Gifrific: Xmas Beats

Source: Blood Beat (1982)

Twas the Night Before Christmas...

And all through the house. Not a creature was stirring cuz we're all in fucking lockdown.

MERRY CTHMAS!

TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE XMAS...

AND ALL THROUGH MY DOMAIN.

NOT A CREATURE WAS STIRRING...

NOT EVEN A BRAIN!

Merry Crite-Mas!

The Horror Section wishes you a very Merry Christmas!

I Love Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! However you plan on celebrating, hope it's full of cheer! For now, enjoy this Canadian holiday classic from the boys at Astron 6.

Seul à la Maison

Merry Christmas Eve everyone! Let me tell you all about a fantastic Christmas movie that not a lot of people know about - I sure didn't until recently by way of the LBFS. Behold, the 1989 French film 3615 Code Père Noël.

I'm here to tell you that when I saw this screened downtown last week, everyone was a little floored by it. It wasn't just the insane subject matter, but also that the movie was actually as good as that f*cking trailer.

Père Noël aka Game Over is an exceptionally well made movie. The marvellous production design and the kinetic way in which director René Manzor films it is really something. The world created is at times fantastical - you will wonder how such a house could exist - but the relationship between Thomas (Alain Lalanne) and his grandfather (Louis Ducreux) keeps the movie well grounded. And due to its European origins, it is not shackled by the usual Hollywood conventions. Bad things happen, and the best case scenario for our little protagonist is a wicked case of PTSD.

Thomas (Alain Lalanne) ready for action in Game Over.

One might ask how a film like this could've been made considering the amount of peril Thomas (the character and the actor portraying him) is exposed to here. Well, it becomes clearer when you learn said actor is the director's son. I wonder how many times the words, “don't worry, he's fine” were uttered on set. Hell, man. I say we need to be getting back to these kind of narratives, like the awesome stuff Henry Thomas was doing in the mid-eighties like Cloak & Dagger and The Quest. The only good example of this I've seen recently was Cop Car.

But anyway, if this premise seems familiar to you, you're not alone. I believe the filmmakers tried to sue the makers of Home Alone when it was released just a year later. I think the crux of their argument was that Home Alone writer John Hughes had been vacationing in Paris during Game Over's theatrical run. Who can say? Regardless, I'm so glad there's a French R-rated version of Home Alone out there. It warms the cockles of my black, black heart.

Art by Sagan Lee.

Sadly, there hasn't been a release of this - maybe 20th Century Fox had it buried! - which is a damn shame. This movie not only deserves to be seen, but also cleaned up to fully show off its great cinematography and set design. Are you listening Scream Factory???

Christmas Comes Early?

Hi everyone. I just wanted to check in and let you know I will be absent this weekend while I help out on a friend's shoot, an Xmas-themed project for an upcoming competition.

I'll be behind the camera on this one, but if you do happen to see a glimpse of someone wearing this sweater--

--in a future horror short, that's me!

Have a great weekend kiddies, talk to you next week.

DKTM 246

Hey all! I hope you all had a good Christmas. Now that that 'nog soaked turkey is out of your system, here's some horror grue just in time for the New Year.

A Cautionary Tale.

Toronto filmmaker Justin McConnell just released his latest short film, Damned Selfie online. Here it is below.

The idea presented here is a good one. Although I generally look upon the practice of selfies with indifference, I have to admit it has gotten out of hand in recent years. Oh how it makes me grin that incremental narcissism could lead to such consequences.

Merry Phantasm.

Recently, Producer Don Coscarelli & director David Hartman gave us another look at their upcoming Phantasm sequel Ravager in a festive trailer/video Xmas card. Here it is below.

Phantasm: Ravager is set to release in 2015, and BOOOOOOOOY will it be great to see all the original cast (Reggie Bannister, A. Michael Baldwin and Angus Scrimm) returning once again.

Quarter-Minute Horrors.

Over the last few months, filmmaker Jaiden Frost has been releasing his horror short films on Instagram. This, of course, means they have to be serialized in fifteen second bits, which is somewhat problematic for creating tension, but it's a neat experiment that deserves respect. 

He's done three projects so far, which you can check out below. Although, it being Instagram, you may have better luck on your phone, by following mrjaidenfrost.

That's it for now. Be sure to check back in a few days for my 2014 wrap-up. See you then!

How the 'Dook Stole Xmas.

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE HORROR SECTION!

40 Years Of Black Xmas.

To celebrate the fourtieth anniversary of Bob Clark's seminal slasher Black Christmas, Rue Morgue hosted a special screening at The Royal last Saturday.

It was a really great turnout. Due to its home court advantage, this film always plays somewhere at this time of year, but people still keep coming out in droves. I feel like it's an annual tradition for most, but there are still surprisingly always people in the audience that haven't seen it before.

Colin Geddes & Dave Alexander with Black Christmas star Art Hindle.

Apart from seeing the always amiable Art Hindle don “the coat”, it was also the release of a new limited edition print of the film crafted by none other than Ghoulish Gary Pullin.

Yulish, very yulish.

It's a thing of beauty to be sure.

Black Christmas is one of those films that I think gets better with age, and one I look forward to watching every year at this time - along with my other two traditions It's A Wonderful Life and Cosmic Christmas. I was going to come up with a list of fourty reasons why I adore this movie - and believe me, I would have no trouble coming up with that many - but I've got presents to wrap so, here are just a few...

I love the comedic beats of the film, from Sgt. Nash's bumblings to Jess & Phil messing with the two guys from the search party. It breaks up the dread and ever-present crawling danger that you feel from knowing there is some crazy dude hanging around in the attic the whole movie.

I love the happy-go-lucky attitude toward alcoholism. Barb nonchalantly cracks open a beer at the police station and the house mother Missus Mac has a bottle of sherry hidden away in every nook and cranny of the sorority house. Simpler times folks, when being a functional alcoholic was considered an endearing trait.

I love that wonderfully executed jump scare while Jess is running for the basement. I've seen this film screened three times now, and every single time it visibly startled someone in my vicinity.

I love the escalation. The characters are going about their business, coming in and out of 6 Belmont St, not knowing that the killer is right above their heads the entire time. The killer is picks off the residents one by one, until it's just Jess and the killer. Then she gets the call...

I love that it was shot in Toronto. It has so much character in this film. Even though they put American flags around the police station, Black Christmas is so obviously Canadian. Like pretty much every other film shot in Toronto around this time, it looks so damn cold. Pretty much anyone I've ever met from this movie (and others like Deadly Eyes) the thing they always remember is how fucking freezing it was. The cold sucks, but it looks good on film.

Oh, and I love this guy.

When he laughs, I laugh. Regular as clockwork.

Merry Black Christmas everyone!!!

*Event photo courtesy of Colin Geddes.

Trailer Tuesdays: Black Christmas

Only two days 'til Christmas. Here's the trailer for one of my all-time faves, festive or no.

I love that this Black Christmas trailer, at over four minutes long, is actually more of a digest. Fourty years ago this came out! Crazy. Check back tomorrow for coverage of the recent anniversary screening at The Royal.

Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and yours! Here's a bit of Xmas cheer for you, courtesy of Brad Rodriguez.