Hump-Day Harangue: Might the American Let the Right One In Actually Be... Good??

Normally, I use this space as a platform from which to launch my vitriol at this or that outrage going on in the world of horror. But this week, it was suggested to my by BJ-C of Day of the Woman that I use the Hump-Day Harangue as a force for good. And so help me, I shall. Because I'm daring to hope here, and I'm bucking the trend of negativity on one particular hot-button issue going on right now in the online horror community.

I'm daring to hope that the imminent American remake of Let the Right One In... will actually be good.

Granted, there is much working against me in this foolish hope. The very notion, for example, that the title has been changed to the dumbed-down "Let Me In"--a variant translation that loses the nuance and the Morrissey reference--is repellent to me. But I'm trying my best to look past that. I'm trying to keep an open mind here.

This was exactly the opposite of what I did when Quarantine was vomited forth in the wake of the international adulation surrounding [REC]. I adore [REC] and to this day, I have not even seen Quarantine. That one was a bitter pill to swallow.

Similarly, last year, I absolutely fell in love with Let the Right One In, and have championed it ever since. I felt it was robbed at the Oscars, and that it deserved a full-scale American release. So you can imagine my initial depression upon learning that it, too, would be getting the instand-English-language-remake treatment.

But folks, one can only be outraged for so long. Instead, i'm trying to channel my energies toward hoping that Matt Reeves and company do the novel proud. I'll say this: I enjoyed Cloverfield, Reeves most high-profile effort to date. I know there was a bit of a backlash against it, but I found it to be an enjoyable popcorn flick, though admittedly haven't been driven to watch it again since seeing it in the theater.

I guess that's reason to be concerned, since the original Let the Right One In is a film of far greater richness and depth than Cloverfield. It is not a popcorn flick, nor should it be directed as such. Hopefully, Reeves has it in him to wow us with something more evocative and though-provoking than his previous work.

I'll admit, what first got me wondering if this remake could potentially be worthwhile were the amazing posters and one-sheets that were released (leaked?) to the web earlier this week. While some Vault Dwellers have expressed to me their displeasure with them, I found them to be pretty impressive, as did BJ-C, another died-in-the-wool LTROI worshipper and remake-basher. They seemed to capture some of the "soul" of the Swedish original, if that can be said of a poster.

I know, that's a pretyy flimsy reason to hold out hope for a movie. But what is my other option? To let the bile build back up again as I lament the dumbing down of the American movie industry, and the lazy moviegoing audiences that allow it to get away with travesty after travesty? My doctor's been telling me to watch my stress levels, thank you very much.

All I'm hoping for is something that even approaches the original. The movie is going to happen, so at least I can hope for the best. I'll go on record as saying that I actually enjoy the American remake of The Ring better than the original Japanese--so who knows?

The Tuesday Top 10: Favorite Inbred Movies

I never quite realized just how many horror movies focus on inbreeding until I sat down to compile this particular list, a special request from a very special Vault Dweller. Apparently, there is much horror to be found in the illicit, deranged fruits of incestuous breeding. Can't say I can argue with that one. So without further ado, I give you some of the most infamous examples of horror flicks featuring wacked-out inbreds....

10. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986)
This collection of cannibalistic Longhorns has to take the cake as far as the homicidal families of horror go. And although this go-around wasn't as horrifying as their original appearance, it was a hell of a lot more graphic and gory, and depicted in awful detail just what this opportunistic family was capable of doing to make a buck in tough economic times...

9. Cabin Fever (2002)
Bizarre psycho rednecks are only tangentially involved in this tale of a flesh-eating virus run amok in the woods, but I would be remiss if I didn't mention it. I know I can't specifically prove that these particular backward yokels are in fact, inbred, but I say we can bend the rules just a bit to embrace the entire spectrum of deranged rednecks, ok?

8. Nightbreed (1990)
Speaking of homicidal country bumpkins who may or may not be the product of sibling sex, this underrated Clive Barker gem is rife with them. The bizarre mutants of the film are, in fact, nowhere near as warped and terrifying as the idiotic yet dangerous locals who come after them for a good ol' fashioned country mutant lynchin'!

7. Redneck Zombies (1987)
Speaking of rednecks, this film is filled with the undead variety. The reason? Well it seems that Jethro and Goober done accidentally hooked up the moonshine still to some nuclear waste. Yes, that's actually the plot. An early direct-to-video underground fave of the 1980s.

6. Lake Dead (2007)
Some money-hungry relatives descend on the property of a deceased relative, only to discover a gaggle of homicidal (and most likely inbred) psychos taking up residence inside. One of the early entries in the After Dark Horror-Fest.

5. Black Christmas (2006)
This inferior remake plays up the inbreeding angle, with our homicidal leading man, Billy, fathering a daughter with his own mother, and later trying to blind her after killing his mother and her lover. When Billy escapes the mental institution to get some closure with his sister/daughter, all holy hell breaks loose.

4. Spider Baby (1968)
The degenerate, multi-generational inbred Merrye family takes center stage in this chestnut. They're so messed up that their minds turn to mush as they approach adulthood, and they begin to do unspeakable things that must be covered up by their ever-loyal chauffeur. Proof that the gene pool needs a little chlorine every once in a while.

3. Wrong Turn (2003)
Just your basic, "young people being stalked in the woods by demented country inbreds" flick, this one nevertheless has some good scares and memorable effects--especially the infamous shovel-to-the-face. Oh yeah, and it takes place in West Virginia. The check from the WV Tourism Board is on the way, fellas!

2. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
Once again, the unforgettable collection of Leatherface, The Hitchhiker, Grandpa and the Old Man, rear their (extremely) ugly heads here to represent for seriously effed-up backwoods cannibals everywhere. This movie is an unassailable horror classic, and would easily get the number-one spot, if it weren't for...

