Trailer Tuesdays: Alligator

Today, I give you the trailer for perhaps the best example of a film birthed from an urban legend - Lewis Teague's Alligator.

This movie was on television all the time when I was a boy and likely contributed to my disdain for swimming pools. Lewis Teague would later go on to direct two more animal-themed horrors in Cujo and Cat's Eye.

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Why is it I'm always out until four(five) in the morning when we lose an hour each year? Here there be tired.

The Black Museum Returns.

This week, I was very glad to find a press release in my inbox, announcing the second season of The Black Museum. For the uninitiated, The Black Museum is a series of lectures, curated by Toronto cinephiles Paul Corupe and Andrea Subissati, exploring themes and patterns in genre film. This new lineup, which you can check out below, looks every bit as impressive as last year's. Click on the images for more information.

To get tickets, please visit the official website here.

VCR Horrors.

Watch this vintage 20/20 news report from the early eighties. IT IS THE BEST.

I love how the kids are watching Evil Dead 2 and the parents are watching Cannibal Ferox - because that's the same thing. All this shows is that the decency police are on a thirty year loop, always latching onto the newest fad in entertainment, whether it be comics, R-rated movies or violent video games. I'd like a follow up story to see how many of these kids turned out to be raving lunatics.

Truer Words...

Here's a funny fan made poster for the upcoming Evil Dead remake.

We'll just have to see when Evil Dead 2013 releases in theatres April 5th.

An Engineer's Work Is Never Done.

It took me a month, but I was finally able to square away some time to play through the third installment of Visceral Games' Dead Space franchise.

Three years after the events at The Sprawl, Isaac Clarke is called upon to travel to the Marker homeworld to put an end to the Necromorph threat once and for all.

Dead Space 3 was a highly enjoyable experience, and I think some of the flak it got from critics was a little undeserved. I get the backlash about the series straying from its survival horror roots, but it hardly resulted in a decrease in quality.

So, let me start with the positives. First of all, the game looked great and the new environment – the ice planet of Tau Volantis – was a fine choice. In addition to the usual cast of Necromorphs, there were some new rotting faces, including some nasty phase-shifting baddies that bent back at the waist. The game also added man-to-man combat, as there are some militant Unitologists trying to stop you, as well. This is where the influence of titles like Mass Effect felt most apparent – especially the tacked on cover system – but these sections were so few and far between that they're almost inconsequential.

Isaac Clarke (left) and new pal John Carver in Dead Space 3.

As for the heavily marketed co-op mode, Dead Space 3 made a monumental decision here. Unlike Resident Evil, you aren’t saddled with idiot AI if you decide to go solo. It's just you. I can’t stress enough how much I appreciated that. And I actually dug the story. Sure, it’s convoluted, but I always feel like I'm in an actual universe when playing these games. I might not be able to tell you what the hell I’m doing from moment to moment – I’m going to turn on this thing-a-ma-bob, so whats-her-face can extract this codex-doodad from that alien-thingy – but overall, this is epic science fiction.

What occasionally puzzles me about Dead Space is that it should be monotonous. By design, it is a long string of fetch quests, broken up by all manner of creepy crawlies popping out from every nook and cranny. The thing is I'm having too much fun to notice. I’ve said this before, but I never tire of stomping Necromorph heads. Never.

That said, Visceral Games did add in a lot of new stuff to break up the gameplay. The snowy locale of Tau Volantis is far from decorative, as you spend the first bit of the game warding off hypothermia, much like Konami’s 2002 adaptation/sequel to The Thing. I adored the sizable space walk section and the vertical climbing bits were neat, as well. There is also a level – as was glimpsed in the demo at E3 – that takes place inside the belly of a beast.

On the more neutral side of things, some of the mechanics added to Dead Space 3 seem a little superfluous. There is a highly detailed weapon crafting system for which I barely skimmed the surface, as it just seemed to over complicate things. I think it was in there to facilitate EA’s inclusion of micro-transactions. Speaking of which, I really don’t get all the ire about that either. Sure it’s a cash grab, but not partaking in this added content is by no means hampering the game experience, so what’s the problem?

