"Ghoulish" Gary Pullin's Top 3 Midnight Madness Picks

"Ghoulish" Gary Pullin is an award winning, freelance artist residing in Toronto and the former long time art director for Rue Morgue Magazine. He's now their resident art columnist, curating, "The Fright Gallery." 

I'm no stranger to the Midnight Madness program. I've been attending for almost a decade now and each year seems to get better and better. Thanks to Jeff Wright and Colin Geddes for having me here. Honestly, it was tough to pick only three, but here's my short list I'm most eager to see:

#1 - The ABC's of Death

Inspired by educational children's books, twenty-six up and coming film directors were assigned a letter of the alphabet to create a shocking short. This film event has genre fans salivating for bite sized bits of cinema nastiness written and directed by students of modern horror from around the globe. Ti West (House of the Devil, Innkeepers), Angela Bettis (Roman, May), Xavier Gens (Frontiers, The Divide), Ben Wheatley (Kill List), Srdjan Spasojevic (Serbian Film), Yoshihiro Nishimura (Tokyo Gore Police, Machine Girl), Adam Wingard (You're Next) and many more bring the pain. Jason Eisener's "N for Nature," for instance. Sounds innocent enough, doesn't it? Far from it. Jason's contribution will test your gag reflex, ignite uncomfortable laughter and give you those icky feelings I'm still trying to shake. You may not look at high school sports the same way ever again. Perhaps the most ambitious anthology ever made, these are bedtime stories for big kids.

#2 - John Dies At The End

The Phantasm films are weird. And I mean that as a huge compliment because that's how I like 'em. They defy category and come to think of it, so does Don Coscarelli's entire filmography. John Dies At The End, based on the cult novel by David Wong, looks like no exception. Don has a knack for making absurd, mind-bending concepts work, which in the hands of many directors, may not fly so well. I'm admittedly green to the source material, so I'm just showing up to drink the Kool-Aid and wait for the inter-dimensional fun. With Don's films, you can always expect an unconventional experience, and really, you had me at Clancy Brown. That guy's face is a movie.

#3 - Dredd 3D

I think most would agree, Stallone's 1995 adaption of DC's popular comic book hero is better left in the Mega City dump. It was a huge let down for fans of the comic. It broke the rules by showing Dredd's face, a major offence and something comic creator John Wagner was adamant about keeping sacred through the span of the series. Director Peter Travis (Vantage Point, Endgame) is set to correct all the wrongs made by that film with a darker, ultra-violent version, a most welcome return to the futuristic wasteland. Travis is sticking close to the source this time and injecting noir grittiness back into the material. The film was shot using the latest 3D technology and initial online buzz is extremely positive. All rise. Your honourable Judge, Jury and Executioner is back!

Gary's artwork has infected publications and galleries across the globe. He's worked with collectible poster boutique Mondo in Austin, Texas, DC Shoes, and Death Waltz Records for a vinyl release of John Carpenter's THEY LIVE score. Look for his illustrations in Glass Eye Pix's upcoming documentary YEAR OF THE LIVING DEAD, about the making of George A. Romero's NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD during the civil unrest of the 60s.

Visit http://www.ghoulishgary.com/ to see more of his work.





Screening Times:

THE ABC'S OF DEATH
World Premiere: Fri., Sept. 14th, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Sat., Sept. 15th, 3:15 PM SCOTIABANK 9
Sun., Sept. 16th, 9:00 PM SCOTIABANK 9

JOHN DIES AT THE END
Sat., Sept. 15th, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Sun., Sept. 16th, 6:00 PM CINEPLEX YONGE & DUNDAS 7

DREDD 3D
Thurs., Sept. 6th, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Sat., Sept. 8th, 12:30 PM CINEPLEX YONGE & DUNDAS 7