For those of you who’ve not experienced NIGHTMARE’s annual haunted houses the last few years here in NYC you’re really missing out. Those in the know will tell ya- the productions are top notch, the creatives involved dedicated and intensely passionate, and the whole shebang is usually a scarifying adrenaline rush rarely obtained outside of an encounter with a Lamia (watched Sam Raimi’s Drag Me to Hell last night, hence the reference… Man alive was that neat-0). NIGHTMARE creator Timothy Haskell and his crew work on this all year long and it shows.
This year’s production concerns Vampires, (the venue has been transformed into the “Museum of Vampyric Artifacts”) and it does well to portray various interpretations of them throughout history- from Nosferatu to Castlevania (looping on a relic front-loading NES) to the gory zombie-hybrids made popular by 28 Days Later. You begin your tour of MoVA guided by a rather innocent looking vamp and then things… well, they go to hell. In a hand basket. So as to not ruin any of the various chills and spooks I won’t go into details. However, I will recommend pushing the red buttons (in keeping with the museum theme they’re strewn around as if to provide insight and information about the exhibits). Trust me- if you’re a mischievous sprite such as myself you’ll be pushing these every chance ya get.
Ladies: don’t bring lame-o’s too cool to be scared, with their hands in their pockets and cynicism in their souls. Like anything fun, you have to open yourself up to the experience. Fellas- bring girls who like to scream. And if you scream like a girl (I don’t, but did. Twice.) bring yourself.
Oh, and this one is definitely not for the kiddies. Unless you bring ’em along on Kids Day Saturday 10/24 froom 10am-3pm.
Nightmare: Vampires NOHO Event Center 623 Broadway at Houston Street (enter on Mercer Street).
NOW through November 7th
The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks by Max Brooks from Crown Books on Vimeo.
The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks– “Those who don’t learn from zombie history are condemned to repeat it.” New York Times Best-Selling author Max Brooks returns with a graphic novel handbook for encounters with the differently-dead (or the living impaired, what have you). Chronicling zombie attacks down through the centuries (Romans? Pre-historic man? None are safe from this terrible scourge!). This GN is old, amazing hat for Max, and features his signature tongue-in-cheek documentarian approach, and it’s deftly illustrated by Brazilian newcomer Ibraim Roberson. Roberson’s art in this is so good, in fact, you’ll want to keep an eye on him, especially his forthcoming Marvel one-shot X Necrosha (previews of which can be seen here at marvel.com), and any future creepfests.
Recorded Attacks really is a top book.
Now if only I could come up with some sort of Crypt Keeper pun to end this thing. How about, “Until next time boys an ghouls, Make Mine Carve-l…. eh-ha-ha-ha-ha-HA!”
Wait. That looks like Carvel. As in the ice cream. What I meant was carve. Ya know, as in, like, to cut something with a huge knife? Instead of Marvel? Ah, forget it.
