H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival Los Angeles update...

For Immediate Release:

The 2011 H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival®
Located at the classic art deco Warner Grand Theater in San Pedro, California
7 p.m. to midnight, Friday, September 16
and
4 p.m. to midnight, Saturday, September 17
Full passes and single night passes available (tickets can be purchased here).

Special VIP Guest: Legendary film icon Roger Corman will be accepting the "Howie" award for contributions to Lovecraft cinema this year. H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival founder Andrew Migliore will host the opening and closing ceremonies, and present the Howie to Roger Corman.

Friday night = classic gothic horror movies in the Lovecraft tradition

Beginning with a haunting adaptation of one of M.R. James' best works, Whistle and I'll Come to You.

The Haunted Palace (1963) - directed by Roger Corman, starring Vincent Price - the first Lovecraft adaptation on the silver screen, based on "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward". Q&A with film legend Roger Corman to follow.

Concluding with a very rare DVD screening of Berkeley Square (1933), which HPL watched four times and inspired him to write one of his best stories, "The Shadow Out of Time".

Friday night movies will be terrifying without nudity, sex, language or violence - PG ratings

Saturday night = retrospective and the newest Lovecraft movies from around the world

Opening with the 20th anniversary of Cast a Deadly Spell, a fun original HBO movie. Taking place in neo-noir Los Angeles, everyone has access to magic spells except Harry Philip Lovecraft (Fred Ward), who is hired to investigate a missing mysterious book. Screenwriter Joseph Dougherty will be on hand for Q&A after the screening.

See the latest and greatest short subject films from independent filmmakers. The winner will be chosen by Guillermo del Toro!

La Sombra Prohibida (The Forbidden Shadow) (2010, in Spanish with English subtitles) - From MCA/Universal Pictures International (Spain), this is the second part of the "The Valdemar Legacy", directed by José Luis Alemán, this is an action piece with cameos by Lovecraft and one of his greatest creations, the Great Cthulhu!

We close the 2011 festival with a special Southern California screening of The Whisperer in Darkness, the first feature from the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society, makers of the iconic adaptation of The Call of Cthulhu.

2011 marks the 80th anniversary of the Warner Grand Theater, as well as the 80th anniversary of the publication of "The Whisperer in Darkness" by H.P. Lovecraft in Weird Tales magazine. To celebrate, the HPLHS is planning many special promotions and events at this festival, including an exhibit of their props, miniatures, set pieces, costumes, etc., along with cast and crew Q&A. Experience the new movie based on an 80-year-old story inside an 80-year-old theater!

Lovecraft authors Cody Goodfellow, Jenna Pitman and Michael Shea and screenwriter/movie maker C. Courtney Joyner will participate in a reading and literary discussion on Saturday afternoon before the movies (other author guests TBD).

We are honored to have Oscar-nominated director Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth) as our guest judge for the short film contest! Have your work screened by the legendary filmmaker!

Vendors coming to the festival:
Famous Monsters of Filmland
Cryptocurium: Custom Chocolates & Candies
Fez-o-Rama
Badali Jewelry
More to come, slots still available!

Click here for more...

(Thanks to Aaron Vanek)