You've been warned - terror comes to Somerville screens next week

Jeffrey Sullivan

From “Psycho” to “Saw,” horror movies and their infinite number of sequels have always been an important part of American culture.

With this in mind, J. Cannibal and Garen Daly are hosting Terrorthon 2010; a nine-day film festival of feverish proportions aimed at scaring and exciting all who attend. The festival runs from Friday until Oct. 2, and boasts a variety of classic and modern horror films. Opening night features the U.S. premier of the documentary “Herschell Gordon Lewis: The Godfather of Gore.”

The final day of the festival will feature the tenth installment of the Feast of Flesh; a zombie party and live show. This will be the first time the show has come to the Somerville Theater, previously it was held in the Coolidge Corner Theatre.

“This has already generated a lot buzz,” Cannibal said. “A lot of people who have been coming to the Feast [of Flesh] for years are really excited that we’re turning it into a festival.”

Before the premier of the Lewis documentary on opening night, his cult classic “Blood Feast” will be shown. The film is notorious for its use of gratuitous and seemingly unending gore. Since Lewis directed, produced, shoot and scored the movie back in 1963, the film has made him a legend in the horror movie world. The movie is widely considered to be the first to use extreme amounts of gore, and has since opened the doors for later horror moviemakers.

After the documentary, director Frank Henenlotter will field questions from the audience. Henenlotter has also previously directed the “Basketcase” franchise and cult classic “Frankenhooker.”

On Sept. 25 during the festival there will be a part-screen show part-theatrical act called simply Spookadelica. The show will feature a live show, a screening of the horror/comedy “Monsters Crash the Pajama Party,” and a complete and genre-appropriate redecoration of the Somerville Theater.

“It’s full of audience plants and gags,” Cannibal said. “For people who like going to things like the midnight Rocky Horror shows it’s perfect.”

Cannibal said that in the past few years that there has been somewhat of a resurgence of the interactive live theater genre, but regardless it is still a very difficult endeavor. Most big modern movie theaters do not have curtains or stages where actors could perform, let alone even be seen by the entire audience, and so older and smaller theaters are required to put on the show. He added that expenses for the actors, costumes, and theater space make it increasingly difficult to put on a show of this kind.

“It’s not just like you book a film and you play the film,” he said. “It’s a much bigger production and it’s a labor of love.”

Other films on the docket for the festival include “Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Undead,” “The Horde,” “Dead Snow,” and “The Reverent.” Relatively new cult hit “Human Centipede” will also be screened, as well as three local movie premiers, “Next Door,” Drive-in Horror Show,” and “God of Vampires.” Cannibal said that since a childhood friend invited him to a private screening of “God of Vampires,” the movie left a distinct impression on him. He said he pushed really hard to get the film into the festival.

“It’s a vampire Kung-fu action movie,” he said. “It is amazingly well done for a local production, and the action sequences and special effects are awesome.”