Retro Review - Repo, The Genetic Opera

I have the wrong view of certain products sometimes and it turns out I miss on good things often as a result.

Repo came out in the heart of Saw's height, not that it's finished mind you, and at that moment I was more or less interested about it because it was advertised as a gimmick that didn't stick with me. Today, on a insanely warm sunday, I decided it was movie day so I went in my roommate collection (which is astounding by the way) and was looking for something I haven't seen yet. Something also that didn't need my full attention as I knew that I would wander off in the process. Repo, turns out was a great choice.

I'm mostly surprised by the movie, like I said my expectations were kinda low, since I thought it was a gimmick à la Hostel but Giles (Anthony Head) is a great actor and personnaly I think, a great stage actor so it was a plus. The DVD is stylish I gotta say, the menu is campy and comic book-y and this always is a plus in my book. I knew it was a musical, unlike many that went to see it in theaters and that never really bothered me, so this wasn't a factor. The problem with the musical part is that not all the actors are good at singing and not all the lines are written to be sung.

I personally thought that sometimes, it sounded off but then again I'm no musical expert. What surprised me though is the actors and actresses that appeared in the movie. Alexa Vega is a good young actress and showing that she can do other styles of role is nice to see. Paul Sorvino is a little typecast here but you know, he's good at these kind of role (plus his ''singing'' isn't so bad) and Paris Hilton was great. I mean, with this flick, she re-invented the meaning of loosing face in public. The biggest surprise was Sarah Brightman, a reputed singer and a good one at that involved in a horror movie is always nice to see.

I think that it's one of the factor that bothered me about the singing, a contrast of Sarah Brightman singing and then the other scene you get the Grave Robber, the difference is astounding. It's obvious I know but I thought it took charms aways from the movie.

There was an emmy nominated episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer a couple of years ago, it was called ''Once more with feeling''. Joss Whedon had said at the time that it was one of the reason he continued the serie after the 5th season. It was a musical and a good one where unconventional lyrics meshed well with the narrative of the show and...well, sounded good. Repo reminds me a lot of that episode (Anthony Stewart being in both kinda helps too) and I think that the creators were hugely influenced by that episode. There's other influence obviously, like The Rocky Horror but the modern look and feel is more inclined with Once more with feeling.

All in all, it's a unique film, there's nothing (I know about anyway) out there that ressemble this so it's worth viewing and even owning for that matter. It's a great flick to put into the background when you feel like watching something... but not really.

Bugmaker

There's a dude (as his profile says: I'm male and taken) out there called Bugmaker and as the name implies, he make bug like creatures. He's a gifted sculpter as you can see from his Flickr account.

Also, he seems to have a penchant for C'thulhu, which we don't really mind here at MiM. There's no mention on his account that you can order any of his creations though, it's a shame really 'cause I'd really like to get my hands on a few. I mean, who doesn't want a Cephalopod creature in a jar?

Enjoy!

Resident Evil

RE has been a focus for the evolution of horror into games. Back in 1996, when the first one came out on the Playstation, the mind of gamers were blown away by the quality and the ambience it brought to a medium that was never really ‘’horror-friendly’’.

Off course, it’s not the first horror themed game but it’s one of the first that really put you into it and scared the crap outta you. It was a true homage to western cinema, with references to George A. Romero’s zombie trilogy (Night/Dawn/Day of the dead), House of haunted hill and even Psycho. Sadly though, it also spawned movies based on the games, as the first was written and directed by Paul W. Anderson, which turned out an ok flick but not as good as it could’ve been, the only really good thing about it was the soundtrack composed by Marilyn Manson. Sequels (Apocalypse and Extinction) were released after that, both still written by Anderson but this time directed by his Second Unit Director, Alexander Witt and Russell Mulcahy respectively.

Mediocre at best as you can imagine but it doesn’t seem to stop the franchise, as the 4^th installment is in the pipes as they say. The rumors go as the return of Paul Anderson’s behind the camera and with a tentative title; Afterlife. Yep, the guy who made Mortal Kombat the movie is the man trusted with this huge franchise. So it kills me to see it go that way when Mr. Romero was first attached to write and direct the first on to begin with. As a matter of fact he did write a script but the producers refused it because it was too gory. Which is hilarious considering it’s about walking decomposing dead people eating the flesh of the living. Anyway, if you never had the chance to read the script Romero wrote for the movie, I strongly urge you to read it.

