Suspiria

There’s a new beast on the Austin film-gathering scene. Heavy metal legend Phil Anselmo (Pantera, Down) and author/film critic Corey Mitchell unleash a monster with three days and nights of horror, grindhouse, true crime, and gruesome exploitation both fresh and arcane, all with a live metal soundtrack. Possessing the whole Emo’s/Antone’s complex and converting it into their own little hell on Earth, they’ve summoned the blackest souls of the genre, including Ruggero Deodato (Cannibal Holocaust) and Jörg Buttgereit (Nekromantik). From the cerebral to the spine-ripping, from classics like Maniac to world premieres – including Kyle Kuchta’s examination of horror conventions, Fantasm – there’s plenty of killing to be done around the farm. We’ve picked 10 must-see events below, but you can also check out our interviews (see sidebar) and our coverage of the music component of Housecore.

1) Birth of the Living Dead: George A. Romero‘s little indie horror reshaped the world, and its impact is caught, part in interviews and part in animation. (Friday, 9am, Grindhouse Tent)

2) The Profane Exhibit: A who’s who of gore icons like Deodato and new bloods such as Nacho Vigalondo (Timecrimes) gather in coven for this anthology flick of the malicious and powerful. (Friday 11:45pm, Antone’s)

3) Thanatomorphose: Ever felt pity for what the zombie goes through? Éric Falardeau’s shocking revamp of the revenant mythos, with effects by the controversial Rémy Couture. (Sunday, 6pm, Antone’s)

4) At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul with Coffin Joe: Like Romero, José Mojica Marins, aka Coffin Joe, was a pioneer. He summons you to watch the first Brazilian horror, a fusion of Catholicism and nihilism that still shocks on its 50th anniversary. (Saturday, 11:45pm, Grindhouse Tent)

5) Saturday Morning Mystery: The return of an Austin Film Festival favorite, spoofing all the conventions of a certain mystery-machine-riding gang and their talking dog. (Saturday, 9am, Grindhouse Tent)

6) Goblin perform Suspiria: The ultimate Italian horror soundtrack band re-create the shrieking audio ceremony for Dario Argento’s bloodcurdling psychedelic slayer. Check the Music blog Friday morning for an interview with keyboardist Maurizio Guarini. (Sunday, 10:40pm, Emo’s)

7) Zombex: Local rocker Jesse Dayton follows his friend Rob Zombie behind the lens with a locally shot tale of antidepressants and the undead. (Saturday, 7pm, Antone’s)

8) Decibel Magazine’s 100th Issue Show: The Movie: If there’s not enough live metal for you, there’s always this concert film for Decibel, the bible of extreme metal, featuring enough rumbling terror to see off a graboid. (Saturday, 11:45am, Grindhouse Tent)

9) Stranglehold: In the Shadow of the Boston Strangler: Documentarian Myles Jewell grew up with his grandfather Phil DiNatale’s case files on the Boston Strangler around the house. Now he tries to finish the job and identify the murderer. (Saturday, 11:59am, Zombie Room)

10) Unknown Project: Found footage is dead. Long live found footage. A new take on the tropes, as there’s a very bad day on the way to Burning Man. (Saturday, 11:30pm, Zombie Room)

This article appears in October 25 • 2013.

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The Chronicle's first Culture Desk editor, Richard has reported on Austin's growing film production and appreciation scene for over a decade. A graduate of the universities of York, Stirling, and UT-Austin, a Rotten Tomatoes certified critic, and eight-time Best of Austin winner, he's currently at work on two books and a play.