Before he made A History of Violence and Eastern Promises, horror fans knew David Cronenberg because of Videodrome, Shivers, The Brood, The Fly… and especially, Scanners. Cronenberg’s approach to horror was one of a kind; provocative, demented, typically bordering sci-fi, always psychological, and usually with a splash of sexuality, as well. Make no mistake, you can always tell when you are watching a Cronenberg horror film.

Scanners came out in 1981, featuring the amazing Michael Ironside as Darryl Revok. Shunned for their unparalleled psychic powers, a faction of rogue “scanners” schemes to take over the world — and the only thing standing in their way is a young telepath reluctantly thrust into the fray. There are many reasons you should see Scanners, however, one in particular stands out: the best head explosion ever caught on film. Oh, and Michael Ironside. Did we mention him?

Be sure to check out the trailer below and mark your calendars. As always, House of Horrors is free and open to the public, so bring your friends!

Hey, folks. John here. Lately, we’ve been getting quite a few people asking about Infection: the Annual Oshkosh Zombie Walk, and rightfully so. That time of year is upon us. However, due to certain aspects completely out of our control, partially changes to the city’s special event procedures, there will be no Oshkosh Zombie Walk this year.

That’s a difficult thing for me to type. I know a lot of you will be bummed by this announcement, WE are bummed by this announcement. We’ve been trying to figure this out for months now, trying to figure out a way we could bring the dead back to the streets of Oshkosh. Sadly (and honestly), due to the mentioned changes, the cost would be too high. As most of you know, Infection is a 100% fundraiser for the non-profit Time Community Theater in Downtown Oshkosh. The first two years of Infection were nothing short of huge successes, both on fun and fundraising levels. One dilemma we now face is the potential of our costs exceeding what we raise. With the way Infection has been growing, we would have no choice but to adapt the way the event is organized, thus in turn, affecting our event costs.

It deeply saddens us to make this announcement, as all year people have been expressing their excitement for Infection. We have just as much fun organizing it as you do participating. It is a tremendous feeling to bring an event to Oshkosh, one the city has never seen, and all in the name of fun (and fundraising, of course).

At this time, we’d like to send out an enormous THANK YOU to each one of you who helped make Infection: the Annual Oshkosh Zombie Walk such an amazing time. In two years, we were able to put together one of the largest zombie walks in the state, right here in Oshkosh. Your support has always been greatly appreciated, never doubt that for even a second.

Does this mean there will never be another Infection? No, not at all. We are still trying to figure out ways to make it all work, and/or ways to adapt the event to make it more financially practical. If taking it to the streets will cost us too much, we have toyed with the thought of a Zombie Prom. Is that something you’d like to see? We’d like to make this clear: we are down, but not out. Oshkosh Horror will continue to put on many horror related events in the Fox Valley, and one day, the dead will walk the streets of Oshkosh again.

Love Always,
John/Oshkosh Horror

Last month, we gave you three movies to pick from for August’s House of Horrors. Much to our surprise, Waxwork won. It was a close race between the three, Scanners and Near Dark being the other choices. Then, completely unplanned, Scott called for a double feature, throwing Fright Night on with Waxwork. So, that means we are going to have twice the amount of fun at this month’s House of Horrors!

Ever wonder what it would be like to have zombies, werewolves, vampires and all sorts of other crazy stuff in one movie? Well, if you answered yes, you are in luck. Waxwork is truly unlike any other film you’ve seen. Invited over by a mysterious magician, Mark and his college friends attend a private tour of a macabre wax statue museum near campus, where the exhibits suck them into the frightening worlds of dangerous werewolves, vampires and other monsters. Full of satisfying suspense and gore, this inventive horror film finds Mark teaming up with unlikely allies in order to shut the waxwork down and escape with his life. Zach Galligan, of Gremlins fame (among other titles) stars with the awesome David Warner, of The Omen fame (among other titles). Hell, even John Rhys-Davies makes an appearance.

Now, let’s call attention to the fact that on Friday, August 19th, the Fright Night remake comes out in theaters. Sure, you could go see that, or better yet, you could come to House of Horrors the next night and see the original from 1985 (that is 100% Colin Farrel free). Charlie Brewster believes that his next door neighbor Jerry Dandridge is a vampire. His belief is strengthened when mysterious deaths of girls are reported. When Dandridge confronts Charlie in his own bedroom one night and tries to kill him, Charlie concludes that the monster must be destroyed. But since nobody believes his story he enlists the help of Peter Vincent, the vampire killer from his favorite horror TV show, who is in fact skeptical about vampires existing for real. Written and directed by Tom Holland (Child’s Play), Fright Night fuses teenage angst with bloodsuckers, and a healthy dose of comedy on top of it all.

