PROXIES OF FEAR: JCTC Presents Real Life Horrors Halloween Weekend

Jersey City Theater Center (JCTC) Fear series continues with Proxies Of Fear a night of film, music and spoken-word exploring the dangerous impact of media, racism and other real life horrors on our communities. The event includes performances, a hands-on demonstration of horror make-up and special effects, and the screening of Let's Play Dead Girl, an award winning independent horror film.

Proxies of Fear takes place Friday, October 27, 8:00PM to 10:00PM, at Merseles Studios 339-345 Newark Avenue, Jersey City, NJ 07302. For tickets visit www.JCTCenter.org.

JCTC selects topics global in scope yet relevant to the community then explores that theme using visual arts, theater, dance, monologues, and other performances. With Fear - which closes on December 1 - JCTC looks at the personal, cultural and political impact of fright and how Fear can sometimes paralyze while other times encourage us to overcome threats and obstacles.

Proxies of Fear - organized by Cynthya Blandino and Christian A. Morán, who directed Let's Play Dead Girl -examines fear through an inclusive lens and reminds us that while being scared can be fun, not all monsters are imaginary. This multimedia evening also deals with issues of alienation and race and was specifically designed to represent the cultural diversity of Jersey City.

"We are bringing together artists for the show and wanted to make sure that the faces reflect the community of Jersey City," said Morán. "Since the show revolves around Fear, we wanted to showcase urban fears from both African Americans and Latinos. And we are not talking about the boogie man. We wanted to tell real life stories of fear that people of color go through in our country and our daily lives."

The evening is hosted by Edwin "El Miedo" Pagán, a New York-based filmmaker, photographer, cinematographer, screenwriter and cultural activist, best known for Latin Horror, a website and online publication celebrating the colorful history and growing present of Hispanic horror cinema.

Proxies of Fear features live music by Drum and a Tantrum - a duo of Jersey City musicians, Russell de Moose and Julian Altbuch-who will create the appropriately apprehensive mood with horror themes, songs from their latest album and their award winning score of Let's Play Dead Girl.

Performances will include Rashad Wright, spoken-word artist and poet - and Grand Slam Champion of Jersey City Poetry Slam. Wright, an author of several chapbooks and a certified PEP (Peers Educating Peers) peer educator, is a Jersey City-native who grew up in the Greenville neighborhood. He will be performing work related to fear, but manifested in relevant issues of racism and oppression.

Proxies of Fear also goes behind the scenes of horror cinema with an "SFX Make-Up Demo" by Stephanie Albarracin, an Ecuadorian-American and Union City resident. Albarracin is makeup Artist whose work ranges from creating monsters for film to accentuating the beauty of models for fashion runway shows. Her clients include: Norton, MTV, OK! TV USA, Julia Pershuta, Me'shell Mgdegocello, Silke Debler, and David Broza.

Carpet style video interviews with audience members will be broadcasted live by Fly Carmichael - known as FLY - a Newark-native and host of HOLDTHECHASER podcast.

The evening concludes with the screening of Let's Play Dead Girl. Inspired by a real life incident -the "Slender Man Stabbing," Let's Play Dead Girl is a cautionary tale about two best friends, who created a website for a mystical being living in their imagination, an obsession that soon spirals into murder. The film - which was officially selected at 21 festivals - has accumulated 25 nominations and 15 awards. In addition to the actual murder, the film's themes explore alienation, media obsessions and the influence of the internet on our lives and values.

The grisly true story on which the film is based - where two 12 year old girls fatally stabbed their friend 19 times - is again in the news. A trial was held this summer, and on October 5th, one of the girls pleaded guilty and was committed to a Wisconsin State Mental Hospital.

Following the film will be a Talk-Back, moderated by Pagán, with Morán, Wright and Albarracin. Sponsors of the event are Latin Horror, Shirley's Coquito, HOLDTHECHASER podcast, and O'LaLa Empanadas (who will be providing food at the show).

Morán is an award winning filmmaker who has worked on feature films, shorts, music videos and documentaries. As a Production Manager and Senior Editor, he has worked on and revived numerous Cult and Horror titles such as Zombie 2, Ichi the Killer, One Missed Call and Shadow: Dead Riot, starring Tony Todd of Candyman. Christian has also worked on animated titles including Invader Zim, Berserk and Voltron: Defender of the Universe. Other films directed by Morán include Silentious (2013), Flawed God (2014), and Halloween Treat (2014). Currently, he is working with legendary producer Roger Corman.

Photo: Christian A. Morán, director of Let's Play Dead Girl.

To post a comment, you must register and login.