2022 Wrap-up

Well, here we are again at the end of another trash fire year. All things considered, while the world burned, I had a decent year. Fantasia & TIFF are returning to their regular scheduled programming (I managed to duck the Rona outbreaks at both) and actually picked up a new pre-screening position while schmoozing at the former.

I also acquired two new gigs through Rue Morgue. If you read the mag, you may have noticed that list of Morbid Facts & Weird Stats at the hop, which are now - since the summer - being penned by me. Additionally, in the before times, my buddy Tal used to host horror trivia nights at Storm Crow Manor. In the fall there was talk of bringing it back and since he was unavailable, my trivia partner Pat & I - who used to win those events more often than not - took over the hosting duties. We just had our third edition and it's going very well.

Anyway, as Tal used to say, “enough about me, let's talk about me”.  I had no shortage of media to enjoy this year. The Boys cemented itself as my favourite TV show, Prey gave the Predator franchise its best entry in thirty years and, God love him, Sam Raimi introduced a little Evil Dead to the MCU.

On the gaming side of things, Stray and The Quarry were tremendous fun, and as soon as I find a partner for The Devil In Me, I'll get on that too.

As for horror, I actually think it was a pretty strong year. Of course, there were some stinkers, but even mainstream fare like Smile and Black Phone seems to be well favoured - though I've seen neither. Here were my highlights;

Ti West returned to form in a big way in 2022, first with X and then Pearl. I loved the sexy, grimy sleaze of the former, and the fairy-tale boisterousness of the latter. The unveiling of Maxxine at Midnight Madness blew the roof of the house, making it my most anticipated of 2023.

Barbarian was a breath of fresh air, a two-part mystery, both as hair-raising as they were entertaining. It was definitely the best communal experience I've had since last year's Spidey. I can't wait to see Zack Cregger's next project.

Expectations exceeded. Once you clock into its tone, this one is a riot. William Brent Bell somehow, SOMEHOW gives us a twist every bit as outrageous as its predecessor. And lovely to see Isabelle Fuhrmann again, she should be in more stuff.

The “sleeper” of this group. I was super impressed by this movie at Fantasia. A great lead, a solid concept and the best use of Covid-19 in a horror picture I've seen so far.

More of a black comedy than a horror I suppose, but I adore this movie. It's one of those scripts I wish I'd written. It's also the only film this year I saw twice in the theatre (2 and a 1/4 if you count when I ducked in to watch the last half-hour while waiting for Avatar to start).

Honourable mentions to Nope, which was truly spectacular in IMAX and The Watcher, a tense thriller starring Maika Monroe (who should also be in more stuff). I also really dug Joe Begos' Christmas Bloody Christmas, a weird hybrid of Silent Night, Deadly Night, The Terminator and, of all things, High Fidelity. Riley Dandy is fire and I can totally see this becoming a holiday watch regular. Lastly, even though it's more of a true crime procedural than a horror picture, Holy Spider is very, very good.

Okay, that's it. This is a recording... May 2023 be better than the last. Take care and stay safe, kiddies.

Gifrific: Sometimes the Old Ways...

Source: Archive 81

2021 Wrap-up.

As we all know, this year was basically the sequel to 2020 that no one wanted. Having said that, here are some of the bright lights that maintained my sanity.

Marvel kept me constantly entertained with five(!) TV series this year, and I was just so elated to finally get my eyeballs on Black Widow. And that Spidey flick, man talk about over-delivering!

Now that's out of the way, onto the genre stuff.

Honourable mentions go out to The Deep House, Midnight and the impressive debut Caveat. I did not see Malignant, but those close to me seem to think I will dig it. I'm sure I will catch it eventually.

Lastly, YouTube continued to be a big help to me in 2021. To the dozen or so content creators that I watch on a weekly basis, I salute you.

Well, I hate to be a broken record here, but here's hoping 2022 is the year we break out of this perpetual funk.

2018 Wrap-up

Hey all! Let me just start off by saying thank you to all those that have stopped by over the last eleven years. Though this humble blog was mainly meant for me to a) wax nostalgic about the VHS age and b) to stave off writing atrophy, it warms my blackened heart to know that a few of you out there care enough to keep looking in.

