The Morning After… Cameo All-Night Horror Madness Review

Last night the Cameo Cinema  hosted its third All Night Horror Madness of recent times featuring four fantastic films from 11pm to 7am.

Organised by Matt Palmer, the event began slightly behind schedule due to a few final technical hitches, but it gave the opportunity for the co-host of the night, Ian Hoey, to talk about the night’s schedule. and about a certain story involving a package he once received. Let’s leave that at that.

First up after some hilarious film trailers of films from times gone by, was Jeff Lieberman’s ‘Blue Sunshine’, an ultimately slow, but enjoyable, escapade that had many a memorable quote but a bit of a ‘cop-out’ finale. The 1978 film features an unintentionally hilarious escalator scene and follows an innocent man trying to clear his name, by proving the real criminals involved in the horrific crimes taking place across the city are in fact psychopaths who all suffer hair-loss, the result of consuming a drug at University ten years previously. Mental.

After a twenty minute intermission it was time for the original ‘Halloween’ to once again be shown on the big screen. A quick audience poll revealed that this, along with ‘Pieces’, was one of the films that a lot were here to see. John Carpenter’s 1978 classic sees Jamie Lee Curtis as a babysitter who is targeted by an escaped psychotic murderer. It could be said that she almost deserves the trauma she goes through, particularly after she makes the ridiculous decision to discard her knife, thinking she has defeated the ‘bogeyman’. How wrong she is.

After the credits rolled it was time for another break and then the raffle. Cameo tickets, DVDs and 2 exclusively rare posters of Suspiria and Evil Dead 2 were up for grabs, with one moviegoer missing out on the Suspiria poster, presumably because they went home after the first two films. The eventual winner seemed delighted though.

Next up, at around 3am, it was Juan Piquer Simon’s 1982 film ‘Pieces’, which was probably the best film of the night. The storyline, an exhilarating tennis match, several dubious reactions and a brilliant outburst in the middle of the action made it a highlight of the night.

The final film was the graphic gore fest that is ‘The Evil Dead’, a horror classic that has to be seen to be believed. The camera work, make-up and animation are inspiring and all those that lasted until the end were definitely treated to a truly bashful and comedic epic – a great way to end proceedings at around 7:10am.

All in all, it was a tremendous evening of horror once again. I personally preferred the previous All Night Horror Madness in April of this year but last night’s viewing still had the same atmosphere that cannot be created at home: everyone has a common interest of viewing films that you might not necessarily have seen or be able to see anywhere else for a reasonable price in a delightful venue in one of the greatest cities – what more could you ask for? “Another All Night Horror”, some might answer. Let’s hope another does indeed go ahead and, if it does, it should be on around April 2012 so keep your eyes peeled.

Now, time to sleep.

Good Night… or should that be Good Morning. Let’s hope all those at last night’s event don’t have nightmares.

For those of you who did not stay up all night……here is the official trailer for The Evil Dead

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtsK7skqk9U]