1. Deliverance (1972)
Admit it, when you first read what this list was about, the first line that entered your head was "Squeal like a pig!" This movie has literally become synonymous with the dangers of backwoods America. Burt Reynolds, Tom Voight and Ned Beatty are three city slickers utterly terrorized by a gang of sodomizing wackjobs. But seriously, I think Gilbert Gottfried said it best--given the choice of having their way with any of these three guys, why in the hell would they choose Beatty? Just askin'...

MOON: Hard Sci-Fi Meets Psychological Horror

It's days like today when I'm actually thankful to have so much free time on my hands this summer. I had the opportunity to go check out a brand-new sci-fi/horror film that has completely blown me away. The film I'm talking about is Moon (which, incidentally, was the inspiration for the last list that BJ-C and myself put together over at Bloody-Disgusting), a superb picture directed by second-time auteur Duncan Jones and starring Sam Rockwell, probably best known for playing Chuck Barris in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.

First off, for those who don't enjoy the privilege of being my Facebook friend or following me on Twitter, let me reiterate my initial reaction to watching this movie: Sam Rockwell deserves an Oscar nomination for his performance, and I dare the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences to look past their notorious genre bias, and do the right thing. In the lead (and basically, only) role of Sam Bell, Rockwell is a revelation. This is, I believe, what is known as a "star-making turn".

Now I love Douglas Adams as much as the next geek, but I in no way saw this coming when I first discovered Rockwell playing the role of Zaphod Beeblebrox in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (although I will admit his decision to play Zaphod as a two-headed Dubya was inspired). Rockwell's performance is gut-wrenching, multi-layered, and especially challenging (spoilers ahead) due to the fact that he is essentially playing the same character twice--and usually in the same scene!


The film is set in the near future, and Bell is an astronaut stationed on the far side of the moon for years at a time, with his duty being to mine a special substance that is being used as a new renewable energy source for much of planet Earth. Along the way, he makes some startling discoveries about himself and what he thought was his life--specifically when he comes face to face with a different, slightly younger version of himself inexplicably on the same lunar base. It's shocking, claustrophobic, poignant and completely gripping. The best way to describe Bell would be a cross between Keir Dullea in 2001, and Tom Skeritt in Alien.

After we establish Bell and his surroundings, the pace does drag ever-so-slightly immediately after the big revelation of his mysterious twin--and for some reason, the reactions of the two doppleganger Bells doesn't quite ring true at first. One would imagine the suitable reaction to discovering a clone of yourself wandering around would be complete and abject panic, as opposed to the mild head-scratching and almost comedic mugging that goes on. But fortunately, the drag is very temporary, and I was pulled right back into it once the two Bells start to put the pieces of the puzzle together to figure out exactly what the hell is going on.

On board the base with Bell is the all-knowing computer GERTY, voiced by the always-excellent Kevin Spacey. Thanks to the Oscar-winner's performance, the computer becomes a fully-fleshed out character in this film, and a very pointed reference to the infamous HAL of Kubrick's aforementioned 2001. In fact, lovers of that film will enjoy so much about GERTY. For example, in place of HAL's ambiguous red light is a screen boasting a giant emoticon that expresses GERTY's "state of mind" at any particular time.

Plus, since Duncan and his co-screenwriter Nathan Parker (in his first screenplay effort) are well-aware of the expectations ingrained in us by HAL, they have a little fun playing with those expectations and turning them on their head, including a particularly powerful moment that was almost "stand-up-and-cheer" worthy.

It's very rare these days to still find quality "hard science fiction" in cinematic form--our moviegoing tastes have been directed almost exclusively at space opera ever since that little George Lucas movie in the late '70s--and there are many who have given up hope that true, intelligent, thought-provoking sci-fi movies could still be produced in a culture that equates genre flicks with popcorn fare. But this is a film that would do any of the giants of classic sci-fi literature proud.

I've always felt that out of the genre's "holy trinity"--Heinlein, Asimov and Clarke--that is was Heinlein who was most concerned with the human and the personal (with Asimov focusing on the cultural perspective, and Clarke the scientific). As such, I believe it would be Heinlein--author of Stranger in a Strange Land, Red Planet and Starship Troopers, who would best identify with this film, and whose work most inspired it.


I'll freely admit this movie is more sci-fi than it is horror, but the horror is certainly there, and in a finer, more sophisticated form than you'll find in most of the pablum being passed off in the genre these days. It's been said that hard sci-fi does not mix well with horror, since the latter is usually intended to provoke a strictly emotional response, while the former dwells on the cerebral. However, in the grand tradition of Ridley Scott's Alien, Moon pulls it off. And like Alien, there are times where it has the feel of something ripped right out of the pages of Heavy Metal magazine.

Even moreso than with Scott's masterpiece, the elements of horror here are subtle, yet powerful. There is no monster on the prowl. There is very little gore, aside from the strictly circumstancial. The horror here is better described as terror, or better yet--dread. It is the horror of what goes on in the human mind. Unfortunately, it's probably also horror of the kind that will go over the head of moviegoers looking for the usual jump scares and blood-and-guts extravaganzas. This is the horror of Dave Bowman trapped outside the Discovery bay doors; of Taylor held prisoner by mad, sentient apes; of Ripley trying her best not to scream.

Kudos to Jones and Parker for crafting a script that eloquently communicates the existential angst of long-term off-world habitation. I'll submit that Alien is still the benchmark in that department, but this is nevertheless some fine work, pulled off by Rockwell and Spacey in what could essential be done as a stage play. I also give heaps of credit to Cinesite, the company which provided some refreshingly realistic and restrained special effects, especially nice to see in this age of CGI overkill (and surprising from the same firm that has produced some of the worst CGI I've ever seen for the Harry Potter series). This is a real throwback to the likes of 2001, and that's a real pleasure for this old-school sci-fi nerd.

The proceedings are marred slightly by the presence of a beautiful, but strangely out-of-place piano-driven score by Clint Mansell. The composer is certainly more than capable--this is the guy who wrote the iconic music performed by the Kronos Quartet in Requiem for a Dream--but his stirring keyboard strains very rarely conjure up the kind of creeping dread the material requires.

