Our friends over at the McKittrick Hotel hosted us at their annual The Witches’ Ball and boy was it witchy!
It was a frightfully wonderful Halloween in New York City. Here was a look at our favorite events.
Cure your post-Halloweekend blues with some of our favorite releases from the past week.
Time to get this party startled! 👻
Kiernan Shipka stars in the first podcast movie from C13Features podcast movie studio titled Treat! Treat is a 90-minute podcast… movie about two teenage siblings dealing with a dysfunctional household on top of a spooktacular Halloween legend. Creepin’ it real, the script is super scary. But in the most fun way!
If you’re asking yourself, “What is a podcast movie?” You’re not alone. It’s a newer entertainment medium based on one of Hollywood’s earliest pursuits, radio shows! Think Lucille Ball in My Favorite Husband (pre I Love Lucy.)
Convenient and fun, just pop in your AirPods and close your eyes. You will escape to a sleepy little town where everybody knows your name and Halloween is the perfect excuse to eat, drink, and be scary. Kiernan narrates as character Allie West. When she’s not dodging the school bully, she’s avoiding mummy or mommy of the year. Her Mom has been a hot mess ever since their father left and Allie has taken on more responsibility. Little did she know, someone… or something has other plans for her.
Kiernan tells The Knockturnal‘s Kinsey Schofield that navigating acting throughout a podcast movie can be quite ghoul-ing but she enjoyed the exercise. Overall, she found the experience fa-BOO-lous!
Accompanying Kiernan, Treat features David Shih, Noah Robbins, Marc Menchaca, Kyle Beltran, Peggy J. Scott, Christa Scott-Reed, Ryan Buggle, Sara Echeagaray, Bill Lobley, Renata Friedman, Marin Ireland, and Wayne Knight.
Listen to Kiernan Shipka’s Treat whenever you get your podcasts on October 25, 2021! Happy Halloween! 🎃
Kinsey Schofield is a contributor to The Knockturnal and you can follow her on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.
The sixth annual Brooklyn Horror Film Festival brought the boogeyman to the beloved borough.
With events at fan favorite venues Williamsburg Cinema, Stuart Cinema, and the newly-reopened Nitehawk Cinema, BHFF offered something for everyone. From the sold-out closing night East Coast premiere of The Sadness to the 35mm screening of Session 9 in honor of its 20th anniversary, BHFF truly outdid itself in its first year back in theaters since the pandemic.
See our favorite festival moments below!
The Last Thing Mary Saw is an outstandingly haunting portrayal of a woman in 1843 New York who faces deadly (and supernatural) consequences for her affair with a maid. Stefanie Scott, who also stars in new Peacock series The Girl in the Woods, portrays Mary, who falls in love with Eleanor, played by Isabelle Fuhrman. Rory Culkin stars as a stranger who threatens to disrupt everything. Writer-director Edoardo Vitaletti was present at Brooklyn Horror Film Festival for the U.S. premiere. The film will be distributed by AMC+ and Shudder.
Family drama When I Consume You returned home to Brooklyn, where the film was shot, after premiering at Fantasia Film Festival earlier this year. Siblings Daphne (Libby Ewing) and Wilson Shaw (Evan Dumouchel) tackle their shared childhood traumas while warding off a demon stalker. Director Perry Blackshear told Variety that horror films are specifically designed to be watched in a dark theater: “It feels like when I watch a scary movie in the theater, it’s like going through a kind of timeless ritual where you die, you feel death,” Blackshear stated. “You get to undergo this intense pain and suffering and yet you survive, maybe stronger than when you began. This catharsis is my favorite part of the genre.”
Netflix’s Night Teeth was a crowd-pleaser with a sultry take on sexy vampires who secretly run L.A. We believe it! Debby Ryan and Lucy Fry play two BFFs who take driver Jorge Lendeborg Jr. on a very different type of ride. Megan Fox and Sydney Sweeney have memorable cameos as queen vampires, while Alfie Allen and Alexander Ludwig round out the urban undead underworld. BHFF hosted the world premiere of Night Teeth, now streaming.
The Home Invasion shorts programs featured a slew of standout films, but two especially caught the attention of BFHH audiences: Still Together and Hazel. Christopher Piazza’s Still Together is at once horrifyingly claustrophobic as well as hilarious. A department store window designer falls in love with a Nordic warrior trapped inside a mannequin. The couple try to plan their escape, but will the other employees thwart their happily ever after? A funky score and a bloody kicker prove we are Still thinking about this off-beat take on horror.
Hazel, directed by Jordan Doig, is a memorable portrayal of postpartum depression. New mom Libby struggles to take care of her daughter, Hazel, especially when her husband Pat isn’t supportive. Libby’s downfall into psychosis has a sinister turn, and you have to watch to see how this short film ends. The horror genre is best when its uncovering the real horrific moments of reality, and Hazel does just that.
See the full list of films at Brooklyn Horror Film Festival here!
Haunt O’ Ween is back and going all out after last year’s modified drive-through only version due to COVID-19. This year, the immersive Halloween experience encourages families to enjoy kid friendly activities while still keeping the adults entertained, too. With over 150,000 sqft, a roster of performances, games, decorations, displays and even a 40 ft carousel, Haunt O’ Ween is an expansive experience everyone can participate in.
This year 35,000 pumpkins will be featured as well as 4 themed walk-through tunnels. Mom and dad can visit a Malibu Wines tasting garden with 4 2oz samples or have a bite to eat at the food trucks and bar while the kids trick or treat from 10-12 houses in the Town of Haunt O’ Ween.
