Festival of Fear, News and Events
2011 Festival of Fear Guests Announced!
The official guest list for the 2011 Rue Morgue Festival of Fear (Thursday, August 25 – Sunday, August 28) has finally been announced!
Headlining an esteemed list of horror royalty is this year’s Guest of Honour: ROBERT ENGLUND a.k.a. FREDDY KRUEGER of the Nightmare on Elm Street series!!!
Also appearing will be the legendary director of Pink Flamingos, Multiple Maniacs and Serial Mom – not to mention RM#111 cover boy) – JOHN WATERS!
Other special guests include The Mistress of the Dark herself, ELVIRA; the star of Clive Barker’s Hellraiser franchise, DOUG BRADLEY (Pinhead); make-up and special effects deity TOM SAVINI (Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, Planet Terror); screen legend JOHN ASTIN (Gomez Addams of TV’s original Addams Family); author of Vincent Price: A Daughter’s Biography and daughter of the icon himself, VICTORIA PRICE; Golden Globe-nominated actor LANCE HENRIKSEN (Aliens, Near Dark, TV’s Millennium); the acting powerhouse of A Clockwork Orange, Caligula and Rob Zombie’s Halloween, MALCOLM MCDOWELL; True Blood and Dexter‘s SAM TRAMMELL; Siouxsie and the Banshees’ STEVEN SEVERIN; chilling performances by Toronto witch rock pioneers BLOOD CEREMONY and Texas’ premiere hellbilly band, GHOULTOWN; plus many more, and further guests still to be announced!
For the complete list and detailed biographies of this year’s guests, click here.
Tickets are on sale now from ticketweb.ca and fanexpocanada.com or call 1-888-222-6608!
Ive gotta say folks, this is absolutely a second class line up this yr and the worst line up youve had since Ive been attending.
No horror film directors ! Most of the actors are second rate and have already been there in the last 4 years.
And John Waters is one of your horror guests of honor???? Seriously, tell me this is a joke !! For a show of this size and profile to have these kind of guest shows a serious lack of effort on the part of its organizers.
Very very disappointed !!!
John Waters… I’m there.
my band(FRIGHTLIGHT) would love to play a set. is there ANY way that could be set up?
You guys are killing me. You snapped up my favorite director, David Cronenberg, last year. Now you’ve got my 2nd favorite, John Waters, this year. I’d be ready to move to Canada if I thought it was possible for this trend to continue.
Karl, you might want to check out the cover of the latest Rue Morgue, the one with, uh, John Waters on the cover…
And a ton of effort goes into booking the Festival of Fear.
FYI, dude.
Second rate actors? Isn’t that part of the glory of the Horror genre?
These are some of the legendary monsters of horror, I don’t see a problem with the guest list. All they need is a Jason and a Michael Meyers and it would be perfect.
Dave…. The only reason he is on the cover is because they knew they had him for the festival. Your probably an employee for Rue anyways….And if you think Im the only one, start reading the Hobbystar blogs. FYI dude…
Wow, Karl, have you worked for us the whole time and we didn’t notice?
John Waters went on the cover because he’s a relevant figure in the genre, which then led to him being booked as a guest.
And I sure hope I’m an employee of Rue Morgue, otherwise it sure would be weird to be sitting in the Editor-in-Chief’s office every day.
No worries if you or others don’t like the line up; it’s impossible to please everyone. But you’re way off base if you don’t think a lot of effort goes into booking the show, and even further off if you think someone goes on the cover because he or she is a guest at the FoF.
John Waters is a relevent figure in the horror genre ?? This is the festival of Fear , put on by the leading horror mag. in North America isnt it ? So who are you trying to kid… Ive been a horror fan for 50 yrs and Mr Waters has never been on any ones horror radar.
And as a fan of the FOF and horror and of Rue Morgue, after yrs of meeting Cronenberg, Hooper, Romero,Argentia, Ken Russel etc this is a huge letdown.
And he is on the cover because he is a guest of FOF , because you feature your guest on the cover every year before the show.
