Support Andrew Divoff’s fundraiser!

On August 8, 2018 By Erica L. WrightIn Horrific movies, Personal life, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Brewfest 2016 — Andrew Divoff and I at the 2016 Lake Arrowhead Brewfest.

It’s about time for the Lake Arrowhead Brewfest again! As some My Horrific Life readers know, I’ve attended the Brewfest every year since 2015 as a volunteer at Andrew Divoff’s table, and I’ll be present this year as well. I met Andrew at a charity fundraiser in 2014, and have since met all kinds of celebrity guests with all kinds of personalities (a few of them contenders for their own horror stories). I’ll tell you this: Andrew is the real deal. He’s one of the truest, kindest, and most genuine people I know. He’s always giving someone a hand and looking for ways to improve his community.

As with previous years, Andrew is donating 100% of this week’s sales of merchandise on his website to benefit the Mountain Film and Theater Arts Committee (MFTAC), which provides scholarships to young people who want to pursue careers in the performing arts. This online fundraiser will run until the day of the 2018 Brewfest on August 11.

If you are lucky enough to be able to attend the Brewfest in person, Andrew is requesting a $5 donation to try his beer (with unlimited refills). In addition to his Djinn’s HellaBrew, Andrew’s brewery Three Marm Brewing will de debuting two new flavors, the Trugger’s Logger Lager and Cowboy IPA. In addition to donating 100% beer sold at the Brewfest to charity, Andrew will also sell autographs, T-shirts, barware, and other merchandise to benefit MFTAC. Buy your tickets to the Lake Arrowhead Brewfest here.

I will be there as well to help with bartending and other tasks, and will follow up with news about Andrew’s other community efforts, which include maintaining healthy forests in the San Bernardino mountains.

Demons (2017): Southern Gothic

On October 11, 2017May 18, 2018 By Erica L. WrightIn Horrific moviesLeave a comment

Demons poster

Andrew Divoff has been a busy man. He recently starred in Michael Kehoe’s film The Hatred, and is in the process of launching his own brewery. Last Friday, his newest film, Demons(directed by Miles Doleac) was released in theaters and VOD. I can say without reservation that I thoroughly enjoyed Demons, in part because it runs counter to common horror film tropes.

The plot bears some similarity to The Last Exorcism, insofar that a fanatical father requests that a skeptical minister exorcize his daughter, who may or may not be demon-possessed. Divoff portrays the afflicted girl’s father, and he is a scene-stealer in that role. It would be too simplistic to merely label his character, Jasper Grant, as another “bad guy.” Jasper does some awful things to his children, but with good intentions, because he is entirely sincere in his religious beliefs. This element could have come off as campy or otherwise derailed the film, but Divoff handles it beautifully. The character’s love for his children shines through enough that you can’t hate Jasper, even though his religious beliefs are destructive.

Demons runs counter to horror film tropes in its depiction of women, particularly the character Lara (Kristina Emerson). Introduced in the present-day timeline as a friend of Jasper’s surviving daughter Kayleigh, Lara initially seems like the sort of character who is written out early. That is, she spends a lot of time naked, has purple hair, and has a lot of unconventional ideas about spirituality and social norms. In fact, she is a psychologically healthy character whose spiritual views and lifestyle serve as a counterbalance to Jasper’s shame-based religious attitudes.

There is also a twist ending that I flat-out did not expect, but if fully in keeping with the fact that many characters are not what they seem. This is certainly true of Father Colin (portrayed by writer-director Miles Doleac), who is skeptical that a demon possession is actually taking place. Father Colin also goes against expectations by leaving the priesthood to marry the afflicted girl’s sister, Kayleigh (Lindsay Anne Williams).

You won’t find many jump-scares in Demons, but you will find solid psychological and religious horror.

Check out the trailer for Demons below and order your copy today.

Exclusive photos: The Hatred Signing at Dark Delicacies

On September 19, 2017May 18, 2018 By Erica L. WrightIn Horrific moviesLeave a comment

On September 16, Michael Kehoe, Andrew Divoff, Sarah Davenport, Amanda Wyss, Gabrielle Bourne, Musetta Vander, and Gary Tunnicliffe appeared at Dark Delicacies to promote their new film, The Hatred. Michael Kehoe and Andrew Divoff were kind enough to share exclusive photos from the event.

