In this episode, we chat with Actor and Director Larry Fessenden about his independent horror films and how they showcase the impending doom of present societal issues. His latest film, BLACKOUT, made its U.S. Premiere at this year’s Woodstock Film Festival. Fessenden is an actor, writer, director, and producer and the head of the NY-based independent production shingle Glass Eye Pix with the mission of supporting individual voices in the arts.
Alamo Drafthouse in Los Angeles hosts a SOLD OUT screening of GEP alumn Jenn Wexler’s holiday bloodbath, THE SACRIFICE GAME. Followed by a Q&A with Wexler, co-writer Sean Redlitz and producers Albert Melamed, Philip Kalin-Hajdu and Glass Eye pals; producers Heather Buckley and Peter Phok.
CULT KILLERS ARRIVE AT THE DOORSTEP OF A BOARDING SCHOOL DURING THE HOLIDAYS
With nowhere to go for winter break, Samantha and Clara must spend the season at their snowy boarding school. Unbeknownst to them, the building is the endpoint of a series of demonic sacrifices, and the two students are the only ones left to put a stop to the summoning ceremony before it’s too late.
With a little bit of HOME ALONE, a little bit of teen angst, and a lot of grisly murder, THE SACRIFICE GAME examines 1970s disillusionment as a feminist coming-of-age tale with plenty of haunts and kills along the way. As the ritual creeps closer, the girls must confront the dangerous cult and the numerous ways their guardians and institutions have failed to protect them from patriarchal control. – Austin King
Glass Eye Pix invites you to count down 25 Days till Christmas with this creepy Advent Calendar. What better way to celebrate the Holiday season than with a daily peek behind the doors and windows, nooks and crannies of this mysterious doll village assembled by artist and stop-motion animator Beck Underwood? See vintage dolls and Santas, stuffed critters and misfit toys, all to delight and tease in this merry celebration of Christmas mischief.
Tom Laverack and Larry Fessenden recording at The Madhouse, the Long Island studio of drummer and producer Mark Ambrosino. Laverack and Fessenden have played and recorded in various incarnations as Just Desserts since 1987.
Dave Richards, Laverack, Fessenden, Ambrosino, Dave MorganJust Desserts albums from 2011, 1997, 1987 and 1991 (single)
Back in March of this year the landmark 1943 film Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (dir. Roy William Neill) made its debut. In honor of the film’s 80th birthday, let’s have some fun celebrating the first big screen monster bash.
The Universal Monsters, particularly the trifecta of Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Wolf Man, are some of the most recognizable icons in pop culture, let alone film.
The legacy of Universal’s horror output from the 1930s and 40s has reached every corner of the zeitgeist. The visage of Bela Lugosi’s Dracula, Boris Karloff’s Monster, and Lon Chaney Jr’s Wolf Man have reached a point of cultural saturation that few fictional characters ever reach.
One of the most remembered films from this cycle is of course, Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man. It’s hardly a new or astute observation to connect today’s mega blockbuster shared universe franchises with the Universal Horror films. While the first ever cinematic crossover was actually all the way back in 1910 with the French serial Arsène Lupin contra Sherlock Holmes – where fictional French thief Lupin met with Conan-Doyle’s iconic detective, Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man was the first film to cement the idea into popular consciousness.
The novelty of the film must have been something quite special at the time and watching it today through the lens of where franchise filmmaking is now makes it even more interesting outside of being a rather solid film in its own right.
The myriad behind the scenes stories and histories of the Universal Monster films are more detailed and involved than the films themselves, and Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man has a fair share of fun and interesting tidbits to discuss.
11/18/23: Full House Screening of Richard Sandler’s THE GODS OF TIMES SQUARE followed by Q&A hosted by producer Fessenden followed by Scorsese film KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON.
“Once upon a time, town squares were comment sections, where people brave enough to shout their opinions did it face to face. There is no stronger belief than one’s faith, and what used to be Times Square was a town square on steroids. As the 20th century came to an end, we entered the corporatized Y2K age. Spirituality seemed an essential grounding force, something to unify us. But whose God is supreme? What is God? What is God’s place in the digital age? When Disney invaded Times Square it went up against the smut. It was a magnet for all things good and bad. It was hell with attractions. I still secretly wished to be yelled at whenever I enter Times Square…” – Josh Safdie
Come Join Josh Saftie and Fessenden present the screening of Richard Sandler’s sprawling documentary chronicling the transition of 42nd street from seedy to cheesy in the last days of the 20th century amidst a cocophony of street preachers and philosophizers.
“One of the most entertaining documentaries I’ve ever seen” —Film Threat
Glass Eye Pix is the fierce independent NYC-based production outfit headed by award-winning art-horror auteur Larry Fessenden with the mission of supporting individual voices in the arts. Read more...