In addition to the usual reviews and comments you would find on a horror movie blog, this is also a document of the wonderfully vast horror movie section of the video store I worked at in my youth.
Happy Canada Day everyone! For one-hundred-and-forty-five, this old gal is still lookin' fine! I hope you all find a suitable way to celebrate this great occasion. Me, I've put together this little video meshing two of my favourite things, horror movies and the Great White North. Enjoy!
I had to cheat and use a few films like Contagion and A Clockwork Orange that aren't technically considered horror, but I think I got most of the touchstones in there. I also had to be creative with some sources when the word I needed was said offscreen. I realize it would've been even cooler if I had just culled from Canadian horror flicks, but come on... I don't have that much time on my hands.
Oh, for those interested in all the titles used in the video, here's a pic of the wall beside my desk.
Hello everyone! I'm posting something extra special for Canada Day tomorrow, but there was way too much cool stuff this week for me to preempt my Sunday news post, so, here it is, one day early!
Mondo Animated.
I'm sure you saw - and drooled over as I did - the Olly Moss Evil Dead poster that was released a few years ago. Well, graphic artist Daniel M. Kanemoto used the poster as inspiration for his own mind-blowing homage to the Evil Dead Trilogy.
Swallow This!
On the subject of Evil Dead love, check out this picture of the Gastronomicon.
Mmmm, tastes like evil.
I found this over at the Blog of the Fed and it was created by a painter named Elizabeth. To make your very own thin crusted tome of Candarian goodness, you can find the recipe here.
Charting Nightmares.
It's been a good week for art. Check out this print entitled "The Horror Die Cut Collection" from Max Dalton.
A limited, hand-numbered 18 x 24" edition of 250 is now being sold here, for fifty dollars a pop. Oh so very tempting.
Okay, that's it for now. There is a patch of patio and a Moosehead (or six) with my name on it, so I will take my leave of you for now. Be sure to check back tomorrow for my Canada Day post.
In an attempt to save his crumbling marriage, Mark (Sam
Neill) has his wife Anna (Isabelle Adjani) tailed to see if she is having an
affair, only to discover she may be involved in something much worse.
After a few Time Out titles that have been a little middling, here we have a bonafide gem.
This movie is fuuucked up, and frankly I’m amazed that it's not more
widely known considering some of the unforgettable images within. I mean, if it
wasn’t for its provocative VHS cover, I probably would’ve never heard of this
movie at all.
I must admit that I wasn’t initially on board with
Possession, as the first act was a rough go for me. I have a strong aversion to
films about doomed relationships, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen an onscreen
couple more toxic than Neill & Adjani.
I also thought there was a bit of overacting early on, but then
discovered that it fit the overt weirdness of the piece once things got
going. It does take a full fourty-five
minutes before you discover what it is actually about, but once you clock into
it, even the out there ending makes some kind of sense.
Isabelle Adjani & Sam Neill.
Adjani is gorgeous in this film and invested
one-hundred-and-ten per cent, both emotionally and physically. Sam Neill also throws himself into this
role. I checked to see if his part in
Omen III had anything to do with him being cast for this, but it turns out both
movies came out in 1981.
I love the calculated, whipping camera movements in this
film. They keep the viewer disoriented
in a way that is much like the films of Gaspar Noe. Speaking of influences, and being fairly late to the party I’m sure I’m not the first to come to this conclusion, I have to wonder if Clive
Barker drew inspiration from this film while writing (or at least directing his
subsequent film adaptation) The Hellbound Heart.
My favourite thing about this film has to be the creature
design though. It is completely unique
and nightmarish, like something out of an H.P. Lovecraft novel. Even the score
is fantastic, perfectly accentuating the film when it has to.
One of many wonderful shots from this film.
I think this movie caught me a little off guard, as I did
find my jaw hung open for a lot of the last act. As I said, I’m surprised this film isn’t more highly regarded,
but considering its place on the Time Out List, it must have made its way into
the eyeballs of at least some of the greatest creative minds of our time. If you haven’t seen Possession, and like
weird, erotic & surrealist horror films, this is a must watch.
