Legendary underground SOV horror filmmaker Charles Pinion (Red Spirit Lake, We Await) will be joined by author and film scholar Vincent Albarano (Aesthetic Deviations: A Critical View of American Shot-on-Video Horror, 1984-1994) and media journalists Split Tooth Media on Saturday March 14th in the Movie Madness Miniplex for a far out meet and greet! Come meet Charles, Vincent and Split Tooth Media from 1-3pm and then head over to the Hollywood Theatre that evening at 9:30pm for a rare screening of Charles' TWISTED ISSUES followed by a post-film Q&A with Charles and Vincent.
@charlespinion@valbarano@aesthetic_deviations@splittoothmedia@moviemadness_pdx@hollywoodtheatr
Saturday, March 14th - tickets are already over halfway sold out, so act fast! You do not want to miss the legendary Charles Pinion's classic SOV masterpiece TWISTED ISSUES on the big screen!! Charles will be at the theater in person for a rad post-film Q&A with Vincent Albarano, author of Aesthetic Deviations: A Critical View of American SOV Horror.
Split Tooth Media will also be releasing the second issue of their zine, which is chock full of articles and spotlights on some of the most rad underground cinema of today and yesterday! Who knows, maybe there will be a column about Terror Toons in this one....
Before the film, head to Movie Madness for a once in a lifetime signing event with Charles, Vincent and Split Tooth Media from 1-3pm!
Tickets for TWISTED ISSUES are available in the link in my bio or at HollywoodTheatre.org!
@hollywoodtheatr@moviemadness_pdx@charlespinion@valbarano@splittoothmedia
Though the zine ceased publication before the wave of SOV horror got underway (and he would likely have hated the titles that came later), Bill Landis’ Sleazoid Express did provide some early coverage of Boardinghouse in early 1984. Fascinated by the bizarre fixations director John Wintergate manifested onscreen, as well as the strange video-to-film methods used in its creation, this is a key review for appreciating Landis’ critical insights. He revisited the film two decades later in his and Michelle Clifford’s Sleazoid Express book, proving the film still had a unique hold after so many years.
Very cool to see my first citation in an academic work! Research that ended up in Aesthetic Deviations gets briefly cited in Johnny Walker’s chapter on Michael J. Murphy’s Invitation to Hell. From Transnational Horror: Folklore, Genre, and Cultural Politics (Liverpool UP)
It’s always exciting to see a review in a print publication. Thanks to Dr. William Kobb (of the Hypno Video zine) for spreading the word on Aesthetic Deviations in his Cuneiform newsletter!
Charles Pinion’s Twisted Issues was one of the handful of SOV titles that received a warm response from the fanzine underground. Best of all was Steve Fentone’s Canadian zine, Killbaby, which gave the movie a great review in its debut issue and featured a long interview with Charles in the second.
By the end of the 1980s, SOV horror started to infiltrate the underground fanzines, both in the form of (largely critical) reviews and paid advertisements. One of the best-known examples is the infamous ad for Wally Koz’s 555, shown here is issue 6 of Chas. Balun’s Deep Red. Also of interest in this issue is the director’s forum with Redneck Zombies director Pericles Lewnes, Buddy Giovinazzo, and Nathan Schiff. On the international side of things, there’s also a brief mention of Fabio Salerno’s ongoing Italian projects.
Thanks to everyone following and still discovering this account. Sorry things have been silent here, but I truly appreciate the continued interest in Aesthetic Deviations and everyone spreading the word.
Going forward I’ll be sharing some research materials that influenced the book. Starting off is the full color ad placed by United in Fangoria to promote Blood Cult in 1985. No other SOV title received such an elaborate marketing push, and it’s clear why interest in the film was so high upon release.
You can also follow my main account @valbarano for similar materials and updates on other projects I’m working on.
One year ago today, my first book, Aesthetic Deviations, was released. I spent a little over a year watching, researching, and writing about SOV horror more in-depth than ever for my master’s thesis and ended up with something twice the required length. Not long after passing my exam, I took a chance and emailed a proposal to my favorite publisher. To my amazement, they were interested and a longtime dream of mine was coming true.
Admittedly, I had more glamorous plans in mind for this anniversary than recovering from oral surgery, but it could be worse. First of all, thank you to everyone who supported me through the writing and layout process, I had a lot of help along the way. I’m especially thankful for @headpress for taking a chance on this project, not to mention everyone who’s bought a copy of the book, checked it out from the library, left a review, or spread the word in any way. Likewise everyone who’s talked with me, had me on their podcast, or helped with any events. It’s meant a lot, and I truly appreciate everyone. This book has already opened some doors and introduced me to some great people, and I can’t wait for what comes next. There are a lot of cool things in the works that should be unveiled soon, but they all started here.
Check my story for details on an upcoming anniversary event here in Columbus!
Earlier this week I spoke with James Newton for his podcast, Newton Talks. Had a great time talking about Aesthetic Deviations, SOV horror, and my own approaches to these unique films. The episode is now live, so check it out!
New short piece up on the Headpress blog about the signing at @forbiddenplanetnyc . Thanks to everyone who came out to pick up the book and chat, and @horrorboobs and the shop for setting up and hosting. @valbarano
