Mondays May 16, 23 + 30, 6-9pm Instructor: Donato Totaro (Participants under 18 must have a signed permission slip + ratings waiver from a parent or guardian. DOWNLOAD THE PERMISSION SLIP HERE) The Japanese horror film burst onto the International scene in the late 1990s with a series of suspenseful, nerve-wracking chillers that brought mood, subtlety and terror back into a genre that was growing weary and stale. By the early 2000s the Japanese horror film became so popular, and its aesthetic approach so widespread and copied that it became a virtual cottage industry, spawning numerous American remakes, television series, comics, and a rekindling of other Asian horror cinemas. To the jaded horror fan J-horror felt alive and fresh, but the seminal figures such as Hideo Nakata, producer extraordinaire Taka Ichise, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Takashi Shimizu, and Takashi Miike were clearly drawing from a rich historical tradition of supernatural and ghost stories that go back to pre-Modern Japanese literature, theatre, and painting. The course will trace the importance of the pre-modern tradition (pre-1900), as seen in Japanese Kabuki and Noh theatre, literature and painting, on the first flowering of great Japanese horror in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s (Kenji Mizoguchi, Nobuo Nakagawa, Kaneto Shindo, Masaki Kobayashi), and then examine how the current new wave of J-horror drew from this older tradition of ghost/supernatural film and art and added a modern, technologically concerned sensibility. Films/extracts will include Ugetsu (1954), Jigoku (1960), Kwaidan (1964), Onibaba (1964), Ringu (1998), Uzumaki (2000), Kaïro (2001), Ju-on: The Grudge (2004), and Exte: Hair Extensions (2007).

(Participants under 18 must have a signed permission slip + ratings waiver from a parent or guardian. DOWNLOAD THE PERMISSION SLIP HERE) The Japanese horror film burst onto the International scene in the late 1990s with a series of suspenseful, nerve-wracking chillers that brought mood, subtlety and terror back into a genre that was growing weary and stale. By the early 2000s the Japanese horror film became so popular, and its aesthetic approach so widespread and copied that it became a virtual cottage industry, spawning numerous American remakes, television series, comics, and a rekindling of other Asian horror cinemas. To the jaded horror fan J-horror felt alive and fresh, but the seminal figures such as Hideo Nakata, producer extraordinaire Taka Ichise, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Takashi Shimizu, and Takashi Miike were clearly drawing from a rich historical tradition of supernatural and ghost stories that go back to pre-Modern Japanese literature, theatre, and painting. The course will trace the importance of the pre-modern tradition (pre-1900), as seen in Japanese Kabuki and Noh theatre, literature and painting, on the first flowering of great Japanese horror in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s (Kenji Mizoguchi, Nobuo Nakagawa, Kaneto Shindo, Masaki Kobayashi), and then examine how the current new wave of J-horror drew from this older tradition of ghost/supernatural film and art and added a modern, technologically concerned sensibility. Films/extracts will include Ugetsu (1954), Jigoku (1960), Kwaidan (1964), Onibaba (1964), Ringu (1998), Uzumaki (2000), Kaïro (2001), Ju-on: The Grudge (2004), and Exte: Hair Extensions (2007).  

From monsters under the bed to Monsters Inc., generations of our collective imagination have been preoccupied with boogie men and their various incarnations. Classic monsters like Dracula, Frankenstein or the Werewolf unite our fears as well as cultural reference points; meaning, today, ‘traditional’ monster narratives are so universal that old and young alike can easily identify historical, aesthetic and plot clichés inherent to each classic baddie. But with the recent, frightening pervasiveness of the teenie-bopper Twilight franchise, it’s clear that the vampire story, for one, has come a long way from ‘I vant to suck your blooood.’ Under the shadow of Twilight’s seemingly superficial re-imagining of the Dracula tale, this is an excellent time to re-examine more complex and interesting forays into revisionist monster movies. With clips, selected readings and screenings, this course will look at the implications, questions and cultural concerns raised when filmmakers transpose classic monster tales onto contemporary milieus. Screening Week 1: The Company of Wolves (Neil Jordan, 1984) Screening Week 2: Nadja (Michael Almereyda, 1994)

