Table of contents for Issue 142 March 2014 in RUE MORGUE

It wasn’t long ago that the study of horror cinema and literature was frowned upon by those in the upper echelons of higher education, many of whom claimed there was little intrinsic value in the dissection of such pop culture diversions, but times are a-changing. And so too are the ways we learn. No longer are studies confined within the brick-and-mortar walls of colleges and universities. Now distance courses and seminars such as those offered by Kristen Hutchinson (pictured below) are accessible to anyone who is interested and internet-connected. “[In 2011] I began teaching seminars about contemporary art and television in my living room as an alternative to teaching university courses,” explains Hutchinson, who has been fascinated by monsters since she was a child. “I wanted to give seminars using…

Legendary kung-fu producer and media mogul, Run Run Shaw, died January 7, aged 106. Shaw was often credited as inventing the kungfu genre and was well known for his low-budget horror films, including Five Fingers of Death and Man of Iron. As well as being a prominent producer of movies, Shaw also worked in television, at one point gaining 80 percent control of the Hong Kong market. He gave generously to charities and earned a knighthood in 1977 for his endeavours. Italian composer Riz Ortolani died at age 87, on January 23, in Rome, due to complications from bronchitis. With a background in jazz, he composed his first score for the 1962 film Mondo Cane, which won a Grammy and was nominated for an Oscar. His other notable genre scores…

WHEN DAVID PROWSE FIRST STARTED ACTING HE COULD NEVER HAVE IMAGINED ATTAINING THE LOFTY POSITION HE NOW ENJOYS IN THE HALLOWED ANNALS OF GENRE FILM HISTORY. Within a decade of making his movie debut (as a Karloff-like “Frankenstein’s Creature” in the 1967 spy spoof Casino Royale), the bodybuilder and former competitive weightlifter would go on to sport the helmet and cape of Darth Vader – cinema’s greatest villain – in the original Star Wars trilogy, and become the only actor ever to play the Monster in two of Hammer’s celebrated Frankenstein series. Standing at an imposing six feet six inches and weighing more than 270 lbs, Prowse’s muscular physique inevitably led to a succession of “big roles” as a bodyguard, strongman and minotaur in A Clockwork Orange, Vampire Circus and…

THOUGH HELLBOY, AS WE KNOW HIM TODAY, MADE HIS FIRST APPEARANCE IN DARK HORSE’S 1993 SAN DIEGO COMIC CON COMICS SPECIAL, THIS YEAR MARKS THE TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CHARACTER’S FIRST MAJOR STORY. Hellboy: Seed of Destruction hit stands in March 1994 and laid the groundwork for an ever-expanding universe that includes comics, novels, short stories, animated films and two Guillermo del Toro-directed live-action features starring Ron Perlman as the titular half-demon, half-human paranormal detective. Dark Horse is closing out the character’s second decade this month with a hardcover collection called Hellboy: The First 20 Years, along with a sampler comic and an official Hellboy Day on March 22. He was originally summoned into earthly existence as part of a Nazi plan to get a leg up near the end…

In Juice Squeezers, the town of Weeville, California, holds a secret: underneath the tranquil homes lies an army of giant bugs, ready to unleash a swarm of chaos on the populace. Lucky for Weeville, a group of tweens called the Juice Squeezers are on the case, infiltrating the earthen tunnels in order to squash some pests. Their latest assignment is to protect newcomer Billy and his father from what lies beneath the farmland they just purchased. David Lapham does a great job grounding the crazy premise with some nice interplay between the kids. He also excels with the bug squishing and making the giant insects suitably revolting. It’s clear that he’s going for a fun, Goonies-like vibe and he succeeds admirably. Just replace the pirate treasure with bug guts. What…

TWENTY YEARS AGO, AT THE HEIGHT OF THE LAST VAMPIRE BOOM, NANCY BAKER’S TORONTO-SET BLOODSUCKER EPIC THE NIGHT INSIDE PITTED A centuries-old nightwalker against an affluent immortality seeker and an underground ring of pornographers in a tale that was equal parts gory and soul-searching. Now, with the publishing rights to the novel and two more of Baker’s classic vampire books reverted back to their author, Chizine Publications is reissuing the trio as ebook exclusives. “I never really considered setting it anywhere else,” says Baker of the story’s locale. “My husband offered me elaborate plot ideas that involved drug dealers and the Mexican Day of the Dead, but I knew I’d never be able to pull that off. It just seemed logical to write about the world I knew. [The main…