Here's a delightful little game to break up your day. Sarah Javier of The Spooky Vegan recently turned me onto this cool piece of art/trivia from UK graphic artist Stephen Wildish.
Most of these were gimmies, but I have to admit there were one or two that had me stumped. "G" threw me because of its resemblance to The Shining, and I don't think I've ever seen "U" before. I was also a little sad that Quetzalcoatl didn't show up as the letter "Q".
Looking around Stephen's site, I found that he's done pictograms for several genres, including science-fiction, war and James Bond films. To check out his website, click here.
This weekend, I went to Shock & Awe,
a movie marathon at The Revue orchestrated by Toronto film historian
Dion Conflict.
Shock & Awe consists of six vintage films from
Dion’s collection (on 35mm, and in some cases 16mm!) screened all
in a row, starting just before midnight. It has been going for a
while – I believe this one was the sixth iteration – but this was
the first I'd attended.
There was lots of food available,
“flashing light” specials, tons of raffle prizes – I am sad
that I did not win one of the Islamic clocks up for grabs – and crusty
pre-show entertainment, so it made for a completely unique
experience. As for the films, here’s a rundown.
The night started off with the zany
seventies spoof The Groove Tube. The movie is a series of comedy
sketches and felt like a precursor to Saturday Night
Live. It even featured a young Chevy Chase in some of the skits.
The movie also had several faux commercials, including this one for
the Uranus Corporation.
Most of the sketches were at least
somewhat amusing, and I must have enjoyed myself because it was
over before I knew it. Now if I could just get ‘I’m looking over a four-leaf clover’ out of my head!
Next, was the 1985 actioner What Waits Below. It’s about an expedition into some uncharted caves to
setup some sort of military transmitter, and it’s pretty cheesy.
Although, it is not without its charm. My friend Peter had the best
quote, when he said he liked it better than Prometheus because it had
“smarter scientists”. I can’t really argue when considering pearls of wisdom like;
“The only predictable thing about these caves is that they are unpredictable.”
Plus, What Waits had Lisa Blount who is always easy on the eyes.
From the depths of the Central American
jungle, we moved to the British countryside for the 1973 horror
film Horror Hospital. I’d seen this movie as a kid, as it was a
regular on First Choice back in the day, but it’s been a looooooong
time. Pretty much all I remembered was Michael Gough’s decked-out
Rolls Royce.
After watching it this time, I realized
it’s actually a comedy. There are several scenes
that go on too long, but there was still some fun to be had.
After that, Dion played the promised ‘mystery’
film, which we were all (literally) sworn to secrecy about not
revealing. All I can say is there was a lot of applause, booing and
catcalls throughout. Oh, and Leonard from Community.
The fifth film was the eighties musical
Rappin’. I have a low tolerance for rap music at the best of
times, let alone at six at the morning, so I took this opportunity to
nap in my seat.
The last movie, on loan
from The Alamo Drafthouse, was the eighties slasher Sleepaway Camp.
It had also been a while since I’d seen this one, and was excited
to watch it on the big screen. Even though it is known mainly for its crazy ending, I think the movie works on the whole, as well.
It is a lot meaner than I remembered, with lots of disturbing elements, such as
pedophilia and one implied scene where a character gets a hot curling
iron up the hooha. ‘Still gotta love that ending though.
And then it was done. As we stumbled
toward the exit, and the blinding sunshine beyond, Dion was there to
hand us samplers of All Bran as a reward for our endurance.
Regularity is key.
It was a fun time and definitely the most films I’ve ever watched in a row, at home or in a theatre.
Dion now has designs on another Shock & Awe in October, so I
eagerly await announcement of what films he intends to show.
To read about last weekend’s events
straight from the man himself, check out Dion’s blog here.
Abraham Lincoln (Benjamin Walker) not only had to run the
United States of America, but also keep it from being overrun by
vampires. With only a few companions and his trusty silver-coated
axe, this is his story.
This movie was tons of fun. I'm a fan
of Timur Bekmambetov's work (Nightwatch, Wanted) and it's refreshing
to see he is still rocking his tried-and-true blend of over-the-top
visuals with epic ideas. This man knows how to shoot an action
sequence, and there are two great set pieces that anchor this movie.
