Twin Cities Horror Festival XIII - Day Two: Doctor Clown, The Regular, Campfire Stories, and The Night Parade

Do you want to see something SCARY? Us too! Also, funny and charming and gory and creepy! Do join us at Twin Cities Horror Festival, now in its 13th fabulous year, running October 24 through November 3 at the Crane Theater.

This year, we are seeing all eleven shows in the festival. Check out our other reviews: TCHF XIII - Day One  and Day Three: 

Day Two, we spent nearly six hours at the Crane engrossed in delightful horror theater. Here's what we saw: 

Choices: Twin Cities Horror Festival XII

Show: 
Choices

By:
Dangerous Productions

In Short: 

When a group of old friends show up for a birthday surprise, it becomes very clear that the dream has become a nightmare.

Selected Cast/Creative Info: 

A lot of faces familiar from past Dangerous Production shows including Leif Jurgensen, Jay Kistler, Laura Mahler, Haley McCormick Jenkins, Derek Sykes, Lily Mills, and Chad Heslup. Directed by Tyler Olsen-Highness. 

Our Thoughts:

As we walked out of Girls in Bins, and the Dangerous Productions folks walked in, we spotted the tarp and if you listened to Twin Cities Theater Chat's episode about TCHF, you know what that tarp means. Blood and lots of it, and this production did not disappoint. Set in a cabin in the woods, John is surprised by a group of friends ready to celebrate his birthday. But why is he so distressed? And where is his partner Greg? And who keeps knocking on the door? 

Although this show starts of with drinking games and laughter, as with most Dangerous Production TCHF shows, things go downhill very quickly and we just need to tell you that there are two (2) "Blood Assistants" listed on the program. Need we say more? The action switches between the birthday party shenanigans in the present and more intimate scenes with John and Greg in the near past. We were really struck by how beautifully Director Tyler Olsen-Highness made these scene changes. The lights in the cabin were constantly going out and the scene would continue until suddenly, the lights came back on and we found ourselves in an entirely new scene. The timing was fantastic. 

Although the question of what is in the woods remains a mystery, the cast is engaging and utterly committed, particularly to the gory scare. There's still some laughter along with the gasps at gore, with Jay Kistler's Nic a particularly bright spot. We also really enjoyed Derek Sykes whose portrayal of Greg showcased humor and heart as well as an endearing acceptance of his horrific fate. 

You Should See This If You Like:

Obviously, blood and/or gore, impressive special effects, a little laughter with your scare, and a little heart with your entrails.

Twin Cities Horror Festival VIII - Day Three

Frankenstein by Dangerous Productions
Photo by Dan Norman

Our weekend at the Twin Cities Horror Festival continues with productions by three TCHF favorites: Dangerous Productions, Oncoming Productions, and The Winding Sheet Outfit.

Just to recap: Why We Love TCHF, Day One, Day Two, and our TCHF archives.

Saturday. DAY THREE.

Frankenstein
Dangerous Productions

I hesitate to say much about this show, since the way things are revealed is a great part of the scary fun. The story is told out of order, as if being relived in a characters head. The intricate script and some nifty work with handheld lights make for an unsettling experience in the best possible way. Inspired by Mary Shelley's famous novel, this Frankenstein finds a new way to tell the story, and since it's from Dangerous Productions, there's a fair amount of blood and gore. The performers were all excellent, and the staging is impressive. If you're looking for something scary and different, this is a great bet.

Ah, there's the blood. Frankenstein by Dangerous Productions
Photo by Dan Norman

Geminae
Oncoming Productions

Geminae by Oncoming Productions
Photo by Dan Norman

In Geminae, astronaut Cassie is on a solo space mission that goes awry. Her sister Helen, working from the ground, tries to bring her home, but Cassie is alone. Or is she? This production was originally mounted at the 2018 Fringe Festival, but this was our first viewing. The space effects are neat, and there are some interesting character dynamics, but the eventual supernatural element feels a little underthought. The performances are very good all around, especially from Victoria Pyan as Helen and Leslie Vincent as Cassie, who beautifully depict the relationship between sisters.

...And What Alice Found There
The Winding Sheet Outfit

OMG, these masks! ...And What Alice Found There by
The Winding Sheet Outfit. Photo by Dan Norman

The Winding Sheet Outfit creates works that examine historical events and people, and we've enjoyed their work, though we couldn't get tickets to their hit 2019 Fringe show, You Are Cordially Invited to the Life and Death of Edward Lear, which took home two Golden Lanyard awards. Now the company looks at the relationship between Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, aka Lewis Carroll, and Alice Pleasance Liddell, the girl who first heard the stories that would later be published as Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The show raises more questions than it answers, in a roundabout way that seems to mimic the twists and turns in the mind of Dodgson, played by Kristina Fjellman. The supporting cast of six women play Alice and her sisters, as well as everyone else. And when confronting Dodgson, they sing a discordant setting of one of his poems to a tune that was still running through my head days later. Creepy and fun!

