Table of contents for Issue 214 Sep/Oct Halloween 2023 in RUE MORGUE

Rue Morgue · 001 Rue Morgue #214 - Intro Another year has passed, another Halloween season is upon us! Between the cooler temps, the stink of a freshly carved pumpkin, and the annual special edition of Rue Morgue that you hold in your hands, Halloween is that nostalgic time where the mainstream gets spooky along with us year-round horror fans. If you’ve been a faithful reader for a while, you’ve likely observed that the genre tends to move in cycles – cinematic trends come and go; remakes rage and retreat; classics are reissued in 4K Ultra; wash, rinse, and repeat. Subject-wise, societal anxieties tend to dive and resurface as well, and this is especially true for technophobia – after all, there’s little in life that’s as incontrovertible as the human…

J-horror kicked off a wave of films which brought old horror narratives into technology such as videotapes and cellphones. What’s unique about J-horror depictions of technophobia? Jasper Sharp: When you look at the J-horror boom, a lot of it came out of this straight-to-video market from the late ’80s, and you were really limited by what you could see in the resolution; everything was [a blown-up] image and it was very bit-y and grainy. The other thing is that in Japanese horror of the mid-to-late ’80s, you had all these notorious, really gory films like Evil Dead Trap and the Guinea Pig films but [Japan] had a prominent serial killer case in the late ’80s which forced it to clean up the industry. I think those are the technological and…

Rue Morgue · IF FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S HAS TAUGHT US ANYTHING, IT’S TO NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE ALLURE OF CREEPY ANIMATRONICS AND QUALITY JUMP SCARES. IN LESS THAN A DECADE, THE once-fledgling franchise has carved out its own outsized space in the horror genre, rapidly expanding from a single indie video game to a veritable cottage industry of games, books, toys, tees, and more. This October, the franchise will finally make the leap to the big screen in the form of a long-awaited feature film from Blumhouse Productions and Universal Pictures (see sidebar, p.38), but just how did FNAF creator Scott Cawthon capture this proverbial lightning in a bottle? FNAF’s meteoric rise from a simple but genuinely tense PC game to a household name is a story of rapid-release…

Rue Morgue · 002 Rue Morgue #214 - ChuckPalahniuk “I HAVE NOT SLEPT LIKE THIS SINCE CHILDHOOD,” BREATHES CHUCK PALAHNIUK, EXPOUNDING THE benefits of his latest medication regimen. “I went to my doctor and asked for Antabuse, and I said, ‘I want a line in the sand, [where] if you drink you’re going to die,’ he recounts. “[It’s] kind of resolved the Fight Club problem too, [now] I sleep like a baby.” At age 61, the controversial author, recovering addict, and lifelong insomniac seems to be entering a more peaceful season, attempting to put the ghosts of his past to rest as only he can – through fraternal buggery, many-membered plastic sex monsters, Judy Garland play-acting (so much Judy Garland play-acting), and murder most foul. https://www.amazon.ca/Not-Forever-But-Chuck-Palahniuk/dp/1668021412/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2XLK9HG0AWNEV&keywords=not+forever+but+for+now&qid=1692398367&sprefix=not+forever+but+for+now%2Caps%2C142&sr=8-1 “I wanted to write…

1 – The Faculty of Horror – Exec Editor Andrea Subissati and RMTV’s Alex West – meet Candyman’s Tony Todd at Salem Horror Fest 2 – Operations coordinator Richelle Charkot and Mariam Bastani outside the new Rue Morgue Manor 3 – Andrea with The Boogeyman’s Sophie Thatcher 4 – Social media manager Yasmina Ketita with Kane Hodder 5 – Terror Tarot’s Laura Hokstad on set with Bucky for Rue Morgue TV 6 – Rue Morgue TV director Ashlea Wessel on set 7 – Rue Morgue at the Marche du Cannes Fantastic Pavilion 8 – Mariachis sing happy birthday to Rue Morgue at Mexico’s Morbido Film Fest 9 – RM president Rodrigo Gudiño with Morbido CEO Pablo Guisa Koestinger 10 – The Rewind Zone’s Yasmina Ketita 11 – Andrea and Yasmina…

