Voltaire: Puppet Master of the Macabre to perform at Fantasia

Last Updated on July 23, 2021

As I’m sure you are well aware by now, the Fantasia international film festival is currently underway up in Montreal. The festivities come to an end next weekend, but not before Voltaire takes the stage. Voltaire: Puppet Master of the Macabre will perform on Friday, August 5 at 8pm at the DB Clarke Theatre.

Described as crooner of the macabre, Voltaire promises a darkly comic evening of movies and music. The event is presented by Le Cinéclub: The Film Society. Here’s a bit more about what to look forward to:

Hard to categorize, this uniquely talented singer/performer is a major hit on the comic and fan convention circuit and creator of wicked comic books, spooky animated shorts and strange toys. Voltaire’s original music can best be described as a collection of murder ballads, tongue-in-cheek exercises in the macabre, with just enough bawdy songs about STAR TREK and STAR WARS to keep an audience rolling in the aisles. His live shows are full of stories and games, not unlike sitting around a fire while an old friend regales you with odd tales. This New Yorker has been touring and writing music for 15 years and has eight albums to his credit, most on Projekt Records.

Citing Ray Harryhausen as an early influence, he began making shorts on super 8mm. He then moved on to Bosch-inspired stop-motion inserts on MTV as well as brilliant, award-winning shorts presented at Fantasia in past years. Expressly for Fantasia’s fans, Voltaire will host a mini-conference on the magic of his animated craft followed by an hour of live song. Plus: the world premiere of Voltaire’s latest animated work, sprung from the darkest corners of his wild imagination!

Don’t forget, head honcho John Fallon aka The Arrow is serving on the jury for the international short film section, and our own Chris Bumbray is covering the films. More information on all of the fest’s happenings can be found on the official website.