Collegiate Times

The winner of The Lyric's zombie fest costume contest.

Blood and brains was the theme as the crowd started trickling into the Lyric Theatre last Thursday night.

Sean Kotz, writer, filmmaker and monster movie fan, organized Blacksburg’s first Zombie’s Night Out, screening two horror gems, “Last Man on Earth” and “Night of the Living Dead.”

“This is just about having fun,” Kotz said.

Although he is more a fan of “science gone amok,” the two chosen films for the first Cinema du Fromage event are zombie flicks. Labeled “Cinema of Cheese” in French, Kotz hopes to continue the theme with other special events such as “Science Gone Horribly Wrong” or “I Wish I Was Godzilla,” highlighting other freaky films.

“Most people today consider any horror film more than 20 years old ‘cheesy’ simply because of the special effects,” Kotz said. “However, even cheesy films have their own merits.”

As the lights dim, old “prevues” are screened. The black and white trailers for other monster films set the tone for the night. 

A zombie pageant was held in between film showings.

“I love all of this,” said Lucie Monroe, a contestant in the pageant. “I’ve participated in a few zombie walks. I definitely love this genre.”  

Monroe was one of four contestants who vied for the first annual golden ghoul award. The trophy was a golden statue depicting the opening scene of “Night of the Living Dead.”

But the zombie who walked away with the award was contestant Darren Van Dyke. Van Dyke’s game plan was to be “as bloody as possible.” He scoured Goodwill for clothes to mangle, then added latex paint and blood gel for a ghoulish
appearance.

When asked his traditional pageant question, Van Dyke stayed in character and simply spit blood on paper and handed it to the judge.

“I didn’t really prepare,” Van Dyke said. “I came up with the concept as I was driving over.”

Presiding over the pageant were five community members with surprising expertise of the undead. As per the flier, Cassady Yoder literally sees dead people. Yoder is an anthropologist with Radford University and also writes for the New River Voice.

Another judge, Jack Bennet, is a local filmmaker who recently directed horror thriller “Caprice,” and the program listed town council member Krishna Chachra as “sworn to protect the city from the undead.” Rounding out the judges panel was professor John Boyer and actor and acting teacher Bo Keister.

The night had a philanthropic side as well; proceeds went to the American Heart Association.

“That is a major reason I encourage people to spread the word,” Kotz said. “I would like to do this as often as monthly, and at least 10 percent will always go to the AHA.”

Information for future events can be found at CinemaDuFromage.com or on the Facebook group of the same name.

Lucky for Kotz, the Lyric is always open to do more events.

“We like getting involved with community activities,” said Matt Ford, a senior biochemistry major and Lyric employee.

The Lyric rents out space to organizers such as Kotz who need a venue for their event.

Kotz also worked with other area establishments to promote the event, including Lucie Monroe’s Coffee Co., Actor’s Anonymous Studio and The Easy Chair Coffee Shop.

A version of this article appeared in the Oct 26 issue of the Collegiate Times.