Monsters Wanted is a 2013 documentary film that was directed by Brian Cunningham and Joe Laughrey. [1] The film marks the directorial debut of Laughrey and is the first feature-length documentary by Cunningham. The film, which explores the haunted house industry in Louisville, Kentucky, had its world premiere on July 27, 2013, at FandomFest in Louisville. [2] The film was also released on DVD and VOD August 27, 2013. [3]
The documentary follows Rich Teachout, a businessman who has quit his job in order to focus on cultivating a unique haunted attraction. Together with Janel Nash, the two will work on building and operating the Asylum Haunted Scream park during its first year of operation. The documentary also follows other haunted attractions in the Louisville area. [4]
Critical reception has been positive. [5] Mark L. Miller of Ain't It Cool News wrote that the end seems like "a five minute filler section out of nowhere" but that he "loved almost every second of Monsters Wanted". [6] Culture Crypt gave the film a score of 75, writing, "The story is disjointed at times, and some of the issues are artificially inflated into problems that are resolved quickly. But the film creates a fun portrayal of how disparate personalities with a similar dream find commonality in their passion. And how commitment and community are the key ingredients that bring their unified vision together." [7] Mania.com gave a favorable review, writing, "You can't help but admire the dedication that the entire staff has in the face of all the problems they encounter and days which last 20 hours. Cunningham and Laughrey do a great job of letting the people tell the story as they stay back and just record the drama. For any horror or haunted house them park fan, this is a fascinating look inside the industry." [8]
The film won "Best Documentary" at the 2013 Rhode Island International Horror Film Festival, [9] was an official selection at the 2013 Orlando Film Festival, [10] and was the opening night film at the 2014 Transworld Halloween and Attraction Show. [11]
Robert Lawrence Stine, known by his pen name R.L. Stine, is an American novelist. He is the writer of Goosebumps, a horror fiction novel series which has sold over 400 million copies globally in 35 languages, becoming the second-best-selling book series in history. The series spawned a media franchise including two television series, a video game series, a comic series, and two feature films. Stine has been referred to as the "Stephen King of children's literature".
Amicus Productions was a British film production company, based at Shepperton Studios, England, active between 1962 and 1977. It was founded by American producers and screenwriters Milton Subotsky and Max Rosenberg.
Midnight Syndicate is an American musical duo that has been working primarily in the genre of neoclassical dark ambient music since 1997 and is based in Chardon, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland.
A haunted attraction is a form of live entertainment that simulates visiting haunted locations or experiencing horror scenarios. They usually feature fearsome sets and characters, especially demons, ghosts, skeletons, zombies, monsters, possessed people, witches, serial killers, and slashers. Humorous characters may also be included.
The Showroom Cinema is an independent cinema, café bar and creative workspace contributing to the culture in Sheffield, England.
Horror conventions are gatherings of the community of fans of various forms of horror including horror cinema, goth lifestyle, and occasionally science fiction and fantasy. Historically the focus has been on the cinematic form rather than literature and art, but this has broadened to include all forms in recent years. People in attendance at a horror convention are traditionally known as members of the convention; invited celebrities including film directors and stars are commonly known as guests of the convention, though many professionals including directors will simply attend as members.
Lisa Morton is an American horror author and screenwriter.
FrightFest, also known as Arrow Video FrightFest is an annual film festival held in London and Glasgow. The festival holds three major events each year: a festival running five days over the UK late August Bank Holiday weekend, a Halloween event held in London in late October, and a festival in Glasgow held around February as part of the Glasgow Film Festival.
Adam Green is an American actor, filmmaker and musician, best known for his work in horror and comedy films, including the Hatchet franchise, 2010's Frozen, and the television series Holliston. He was also the lead singer for the hard rock and metal band Haddonfield.