ON THE SLAB: TEENY HALLOWEENIES PUMPKIN BOY 1:34 mins/YouTube via the Trent Shy channel This short from Trent Shy is the epitome of Halloween spirit, combining a gleefully nasty imagination with D.I.Y. chutzpah and some delightfully disgusting stop-motion effects. The film stars Shy’s own kids as a trio of suburban ne’er-do-wells scouring their neighbourhood to smash every jack o’ lantern in sight. But one such hollow gourd proves to be more than they bargained for as it deftly dodges their attacks then proceeds to obliterate the kids in hilariously brutal fashion. Faces get ripped off, tendons torn, and there’s an acidic vomit sequence that would do Seth Brundle proud. Shy’s combination of practical effects and stop-motion animation give these sequences a blend of gore and whimsy that make for a…

Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst Jr., eds Vintage Books The Indigenous people of North America are justifiably pissed, and in the new anthology Never Whistle at Night, the book’s contributors utilize the compound abuses of colonialism, land theft, and past and present racism to fuel these 26 stories of monsters, spirits, murderers, curses, and often violent comeuppance. No one here is pulling any punches for the white man. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/746751/never-whistle-at-night-an-indigenous-dark-fiction-anthology-by-shane-hawk-and-theodore-van-alst-jr-editors/9781039003798 Things start off strong with a foreword by Stephen Graham Jones before launching into the main attraction – the stories. Opener “Kustuka” (by Mathilda Zeller) sees a teenager forced to work at a party serving lecherous men, only to have the titular folkloric kustuka slaughter the lot of them. Next up, the bruising “White Hills” (by Rebecca Roanhorse), in…

If you spend time online, chances are you’ve heard of Chuck Tingle. He’s best known for his cheeky erotic fiction (2015’s Helicopter Man Pounds Dinosaur Billionaire Ass) and love-conquers-all social media sentiments, but 2023 being the strange, anomalous year it is, also saw Tingle debut his first proper horror novel, Camp Damascus (out now from Tor Nightfire). Folks even tangentially familiar with Tingle’s oeuvre will recognize some of the ingredients that went into this potent fictional stew of toxic Christianity and demonic possession, among them gay protagonists and moments of biting, satirical humour. What may be less expected are the striking horror set pieces found throughout. https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250874627/campdamascus But first, we meet twenty-year-old Rose Darling – a serious, pious Christian, obedient daughter, and woman with autism. Rose grew up in the…

I’VE BEEN A REGULAR reader since 2010 and I’m happy to see [Rodrigo] back in the director’s chair with The Breach. I’m a big fan of The Last Will and Testament of Rosalind Leigh and really liked how this movie is different despite some similarities. I wasn’t expecting so much gore and was happy to see it! Overall a solid horror movie. Thanks Rodrigo, you have succeeded where so many others have failed. Guillermo del Toro was right, you are a powerful voice in horror and I’m looking forward to seeing what you do next. PATRICK MURRAY – SOMEWHERE IN THE USA RODRIGO, WHERE THE HELL do you find the time to shoot a feature-length film while running a horror empire? You amaze me, man! Kudos to you and all…

THE CASE AGAINST SATAN (1962) Ray Russell https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/314290/the-case-against-satan-by-ray-russell/9780143107279 Published almost ten years before The Exorcist yet still virtually unknown, Ray “Mr. Sardonicus” Russell’s debut novel was the first to drag demonic possession from the annals of musty religious myth into the light of the 20th century. Concerning a battle of wills between a skeptical young priest and devout older bishop tasked with investigating the case of a young girl who may or may not be in Satan’s thrall, the set-up will ring familiar to fans of William Friedken’s Oscar-nominated adaptation of the 1973 fright classic. But Russell’s lean prose strikes a thoughtful, more skeptical tone than William Peter Blatty’s florid Catholic morality play, and though it also lands on the side of faith, the svelte and probing novelette’s burbling themes…