Be sure to check out the trailers below and mark your calendars. As always, House of Horrors is free and open to the public, so bring your friends!

Last month we celebrated our 4th Anniversary, and once again, want to thank you all for making House of Horrors go four years strong! There’s definitely some pressure starting out our fourth year. We gotta give the crowd something they won’t forget. Well, don’t you worry, friends, we got this one covered.

This one’s been requested throughout the years, and we always listen to what our crowd asks for. So, without further ado, it’s time for Killer Klowns From Outer Space. Walking the fine line between horror and comedy, an alien band of killer clowns descends from the cosmos to harvest scores of small-town victims, cocooning their prey in cotton candy to eat later. With the extraterrestrials disguised as simple circus workers, the authorities don’t suspect a thing. But the joke is on the clowns when two streetwise teens, armed with an ice cream truck, do battle to save their friends.

June marks a very special month for House of Horrors, it’s our 4-year anniversary! It’s been a super fun 4 years filled with blood, guts, scares, and everything in between. We greatly appreciate your support and enthusiasm all these years, so it’s only right for us to throw a little party… House of Horrors style.

This month we will be showing what very well could go down as the most requested movie at House of Horrors. Anytime we let the crowd pick next month’s title, this usually made it to the final three. When we asked the crowd to fill out surveys of what they want to see at HOH, suggest movies, etc., this always came up. And, hell, Scott’s been pushing this one since the very first HOH. As that cliche saying goes, good things come to those who wait. Ladies and gentlemen, we present you, Phantasm!

Two boys who, in pursuit of an odd-looking grave robber, may wind up as the newest members of a freshly dead slave race. Jody and Mike discover that the Tall Man stealing cadavers walks the earth but lives in the afterworld — and that it needs more corpses. Written and directed by Don Coscarelli, this classic from 1979 really needs to be seen to be believed.

Aside from the movie, we will be starting out the night with another riveting round of Horror Movie Pictionary, as demanded by you, the wonderful crowd. We will be giving out free prizes all night, as well. Who knows what else we will have in store for you, the night is definitely going to be another blast so do yourself a favor, and don’t miss it.

Be sure to check out the trailer below and mark your calendars. As always, House of Horrors is free and open to the public, so bring your friends to the party!

Oshkosh Horror has teamed up with Saint Euphoria Picutres and superfan Bob Arndt to bring you an event that must be seen to believe. No, correction: must be EXPERIENCED to believe. We have teamed up to showcase the films of the Minnesota writer/producer/director Christopher R. Mihm, and to submerge you into is world, rather his universe. Ladies and gentlemen, we are pleased to bring you the Mihmiverse Double Feature!

Upon viewing, one would expect the Mihmiverse films to be from the 1950s and 1960s, but we have some news for you: They aren’t. In fact, Mihm’s first feature, The Monster of Phantom Lake came out in 2006. These films are black and white love letters to the B-movies of yesteryear. So, in other words, if you enjoy Friday Fright Night, you are going to love this event!

Starting out the night will be the area’s first screening of Mihm’s latest feature, Attack of the Moon Zombies! Twenty years have passed since Dr. Vincent Edwards (once again played by the ever-talented Mike Cook) took on a certain radiation-mutated bat creature and he is ready to retire. While training his replacement on the Jackson Lunar Base, the two stumble upon a seemingly impossible discovery: alien plant life on the surface of the moon! Unfortunately, exposure to the spores of this otherworldly flora cause instant death. Too bad those killed by them don’t stay dead and instead, want nothing more than to replicate!

Keep in mind that there is going to be so much more going on then just the movies themselves. The event will be hosted horror host, Dr. Ivan Cryptosis, the Curator of the Macabre. Rumor is (well, it’s not a rumor actually, it’s confirmed) that he will be treating the audience to a heavy dose of entertainment during the intermission. There will also be era-appropriate newsreels and trailers, the opportunity to meet writer/director Christopher R. Mihm, photos with the title creatures from the films (bring your camera!), and a raffle! DVDs, posters, and other merchandise will be on sale at the event! A few members of the cast and crew will also be on hand and will be more than happy to sign autographs!

