Loft Perversion: A Late Substitute
OK. So slight change of plan for Saturday evening's screenings. Night of the Demon has, alas, succumbed to a curse (boo!) and thus we won't be able to show it.
But dry your eyes. Quit your anguished moaning. Out steps Jacques Tourneur and in steps Mr John Carpenter. Yup – joining Inferno on our delicious double-bill is one hell of a substitute. Carpenter's jaw-droppingly bleak symphony of gorgeous gore, excruciating tension and awesome one-liners. It is, of course, The Thing. And what a thing it is. We hope this replacement meets with your collective approval(s).
See you tomorrow eve (The Loft, George's Quay, Limerick, 7 PM). And bring a sick bag.
P.S: Don't forget, if you haven't booked, just email me (johngeorgebyrne@gmail.com) and your spot shall be reserved (it's free, no charge, gratis etc). A few places left. But only a few.
October 24, 2014 Leave a comment
Loft Perversion – A Double-Bill of Horror Delights
I'm delighted to announce the two delicious horror delights we'll be screening for 'Loft Perversion' – a completely FREE double-bill taking place in The Loft (George's Quay, Limerick) on 25th October (as part of the mighty Locating the Gothic festival/conference). Remember, if you wanna attend all you have to do is email me – johngeorgebyrne@gmail.com – and I'll reserve you a spot.
And the 2 films are…
Night of the Demon (1957, Jaques Tourneur)
In the 1940s. Jacques Tourneur proved himself a master of ominous and suggestive horror with the classics Cat People and I Walked with a Zombie (both produced by that legend of understatement, Val Lewton). But Night of the Demon – a 1957 tale of Satanic shenanigans and inescapable pieces of parchment – may be his very best (even if it was compromised, a wee bit, by unsubtle shots of the giant demon of the title). Based on M R James's short story 'Casting the Runes' – it's one of the finest, funnest and eeriest horror films of the 50s.
Inferno (1980, Dario Argento)
A loose (very loose) sequel, of sorts, to Argento's sublime Suspiria – Inferno may have flopped on release, but no less an authority than Kim Newman now considers it “perhaps the most underrated horror movie of the 1980s.” Forget the story, this is horror at its purest. Full of eye-popping (ravishingly gorgeous) images and unsettling and impossible spaces. Full of symbols, signs and omens. The logic here, such as it is, is the logic of dreams…the logic of nightmares. Surrender to that 'logic' and you're in for a wild ride.
Hope to see you (whoever 'you' are) there.
October 1, 2014 Leave a comment
Tineeaniy – Issue #1
The latest comic from Herb (the nephew). Tineeaniy, Issue #1. The return of Professor Pelvis.
May 25, 2013 Leave a comment
Tom Conway: He Comes From Everywhere
I first saw Tom Conway a couple of years ago. Outside Dunnes Stores.1 The day was bitterly cold. Tom sat hunched over a Yamaha keyboard.2 A microphone jutting from his chest (held there by some contraption or other). Head down. Intense expression. Focused on the job in hand. He sang:
They come from here,
They come from there,
They come from everywhere,
Galway, Tipperary, and the county of Kildare.
"They" were congregating somewhere, this motley crew, but I've no idea where. Or why. Or what the song is/was called.3 The keyboard stylings were very much of the plinky-plonky (synthesised Country 'n' Irish) kind, but there was something about Tom's delivery, and his fractured/warbly voice, that stayed with me.
I've seen Tom 3 or 4 times since. Always with the same plinky-plonky intensity. Always in artic conditions. Not reaching out to a (largely indifferent) street audience, but wrapped up both in a warm coat and his own performance. The snippets of song I hear as I float past have a distinctive flavour. First impression: Maudlin or jaunty. Second impression: Drenched in melancholy. Or maybe it's just the cold.
I saw Tom again today (it was cold and damp, of course). Chucked him a few coins. Bought his CD.
There's Tom (from a few years back I'd say). Messing about with boats, enshrouded in an eerie green glow. The fingers of his right hand are…not quite there. He's like a time-travelling accordionist – phasing between realities. Which seems about right.
A few samples.4 Here's Tom channelling his inner (Australian) yodelling cowboy.
And here's Tom in satirical mode (taking a few swipes at parish pump politics).
So that's Tom Conway. Freezing his ass off for all us sinners.
- Henry St, Limerick. [back]
- Well, it may not have been a Yamaha keyboard. But all such keyboards are Yamaha keyboards (at least in my imagination). [back]
- Google reveals nothing. [back]
- Tom will forgive me for sharing, I hope. [back]
March 23, 2013 Leave a comment
Professor Pelvis
Here's Herb (the nephew) at the London Super Comic Con. Dressed as Iron Fist. Meeting Roy Thomas (creator of Iron Fist).
And here's his latest opus. Issue 1 of Professor Pelvis.
February 26, 2013 Leave a comment
How to go mad…
Prof. Foxhead, Issue 4. "How to Go Mad". Hot off the presses from the 7-year-old nephew (Herb).
February 23, 2013 4 Comments
A Christmas Prey: Issue 1
Here's issue 1 of A Christmas Prey. Created (almost) entirely by my 7-year-old nephew, Herb. The only non-Herb creation is Professor Foxhead. The wheelchair-bound super-villain. I sketched that for him at Christmas. Nice to see him being worked into Herb's ever-expanding comic universe.
February 22, 2013 Leave a comment