Tuesdays, April 19,26 + May 3, 6-9pm Instructor: Anna Phelan From monsters under the bed to Monsters Inc., generations of our collective imagination have been preoccupied with boogie men and their various incarnations. Classic monsters like Dracula, Frankenstein or the Werewolf unite our fears as well as cultural reference points; meaning, today, ‘traditional’ monster narratives are so universal that old and young alike can easily identify historical, aesthetic and plot clichés inherent to each classic baddie. But with the recent, frightening pervasiveness of the teenie-bopper Twilight franchise, it’s clear that the vampire story, for one, has come a long way from ‘I vant to suck your blooood.’ Under the shadow of Twilight’s seemingly superficial re-imagining of the Dracula tale, this is an excellent time to re-examine more complex and interesting forays into revisionist monster movies. With clips, selected readings and screenings, this course will look at the implications, questions and cultural concerns raised when filmmakers transpose classic monster tales onto contemporary milieus. Screening Week 1: The Company of Wolves (Neil Jordan, 1984) Screening Week 2: Nadja (Michael Almereyda, 1994)

The dead are among us, and always have been, since the dawn of cinema. From the parasitic, hollow eyed drones of the expressionist era to the monsters of Monogram studios, up through the atomic 1950’s and fully kicking into gear with the the cannibal corpses of George A. Romero; international pop culture’s fascination with zombies has resulted in some of the most relevant and defining works that horror genre has to offer. RUE MORGUE RADIO head honcho Stuart ‘Feedback’ Andrews will take you on a two day journey into the black, putrifying heart of darkness with this exciting, lively and shuddery history of the living dead on-screen.

Saturday March 12 + Sun March 13 – Noon-5pm The dead are among us, and always have been, since the dawn of cinema. From the parasitic, hollow eyed drones of the expressionist era to the monsters of Monogram studios, up through the atomic 1950’s and fully kicking into gear with the the cannibal corpses of George A. Romero; international pop culture’s fascination with zombies has resulted in some of the most relevant and defining works that horror genre has to offer. RUE MORGUE RADIO head honcho Stuart ‘Feedback’ Andrews will take you on a two day journey into the black, putrifying heart of darkness with this exciting, lively and shuddery history of the living dead on-screen. Instructor: STUART ANDREWS Since 2005, Toronto based film journalist Stuart “Feedback” Andrews has been a regular contributor to Rue Morgue Magazine and a spoken word contributor to Rue Morgue Radio where he’s interviewed many of the horror genre’s most celebrated figures.He studied film at Toronto’s York University and was a student of influential genre film critic Robin Wood (Hitchcock’s Films). Excerpts from his career retrospective interview with legendary filmmaker George A. Romero appear on the special features of the Weinstein Company’s 40th anniversary DVD reissue of Night of the Living Dead. He’s also the host of CKLN radio’s long running weekly film show Cinephobia Radio.

REGARD SUR LA NANAROPHILIE : Histoire et théorie de la lecture au deuxième degré (Seulement en Francais) Mercredi 9,16 + 23 Mars, 6-9pm La nanarophilie consiste à regarder un film au deuxième degré dans le but d’en rire. Au lieu de se laisser porter par l’œuvre, le spectateur adopte une position particulière dans laquelle il tire son plaisir des erreurs de production et des intentions manquées du réalisateur. Cette pratique connaît aujourd’hui une certaine popularité auprès d’un public grandissant. Plusieurs amateurs se rassemblent régulièrement dans des bars pour visionner un nanar, un nombre important de sites Web sont consacrés à ce que le cinéma a de pire à offrir et il est désormais courant de trouver au sein de la programmation d’un festival généraliste une projection dite psychotronique. Comme son titre l’indique, le présent séminaire se penchera sur ce phénomène d’un point de vue historique et théorique. En premier lieu, nous tenterons de déterminer le lieu probable de naissance de la nanarophilie et nous suivrons son évolution jusqu’à sa forme actuelle sur Internet. Lors de la deuxième séance, nous aborderons la nanarophilie comme un phénomène de lecture où le spectateur confronte un mauvais film avec sa propre conception d’une œuvre de qualité. Finalement, lors de la dernière séance, nous nous pencherons sur le travail qu’opère Doug Walker, le proclamé «Nostalgia Critic», sur sa mémoire et son rapport personnel avec les films vus lors de son enfance. Nous mènerons également une enquête sur le cas de Birdemic de James Nguyen, une production américaine qui pourrait bien être un intrus. Plusieurs extraits seront présentés dans le cadre des trois séances qui seront toutes suivies d’une projection d’un film à déterminer.

