Universal City, CA- Filmmaker/actor Eli Roth, Christopher Lloyd, veteran horror icon, Sid Haig and “Saw” stars Betsy Russell and Gina Holden will be the honorees at the 2010 “Eyegore Awards,” which will serve as the opening night event at Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights, beginning its 17-night run on Friday, Sept. 24.
Corey Feldman returns as host of the 2010 ceremony and presenters will include Rob and Sheri Zombie, filmmaker Tobe Hooper, “True Blood” vampire Mariana Klaveno and “Saw’s” Costas Mandylor. Excerpts from the ceremony will be shown on the website, www.HalloweenHorrorNights.com/hollywood.
Wearing multiple hats-director, screenwriter, actor and producer-Eli Roth has emerged as one of the top artists in the horror genre. As a director and producer, his “Hostel” films, “Cabin Fever,” and most recently, “The Last Exorcism,” have made his name familiar to all genre fans. And as an actor, he made an indelible impression by wielding a lethal baseball bat in Quentin Tarantino’s Oscar-winning film, “Inglorious Basterds.”
Since making an unforgettable film debut in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” three-time Emmy Award-winner Christopher Lloyd has grown into a screen legend through his roles in TV’s “Taxi,” as a Klingon in “Star Trek III” and as professor Doc Brown in the “Back to the Future” movies. He portrayed Uncle Fester in “The Addams family” movie adaptation and, most recently, appeared in “Piranha.”
Sid Haig has appeared in over 50 films and 350 television shows, working with such iconic directors as Roger Corman and Quentin Tarantino. His horror genre performances in Rob Zombie’s “House of 1000 Corpses,” “The Devil’s Rejects” and “Halloween” have earned awards at the Fangoria-Chainsaw and Spike TV Scream Awards ceremonies.
Betsy Russell has starred as Jill Tuck, aka “Mrs. Jigsaw” in six movies in the “Saw” series. She recently starred in Syfy’s movie, “Mandrake.”
Gina Holden has carved a niche in the horror genre via starring roles in Lifetime’s “Blood Ties” and CBS-TV’s “Harper’s Island.” She’ll soon be seen in “Saw 3D” and is also known to big-screen film audiences through her starring roles in the Flash Gordon series.
Previous Eyegore Award recipients have included Alice Cooper, Patricia Arquette, Janet Leigh, Roger Corman, Jennifer Tilly, Joss Whedon, Rob Zombie, Karen Black, Clive Barker, Tobin Bell, Rick Baker, Julie Benz, Shawnee Smith, Sherri Moon Zombie, Tobe Hooper, Bill Moseley and Corey Feldman.
Universal Studios Hollywood and Rob Zombie have partnered this year to sponsor the “Rob Zombie-Halloween Horror Nights Competition,” offering filmmakers an opportunity to have their scariest short film rewarded with a broadcast on Syfy, a $1,000 cash prize and a trip for two to the Eyegore Awards ceremony, where their film will be honored as part of the event. The ten finalist films can be viewed at http://www.halloweenhorrornights.com/
Halloween Horror Nights will begin on September 24 and continue on consecutive weekends and selected weekday nights through Sunday, October 31. Event dates are: September 24, 25 and October 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 16,17, 21, 22, 23, 24, 28, 29, 30, 31. The event will begin nightly at 7 p.m.; closing hours vary by night throughout the event. Tickets are now on sale at www.HalloweenHorrorNights.com/hollywood including a new “Killer Deal Nights” option, providing discounts of up to $25 for selected dates.
Updates on “Halloween Horror Nights” will be available at HalloweenHorrorNights.com and also on Twitter and Facebook, as Creative Director John Murdy reveals a running chronicle of exclusive information. Fans are invited to follow John Murdy on Twitter at: Twitter.com/HorrorNights or via Facebook at: “Halloween Horror Nights – Hollywood (Official).”
Universal Studios Hollywood, The Entertainment Capital of L.A.SM, is a unit of Universal Parks & Resorts, a division of NBC Universal. NBC Universal is one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May of 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80% owned by General Electric, with 20% controlled by Vivendi.