INK

INK
Watched this movie yesterday and I really, really enjoyed it. Quite fantastical, visually stunning, and though a bit sentimental at times, I think it's more than worth the watch. It was done with no studio backing or financing. The director also scored the film. The score is fantastic (I bought it on iTunes).

I hope someone gives this guy a shitload of money to do his next film. I can't wait.



And a track from the score:




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October 1

60 degrees outside today. Windows cracked. Watched The Thing, Suspiria, & Halloween. It has begun.


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Haunted

I'm a huge fan of the short lived series Dead Like Me. I loved the concept and grew to adore the quirky, troubled characters. I've seen every episode at least a few times, and was delighted when the straight to DVD movie came out. (While I wasn't too happy about the new Daisy, I was more than happy to be back in their world.)

The episode "Haunted" takes place on Halloween night. I'm particularly fond of it because you get to see all the houses decorated for Halloween - something that doesn't happen all that often in TV shows or movies. Kids are running about in costumes, candy is flowing, and pumpkins and jack o'lanterns abound. There are spider webs stretched across doors and windows, giant spiders, skeletons hanging from trees and even a yard haunt or two. Also, the story of the episode is pretty damn cool.


You can watch the episode here. I hope you do.

Also, look for Emily Perkins from Ginger Snaps. She has a brief part.


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Oh Amazon Box, How I Love Thee

Packages make me very, very happy, especially when they are from Amazon.com. The one that arrived yesterday had the above beauty inside, along with The Changeling (the George C. Scott one, of course) on DVD, and the novels Candles Burning, The Amulet, and The Winter Vault. All are horror related except for the last - a book by Anne Michaels, a Canadian poet and author whose novel Fugitive Pieces and books of poetry had a profound and life changing effect on me. This is only her second novel and I have waited 13 years for it. (Please note I have no intentions of seeing the film they made from the book Fugitive Pieces because I believe it is not an experience that can be translated to film.)

I read about The Pleasure And Pain of Cult Horror Films in the latest edition of Rue Morgue Magazine. I've linked the title to its Amazon page for a description because I figured they'd do a better job than me. I am so looking forward to curling up with a different essay each night before bed. Hopefully they will bring nightmares. :)

I adore my copy of The Changeling on VHS (as evidenced by this month's blog header). Something about that fuzzy, colors-going-wonky at times, scratchy images that I find mesmerizing. For me, horror before 1990 is best experienced on VHS. But Pumpkinrot and I got to talking and wondering what a nice, clean copy of the movie would look like. Think of the details that would pop out...things I've missed in my countless viewings of the tape. So, we ordered it. No extras on it which is a bummer, but no surprise. At least it's wide screen. And it only cost, brand new, $5.98. I was happy and insulted at the same time.

Candles Burning is a novel that Tabitha King finished when the original author (and my latest literary obsession) Michael McDowell died. The Amulet is also by Mr. McDowell whose genre is Southern Gothic Horror (which is also my genre). I first read The Elementals (which sports one of the best paperback covers ever) by him and loved it so much that I have decided to read every single one of his works. I just finished Cold Moon Over Babylon. I've many more titles to go and will be so sad the day I finish his body of work.

I won't write about Fugitive Pieces here as it isn't horror...though it is in a very fundamental way. But the main reason I won't is because it would be too complex, too personal, and in all honesty something that is ultimately, for me, ineffable. Feel free to check it out on your own, but do remember that engaging the written word is a highly subjective experience and it may not be to your liking.



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Squidbillies....You Must Watch

Ok, so....it's not horror. But at least this episode has a horror-ish theme: Mephistopheles Traveled Below To A Southern State Whose Motto Is “Wisdom, Justice, and Moderation."

You see, I am a HUGE fan of Adult Swim's Squidbillies. It's a show about squids who live in Goergia. I know...just go with it. I'm from the South (and boy are there ALOT of references that I get...or I should say git), but you don't have to be from the South to love it, or enjoy the witty, intelligent, and hilarious writing. Plus the background art work by Ben Prisk is simply stunning. Also the original music by Shawn Coleman is awesome (and I'm not specifically talking about the songs featured in this epsiode, though they are brilliant spoofs) and Rot and I often let the original music section of the dvd (Season One) play while we work. And Unknown Hinson as Early Cuyler (the daddy squid) is the most dead on casting ever.

Do yourself a favor and go watch Mephistopheles Traveled Below To A Southern State Whose Motto Is “Wisdom, Justice, and Moderation" or any other episodes on Adult Swim. And even better, go buy Seasons One and Two. It's "gooder than hell!"




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Nostromo, Up Close

Found this very, very cool site that has behind the scenes photos and reminiscences from the crew of Alien. The good ol' days when people made models and monsters for movies. What a cool job that must have been.

There's all kinds of interesting stuff on the site, so be sure to explore.


Image source and site.