REGARD SUR LA NANAROPHILIE : Histoire et théorie de la lecture au deuxième degré (Seulement en Francais) Mercredi 9,16 + 23 Mars, 6-9pm La nanarophilie consiste à regarder un film au deuxième degré dans le but d’en rire. Au lieu de se laisser porter par l’œuvre, le spectateur adopte une position particulière dans laquelle il tire son plaisir des erreurs de production et des intentions manquées du réalisateur. Cette pratique connaît aujourd’hui une certaine popularité auprès d’un public grandissant. Plusieurs amateurs se rassemblent régulièrement dans des bars pour visionner un nanar, un nombre important de sites Web sont consacrés à ce que le cinéma a de pire à offrir et il est désormais courant de trouver au sein de la programmation d’un festival généraliste une projection dite psychotronique. Comme son titre l’indique, le présent séminaire se penchera sur ce phénomène d’un point de vue historique et théorique. En premier lieu, nous tenterons de déterminer le lieu probable de naissance de la nanarophilie et nous suivrons son évolution jusqu’à sa forme actuelle sur Internet. Lors de la deuxième séance, nous aborderons la nanarophilie comme un phénomène de lecture où le spectateur confronte un mauvais film avec sa propre conception d’une œuvre de qualité. Finalement, lors de la dernière séance, nous nous pencherons sur le travail qu’opère Doug Walker, le proclamé «Nostalgia Critic», sur sa mémoire et son rapport personnel avec les films vus lors de son enfance. Nous mènerons également une enquête sur le cas de Birdemic de James Nguyen, une production américaine qui pourrait bien être un intrus. Plusieurs extraits seront présentés dans le cadre des trois séances qui seront toutes suivies d’une projection d’un film à déterminer. Instructor: Simon Laperrière Simon Laperrière est programmateur pour le Festival Fantasia depuis 2007. Titulaire d’un baccalauréat en littérature comparée et études cinématographiques, il rédige actuellement un mémoire de maîtrise traitant du mythe des snuff movies. En plus d’avoir récemment participé à plusieurs colloques, il a été publié chez Hors Champ, 24 Images, Offscreen et Twitch Film et a, au cours des années, terrorisé plusieurs stations de radio universitaire. Depuis 2010, il dirige à Fantasia « Camera Lucida », une section vouée aux cinémas de genres iconoclaste. Ses intérêts incluent le cinéma contemporain, la littérature ergodique, la fiction-férale  et, bien évidemment, les nanars.

Tuesdays, February 15, 22 + March 1, 6-9pm (Participants under 18 must have a signed permission slip + ratings waiver from a parent or guardian. DOWNLOAD THE PERMISSION SLIP HERE) ‘Giallo’ (pronounced “jahlo”), literally translated from Italian, means “yellow”. The term came to prominence in the late 1920s when Italy’s Mondadori publishing house started issuing murder mystery novels with yellow covers, originally by British and American writers such as Agatha Christie, Raymond Chandler, Ellery Queen and Ed McBain. Once the giallo made the transition from the printed page to the screen in the mid 1960s, beginning with Mario Bava’s The Girl Who Knew Too Much (AKA The Evil Eye) in 1963, an important distinction began to emerge, notably that extended murder setpieces became the artistic centre of the films, often accompanied by bizarre investigatory practices, melodramatic acting and overpowering musical scores. This course looks at the peak period of the Italian giallo film (1963 – 1982) and discusses the historical development of the genre as well as its predominant themes and motifs, placing it contextually within the changing landscape of Italian and European popular cinema. Issues covered include misogyny, paranoia, xenophobia, the sexual revolution, alcoholism and self-medication, and the giallo’s fantasy microcosm of leisure and independent wealth. Key giallo figures whose work will be discussed include Mario Bava, Dario Argento, Sergio Martino, Luciano Ercoli, Umberto Lenzi,  Lucio Fulci, Massimo Dallamano, Ernesto Gastaldi and others. The course will also look at the giallo’s influence on contemporary cinema (most notably the films of Bruno Forzani and Helene Cattet), pop culture, and the curious legacy of J&B Whiskey. Pre-requisite: Misogyny in the Movies, with instructor: Candis Steenbergen