That relatively minor quibble aside, Moon is an outstanding thriller, and I strongly recommend it for those who like their horror cerebral and their sci-fi intelligent. This is that rarity of rarities--a restrained piece of genre entertainment. Truly a breath of fresh air in an era when most genre entertainment resembles nothing so much as the cinematic equivalent of a sack of dead fish to the jaw.

Horror Movie Makeover: Titanic

A ship at sea. A floating fortress, created by the hubris of man, and thought to be indestructible. And yet, on its maiden voyage, this testament to modern technology would be dashed upon the rocks of fate, and wind up at the bottom of the icy North Atlantic, the bloated corpses of its hundreds of passengers littering the waves like so much flotsam and jetsam. True love would blossom on this voyage. But true love would not be enough to save them...

Jack Dawson was a shiftless drifter, and it was random fate that put him on the massive British ocean liner, and directly in the path of certain death itself. On board the Titanic, Jack would encounter Rose DeWitt-Bukater, a restless socialite who yearned for something more out of life--yet who could never have known that the road to the love of her life also led to the most horrific and infamous calamity of the 20th century.

What they also didn't count on was the presence of pure evil on board this vessel--an evil better known as Cal Hockley, Rose's psychotic fiance. A man who would rather see her dead than in the arms of another. As he watched the young romance blossom before his very eyes, hatred seethed within his very soul--a hatred punctuated by murderous scheming on a grand scale.

They said that the Titanic was unsinkable. But it wouldn't be the iceberg that proved them wrong. It would be the overwhelming momentum of man's animosity. Feeling the woman betrothed to him slipping away, the deranged Hockley struck a secret pact with the enigmatic Capt. Smith to see to it that the RMS Titanic never made it to the safe haven of New York harbor.

Who knows what deep-seated antipathy led Smith to agree to Hockley's plan and doom his crew and passengers to a watery grave? On his final run, perhaps the good captain wished to go out in dramatic fashion. Whatever the reason, history would fail to record Smith's nefarious complicity, perhaps because all who even suspected it would shortly have their lungs filled with icy seawater...

Flush with the excitement of newly discovered romance, Jack and Rose proceed blissfully down the path of young lovers, unaware of the cold and calculating plots being hatched. Spicer Lovejoy, Cal's brutal right-hand man, stalks the innocent couple below deck. And when he finally has Jack in his sights, he pounces with an explosion of animalistic violence. This, coupled with Cal's devious maneuverings, see to it that Jack is in the custody of authorities when the unthinkable plot unfolds.

The mighty ship sabotaged, its steering mechanisms hopeflessly ruined, the lookouts and helmsmen are helpless to do anything but point, scream and strain fruitlessly once a massive block of ice emerges from the impenetrable fog directly before the vessel. There, in the middle of the blackest expanse of ocean on the planet, above countless fathoms of liquid emptiness, the Titanic collides with the iceberg, its hull ripping open as the sheets of metal scream like cattle being slaughtered.

Intent on seeing his unfaithful fiance and her common paramour snuffed out utterly, Cal makes a hasty retreat, escaping on one of the pitifully few lifeboats the ship's arrogant creators thought to outfit her with. As the sociopathic Smith commits suicide by drowning, Jack and Rose cling to life aboard a structure slipping further and further into watery oblivion.

The ocean welling up around him, Jack offers up a life-saving makeshift raft to Rose, choosing the chivalrous route of remaining in the water as the hulking Titanic descends to the ocean floor. It is only then, as the screams of the dying rise up around him, that the doomed young man truly understands the feeling of being suspended in sub-freezing ocean waters--the sensation of icy daggers penetrating his flesh, the sickening numbness as the sea literally saps away the lifeforce of his body.

Although spared a similarly grisly end, Rose has to suffer through watching her lover's body slip away and sink into the inky abyss, never to be seen again. Thanks to his sacrifice, she would know a long life--yet ironically, without the one with whom she wanted to spend it.

And the man responsible for this vast atrocity? Cal Hockley? He eventually chose the coward's way out, hurling his body from the heights of his Manhattan offices at the outset of the stock market crash some 17 years later. And for the crimes he had committed in the service of his twisted ego, his soul traveled to a very different place from that to whence he had sent the soul of Jack Dawson...

Women in Horror

Delving through the many sub-genres of horror, an almost unifying trait seems that horror loves female leads. Be it Alison Lohman in this year's exceptional Drag Me To Hell, or Mia Farrow in the classic Rosemary's Baby, women are more often than not at the forefront of the scary and the disturbing. From The Exorcist to Halloween, Blair Witch Project to Hellraiser, we delight at scary movies with female leads, and this is something that's true across the world. [Rec], The Orphanage, Ring, A Tale Of Two Sisters--they all feature women as the focal point. I get myself to thinking, why is this? Let me give you my perspective.

Some people would have you believe that Horror hates women. That the depiction of a male killer dominating female victims is a misogynistic expression of what young male audiences feel. Now, that's not something I believe for a second. It's a fallacy to think that the depiction of a woman's death in film is attacking women as a whole, when a film like Die Hard kills off an entirely male cast yet isn't believed to make any anti-male statements.

No, I find that the opposite is in fact true. Horror has brought us the idea of the Final Girl, the Scream Queen. A Nightmare on Elm Street features Nancy defeating Freddy, Halloween has Laurie overcoming Michael, and while often enough horror films can be more bleak in their endings, I do think that girls fare better than the boys a lot of the time. Johnny Depp didn't fare so well against Freddy, for example.

With that said, I do find that there are gender roles at play. Why, with Horror having such a huge male following, do women make such compelling leads? Action is another genre aimed towards the boys, and that still features predominantly male characters kicking the crap out of other males. I'm of the opinion that for a horror film to work, it needs to have a lead character that engages us, we need to connect with them and to feel afraid for them, and if we're not emotionally invested in them, the film loses it's power to scare us. I think that it's easier for us to be sympathetic towards and to feel afraid for a female lead than a male one. When watching Rosemary's Baby, we as an audience are concerned for Mia Farrow, and through her character's fear, the film affects us.

