Table of contents for Issue 127 October 2012 Halloween Special Issue in RUE MORGUE

If you could save only one of your collectibles from a fire, what would it be? I don’t have to think twice about it: Frankenstein. Specifically, my plastic Aurora model of the Universal Monster version of Frankenstein’s monster (who we’ll refer to as simply Frankenstein for brevity’s sake), which has a glow-in-the-dark head and hands and a little clapboard on its base with the film’s name on it. I doubt it’s worth anything on the collectibles market – I moved the arm up and down so much that poor old Frank can no longer hold his little arm up – but it means the world to me. One of my most vivid childhood memories is helping my dad assemble it. I handed him the little plastic parts, he took care…

Considering the delight Eli Roth has taken in crafting over-the-top, thrill ride splatter films, it’s little surprise that he’s decided to launch his own haunted attraction. On September 27, Eli Roth’s Goretorium was scheduled to open its dark doors on the famous Las Vegas Strip, promising year-round frights and atrocities from the director of Cabin Fever and the first two Hostel flicks. With a budget close to $10 million, the 15,000-square-foot building across the street from the Cosmopolitan luxury resort and casino features 24 rooms of props, masks and film-level frights created in-house especially for the attraction by a team of writers, designers, costumers and makeup artists led by Roth and Goretorium CEO Robert Frey. Once the technology, such as the facility’s 395 speakers (each broadcasting its own unique sounds),…

1 UNIVERSAL CLASSIC MONSTERS: THE ESSENTIAL COLLECTION BLU-RAY $111.99 Eight of Universal’s classic monsters make their North American Blu-ray debut with this limited-edition eight-disc set. Twelve hours of extras and a 48-page book are sure to keep the damned entertained during long winter nights. Mingle with high-def horror heroes at amazon.ca. 2 BELA LUGOSI DRACULA MODEL KIT $25.99 Bela Lugosi’s first performance as the iconic vampire, in the 1927 Broadway stage play, is commemorated in this 1:8 scale model, which stands on a base modelled after actual props used in the show. Love some Lugosi at moebiusmodels.com. 3 RING OF DRACULA PROP REPLICA $35 Adorned with the crest of Dracula, this replica of the signet ring featured in a host of movies starring the vampire count was cast from a…

TO THE DEVIL A SLAUGHTER SOLOMON KANE Starring James Purefoy, Pete Postlethwaite and Jason Flemyng Written and directed by Michael J. Bassett Radius/The Weinstein Company Nearly three years after its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival, and a well-received theatrical run in the UK, Michael J. Bassett’s adaptation of author Robert E. Howard’s puritan tough guy story is getting a proper North American release (in limited theatres and via VOD). Was it worth the wait? To use the appropriate vernacular: Aye. ’Tis verily. In 17th-century England, former mercenary/privateer Solomon Kane (James Purefoy) has attempted to leave behind his evil ways and become a self-proclaimed man of peace. Not so easy when Malachi, an evil sorcerer (Jason Flemyng), has England in the grip of dark magic, his armies slaughtering or…

DESPITE BEING THE DAUGHTER OF DAVID LYNCH, JENNIFER CHAMBERS LYNCH HASN’T HAD A PARTICULARLY SMOOTH RIDE THROUGH THE MOVIE BUSINESS. SHE MADE HER FIRST FILM IN 1993 AT the tender age of 25 – the deliciously twisted fairy tale allegory Boxing Helena. Unfortunately, it was tragically misunderstood, plagued by controversy, despised by critics and even denounced by women’s groups. It would be fifteen years before she returned to feature filmmaking with the festival hit Surveillance in 2008. She followed that up with the disastrous Bollywood/Hollywood horror mutation Hisss (2010), which saw her lose final cut to the Indian producers (a situation well documented in the fascinating upcoming documentary Despite the Gods). With her most recent project, Chained, Lynch continues to court controversy. The film was slapped with an NC-17 rating,…

FROM THE LATE 1950s TO EARLY 1970s, BRITAIN’S HAMMER FILMS WAS THE PRE-EMINENT NAME IN CINEMATIC GOTHIC HORROR, renowned worldwide for its cycle of Dracula and Frankenstein films starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. But after releasing an adaptation of Dennis Wheatley’s occult thriller To the Devil… a Daughter in 1976, the studio did not enter genre territory again until 1980, when it partnered with Chips Productions, Cinema Arts International and ITC Entertainment to create the television series Hammer House of Horror. Consisting of thirteen 51-minute episodes, the series eschews the gothic trappings of Hammer’s earlier costume melodramas. Instead of vampires and manmade monstrous creations (though there is one werewolf-themed episode), the show featured a witch, a murderous voodoo doll, a homicidal femme fatale, malevolent doppelgängers, cannibals, a revenge-seeking ghost,…

