PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Before I go into detail about this special event, I wanted to preface this by saying that Adam Green is my all time favorite modern day director. I have seen everything he has done excluding, his first film Coffee and Doughnuts, which I believe isn’t available anywhere. Not only am I a huge fan of his work, I am also a huge fan of the man himself. He has been a beacon of hope for anyone wanting to make it in the film industry. That being said, let’s get into the night that Victor Crowley came to Michigan!
Once I heard about the surprise unveiling of the fourth part in the Hatchet series, Victor Crowley, I was ridiculously excited! Then I heard the awesome news that Adam Green himself was going to be touring the US, doing one-night screenings of his latest film in the and wouldn’t you know it, he was going to be in a city not too far from me. As soon as the tickets were available, I jumped on Ariescope’s website and purchased two tickets – one for me and one for a friend. Then I just had to wait impatiently for the 21st of October.
When the day finally arrived, I picked up my friend and we drove two hours to Grand Rapids, Michigan. We weren’t too sure on how big of a venue would be, so we wanted to get there early and scope out the place. It was being held at the Urban Institute of Contemporary Arts (UICA). Luckily for us, we got to town with a couple of hours to spare, so we decided to hit up the local brewery and get some much-needed food and beers.
After we had finished up at the Grand Rapids Brewery, we decided to head towards our destination. There was a decent line starting to form and it put a smile on my face to see so many like-minded individuals who were all talking excitedly about the upcoming film. Once we stepped into the theater, I looked to my right and saw Adam Green talking with some of his fans and signing autographs. At that point, I got so excited but nervous at the same time. I was just a few feet away from one of my idols!
Once we were all settled into our seats, Adam stepped up on stage and introduced himself and the film. He started off by saying how excited he was to see so many of his fans out to support him and he gave us a peek behind the curtain as to how and why he decided to revisit the Hatchet series. He told us the story about how his life had been completely devastated by personal events that had taken place over the past couple of years. The passing of his best friend and coworker, GWAR’s Dave Brockie, and the passing of one of his idols and dearest friends, Wes Craven, had turned his world upside down.
He told us that it was during a convention where he was the guest speaker for George A. Romero that he got his inspiration to continue on. After the crowd was applauding for Romero, he turned away and got emotional and that is when George put his arms around him and told him to look long and hard at the crowd. As he did, George was pointing out all the people who were wearing Hatchet shirts in the crowd and he said, ‘They are the reason you should do another Victor Crowley film.” Adam said that night he went home and feverishly started working on a new script. He was inspired.
After his emotionally moving speech, he then told us how he was able to keep this film a secret. It was all about trust with the people he worked with. Sitting down with each person and telling them, one on one, the reason he was doing this, he asked them to keep the project a secret themselves. After saying this, he then asked us to keep the contents of the film to ourselves. He encouraged any writers or bloggers to write up reviews and spread the word, but to do it in a spoiler free fashion. With that being said, he told us to enjoy the film and he walked off stage.
And enjoyed I did! This was a sequel that fits in perfectly with the other Hatchet films in the series. I won’t go into a review of Victor Crowley. That is not my intent for this article. If you want to hear more about the film itself, please check out DD Crowley’s review here. She sums up my thoughts perfectly! Not only was the film a blast, but the crowd we were with made the experience all the more fun. They were all laughing and cheering at the right moments and, once the credits rolled, we all stood up and applauded.
The night, however, did not end there. After the credits, Adam came back on stage and asked us our thoughts. Of course, we all started cheering! Once we all quieted down, he told us that he had someone special waiting to come on stage. That is when he introduced Kane Hodder!
Apparently, Kane was in town for a convention and he wanted to come on stage so we could do a Q & A with him and Adam. This was followed up by a series of questions from the crowd, mainly about the details of the film that I can’t discuss here. The final few questions were directed at Kane Hodder and I took the chance to ask him a question.
My question revolved around something that was talked about on Adam Green and Joe Lynch’s podcast, The Movie Crypt. It was about a specific scene from the tv series Holliston. On the show, there was a scene where Kane punched Joe Lynch and apparently the hit connected. So my question was, “If there was going to be a season 3 of Holliston and if Kane came back, would you want to punch Joe Lynch again?” The crowd laughed, as well as Kane and Adam. Kane’s response was hilarious! He said, “Yes, I would! And fuck Joe Lynch!”
After the Q & A was over, Kane had to leave and Adam told us that he wanted to stay after to meet each and every one of us. Unfortunately, the venue we were at wanted us out of there by midnight and it was already 11:30! Due to the time limit that we had, Adam said that he would have to, unfortunately, make each meeting quick so that he could get to everyone. But being who he is, Adam said that if for some reason he couldn’t get to everyone, then he would meet us outside to continue signing autographs and talking to all of his fans.
So with that being said, we all lined up and waited for our chance to meet him. I think I only waited fifteen minutes before it was my turn. I brought Holliston Season 1 for him to sign and he asked me what I thought of Victor Crowley. I told him I absolutely loved it! The smile that came across his face just shows how much he truly cares about this film and how people will take it. After making small talk for a couple of minutes, I got a photo with him and headed towards the exit.
That is when I noticed his table that had all sorts of merchandise that was available. There was a Victor Crowley skull, a Victor Crowley doll, and a few other things. But what caught my eye was the poster that VIPs got for paying the extra bit of money to meet Adam before the show. This poster is limited to only the Dismember America Tour and is incredible! So, of course, I had to buy it and I asked if he could sign that as well. I told him I wished him the best for the rest of the tour and I thanked him profusely.
Victor Crowley
As we made it back to my car, my friend and I were talking up a storm about how much fun we had. This was one of the most enjoyable experiences that I have ever had and will cherish this night for a very long time. So, if you have the opportunity to go to this one night event I highly recommend it!
