ManiaFest 2003 announces more guests, movies

By: Patrick Sauriol
Date: Friday, August 01, 2003

More celebrity guests have been announced for ManiaFest 2003, this fall's genre film festival. Presented in association with Cinescape magazine, ManiaFest is a four-day celebration of fantasy, science fiction and horror filmmakers and creators taking place in Santa Monica, CA from September 18 to 21.

On Friday September 19 the "Masters of Horror" panel will be held. Horror novelist Clive Barker (HELLRAISER), director Tobe Hooper (POLTERGEIST) and director George Romero (NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD) will be joined by Cinescape's Editor-in-Chief Anthony C. Ferrante in a discussion about what scares us in horror films. Screenings of such classic horror films as HALLOWEEN, A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, HELLRAISER, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD and PUMPKINHEAD will be shown to attendees. At 11:00 PM that night, a special question and answer session with the stars and filmmakers from the FRIDAY THE 13TH series of movies will be held, and a special announcement concerning the future of the FRIDAY THE 13TH series will also be made. Then, precisely at midnight, a special screening of the first FRIDAY THE 13TH movie will take place. Be the first to find out what's in store for Jason in the future!

On Saturday, September 20 the "Anime" panel will go ahead, with Cinescape Associate Editor Chris Wyatt moderating. TokyoPop, one of America's leading publishers of anime, is hosting the panel. Be on the lookout for news updates about who will be on the panel! Screenings to be held that day include GHOST IN THE SHELL, COWBOY BEBOP, LUPIN III, AKIRA and JUNKERS COME HERE. A special screening of PREDATOR will also be held.


Then on Sunday, September 21 the "Comic Books to Film" panel gets underway. Moderated by Eric Moro, Cinescape's Executive Editor, some of comics top creators and talent will be talking about translating superheroes to the silver screen. Panelists will include X-MEN screenwriter David Hayter, THE SCORPION KING director Chuck Russell, BATMAN producer Michael Uslan, HELLBOY and BLADE II director Guillermo del Toro and one of the industry's legends, co-creator of Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, Hulk and many more of Marvel's superheroes, Stan "The Man" Lee! The panel is hosted by CrossGen Comics. Screenings of BATMAN, BLADE and Chuck Russell's THE MASK will be held along with a special presentation of THE TERMINATOR.

Tickets for ManiaFest 2003 can be purchased online or in person at a ManiaFest vendor. Click here for details on ticket prices and scheduling and stay tuned for more breaking info about ManiaFest 2003!


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