Editorials
[Nightmares Film Festival ’16] Day Three Recap
Shock and awe. Those were the words of the day. This was true of some of the shorts showcased throughout the day, but specifically true of the features. I have a high tolerance for shocking themes and imagery. While never offended by anything I witnessed, even I was continually surprised at the nonstop sensory assault going on in films like Night of Something Strange and especially The Night of the Virgin. The latter is a Spanish feature that made its North American premiere at Nightmares Film Festival. I’m curious to see if the film ends up finding distribution in the U.S., because it’s a doozy. After all, it’s not often you witness an unnatural baby cackling and screaming that it wants to eat someone’s dick.
She Was So Pretty and The Barn may not have gone for shock value on the same level as those films, but they each had their strengths. Synth scores are mighty prevalent across the works I’ve seen thus far at the festival and She Was So Pretty was no different, containing a particularly pulse-pounding one at times. It also may hold a record for the amount of times that teeth are brushed on screen. What? I notice odd things sometimes.
The Barn launched itself into full-on Halloween fun territory; wallowing in the holiday and many of its traditions. The result was an endearingly-fun time at the movies, all wrapped around an interesting take on my favorite holiday. It also tosses out a new sinister angle on candy corn. Paired with She Was So Pretty’s obsession with circus peanuts and I have more reasons than ever to dislike both candies. As for Deep Slumber, it was an anthology project (still rightfully popular these days), bridging the programming gap between long and short-form works.
Speaking of shorts, spanning across three different blocks this time ‘round, they also continued to impress. I’m starting to rack up so many that I loved that I might soon have to bang out a short film-centric piece. Some have been perfect at the length they already exist in, whereas others are practically screaming to be expanded into features. The ones that stuck with me the most in this slate include Dryad (I’m a sucker for medieval elements), Night Land (UK horror continues to be on a roll of late), Howl of a Good Time (a classically Tales from the Crypt-esque yarn), The Thin Place (how is this not a Blumhouse hit already?), The Stylist (as tragic as it is well-crafted), The Babysitter Murders (a fun twist on classic slasher tropes), and Born Again. There are many more, hence the need to showcase them all soon.
There’s only one day left (be sure to check out my coverage of the first two days) and it’s set to be just as jam-packed as the rest. Loads of indie horror still awaits you at Columbus’ Gateway Film Center! And if you can’t make it down for the last day, hit them up in the near future regardless. They always seem to be showing something in (or adjacent to) the genre. Hell, outside of the festival they are currently screening Shin Godzilla, Ti West’s In a Valley of Violence, and the new remastered cut of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer!
Day Three – Saturday, October 22nd
Horror Shorts C
She Was So Pretty
Midnight Shorts B
Horror Shorts A
The Barn
The Night of the Virgin
Night of Something Strange
Deep Slumber
Editorials
‘The Vampire Lestat’ Concert Event Launches New Season With The Ultimate Expression Of Fandom
There are thousands of passionate fans decked out in gothic chic and champing at the bit like feral creatures. They’re screaming for Lestat, a legendary vampire-turned-rock star, as if the entire crowd has been glamored into submission.
The entire experience is magic, but not because some supernatural thrall has been activated. What’s going on is even more special. It’s the power of the effusive fandom that’s been authentically assembled by AMC’s sublime Immortal Universe, namely Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, now, The Vampire Lestat.
The Vampire Lestat is far from the first Anne Rice adaptation, and it’s not as if there’s been a lack of erotic vampire material for audiences to sink their teeth into. On June 2nd, during a one-night-only spectacle, New York City’s prestigious Beacon Theatre shook from Sam Reid’s bravado performance and an audience full of adoring fans who had already memorized Lestat’s songs.
It’s clear that The Vampire Lestat just hits differently than its predecessors. It’s become more than just a TV series at this point, and this opulent display of ego, swagger, and pure sex is the perfect way to premiere the new season and give back to the fans who helped make Interview with the Vampire/The Vampire Lestat such a breakout success. It’s exactly the sort of hyperbolized hedonism that would make Lestat cackle.
For all intents and purposes, AMC has successfully created the illusion that this concert/premiere is just one of the many destinations on Lestat and his band’s 54-stop tour that is simultaneously playing out on this season of television. It’s such a sophisticated and thorough level of interactive fan engagement that the audience doesn’t just understand, but also manages to accentuate through its involvement.
It’s a level of seamless synergy that’s not unlike the give-and-take relationship of vampire and victim.
Before the concert started, “LeStans” were sitting in the Beacon and flipping through a fake Rolling Stone issue with Lestat emblazoned on the cover, complete with interviews with the undead frontman inside. Other fans were admiring the vinyl pressing of Lestat’s EP as they walked past a section of undead band merch. Fandom and fantasy blur together, and it all becomes this elaborate, immersive experience. Fan celebration, erotic gothic fantasy, and a lavish rock concert transform into one beautiful thing.
To this point, AMC Global Media’s Chief Content Officer and President of AMC Studios, Dan McDermott, introduced the event by reiterating to fans, “You are the heartbeat of the series.” That’s abundantly clear on nights like this as that heartbeat collectively pulses to this performance. In terms of how AMC engages with The Vampire Lestat’s fans, it’s as bold a reinvention as the season itself.
This intuitive gamble speaks to AMC’s creativity in this department and a fandom that is eager to seize such opportunities. It’s the same innovation that led to zombie walks for The Walking Dead and real-life Los Pollos Hermanos restaurant pop-ups from Breaking Bad. It’s a great way to pump up the audience for The Vampire Lestat and then maintain that enthusiasm for the whole season.
For most series, a rock ‘n’ roll concert just doesn’t make any sense as a promotional tool. The Vampire Lestat finds itself in a very unique position where it can deliver an excellent concert at an iconic theater, but also use it to showcase The Vampire Lestat’s music by Daniel Hart (who was shredding on stage alongside Reid and the rest of their band) and, more than anything, Sam Reid’s endless charisma.
The way in which Reid feeds off of the crowd’s energy, modulating his performance and giving different sections of the Beacon life, is a perfect distillation of the series’ thoughtful relationship with its audience and how it’s become such a breakout success for AMC. AMC Studios President Dan McDermott emphasized that the fans are the reason that the show is still here and why an event like this is even possible. It’s rare to see a series in which every single cog in the machine is so perfectly attuned to its fans. Reid’s fans already cheer whenever they see him, so why not translate that to a concert setting?
It’s clear in this season of television that Reid was born to be a rock star, but it’s surreal to see him effortlessly command the stage — and the audience — at every step of the concert. He recites Shakespeare monologues and bitches out Armand between songs, all while the audience screams in support. For the duration of this concert, Reid is Lestat, and he’s given thousands of fans a memory that’s as immortal as any vampire.
Now bring on the encore and get this show on the road!
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