Left to right: Sarah Davenport, Dark Del, Amanda Wyss, and Michael Kehoe.

imagejpeg_2 — Cast and crew of The Hatred had a fun and busy evening of signing copies of the DVD for fans.

Sarah Davenport portrayed Regan in the film.

imagejpeg_1 — Left to right: Amanda Wyss, Andrew Divoff, Musetta Vander, and Michael Kehoe.

Andrew Divoff is hanging out with leading ladies Gabrielle Bourne and Sarah Davenport.

The Hatred (2017): "In death we are free"

On September 13, 2017 By Erica L. WrightIn Horrific movies2 Comments

The Hatred, (directed by Michael G. Kehoe and starring Andrew Divoff, David Naughton, Amanda Wyss, Sarah Davenport, Gabrielle Bourne, Bailey Corman, Alisha Wainwright, Nina Siemaszko, Shae Smolik, and Darby Walker) was released on DVD/Blu yesterday. I’m very excited about the upcoming podcast interview with Michael Kehoe, and Andrew Divoff’s upcoming announcement of his new business venture, Three Marm Brewing. In the meantime, I’ll share my thoughts about the film itself.

Without revealing major spoilers, the first part of the film takes place in 1968, in which former Nazi soldier Samuel Sears (Andrew Divoff) has assimilated into American society as a reclusive farmer. He receives an amulet in the mail from one of his Nazi associates, and the amulet prompts a series of violent events at the farmhouse. In the present day, a group of young women on a weekend retreat at the old farmhouse encounter the amulet’s evil influence along with the ghosts of Sears’ family.

The trailer looked massively creepy, but the scenes involving the four young women in the present-day scenes made me a bit worried that the film itself would involve a bunch of shallow, bubble-headed bimboes being terrorized in typical slasher film fashion. Fortunately, I was very wrong about this point. The young women are actually intelligent and inquisitive. One of the funniest moments that counters audience expectations is when the blonde Samantha (Bailey Corman, the niece of Roger Corman) not only recognizes a gruesome artifact as an 11th century Viking death mask, but also exclaims, “I’m in heaven!” Later, Samantha is revealed to be a scholar and serious history buff. Once the malevolent supernatural activity really kicks off, the young women react by researching the history and properties of the amulet rather than becoming hysterical.

The film’s performances are solid. Darby Walker is great as Sears’ daughter, Alice, who meets an unpleasant end early in the film. Andrew Divoff is phenomenal as the ex-Nazi Samuel Sears. He’s as menacing as you would expect, based on Andrew’s other bad-guy roles, but he also shows some sensitivity and emotional vulnerability in some of the scenes, adding complexity to his overbearing, authoritarian patriarch character. There are also some unanswered questions about this character and his relationship to the local Sheriff. It seems like the Sheriff has some skeletons in his own closet, and Sears leverages this knowledge to prevent the Sheriff from conducting any serious investigation into Alice’s disappearance, or from outing Sears as a former Nazi.

Don’t go into this movie expecting a T&A slasher film, or even blood and gore. (Though there is a flashback sequence that makes me wonder if Sears disemboweled and taxidermied Alice.) Instead, it’s a character-centric ghost story with an emphasis on atmosphere and spookiness. Pick up your copy of The Hatred on Blu-ray today! Also, those of you in Southern California can meet director Michael Kehoe, FX designer Gary Tunnicliffe, and cast members Andrew Divoff, Sarah Davenport, Amanda Wyss, Gabrielle Bourne, Musetta Vander, and Nina Siemaszko at Dark Delicacies on September 16, 2017.

UPDATED: Andrew Divoff debuts new beer, raises funds for MFTAC

On August 15, 2017 By Erica L. WrightIn Horrific HobbiesLeave a comment

Andrew shows off his certificate of appreciation at the 8th Annual Lake Arrowhead Brewfest.

Once again, Wishmaster star Andrew Divoff poured his Djinn’s Hellabrew (read about last year’s pour here), and debuted a new beer, MYSTIC, which is a stout subtly flavored with Caribbean spices.