Like vinyl records, VHS tapes have been enjoying a renaissance in the underground horror community. While there’s a compelling argument to be made for the aural superiority of analog audio over digital – human ears are analog input devices perfectly suited to the frequency range of vinyl records – there is no similar argument to be made for VHS. There isn’t a display device extant that approaches the estimated 324 megapixel resolution of the eye. Analog video has an approximate resolution of 0.4 megapixels, so small wonder it looks fuzzy! I don’t miss VHS as a home video format, even though I have hundreds of tapes squirreled away in my crawlspace. Some are films that have never had a digital release, more are museum pieces, and most are ones I…

Grindhouse movie lovers lost one of their heroes on January 2, with the passing of Mike Vraney, founder of Something Weird Video. Vraney, who died of lung cancer at age 56, founded the Seattle-based company in 1990 in order to bring the grindhouse and drive-in experience to home video. He developed a love for the oft-disparaged exploitation films as a result of working as a projectionist in his teens. “[T]he last great genre to be scavenged were the exploitation/sexploitation films of the ’30s through the ’70s,” he explained on the company’s website. Vraney, who released over 2500 titles through the imprint, is credited with reigniting interest in the work of filmmakers such as Doris Wishman (Let Me Die a Woman, A Night to Dismember), Andy Milligan (The Ghastly Ones, Bloodthirsty…

A research project has been launched in an effort to prove the existence of a bipedal, ape-like creature said to inhabit the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Dubbed the Orang Pendek Project, it consists of researchers trying to gather, document and analyze data in support of the creature known as the Orang Pendek (Indonesian for “short person”). This shadowy human-like primate, which is said to be no more than 5 feet (1.5 m) in height, has a long history of sightings dating back to 1923 when a Dutch colonist first reported seeing “a dark and hairy creature” in the jungle. Several footprints have also been discovered in the last few years, giving the Orang Pendek team – which includes Cliff Barackman (Finding Bigfoot) and noted cryptozoologist Adam Davies – confidence that…

FRANKENSTEIN CREATED WOMAN (1967) Blu-ray Starring Peter Cushing, Susan Denberg and Thorley Walters Directed by Terence Fisher Written by John Elder (as Anthony Hinds) Millennium Entertainment After several ill-fated attempts at restoring life to the dead, Peter Cushing’s Baron Frankenstein returns to the laboratory to craft a new, and at first, seemingly perfect creation in one of Hammer Films’ most interesting efforts: 1967’s Frankenstein Created Woman. The fourth chapter in the studio’s Frankenstein saga, the film sees the scientist construct an apparatus that has the ability to isolate the soul of a person after death and keep it suspended inside the machine until it can rejoin a repaired body. It isn’t long before the Baron puts his equipment to use when his youthful assistant Hans (Robert Morris) is framed and…

THE CORPSE (1995) Set in Ireland in 1959, Hellboy is tasked with retrieving an infant who has been abducted by faeries and replaced with a changeling. The faeries promise to return the child if Hellboy can secure a Christian burial for a hanged criminal. “A lot of people consider The Corpse their favourite Hellboy story. It was the third one, but it was the first one where I thought, ‘Okay, this could work.’ That story was the biggest roller-coaster ride since I’ve been doing Hellboy – I had so much fun doing it, then I was in a panic because I thought it was unpublishable. When I finished it, I thought, ‘Oh, no, what is this thing I did?’ It didn’t look like a regular comic to me. Then a…

Exactly eleven years ago I got my start at Rue Morgue writing the now long-defunct horror smut column, in which I reviewed mostly terrible softcore erotica featuring vampires, mad scientists and several other monster mainstays that could be created for next-to-no effects budget. These films were released so frequently that they became ubiquitous (kind of like tentacle erotica in Japan), so we eventually abandoned covering them for more interesting fare. This is why it was so strange to read about Amazon’s (as well as other retailers’) sudden war on Monster Porn (or “cryptozoological erotica,” as several of its authors prefer to call it), in articles published on CNN and at businessinsider.com in December. Ebooks with largely self-explanatory titles such as Moan for Bigfoot, Demons Love Ass, Frankenstein’s Bitch and Taken…