I did have a few quibbles, but fortunately the biggest problem, involving a broken save system, was fixed with an eventual patch. As with Dead Space 2, this game seems to be a little light on the boss fights. When they do happen, they are solid – the final boss battle specifically – but there don’t seem to be as many as  the first game. I also didn’t like that you were only allowed to carry two weapons. You have a giant arsenal of death machines at your disposal, but only end up sampling a fraction of them. It seems counterproductive to me.

There are several game franchises that yield diminishing returns with each passing title, but I don’t feel Dead Space is one of them. Dead Space 3 may not be as horror-based or innately fresh as when it rolled off the assembly line in 2008, but I’m still having a blast.

Haunting in Massachusetts.

Sorry to keep prattling on about Netflix, but I need to call attention to their documentary section. In the last week alone, they’ve added two solid titles to their Canadian catalogue. The first is Keanu Reeves’ film vs. digital exploration Side by Side, and the second – which I’ll be talking about now – is Michael Paul Stephenson’s The American Scream.

Stephenson, after wowing audiences with Best Worst Movie in 2009, is back again with a behind-the-scenes look at “haunters”. Haunters are people that go above and beyond when it comes to celebrating Halloween. I'm not talking about people who shove a pumpkin on their front stoop October thirtieth, I mean those certain individuals that turn their entire property into an amusement park attraction every Halloween.

Stephenson follows three families living in the town of Fairhaven, Massachusetts as they prepare for the big day. The first family, led by the patriarch Victor, are the Bariteau's. His elaborate setups take months and several volunteers to construct. Even though the members of his family are willing participants, there are more than a few points where their relationship seems a little strained. Let's just say Victor has a very understanding wife.

The Bariteau Family.

The second haunter is Manny Souza, and his kin. He is not as meticulous as Victor and believes in quantity over quality. It’s really quite amazing to see how much stuff he has acquired – at little or no cost from junkyards and yard sales – and put to use in his backyard haunt.

The Sousa Family.

The third is the father and son team, Richard & Matt Brodeur. They have neither the resources nor the finesse of the first two groups, but their enthusiasm seems limitless. I felt a bit bad for them, as the documentary tends to use them as the comic relief. Right from their intro, when Manny describes them as “peculiar”, Stephenson portrays them as lovable losers, which can be a tad uncomfortable at times. I don't feel this was in any way a malicious choice, rather just the easy – or perhaps, more specifically, lazy – one.

The Brodeurs.

Despite that, I have to applaud Stephenson's talent for populating his films with genuine subjects. These people make real sacrifices for their passion, and any resulting tensions melt away once the big night arrives. It was very touching and satisfying to see how much joy their efforts brought to the community on Halloween night.

As the doc was finishing, I fully clicked into the title’s play on words. This small patch of New England really has achieved the fabled American Dream. You could see it on the faces of the people lining the streets. And, in this case, it is largely due to Halloween. Victor sums it up brilliantly when he says,

“Halloween is intensely special to me. And it feels very different from every other day. It's a community thing. It's not just a family thing. Thanksgiving & Christmas are family holidays. Halloween brings a whole community together. You're not going to see that any other time of the year.”

Stephenson has produced another heartfelt effort here. The American Scream will make you laugh, cringe and, most importantly, start counting the days until Halloween.

Trailer Tuesdays: Dreamscape.

It goes without saying that I'm big on retro. Having grown up in the VHS era, I'm having a blast seeing companies like Shout Factory reissue all my analogue favourites. However, there are a few titles that I fear may be best left in memory. Take today's featured trailer for 1984's Dreamscape, for example.

Now, don't get me wrong. I loved this movie when I was kid. I watched the shit out of the copy I dubbed off First Choice. It's a solid science fiction horror with an awesome concept - coming decades before we were Inceptioned by Chris Nolan - but I have a sneaking suspicion that this movie wouldn't hold up if I watched it now.

That may seem odd, but my memories of this movie are way too important to have them distorted by the passage of time. Dreamscape wasn't even particularly scary when I saw it, but just the concept of being inside someone's dream meant that anything could happen. It just made my imagination run wild, like only a child's can. If I see the film now, I'll be able to pick out all the filmmaking quirks - especially with it being so effects laden - and it will likely come off as far less grandiose as a result.

No, I am content to let this one rest in peace.

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It seemed like a light week for news, but here's what I got for you this week.

