Cthulhu vs. Piper: ‘Portal to Hell’ Quebec Premiere Imminent

Canadians ‘A mari usque ad mare’, including the 4.3 percentage of Aboriginal people shall flock to the Portal to Hell Quebec premiere on August 3, 2016.

 A short film directed by Vivieno Caldinelli, Portal to Hell tells a tale of a man who acts as a caretaker to a building that has a plenitude of vexatious tenants; two of whom coerce the property manager into a struggle to contain a cosmic entity.

The following was extracted from the film’s IMDB page:

"A crusty and recluse superintendent is thrown into the ultimate fight against evil when a couple of cultists open a portal to the ancient and mystical city of R’lyeh, awakening a slumbering god."

Matt Watts provides the film’s screenplay along with an acting part in the film as well. My fellow maple leaf enthusiasts may recognize Watts from Ken Finkleman‘s television sitcom The Newsroom– not to be confused with Aaron Sorkin‘s HBO series of the same name. Also in the film are Laura Robinson, Jordan Todosey, Donald Tripe, and Millie Davis.

The late great Rowdy Roddy Piper provided one of his last performances as an actor in Portal to Hell. I’m confident that a superb performance was given. Though I’m not positive Roddy would agree.

Roddy Piper as Jack in ‘Portal to Hell’ -Courtesy of XYZ Films

I didn’t know Roddy personally; but listening to his podcast, Piper’s Pit, I learned a lot about Roddy. He was his own worst critic. I use to cringe from within whenever he would say he hated watching himself or felt he under performed at some endeavor. At times, the Hot Rod would subtlety throw a jab at himself as if Roderick Toombs wasn’t as unperturbed as Roddy Piper.

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Roddy once told a story of a time where he felt confined by confusion. He was despondent due to a lack of stability in his life. He was explaining his temperament to another great man who is no longer with us, Adrian Adonis. Adrian replied by telling Roddy he needed to buy a house in order to provide that sense of immutability for himself and his family. Roddy would later proclaim that the advice saved his life.

Piper endured a tough upbringing. He lived on a Native American reservation in Manitoba at a very young age. He never experienced the meaning of a childhood home. Other than an early inclination to play the bagpipes, Roddy didn’t have many joyful memories or instances of content in his youth.

Roddy Piper ultimately benefited from his early-life deficiencies. His young age at the beginning of his professional wrestling career forced him to mature at a fast pace. He use to say that he would’ve quit but had no other place to go. If Roddy had grown up under better circumstances, I truly believe we wouldn’t have had the pleasure and privilege of watching such a brilliantly talented individual- who just happened to wear kilts and play bagpipes. The latter being a feat in which Roddy became the fifth best bagpipe player in the world as a teenager.

Another person I hold in high regard is the creator of Cthulhu, H.P. Lovecraft. He is heralded as one of the most consequential authors of the 20th century- though while alive, insecurity and other idiosyncrasies led him to live a poverty-stricken life in relative obscurity.

Lovecraft suffered from a form of parasomnia which influenced his work. He eventually created Nightgaunts; a species in the Cthulhu mythos and the Dream Cycle series. In the fullness of time, Lovecraft’s nightmares became what we consider to be literary gold.

Those of you in Montreal be sure to visit le théâtre Concordia Hall on August 2nd. Show time is 10:00 pm. Scheduled concurrently, Portal to Hell will be screened with the full-length film, The Devil’s Candy.

Next: How 'Creepshow' Ruined Cereal For Me Forever

 The films are being showcased by the Fantasia International Film Festival which runs from July 14- August 3, 2016. Tickets are on sale now. For more information, visit the Fantasia Festival website.

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