1 have been reading comics for more than 30 years, so believe me when I tell you that there are very few images in the medium that make me do a double take anymore. Then I saw an advertisement for the upcoming Dark Horse series Colder. A stunning illustration by artist Juan Ferreyra, the ad (which is also the cover of the first issue) features a man sliding a couple of fingers under the skin of his face, from his lips right up to one of his eyeballs. I stared at that picture for quite a while, determined to not only read the series when it premieres on November 7, but to find out more about the book and that genuinely haunting cover art. “The title, Colder, is really the…

VALENTINES FOR THE DEAD Corrine de Winter Shadowfall Publications This tiny volume of vivid short stories and flash fiction from Bram Stoker Award-winning author Corrine de Winter reads like a patchwork of morbid curiosities and ethereal fantasy worlds. De Winter’s succinct style and psychological depth allow her tales of mad scientists, licentious werewolves and demonic curses to make a strong emotional impact on readers in a short expanse of prose. JESSA SOBCZUK GETHSEMANE HALL David Annandale Dundurn The twisting corridors of Gethsemane Hall, in the heart of rural England, are full of secrets – secrets that have drawn a paranormal investigator, a CIA agent, a skeptical scientist, a stage magician and a missionary to join with the house’s owner, Richard Grey, to try to uncover the truth behind…

Like with a great recipe, the ingredients of Robert Gleason’s iconic poster art for John Carpenter’s slasher classic Halloween are simple. Add one hand, one large butcher knife (sharpened), one pumpkin (carved) and a heaping spoonful of terror and you’ve created an image as memorable as the film itself. The arresting artwork has followed me around for most of my life. I have it framed in my office, looming behind me. Whenever I need to, I’ll spin my chair around for a jolt of inspiration, and study the poster closely. My eyes roll over all of the details, taking in every vein, scrutinizing every lump and bump. Then, one day, I saw it: the profile of a face in the hand that clenches the knife! It was as plain as…

I MUST VOICE my displeasure that there is no mention even on the website about the passing of Mr. Michael Clarke Duncan. While not a true horror actor, his role in The Green Mile was legendary, as were his acting abilities and his ongoing role on TV’s The Finder. Just voicing my disappointment. KEN BOSSOM – US NAVY (RET), UNITED STATES SUBMARINE FORCE AMAZING CANDYMAN screening courtesy of @Rue-Morgue [during the 2012 Festival of Fear] and an equally great Q&A with Tony Todd and @RichardCrouse. The bathroom lights stay on. @SCAREALEX, VIA TWITTER I HAD A GREAT TIME, though I fear the Festival of Fear is getting smaller and smaller and it’s my favourite part of the Expo! I really enjoyed the Gore, Girls and Godforsaken Cinema panel this year.:)…

If you watched 28 Days Later thinking how cool it would be to fight against a group of Rage-infected psychos for real, you’re not alone! The concept has been brought to life as an interactive zombie game, and this Halloween the end-of-the-world pandemic will take to the streets of London, just as it did in Danny Boyle’s modern-day classic. Created by Simon Johnson and Simon Evans of outdoor games company SlingShot, 2.8 Hours Later first took place in Bristol, UK, back in 2010 at the Interesting Games Festival (Igfest). It became so popular that it’s now touring the UK and regularly selling out (at £24/$37 per ticket) in cities such as Liverpool, Leeds, Nottingham, Manchester and Glasgow. Though there are many other zombie-themed walks and chases taking place around the…

FOR YEARS AFTER ITS RELEASE IN OCTOBER OF 1982, HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH was dismissed as “the one without Michael Myers.” Garnering dismal notices from critics (although Vincent Canby of The New York Times did grudgingly praise its ghoulish style and verve), this inventive shocker only succeeded in provoking furious condemnation from Halloween diehards who took umbrage with the fact that the second sequel to John Carpenter’s imperious 1978 classic refused to play by the rules. Those expecting the third installment to continue chronicling the relentless marauding of their favourite maniac were instead confronted with mysticism, monoliths and malevolent rubber masks that shed bugs, snakes and other assorted nasties. If the prospect of creating a sequel to one of the most successful and influential horror films ever made…

