April 2008

Rue Morgue Magazine special "Vampira" Issue Features Her Last Ever Interview

Despite what you may have seen in recent political debates, real journalism is alive and well. We'd like to draw your attention to one shining example, Rue Morgue Magazine's Issue #77, which is truly a must-have for any Vampira fan. It features the last-ever interview with Vampira, conducted just prior to her passing earlier this year; an interview with Vampira: The Movie director Kevin Sean Michaels; Bill Moseley's Travelogue of Terror (describing a trip to Maila Nurmi's final resting place); and many other articles and never-before-seen photos. Gathering information from a wide variety of sources, Rue Morgue has crafted a beautiful and informative tribute to their worthy subject.

You can read brief excerpts from several sections on our Press page, but this is only a miniscule portion to whet your appetite for the full issue. The issue can be found at Borders, Barnes & Noble, and morgues with gift shops, or can be ordered directly from The Official Rue Morgue Shoppe of Horrors.

(We apologize for the delay in adding this to our front page. Our webminion was in hiding because (she claims) she was being hounded by paparazzi. She may have meant actual mosquitoes though. Or vultures -- they do tend to follow her around. Looking hungry.)

Speaking of real journalism, the internet is also alive and well (unlike our webminion). Who Calls The Shots recently posted a lengthy interview with Kevin Sean Michaels. What great questions -- the interviewer clearly did his homework!

Can it be? Are we entering a new era of journalistic integrity? Are vultures circling around mainstream media outlets, while the independent press hatches anew like a zombie chicken (some content in link NSFW)? Will there ever be a YouTube video called "Leave Vampira: The Movie's webminion alone"? Only time will tell -- but as soon as the answer is clear, we'll be sure to post it a month later.

Upcoming Events

• Meet director Kevin Sean Michaels, horror host Penny Dreadful, and editor Alexia Anastasio in Long Island, NY at I-CON 27
  See us at the media table and for a Vampira: The Movie screening on Saturday the 5th at 4:00 PM.
  April 4-6, 2008 at Stony Brook University, NY

• Join us at New York Comic-Con
  New York Comic Con is the East Coast's biggest and most exciting popular culture convention. The show floor plays host to the latest and greatest in comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, toys, movies, and television. Come by and scream at Vampira: The Movie director Kevin Sean Michaels and editor Alexia Anastasio at booth 900-A. There will be a special exclusive Ronn Sutton autographed Vampira: The Movie tribute print for sale at the show. Ronn Sutton is a veteran artist and best known for penciling stories for the Elvira, Mistress of the Dark comic book (Claypool Comics). The print is autographed by Ronn and by Kevin Sean Michaels. The print measures 11" x 17" and costs $20.

  New York Comic Con will be held Friday, April 18 - Sunday, April 20 at the Jacob K. Javits Center in Midtown Manhattan. The Javits Center is located at 655 West 34th Street, New York, NY.

• Meet Kevin Sean Michaels and grindhouse legend Ted V. Mikels at Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors in Los Angeles, CA at our booth and for a panel discussion about Ted's new movie Demon Haunt and Kevin's new doc on Mikels entitled The Wild World of Ted V. Mikels. See MySpace here.
  Fri., Sat. & Sun. April 25 - 27, 2008
  Los Angeles Convention Center
  1201 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA
  Buy tickets here.

Email here to book a screening at your theater or an appearance or lecture by director Kevin Sean Michaels!

March 2008

Vampira: The Movie wins Rondo Award for Best Independent Film

We are thrilled and honored to report that Vampira: The Movie has won this year's Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award for Best Independent Production. This year's Awards had a record number of voters, and we thank every one of them! This year was also special because the Awards were dedicated to the late Maila "Vampira" Nurmi. Director Kevin Sean Michaels had this to say upon hearing of his win:

"It's great that the Rondo awards were dedicated to Maila Nurmi this year, and it's on her behalf I accept this award. It's an amazing honor. There would be no Vampira: The Movie without Maila's collaboration and insight. She loved her fans and wanted to communicate with them by means of the movie because she didn't travel in the last few years. When I go to conventions and screenings, the fans are the most important people to me in the world. Without the fans, you are nothing. After Maila's passing, we feel at VAMP Productions that it's our responsibility to keep Vampira's flame alive. The Rondo Award stands as tribute to the fact that Vampira will never die."

