Here at the flicker club we love Halloween. Now, there are those that argue that this is a ghastly American import, others that revel in Pagan rights but we just love the spooky fun of it all.
So, when we were invited by those lovely people at Zippo's Circus to celebrate All Hallows Eve we jumped at the chance.
What movie to choose? 'Freaks' would be daring but not much fun, 'Halloween' is a classic but surely everyone will be screening that. How about 'ET' with that wonderful Halloween scene, the alien dressed as a ghost? Maybe a bit too tenuous.
'Edward Scissorhands'? Yes, it's eerie, macabre, full of wonderfully odd characters and images but also great fun and rather bitter sweet. After all, this is the last screen appearance of the late great Vincent Price, icon of the macabre.
On this occasion we were fortunate enough to have the poster designed for us by Brett Ryder and what a searing image he dreamt up for us to augment the evening.
As our regulars will know by now, we're never satisfied with just screening a movie. With Zippo's Circus as a venue, something special need to be offered up.
How about a company of fifty actors depicting a rogues gallery of ghosts and ghouls? Now that's more like it. Something to get our vampire teeth into.
© Eirik Evjen
And so, with blood, sweat, tears and laughter we set to work and formed The Carney Ville Players who created, or dug up, a jaw dropping zombie collection of monsters for our delectation. We had an Unorthodox Doctor and his Mistress Nurse, Zombie Showgirls, the Maniacal Clown and his lovely wife, the bearded Lady. We had Victor/Victoria, half man half woman, the weeping willow, the little lost girl both sweet and sinister, the Sensational Mr Swine and Death...to mention but a few.
They ripped though the crowd causing delicious mayhem before gathering in the ring under the auspices of Legendary Mr Edgar Allan Poe for a resounding rendition of Poe's magnificently grim poem 'The Conqueror Worm'.
© Ryan Haysom
In conclusion then: A huge cast of consummate actors giving us some startling live, or should that be undead theatre, beneath the glamour of Zippo's Big top and culminating in Mr Tim Burton's TragiComic love story...
Not a bad evening out at all.
Thanks to everyone under the big top.
To see more photos from the event, including the Victorian Photo Booth, please look at our gallery on our website.
© Joel Chant
Special thanks go to:
Joel Chant, our resident photographer and master of the Photo Booth and Shiv , our spectacular artist in residence
© Shiv