PARANORMAN Starring Kodi Smit-McPhee, Tucker Albrizzi and Anna Kendrick Directed by Chris Butler and Sam Fell Written by Chris Butler Alliance Grade-schooler Norman Babcock sees dead people. Problem is, no one, not even his own family, believes him. Until now, he’s managed well enough. Sure, he’s a chronically bullied, misunderstood misfit, but it’s not the end of the world – yet. But it could be soon. That’s because Norman’s hometown of Blithe Hollow is cursed, and unless a very specific ritual is carried out once each year at the witch’s grave, all hell will literally break loose in the tiny burg. And now that Norman’s crazy uncle (John Goodman) has passed away, he’s the only person capable of completing the task. Assuming, of course, he can sneak out of the…

These days, cable television may seem like the last place to explore the strange and wonderful world of genre cinema, but Turner Classic Movies’ TCM Underground has risen as an essential spotlight for films you probably won’t see anywhere else. Set to launch its seventh season on October 24, with a screening of the documentary Spine Tingler: The William Castle Story, followed by Castle’s own 1958 chiller Macabre, the smartly curated Friday night mainstay has evolved from presenting the accepted canon of genre touchstones to helping to expand the modern definition of cult film. “I love that TCM Underground is this totally separate portion of the TCM schedule,” says assistant programming manager Millie De Chirico, who helped create the show and now handles all of the acquisitions. “You know every…

When Stuart “Feedback” Andrews recently interviewed me for the Rue Morgue Podcast, he asked about the relevance of extreme horror films and the future of the subgenre in a time when one can go online and watch a two-bit porn star murder, dismember and have sex with his victim’s corpse. I didn’t have an immediate answer… until watching Adam Rehmeier’s 2010 film The Bunny Game (out now on Blu-ray and DVD from Autonomy Pictures). I should have seen this type of film coming earlier this year, when I wrote about 2009’s House of Flesh Mannequins (RM#123), a horror film that mixes hardcore sex and fetish video footage into a fictional narrative. The Bunny Game – which stars Rodleen Getsic as a drug-addled prostitute named Bunny – isn’t pornographic, but utilizes…

Long before we started compiling this issue’s Cinema Apocalyptica feature (p.30), I’d been thinking about how the world might end. No, I don’t believe that the Mayan calendar running out this year will signal some extinction-level event. But there are enough dead canaries in the coal mine for me to want to be ready should shit get bad. Thus, with the help of some of Audio Drome’s finest contributors, I’ve assembled some suggestions for the last listening party, uh… ever. Sure, there are countless death and doom metal entries to consider but there’s also comfort in hearing some of the classics one final time: 1. Metallica – “Blackened” (1988) The opening track from …And Justice for All isn’t only notable for frontman James Hetfield’s masterful combining of words ending in–ation…

DYSTOPIA RISING: A ZOMBIE LARP Live Action Role Play Dystopia Rising It’s dark out. The group I’m with has stopped behind a barricaded cabin so we can try to get our bearings. Several people are hurt, one critically. I only have three bullets left and even though I’m a pretty good shot, it’s not enough to stop the pack of drooling undead headed our way. Two of my compatriots, a beautiful Russian girl named Oxana and a half-naked guy who’s clutching a spear, approach, and without exchanging a word, I know that they’re prepared to join me in what may be a fateful last stand. In reality, the bullets are foam, the spear is rubber and the beauty is a Toronto funeral director who’s accompanied me and some other…

The forerunner to Universal, the Independent Moving Pictures Company (IMP), produced a version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in 1913, with then-famous silent film star King Baggot in the titular roles. The 1943 remake of The Phantom of the Opera was filmed on some of the same sets as its 1925 predecessor. An early design for the Creature From the Black Lagoon suit was based on the Oscar statuette. Dracula’s Spanish-language version, Drácula, is often cited as being more provocative. Scenes of the lead, Eva (Lupita Tovar), in a cleavage-revealing nightgown are shown, as are shots of vampire bites on victim’s necks – neither are featured in the English version. Clint Eastwood made his feature debut in 1955’s Revenge of the Creature, in an uncredited cameo. The screenplay for…

AT NEARLY 103 YEARS OLD, CARLA LAEMMLE IS ONE OF THE LAST SURVIVING cast members from Universal’s first cycle of horror classics. The niece of Universal Studios’ founder Carl Laemmle Sr., the Chicago-born actress and dancer appeared as a ballerina in 1925’s The Phantom of the Opera and has the distinction of speaking the first lines of dialogue for a sound horror film in 1931’s Dracula (she is pictured above, in glasses). Laemmle retired from show business in the late 1930s, but returned 60 years later to both host and appear in documentaries on Dracula and The Phantom of the Opera. More recently, she collaborated on a biography of her life by Rick Atkins called Among the Rugged Peaks and the illustrated storybook Growing Up With Monsters: My Times at…