2018 was a pretty decent year for me. I picked up two new gigs, one as head programmer at the Toronto Smartphone Film Festival and one as a shorts screener for Fantasia, the latter of which brings the relief of not begging for a pass every year. I have further ingratiated myself into the short film community and even printed up some new business cards!

On the writing side of things, I'm also proud of the anniversary article I wrote for Delirium magazine about Bernard Rose's underseen gem Paperhouse. It's a pretty sweet issue, you should pick it up.

I was also glad to visit Calgary this year and check out CUFF. Frankly, I was enamoured with this fest, and not just by how brilliantly they treat their guests – I was there screening The Good Samaritan – but by how well it is run.

Lastly, Blood, Sweat & Terrors, the third Little Terrors compilation I helped put together is now available on almost every platform out there. This one is action oriented and it's pretty crackin'.

So now we're done with all the sappy stuff, things are going to be a little different at this year's end. No more calculated top five lists. I decided this for two reasons. First, having now shifted my focus to old VHS titles, I realized there was no yearly archive of posts I could go back and refer to when compiling my Best/Worst of 2018. Second, I finally came to the conclusion...

That being said, I am still compelled to briefly touch on the media that enraptured me over this past year.

That was my 2018 in a nutshell. You may have noticed that there were no short films in that list above. Well, that's because I'm going to dedicate a special post to those tomorrow. Check back then, kiddies!

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Hello all. I'll use this opportunity between IFFF and BITS to get in a little Don't Kill the Messenger post - well that and watch eight Freddy movies but more on that later. Here's what I've got.

Stranger Pulp.

Artist Butcher Billy is at it again, this time envisioning each Stranger Things 2 episode as its own pulp paperback novel.

Click to enlarge.

He also did some sweet Atari cartridges that you can see here.

I might as well sound off on the second season while I'm on the subject. I liked it well enough, but I feel like The Duffer Brothers kind of doubled down on the less desirable aspects of the show, as they hit the “look it's the eighties” vibe even harder this time around. I get that they were often using it to mirror thematic elements - Dragon's Lair foreshadowing the Max/Lucas/Dustin love triangle for instance - but it was decidedly distracting, especially when I'd seen it done less sensationally in It this summer.

I dug the new characters Max and Kali, but never felt they weren't given as much to do as they should have been. Mainly, I just have to echo Max's statement to Lucas in episode five - something to the effect of “I liked it, but it was derivative in parts and I just wish it had a little more originality”.

Sadie Sink as "Mad" Max Mayfield.

I mean, did they think that re-staging the battle scene from Aliens (with Paul Reiser no less) was going to be met with anything but chuckles at best and eye rolls at worst? Anyway, moving on.

Vamp's Gotta Eat.

I wanted to plug a Kickstarter campaign for a local short project called TiCK.

Burke and Wessel are both local film community fixtures, so I'd like to see this succeed. Twenty-Four by Thirty-Six was a really entertaining documentary and Wessell's last short Ink had a really unique energy to it. If you feel like dropping some coin, click here.

Housesitting Woes.

Here below is the newest trailer for Gabriel Carrer's Death on Scenic Drive.

I'm looking forward to this, as not only does it feature some of my favourite people, but it looks like Carrer has gone full-Refn, something that I know he has been wanting to do for quite sometime. I believe this is set to be released in the coming months, so keep your eyes out.

Deadly Games.

Soon after the film adaptation of Stephen King's infamous novel Gerald's Game dropped on Netflix, I eagerly queued it up.

A romantic getaway turns deadly when Jessie (Carlo Gugino) is left handcuffed to her bed when her husband dies (Bruce Greenwood) during some kinky role play.

I was pleasantly surprised by how well Gerald's Game turned out. Director Mike Flanagan's interpretation was excellent and I would go so far as to say that it's one of the purest King adaptations out there. It's been donkey's years since I've read the book, but from what I recall everything was left intact, yet nicely condensed to fit a one-hundred minute running time. He even kept in the references to King's other works like Dolores Claiborne and the pervasive Dark Tower in addition to some throwaway lines about Cujo and Bag of Bones that made me chuckle. Though with all these connections, I was puzzled why they relocated the story from Maine to Louisiana.