Fear and Horror is subjective and for many thriller and Horror are more or less on and the same. WRT John Waters, outside of not needing an excuse to want to meet him, he definitely has films that could qualify for the Horror Genre. “Serial Mom” is definitely in the Horror Genre. Pink Flamingos also has horror themes.
Grrr. Angry Troll Is Angry! I guess the forums on Ain’t It Cool News are down for maintenance today.
My two cents? Great line-up. A great mix, very eclectic. Waters and McDowell’s Q&As will be worth their weight in gold.
Check out the message board and the cover story if you’re doubting him being relevant and embraced by many horror fans. Certainly not all, but many.
We appreciate your support of Rue Morgue, but if you think we always feature the FoF guests on the cover, before the convention you’re sorely mistaken. Was there a Cronenberg story last year or the year before? Or Argento? Wes Craven?
The only way we got a contact for Waters was because of the story. You’re wrong, man, sorry.
@Dave…No problems here man, I go to FOF every year and it doesnt take a genius to realize how much effort you ghouls put into it every year, even the effort you put into the cinemacabre nights at the bloor is evident. I will never be unsatisfied. And as for Waters not being “Horror” enough, I didnt seam to mind when Jodorowsky came to town!
I love the debate going on here … Fan vs. Publisher … who’s gonna win?
LOL …not really a debate mate….I made a comment and they are just defending themselves… have to expect that…..Still an average lineup this year with a few repeats….maybe Im just spoiled from previous years because I always thought it was outstanding…..
Rue Morgue has been sweating out their last few issues and this lineup is B list all the way. Englund? Come on. Sounds like Hobbystar is putting pressure on to book more average joe guests. Come on Rue Morgue pull up your socks. I’ve been reading horrorhound and its better and even Fangoria rocks harder than you lately. Dont make me cancel my sub!
Might be more constructive if you told us what exactly you don’t like, Jim, or what you’d like to see more of. Can’t please everyone all the time, but we’re pround the majority of feedback we get is very positive, especially as of late. Send us a letter!
Awesome! Wish I lived closer but unfortunatley I live in Cali. As a big fan of RM I would love to go to your guy’s FOF but can never get the time or money to travel. By the way, Karl’s just being a butthole.
I normally don’t get involved in forum fueds, but in this case I really felt the need to stick up for my beloved RM gang here a little bit.
First of all, the inclusion of John Waters in both the magazine and the fest is one of the things that makes RM stand out from the pack. One of the unique things about this publication is that its contributors have always gone out of their way to explore all the different aspects of horror culture. Waters, who is one of the premiere pioneers in fringe/shock cinema, has definitely earned his place amongst the heavy hitters of the genre. In the early ’70s, when PINK FLAMINGOS first rudely and raucously elbowed its way onto midnight screens everywhere, it pushed boundaries of taste in ways that other films of the period wouldn’t dare to dream. And his work continues to question and mock the establishment. To conservative audiences everywhere, John Waters IS horror- a leering, snarky, perverted jester who mercilessly skewers everything that they hold sacred. Which makes his work just as important and worthy of discussion as any of the genre greats.
Second, yes, Robert Englund has appeared at many other horror fests, some of them run by RM’s competitors. But he is an ICON, and I guarantee you that the Q&A that Rue Morgue conducts with him will be far more enlightening and in-depth than anything the folks at certain other publications are even remotely capable of (*cough*HorrorHound!*cough*). So I, for one, look forward to seeing him at THIS fest more than I have at any others.
So, there you have it. I love this mag. It has changed my horror-loving life in countless ways. So I felt strongly compelled to step in with my two cents. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to find some chapstick after all of this ass-kissing!
