After months of anticipation, tonight is the night that the beautifully refurbished Avon Theatre (it's all about transposing the "r" and "e", people) here in Connecticut will be unspooling its pristine, brand-new 35mm print of Peter Jackson's Dead Alive. You can call it Braindead if you like, but I've been calling it Dead Alive ever since I first spotted that unforgettable direct-to-VHS box cover in the new release section of my local mom-and-pop video store some 15 years ago, back when such places existed.I was astonished by the ingenious vision at work in the film then, as much as I was surprised that the movie was then almost completely unknown. In those pre-web days, I felt like I had discovered a great horror secret that wouldn't remain secret for long. Thankfully, the situation was remedied after a couple of years, and the rise of the internet has also helped make this flick into the cult classic it deserves to be. It's no surprise at all to me that Jackson has enjoyed the mainstream success he has since then. This movie is more brilliant than it has any right to be--indeed, I've always said that if Monty Python had ever made a horror movie, this would've been it.
Barring the unforeseen interjection of mature adult responsibility, yours truly will be on-hand personally tonight at 9PM to witness the glory of the Sumatran rat-monkey as it was meant to be witnessed. And best of all, the Avon is located in downton Stamford, right near my old job--meaning that if anyone wanted to drop by to assassinate me, it would be the perfect location, since the carpets are already red!
While I'm at it, I also wanted to mention that I'll be attending the venerable Chiller Theatre (there it is again) convention out in New Jersey this coming Sunday, should there be any Vault Dwellers planning to attend, as well. It's always a major blast. I'll be the guy trying to prevent his two little kids from being crushed to death by the maddening throngs.