Very different, yet familiar with the game; the characters are there with slight changes as Chris is a Native American and Barry being an Afro American. The hunters are there along with Wesker’s Tyrant, heck if I remember right; even the Rocket Launcher is used to kill it at the end. It has cheesy dialogues but I seriously think it’s a direct homage to the now infamous voice acting from the first game.

Pinhead Reborn

I was up late last night. You see, my mind wanders. And in order to stop it from wandering, I usually grab myself some chocolate-mint ice cream and pop in an oldie but goodie into the DVD player. About an hour later, Uncle Frank is trying to get into Kirsty's pants. Needless to say, I was curious to read up on possible updates for the upcoming remake (better than another sequel... I suppose.) And while my buddy Frank, one half of the always insightful 7e Antiquaire, had shown me the first pics of the "new" Pinhead maybe a year back, I came upon this clip on YouTube. This updated look was created by effects artist - Gary J. Tunicliffe - a man who's been working on the series since the third installment, Hellraiser: Hell on Earth. The dude figured he'd take a stab at re-creating the look, and while it will not be used in the upcoming remake, it's still darn pretty. Uh, if two inch gashes and 9 inch nails are your thing, that is.

As far as the remake is concerned, it looks like the film itself remains trapped in Hell. Last anyone's heard, Pascal Laugier (director of the exquisite laceration of a film, Martyrs) had left the project and the film remains without a writer/director. It's a shame when you think about the amount of people who are passionate about the story, about the characters, and who want to remain faithful to the original concept of Clive Barker's masterpiece. Oh well...

In the meantime, here's a quick showing of Tunicliffe's "redesigning of an icon."

Coming to a theater near you

There's a butthole lot of horror flicks coming out next month and, off course, in October. It's hard to follow everyone of them and I thought that I'd post some links to trailers of the ones that interest me.

Mmmmmm MEATTY!

First there's Pandorum in September, I'm pretty hyped about this movie. I'm not sure why yet but I like the setting and I'm a huge Sci-Fi nerd so when Horror is mixed in, I'm happy.

Also in September is 9, an animated movie from Sean Acker. It's been full on advertised with the name of Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted, Day/Nightwatch) which I have no clue why since both don't do animation but I guess it's a selling point... Like Quentin did with a couple of movies.

Number 3 on my list, Zombieland. It's a comical zombie flick à la Shaun of the Dead where Woody Harrelson and others live in a world of zombies and they started a competition ''zombie kill of the week''. You can't go wrong with that.

More seriously there's the second Halloween, the sequel of the remake. (Nice site though)

I like the first one very much and the second outing looks as promising. I'm a fan of rob, what can I say, the guy has style.

Lastly, theater wise anyway, there's Carriers. I say this movie looks about 5 years too late, since the scare of bacterial attacks where all the talks but sometimes, movies like that tend to really surprise. They got Neo-Kirk and Piper Perabo but the trailer seem to reveal a little too much, still, worth a look.

Then, there's the DVDs.

Alien Trespass; Wow! I mean, it's not Lost Skeleton of Cadavra but it's damn close and we all love the campy so buy it, it's coming out next week.

And just as a personal favorite, Supernatural Season 4. Do yourself a favor, don't watch the trailer if you haven't seen the 3rd season. I like Supernatural in general since it's basically the only tv show out there that tackles all kinds of horror themes. Last season was all about mutilation and Hellraiser, kudos for a show on the CW.

That's pretty much it, I'm missing a whole lot probably but as for now, that's what I'm looking for.

Oh, and for the road, mega deal of the week - The Master of Fear

Haunt of Horror: Lovecraft

As you probably noticed, we're all big fan of H.P. Lovecraft's work here at Meat is Meat. I recently got an application on my Itouch that is basically all the stories, short and long, he wrote. It's really practical and interesting since I'm able to read some of them almost everywhere I go. Plus it's about a hundred stories for 3$ but lately, I've been meaning to read a comic that I had bought for some time but never got around to it.

