Robert Luke - The Austinot

House of Torment Is the Best Haunted House in Austin

October 16, 2014 by Robert Luke 1 Comment

Commander Nemesis
(Credit: House of Torment)

Halloween is my favorite holiday. Every year, one of the things I look forward to in Austin is our coolest haunted house, House of Torment.

I never used to think of Halloween haunted houses as having large or small budgets. They all blended together. However, in the last ten years House of Torment has dominated the market in Austin, becoming the go-to place for Halloween scares.

Starting in 2003 at North Cross Mall, House of Torment eventually moved to the former Laser Quest building in Highland Mall’s parking lot. Back when I was in high school, Laser Quest was a rad laser tag attraction that had multiple stories (and before that it was the movie theater for Highland Mall). Eventually it was shut down and in 2005 the building was renovated into a haunted house attraction. This former laser tag building was perfect for a haunted house because it had multiple stories, paths to walk through and the walls were already painted black.

Film Quality Production

Over the years, House of Torment had raised the production quality to the point where it feels like walking into a big budget movie. [Read more…]

Top 5 Things to See at Austin Comic Con

October 2, 2014 by Robert Luke 141 Comments

Austin Comic Con: October 2-4, 2014

Update: Congratulations to our ticket winner, Ryan Sanders! Thank you to everyone who participated. We do giveaways every other week through our newsletter, so check it out!

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Austin seems to have a big event every weekend, and it can be hard to choose between everything going on. For those looking for an alternative to ACL this weekend, there’s Wizard World, also called Austin Comic Con.

This year, Austin Comic Con is running October 2-4, 2014 at the Austin Convention Center. This event is one of the many fun things I look forward to every Autumn. What’s even more exciting for you, we’re giving away a Family Four Pack of tickets to attend! Keep reading to learn how to enter. [Read more…]

I Luv Video Is Austin’s Oldest and Largest Video Store

September 19, 2014 by Robert Luke Leave a Comment

Before the over abundance of Video on Demand, video stores were almost the only way to find most movies. Having vastly more of a selection than movie theaters, you could always discover older movies you had never heard of, or find goofy-awesome looking movies made for video.

Across the country, video rental is a dying business. But Austin loves its movie rental stores and these local businesses remain strong here. [Read more…]

Fantastic Fest 2014: Keanu Reeves Is Just One Reason to Go

September 12, 2014 by Robert Luke Leave a Comment

FFX Poster by Geof Darrow

September is an exciting month in Austin. The weather starts to cool down, it’s about time to get ready for Halloween, and Fantastic Fest happens.

Running September 18-22, 2014, Fantastic Fest is an annual film festival programmed by the people at Alamo Drafthouse who specialize in science fiction and horror genre films. The event typically brings big movie stars and film premieres to our fair city, and this year looks like it’ll be no exception.

There are a lot of special things happening at this year’s Fantastic Fest. In its tenth year, it’s the first festival to take place at the newly reopened South Lamar Drafthouse. South Lamar and then Highball had hosted Fantastic Fest every year, except for last year when it was held at the most northern location in Lakeline. This year, Fantastic Fest is back where it belongs (even if it’ll still be surrounded by construction).

Having been born here, it’s amazing to watch Austin get bigger around me. I genuinely believe Alamo Drafthouse and Fantastic Fest are partly responsible for that. I’ve talked to multiple people who all say, “I moved to Austin because of Alamo Drafthouse.” Fantastic Fest also brings many celebrities, movie stars and famous directors to Austin, exposing them to the opportunities here. [Read more…]

Special Access to 20 Texas Fashion Designers at Design Lab

August 22, 2014 by Robert Luke Leave a Comment

Linda Asaf, Design Lab Founder

The Oasis has always been known to Austin as a restaurant for its great drinks and amazing views. A few years ago after the restaurant recovered from its 2005 fire, The Oasis expanded with a whole shopping center that now includes stores, a winery and a craft brewery. The newest addition is a new boutique store called Design Lab.

Design Lab was founded by Austin designer, Linda Asaf. The fashion venue features 20 diverse Texas designers whose creations range between jewelry, eyewear, children’s clothing, as well as apparel for men and women. “It’s all about promoting Texas designers,” Asaf explans. “We celebrate the best designers in Texas. It’s a platform for designers who don’t have their own storefront to sell here and to test new [Read more…]

Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar Now Open

August 14, 2014 by Robert Luke Leave a Comment

The all new Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar

I was planning on starting this article with my earliest memories of the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar location. But for the life of me, I can’t remember what movie I saw there first (though it could’ve been Star Wars: Episode III).

However, I can remember the last few movies I saw on South Lamar’s closing night. I capped it off with John Dies at the End and a Texas Chainsaw Massacre double feature with Austin born director Tobe Hooper in attendance. Sadly, the new Texas Chainsaw 3D ended up being the last movie I saw at South Lamar.

Then it closed for 20 months.

Light at the End of the Tunnel

I’m happy to report that this [Read more…]

BatBox: Receive Local Goodies in a Box Every Month

August 8, 2014 by Robert Luke 1 Comment

BatBox logo designed by Delicious Creative

When my friend Amber announced she was starting a new company, Austin BatBox, I was confused by the product. But the more I knew what a “bat box” was, the cooler it sounded.

BatBox is a monthly subscription box service that delivers 4-5 curated collections of Austin made products every month for $25. “It’s putting Austin in a box,” owner Amber Golightly describes. “Whenever you hear the saying ‘you could put it in a bottle and sell it,’ that’s what I’m doing. I’m putting Austin in a box for people.” [Read more…]

Guzu Gallery Reflects Growth of Austin Geek Culture

July 25, 2014 by Robert Luke Leave a Comment

Visitors flock to a Guzu Gallery opening

Over the past few years, Austin has developed a reputation for pop culture screen prints. It’s become part of Austin geek culture.

Austin Books is a time-tested expression of that culture. The store has been around for as long as I can remember, and just keeps getting bigger.

Recently, the business expanded with a couple of extra arms, through Outlaw Moon Games & Toys and Guzu Gallery.

Guzu Gallery is an art gallery and retail store that exists “to give fans an opportunity to view and purchase lowbrow artwork, including limited edition vinyl toys, art books, prints and original artwork showcased in the gallery,” explains Gallery Director Vince Torres. [Read more…]

Kids Learn Video Game Development at Game Worlds

July 9, 2014 by Robert Luke Leave a Comment

Game Worlds Video Game Camp for Kids in Austin

Lab time at Game Worlds (Credit: Alicia Andrew)

When I was a kid, video games like Nintendo and Atari were thought of as time wasters and brain drainers. Since then, they have developed into amazing pieces of creative art.

What hasn’t changed are parents wanting their kids to do something in the summer besides playing video games.

If a compromise can’t be made, or you want to focus your child’s interest towards something productive, I recommend Game Worlds. [Read more…]

Summer Outdoor Movie Night with Cinema East

June 25, 2014 by Robert Luke Leave a Comment

Cinema East Sunday Movie Night in Austin

Outdoor movie night in Austin (Credit: Ben Sklar)

Living in Austin sometimes feels like living in an eternal, year long film festival. In addition to Austin Film Society and all the film festivals that happen in this town, we also get the Cinema East summer series.

Every summer Sunday at 9 PM, Cinema East hosts creative, independent films on the lawn of the French Legation in East Austin. This is an excellent way to end the weekend: watching a film, Austin style. [Read more…]

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