In the Korean horror A Tale of Two Sisters, our lead is a mentally unbalanced young girl who is deeply haunted by a past trauma. She seems so troubled and fragile, so vulnerable that she has our every sympathy and we do feel for her. It's perhaps this vulnerability that makes this female archetype so compelling for us as horror fans, and by comparison, it seems rare to find a male lead that we feel for. Donald Sutherland in Don't Look Now and George C. Scott in The Changeling are two that I would say exemplify male leads that we connect to. They've both suffered horrendous losses at the beginning of both films, so we are sympathetic to them because they have had a part of their lives shattered.


In Satoshi Kon's deeply psychological animated film Perfect Blue, the main character is a young woman whose sense of reality and sense of self is falling apart piece by piece. She's a pop star turned actress who's having to deal with threats against her, a mysterious stalker, and a website that describes her life with frightening detail. It's a film that works so well because of how strong a character she is, continuing to push forward with her career, but she is under a lot of strain and we can't help but feel threatened for her. I don't think I would've felt as strongly had it been a male character in her place.

Now, that's not to say that having a female lead is the sure-fire way to success in Horror. There's been plenty of terrible pieces of fluff like the awful Lindsey Lohan vehicle I Know Who Killed Me, or the spectacularly bad Captivity with Elisha Cuthbert. You still need a good film, and well written characters in order for it to engage the audience, and the fact that there's plenty of throwaway fluff in the horror genre is a testament to that. But an awful lot of the best Horror films, the ones that do engage us and make us genuinely frightened for the characters, are the ones with female leads.

This is something I find equally true with children. The Shining or The Sixth Sense for example, part of why we're afraid is because of how concerned we are for the child characters. The Exorcist is rather disturbing because of how sweet and innocent Linda Blair is. Guillermo del Toro's films The Devil's Backbone and Pan's Labyrinth work extremely well because both child leads are placed in a dangerous place where they're scared, and we feel great sympathy for them.

Now, that's probably not true of everyone, but I do find that the characters I engage with the most personally are often women and children. What do you think? After all, there's no doubting female leads are a popular archetype in horror, what do you feel is the reason? Be sure to leave a comment and let my know your thoughts.

This is Karl Hungus, last survivor of the Nostromo, signing off.

[Editor's Note: For more on the feminine side of fear, be sure and check out another Vault affiliate, Day of the Woman.]

MEGA SPOILERS! Want to Know What the Rest of True Blood Season 2 Has in Store?

Well, if you're reading this, then obviously you do! I just finished up the brand new fifth episode of True Blood, after last holiday weekend's disappointing rerun, and so I'm in a Bon Temps state of mind. Tonight I bring you, courtesy of Ain't It Cool News, the following synopses of the remaining seven episodes of the season. Not saying it gives away everything, but it certainly is seriously spoilerific, so consider yourself warned!

Episode #17: “Never Let Me Go” Debut: SUNDAY, JULY 19 (9:00-10:00 p.m.) In Dallas, Sookie connects with one of her own, then joins Bill and Eric for a strategic summit at the lair of the missing vampire, Godric (Allan Hyde), attended by his lieutenants, Stan (Ed Quinn) and Isabel (Valerie Cruz). Meanwhile, Jason shows his mettle at a Light of Day boot camp, and is rewarded for his hard work with a gift from Sarah (Anna Camp). Rebuffed by Tara in her relocation efforts, Maryann decides to cast her spell on the staff of Merlotte’s, softening Tara up towards her new “family.” Eric shares a little-known secret about his past with Bill, and Sookie makes a decision that might solve the Godric mystery – or get her killed. Written by Nancy Oliver; directed by John Dahl.

Episode #18: “Hard-Hearted Hannah” Debut: SUNDAY, JULY 26 (9:00-10:00 p.m.)
Accompanied by Isabel’s human boyfriend Hugo (Christopher Gartin), Sookie embarks on a dangerous mission to locate Godric. Meanwhile, Bill is shocked when a vampire from his distant, more violent past resurfaces in Dallas. In Bon Temps, Daphne presses Sam to get comfortable in his own skin(s); Hoyt (Jim Parrack) continues his unlikely courtship of Jessica; Andy (Chris Bauer) interrogates Lafayette about his disappearance; and Tara and Eggs (Mehcad Brooks) take a detour while on a road trip. At the Light of Day camp, Jason faces difficult emotional and physical choices. Written by Brian Buckner; directed by Michael Lehmann.

Episode #19: “Release Me”
Debut: SUNDAY, AUG. 2 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT)
Betrayed by Daphne (Ashley Jones), Sam (Sam Trammell) finds himself in an unenviable predicament at the hands of Maryann (Michelle Forbes) and her wild-eyed minions. Imprisoned with Hugo (Christopher Gartin) in the F.O.T.S. church, Sookie (Anna Paquin) uses her telepathic powers to reach out to Bill (Stephen Moyer), who’s being detained at the hotel by a stubbornly obsessive Lorena (Mariana Kloveno). After crossing a line with the Newlins, a fearful Jason (Ryan Kwanten) tries to sever his ties with the Fellowship of the Sun, but gets plenty of resistance from Steve (Michael McMillian) and his enforcer Gabe (Greg Collins). Written by Raelle Tucker; directed by Michael Ruscio.

Episode #20: “Timebomb”
Debut: SUNDAY, AUG. 9 (9:00-10:00 p.m.)
Sookie’s captivity takes an unexpected turn when Eric (Alexander Skarsgard) arrives to do his master’s bidding on the eve of the Fellowship’s lockdown. In Bon Temps, Sam finds himself in hot water after making a gruesome discovery at Merlotte’s, and Andy (Chris Bauer) proves no help in coming to his defense. Sent home by Bill, Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll) and Hoyt (Jim Parrack) learn that when it comes to sex, every time is the first time. Tara (Rutina Wesley) and Eggs (Mehcad Brooks) devour a mysterious meal prepared by Maryann, with unexpected results. After Jason pays off his debt to the vampires, Godric (Allan Hyde) looks to enlighten his more single-minded followers. Written by Alexander Woo; directed by John Dahl.