The comic is called Haunt of Horror: Lovecraft by Marvel, it's on their ''MAX'' lineup so it means it's for mature readers. Richard Corben, a respected artist in the comic medium decided to adapt short stories of Lovecraft in this format and I gotta say, he did it perfectly.

Corben has a unique style, he's capable of creating an atmosphere like no other in the business. He uses the black and white standard with a touch of grey that just add to the ''foggy'' setting that always seem to dominate in Lovecraft's damp world. On top of that, Corben is a master when it comes to a grainy look, which just enhance the perception that everything is dirty.

The collection (Hardcover of the comics 3 issues) starts with probably the most known of his stories, Dagon. A man, sitting at his desk writting his last moments before taking a dive trough the window to escape some seamen. (His word, not mine - personally, I find fish-dude-monsters way more modern)

What follows is called The Scar, based on the short Recognition. The story is about an old man lost in the woods and upon meeting a young man, they both realize that they're not really alone in these woods and the young man eventually leave the older one to go faster. It's fascinating sometime how H.P. wrote often about humans worst flaws; in this case abandonment.

What I really enjoyed though about the comic is that at every end of the adaptation, the original text is printed so that you may compare the work of Corben with the storytelling of Lovecraft. A nice simple ''extra'' that adds flavor to the comic.

There's eight stories in all, which are about 5 pages minimum each, so for fans of H.P. or comics, it it definitly worth picking it up, I got the hardcover for 20$ and it's the second of a series of Haunt of Horror. The first one being about Edgar Alan Poe.

Dead Space

There's a game out there that 3 million people played but only 1.5 of them actually bought it and when you think about it, it's a damn shame 'cause Dead Space is good fun. It's a Sci-fi horror that borrow heavily on the movie Event Horizon and the myth of HP Lovecraft's Cthulhu.

The game came out in October last year and it's bizarre 'cause it's only recently that everyone seem to realize how good it is; better late than never I guess. This past week-end, at the San Diego Comic Con, the game became a franchise... Comics are on their way, a possible movie by DJ Caruso and rumored game sequels are in production. Not bad for a game taht was a huge risk to start with.

There's already an animated movie out called Downfall, it's not that bad if you can go over bad animation. It's a direct prequel to the game, where the end is the start of the game.

The developper were called EA Redwood Shore at the time, but they recently changed their name to Visceral Game and their logo is basically an X-Ray of a cracked skull. It really show promises as a game company that may just specialize in horror games. That, is rare. Their next game is called Dante's Inferno (yes, ''based'' on the Italian poem but loosely would be an understatement) it's basically an action game in hell... which mean weird creatures, sounds and weapons.

Here's a preview with chessy dialogue and all.

Review: Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers

Directed by Fred Olen Ray

You know the movie you're about to watch is going to be awesome when the first thing that pops onto the screen is a warning about how "The CHAINSAWS (yes, all in capital letters) used in this motion picture are REAL and DANGEROUS! It goes on talking about how said-chainsaws are handled by seasoned "PROFFESSIONALS." The chuckle comes at the very end of the advisement when the signature reads: "My Conscious is Clear, Signed Fred Olen Ray."

The movie begins with an interview of one of the hookers : Lori, who is played by Dawn Wildsmith, appears only once more during the film which is a shame because she truly is one of the more interesting characters. The bleached-white hair, the bubblegum-chewing attitude, and the rather high pitched voice rounds out the one-time catholic-schoolgirl-turned-Chainsaw-Hooker. The voice offscreen asks her to tell us exactly what happened. She goes on about how she took her clothes off before taking his clothes off. Lurid acts followed. But when the John refused to pay his bill, she reaches for one of her other toys. The chainsaw is revealed, revving it up before we go into the opening credits. This sets the mood for things to come. It's not like I'm expecting miracles but any movie that begins with a hooker talking about her hot date that somehow ended up with a chainsaw massacre... Well, let's just say, it's hard for me to be objective.