Its nice to know you cant go on a site and make a comment without people like Andrew calling you rude names…Maybe thats just the class of people RM attracts, or John Waters…lol
And by the way…Fan Expo has taken thier Blog site down due to negative response to the guest lineup…. So maybe Rue Morgue employees should spend more time finding out what thier fans would like to see instead of responding negatively to thier comments
It’s simple. If you don’t like the lineup then don’t go. You come on here and start being an ass and crying about the FOF lineup. Other people don’t seem to mind it but since you don’t you have to make a statement. Then you say a rude comment that RM employees made a bad effort in organizing the event. You don’t seem to be a RM fan just some crybaby.
In case you didnt notice, we dont live in a communist society Andrew and as long as they are offering up a commercial venture , I am entitled to comment on it, as a consumer… And if I dont like it ,you are right , I dont have to go…but I am still allowed to voice my opinion and they can either choose to take it for what it is (an opinion ) or choose to ignore it , thats thier right … And your right Andrew is to keep going or not going to your anger management classes…..or are you just another employee too….
My comment is nothing near being angry. If I wanted to state my anger I would have written my comment in similar style to yours. And you do have the right to voice your opinion but it seems more like a temper tantrum than an opinion. And the thing about me and anger management classes seems to be a personal shot towards me so if you want to continue to act like a butthole than go ahead. You’re just making yourself look like a fool.
your the one firing personal shots….my comments were directed at a magazine that I pay for….yours are directed at a person….
Not the last part of your comment. And mine aren’t personal shots.
You said I could choose to go to or not to go to my anger management classes. You don’t know anything about my personal life to even validate that statement. That was a personal shot at me.
Really…calling me a butthole is not getting personal ??? You better start reading your own comments….
Your right , but it was after you took shots at me mate…
In my first comment I said that you were “being” a butthole and in my other comment I said you were “acting” like a butthole. I didn’t say that you “are” one. If I said you are one then that would be a personal shot but I didn’t I was makeing shots on how you were presenting yourself. I don’t know what you are like personally and that’s why I’m not makeing personal shots at you but I do know how you are acting right now so my comments are valid.
Also, you just said that you were taking shots at the magazine. Well, it sure seems like you like the magazine.
Only one way to settle this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNAkbbKycCM
I was thinking more like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnXh3XR9zyM
@ Trevor
That’s hilarious.
@Trevor
Damn, you beat me to it.
I think some people need a tall, cool glass of “Grow The F**k Up.”. Everybody’s entitled to their opinion, bu typing out multiple posts about your displeasure with the guest list or the mag indicates waaay too much time on your hands. Have your say and move on.
I did have my say mate and then I got inundated with messages by you and Dave and Andrew critisizing my opinion… You know I was just commenting on the magazine, you guys are commenting personally on me…so who,s the one who needs to get a life…..look in the f..cking mirror why dont you… And if my opinion sucks, then why has Fan Expo pulled their blog off the site….because they were sick of the negative comments too……. So from now on if any of you dont like my comment….then find something else to read….
And with that, the defense rests.
now get back to work…your editor will wonder what he pays you for….
I have 2 words to say…FREDDY KRUEGER!!!
Thanks Rue Morgue :^)
Wow – nasty fued going on here. I agree with Karl that the line-up this year isn’t great. John Waters is really the only highlight since he rarely if ever attends these kind of things. But I don’t doubt for a second that a ton of efforts goes into the planning and that RM does everything possible to secure “A-list” horror celebs. Plus there has got to be budgetary factors that play into all of this.
@Brian
Ummm…John Waters is really the only highlight???…well I’m going to have to argue that big time my friend, given the fact that ROBERT ENGLUND, only one of the worlds biggest horror living legends is headlining.
I had a bit of trouble digesting the announcement of Waters, to be perfectly honest. But I soon found out that Waters is a HUGE monster kid, and tours talking about old, shitty horror flicks in a way that literally no one can. He really is a spectacle when it comes to spoken word performances. The thing about RM is this- they exist to expand the vocabulary of horror discussion past the Freddy/Jason/Michael Myers experience. You are in no way compromising your love of the classics by embracing new things. You are actually ENHANCING it. All opinions are welcome, and voting with your dollar is advised. But a closed mind wont accomplish anything.