STRETCH OF A SKETCH ONYX THE FORTUITOUS AND THE TALISMAN OF SOULS Starring Andrew Bowser, Jeffrey Combs and Olivia Taylor Dudley Written and directed by Andrew Bowser Cinedigm Entertainment Group After amassing millions of views in a series of viral YouTube videos, writer/director/star Andrew Bowser has taken his “Weird Satanist Guy” character to the big screen in Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls, a loving nod to all things geek culture and the goofier side of ’80s horror. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14402316/ Marcus J. Trillbury (Bowser) is a walking nerd stereotype whose development stopped somewhere in adolescence. Well into his thirties, he still lives with his mom (the Barbara Crampton) and sleeps on cartoon bedsheets when he’s not working his dead-end job as a “patty slinger” at a local burger joint.…

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/235090801800 SUMMER SCHOOL SOUNDTRACK Danny Elfman RUSTED WAVE/1984 PUBLISHING Why the hell is the soundtrack for a silly 1987 comedy being reviewed in Rue Morgue, you might wonder? Because Summer School holds a whole lot of love for the genre in its bubble-gum-encrusted heart, that’s why. Featuring two Rick Baker-worshipping beach bums screening the original The Texas Chainsaw Massacre on 16mm at school before faking up some gloriously gory classroom carnage as part of a prank, this movie was clearly made with us horror-hounds in mind. Plus, it boasts a diverse score by Tim Burton’s favourite composer, Danny Elfman, featured here in a collection of musical vignettes utilizing cartoony strings and huge (if dated) keyboard-heavy melodies. When its uplifting, symphonic theme kicks in, it’s hard to keep from smiling, as…

https://www.amazon.com/That-Was-Pretty-Scary/dp/B0BVHGKVC5/ref=sr_1_1?crid=38SIYEVEX65CL&keywords=that+was+pretty+scary&qid=1692305091&sprefix=that+was+pretty+scary+%2Caps%2C106&sr=8-1 That Was Pretty Scary THEME: Horror Movies FORMAT: Discussion FREQUENCY: Weekly One might argue that there are too many podcasts featuring fanbros talking about horror, or celebrities interviewing their friends. However, few involve fanbro celebrities talking about horror. Enter That Was Pretty Scary to fill that niche, hosted by real-life pals ’90s teen heartthrob Freddie Prinze Jr. and actor/filmmaker Jon Lee Brody, who tackle the lofty goal of covering every horror movie they’ve ever seen. The fairly new venture, having only premiered in March 2023, benefits from top-notch production quality due to the hosts being experienced podcasters (see Wrestling With Freddie, and Reel Psychology, respectively) in addition to being backed by digital media magnate, Wondery. Prinze earned his horror cred decades ago, having starred in the foundational I Know…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xO50wpjlyo MY FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD PC John and Evan Szymanski/DreadXP Creepy and cute go together like cottage cheese and mustard (just try it) and My Friendly Neighborhood taps the uncanny valley of Saturday morning felt puppets that might have creeped us out as kids in the ’80s even as they delighted us with their exaggerated cheerfulness. Donning the work boots of grumpy New York repairman Gordon, players are assigned the task of investigating a TV studio that has mysteriously replaced its regular scheduled programming with reruns of the titular cancelled kids’ show. It appears that the cast of the show have gone rogue and taken over the building, so Gordon must contend with an army of Jim Henson-esque life-sized puppets while solving puzzles and navigating the studio’s sets and production sites.…

1 HALLOWEEN LEGO STORAGE HEAD $29.99 USD If Lego pieces are as much a part of your childhood as trick-or-treating, stash your Halloween loot in one of these minifigure storage bins inspired by the company’s spookiest pieces! Measuring 10.5 x 9 inches and cast in durable plastic, they’re also stackable for maximum storage efficiency. Lego.com 2 DAY OF THE DEAD SHORTS $55 USD Whether you’re jogging, swimming, or pumping iron to prepare for the zombie apocalypse, these sport shorts have you covered! Featuring quick-dry fabric, four-way stretch, and an allover print with your favourite moments from Romero’s film, Bub would approve! Middleofbeyond.com 3 CREEPSHOW ENERGY DRINK $2 USD Ever wonder what keeps a Creep going for 40 years and counting? Get a battery boost worthy of an iconic horror host…