After the intro, we're taken to a shot of L.A. and Jay Richardson's voice plays over the setting sun. He plays Jack Chandler, the down and out detective who's view of the City of Angels is anything but divine. By the way, the quality of the film is grainy and it helps preserve the grindhouse feel. I definitely wouldn't want a re-mastered version of this but then I frown upon those who do. Enter Michelle Bauer who plays "Mercedes", one of the chainsaw wielding scarlets. She successfully ensnares Bo who ends up being victim no.1 in the movie. Mercedes has a thing for Elvis and The King can be heard on the radio as she begins sticking plastic sheets up against the wall, claiming that she "sometimes gets carried away." This is after she has stripped naked by the way. Michelle Bauer is downright intense in this scene. She reminded me of Linda Blair in Savage Streets who was equally intense and even scary at times as she enacted her revenge on those who raped her mute-deaf sister.

She goes on to saw Bo into pieces while Gunnar Hansen of Texas Chainsaw Massacre fame satisfies his voyeuristic tendencies as he watches from the window. This happens in the first five minutes into the movie and once again I find it difficult to remain objective. It's obviously a low-budget film and while there's only four kills in the movie, it makes up for it with a horde of topless hookers. Having said that, the "gore" remains cheeky and fun.

Back to Jack who explains that the cops have found several pieces that seem to be coming up from the sewers. A serial killer perhaps? It doesn't really matter, see, because Jack Chandler is on a missing-person case. He's after a missing girl, played by Scream-Queen Linnea Quigley, who apparently got "bounced off of a daddy's knee one too many times." I like Jay Richardson in this flick. His voice and demeanor are what you'd expect from a unshaven, down on his luck private dick. He also narrates most of the flick, often manipulating what actually happened during certain scenes in hopes of making himself sound like a much bigger bad-ass than he actually is. For instance, one of his one-night stands wakes just in time to catch him sneaking out. She flips him the bird and spews her venom but Jack's voice talks about how "she had that longing look in her eyes.... tears weld up in her eyes as I walked out the door." He also sports several memorable quotes that would give Bruce Campbell a run for his money (by the by, I think Richardson was attempting to channel Campbell throughout the gig and to some extent, succeeds). With lines like, "What do you do, pray to Black & Decker?" it's hard not to at least smirk.

A series of clues finally leads him to the ancient Egyptian death cult responsible for plugging up the sewer system with severed body parts. Death cults usually offer up sacrifices, right? Well, this one is no exception. The only thing that puzzled me is that I don't recall anyone mentioning WHY they were sacrificing Johns to the Chainsaw-Gods, but alas, who are we to question the Higher Power? Right. Plot hole? Maybe. The final scene takes place in the temple (where else?) where Linnea Quigley really shines. Every sacrifice must have it's rituals and this one includes "The Virgin Dance of the Double Chainsaws." Remember folks, the chainsaws are REAL! And my fondness of Linnea Quigley grows. Forget that she's nude and tattooed. But the fact that she was able to pull off a dance with two running chainsaws and make it look sexy solidifies her standing as a B-movie legend.

In the end, none of the people involved took the production too seriously and neither should you. While the acting is sub-par (Gunnar was especially useless here, appearing for several brief moments and two longer shots - he feels a little less "high priest" and a lot more "Oh crap, I don't know how to act!") and the story unfolds without any crazy plot twists. Actually, there's one. But it's not exactly a shocker. Still... Hollywood.... Chainsaw.... Hookers. It's great fun and most definitely worth a watch if you like exploitation cinema. And chainsaws. And hookers.

The Virgin Dance of the Double Chainsaws:

The Death of All Reality

I've been re-watching some of Stewart Gordon's most awesome adaptations of the works of H.P. Lovecraft and I think it's safe to say that I'm in a Lovecraftian mood. I've also been surfing the web for other horror blogs in hopes of learning and catching the drift of how bloggers, um, err, blog. Anyway, I stumbled onto this most amazing blog called The Vault of Horror. My incesant giggling has yet to wake my roommate but the following video provides the auditory system with thoughts I cannot explain. Enjoy. And then stab your ears out with a toothpick.



emiT txeN litnU,
"Ph'nglui mglw'nafh C'thulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn."

Tales From The Crypt: Cutting Cards

"Hello, Boils and Ghouls!"

Ah, I could never get enough of our ol' pal, The Cryptkeeper. He's undoubtedly one of the most recognized horror icons. With "imp-provised" puns and "fang-tastic" quirks, The Cryptkeeper presided over the "Tales from the Crypt" TV series which aired from 1989 to 1996. I'm currently watching season 4 and for those who are not familiar with the series, let me tell you, it's definitely worth checking out. It's based off one of the four horror/suspense series published by EC comics that appeared through the '40s to mid 1950s'. I got my hands on one of the volumes and you could expect a nice little review sometime soon.

