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Jay Hernandez in 2006’s “Hostel.”
Sunday, July 8, 2012 | 7:49 p.m.
Bijou Phillips in 2007's "Hostel Part 2."
Evil Dead
Minus5 Ice Bar is ready for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
J.R. Martinez at "Dancing With the Stars: Live in Las Vegas" at the Tropicana.
Gore, terror and blood are the new tourist attractions coming to the Strip, so it’s the ghouls, ghosts and scary surprises of Halloween every night of the year. Bloody Marys take on a whole new meaning -- with its own to-go bar. Director Eli Roth’s Goretorium opening in September promises “the most terrorizing haunt of a lifetime.”
“The Goretorium will be a destination for horror fans and tourists from around the world 365 days a year,” Eli said. “We are creating the most intense live terror experience a person can have incorporating the latest technology with old-fashioned scares. … I’ve spent years planning this, and all my nightmares are finally coming true. No matter which haunted houses you’ve been through, you have never been through anything quite like the Goretorium.”
The multi-level maze of frights “buries” visitors into the tale of Sin City’s most deadly mythical hotel and casino, the Delmont. The self-guided horror experience begins in the lobby and unveils gruesome and ghastly sights of past hotel guest victims and the serial-killing family behind the deeds. Employing high-tech Las Vegas showmanship, the labyrinth of actors, animatronic frights and special effects is contained in a vintage hotel location that looks to rival Cirque du Soleil sets.
Eli’s Goretorium also includes a freaky, 1960s-inspired bar lounge called Baby Dolls with caged zombie dancers and live feedings, a one-of-a-kind horror retail shop and an events venue with a to-go bar called Bloody Mary’s.” Eli’s resume includes the “Hostel” films, “The Last Exorcism” and Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglorious Basterds.”
‘EVIL DEAD THE MUSICAL’: “Evil Dead the Musical” playing late-night Fridays and Saturdays at V Theater in Planet Hollywood’s Miracle Mile is the only 4-D stage production in the world with a “splatter zone.” “Evil Dead” is the story of five college students in an abandoned cabin in the woods who accidentally unleash evil forces that turn them all into demons. It combines elements of the cult classic horror films “Evil Dead,” “Evil Dead 2” and “Army of Darkness” into a crazy, interactive theatrical experience.
Producer-director Sirc Michaels tells me: “The blood will mostly stay within the splatter zone; however, we cannot guarantee that any seat in the house will be completely safe from spray. Ponchos will be available for purchase. It is recommended that guests wear casual clothes. Blood should not stain, but it may.”
The official opening night for the bloody show is July 20. The stage production, which debuted in Las Vegas last October with a successful run at the Onyx Theater, features more than 15 original songs. “This is a giant leap for a show originally produced at the local community level,” Sirc said. “It has gone from being a small local production to a show on the Strip. I’m not sure if that’s happened before, but it’s pretty amazing to be a part of it.”
WICKED WHISPERS & RACY RUMORS
We might be losing famed brands of expensive chocolates and perfumes in our casino resorts and private-party events as a result of the arrest of an international high-roller businessman who lives part-time here in a luxury mansion. He was arrested by IRS agents and charged with running an “elaborate” Ponzi scheme allegedly bilking investors of tens of millions of dollars the past seven years to pay off his substantial multimillion-dollar gambling losses. His wealthy lifestyle included high-roller days and nights in at least two Strip casinos with beautiful women. One was a stunning model whom he gave a luxury car and a home.
Magic superstar Criss Angel keeps his warehouse wrapped in secrecy, but on Saturday for the first time, fans will get a peek inside when he broadcasts his MagicPlace.com internet TV show from there. The “Mindfreak” and Cirque du Soleil “Believe” star at the Luxor has recruited Nathan Burton, “Fantasy” dancers and guests Banachek, Mark Calabrese, Devlin, Stu Stone, Luke Dancy and Sean Fields for the cameras. The first live broadcast Criss produced from his mansion Serenity three weeks ago broke viewing records.
QUICK NOTES
Even though we’ve just passed the halfway mark of 2012, those fabulous “Fantasy” felines at the Luxor shoot their 2013 calendar Monday, which proves that it’s never too early to start thinking about the winter holidays.
Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza is expanding with a new menu and restaurants in McCarran’s new Terminal 3 and in Green Valley this fall.
Minus5 Ice Bar in the Monte Carlo has added a spectacular handcrafted ice sculpture to its icy wonderland. The sculpture was crafted at the ice bar in honor of the 2012 London Summer Games by professional ice sculptor Kurt Herbolsheimer and is an interpretation of the Olympic flame.
ZAPPOS HANDBAG LINE: His company Zappos.com is known as an online shoe sales giant; now it looks as if it also will be known for fancy and feathered vintage handbags. Tony Hsieh has selected ICJUK’s artistic creative director Claire Jane Vranian for his Emerging Designer Program.
Each embellished handbag is a one-of-a-kind work of wearable art made by Claire Jane and adorned with colorful feathers and vintage and new embellishments illustrating decadence, beauty and luxury. Tony’s Emerging Designer Program was conceptualized as a way to give up-and-coming designers an opportunity to showcase their lines exclusively on Zappos.com.
COMEDY KING BEATS ODDS: Las Vegas comedian, singer and impersonator Stephen Sorrentino went to Atlantic City for a two-week gig and wound up beating the odds with a run that extended into three months -- and would’ve gone on longer if he hadn’t previously accepted a run of concert dates opening for a new Debbie Reynolds tour. More than 100,000 people saw Stephen’s show at the Tropicana there, and execs want him to return and travel to other Tropicana casinos. He’s taking his Las Vegas show, band and showgirls to L.A. from Oct. 10-14 as “the Only Vegas Show in Hollywood.”
STAR SURVEILLANCE
Season 13 “Dancing With the Stars” champion J.R. Martinez watched “Dancing With the Stars: Live in Las Vegas” at the Tropicana and afterward posed for backstage photographs with the cast. UFC legend Randy Couture dined at Ri Ra in Mandalay Place. And porn princess Joslyn James has moved back here.
Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.
Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.
Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.
Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.
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