Technophobia – noun: fear, dislike, or avoidance of new technology One needn’t be a Luddite to feel some degree of apprehension about technological innovation, especially in the past few years when the speed and ferocity of modern tech are challenging our foundational understanding of the world: remember when we thought that pictures couldn’t lie, or that computers were only as dangerous as the human beings operating them? While deepfakes and AI dominate the popular discourse, technophobic attitudes can be traced as far back as the Industrial Revolution, when machinery entered the labour market, turning the developed world on its head. It seems quaint to think that we’ve felt threatened by technology for centuries, but just as Frankenstein can be understood as a cautionary tale of scientific ethics and Karl Marx…

Rue Morgue · 003 Rue Morgue #214 - Loab WE’VE ALL HEARD OF GHOSTS IN THE MACHINE, BUT WHAT EXACTLY IS LOAB? A CRIMSON-CHEEKED FACE THAT GRIMACES AND GLOWERS FROM HUNDREDS OF AI-GENERATED ONLINE IMAGES, SHE’S AN APPARENTLY FEMALE apparition that supposedly haunts AI’s deepest algorithms; a demon that, once summoned can’t be gotten rid of; a viral artistic infection, darkening everything she touches. Or something like that, anyway. The prosaic truth behind the cyber-urban legend starts with Swedish multimedia artist and writer Steph Maj Swanson, who works under the pseudonym “Supercomposite.” In Swanson’s version of the story, she was playing around with some unspecified AI image creation software back in the spring of 2022 when Loab’s ghoulish visage began to appear consistently in her results, unbidden. Swanson had been…

There have been numerous false starts in adapting this great novella for the big screen (the last being Guillermo del Toro’s R-rated Tom Cruise monster epic) and some worthy approximations (John Carpenter’s The Thing owes it a lot, though it’s nominally based on another author’s novella), but it’s high time one of the great cosmic horror stories got the proper cinematic treatment. Why? It’s all about the setting: is there a more desolate or frightening place, inimical to all things human, than the South Pole? Think of the atmospheric and visual potential of the cyclopean, non-Euclidean ruins of an alien city beyond the super-high mountains in the snowy mist; picture the bas-reliefs inside depicting the rises and falls of alien civilizations; imagine the city in pitch-blackness beneath it and the…

THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE (1886) Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson’s terrifying novella is widely considered to be one of the horror genre’s foundational texts. The story follows Dr. Jekyll, a 19th-century scientist who creates a potion to unlock and excise his evil impulses, but finds himself unable to control the violent Mr. Hyde who emerges. The acclaimed story has been adapted numerous times, with the names “Jekyll” and “Hyde” filtering through pop culture to represent any iconic dualism. However, the proliferation of modern social media presents fascinating possibilities for a new adaptation: with apps serving as the tonic, a modern Jekyll and Hyde (perhaps with a gender-flipped main character) could explore the horrors of the internet age and the dichotomy between one’s online persona…

FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S MIGHT BE THE MOST UNLIKELY HORROR SUCCESS STORY OF THE DECADE. ORIGINALLY RELEASED IN 2014, DEVELOPER SCOTT CAWTHON’S INDIE point-and-click game about a night security guard working a kids’ pizza joint and discovering that its murderous (later revealed to be possessed) animatronic characters come to life at night has spawned a massive franchise that encompasses eleven games, more than two dozen books, merch galore, and endless speculation on the part of its rabid online fanbase. Releasing in theatres and on Peacock on October 27, 2023, director Emma Tammi (best known for the atmospheric 2018 horror western The Wind) is confident that Five Nights fans will agree that the film is worth the wait. “What I felt like I could bring to the table was certainly coming…