The television show aired on HBO which allowed an impressive amount of gore, nudity and otherwise frowned upon "mature" themes. Thankfully, the show was popular enough to span seven seasons and the list of big names to have appeared on the show is downright staggering. I mean, where else can you see Christopher Reeve and Meatloaf in a knife fight? The director line-up is nothing to scoff at either. You've got William Friedkin on one end and Arnold Schwarzenegger on the other: FIGHT!

Come to think of it, the show is insane. And speaking of insanity, today I review one of my favorite episodes: Cutting Cards. This gem is directed by Walter Hill and tells the story of two rival gamblers, beautifully portrayed by Kevin Tighe and my main-man: Lance Henriksen. Anyway, the two have faced off before and needless to say, Vegas ain't big enough for both of them. The chips are no longer enough to satisfy their quarrel and the two begin a series of games that end up costing them a tad more than some loose change. Tighe plays Sam Forney, a big suit who's cleaned out every fat cat that chucked the die his way one too many times while Henriksen comes walking into town as the slick, dressed-all-in-black, cowboy-hat-wearing: Reno Crevice.

The two are a perfect fit. You'll find yourself smirking more than once or twice at the quick repartee displayed by both actors. Here's an example:

Reno Crevice: "You know the difference between you and me? You've got no character."

Sam Forney: "I've got a .44 out in the glove compartment of my car."

Or the following which, in my humble opinion, earns Reno Crevice a spot on my list of bonafied badasses:

Sam Forney: "You gettin' nervous, Reno?"

Reno Crevice: "Fuck that. I'll take a .44 shot!"

It's one of those episodes where you can't help but to imagine yourself somewhere in the background, thinking "WTF?!" as these two ante-up from one deadly gamble to the next. You'll laugh at the absurdity but you'll also bite your nails as you wonder what kind of insane bet they'll make next. The stakes are high when the two start betting digits in a game aptly called "Chop Poker." I found myself laughing maniaclly more than once as the battle of wits continues right up until the very last scene. The theme that follows our favorite gamblers around is also somewhat cool and reminiscent of '50s pulp/noir jives. "Cutting Cards" is something you'll want to watch over and over again, if only to memorize the highly quotable material scattered throughout 20-minutes of pure goodness.

Here's a little taste of card-cutting bliss:





Until next time Boils and Ghouls,
Pleasant Screams!

Dead Snow (Dod Sno)

For the first post I thought I'd do a piece on Dead Snow, the Norwegian slapstick horror.

I live in Montreal and each years there's a independent film festival called Fantasia that occupies our summer and usually it's a great place to see rare flicks. Though, for the past couple of years I've had less and less ambition to go because of the audience and the crappy technical ''support'' they have.

And, to add to this, most of the movies they show are either already available for imports or will be available on dvd 2 weeks later. So, instead of ruining my experience for the zombie flick Dead Snow, I got my hands on it and watched it comfortable in my living room.

It's simple, med students go into the snowy mountains to celebrate with their buddies and in the process, awake the wrath of Zombie Nazies. The story is pretty straight forward indeed but the execution is more what's important about this flick. The creators didn't want to reinvent the wheel and it shows, references to Dead Alive (AKA Braindead) and Evil Dead are ''in your face'' not only in the matter of context but also how they filmed the movie.

The shed is there, the humor is there and the ''cheap'' special effects are there for a quick laugh.

And then, they splatter scenes with gore that you would think Tom Savini was involved. Also interesting is the obvious contrast of the snow and the blood, I thought it added to the shock effect.

The director, Tommy Wirkola, is basically an unknown...having only made Kill Buljo (A Norwegian parody of Kill Bill) abut with this release, I'm sure we'll hear him again soon enough.

It's been a good time for small time horror directors in the past couple of years, I'm referring to people like Neil Marshall (Doomsday, Dog Soldiers) and Zach Snyder (Dawn of the Dead) who have gained popularity by starting low budget.

Now, if only they could stop using those directors to make crappy remakes of Italian or Spanish movies.