Who’s your favourite female monster? I’d have to go with Medusa. The Caravaggio painting (above) is my favourite depiction of her. G EDWIN TAYLOR Lily Munster THOMAS KERNBICHLER La Femme from Inside. NICHOLAS A. SÁNCHEZ Not monsters, just beautiful women who are misunderstood indeed. So I’ll say all of them. BONNY BRIDGEWATERS The leech woman puppet from Puppet Master. JILL ORIENTE The Bride of Frankenstein – beautiful and a great conversationalist. MICHAEL CALLMERABBI SANDAL Hecate: Ancient Greek Goddess of Magic/Witchcraft, daughter of Zeus. JOSE L COSTA Ann Coulter. SETH BLADIMIRSQUY…

Best known for the infamous 1984 D.I.Y. horror Black Devil Doll from Hell, long-lost cult director Chester Novell Turner is back to direct a sequel to his last film, 1987’s Tales from the Quadead Zone. Fantastically crude subject matter, strange electronic scores and a strong African-American voice made Turner’s work stand out among the shot-on-video horrors of the ’80s, yet his films left little impression at the time. After making Tales from the Quadead Zone – an anthology featuring Shirley L. Jones (also the star of Black Devil Doll – pictured with Turner) as a woman who reads stories to the ghost of her son – Turner hung up his video camera. “Back then, people liked the films, but the only distribution I had was me personally going to stores…

A Maryland mother allegedly stabbed two of her four children to death in January after attempting to perform a group exorcism on her offspring. Chicago bar Kuma’s Corner angered the Catholic church when it launched its “Ghost Burger,” which is named after the Swedish metal band and served with an unconsecrated Communion wafer. Blood Falls, Antarctica, is named after the waterfall that runs blood red there, staining the surrounding snow. The effect is caused by a subterranean lake that is extremely rich in iron. In the wake of the The Bad Seed’s 1956 theatrical release, all children were banned from movie houses where the film was screening. The US film classification board cited its concerns about potential copycat violence. The bodies of a US woman and Canadian woman were accidentally…

THE DEVIL IS A BUSY CHAP. WHEN HE’S NOT TORTURING THE DAMNED IN HELL OR SEEKING MORE SOULS TO ADD TO HIS COLLECTION, HE CAN BE FOUND ENJOYING A DAY AT THE RACES OR A NIGHT AT THE OPERA, ATTENDING A BLACK MASS AND EVEN SPECULATING ON THE STOCK EXCHANGE. He even makes the time to run a photographic emporium, visit the theatre and get married – at least, according to a new book, Diableries: Stereoscopic Adventures in Hell. The weighty hardcover represents a remarkable collaboration between three diverse authors – Queen guitarist Brian May, photography scholar Denis Pellerin and photographic historian Paula Fleming – who all share a long-standing interest in stereoscopic photography, but it’s also a unique project that showcases what may be the origin of 3-D technology…

KEVIN TENNEY CHUCKLES DOWN THE PHONE LINE FROM LOS ANGELES WHEN ASKED TO RECALL WHEN HE REALIZED HIS 1988 FILM NIGHT OF THE DEMONS HAD BECOME A CULT HIT. “I didn’t think it was going to have longevity,” he insists. “I actually called my agent and said, ‘You need to get me another film before this thing comes out,’ cause when it does I will probably be unhireable.’ I thought the critics were going to hate it, and most of them did. But the fanbase just embraced the hell out of it.” Recently released as a special edition Blu-ray from Scream Factory, Night of the Demons sees a group of teens heading to Hull House, an abandoned funeral home, for a Halloween party thrown by outcast goth girl Angela (Amelia…