DELICIOUS TEA, DISGUSTING DEATH METAL.” SO PROMISES THE SATANIC TEA CO. AND, INDEED, this Calgary-based supplier of small batch brews for those who like their carnage caffeinated is also a purveyor of blasphemous blast beats with the debut self-released EP, A Celestial Beating, out this September. An unlikely combination? Perhaps, but for Calgary resident and metalhead-turned-independent tea mogul Crucifix, blackness bleeds in unexpected directions. Founded in 2017 as Pitch Black North by Crucifix (a.k.a. Dominic Alvernaz), Satanic Tea Co. has successfully torn the association between tea and little old ladies asunder with popular blends like “Devil’s Blood English Breakfast,” “Antichrist Pumpkin Spice,” and “Throat of Lucifer.” And while banging your head and sipping warm tea may seem like a downright evil pairing, to Crucifix, that’s entirely the point. “Most tea…

THE PATH TO BECOMING A LIFELONG MONSTER KID STARTS EARLY. FOR MANY OF US, INTEREST WAS first piqued on Saturday mornings spent before a heaping bowl of Monster Cereal, scarfed down in front of the TV while watching cartoons. Manufactured by Minnesota-based General Mills Inc. (best known for Cheerios and its Betty Crocker brand of baking products), the marshmallow-filled cereal line – Count Chocula, Franken Berry, Boo Berry, Fruit Brute and Fruity Yummy Mummy – have been the go-to breakfast food of little ghosts and ghouls for decades. Now, 35 years after the company unleashed its last monster-themed product (not including the “Monster Mash” blend released two years ago), General Mills has emerged from its castle laboratory to unveil a new creation: Carmella Creeper, a caramel-apple flavoured offering with a…

THIS ISSUE: LANCE DELIVERS THE GORE GROCERIES TWISTED STREET https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ujWRCv36go AMBER ROAD Koa Aloha Media This issue, I’ve dug around my office dumpster in an effort to clear out the detritus that my editor calls “work.” To that end, I’ve highlighted some gooey gifts of gore to celebrate our favourite time of the year. Amber Road is a particularly goopy offering centred around the kidnapping and prolonged torture of a couple who may or may not be as innocent as they appear. In fact, everyone in this low-budget flick – from the cold-hearted mortician to the pathetic FBI agent – is so duplicitous that I really couldn’t tell where this was going. If you’re like me, you’ll love that Amber Road is littered with cameos by the late Tom (The…

The rise of heavy metal in the 1980s and the controversy over its perceived negative influence on young listeners sparked an inevitable string of hard-rock horror movies. One of the inarguable highlights of this mini-trend was 1986’s Trick or Treat, released by (Dino) De Laurentiis Entertainment Group. The directorial debut of actor Charles Martin Smith (American Graffiti, Starman), it’s about an outcast teenager named Eddie Weinbauer (Marc Price) who is devastated by the death of his idol, metal god Sammi Curr (Tony Fields). When Eddie comes into possession of an unreleased Curr album and plays it backwards, Curr’s spirit is resurrected and helps Eddie get revenge on classmates who have bullied him. Eddie is thrilled at first, until it becomes clear that Curr has murder in mind, and it’s up…

For a generation of kids growing up in the ’70s and ’80s, General Mills’ sugary cereals Franken Berry, Count Chocula and Boo Berry were a sweet accompaniment to Saturday morning cartoons. Their appearances on store shelves may be seasonal and sporadic now, but their impact continues to be felt: Ahoy Comics’ new title Cereal is a modern loving tribute to those bygone days of beastly breakfast buddies. Our tooth-rotting tale begins with one Marquis de Cocoa, who hides his vampiric affliction by throwing extravagant breakfast parties, enduring the burning torment of sunrise while his guests munch obliviously on a selection of cereals, including his very own chocolate specialty. “The initial idea came from the sheer absurdity of using a vampire as a mascot for breakfast – a meal, presumably, that…