We'd also like to congratulate all the other winners, especially:

• Our friends Penny Dreadful (winner: Favorite Horror Host and Honorable Mention: Best Independent Film) and Svengoolie (Runner-up: Favorite Horror Host).
• The cast and crew of Rob Zombie's Halloween (winner: Best Film of 2007).
• Especially Sid Haig, whose projects had wins or honorable mentions in five (!) categories: Best Film of 2007 (winner: Rob Zombie's Halloween), Best Independent Film (winner: Vampira: The Movie), Best DVD Commentary (Runner-up: Spider Baby), Best Classic DVD (Honorable Mention: Spider Baby), and Best Restoration (Honorable Mention: Spider Baby).
• Rue Morgue, winner of Best Magazine (a title which will only be strengthened by their upcoming issue, featuring the last-ever interview with Maila Nurmi!) and Honorable Mentions for Best Article and Best Cover.
• Screem Magazine, Videoscope Magazine (both Honorable Mention: Best Cover), and Scary Monsters Magazine (winner: Best Cover, Honorable Mention: Best Magazine), all previously seen on our 2007 and 2008 press pages.

Be sure to see the official press release with information about all the categories on the official Rondo Awards website.

As we were talking about our win, our webminion was lurking in a dark corner, overheard us and got so excited that she started coding right away (which seems an unusual way to express excitement, but that's why she's a webminion). She created a table which shows all the winner and vote data, and can be sorted by name or number of votes. (She certainly does like tables, at least judging by how often we see her banging her head on them.) There are also links to official sites and/or where-to-buy for all the winners. So if you're wondering which nominee got the most votes overall, or how many times Spider Baby really won, or want more information about any of these award-winners, check out our Rondo Awards in a sortable table page.

Thanks again to all the voters, and everyone at the Rondo Awards!

The Wild World of Ted V. Mikels Update

Vampira: The Movie director Kevin Sean Michaels and editor Terrence Smith (Lost Suburbia) have completed the first assembly of the new documentary on the filmmaking life of director Ted Mikels, The Wild World of Ted V. Mikels. The doc features interviews with actors Tura Satana, Lila Zaborin, Francine York, Sean Morelli, Shanti and many others. It also gives fans of Mikels's movies a sneak peek at Ted's new movie Demon Haunt. Ted himself will join us at our booth at Fangoria Weekend of Horrors in Los Angeles next month for a panel discussion, screening and signing.

Third Printing

Vampira: The Movie is now in its third print run according to Alpha New Cinema, our distributor. Thank you for the continued support!

From The Runway to the Dollway

Our very talented friend Azrael Renea des Reves has created "Decadent Darkness," a collector's doll that is featured in the Spring 2008 issue of Fashion Doll Quarterly Magazine. His inspiration? Maila Nurmi and Vampira. Congratulations to Azrael on this wonderful bit of press! There is a full page photo on page 118, and then a two page article on 119 - 120. The article reports that Doris Mixon and her company Fashion Boulevard are "joining forces with a very talented designer named Azrael Renea des Reves" and highlights Azrael's design career over the last two years. Azrael mentions in the article that he and his sister Crow showed off the original gown for the premiere of Vampira: The Movie at last July's Comic-Con and at our booth.

Maila Nurmi Laid to Rest

Actor/writer Dana Gould sent us an email stating that thanks to the generous donations and good will of many fans, Maila Nurmi was laid to rest in a lovely, quiet ceremony at Hollywood Forever Cemetery on Sunday, February 17th.

Rondo Awards

There are still a couple of days left to vote for Vampira: The Movie, which is nominated for the coveted Rondo Award in the "Best Independent Production on DVD" category. Rob Zombie gave his endorsement of the award on his official MySpace page stating that "there is a very cool award called the RONDO AWARDS, named after the great Rondo Hatton. Anyway, head over there and vote for HALLOWEEN for best genre movie of 2007. All votes must be in by MARCH 8th so don't delay." So please support Rob, Bill Moseley and Sid Haig while you are there as well.

Upcoming events

• Meet director Kevin Sean Michaels at MegaCon, Orlando, FL, March 7 – 9, 2008
  Orange County Convention Center Hall SB
  Please take note we are across the street in the North/South Building. The South Concourse, located inside the OCCC's South Building, faces International Drive. The street address for the South Concourse is 9899 International Drive, Orlando, FL 32819.