Episode #21: “I Will Rise Up”
Debut: SUNDAY, AUG. 16 (9:00-10:00 p.m.)
A wounded Eric plays Sookie for a sucker, to Bill’s dismay, and ends up getting inside her head. Later, Sookie and Jason bond over their recent adventures. Blaming Eggs for Tara’s bruises and bizarre behavior, Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) and Lettie Mae (Adina Porter) try to figure out a way to pry their kin from Maryann’s clutches. Hoyt defends his relationship with Jessica to Maxine (Dale Raoul), to no avail. Jailed by Bud (William Sanderson) along with a group of Bon Temps revelers, Sam looks for a way to escape and avoid capture by an increasingly obsessed Maryann. In Dallas, Eric and the vampires defend their recent actions to Nan Flanagan (Jessica Tuck), and are shocked when Godric decides to take the fall for their PR disaster. Written by Nancy Oliver; directed by Scott Winant.

Episode #22: “ New World in My View”
Debut: SUNDAY, AUG. 23 (9:00-10:00 p.m.)
Sookie, Bill and Jason return to a Bon Temps turned upside down by Maryann. Lured to Merlotte’s by Arlene (Carrie Preston), Sam and Andy find cold comfort in their refuge from a group of bloodthirsty revelers. Bill discovers that traditional vampire techniques don’t work on Maryann; Hoyt and Jessica try to keep a lid on Maxine’s madness; and Sookie tries to push through the darkness consuming Tara. With all hell breaking loose, Jason takes the bull by the horns to rescue Sam, at least for the moment. Written by Kate Barnow & Elizabeth R. Finch; directed by Adam Davidson.

Episode #23: “Frenzy”
Debut: SUNDAY, AUG. 30 (9:00-10:00 p.m.)
With the crisis in Bon Temps careening out of control, Bill seeks out the advice of Sophie-Anne (Evan Rachel Wood), the Vampire Queen of Louisiana, but must exercise patience before she gives him critical information. Meanwhile, Sookie and Lafayette find that protecting Tara from herself is more difficult than they anticipated; a desperate Sam turns to an unlikely source for assistance; and Jessica tests Hoyt’s allegiance to Maxine. Written by Alan Ball; directed by Dan Minahan.

Check Out This Bad-Ass World War Z Fan-Made Trailer!

If the actual movie adaptation of Max Brooks' excellent zombie novel World War Z (set to release next year) is even remotely as good as this amazing amateur teaser trailer posted on YouTube by one Roel Gerard, then we're going to be in for a real treat. Look for footage from the likes of 28 Weeks Later, I Am Legend, Dawn of the Dead '04, Diary of the Dead, Children of Men, Cloverfield and the Left 4 Dead video game intro, as well as a certain apocalyptic Doors song...

I personally loved Brooks' World War Z (a lot better than the more well-known by dry-as-hell Zombie Survival Guide), and can't wait for the film version. If you haven't read the book, then get out of my presence immediately... and don't come back till you've finished it!

*Thanks to loyal Vault Dweller Candize for pointing this one out!

When Creepy Toys Attack...

Tonight's random YouTube video comes to the VoH courtesy of Wesley Cavins, an original Vault Dweller and long-time friend in horror...



Must admit, this kid has some excellent taste in reading material ;-)

Eli Roth Opts Out of Hostel 3

I'm not at all a fan of the Hostel films, but someone out there obviously supported them, so this news will no doubt be of interest to some of you out there. Shock Till You Drop is reporting that Eli Roth, the Splat Pack auteur who gave us Cabin Fever and both Hostel flicks, will have nothing to do with the upcoming direct-to-DVD Hostel 3.

Said Roth to STYD:

“I’m just not involved in any way. I just said, ‘I put everything in my life for three years into these movies. I’ve said everything I have to say with it. I feel very lucky I got to make them and the fans responded the way they did, and if you guys want to continue it, great, go ahead.'”

This would be a similar move to what Roth did with Cabin Fever 2, the follow-up to the film that first put him on the horror map in 2002. The director--soon to be seen in front of the camera in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds--will instead be working on Endangered Species and Thanksgiving (an expansion of his hilarious Grindhouse faux trailer) as his next two projects.

Having Fun with Blood: The Last Vampire

There's been much made in the horror blogosphere of late regarding The Vampire Diaries, and by all accounts it seems that you're most likely to get some enjoyment out of it if you shut off your brain and try not to take it all too seriously. That said, I had a similar reaction to checking out the French-Japanese co-production Blood: The Last Vampire, although I suspect it is probably a lot more fun than Diaries.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I walked into the NYC sneak preview of this flick, and I'm glad I had no pre-conceived notions, because I think if I had gone in expecting a straight-up horror flick, I might've been less than pleased. The best way to describe this film would be to call it a horror-flavored Hong Kong-style action flick--and one which never, ever makes the mistake of playing it too straight.

Directed by French music video and commercial auteur Chris Nahon, the movie is a live-action adaptation of a popular 2000 short Japanese anime film. And I've got to hand it to Nahon and his crew, because they managed to create exactly that--a living, breathing, live-action anime. If that sounds like something that would interest you, than you are going enjoy the piss out of Blood: The Last Vampire.

The intense and beautiful Gianna Jun plays Saya, a vampire hunter who is herself a reluctant bloodsucker (in actuality, the creatures are referred to mainly as "demons" in the film). Saya is employed by a mysterious secret society out to rid the world of the evil vampire overlord Onigen and her vicious minions. Along the way, she crosses paths with token American Sharon (played by the less-than-stellar Masiela Lusha), the daughter of the general in charge of the army base where she is secretly stationed.