WITHOUT MARY SHELLEY’S 1818 NOVEL, FRANKENSTEIN; OR THE MODERN PROMETHEUS, mad scientists, the Universal Monster series, gothic fiction, science fiction and horror as we know it would likely look very different. Similarly, without Castle Frankenstein (a.k.a. Burg Frankenstein, pictured below), located near Darmstadt, Germany, Shelley may have never written her pivotal work of horror. The castle makes its first appearance in medieval records in 948 AD, dating it at well over a thousand years old. However, its foundations are likely older still, as historian Walter Scheele explains. “The Burgundians, an Eastern Germanic tribe, migrated to the mountain strait of Darmstadt and most likely founded Burg Frankenstein, because at 5000 BC, the mountain ridge was already considered a holy place for pagan rites.” He adds that the word Frankenstein comes from…

IF YOU’RE FED UP WITH HORROR CHARACTERS THAT ARE AS PURTY AS PHOTOSHOPPED MAGAZINE MODELS AND JUST AS LACKING IN DIMENSION, SETTINGS THAT ARE MORE MUSIC VIDEO THAN REAL LIFE, AND TRAILERS THAT GIVE AWAY THE ENTIRE GODDAMN PLOT OF THE MOVIE, THE MAKERS OF THE PARANORMAL ACTIVITY FILMS FEEL YOU. Over the course of the franchise, they’ve taken unknown actors who look like real folks, used a found-footage style to capture them in average-looking suburban homes, and created a mythology surrounding an unseen demon that’s terrorizing two sisters – Katie (Katie Featherston) and Kristi (Sprague Graydon) – and their families. “When it’s a found-footage movie, we are going for a sense of something that feels really authentic, almost like a documentary,” says creator Oren Peli, who wrote and directed…

THIS ISSUE: LANCE DIES A LITTLE WITH THE DEAD Sword ’n’’Sorcery DEADTIME Brain Damage Films Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Led Zeppelin – just three of many bands rumoured to have sold their souls for rock ’n’ roll. And why not? Surely it’s Satan and not the combined genius of a few talented musicians… At least this is the case for a down-on-its-luck British group struggling to make it big again after its latest album flopped. Sequestered in a derelict studio to film a new promo video, the band members and their groupies start getting whacked by a mysterious killer armed with a medieval sword. Though it suffers from poor acting and some bad CGI gore, DeadTime is filled with more naked babes, spraying blood and decapitations than an…

BIRTH RITE ROSEMARY’S BABY (1968) Blu-ray/DVD Starring Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes and Ruth Gordon Directed by Roman Polanski Written by Ira Levin and Roman Polanski Criterion Hail Criterion! The highly respected boutique label has finally answered fans’ prayers for a special edition of Rosemary’s Baby, a landmark horror film that helped change the direction of scary movies forever. Along with Night of the Living Dead (released that same year), Roman Polanski’s Hollywood debut reinvigorated the themes of horror cinema’s past with a modern edge, creating a mix of occult paranoia and dark comedy that is still influencing films today. Mia Farrow is captivating as Rosemary, the fresh-faced wife of struggling actor Guy (John Cassavetes), who moves into a spacious New York City apartment to start a family. While Guy becomes…

BECOMING RAY BRADBURY Jonathan R. Eller University of Illinois Press As one of the 20th century’s most widely lauded literary talents, much has been written about the late Ray Bradbury. Yet by choosing to frame this new biography in the context of the author’s early life, Jonathan R. Eller has done a fine job of documenting the master storyteller’s beginnings. The book opens with twenty pages that flip between Bradbury’s youth and his high school days, but this narrative unevenness smooths out once Eller gets to the author’s rise in the sci-fi, horror and fantasy pulps of the 1940s. While Bradbury recorded much of his own career through extensive essay and non-fiction writing, he often embellished. Becoming mixes academic analysis with a more objective perspective. Eller both qualifies the work,…

BRUTAL SOUNDTRACK Alan Howarth INDEPENDENT After opening with an overly long, by-the-numbers rocker by brooding bodybuilder Steven Whitaker, Alan Howarth thankfully takes the wheel of the soundtrack to Brutal, purportedly a “complex, psychological horror ride” written, co-directed by and starring Michael Patrick Stevens – a filmmaker so green his IMDb page includes a wedding photo. Howarth, a former collaborator of John Carpenter, builds the main theme around haunting strings, a tinkling piano motif not unlike that of Halloween and rattlesnake percussion, maintaining an omnipresent mood that he himself describes as “someone is going to die.” Without the benefit of seeing the film (which has yet to score a distributor), song titles such as “Sander,” “Nail Gun,” “Potato Peeler” and “Injection” seem to indicate that Brutal features numerous torture sequences, and…