William Lustig, Jack Hill, Larry Cohen, Jeremy Kasten and Joe Dante in Burbank, Ca 4/9/11
Things were in full swing in Burbank, Ca this past weekend when Monsterpalooza celebrated the horror genre with it’s annual convention. With a ton of reunions, events and rare guests, fans got to meet their favorites from classic monster movies like ‘The Creature from the Black Lagoon’ (1954) to the more contemporary films like John Carpenter’s Christine (1983).
The documentary ‘American Grindhouse’ which celebrates the “Grindhouse Theaters and Exploitation Films” of the 70′s and 80′s was also on hand for a discussion that included a panel of the genre’s top filmmakers and experts; Jack Hill (Spider Baby), Joe Dante (Piranha) Jeremy Kasten (The Attic Expeditions), along with Larry Cohen and Bill Lustig (who I worked with on their film Uncle Sam back in 1996). Among topics discussed was the 42nd street theaters and drive-ins, how the onset of VHS killed the grindhouse experience, and how VOD risks putting the movie theater’s and a communal theater going audience on the endangered species list.
JeremyScareMe.com 