Most impressive was how effortlessly Flanagan put this onscreen when you take into account that this book was long considered unfilmable. How can film a movie where the main character is nude throughout the whole thing? And more challenging, how can you film a movie where she spends most of it in her own head? Well, the solutions to both were actually pretty simple, it just took a talented problem solver like Flanagan to figure them out. First, don't have her be naked and second, externalize her inner voices into physical form. I thought this worked really well and felt much more organic than the device used in last year's 11/22/63. In that one, the filmmakers expanded a bit player for the protagonist to play off, but by doing so increasingly veered from the subject matter. In Gerald's Game, these tangible manifestations fully visualized the core of the piece.

Carla Gugino as Jessie in Gerald's Game.

Additionally, I really appreciated that there were no important compromises made. Jessie's revelation halfway through the movie was just as uncomfortable to watch as it was to read and though the epilogue may have been creepier on the page, it still needed to be there. I was also taken aback by the cringe-worthy gore at the climax. It really went from zero to sixty in a matter of seconds.

Flanagan aside, I really have to commend Carlo Gugino. I praised the perfect casting when I heard she was attached, but she really delivered here. Both her & Bruce Greenwood were fantastic and brought the characters to life. It had been a while since I'd seen Henry Thomas too – and to be honest I wish it was under less sleazy circumstances. Gerald's Game was really top notch from A to Z.

I think Flanagan has cemented himself as the premiere genre director working today. He has a string of strong indies and has now proved that he can kill it with other people's material. Shit, I might even have to check out his next Netflix project, a miniseries based on The Haunting of Hill House, also starring Gugino (Theodora?!) How can I not at this point?

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Hello all. I hope you are enjoying your Thanksgiving Day weekend (for those us in Canada anyway). This weekend represents the calm before the storm, as my October gets into high gear next week. In the meantime, here are some trailers for things I am very much looking forward to in the coming weeks/months.

The Return of the Creep.

Recently, the trailer for Mark Duplass' follow-up to his found footage gem Creep has come online.

I'm all over this. I loved the understated tension created in the first film. It affected me so much that I actually dressed as Peach Fuzz for Halloween a few years ago. Creep 2 releases on VOD October 24th.

Oh I Like It!

It was a good day when Severin announced they were released (for the first time on DVD) the whacked-out Canuxploitation opus Beyond The Seventh Door. I mean, look at this bonkers trailer.

The amount of time it took me to pre-order this movie after seeing that was infinitesimal and just another reason to look forward to October 31st. You too can order it here.

Netflix Dark.

Coming in December to the Big N is Dark, a German produced sci-fi mystery series.

Described as a cross between Stranger Things and Les Revenants, I was unable to attend the sneak they had at TIFF last month so I am elated that this is getting released here so soon. Dark releases globally on December 1st.

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Hey all! I have recovered from TIFF and now have a few more days to relax before the busiest month of the year starts. Here's what I've got for you today.

Stranger Eighties.

With the upcoming second season of Stranger Things approaching, The Duffer Brothers have been releasing one-sheet posters on Twitter to celebrate their influences. I'm sure I don't need to include the originals for you to get where they were coming from.

Stranger Things returns to Netflix on October 27.

Haunted Puppets.

Those who have seen Kevin McTurk's Mill at Calder's End (now available on the Minutes Past Midnight anthology) know his puppetry skills are second-to-none. Currently he is hard at work on his newest opus, The Haunted Swordsman and he needs your help.

This is an all or nothing campaign, so please give if you want to see this project come to fruition.

Toulon's Trunk.

I received an email last week about this upcoming release from Full Moon and I just had to post about it.

It's such a gorgeous set and very hard for me to refuse. When you think of it, twelve discs for two-fitty ain't half bad. Hmmmm. The set will be available for presale here starting October 2nd.   

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Hey all! This week I'm just gonna throw up a bunch of cool things that were recently announced.

First up, is the trailer for the Netflix series Mindhunter.

If this David Fincher-produced show is even half as good as Zodiac, then I'm in. Man, every time I think that Big Red has topped out on their original content, they manage to top themselves. Look for Mindhunter in October.

Untold Horror, the series from Rue Morgue's Dave Alexander and Post No Joes' Kevin Burke that was pitched at last year's Frontieres is now officially on its way.

If there was ever a documentary specifically engineered for horror fans, this is it. I love hearing about the inner workings of the biz, and who better to hear about it from than the guys in the trenches.