(Jules)

TCHF VI: Skin by Dangerous Productions

Show: Skin

Theater: Dangerous Productions

Genre: Theater, Psychological Gore

What's It All About:
"Black women in search of beauty are lured to the services of a benevolent plastic surgeon. This startling new production by Oya Mae Duchess Davis cuts into the grim truths of racial identity and white privilege in this bloody and terrifying horror story. How far would you go to be beautiful?"

What We Thought:
So far at the TCHF, we've seen psychological horror, dance, short films, dark comedy, and music, but something has been in short supply: GORE. Dangerous Productions, as usual, brings the bloody. This time, however, they also bring a new play by up-and-coming playwright Oya Mae Duchess-Davis that explores the horror that lies behind the fact that "in our society Black women are shamed for having certain features that are then declared beautiful once they are put on a white woman" (from the Director's Note).  This show is thought-provoking, and still a crowd-pleaser. (Not that they are mutually exclusive, I just thought it was interesting that this was the first standing o of the festival for us.). They bring the gore, and they really aim high. I love to see a show with such amazing ambitions and ideas for days.

Twin Cities Horror Festival V: Senseless by Dangerous Productions

What's It About: "​One woman's journey into an underground facility filled with darkness, horror and blood. Tense and terrifying, this nightmare journey drags you beneath the surface of humanity and doesn't let go. Do not bring children. Do not come alone."

You may remember Dangerous Productions's pretty dang memorable production last year of Epidemic.  

Senseless is at least as bloody as Epidemic, if not more so. The protagonist is an author invited to visit a mental facility because of her own experience in an asylum. Despite a host of bad signs, starting with a scary elevator ride down, she proceeds to observe a doctor performing an experimental procedure on the facility's extreme cases. As her visit goes on, it brings up disturbing memories which are amplified by the erratic behavior of the residents.

If You're Sensitive and/or Delicate: This show has a blood technician, you guys. And you'll never think of marshmallows as an innocent treat again.

In Short: Complex, chilling, and gory, this is a delightfully creepy show.

Hot Tip: Dangerous Productions also has super cute tee shirts for sale in the lobby. Can I just say how much I covet the fabulous coffins used as display cases?

Twin Cities Horror Festival IV: Epidemic - Dangerous Productions

Did I mention that I heart Twin Cities Horror Fest, now in its fourth year?  Cause I really do.

Epidemic - Dangerous Productions

"Eleven people are locked in with a killer disease that eats you alive. Terrifying, bloody, and visceral, the newest horror offering from Dangerous Productions explores crowd violence and psychology, and asks the question: 'How would you like to die?'"

Upon entering the theater, the only set appears to be a blood-stained tarp, with a number of actors standing on it looking mysterious.

As a cast member passes out a diagram of Nosi Biotech, Inc. Residential Quarters, a man with a sweater vest and clipboard begins reporting on an epidemic gone wrong. A virus gets loose, people are affected, and the blood begins to spurt. Yes, spurt. Hence the tarp.

As a huge horror film and theater fan, I find gore depicted on stage to be really interesting. Where in films, it can be truly shocking (as in the recent,, gorgeous Crimson Peak), on stage it often has the effect of comedy, particularly when it's over-the-top. I'm thinking also of The Lieutenant of Inishmore, a dark comedy which was so rich in gore that we stayed for a bit and watched the clean-up crew wrestling with all the blood. Is it possible to have a serious, chilling play and also have arterial blood spray? I don't know.

There was a lot going on in this show. I always love a story about rampant virus (see The Stand), and the idea of a virus which isn't what is seems is fascinating, not to mention how people deal with tragedy and fear, particularly in a work-related situation. I'll be interested to see if this play goes on to further development. Can't give you any cast/writing info--the program insert is just the mysterious diagram.

UPDATE! There is a program, and it can be accessed with the QR Code on the diagram. You can also check it out at the Dangerous Productions website. And you should--the photography for this program is GORGEOUS (by Søren Olsen, Gifthorse Photography).

If You're Sensitive and/or Delicate: Oh, it's gory. Real gory. Don't forget to check out Twin Cities Horror Festival's handy genre and ratings guide.