I think this is what has always impressed me about Bekmambetov. He
is notorious for doing unbelievable things in his movies – the
Mazda driving along a sidescraper in Daywatch and the curving bullets in Wanted to name two – but within the context of how he presents
them, they seem plausible, or at least enough for me to suspend my
disbelief. The same is true for his latest venture. I mean, it
should be obvious from the title that this is not a movie that should
be taken seriously.
Erin Wasson (top) as Vadoma with Benjamin Walker.
For all intents and purposes, Abraham
Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is a big budget B movie. It has all the
sensibilities of the gothic vampires movies we grew up on, but with
all of Bekmambetov's multi-million dollar toys. He takes many
liberties with American history, but it worked for me because all of
the actors involved, heroes and villains, were invested one-hundred
percent. The pace was also rather expedient. The origin story is
set up, quickly followed by Lincoln being mentored by rogue vampire
Henry Sturgess (Dominic Cooper) and then we're off to the races.
Also, there was a big bonus for me, as I did not realize that Mary Elizatbeth Winstead was in this. When she came onscreen, my
impression of the movie immediately went up a few notches.
Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Mary Todd Lincoln.
For the most part, I was totally in
this movie. It was pretty much what I was expecting and hoping for.
The trailer is a pretty good representation of what you are in for,
so if that struck your fancy, you'll likely have a good time with
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.
Through the power of retroactive blogging, I give you this Don't Kill The Messenger. At the moment of this posting, I can guarantee I am unconscious somewhere after having been up all night watching eighties movies at this year's edition of Shock & Awe. More on that later, for now, here's what happened this week.
Mondo Struzan!
How's this for awesome? The Alamo Drafthouse has been recreating the summer movie season of 1982, which includes the likes of Conan, E.T, Star Trek II, Poltergeist, Blade Runner, and perhaps most importantly John Carpenter's The Thing. Naturally, Mondo has been creating original posters for these screenings, but they came up with something extra special for The Thing. In addition to their original print, they also teamed up with the original artist - the iconic Drew Struzan - for a gorgeous variant of the 1982 version.
Want it? I hope you've got deep pockets because they start at $250. In connection with this announcement, Movies.com posted an interview with Struzan here. Here's a snip below.
Movies.com:I know that creating the art for The Thing was an unusual process over 30 years ago. Can you tell me what happened?
Struzan:I got a phone call, the simplest phone call I ever got, saying, "We have a job, we want to know if you can do it, the catch is we need it by tomorrow." So they're talking a major motion picture with a full color, painted poster and they wanted it by the next morning. [Laughs] I said, "Sure, what is it?" and they said, "Do you remember the movie The Thing from the '60s?" "Yeah, I saw it. Neat movie." "Well, we're redoing it. That's what it is." "Okay, cool. You need it when?" "Tomorrow morning. We don't have any photos for you, we don't have any concept stuff, we just want you to do the drawing of what you think you'd do and then do a painting of it by tomorrow morning." "That's it? You spent millions of dollars on this thing and you don't have any reference materials, just make it however I feel? Sure, I'll try." [Laughs]
This is further proof that - like James Horner's unforgettable score for Aliens - sometimes the best stuff is done on a deadline.
R.I.P. Richard Lynch 1936-2012.
I was very sad to hear of the passing of character actor Richard Lynch this week. He died last Monday in Palm Springs, Califorinia at the age of seventy-six. He had over one-hundred-and-fifty titles to his credit, and was a recurring face on television during my childhood, as he always popping up on TV shows I ingested like Automan, Blue Thunder, The A Team & Werewolf. His rugged looks had him often playing the villain, and therefore did many horror films during his career, two of my faves being Bad Dreams and Puppet Master III - the latter playing Major Krauss who became the inspiration for the puppet Blade. My all-time favourite role of Richard Lynch's though, was his turn opposite Chuck Norris in the balls-out eighties action flick Invasion USA. Here below, is a clip where he deals with a young Billy Drago.
Beware!
On the heels of the poster released for the upcoming horror anthology film V/H/S, is this red band trailer. I must warn you though, it is chock full of potential SPOILERS, so watch at your own risk.