Liam Cunningham and J.J. Feild play Saya's caretakers, two mysterious agents who literally look and speak like they just walked out of an episode of Speed Racer. It's pretty stiff and awful, unless you kick back and soak it in as part of the whole "live action anime" thing. Once I "got" it, I was able to have fun with it. The same can be said for much of the movie itself.

The highlight of the flick is easily the action, some of the best-filmed and choreographed you're likely to see anywhere. The melding of the horror and samurai genres yields some enjoyable fruit here; think of it as Buffy meets Kills Bill. That said, I could've done without the plentiful CGI blood, which ruins any good horror movie for me, but here was particularly egregious. In fact, the CG in general is notably bad, with creature rendering that isn't even at contemporary video game levels.

The shining moment in the film is easily the final confrontation between Saya and Onigen, played by the stunning model-turned-actress Koyuki. The CG here finally rises to impressive levels, and an epic feel is communicated unlike anything else in the film. You really do feel like you're watching anime come to life. It's also filmed beautifully by cinematographer Hang-Sang Poon, a veteran of Jackie Chan and Jet Li vehicles.

Adding to the comic-book, pulpy look and feel of Poon's camera work is the impressive production design work of Chia-Yi Rene Chao. Clearly, they were going for a Sin City/300/Watchmen kind of vibe, and although it falls far short of that, the result is a slick, kinetic production, a richly rendered world that is as much fun to look at as the action that's taking place in it.

I encourage you to have fun with Blood: The Last Vampire. Look past the often-cheesy dialogue and wooden acting--or better yet, appreciate them for what they are. This is Japanese/Hong Kong-style mindless (yet mindblowing) action at its best, with a healthy dose of horror thrills tossed in for good measure. It's actually a pretty unique film, unlike anything you're likely to see this year. Definitely worth a look, just don't expect anything more than a rollicking good time.

Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell: Special Video Review from B-Sol & Progeny!

In the continuing effort to turn my son into a consummate geek, and my daughter into the awesome girl every geek wants to hang out with, I am officially kicking off a little experiment. My 7-year-old daughter recently became fascinated with one of my DVD purchases, a little Hammer chestnut called Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell. Frankenstein she already knew from the Karloff classic, and of course the over-the-top title just drew her right in.

So, in my infinite wisdom (get it, wisdom? Solomon? eehh..?), I decided to pull back the curtain and let the girl in on the act for once. I came up with the idea to watch the film with her, and then bring her on to review it with me via the miracle of internet video! And so, I bring to you, B-Sol and Zombelina (copyright Day of the Woman, all rights reserved), and our review...

RETRO REVIEW: The Evil Dead

Well Greetings to you Vault Dwellers, it's BJ-C here from this here blog's babysister blog Day of the Woman. Yesterday B-Sol cranked out one of the most... well... graphic installments of my Woman of the Week feature on his dearly beloved Linnea Quigley. So, I figured it would only be fair that my installment of his Retro Review contained MY dearly beloved....one Mr. Bruce (don't call me Ash) Campbell. As the second volume of the trilogy is by far my favorite, it was of course the absolutely mind-blowing original that brought me to not only a love of the Chin Wonder, but showed me that a low budget does NOT mean a low grade film.

The central idea of the Evil Dead sees five vacationing college students (GO SPARTANS!) who rent out an isolated (and might I add incredibly shady) cabin in the middle of the Tennessee woods. There, they uncover research carried out by the cabin’s former occupants into the "Book of the Dead", aka the Naturon Demonto (It wasn't the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis until the sequels). This book is not only gruesomely bound in human flesh and written in blood; but also possesses the power to raise evil spirits that then possess the living, thus creating The Evil Dead. However, the existence of the book itself isn't what brings the demons about, it is the recitation of the passages. As the kids inspect the house and drift to the basement of the cabin, Ash and the gang find (and stupidly play) a tape recording of demonic incantations from the book, unwittingly resurrecting the slumbering demons that thirst for takeover.

The obvious place to bring praise is to the performance of Bruce Campbell as the iconic Ashley J. Williams. The character of Ash has been now iconisized as the chainsaw armed, wit-talking, demon battling, blood inducing, heart-throbbing, sawed-off shotgun wielding, S-Mart working, bad ass. However in the first installment of the Evil Dead, we see Ash as sort of a wimp. Raimi allowed him to have this god awful fluff hair-do, and make some not-so-bad ass choices. Most of the film we see Ash running around from the unseen demons (aka rushing camera) and being drenched in blood that never stains his shirts. What makes Ash such a fabulous character though, is the fact he actually has emotion. Could you imagine how difficult it must have been for him to watch not only his sister, but his girlfriend, and two best friends turn into these demonic creatures? I would have just offed myself right then and there. However Ash uses not only his wits, but his passions to keep himself alive and to destroy the Evil Dead....and to be dead sexy.

The first Evil Dead film, is more of a showcase of the women than it is of Bruce Campbell. The most famous scenes from The Evil Dead all include the women. The raping trees, the pencil in the ankle, Linda's ridiculous laugh, the biting off the arm, THE CELLAR, the JOIN US, all of it, LADIES OF THE EVIL DEAD. This movie is so infamous because of their performances. The thing I love most about these ladies, is the fact that this film was put together so informally. Betsy Baker (Linda) really DID meet Sam, Rob, and Bruce in a Detroit area restaurant. Ellen Sandweiss (Cheryl) had been friends with Sam, Bruce, and countless others since they were in the 10th grade. She appeared in Sam & Bruce's Super8 Films so she had previously worked with them before. Sarah York/Theresa Tilly (Shelly) was spotted at on 0ff-off-off-off broadway venue of suburban Detroit. When you really look at it, these girls were basically "nobodies" before this film.

