of Warfare / Get Thee to a Nunnery / Legion: 666
• Records: Ride at Dawn: Chrome Pillars / The Class Assassins
• Poster - not pictured
• Swag: buttons, stickers, beer cozy, patch, key chain, etc.
• Free admission for one to SINISTER CINEMA

THIRD PLACE - Horror in the Hammer Movie Pack ($50 value)

A package of over 11 horror movies on DVD including Troma's original Class of Nuke 'Em High (1986). Also, free admission to SINISTER CINEMA - not pictured.

The only way to win is to be present at the Hamilton Premiere of RETURN TO NUKE 'EM HIGH (Vol. 1) in your wildest, craziest Cretin costume.

Tickets are $12 at the door. Doors @7pm. Seating is limited, so come early to ensure you get a ticket before they're sold out.