Halloween 2011 Events in New Jersey

halloween,new jersey

I’ve been complaining that it seems like there aren’t enough Halloween events going on this year in the Garden State, but as the month of October continues, I’m obviously dead wrong. There’s events popping up like zombies out of the ground. So, if you’re into some doing spooky stuff in honor of Halloween, Jersey is definitely the place to do it. I don’t know what I was thinking because we probably have more cool frightful events than most other states. Read on for the best ways to celebrate Halloween for the rest of the month. If you have an event that you would like to submit for the list, please send to sexyarmpit@comcast.net.

You may remember me mentioning The Home of Happiness before. They are New Jersey’s own Rocky Horror Troupe located in Montclair, New Jersey. Tonight, 10/15 they are having a Pre-Halloween costume contest and next Saturday is college night! If you miss it this week, be sure to get there on a Saturday night soon, it’s “truly beautiful to behold!”
WHEN: EVERY SATURDAY NIGHT!
WHERE: Bellevue Theater, Montclair NJ
And of course, we’ve got ZOMBIES! We’ll have enough ghastly zombies in Asbury Park’s UNDEAD FESTIVAL to take over Rhode Island. We broke a Guinness record at the last NJ Zombie Walk and I’m sure this year will be just as insane. Get your tickets to the Undead Festival which is going on all next weekend!
nj zombie walk,asbury park,halloween,october 



UNDEAD FESTIVAL AND NJ ZOMBIE WALK

WHEN: OCTOBER 21st, 22nd, and 23rd! (Zombie Walk is 10/22!)
WHERE: Asbury Park Convention Hall, Asbury Park NJ
FEATURING: vendors, costume contests, fashion shows, screenings, meet and greets with horror film stars
HALLOWEEN HORROR DOUBLE FEATURE
FILMS: Frankenhooker and Basket Case
WHEN: 10/22 7:30 PM
WHERE: FORUM THEATRE, Metuchen NJ
I often write posts about The Landmark Loews Jersey Theater and their excellent film festivals. The theater is a gorgeous classic movie house which has been restored by volunteers who pour their heart and soul into the old movie palace. The theater is easily accessible, located in Journal Square in Jersey City. If you don’t have plans for Halloween weekend, there’s nothing better than watching a horror film in this theater while munching on popcorn.
loews jersey,jersey city,october,halloween 



HORRORS, LAUGHS, AND CHILLS CLASSIC FILM FESTIVAL 

WHERE: Landmark Loews Jersey Theater, Jersey City, NJ
FILM SCHEDULE: 
Friday 10/28 8:00PM The House on Haunted Hill
Saturday 10/29 6:00PM Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
Sunday 10/29 8:15 PM The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
CHILLER THEATRE TOY, MODEL, and FILM EXPO
WHEN: 10/28 – 10/20
WHERE: Hilton, Parsipanny NJ
TICKETS: http://www.chillertheatre.com/c4tickets.htm

THE MISFITS
WHEN: 10/28 Doors at 6:30 PM
WHERE: Starland Ballroom, Sayreville
TICKETS: via this link at Ticketmaster

FRIGHT FEST AT SIX FLAGS GREAT ADVENTURE
WHERE: Six Flags Great Adventure, Jackson, NJ
WHEN: Weekends until 10/30
PARANORMAL NJ’s NIGHTMARE BALL
WHEN: 10/29 8 PM
WHERE: Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park NJ
http://www.paranormalbooksNJ.com and http://www.asburylanes.com/

ELAINE’S DINNER THEATER AND HAUNTED MANSION
Now Presenting “Gone With The Werewolves”
WHEN: Make Reservations at (609) 884-4358
WHERE: Cape May, NJ
http://www.elainesdinnertheater.com/dinner.html

WHERE: Willowbrook Mall, Wayne NJ
WHEN: Until 10/30

I Was A Teenage Werebear & Detroit Rock City presented by Dread Central

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Horror comedies aren’t for everyone. Many of my hardcore horror friends feel that there’s no reason to waste time on horror comedies when there’s a severe drought for some good old genuinely scary horror films. I think we have room for all kinds of horror related films, tongue in cheek or not. I adore films like Stan Helsing, Once Bitten, Transylvania 6-5000, and others. Chillerama, the upcoming horror comedy anthology, promises to be a modern crown jewels of this genre. You can have a sneak peak of it on Saturday in Metuchen, NJ.

Filmmakers such as Adam Green, Joe Lynch, Adam Rifkin, and Tim Sullivan will all direct shorts that will comprise Chillerama. One of those shorts is Tim Sullivan’s, I Was a Teenage Werebear, which he wrote and directed and it will make it’s New Jersey premiere this Saturday July 9th at Metuchen’s Forum Theater. If you’re a regular here you”ll remember that the Forum Theatre is where Geof from The Man Cave and I went to check out The Full Moon Pictures Roadshow and Evil Bong 3-D, and you can read the recap here. In Sullivan’s bio on IMDB, Werebear is said to capture his love for “camp and rock and roll”

Adding to the bonus sneak peek at the Chillerama short is a showing of Detroit Rock City which Sullivan was associate producer on! How did they know I am a HUGE KISS FAN as well? The 1999 film about a bunch of friends doing their damndest to get to the KISS concert at Cobo Hall in 1978. I saw the film when it hit theaters and loved it, regardless of the fact that it never made much of an impact with moviegoers.