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Schooling

Spent the last few days visiting friends in my hometown of Memphis, Tn. While there I hung out with my good friend Bryan who owns Black Lodge Video - the coolest, most awesome video store that ever was. If you want it chances are they got it. Their VHS collection is strong, and they don't shy away from adding to it. They've everything from the latest titles to the incredibly obscure thought-you'd-never-find films. This is where I learned horror. This is where all the movies came from. (And because I know the owner, all the rentals were free.) Thanks, Bryan, for my education.


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Bad Day At The Beach

This looks like it has promise.






Salvage


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The Dead Zone

We recently watched The Dead Zone. It's been a few years since I've seen it and I'd forgotten how much I dig it. I think it doesn't get enough attention - it's very well done. The final scene is heartbreaking. Also, I love the score.



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Do & Don't

A Must See:

The Burrowers is an elegant & intelligent horror movie. Great script, cinematography, character development, score & less-is-more on the creatures. Thank you, J.T. Petty.

Avoid at all costs:

Laid To Rest

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Blood Red Earth & The Burrowers

I watched Blood Red Earth by J.T. Petty on Fearnet On Demand recently and was wonderfully & completely blown away. It's been awhile since I've come across a contemporary horror filmmaker who isn't afraid to take things slow. His respect for the genre and for its fans is evident - he trusts us to be intelligent and patient, and to not need lots of boobs and blood to be entertained. The look, story, and pace of the film are all graceful - traits rarely seen in horror.

Blood Red Earth is a short film & prequel to his upcoming feature film that I am excited about - The Burrowers (starring Clancy Brown who I love). You can watch the short at the link below the photo. Be sure to watch all the behind-the-scene interviews. J.T. Petty says a lot of very cool stuff - he's the kind of filmmaker I've been waiting for. I loved his first film Soft For Digging. Even though it contained hardly any dialogue at all, it managed to be thick with narrative and mystery. I can't wait to see the movies he'll be making. (I've wanted to see his S&Man, but haven't been able to find a copy.) Also it's pretty groovy that Larry Fessenden is in the short, though briefly. He's another director I am a big fan of - he directed The Last Winter.

Blood Red Earth short & interviews


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The Hand

We watched The Hand with Michael Cane this afternoon. I remember watching it as a little girl and being absolutely terrified. For days after I checked every nook, every dark corner for the hand...I just knew it'd be up on all five digits, ready to pounce. It's still scary to me, but in a different way now. The tension level in several scenes is unnerving, and the chilling score by James Horner (the opening song is to die for) made this film a very pleasant way to spend Valentine's Day.

Screencap by me.

By the way, Pumpkinrot has the bootlegged score. I think it will be playing as we cook dinner tonight. How sweet.
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Night Gallery

As a wedding gift to ourselves, Pumpkinrot and I bought the first season of Night Gallery on DVD. We've both seen every episode, but it's nice to occasionally put in a disc and rediscover them together.

I always wanted paintings from the show to hang on my walls. Never tried to copy one for myself, but one of these days I just might.

Paintings from Night Gallery:



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Best Movie Poster of 2009? So Far...Yes.

I so dig this poster for the upcoming Ti West film The House of the Devil. Unfortunately I couldn't find a larger pic.


Ti West also wrote and directed The Roost.

Ode To Haunted Houses

I love haunted house stories. They are my all time favorite of the horror genre, in literature and in film. The dark wood, the creaking stairs, the dust, the stale air of the attic, the long hallways....pure heaven to me. The quiet, subtle moments are what I love most. The idea that a house is a living being with feelings and intentions is one that is ever intriguing, as well as the notion that a house can replay and echo the horrors that happen within them over and over. In a haunted house time stops, and the connection (and safety) to the outside world is lost. For some reason I find that comforting. Perhaps it's the timelessness of it, or because the rules of the world no longer apply, or because it is a final destination and there is no more work to be done. I don't know.

There are many haunted houses that I revisit often: The Shining (novel & film), The Haunting (the 1963 film), The Legend Of Hell House (novel & film), The Haunting of Hill House (novel by Shirley Jackson), The Haunting of Julia (novel & film), and others that I will remember after I publish this post.

I've a new one to add to the list - a short story that appeared in Weird Tales Magazine. It's "Renovations" by Matthew Pridham. You can read the story here.

Screencap from The Legend Of Hell House.


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Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

Pumpkinrot and I spend alot of time talking about and watching horror movies. One of the most enjoyable things we do is revisit movies that scared us when we were kids - the movies that, later that night when it was time to go to bed, transformed the closet door cracked open in the dark to a chasm filled with horrible monsters and the 2 feet on the floor next to the bed a "no foot" zone. It's often a challenge to find these movies (and sometimes hard to remember the titles), but once in a while we track them down. Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark was a made for TV movie that Pumpkinrot remembers. We managed to find it on YouTube.

I'm into any movie whose description begins, "A couple moves into an old mansion..."

It was so much fun to watch.

Screencap from the film.


I'm totally going hide a little demon doll in the medicine cabinet for Rot to find.


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The Night No One Came Home

Sure wish I owned these beauties.



From here.
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