• Meet director Kevin Sean Michaels and editor Alexia Anastasio in Cherry Hill, NJ at Monster Mania Con X.
  March 14 - 16, 2008
  Crowne Plaza Hotel Philadelphia-Cherry Hill
  2349 W. Marlton Pike, Cherry Hill, NJ

• Meet director Kevin Sean Michaels, horror host Penny Dreadful, and editor Alexia Anastasio in Long Island, NY at I-CON 27
  See us at the media table and for a Vampira: The Movie screening on Saturday the 5th at 4:00 PM.
  April 4-6, 2008 at Stony Brook University, NY

• Meet Kevin Sean Michaels and grindhouse legend Ted V. Mikels at Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors in Los Angeles, CA at our booth and for a panel discussion about Ted's new movie Demon Haunt and Kevin's new doc on Mikels entitled The Wild World of Ted V. Mikels. See MySpace here.
  Fri., Sat. & Sun. April 25 - 27, 2008
  Los Angeles Convention Center
  1201 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA
  Buy tickets here.

Email here to book a screening at your theater or an appearance or lecture by director Kevin Sean Michaels!

February 2008

Vampira: The Movie nominated for Rondo Award

We're honored to announce that Vampira: The Movie has been nominated in the "Best Independent Production on DVD" category in the 6th Annual Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards. These awards are for "recognizing the best in monster research, creativity and genre appreciation," and are by fans, for fans, so be sure to vote! This year's awards are dedicated to Maila "Vampira" Nurmi, and there are lots of great nominees in every category. They've added a new category, "Best Horror Host (active) of 2007" -- congratulations to our friends Penny Dreadful, Svengoolie, and Ghoul A Go Go, who've all been nominated, and to all the other nominees as well for upholding the great horror-hosting tradition. Our distributor Alpha Video has been nominated for "Best DVD Company." All the covers nominated for "Best Magazine Cover" are available for viewing on the Rondo Award website. Hey, two of those look very familiar: Screem Magazine #14 and Videoscope Magazine #64 were both previously featured on our 2007 press page!

Kevin Sean Michaels on Fangoria Radio

Big thanks to Dee Snider, Tony Timpone and Debbie Rochon for the great time that Kevin had on the air at Fangoria Radio in New York City on February 1. Kevin was sandwiched between guests George Romero and Jessica Alba. Need we say more?

Dee is organizing a benefit concert for the survivors of the tragic fire at a Great White club gig in Rhode Island back in 2003. The event, billed as "Phoenix Rising! Musicians United to Benefit the Victims of the Station Nightclub Fire," commemorates the fifth anniversary of the Station nightclub tragedy in Rhode Island, the fourth largest nightclub fire in U.S. history which claimed 100 lives and seriously injured 200. Twisted Sister, Tesla, Stryper, Jewel, Tom Scholz, Big & Rich's John Rich and Alabama's Randy Owen will join Dierks Bentley, Kellie Pickler, Gretchen Wilson at a Feb. 25 charity concert at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island. Please support this very good cause.

Upcoming events

2008 is starting to book up already, with showings being planned for the U.S., Finland, South Africa, Germany, and elsewhere. Email here to book a screening at your theater or an appearance or lecture by director Kevin Sean Michaels!

• Vampira: The Movie - Berlin premiere
  Friday, February 15th, 8:15pm
  followed by Plan 9 From Outer Space (10:00pm).
  With editor Alexia Anastasio in person
  Central Kino, Rosenthaler Str. 39, 10178 Berlin, Germany, +49 30 28599973

• Meet composer and first Jason of Friday the 13th fame, and actor Sid Haig signing copies of Vampira: The Movie in Chicago.
  Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors - Chicago, IL area
  Fri., Sat. & Sun. February 22-24, 2008
  Wyndham Chicago O'Hare, 6810 N. Mannheim Rd. Rosemont, Il.
  Buy tickets here.