In the video below, Andrew and other brewers receive awards and special recognition for their participation in the Brewfest. Andrew also talks about his charity fundraiser, the Mountain Film and Theater Arts Committee, which provides scholarships to individuals who wish to pursue a career in the performing arts. Andrew’s work for charity over the years has been inspiring, with 100% of the proceeds from his beer and event merchandise supporting non-profits such as Smile Train and Operation Provider. We are happy to announce that Andrew met his fundraising goal for MFTAC this year!

Introducing the Justin Beahm Radio Hour

On November 27, 2016 By Erica L. WrightIn podcast2 Comments

In case you haven’t caught it, my dear friend Justin Beahm started his own podcast earlier this year, The Justin Beahm Radio Hour. You may already know Justin through his work as a writer with Fangoria and many other horror magazines, as well as the producer of many Blu-ray special editions of great horror films. And of course, Justin had a leading role in Silk, which was previously reviewed on this blog. In his podcast, Justin conducts thoughtful interviews with a variety of people in the horror film industry.

Episode 6 of Justin’s show is a real treat, because Justin interviewed my friend Andrew Divoff. This episode is special not only because I can hear two good friends’ voices, but also because this may be the most in-depth and personal interview Andrew has given.

Check out Episode 6 here.

Support Justin’s work by subscribing to his podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, and Youtube.

Horrorhound Indianapolis 2016

On September 24, 2016 By Erica L. WrightIn Horrific Hobbies, Personal life1 Comment

This was my first year attending a Horrorhound show, and it ranks as one of my top conventions along with Crypticon KC and Rock and Shock. There are bigger shows with more guests, but in my experience, bigger shows are less pleasant for the simple reason that one may end up waiting in line two hours to speak to a guest for all of 30 seconds, and paying $80 (or more) for a single autograph. Then, if you want a photo with a guest, the only option is paying another $100-250 for a professional photo op, in which one is herded through something resembling an assembly line process. Brutally efficient, but basically, one is paying more for less. Perhaps I’m being a bit of a curmudgeon here, because the fans I met at the bigger conventions felt that this was money well spent. If autograph collecting is your thing, and you have the cash, I won’t further besmirch your enjoyment of such venues.

My priorities are a bit different regarding what I look for in a convention experience. Perhaps I was spoiled by my first convention experiences, because I got to spend a significant amount of time with some of the guests, whom I now consider my friends due to our ongoing communication. While I do have a modest collection of autographs, I’m more interested in the various guests as people, and not just for their respective work products. What are autographs compared to getting advice from Andrew Divoff on learning foreign languages (he speaks eight), insight into Ted Raimi’s daily routines for maximal productivity, not to mention guests’ personal stories that are never discussed in interviews? Horrorhound Indianapolis was one of those rare conventions that was big enough to never become dull, but small enough that there were ample opportunities to have extended conversations with guests, several of whom interacted with fans at the hotel bar.

Aside from my friend Andrew Divoff’s appearance, an added bonus was the Wishmaster reunion, which included the film’s director and special effects artist Robert Kurtzman, lead actress Tammy Lauren (her first convention appearance), and supporting actors Tony Todd (best known for his role in Candyman), and Ted Raimi (also of Xena: Warrior Princess and the second season of Ash vs the Evil Dead ). This was my first time meeting Ted Raimi, who was one of the nicest guests I’ve met, but also quite intellectual and a fascinating conversationalist. Other personal highlights included meeting Bernard Rose, the director of Candyman and the criminally underrated Snuff Movie, a smart meta-critique of reality television and digital surveillance; and meeting Piper Laurie (Carrie and many other films), who now has her memoir Learning to Live Out Loud: A Memoir in print and audiobook edition. While most conventions concentrate heavily on films and filmmakers, I was pleased to see many book vendors and authors at the event, including John Everson, author of the outstanding horror novel Nightwhere.