This is going to be one hell of a party, and you are invited… everyone is invited! Doors open at 5:30pm, the show will start 6:30pm. Bring your friends and come enjoy some 1950s style horror. We know for a fact you have never seen an event like this one.

Can you believe that we have made it almost four years without showing a single Friday the 13th at House of Horrors?! Yeah, neither can we. It’s time to change that, it’s time to give Camp Crystal Lake some love at House of Horrors.

This film probably needs no description, but what the hell? Twenty years after several mysterious deaths shut it down, Camp Crystal Lake reopens — but the place clearly hasn’t shaken its “death curse,” as a deranged killer terrorizes the teen counselors. There’s a lot of reasons why you should check out House of Horrors, but this month has one main reason: Bacon. That’s right, come see a young Kevin Bacon in one of his earlier roles.

Be sure to check out the trailer below and mark your calendars. As always, House of Horrors is free and open to the public, so bring your friends!

Sadly, it’s that time of year where House of Horrors scales back from two features a night down to one. It’s not because we don’t love you, we do. The fun isn’t ending one bit, we are still going to bring you nights of free horror and so much more. Don’t you worry, friends, we are here for you. To prove it, this month we are going to dive deep into the (strange and twisted) mind of Mr. Clive Barker, with his 1990 feature, Nightbreed.

Based off his novella, Cabal, Nightbreed tells the story of a community of mutant outcasts of varying types and abilities attempts to escape the attentions of a psychotic serial killer and redneck vigilantes with the help of a brooding young man who discovers them. Nightbreed is definitely like no other movie we’ve watched at House of Horrors, and features some amazing looking monsters plus director David Cronenberg stepping in front of the camera to play the demented Dr. Philip K. Decker.

Be sure to check out the trailer below and mark your calendars. As always, House of Horrors is free and open to the public, so bring your friends!

Friday Fright Night, the bi-weekly celebration of 1950′s and 60′s B-movies, debuted in April 2010 at the Time Community Theater, and with the help of so many outstanding attendees became a huge success! Through the 14 weeks of films, we were able to raise over $3,000 for the Time and not only that, but met a lot of great people and had a blast with the “classics” of yesteryear. With Friday Fright Night being such a success, we’d be crazy not to bring it back, right? Well, we are excited to announce the return of the one, the only… Fright Fright Night!

The 2011 season will be kicking off at 8PM on Friday, April 1 (no joke) with The Terror, directed by Roger Corman and starting Boris Karloff, Jack Nicholson and Dick Miller. Friday Fright Night will be taking over the Time Community Theater once again, located at 445 N. Main St. in Downtown Oshkosh. And the best part is that ALL the movies are still FREE!!! We have tons of free stuff planned this year so be sure to mark your calendars!

When March rolls around, we know that spring is on it’s way. The winter months get long with all the snow and cold, so the change in the weather is welcomed. Aside from temperatures warming up and the snow start to disappear, the weather can also be a little foggy, a little misty and… Wait a minute! Foggy? Misty? That sounds like a great idea for March’s House of Horrors!

Starting out the night will be John Carpenter’s The Fog, which marks the fourth Carpenter film shown at House of Horrors, but considering his catalog, can you blame us? The Centenary of the small sea town, Antonio Bay, is approaching. While the townsfolk prepare to celebrate, the victims of the crime that founded the town rise from the sea to claim retribution. Under cover of the fog, they carry out their vicious attacks, searching for what is rightly theirs. Featuring a great cast of Adrienne Barbeau, Tom Atkins, Jamie Lee Curtis, Janet Leigh and Halbrook, The Fog is a terrific telling of a classic ghost story.

Starting his film career as a co-writer of A Nightmare on Elm St. 3: Dream Warriors, The Blob and The Fly II, Frank Darabont finally directed his first horror feature in 2007 with The Mist, based on the novel by Stephen King. After a violent storm attacks a town in Maine, an approaching cloud of mist appears the next morning. As the mist quickly envelops the area, a group of people get trapped in a local grocery store. The people soon discover that within the mist lives numerous species of horrific, unworldly creatures. As the world around them manifests into a literal hell-on-earth, the horrified citizens try desperately to survive this apocalyptic disaster. We will be showing The Mist in black and white, the way Darabont wanted to release the film but the studios said otherwise.

Be sure to check out the trailers below and mark your calendars. As always, House of Horrors is free and open to the public, so bring your friends!