• Meet director Kevin Sean Michaels and editor Alexia Anastasio in Cherry Hill, NJ at Monster Mania Con X.
  March 14-16, 2008
  Monster Mania X
  Crowne Plaza Hotel Philadelphia-Cherry Hill
  2349 W. Marlton Pike, Cherry Hill, NJ

• Meet director Kevin Sean Michaels, horror host Penny Dreadful, Debbie Rochon and editor Alexia Anastasio in Long Island, NY
  See us at the media table and for a Vampira: The Movie screening, time TBA.
  I-CON 27
  April 4-6, 2008 at Stony Brook University, NY

• Meet Kevin Sean Michaels and grindhouse legend Ted V. Mikels on Los Angeles, CA at our booth and for a panel discussion about Ted's new movie Demon Haunt and Kevin's new doc on Mikels entitled The Wild World of Ted V. Mikels. See MySpace here.
  Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors - Los Angeles, CA
  Fri., Sat. & Sun. April 25 - 27, 2008
  Los Angeles Convention Center
  1201 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA
  Buy tickets here.

Is that Kevin Sean Michaels in The Onion?

Our friends at The Onion found Kevin's doppelgänger and his name is Charles Allesandro. Well, was. As reported in Volume 44, Issue 03 of The Onion, Mr. Allesandro, 41, collapsed and died after choking on a baby back rib, leaving his friends debts of $18 and $125 for the check and a new table at Big Ed's Barbeque. Will Kevin get the sticky bill? See clipping here.

What happened to the comic book?

Several people have asked us whatever happened to the upcoming Vampira: The Movie comic book from Fangoria Comics we had announced back in July 2007. Thanks for asking; what happened is that Fangoria Comics has gone to an early grave. We do have artwork ready to go, so this project isn't dead; it will rise from its coffin when the time is right. We'll be printing as soon as we find another publisher, so watch this space for updates. If you are a publisher interested in publishing the comic book, click here to email Kevin Sean Michaels.

Website updates

Our webminion ran in all excited the other day. At first we thought she'd just found another mouse in her hair -- they do tend to crawl in, even after she dipped her head in those mysterious vats of chemicals we found in the basement -- but actually she just wanted to tell us about some updates she's made to VampiraTheMovie.com. We've updated our FAQ's, and moved 2006 press and 2007 press to their own pages. But if you're looking for something and don't remember where you saw it, it'll be easier to find now that we've added a Google search box at the bottom of every page.

And we've got more exiting news for those of you who use Google Calendar: We've created a publicly-available Vampira: The Movie calendar which you can add to your own Google Calendar. As soon as we add events, they'll automatically show up on your calendar as well!

We'd also like to post a gentle reminder for those of you still using Internet Explorer, which is notoriously buggy and susceptible to viruses. We'll soon be adding more features to this website, and not all are compatible with IE, so if you haven't already switched, what's stopping you? Download Firefox for free now!

January 2008

Maila Nurmi (1921-2008)

Maila Nurmi at home with her dog,
photographed during a break in filming

Message from the director of Vampira: The Movie

Maila Nurmi passed away from natural causes on January 10th, 2008 in Los Angeles. She was 86. The reason there was no official word is that there is no official source of information. She had no manager and was, most of the time, reclusive.

Friday night I made some calls to friends in Los Angeles based upon a blog that was circulating, and many people had heard the news, but I didn't want to post anything here (or, perhaps, believe what I was hearing) without a definitive source. But now the Associated Press has reported the news of her death on Tuesday, January 15th, 2008 based upon information from the L.A. County Coroner's office.

Maila was a great friend of mine, full of wisdom, and a genius. She was one-of-a-kind. When we filmed the documentary, Vampira: The Movie, I had tears in my eyes because she rarely did interviews; I was honored to hear her story and felt that it had to be told to a wider audience. Maila often said that she lived a strange life, but was very proud of her accomplishments.

It is a tribute to Maila's enduring popularity that the documentary is the fastest-selling DVD on Alpha New Cinema to date. It has also played numerous film festivals, and we will be screening the movie in her home country of Finland later this year.

Alexia Anastasio, the editor of Vampira: The Movie, conducted what we believe to be the last interview with Maila three weeks ago as an exclusive for Rue Morgue Magazine. I am currently finishing up a new documentary on grindhouse filmmaker Ted V. Mikels and had to stop work on it temporarily to mourn the loss of Maila.

Thank you, Maila, for all the good cheer.

--
Kevin Sean Michaels
January 15, 2008
New York