by MATTHEW HAYS

Fans of horror may be feeling a tad ripped off by the recent news that Ginger Snaps 2, the sequel to the low-budget Canuck teen werewolf oddity of two years ago, won't have a theatrical release here in Quebec. It seems some bright-light distributors decided the film would only have appeal in English Canada.

Come again??! Have some dimwitted Torontonian suits bothered to pay attention to the runaway success of Fantasia, our summertime film fest, a huge component of which is dedicated to the horror genre? It pains me to have to make the argument here, as it seems so obvious, but it needs to be said again. The Montreal filmgoing market is much different than that of Toronto or Vancouver - the success of Ex-Centris and Parc should be a clear indicator of that, as well as the alternate system of distribution that is the festival circuit. I have received a number of emails regarding Ginger Snaps 2, from frustrated fans who are eager to see it here. I suppose, GS fans, you'll have to simply wait for the DVD release of this film.

In other horror news, I am thrilled to plug FAB Press's latest anthology, Fear Without Frontiers: Horror Cinema Across the Globe, edited by Steven Jay Schneider. The book includes chapters on the sublimely scary from India, Turkey, Austria and the Philippines, as well as killer contributions from local writers Mitch Davis (who interviews Nonzee Nimibutr, Donato Totaro (who sinks his teeth into Italian zombie movies) and Julien Fonfrède (who interviews Takashi Miike) - each one of these submissions alone is enough reason to nab a copy of the book for your library. As per usual with books from FAB Press, Fear Without Frontiers includes a load of beautifully reproduced posters and stills, in colour as well as black and white. Info: www.fabpress.com. By the way, FAB Press will be publishing an anthology of the Mirror's own comix movie reviewer Rick Trembles, in a collection of Motion Picture Purgatory. The plan, as it stands, is to have the book ready for a launch during this summer's Fantasia Fest in July.

Fans of David Wark Griffith won't want to miss this weekend's presentation of two of his most famous films, Birth of a Nation and Intolerance, which screen this Sunday, Feb. 22 at Concordia's Hall Building (at 2p.m. and 7p.m. respectively). Montreal Film Society founder Philippe Spurrell is organizing the screenings, a benefit for his own historical feature, Blanket of Secrecy (now in production), about the burial of black slaves in Quebec. For those who've never seen Griffith's features, they're obviously crucial cinematic events; it's important to note that Spurrell will not be projecting video onto the screen, these are actual celluloid prints - the very best way to experience these epics. Tickets for the screenings are $11.95, $9.95 for students and seniors. Info: 859-9110.

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