HORROR ACADEMY The three short plays and five monologues comprising Darren Callahan's anthology of creepy tales hark back to the golden age of horror fiction, nowadays associated with gory spectacle. But at one time this literary genre was the favored forum for discussion of the conflicts between science and superstition--or, if you prefer, dispassionate technology and natural law. Director Jeremy Wechsler and the stage combat-oriented Babes With Blades take full advantage of their quarters in a circa 1910 mansion, now the North Lakeside Cultural Center, to lead audiences on a 90-minute tour through speculations on the fate of civilization as we know it. Amid the glut of Halloween theatrical screamfests, Horror Academy provides not only the requisite chills and thrills but food for thought.

Chicago Tribune

This theatrical revue mixes spooky short monologues with three "Twilight Zone"-flavored one-acts, all penned by local playwright Darren Callahan. The evening showcases the skills of the all-female Babes With Blades company; this "Academy" also takes particular advantage of its venue by constantly moving the audience around an old mini-mansion, staging scenes in the creepy basement, on staircases or even in narrow corridors. Watch your back!

WHO IT'S FOR: Anyone who loves old-school horror.

FOG & BLOOD QUOTIENT: High. Fog pumps while you're at the ticket counter. Blood splatters past the front row.

FRIGHT-O-METER: Horrifying

Time Out Magazine

Horror Academy starts with a smashing idea: Take over a turn-of-the-century three-story house; stage spooky monologues and vignettes throughout said house; inject fake fog when needed. The formula's not foolproof, however. Once within the haunted-house setting, we want the bejesus scared out of us, or at a bare minimum, we want stories that live up to the framing device.
And that's where the Babes falter, initially anyway. The stories they offer are a mixed bag, ranging from "too creaky even for The Twilight Zone" to pretty darn creepy. Callahan does his best work with the interstitial monologues; perhaps it's the compressed format, but with the monologues, he's able to gesture provocatively at the hidden horrors of mundane issues, such as aging, motherhood and the dating scene, without overplaying his hand. The vignettes are much dicier, progressing from the disappointing opener, a clunky, obvious tale of vampirism ("Why is all this blood missing from the blood bank?!?"), to the much more effective and unsettling zombie story that ends the evening.

With Horror Academy, the Babes take another step forward in integrating their signature stage combat with drama, a project they started with last year's Affair of Honor. They're still figuring out the best way to build a drama about violence, and sometimes, the seams are all too apparent. But at the better moments-say, whenever the talented Amy Harmon takes to the stage-we see where they're heading, and it's worth fostering. If the product isn't yet perfectly polished theater, it's at the very least a ripping good time.

Daily Herald

"Horror Academy" doesn't seem like a typical Babes With Blades production. The company specializes in plays that celebrate the warrior woman archetype while offering plenty of chances for the actresses to show off their prowess in stage combat. In this anthology of horror stories, most of the struggles are verbal or hand-to-hand. However, its themes remain steeped in female camaraderie, and what the play lacks in swordplay it makes up in tension.

As written by Darren Callahan of Chicago Dramatists, "Academy" is performed in the North Lakeside Cultural Center, a turn-of-the-century mansion located near Loyola University. The play's individual segments, three one-acts broken up by monologues, each take place in a different part of the mansion, and the audience follows a black-robed guide to each. Both the intimate performances and the old building itself contribute to its seasonal thrills, as one feels like they're traversing the stairs of a haunted house as much as watching a play.

Callahan's main stories are neatly-contained portraits of mayhem. In the first, "Three Lines," we meet three sisters employed at a blood bank that is experiencing strange thefts from its stock. Next, health-care workers in the remote South contend with surly, drum-beating locals who hunger for human flesh in "Everything's Different Here." Finally, "Where Is the Breakdown?" presents a young woman with a violent history who wakes up after a deadly accident, at a time when a mysterious malady has killed off all the planet's men.

Although they're not extremely gory (there is some blood but nothing too gruesome), these tales are best suited to adults. From the individual vignettes to the "Red Message" monologues, "Horror Academy" glimpses hurt, haunted women thrust into situations that evoke real-life horror despite the stories' fantastic elements. Babes With Blades capably convey the crucial message of modern horror fiction: Humans are their own worst enemies. After all, vampires, cannibals and zombies don't pose as much a threat as when these women turn on each other.

"Horror Academy," three stars, through Nov. 4 at the North Lakeside Cultural Center, 6219 N. Sheridan Road, Chicago.$18, $15. (773) 880-0016 or www.babeswithblades.org.

Killer Works

Babes With Blood Splatter

It's October, and in the United States (and to a smaller extent Canada) it's undeniably Haunted House season! Thousands of haunted environments spring up for the month leading to Halloween. From the 5 dollar amateur backyard variety to the big professional 45 dollar VIP gig, they all largely consist of thrusting yourself in a long, loud line-up of the under 25yr old crowd to spend 20 minutes fumbling around black hallways into small rooms of jump-at-you scares and chainsaw wielding demonic clowns. And while I'm all for the traditional house scares (Haunted House article coming soon!), I'm pleased to have just discovered a new twist on the Haunted Horror.

The infamous, Chicago, all-female ensemble Babes With Blades have launched a mini, Hitchcock-ian stage play experience; "Horror Academy". This series of three independent "acts" interspersed with smaller vignettes, written by Darren Callahan and directed by Jeremy Wechsler, are aptly set in the turn of the century Gunder Mansion. For 90 minutes you're escorted through dark, foggy corridors and creepy stairwells into disturbing tales of theatrical horror with a range of settings from Victorian blood banks to the Louisiana Bayou.

Babes with Blades are well known for exploring theatrical violence and their lovely trend continues with Horror Academy. Starting with the blades, nurses get slashed and slurped in "Three Lines"; humanitarian volunteers slowly move from needle stabbings to guns and worse in "Everything's Different Here"; and in "Where is the Breakdown?" car crash victims polish things off with a good knife brawling finish! Throughout it all you are a front row voyeur to skilled women battling amongst themselves and the supernatural (vamps, zombies, cannibals, oh my!) all the while surrounded by great sound, eerie sets, and blood splattering effects.
Much like the Haunted Houses scares are seasonal, Horror Academy "classes" are only in session from October 13th to November 4th. That just gives you 3 short weeks to see the Babes in live horror action before they move on to other ventures and venues.

So if you're looking for a thought provoking alternative to the simple boo-gotcha maniac howling down a black light hallway to get your Halloween kicks then get thee to Horror Academy where their motto is, "You Haven't Got a Hope in Hell."

Chicago Sun Times

When faced with zombies, cannibals and vampires, you really need a sword handy. So fall in behind the Babes With Blades -- yep, an all-female troupe of fencing actors -- for their seasonal production, Horror Academy, continuing through Nov. 4 at North Lakeside Cultural Center, 6219 N. Sheridan. Tickets, $10-18, Call (773) 880-0016 or visit www.babeswithblades.com.