Writer/director/producer Tim Sullivan hails from Plainfield, New Jersey, so this premiere is a homecoming for him. He’s responsible for such films as 2001 Maniacs, Driftwood, and 2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams. Sullivan will also be holding Q&A sessions after the films. The event is hosted by Dread Central’s Paul Nomad.

For more info and tickets go to the official theater site:
http://www.forumtheatrearts.org/
http://www.facebook.com/forumtheatrearts

Full Moon Horror Roadshow Recap from The Man Cave


Geof, The Master of The Man Cave, recaps our experience at the Full Moon Horror Roadshow and Film Festival over the weekend at the Forum Theater in Metuchen, New Jersey. I was anxious to go to the Roadshow after seeing the promotional video and reading about all the tables, contests, and autograph signings they have presented at other stops on the tour. On top of all that, the premiere of Evil Bong 3 would be in 3-D, and Sniff-O-Rama. How could I not fall for all these gimmicks, especially right in Jersey no less?!!

First, we realized the ring leader Charles Band did not show, then we saw that the attendees didn’t show up either! It’s unfortunate because the way the Roadshow is promoted makes it seem ridiculously awesome, but it ultimately fell extremely short of my expectations. The handlers seemed pretty unprepared and the whole night seemed disorganized. What made the night worse is that Evil Bong 3-D was nowhere near as good as its predecessors. For more, go check out Geof’s excellent coverage over at The Man Cave.

Rip a Hit From The EVIL BONG…in 3-D and SNIFF-O-RAMA!

Yes, I do have enough brain cells to realize that today is 4/20. But today I’ll be telling you about another important day which is a little less than a month away. On May 14th, Full Moon Features’ Horror Roadshow, featuring the local premiere of Evil Bong 3-D The Wrath of Bong, will make it’s last stop at The Forum Theater Arts Center in Metuchen, New Jersey. Unfortunately, I missed out on the last couple of Full Moon’s roadshows in my area, so I’m anxious to experience it for the first time. Lucky for me, this installment of Evil Bong will be in 3-D and features Sniff-O-Rama! Wait, that’s not all! There’s also going to be a Full Moon Film Fest as well!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igKBuJz5Bmo?rel=0]

The festivities begin at 4pm and they won’t close up shop until approximately midnight folks. That means you will have plenty of time to take in the scene. Special guests will include producer and director Charles Band, Barbara Crampton, and Charlie Spradling among others. You’ll also be able to purchase lots of Full Moon Merch as well as take part in audience participation.

Described as a “galactic stoner horror comedy,” Charles Band himself has been quoted as saying that Evil Bong 3-D has a “record amount of naked alien beauties, boobies, and reefer hits to ever be presented in 3-D.” I’d say this is truly some good news. If you’re already a fan of the Evil Bong series, you need to be at this event!

There aren’t many filmmakers who will bring their films directly to the fans, but Charles Band takes it to the next level. He not only comes to town personally to screen his new film, but he’s also bringing guests and an over the top roadshow. Who needs the corporate movie marketing machine of regurgitated crap? As the legendary KISS would say, it’s going to be like “you’re in the Psycho Circus.”

Tickets are available NOW!

Forum Theater Arts Center
314 Main Street
Metuchen NJ 08840

Lock Up Your Daughters, Fairfield Is Here!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BL5J91OkZWU?rel=0]
When a band’s lead singer looks like Zac Efron with more testosterone, it’s only a matter of time before your daughter and/or wife falls in love them. And while having a lead singer who looks like an alum from High School Musical isn’t necessarily the key to success in the music world, not looking like McLovin does help enormously. Last weekend at The Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ, The Sexy Armpit checked out Jersey Shows Battle of the Bands finals. I made it there just in time to catch Jersey pop-rockers Fairfield take the stage.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2Z2ZngYCxM?rel=0]
The band started out with a short cover of “Lose Yourself,” which was cool even though I’m not an Eminem fan. After introducing themselves, Fairfield launched into a fun, fast paced set of tunes, some of which sound like they are step away from being heard on a preview for the next tween blockbuster or an MTV show. Singer Anthony Tortorello’s undeniable charisma on stage made it seem like he’s been wooing audiences his entire life. It was as if we were in a video game and little red 8-bit hearts of all the girls in the crowd simultaneously floated out of their chests and over to Anthony. For an up and coming band, a solid lead singer is only half the battle. Without the band backing him up, Anthony would need to incorporate some magic tricks or some really lewd jokes into the set.

Fairfield isn’t just about their frontman. This new alternative pop rock band comprises a bunch of best friends who hail from central New Jersey. On their Myspace page they cite Armor For Sleep, Taking Back Sunday, Cartel, and Paramore as their influences. On guitar there’s Francisco Ortiz Gomez and Kyle Gordon, Kevin Yanes on Bass, and Mickey Ladines on drums. I had the chance to meet Kevin and Francisco after the show and they were equally as enthusiastic to meet The Sexy Armpit. Their EP is available at their merch table after the show. Until then you can listen to their tunes at Myspace or LIKE them on Facebook!