Houston And Austin: See SHOCK VALUE: THE MOVIE Next Week!
If you have not read it yet, Jason Zinoman's Shock Value is an invaluable book for fans of horror movies. Zinoman shines a light on a group of directors who came into prominence during the '70s and, individually or as through collaborations, helped define modern horror. John Carpenter. Wes Craven. George Romero. Zinoman traces the origin stories of these directors as they released the movies that would shape the next forty-plus years of horror films.
Many of these directors got their start at the University of Southern California and now USC archivist Dino Everett has painstakingly assembled an anthology film that showcases the student films of some of the directors spotlighted in Zinoman’s book. Shock Value: The Movie, a spiritual companion piece to the book, presents several extremely rare and little-seen films that serve as blueprints for films such as Halloween, Friday The 13th and more. Everett recently premiered the film at a screening in California but now he is touring the movie – bringing these rare horror treats to audiences around the country. Texas horror fans will have a chance to see Shock Value: The Movie next week at two screenings in Houston and Austin.
Films by Dan O'Bannon (Alien, Return of the Living Dead), John Carpenter (Halloween, The Fog), Terry Winkless (co-writer of The Howling) and more will be presented at a special screening of Shock Value: The Movie on Sunday, November 23 at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema - Mason Park in Katy, Texas and Tuesday, November 25 at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema – Ritz in Austin.
From "Good Morning Dan," the first collaboration from Dark Star creators O'Bannon and Carpenter, to "Foster's Release," a 1971 short that seemingly invents much of the cinematic language that would later be repurposed for films such as Halloween, Black Christmas and He Knows You're Alone, audiences will be able to see the opening shots of the horror revolution that would take hold during the '70s. From the origins of the modern slasher to zombie films, you’ll see early works from the filmmakers who were literally re-writing the book on horror while attending USC.
The full film list is as follows:
Blood Bath (Dir/Scr. Dan O’Bannon, 1969, 7 min.)
The Demon (Dir/Scr. Charles Adair, 1970, 19 min.)
Good Morning Dan (Dir/Scr. Dan O’Bannon, camera by John Carpenter, 1968, 19 min.)
Captain Voyeur (Dir/Scr. John Carpenter, 1969, 7 min.)
Blood Bath (Dir/Scr. Dan O’Bannon, 1976 redux, 8 min.)
Foster’s Release (Dir. Terence Winkless, Scr. Alec Lorimore, 1971, 15 min.)
Proceeds for this screening will go towards the continued restoration of these films. Dino Everett will be on hand to introduce the films and add context to the presentation.