On the more indie side of things, local filmmakers Larissa Thomas & Alicia Faucher just released this proof of concept trailer.

This web series is a submission for the IPF (Independent Production Fund), so if this is your thing, feel free to share.

Lastly, a Kickstarter plug for James Moran's new project, Blood Shed.

I am big fan of Moran's 2013 short, Crazy For You (now available on the anthology collection Minutes Past Midnight) so this is a no-brainer for me. If you'd like to contribute, please visit the campaign page here.

Netflix Pix 11.0

While bouncing back and forth between BoJack Horseman Season 3 and Dragon's Den Season 9, I realized that Netflix Canada had recently added some really great horror titles from the last six to twelve months. It's been a while since I've done one of these, so here are some solid titles to get your October started.

You know doubt heard about The Witch when it hit theaters earlier this year. I think it is a fantastic film. It is not only incredibly well acted, but I love that everyone involved was one-hundred-per-cent invested in inhabiting the time and place of the film. While I admit the pace and language may not appeal to everyone, there is no denying this was an effort at the top of its craft.

Mike Flanagan (Absentia, Oculus) has recently switched gears from the supernatural to something more grounded (but no less terrifying) with Hush. It starts out as a fairly simple home invasion film, but I was surprised by how much the protagonist's disability added to the narrative. It was also rather chilling to see quintessential nice guy John Gallagher Jr. play a villain for once.

I saw this indie at Tribeca last year and was very glad to see this one pop up on Netflix. As you know, I love babysitter flicks, and Sarah Bolger plays one of the most unpredictable and unhinged child minders to ever hit the small screen. I was also pretty impressed with the child talent, as well, especially since, if I recall correctly, one or more of them had to be replaced last minute. I think this one is a hidden gem.

This one about night terrors made a splash on the festival circuit last year and it's quite good. Though its execution and “science” can be a little wonky, some of the re-enactments are genuinely creepy, as are some of its assertions about the very nature of sleep paralysis.

For those who grew up in the nineties, I noticed that five seasons of Goosebumps are now on Netflix. This stuff was a bit after my time, but I did ingest my fair share of Stine & Christopher Pike while working at a local book store.

There! I dare say these should keep you busy for a while. Enjoy your weekend, folks!

Stranger Sounds.

Volume 1 of the soundtrack to the Netflix series Stranger Things came out last week, and it's pretty glorious. I have since wedged it into my writing playlist between Perturbator and Videogram, and they are getting along swimmingly.

Make your own Stranger header at http://makeitstranger.com/

I think what grabbed me the most was how symbiotic the score is with the show. I hear tracks like Kids, Biking To School & Dispatch and it immediately recalls the events of the show. Ultimately, how I feel about this soundtrack is pretty much almost exactly how I felt about the show itself. Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein, like The Duffer Brothers, have wonderfully captured the essence of the seventies and eighties. Although, on occasion maybe too well.

I've listened to Vol. 1 about a dozen times through now, and you do start to recognize the patterns and blatant similarities. Tracks like Cops Are Good At Finding, Friendship, Castle Byers are almost interchangeable with the stuff Tangerine Dream were orchestrating in their heyday.

Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) is quietly judging you.

Same goes for the latter half of the track Upside Down if you put it side-by-side with John Carpenter & Alan Howarth's work on Halloween III.

However, this emulation is not restricted to days gone by, as I could hear shades of the more recent work of Disasterpiece on It Follows in tracks like One Blink For Yes.

Now, I know this all may sound like an accusation, but it really isn't. After all, at the end of the day, who really gives a shit? The whole point of the show was capture a period in time, and I don't think anyone can dispute that everyone involved did a bang-up job. Besides, the music does kick ass, and obviously has re-playability if I've now listened to it ump-teen times.

Huh. My second post featuring the alphabet this week...

Volume 2 releases today, and I've been listening to that over the last few days, as well. It features more of the original score from Dixon and Stein, including some reprises of sections from Vol. 1. Even though there are some “hey I know this” moments, namely on tracks Rolling Out The Pool and They Found Us - I don't even have to say what they reference as it will be immediately apparent - but overall it's just a fantastic tapestry of genre music.

Click here to buy Volume 1 via Lakeshore Records.