DRIPPING WITH VINCENT HOUSE OF WAX (1953) Blu-ray Starring Vincent Price, Frank Lovejoy and Phyllis Kirk Directed by André De Toth Written by Crane Wilbur Warner Brothers With its depiction of a sympathetic madman, House of Wax (1953) was an unusually ghoulish choice for a major studio such as Warner Bros to pick to lead a 3-D revolution. But it was a gamble that paid off, both for the public and the studio’s coffers. Classic horror fans should recognize the story: sculptor Henry Jarrod (Vincent Price) creates historical figures in wax, but his unscrupulous business partner sees little value in Jarrod’s creations. So he torches the wax museum for the insurance money and leaves Henry for dead. Crippled and disfigured, he resurfaces a year later and reopens his museum, adding…

Anthologies are as intrinsic to the horror genre as haunted houses, crazed serial killers and twist endings. There’s something about the format that is immensely appealing to horror writers and lends itself to virtually all media, including movies, television, books and, of course, comics. “Anthologies work so well for horror because it forces the storyteller to really boil the tale down to its essence,” says writer and editor, Rachel Deering. “No frills, no dragging plots, just straight to the good stuff!” Deering’s dedication to the format has given birth to In the Dark, an ambitious original anthology (to be released by IDW next month) that unites some of the best writers and artists in the industry. Steve Niles, Tim Seeley, Paul Tobin, Cullen Bunn, Drew Moss and Andy Belanger are…

DEVIL’S ADVOCATES: CARRIE Neil Mitchell Auteur Continuing the Devil’s Advocates’ series of single film investigations is this 100-page look at Brian De Palma’s Carrie. Neil Mitchell traces the 1976 film from its genesis as Stephen King’s debut novel, through its adaptation, shoot and ongoing legacy. He also examines its key themes and motifs – albeit occasionally too briefly. While great for those curious about the film, hardened Carriephiles, who’ve watched all the extras and read other academic treatise, will find little new here. MONICA S. KUEBLER SUFFERED FROM THE NIGHT: QUEERING STOKER’S DRACULA Steve Berman, ed. Lethe Press Steve Berman’s latest collection of speculative shorts, Suffered from the Night: Queering Stoker’s Dracula explores the homoerotic undertones running through Stoker’s pivotal novel – and the varying nuances of sexuality…

New Jersey’s Electric Frankenstein has built a two-decade legacy based on two key ingredients. First, their own brand of stitched-together monster rock that’s a combination of old school punk (think Dead Boys) and hard rock (think AC/DC). Second, the high-quality monster and hot rod artwork that makes every album, EP and gig poster a frame-worthy collectible. It’s looking to be a mammoth year for EF projects, beginning with a new split LP with Pittsburgh band The Cheats, to be released sometime this spring on Screaming Crow Records. The release features three new songs and a cover of the Dead Boys’ serial killer shocker “Son of Sam.” It’s the new track “Frankensong,” however, that perfectly sums up the band’s formula. “‘Frankensong’ is a musical hybrid, like the Frankenstein monster, in that…

After the Platinum Dunes remake, A Nightmare on Elm Street fans were surprised to discover that Freddy Krueger’s next appearance wouldn’t be in a new movie. Instead, he was made available as a downloadable character in 2011’s Mortal Kombat. Though his appearance in the fighting game is incongruous, it’s just one of the latest in a flood of references to, and character appearances from, popular horror movies in video games. Of all the licensed or unofficial nods to the genre, these are the six of coolest. 1. THE REVENGE OF SHINOBI (1989 Sega Genesis In a battle of titans that could be described as “Godzilla vs The Ninja” or “Sega vs Intellectual Property,” the fire-breathing monster serves as one of the bosses. Though smaller in stature and missing his trademark…

THIRTEEN WOMEN DIRECTED BY GEORGE ARCHAINBAUD USA - 1932 Any self-respecting horror aficionado knows that although Halloween kicked off the slasher craze that went on to dominate genre cinema of the early 1980s, it was by no means the first of its kind. In 1974, a houseful of sorority girls were sliced and diced by a homicidal assailant in Bob Clark’s Black Christmas, while a few years prior, Mario Bava’s shocker Twitch of the Death Nerve was an even more primitive example of the body count film. One could even argue the subgenre emerged in the early 1960s, with the gloriously immoral double whammy of Psycho and Peeping Tom. But in fact, the origins of the slasher can be traced back as early as 1932, courtesy of RKO and a…