Fan Shows

Coralina Cataldi-Tassoni is no stranger to the Italian horror and giallo genres. She was discovered by Dario Argento while appearing on Italian television, after which he cast her as Sally in his production of Lamberto Bava's Demons 2. After capturing the director's attention with her lively performance he wrote a role specifically with her in mind -- that of the seamstress Giulia in his film Opera. However, Coralina was no stranger to the world of opera, being the daughter of two prominent opera figures and the granddaughter of a Maestro who conducted for Puccini.

She was able to work alongside several other notable directors, including Lamberto Bava, Pupi Avati, Luciano Odorisio, and Andrea Manni. Eventually she teamed back up with Argento to host his short lived Italian TV series, Giallo - La tua impronta del venerdi in 1987. The show boasted Argento presenting explanations for his films' special effects as well as premiering a series of short thrillers under the umbrella title, Turno di notte, and a series of short films, Gli incubi di Dario Argento.

The maestro director cast her in Phantom of the Opera and most recently The Mother of Tears, and somehow between it all she managed to foster an art career. She defines her paintings as "personal emotionalism, consisting of feelings, that by chance find their most comfortable setting in the landscape of a human face or body." And that's exactly what you'll get at her latest exhibit, Smart Innocence.

Check out the details after the jump and let us know if you attend.

I know, I know. It seems like everyone and their mother has a burlesque troupe these days, but this one has a unique spin that horror fans should dig -- big time. The exploitation gurus at Grindhouse Releasing are sponsoring an event by Casino O'Fortune Cookie Productions -- the sound of which makes my toes curl with glee. Gimme Some Sugar, Baby: Bruce Campbell Burlesque! will be paying tribute to every man, woman, and child's horror crush, idol, and leader -- my boyfriend Bruce Campbell. The ladies in Burlesque at the Beach will be twirling their tassels for Ash!

The event takes place at Coney Island on August 5 at 9 PM, and will be a "the world's first all striptease, fire-eating, bald-magician tribute" to the man with thee chin. The all-new performance will be dedicated to his famous characters and movies -- and is hosted by Anita Cookie, Clams Casino and Neil O'Fortune -- starring Albert Cadabra, Jezebel Express, Reina Terror, Sizzle Dizzle, and Velocity Chyalld.

See you on the boardwalk bitches!

Spanning independent blogs and mainstream sites alike, horror podcasts seem to be the next big thing. Popular 'casts run by mainstream sites, such as Radio Disgusting and Rue Morgue Radio, are well-known, while smaller podcasts supported by cheap microphones, such as *coughshamelessplug* Dead Wrong!, the Vaultcast, and our own Jason Murphy's videocast The Deadly Debates, consistently cling to the precipice of notoriety.

The AVOD is one of those podcasts that has somehow slipped under the radar of most, save for their "fan," who is often mentioned in a hilarious self-deprecating manner. Helmed by Count Vardulon, whose long-winded yet hilarious rants can be seen on Castle Vardulon, and the Dive Mistress, whose unique brand of insight into horror films can be seen on Zombots!, the AVOD is a veritable smorgasbord of commentary, reviews, and hilarious banter, all centered around our favorite genre.

The appeal of the AVOD, which bills itself as the " Internet's first and only audio-only video podcast," lies primarily in the incredible chemistry between the Count and the Dive Mistress. Longtime friends hailing from the Great White North (though currently separated by thousands upon thousands of miles), these two intrepid film fans, forever undeterred by their unfortunately meager audience, play off each other perfectly, seamlessly going from intellectual discussions of the latest independent release to utterly hilarious non-sequiturs about their past.

"The Count and I have known each other going on half our lives, now. He was a big weirdo in highschool and he's still a big weirdo today. I guess I'm kinda weird too, so it works out. But I hide it better."

The AVOD is recorded every Tuesday and posted within a day or two. Currently on episode 64 (wherein our illustrious duo discuss Batman, Rob Zombie, and CSI: Miami), the AVOD shows absolutely no signs of slowing down. So if you're one of those people who digs listening to other people talk about movies (and of course you do, otherwise you wouldn't be here), then head on over to the official page of the online horror community's best kept secret.

Hearkening back to the days of pure, terrifying audio comes the Dead of Night radio show. At the helm is a fellow by the name of Dick Grunert, a writer/director based deep in the heart of Hollywoodland. Grunert has produced some rather polished old time radio dramas in the style of Buck Rogers and his ilk, only this plays out like a Tales from the Crypt. There are stories of vampires, monsters, and all manner of the bump in the night horror you find in the pages of Creepy magazine, and approached with the same goofy love. They've really gone all out on these - sound effects, production values, and some top notch voice acting.

Currently there are 5 episodes, but according to Mr. Grunert, they're going to start rolling them out regularly, with the newest starting in January. They're fun, professional, and a nice dose of retro eeriness. he most recent episode, 'Night Delivery', can be downloaded directly from this here link. You'll see where it's headed, but it's a quick listen and well worth your time. Our protagonist, a disfigured warehouse worker, goes on a mysterious, late night delivery that naturally goes horribly wrong.

Grunert described their following as 'small but loyal'. Show them some HorrorSquad love, why don'tcha?