Horror in January: 28 Years Later.
Joseph Watkins
Why do we crave horror? Why are we drawn to bloodletting, grisly deaths, and the sheer evil that lurks in the basement? From masked slashers like Jason and Michael Myers to supernatural terrors like Candyman, Freddy Kruger and the Devil himself, horror has a way of taking our souls—sometimes literally. Whether it’s a deal with the devil, the zombie apocalypse, or the desperate fight for survival from a deranged forest maniac, we can’t look away. I mean after all, the genre thrives on fear, fascination, and the sickly unknown.
Maybe it’s the dopamine hit that we get when our hearts pound faster or how our breath accelerates when we are on the edge of terror. Horror has this ability to tap into something deep within, perhaps some deep-seated instinctual ability, long dormant that allows us to not only fear what lurks in the shadows but captivates us to see that shadow come alive and bring with it a horrible gruesome death to the unfortunate.
A dance with the devil in the pale of moonlight? Or maybe a slight two step in which she leads, and we follow. Whatever dance we share with death, we flirt with it till we scream and in some twisted way, we continue to come back for more.....
Xero Gravity
And after attending Xero Gravity’s 27th birthday party, where I was dragged into the sewers and drained of my soul, I realized how spectacular horror can be. With a sleight of hand, turning fiction into reality, I saw many in attendance craving blood, zombies, and gore. So, when her 28th took place, I braced myself for something even more intense.
What I experienced wasn’t just a performance...it was a masterpiece in horror.
Orchestrated by “the professionals”, Xero’s event delivered a full macabre experience—offering music, blood, and comedy. Held within the famous OSNYC, the venue provided a wholesome, thrilling, and safe experience.
Bevs
Specialty drinks are always a favorite among the evil ones; dark, mysterious, and a little dangerous. For the 28th, OSNYC x Xero crafted some genuine horror concoctions, going all in on some potent, yet deadly and viral cocktails. Eerie colors, unexpected flavors; the T-Virus, full blue and light going down brought me back to the famed Resident Evil scene when Spence (played by James Purefoy) threw the T-Virus in the basement of the hive. Same color, different effects. Whereas some died and became a zombie, others became looser, calmer, minus the foaming at the mouth.
I also ordered the flavorful Reanimator. IYKYK. The color is synonymous to the fluid used in the 1985 film H.P. Lovecraft’s RE-ANIMATOR. Sweet, strange, and gorily yellow, each sip carried the weight of death and life. It brought me back, alive, different than before and more energetic.
Gaming
Famous for its gaming, OSNYC had the establishment “privatized” for fans of the macabre. Fans were able to play their favorite games, from Nintendo’s Switch to high-speed racing and competitive showdowns. While horror ran free, gaming wasn’t far behind as the blood took pause for Super-Smash Bros, Mortal Kombat, and a horror game or two.
Cosplay
Many cosplayers embraced the blood, gore, and the mystical. Some took on the roles of assassins, mythical creatures, and pure nightmares brought to life with a little makeup, imagination and a deadly virus.
The Main Event.
As we turned our attention toward the main screen, we were greeted by comedian Martin Monster, the scourge buried beneath the bowels of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. As he introduced us to a horror film titled, 28 Years Later, we witnessed Xero Gravity and her co-star Aaimz preparing for a party, a common cold mutating into a virus, and a frantic chase from Bklyn to the doors of OSNYC….
SideNote: I have to note the amazing backdrop. Whereas one would see music, we saw something more sinister: plastic bags filled with bodies that came alive. Hints of blood filled the screen with an occasional show of teeth. Never seen anything like it....
The Horror Show.
Guests had a front-row seat to an exclusive showcase of art, dance, and music, featuring the artistic stylings of Delta Major, Damien Hex, Betty Brash, and Kia Sangria. As StitchBat captivated the audience between acts, we were spellbound—fascinated even as some guests were getting bitten and turning into zombies. A beautiful sight!!
The Horror Raffle
In between the entertainment, Xero provided guests a raffle that was both, nostalgic and a delight: 4 passes for OSNYC, Martin Monster comedy passes, and a series of VHS releases from Retro Release video:
SideNote: Retro Release is an indie company that takes modern films and places them into “retro” form.
But it didn’t stop there, the Icing on the cake were two art prints by the horror mangaka illustrator, writer, entrepreneur, and content creator, Gigi Murakami. Additionally, Gigi’s original story, Viz Media’s RESENTER was also included in this raffle.
SideNote: Gigi channels the dark genius of manga legends like Katsuhiro Otomo, Naoki Urasawa, Kentaro Miura, Satoshi Kon, and Junji Ito. Her art is a wild ride into the Black female experience, mixing spine-chilling horror, mind-bending sci-fi, gritty grindhouse, vintage pulp Americana, and monstrous mayhem straight out of classic creature features.
Musical Vibes, Shoutouts and Loves
Throughout the night, the musical sorcery of DJ Jux conjured us as she dropped the old, the new, and the gore, spinning house, hip-hop, and old-school. Yet, as the music played, another kind of magic lurked in the shadows—Xero Gravity; Journalist, dark fantasy, sci-fi, and horror queen.
Her contributions to the Black Nerd culture in the realm of horror is nothing short of legendary. She carved out a space for Black voices in a genre long haunted by “many of us” dying first in a horror movie. Through her analysis, her contributions to the arts, she dismantles these outdated and stereotyped narratives, proving that Black directors and characters don’t just survive the horror—they define it. Her contributions to the arts have allowed many to see themselves not as disposable victims but as the creators of their own terrifying, powerful, and unforgettable stories.
She finds beauty in the grotesque and feels most alive when she drinks and dines with death. For her, horror isn’t just a 9-to-5—it’s in her blood. Literally.
To her, horror is a friend that comes over for tea, kicks their feet up, and casually recounts the worst of humanity like it’s just another Saturday. For us? Horror is the creature scratching at the window, rattling the lock, waiting for the moment we’re too weak to keep it out. For Xero, she keeps her at bay. And yes, Death is female.
SideNote: Specials guests also appeared showing love for the famed journalist; Gotham Geek Girl, Nicque Marina, LAN Party, Gigi Murakami and many others.
As fans and family gathered to celebrate her 28th, she mesmerized us with the macabre, carving out a space in our hearts with the eerie beauty of a world that fears what it doesn’t understand. As we danced and drank with the unknown, our souls slowly slipped into her world. The dark, the beautiful, the grotesque, hoping never to return.
Respect.