Hide & Seek.

This week, there was a cool trailer released for James Wan's newest flick The Conjuring featuring Lili Taylor. Check it out below.

Usually, I would frown upon showing a trailer which may give away the best bits. However, considering Wan made Insidious, I'm sure there are many more of these effective set pieces within. Besides, I really like how this trailer is constructed, as it also functions as its own little contained short film. The Conjuring will be unleashed this July.

Bloody Gorgeous.

Fresh from Bloody Disgusting, come these two wonderful sketches from Malaysian artist Tsukasa1608 for the upcoming release of the Evil Dead remake.

As the release grows ever closer, even the most jaded horror fan is starting to get about excited about this. Here's hoping. As for Bloody Disgusting, they are celebrating The Evil Dead films all month, so be sure to check back there often.

Oh, and if you're wondering why I didn't mention the renewed rumours of Evil Dead 4 this week? It's because, for now, it's still all talk. Don't kid yourself. The fourth chapter of everyone's favourite splatstick enterprise is wholly dependent on the success of this upcoming remake.

Hair Cuts & Crab Walks.

And now, a little levity. It appears the makers of The Last Exorcism have returned to terrorize some more unsuspecting civilians. Like their playful attack on Chat Roulette in 2010, this year they set up in a salon to promote The Last Exorcism Part II. I'm still on the fence on whether I'm going to see the actual movie, but this viral is good for a few chuckles.

TV Rots Yer Brain!

Last Friday, I gathered some pals together to assault their senses – and perhaps their patience – with Scream Factory’s latest Blu-ray double pack, The Video Dead & TerrorVision.

Scream Factory because has been doing an amazing job of late. Not only have they been releasing some choice horror cuts over the last year or so, but also excelling in the packaging and supplemental departments, as well. I mean, just look at the title menu screen for the above disc!

Anyways, back to the evening at hand. Knowing that TerrorVision was likely going to be the easier for my peeps to ingest, I slapped on The Video Dead first. Even twenty five years later, I still find this movie so endearing. Director Robert Scott had more dreams than money – it was literally shot on weekends over the span of a year – but knew to accentuate his strengths. Sure, it’s slow in parts and the acting is questionable at best, but there is an emphasis on the zombies as characters that you usually don’t see outside of Romero’s catalogue.

As for the transfer, it looks pretty solid. Considering this film was originally shot on 16mm, this is the best The Video Dead has ever looked. I have to now give a shout out to Chris MacGibbon. His painstaking, multi-year pursuit to get The Video Dead released on a digital format has finally come to fruition. Additionally, all the supplemental materials he has been producing over that time are on the disc, including two commentaries, interviews and extensive galleries. It is pretty much all a Video Dead super-fan could ever want.

Diane Hadley as The Bride in The Video Dead.

I know that all in attendance were not as thrilled about The Video Dead as I was, but nevertheless we moved onto TerrorVision.

I had an even more vague recollection of this title, but wagered that the combined efforts of Charles Band & John Carl Buechler wouldn’t let me down. Thankfully, I was right. Just the production design alone in this movie is enough to keep you entertained. Imagining a universe where a house like this could exist brings a smile to my face. Then again, it was the eighties.

TerrorVision falls into a category that several of Band’s pictures possess where it seems like, gore and encroaching adult themes aside of course, he was almost trying to make a kids movie. It would certainly explain why several years later, Band founded Moonbeam Entertainment, the more youth-friendly genre offshoot of his Full Moon empire.

Not surprisingly, the center piece of TerrorVision is the monster, which is top notch. Just two years before the legendary carnage of Friday the 13^th Part VII, effects artist John Carl Buechler was at the top of his game here. It goes to show you that no matter how rudimentary a fabricated monster may look, it will always beat CG.

Slimy, gooey and, most importantly, tangible.

But wait, there’s more! TerrorVision also features a catchy theme song, an Elvira ripoff named Medusa, whose heaving bosom defies the laws of physics and some pretty extreme eighties hairdos. Also, much like its counterpart, this disc is rife with special features, including a commentary, retrospective doc and a still gallery.

All of this added up to a fun evening. With many more great titles on the way from Scream Factory this year, I suspect there will be many more nights like this to come.