J. Cannibal's TerrorThon '10: A Preview

Published Sep 24 2010, 01:59 PM by Alexandra Cavallo

'Tiiiis the season to be gory. It's that time of year again, people, the time when J. Cannibal emerges from his dark lair of solitude, where he's spent the summer conjuring up the most vile film specimens the horror genre has to offer, and hosts a good old-fashioned fright fest. Last year, he served up tiny, bite-size portions of guts, topped with deep-fried entrails and served with a spicy side of fear, with "Tapas of Terror." This time around, it's going to be more of a buffet. Boston's resident master of the macabre, along with Garen Daly, presents: TerrorThon '10! The thon, which screens at the Somerville Theatre, is set to feature a seriously fucking creepy, and eclectic, line-up of classic horror films, contemporary slashers and gore-fests, and even a few locally-made entries. TerrorThon runs from tonight until next Saturday, October 2. For your pre-viewing ~~terror~~ pleasure, here's a little taste of what's on the menu:

Friday, Sept 24: The Thon Kicks off with The Godfather of Gore, a documentary about legendary horror filmmaker Herschell Gordon Lewis. The doc screens right after Lewis' most famous movie Blood Feast which was, in its time, considered a pretty groundbreaking little piece of perversion. Here are the highlights: an Egyptian deli-owner with a serious knife fetish has discovered a tasty new ingredient to keep his customers coming in. Here's a hint: it's human flesh. You can probably guess where that premise is going...

Saturday, Sept 25: "Spookadelica", presented by Black Car Burlesque and Something Weird Video. This event is shaping up to be less scary than awesomely weird....and we like it. There will be plenty o' scantily clad chicks, plus "a real live satanic ritual", the chance to hear a demon being exorcised, a meet-and-greet with the "World's Most Talented Zombie" and many more oddities that we can't wait to see. Plus, a screening of 1965's Monsters Crash the Pajama Party-- which sounds kinky and creepy at the same time. Just how we like it.

Monday, Sept 27: Our personal favorite, the seriously demented tour de force Human Centipede screens tonight. If you missed this particular example of sadistic horror-porn the first time it was in theaters (briefly) you should probably seize the chance this time around. If a bat-shit crazy German doctor so demented and soulless he'll make your blood run cold, ass-to-mouth action like you have never imagined it (if you have, you may have some seriously deep-seeded problems) and a whole lot of human degradation played out frame by grainy frame don't sound like fun to you, skip this one. (But, really, don't.)

Thursday, Sept 30: Here's new take on an old stand-by. Nazi Zombies! On ice! That pretty much sums up Dead Snow (nee Død Snø) a 2009 Norwegian horror comedy about a group of friends whose ski vacation goes terribly awry when some undead Nazis show up. Because nothing but nothing kills a fun vacay like brain-munching skin-heads.

Friday, Oct 1: What's scarier than a pack of in-bred mountain men with a penchant for torture and dismemberment? A pack of well-bred, self-indulgent city kids who think that all mountain men are characters straight out of Deliverance. Said city kids invade the woods of a couple of bumbling, good-natured hicks and immediately stereotype them as the dismemberment-loving kind. Comic mayhem (splashed with the requisite amount of blood and guts) ensue in the horror satire Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil.