The Virtual Fools are proud–and just plain excited– to be returning to Magfest (now in its 8th iteration, though this is our 7th). The event takes place at the “way too nice for a motley crew like us” Hilton Mark Center in Alexandria, Virginia. The imported Italian marble in the lobby contrasts sharply with grown adults dressed as Mega Man.

We are busy this year, just as busy (or busier) than in years past. [Note that I am still working off a "not finalized" schedule in posting this--for updates, follow @bokista on Twitter in case things, god forbid, get moved or delayed].

The whole caboodle kicks off tonight, with an “epic party” inclusive of Shael Riley & The Double-Ice Backfire and Virt concert performances, as well as a pervasive Goldeneye 007 theme.

Our guest/panelist contributions start on Friday. At 5pm in “Panels 1,” we present Game Studies 101, a comprehensive, hour-long introduction to the study of the videogame. We intend to introduce this nascent field and provide scaffolding for the various ways in which scholars discuss games. Then, starting at 6 pm, VF teams up with/against members of X-Strike Studios and PBC Productions in a majestic, bout of theatre-sports moderated improv! Come see your favorite goofballs compete against other goofballs. Time permitting, we’ll also do some long-form.

The Low Score Podcast with Bobby and J (special guest, me) will likely be podcasting on Friday and Saturday, at least once in public, so stop by and find us if so inclined. We’ve got a (thankfully) lighter day on Saturday, but will be made busy by all the great festivities–a definite highlight of which is the Sid Meier “keynote” at 1 pm.

Things get super busy again on Sunday. We are taking part in an illustrious “Gaming Intellectuals” panel from 12-2, with Ryan Soloby (ex of Chromelodeon), Tim Macneil, Robert V. Aldrich, and Shaun Cashman (believe it or not, a schoolmate of mine from NCSU)! In this two hour discussion, likely moderated by Aldrich, we’ll discuss game narratives, providing, hopefully, widely divergent views on their success, usefulness, and evolution.  Shaun’s got a “gaming immersion” panel right after, and the X-Strike Studios “premiere showcase” can surely tide you over until…our Password: Videogame Edition at 6 pm. Hey, remember Password? Need a refresher? We’ve resurrected this red-headed-stepchild of the game show world. Much like last year’s successful Match Game, we’ll be giving many contestants a chance to compete for some pretty nice prizes. There will be fun, jokes, celebrities, quips, zings, voices, impersonations, highs, lows, agonies, defeats, and triumphs.

So that’s what we’ve got planned for you. But there is much, much more. Take a peak at this semi-complete schedule, check the official site for the final deal, come to the convention, greet the New Year with force.

Stay tuned for more Magfest announcements, including a full schedule of our events and guest appearances.

Bobby and J are joined by Kevin and Jimmy for a big Year in Review podcast that you do not want to miss. It also features part two of our dramatic reading of the Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest Worlds of Power novelization and sample some Japanese candy sent to us by GFOTS Erik.

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Music by virt

Lambert, Hendricks & Ross – “Halloween Spooks”

Horror/monster mags have seen better days, because the rises in postage and the high overheads for profitable distribution mean that so many niche publications have become untenable. Thankfully, the people who publish these are passionate and have stuck to their guns. My current favorite–one that all should support–is Shock Cinema Magazine, which along with the similarly excellent Video Watchdog, could be glimpsed briefly in a scene in Death Proof (2007). Taratino knows and loves these magazines, and much of his seemingly inexhaustible knowledge of brilliant old horror films comes from them. Watchdog just celebrated its milestone anniversary, while Shock Cinema just published its first issue in many months. Both are highly worth seeking out!

Two other favorites include the recently revitalized Scarlet: The Film Magazine (I wrote, once for its precursor Scarlet Street magazine). The magazine has always had a passionate staff, and the longer essays are great gateways into a specific subgenre or creative icon in the field. One of the most long-lived magazines is published by somebody who managed to trademark their alternative, movie-reviewing persona: The Phantom of the Movies’ Videoscope has been plugging away for years. I also highly recommend his book, which does thematic clusters and has a depth that similar genre guides seem to lack.

Though my taste tends to run counter, you’ve still got Famous Monsters of Filmland (albeit in a different form), Fangoria (I’ve always felt too well adjusted and pleasant to read this magazine…), and Asian Cult Cinema.

For the more scholarly minded, check out the journal Gothic Studies, the soon-to-be-launched (though this has been the case for several years, now) Horror Studies, or the always lively Irish Journal of Gothic and Horror Studies. The IJGHS is free and online. I’ve contributed to them and they turn out a really thoughtful product.

I’ve done a little digging through YouTube to bring to you today a selection of Halloween related videos that will make you say, “whaaa??” Think of this as the Internet video equivalent of a photo essay.