This is also the film that introduced us to what I like to call the "Raimi" style of filming. He brought us his distinctive camera shot where the camera follows a moving object (such as an arrow or a projectile weapon) at high speeds creating a first-person point of view from the object itself. The most apparent use of this technique is the "demons" of the film. Whenever a person is about to be possessed the camera seems to chase after the character and in some instances, knocks down doors and really does chase you down. He also does a rapid dolly zoom to bring a far-off object suddenly into the center of the shot or to pull back from the main focal object to show what is happening around the perimeter. IE: a lot of the raping tree scene. He's also got a ton of montage sequences with overlapping close-up shots to establish a set of similar actions over elapsing time. IE: when you see what the kids are doing around the house it jumps around to the same time frame just in a different room of the house.

However what I find to be most magical about the film is the makeup and special effects. It seems that in this day and age, we're all way too CGI happy. Blood doesn't look real, floating people look green-screened, and makeup has lost its touch of reality in order to look extravagant. The effects and ESPECIALLY the makeup in The Evil Dead is some of the best I have ever seen. I will tell you right here and now that Cheryl Williams is by far the SCARIEST demon/monster/what have you, I have EVER seen. It doesn't matter that she's bickering about being let out of the cellar, she's extremely frightening and definitely haunted my nightmares when I was younger. I've never seen a finer use of corn syrup and latex in my entire life.

To put it simply, The Evil Dead is fabulous. It completely embodies everything a cult classic film should posess. It's creepy, it's funny, it's over the top, and yet it holds a place near and dear to our hearts.

Hump-Day Harangue: Where Have All the Horror Movies Gone?

Right out of the gate, I want to reiterate once again what a grand slam Sam Raimi hit with last month's Drag Me to Hell. So great to see an original, awesome, kick-ass American horror film again, especially representing during the summer blockbuster season. However, it has been pointed out to me by the insightful Scott Weinberg of HorrorSquad that other than that, this has been one piss-poor year for horror.

And you know what? I can't disagree. In fact, looking back at the half-expired 2009, I am appalled at the pitifully slim collection of fright flicks that have made it into theaters thus far. I mean, prior to Drag Me to Hell, the last horror movie to be released theatrically in the U.S. was The Haunting in Connecticut, and that was all the way back in March!

Not to mention the fact that of the scant films that have been released this year, so very few of them have been worth our hard-earned dollars. The Unborn? The Uninvited? The Friday the 13th remake? What's going on here? Aside from the remakes of Last House on the Left and My Bloody Valentine at the beginning of the year, 2009 has been nothing to write home about whatsoever.

Since the release of Drag Me to Hell, we've only gotten Dead Snow just now released on American shores--if you can count a two-screen distribution as a legitimate release. And although I haven't seen it yet, I'm not getting overly enthusiastic from the feedback I've been hearing on that one. Next week we've got Blood: The Last Vampire, which is a pretty decent fun flick for which you'll be seeing a full review from me in the next few days.

And looking on the bright side, we've got the likes of Grace, Antichrist and Zombieland on the horizon for the second half of the year, so maybe there's a chance that 2009 can be pulled out of the crapper. But even disregarding quality, its the sheer lack of quantity in theatrical horror films that's surprising me. What gives here? Are filmmakers, studios and distributors losing interest in the genre en masse--after a near decade-long horror boom, is the scream machine at last grinding to a slow and painful halt?

I certainly hope not. Maybe this year is just a sad abberation. I'm just hoping we're not heading into a down period, a la the 1990s, a decade so bad I actually think that Return of the Living Dead III was a major highlight (seriously). Fingers crossed, people. Mr. Raimi, thanks for saving us. Now someone, anyone, please take the torch and run with it...

The Tuesday Top 10: Most Well-Made Horror Films

I know I may catch some flak for this one, and maybe be labeled a "film snob". So be it. Maybe I am one, a little. Let me explain what the concept behind this week's list is...

There is a big difference between a favorite movie and a great film. Just as when you're asked, "what's your favorite movie ever?", it's a very different question from, "what do you think is the best movie ever made?"

With that in mind, I'm putting together a list of the ten most well-made horror films ever. These are films that I would put up against any straight drama nominated for a Best Picture Oscar in its respective year--and, in fact, in some cases these films were actually nominated, or won. More than just great horror flicks, these are excellent films, period.

Let me explain the difference. As much as I love George Romero, and Dawn of the Dead is my favorite horror movie of all time, I can admit that I love it because it's a cool horror movie. It has flaws--the acting is often stiff, the editing sometimes sloppy, the soundtrack delightfully cheesy. That's all irrelevant to why I love it. As much as I adore it, if we look at the films nominated for Best Picture that year, we find movies like The Deer Hunter and Midnight Express. You can hurl tomatoes at me if you want, but I'm not going to put DOTD in a category with those movies.

On the other hand, if we look at a movie like The Exorcist, in my opinion, we're looking at a film that is superbly made from every aspect--apart from being a great horror movie, it is just a great film, plain and simple. And it was nominated right alongside films like American Graffiti and The Sting--and deserved to be. That's the difference I'm talking about. Film snob? So be it.

Got it? OK, let's proceed...

10. 28 Days Later (2002)
Before he became a mainstream darling with Slumdog Millionaire, Danny Boyle gave us this frenetically paced and brilliantly photographed picture. I remember seeing it at the time and thinking it was made with more quality than any horror films that had come along in a while, and I still stand by that opinion.

9. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Although I hesitate to call it a horror movie, it is generally considered as such, and thus it didn't seem right to leave it off. Jonathan Demme's masterwork became the first horror film to win Best Picture, and also took home statuettes for director, actor, actress and screenplay. This was truly horror's greatest moment in the sun.

8. The Haunting (1963)
Powerhouse director Robert Wise, who made his bones under Val Lewton in the 1940s, delivered this, the finest ghost movie ever made. Without ever showing us a thing, Wise creates an atmosphere of sheer terror. The editing is crisp, the camerawork restrained and effective. This is an awe-inspiring fright flick.