Disaster!: A Major Motion Picture Ride...Starring You! was a dark ride attraction at Universal Studios Florida. Set on a soundstage of a fictitious movie company, Disaster! was based on the park's former Earthquake: The Big One ride, which comically illustrates how special effects are filmed for use in movies. The attraction's climax cast the riders as movie extras for a movie final scene involving an earthquake in a subway station. Using high-speed editing techniques, the riders got to see themselves in the form of a movie trailer that included film sequences shot throughout the attraction's pre-show and main ride.
Universal's Halloween Horror Nights is an annual Halloween-themed event at Universal Studios theme parks in Orlando, Hollywood, Japan and Singapore. The longest-running and most successful iteration of the event, in Orlando, Florida, began as Universal Studios Fright Nights in 1991 as a 3-night event at Universal Studios Florida. The following year, it was re-branded as Halloween Horror Nights, advertised as the "second annual event". Since then, it has evolved into a scare-a-thon event filled with themed haunted houses, scare zones and shows that runs over the course of select nights from early September until late October/early November, inspiring offshoots at other Universal Studios locations across the globe.
American Horror Story (AHS) is an American horror anthology television series created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk for the cable network FX. The first installment in the American Story media franchise, seasons of AHS are mostly conceived as self-contained miniseries, following a different set of characters in a new setting within the same fictional universe, and a storyline with its own "beginning, middle, and end." Some plot elements of each season are loosely inspired by true events. Many actors appear in more than one season, usually playing a new character though sometimes as a returning character, and often playing multiple characters in a season. Evan Peters, Sarah Paulson, and Lily Rabe have returned most frequently, with each having appeared in nine seasons, followed by Frances Conroy and Denis O'Hare who both appear in eight; Emma Roberts, Billie Lourd, and Leslie Grossman appear in six, while other notable actors including Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates, Angela Bassett, Adina Porter, Finn Wittrock, and Jamie Brewer appear in five of the seasons.
Kingseat Hospital was a psychiatric hospital that is considered to be one of New Zealand's notorious haunted locations with over one hundred claims of apparitions being reported, as of 2011. It is located in Karaka, New Zealand, south of Auckland. Since 2005 it has been used as a site for Spookers, a haunted theme park. Spookers is believed to be Australasia's only haunted attraction scream park as of 2011, and "the number 1 Haunted Attraction in the Southern Hemisphere". According to stuff.co.nz, Kingseat Hospital is considered one of the most haunted locations in New Zealand.
Monsters, Inc. is a media franchise produced by Pixar and owned by The Walt Disney Company. The franchise takes place in a fictional universe where monsters are the primary citizens of society and harness the energy of human children to power their cities. The company known as Monsters, Inc. accomplishes this with doors which lead to their bedroom closet doors.
Blumhouse Productions, LLC, doing business as Blumhouse (;), is an American independent film and television production company founded in 2000 by Jason Blum and Amy Israel.
Fright Night Film Fest, also known as Louisville Fright Night Film Fest, is an annual horror film festival in Louisville, Kentucky. The festival was first founded in 2005 by Ken Daniels and is typically held in July at the Galt House, which is famous for housing guests for the Kentucky Derby. The focus of the Fright Night Film Fest focuses on genre films such as horror, science fiction, fantasy, action, and cult from around the world including new films from Asia, Africa, Middle East, Latin America, Europe and North America.
Jessica Cameron is a Canadian horror film actress, director, screenwriter, and producer.
Field of Screams is an American attraction, located in Mountville, Pennsylvania. They estimate that around 75 000 people visit the attraction per annum. Field of Screams is best known for its wide range of horror "theme-park" attractions and branded events such as the Extreme Blackout, Zombie Fun Run, and Friday the 13th.
American Story is an American anthology television franchise consisting of several television series created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk for the cable network FX and FX on Hulu. Each series follows a different genre of fiction, with each individual season conceived as a self-contained miniseries, following a different set of characters and settings, and a story line with its own "beginning, middle, and end." Some plot elements of each season and series are loosely inspired by true events. Many actors appear in more than one season and series, often playing a new character.