I can’t help with free consumables, but I can point you to some resources for enjoying foundational horror literature FOR FREE. Think of this as a mini-guide to your Halloween media.

Edgar Allan Poe: A man inseparable from the season. His melancholia was to be the shivery delight of millions. Check out a selection of his stories, care of the Poe Museum in Richmond, VA. Includes “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” and “The Fall of the House of Usher.”

Albrecht Durer, Melencolia I, 1514

Speaking of melancholia, why not read bits of Robert Burton’s brilliant assemblage of 1654, The Anatomy of Melancholy (includes thoughts dark and dreary) .

Three Giants of the Gothic: Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto (1764) is a key work of unsettling Gothic spaces. Walpole was so committed to the idea that he built his own “Gothic Revival” house. Ann Radcliffe’s The Mysteries of Udolpho (1764) should be spoon-fed as a suitable substitute for those who are Twilight crazed. A foundational romance, it blends forbidden love and terror to strong effect. Matthew Gregory Lewis left us The Monk (1796), where the Gothic impulse met up with black magic, The Devil, and all that jazz.

Two Gods of the Gruesome: If you have not read Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (get the 1818 version) since school, you owe it to yourself to give it another shot. Worth every bit of adulation that it has garnered. Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897) remains epistolary brilliance. Of course, Stoker’s The Lair of the White Worm (1911) is equally interesting, if un-PC and a bit strange. Ken Russell made an amazing film of it–better than the book!–and writer John Kenneth Muir recently wrote a piece about said film for my book.

Vampires!: While on the subject, Dr. John Polidori, friend to Lord Byron, wrote The Vampyre in 1819. Fans will want to check out Melinda K. Hayes and her excellent resource Vampiri Europeana, an extensive bibliography of representations of the bloodsuckers. Want films? Try watching Count Dracula and His Vampire Bride (1970), Vampire’s Night Orgy (1970), Vampire’s Kiss (1988, starring Nick Cage!!), and The Vampire Bat (1933) for free!!

Other Kings of the Scary Short: H.P. Lovecraft has legions of devoted fans–check out his approach to horror via Supernatural Horror in Literature (1927, though changed a bit in the 1930s). M.R. James, generally unsung in the United States, has some powerful supernatural tales, especially in Ghost Stories of an Antiquary (1904).

If you can spare a dime…: On the cheap and in your mailbox in a matter of days are Stephen King’s Danse Macabre (1987), a wonderful, personalized guide to his horror views and influences. Jenny Uglow’s The Vintage Book of Ghosts (1997) is one of the best anthologies on apparitions that I know. For the little ones, try the works of John Bellairs–an absolutely formative author of my youth–now mostly available for the cost of postage.

Read (and watch) yourself silly before the big day.

Conventional Dress from Celia Pearce on Vimeo.

Check out the website, too!

Since I recently published a book, I’ve become quite interested in ways that authors/editors get the word out on their latest work. The traditional avenues still remain: print ads in venues where the subject will play well, reviews in publications (even lukewarm ones–at one level, there is no such thing as bad publicity!), and personal appearances for talks, signings, and panels. The author’s presence and interest in the “afterlife” of a book often make it work.

Anyway, this is mostly in recognition of a book and short film by Kevin Jackson. A few months ago, I somehow noticed that the author of several books I had on many disparate topics–let’s say a biography of British filmmaker Humphrey Jennings, a book of interviews with Iain Sinclair, The Oxford Book of Money, and a book on the moose, to scratch the surface–was, in fact, one and the same person.

A simple Google search turned up his latest project, Bite: A Vampire Handbook (published earlier this month by Portabello Books). I haven’t had a chance to get/look at the book yet, but it seems a timely Halloween read. While they’ve arguably been all the rage for the last 100 or so years, vampires really have been all the rage as of late. With Twilight (2008) and Let the Right One In (2008) pock-marking people’s taste before they’ve had a chance to even explain, vampires are in vogue above and beyond their 1990s heyday during the age of Buffy. My personal preference skews toward the goofy vampire movies of the 1970s–Blacula (1972), The Vampire Lovers (1970), Count Yorga, Vampire (1970), Vampyres (1974)–and the foundational vampire lit. But I’m sure the book will contain something, if even in passing, for everyone.

But back to marketing. Jackson made a short film–which works on its own as a terror scenario, but just happens to rightfully promote the book–and is using that, in addition to the obvious promotional channels listed above.

But wait! Horror author Sarah Langan’s recently released Audrey’s Door has an attached short film by friend of VF J.T. Petty.  Again, we’ve got the just promotion of a book mixed with concrete, creepy images!