To embrace the spooky season, costumes are highly suggested as you walk through the pumpkin patch to pick the perfect one to carve. Of course there will be face painting for those wanting cobwebs or pumpkins on their cheeks and a complimentary photo booth to remember the moment. Cornstalk mazes with scarecrows pinned and ghouls lurking around will be a fun adventure no matter what age.
At the “Addams Family World,” fans of the franchise will enjoy entering a 45’-tall replica of the macabre suburban mansion where Morticia, Gomez, Wednesday, Uncle Fester, Lurch, and the rest of the gang creepily welcome you inside their home.
Tickets start at $35 for general admission or can be discounted to $31 for those with parties of 8 or more. The entrance fee includes access to the park activities located off of Topanga Canyon Boulevard. Haunt O’ Ween began October 1st and runs through October 31st so get your tickets before it’s sold out!
Additional Halloween updates:
*Smashing Pumpkin by Gigantic– Launched September 9th, this sortasweet candy bar is made with plant-based caramel, crunchy pecans, cinnamon, nutmeg, and pumpkin pie spice then smothered in dark chocolate. It’s what your Halloween candy always wanted to be. Turn up The Smashing Pumpkin tunes here to really vibe with this new flavor (fun fact: Billy Corgan is a gigantic… Gigantic fan).
*To kick off the fall and Halloween season early, the Reese’s brand partnered with Krochmal Farms in Tewksbury, MA to debut the first-ever chocolate and peanut butter pumpkin patch. Now, the brand is asking fans where to go next!
- ABOUT THE PATCH: Reese’s created The Reese’s Pumpkin Patch – the ultimate fall sanctuary. Reese’s Peanut Butter Pumpkins were dispersed throughout the patch, along with farm pumpkins, for guests to ‘pick’ and enjoy. Thanks to the Reese’s Pumpkin Patch, pumpkin picking will never be the same. You’re welcome.
- WHERE TO NEXT: Have the perfect location for the next Reese’s Pumpkin Patch? Fans can tell us where on Instagram by tagging @Reeses and using #ReesesPumpkinPatch. Fans can also visit www.hersheyland.com for more on how to make a Reese’s Pumpkin Patch in their own backyards.
Frankie Grande and fiancé Hale Leon were all smiles as they attended the VIP Preview of Haunt’Oween LA, a family-friendly “Spooktacular”, open-air and COVID-safe Halloween experience presented by Experiential Supply Co. at The Promenade at Westfield Topanga in Woodland Hills. Exclusive catering was provided by leading food-tech platform C3, whose team of chefs created an assortment of delicious treats such as street tacos, mulitas and burritos via on-site food trucks. A Malibu Wines & Beer Garden was also present as was a “Umami Happy Dad” living room featuring the hottest new hard seltzer Happy Dad. Guests were also treated to a beautiful 50 feet tall vignette of The Addams Family 2 mansion in honor of the release of the film, as well as trick-or-treating with LOTS of candy and an oversized haunted house kit by innovative learning system KiwiCo in the Town of Haunt’Oween.
This Halloween, director Mark Tonderai (House at the End of the Street) brings superstition and hoodoo to the forefront in the horror film, “Spell.”
Actor Brea Grant is no stranger to horror tropes. As a famed final girl to starring in Rob Zombie’s “Halloween II” and fan-favorite “Dexter,” Grant now takes the story into her own hands by writing the dark comedy slasher satire, “Lucky.” The film was slated to premiere at SXSW, and hosted its international debut at Fantasia before screening during the virtual Nightstream Festival.
If you are looking for kick-ass girl power with a side of scary this Halloween, then look no further than THE CRAFT: LEGACY. The teen horror remake stars firecrackers – Lovie Simone, Zoey Luna, Cailee Spaeny, and Gideon Adlon (my spirit animal.) That’s not all… here comes Mulder with his Mulder smolder. How brilliant to include David Duchovny in the cast. Fans of the original Craft (1996) will likely recognize him from The X-Files, which was the horror fantasy bible of the 90’s. The lovely Michelle Monaghan and Nicholas Galitzine also play prominent roles in the film. THE CRAFT: LEGACY is written, directed, and produced all by Zoe Lister-Jones, an accomplished actor.
Caille Spaeny (Pacific Rim: Uprising) plays new girl Hannah, who is instantly recruited by a coven of witches, that could easily be mistaken for the Spice Girls, at her new high school. The synopsis reads, “an eclectic foursome of aspiring teenage witches get more than they bargained for as they lean into their newfound powers.” Their wardrobes pop almost as brightly as their personalities in the trailer.
THE CRAFT: LEGACY is rated PG-13 but according to horror movie connoisseur, Trace Thurman, the original Craft was shot for a PG-13 rating but was slapped with a R rating later due to “the Wicca aspects of the plot.”
The Knockturnal‘s Kinsey Schofield had a chance to sit down with Lovie Simone, Zoey Luna, Cailee Spaeny, and Gideon Adlon to discuss Halloween costumes, love spells, and what it was like to work on a film that celebrated women supporting women.
Blumhouse’s THE CRAFT: LEGACY premieres on demand October 28th at a suggested retail price of $19.99 or for premium digital purchase at a suggested retail price of $24.99.
Kinsey Schofield is a contributor to The Knockturnal and you can follow her on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.
Halloween is not canceled! Sure, there might be a worldwide pandemic going on and our new normal has called for a few adjustments here and there, but the spirit is still alive and kicking.
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