Gravity and Ghost Stories

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Spooky Friday: Camp Bubbler and the Wisconsin Book Festival pair up for a night of horror, camp and crafts, and a book reading from Adam Rockoff, author of The Horror of It All.

The Horror Of It All

07/10/2015 - 8:00pm

Central Library - Third Floor

All is not right at Camp Bubbler… legend has it after the incident with a top heavy card catalog and tragic death of the Librarian all those years ago, mysterious things have started happening on the anniversary of the gruesome event each July. Campers take heed Night Light is about to go Dark…  July 10th from 8-11pm at Central Library, Join (Camp) Bubbler and the Wisconsin Book Festival for a thrilling night of horror, camp, and crafts.  

See author, screenwriter, and horror movie mogul Adam Rockoff with his new book "The Horror of it all: One Moviegoer's Love Affair with Masked Maniacs, Frightened Virgins, and the Living Dead."  With screenings of some of the classics and epic trailers.  Rockoff tells us his own often funny, personal story of discovering horror movies as a kid in his local video store in suburban New Jersey and going on to write and produce his own films. At the same time, he delivers a comprehensive and entertaining history of the genre, including its evolving relationship to shock culture and commercialism, and its connections to figures as varied as Tipper Gore, Charlie Sheen, and Siskel & Ebert. In his spirited critical analysis of the most revered and slandered horror movies, Rockoff is unafraid to defy accepted interpretations, and he finds virtues in the most maligned and forgotten movies and unabashedly takes down what he sees as the most overrated movies. With original commentary and unique insight, Rockoff gets to the heart of why fans have been persistently attracted to graphic images of violence and fear even as they’re repulsed by them.   Gripping and engaging, THE HORROR OF IT ALL is a must-read for film nerds, fans of the horror industry, and anyone fascinated by the enduring popularity of the genre.  

Come dressed as your favorite terrifying villain, slayer, or horror movie archetype and see if you can be the Last Girl (or guy) standing. (Maybe we will finally get to see the merman!) Earn Camp Bubbler merit badges for horror movie trivia and costume ingenuity, screen print your own Camp Bubbler bandana for your Camp uniform, and get crafty with the Camp Bubbler councilors to make a creepsake to send home to mommy.  

Reenact your favorite terrifying movie moments in our Shadow Play Photo Booth. And gather round the campfire for ghost stories, but trade your kumbai yas for a nice glass of Chianti (skip the fava beans) from Forequarter.  

Be awed by the supernatural with an art opening in the Diane Endres Ballweg Gallery of "Gravity" by Jeremy Wineber, as well as new gallery exhibits on the 1st and 2nd floors from Luke Johnson and Rochelle Martin.  

Doors open at 8pm. Author reading at 9pm. Drinks and mayhem all night.  

About Presenter Adam Rockoff

Adam Rockoff is the screenwriter of Wicked Lake, a film so depraved it caused Ron Jeremy to storm out of the theater in anger. However, his 2010 adaptation of the classic exploitation film, I Spit on Your Grave, received nearly unanimous praise from horror critics. His first book, Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film, 1978-1986, a critical examination of the slasher genre, was made into a documentary which premiered on STARZ. When he’s not getting his hands bloody, Rockoff runs the television production company, FlashRock Films.