As with all good conventions, there were ample activities aside from celebrity signings. I only attended two panels, both of which were outstanding. The Candyman panel featured some of the most thoughtful discussions of racism, classism, and other social divides. The Wishmaster panel not only had great behind-the-scenes story about that film, but also an odd and hilarious backstory about the casting of actual prostitutes as extras in Ted Raimi’s 1993 film Skinner [VHS]. There was also an ongoing film festival, most of which I missed. However, I made a point of seeing the new Kevin Smith film Yoga Hosers, which is a loose follow-up to his film Tusk. Yoga Hosers follows the two Colleens, who worked as clerks in Tusk. But as the film’ s effects artist Robert Kurtzman stated, despite a few horrific effects and monsters, Yoga Hosers isn’t a horror film at all, but rather more of a teen movie with a lot of smart one-liners. I think fans will enjoy Yoga Hosers if they keep that in mind; it wasn’t at all scary, but I don’t remember the last time I laughed so hard at a screening.

And, of course, there was also the convention-within-the-convention, Maskfest, which showcased an astounding array of masks and other costume accessories. I nearly went home with a set of Maleficent or Black Phillip-style horns, until I considered I have so few opportunities to wear such things.

Even though four days of sleep deprivation from these activities left me broken and beaten upon my return home, Horrorhound Indianapolis is a show I want to attend again!

Djinn's Hellabrew at the 7th Annual Lake Arrowhead Brewfest

On August 30, 2016 By Erica L. WrightIn Horrific Hobbies, Personal lifeLeave a comment

Andrew Divoff returned with his Djinn’s Hellabrew to the Lake Arrowhead Brewfest earlier this August. This batch of Hellabrew amped up the heat factor with the habernero pepper notes at the forefront, but still refreshing enough to win over those with an aversion to spiciness. This was the last collaboration between Andrew and Wicks Brewing Co. to produce the Hellabrew, due to Wicks entering a contract to produce another client’s beer for large-scale distribution.

Andrew Divoff and Ryan Wicks of Wicks Brewing Co.

As with last year, it was a special experience for me to assist Andrew at the Brewfest. Andrew is one of the nicest people I know, and he has a genuine care for his community.

Andrew and I before the start of Brewfest chaos.

This year was special, because Andrew raised money at the pour and on his website for a new scholarship benefitting two Rim High School students who wish to pursue a career in the arts. By the end of the Brewfest, Andrew raised more than double his original fundraising goal, which will allow each student to receive $1,000. As a pleasant surprise, Andrew was recognized by California state senator Mike Morrell for his work benefitting the surrounding mountain communities.

For updates about the Djinn’s Hellabrew and upcoming pours, visit his Three Marm Brewing page on Facebook.

Beer Review: Djinn’s Hellabrew

On August 17, 2015 By Erica L. WrightIn Horrific movies, Personal lifeLeave a comment

The Djinn’s Hellabrew is a unique beer developed by film actor Andrew Divoff, and named for his malevolent character in the first two Wishmaster movies.

I first met Andrew at a charity event last year. What an all-around great guy! Andrew is a genuinely kind person who likes to “pay it forward” by fundraising for a variety of good causes. It was a delight to volunteer his second pour of his Hellabrew at the 6^th Annual Lake Arrowhead Brewfest. Proceeds benefitted Operation Provider.

IMG_3381 - Version 2

I was fortunate enough to experience both the original Djinn’s Hellabrew (poured at Rock and Shock 2014 near Boston) and the new, modified recipe. While I found the original Hellabrew quite enjoyable, the heat from the habanero peppers could be too intense for some beer enthusiasts. The new beer (served on August 8, 2015) dialed back the heat somewhat, allowing more subtle flavors to come forward. The result is an unique Belgian strong golden ale with a mildly spicy aroma, Persian lime flavor, and a habanero finish that warms the throat, yet dissipates quickly enough to remain refreshing. This pleasantly complex ale can also be served as a “bloody beer” with the addition of a spicy Bloody Mary mix.

The Hellabrew was a huge success with those in attendance, with many people coming back for multiple refills and stating that it was their favorite beer at the festival. Word of mouth generated so much interest that the kegs were tapped out an hour before the end of the Brewfest. Fingers crossed that this awesome beer gets widespread distribution soon. For information about future distribution of the Djinn’s Hellabrew and future pours, contact Three Marm Brewing, or contact Andrew at his Facebook page.