Columbus’s Gateway Film Center has long been the horror hub of the city. The center works an abundance of the genre programming into their overall scheme of events, including five years of Nightmares on High – the longest running festival of new horror in the country – as well as Nightmares from the Crypt, which celebrates classic horror. Every October the theater devotes the Hitchcocktober series to the best of Alfred Hitchcock, while Dr. Bob Tesla brings a campy monster movie to the screen each month.
Says Bridget Oliver, local horror fan and manager of the Killumbus Horror facebook page, “It seems like we have a strong horror fan base in Columbus, and we love the Gateway, that we know every week will show the type of movie we want to see. It kind of feels like a home base.”
The film center has expanded its terror roster with Fright Club, a monthly event that taps the horror film fanaticism of local movie critics Hope Madden and George Wolf, both longtime writers for The Other Paper, and current writers for MaddWolf.com.
“We’re recognized as one of the best horror programmers in the nation because we make GFC a place to see and talk about the real movies horror fans love,” said GFC President and Programmer Chris Hamel. “We’re thrilled to add Fright Club to our horror family, because Hope and George truly know horror and horror fans. They have a smart perspective and encourage conversation, which we love.”
According to George Wolf, midday host for WNND, Rewind Columbus, 103.5/104.3, the idea is to offer “the best horror films you never got to see.”
“For fans of the genre, these are movies they might be surprised they missed,” he says. “They’re good, solid movies that slipped through the cracks.”
Wolf says that horror fans are passionate, always on the lookout lists of movies they haven’t seen.
“We had those lists swimming around our heads,” he says. “We’re obsessive fans of the genre, and we’ve had access to loads of films that most other people have never heard of.”
MaddWolf turned that into a live event about 18 months ago when Fright Club premiered at Studio 35 in Clintonville, and for the last several months they’ve taken their obsession to the airwaves.
“Along the way we turned this into a Fright Club podcast, which you can find on iTunes and on goldenspiralmedia.com,” he says. “It’s gotten unexpectedly popular and we feel like we’ve found a likeminded audience. Every week we generate a list: 5 best Australian horror movies, 5 best horror flicks directed by women, 5 most horrifying movie moments – that kind of thing. As always, our aim is to highlight excellent genre flicks – and now we can share that with a live audience by pulling one of those favorites onto the big screen.”
Wednesday, July 8, MaddWolf and Gateway kick off the series with the 2006 horror comedy Slither.
“Before the Hollywood super-success of Guardians of the Galaxy, writer/director James Gunn paid tribute to B-movie horror with this fresh, funny, and pretty gross alien invasion/slug/zombie/mollusk-monster movie with a great cast – Elizabeth Banks, Nathan Fillion, Michael Rooker,” Wolf says. “It was a box office bomb but has developed a lot of cult love. It’s a crowd pleaser – exactly the type of laugh-out-loud and jump-out-of-your-seat movie to watch with a bunch of people.”
“After Slither is the woefully underseen true crime horror Compliance, which is one of the best, most understated and well-acted indie horrors in years.” Wolf says. “We’ll follow that in September with one of our favorite French horror shows, Sheitan. The French are making the most extreme and interesting horror movies – have been since probably 2000 – and Sheitan is one very few people have seen. Total freak show. Just full on nuts.”
Fright Club will kick the night off with a happy hour at 6:30 in the Torpedo room, with tee shirt and prize giveaways.
“Then at 8, we’ll gather in the theater for a raucous flick meant to be seen with a big crowd,” Wolf says.
Fright Club will return at 8pm the second Wednesday of every month with a new, rarely seen horror gem. Tickets are $5, happy hour with MaddWolf at 6:30.
Full disclosure: Hope Madden is the “Madd” in MaddWolf and will co-host and co-program the event.
A full slate of movie reviews is available on MADDWOLF. You can also follow me on Twitter @maddwolf , like me on Facebook at facebook.com/MaddWolfColumbus , and check out my FRIGHT CLUB podcast.