7. The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
While I enjoy the first Frankenstein more (and ranked it higher on my '30s movies list), I have to agree with most critics that this is a film of slightly higher quality. Working from a clever, satirical script, James Whale imbued his sequel with rich symbolism and wit. The sets are gorgeous. And that cabin scene with the blind man is one of the finest scenes in any movie--ever.

6. Jaws (1975)
Another flick I never quite considered horror, but I am decidedly in the minority, apparently. This is Speilberg at the height of his powers, and it earned him a Best Picture nom. Some of the finest performances you'll ever find in the horror genre, courtesy of Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss and the great Robert Shaw.

5. Alien (1979)
Ridley Scott turned what could've been your by-the-numbers alien critter-in-space B-flick into a superb piece of filmmaking. With a knockout cast, flawless effects, captivating set design and beautiful cinematography, it is a true pleasure to watch. And I stand by the opinion that James Cameron's sequel, while perhaps a more action-packed popcorn flick, is in every way inferior.

4. Let the Right One In (2008)
Folks have called this the finest vampire film ever made, and I'd say that's accurate. But beyond that, this is a work of heart-breaking beauty that literally transcends the genre. Without the vampirism, it would still be outstanding. In a few more years, with a little more perspective, it is entirely possible that I would put it into the number-one position (as BJ-C suggested).

3. The Exorcist (1973)
The 1970s was perhaps the greatest decade for film, and this was horror's greatest contribution to the new movement. William Friedkin's finest moment, it's characterized by an excellent script from novelist William Peter Blatty and incredible performances from Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair and Jason Miller. Nominated for the big one, and deservedly so. Never gets old.

2. Psycho (1960)
Alfred Hitchcock's proto-slasher has become a film school standby, and one of the most revered films ever made. And it's not even Hitchcock's best. A true master of the medium, Hitch dazzles effortlessly with gorgeous composition and a pacing rhythm that gives you no choice but to watch. Anthony Perkins is a revelation, and the landmark Bernard Herrmann score needs no hype.

1. The Shining (1980)
This whole shebang is a matter of opinion, and in my opinion The Shining is the finest horror film ever made. Stanley Kubrick's cinematic jewel is a work of absolute genius from top to bottom. This is a film so rich in texture and flawless in execution that I find it a rewarding experience to watch every single time. More than a horror movie, this film is a work of art.

First the Blogosphere, Now Fiction! The VoH Revolution Continues

I don't usually make The Vault of Horror about me--but dammit, this is a red letter date in B-Sol history. That's because yours truly has had his very first horror short story accepted for publication in an honest-to-goodness magazine!

The mag is Midnight Echo, and its published by the Australian Horror Writers Association (AHWA). My story, "Hell Hath No Fury", will be included in Issue #3, which I believe will be out in the fall.


To say I'm excited would be the understatement of the century. This is the culmination of years of aspiration to be a published fiction writer, and many months of work on this story alone. The word "vindication" scarcely does it justice.

I want to heap loads of thanks on to Ms. Harker of Musings Across a Continuum for pointing me in the direction of Midnight Echo in the first place, and of course, to the one and only BJ-C of Day of the Woman, my amazing protege, for taking the time out to look the story over and provide some very valuable feedback.

Check out the Midnight Echo website here. I'll be letting everyone know about issue availability once I know more.

Made it, Ma! Top of the world!

G-FEST XVI: A Photo Essay By B-Sol, Part 2

DALEK!!

Officially the greatest sign in the history of signs.

Godzilla vs. Mothra plays on the big screen at the Pickwick Theatre.

Sometimes, sushi fights back.

I don't know who wrote this ad copy, but perhaps they should've thought things out a little better.

Jet Jaguar greets his adoring public.

The Garguantas warred for the fans. Wish I had thought to video record it. Oh, well.

Rodan plays at the hotel bar. Only at G-Fest.

The legendary Kenji Sahara, veteran of 13 Godzilla films. Best known as that scumbag industrialist in 1964's Godzilla vs. Mothra.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tempted to participate.

Ghidorah Ring-Toss!!

Wonder if there was a happy ending...

This will haunt my dreams forever.

"It's quarter-to-three, there's no one in the place. 'Cept you and me..."

Take your typical MySpace picture, add Godzilla--voila!

And finally, I leave you with... Dalek porn! (Tilt yer head, it's worth it.)

G-FEST XVI: A Photo Essay By B-Sol, Part 1

Go, go Godzilla!

Godzilla and Gamera team up to do us all a favor. Ha! Shameless French joke, couldn't resist. I might be watching too much Fox News...

Yes, it's Plush Destoroyah.

When LoTT-D Members Collide: VoH's B-Sol meets August Ragone of The Good, The Bad & Godzilla. He works out more than me.

Kids dress as kaiju and beat the crap out of each other.

Lunch!

Sweet score.

A scene from the lost kaiju flick, Mothra's Daddy vs. Protective Services.

Gabara gets all up in my biznezz.

Can you tell who this is?

Just in case you wanted to be a giant radioactive armadillo for Halloween, here ya go!

YUM!

And now, I give you... a room full of grown people dancing to the Gigantor theme. Punk rock!

Weird Al Was Right--They're Reproducing in the Sewers!!

This bizarre video has been making the rounds of late, and is just on the cusp of becoming a viral sensation. Apparently, it's footage from inside a sewer pipe in Cameron Village, North Carolina, and shows some time of strange amorphous life forms living down there. I've been watching it obsessively for days now, and now I'd like to impart that obsession unto you:



OK. What the hell are they? Naturally, some have speculated some type of alien life form. I know, I know, no need to get all "Weekly World Report" about it. But really--what the hell ARE those things?? It's really freaking me out. Because they do seem to be alive. And having seen The Blob, The Thing, etc., I know that this can't end well...

Today We Celebrate... Our Independence Day!!

Now go put some flowers in the graveyard!!

* Thanks to Vault Dweller Tiffani for bringing that fine video to my attention.

A Quarter-Century of Krueger: Who Knew Freddy Could Be So Cute??