Table of contents for Issue 218 May/Jun 2024 in RUE MORGUE

William Friedkin’s 1973 classic The Exorcist begins with seemingly banal hints that something is amiss with young Regan (Linda Blair). Her behaviour becomes increasingly erratic, and the early attempts to treat her symptoms assume there is some kind of medical or psychological explanation. Of course, it turns out she’s possessed by a demon whose presence would make an indelible mark on cinema history and expand into a cinematic Pazuzuverse that spans five movies and a television show. The film’s inspiration, the so-called possession and exorcism of Ronald Edwin “Roland Doe” Hunkeler, was only somewhat less notorious. Hunkeler, referred to in news stories as “Roland Doe” to protect his anonymity, was born in a small Maryland town in 1935. His early life as an only child was spent mostly with adults…

Aversion to dead bodies, also known as necrophobia, is nearly as common as the fear of death itself. Whether human or animal, encountering a carcass can be an uncomfortable reminder that our own bodies will one day become lifeless husks discarded in the aftermath of our demise – but that’s not to say they can’t also be beautiful pieces of art. Illinois-based taxidermist Taylor Gorsuch has built a thriving business dedicated to highlighting the elegance of corpses through StoneVein Studio, offering exquisite pieces that “celebrate the beauty of life, death, and everything in between.” “Some people love it, and some people are terrified,” says Gorsuch about reactions to her work. “I’ve had comments like, ‘This stuff is really dark, everything is dead, how can you be happy around so much…

SAY WHAT YOU WILL ABOUT SLASHERS BEING FORMULAIC, BUT SOMETIMES THERE’S GOOD REASON TO PLAY IN A FAMILIAR SANDBOX; moreover, there’s often just as much fun to be had deconstructing those tried-and-true tropes as there is in upholding them. Just ask Canadian filmmaker Chris Nash, whose ultraviolent feature film In a Violent Nature shocked Sundance audiences last January and is poised to shock cinemagoers on May 31. “The whole conceit of the movie came from, what if we made a slasher with more of these art house elements to it? Specifically, kind of aping Gus Van Sant’s style; one that he was really experimenting with in Gerry and Last Days and Elephant,” reveals Nash of his subgenre-bending debut. “But it was always a slasher, it was always a playground for…

THIS MONTH: THE MENACING MONSTER SCULPTS OF IMAGINERICK A RUEMORGUE COLLECTIBLE Imaginerick is a master of makeup, special effects, and creature design who likes to capture his nightmares in silicone, latex, and resin. His creepy creations have found their way into TV and film in the likes of Grimm, Star Trek Beyond and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2., among others. An obvious passion for horror and sci-fi drives his imagination, making his unique monster sculpts highly valued and prized. NAME Imaginerick HOMETOWN HAUNT “I grew up in Echo Park, California.” WEAPON OF CHOICE “I love to use oil-based clay. My method consists of researching and gathering reference images of several insects, bats, and plants. At this point, I study the elements of each existing animal and then proceed to…

THE MONSTERS THAT MADE US THEME: Universal Monsters FORMAT: Discussion FREQUENCY: Monthly The last 50 years of film may have a stranglehold on modern horror podcast topics but, lest we forget, there were monsters who shambled long before so that others may stalk. The Monsters That Made Us focuses on this golden age of film, when Universal Studios harnessed the fear of the unknown to keep the company afloat during the Great Depression and onwards. Month by month, hosts “The Invisible Dan” Colón and “Monster Mike” Manzi move chronologically through the Universal Monsters catalogue, starting with 1925’s The Phantom of the Opera. https://www.amazon.com/The-Monsters-That-Made-Us/dp/B08K56KC2H/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2L5IOQZ4EC0U5&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.g-VmgpGJZBDC6G_Bge0q5iW-AYzWEdhniP5f4lYg7WCu4Per5Ab_kBJd-W9p9O4Mc3kBka24QiwiX1rcJ6IY1UzLBLYj0fWV7yeDFced22cMdb-le9SsOEwjiintd2FwCxG9eyZhu6jtO7ACSAwRz4dWbCpdx_3SGDdIblRke8z_Qaow-9IB8969ORYDnQD8g1uIUwaM7NwB5XchdAo1Yg.qjN_oDkoeEa3IXvX1phK97xvb43s8qfbTzrqyGyU0mc&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+monster+that+made+us+podcast&qid=1713465002&sprefix=the+monster+that+made+us+podcast%2Caps%2C94&sr=8-1 With each episode clocking between an hour-and-a-half and two hours, ample time is afforded to delve into the minutiae of each film. Colón starts the show by…

Appropriately enough for the original Mr. Barlow, Reggie Nalder was a man with an uncertain past: not only the origins of those distinctive facial scars – which destined him for myriad villainous roles – but even Nalder’s date of birth remains a matter of conjecture. A cabaret performer in his native Austria during the 1920s, his film breakthrough came when Alfred Hitchcock cast him as hitman Rien in The Man Who Knew Too Much, followed by memorable roles in Dario Argento’s The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, and the controversial Mark of the Devil, before channelling Count Orlok in Tobe Hooper’s Salem’s Lot. Unfortunately, the actor’s fortunes had already declined considerably by the time of his iconic vampire gig, a bright point between lending his talents (but not his name)…

The term “nepo baby” has gained currency in recent years to describe the offspring of actors, writers, and directors who have been making their own mark in the entertainment world. But the scorn implied by that unfortunate expression falls away when the kids in question demonstrate talent equal to their parents. The upcoming filmmaking debut of Caitlin Cronenberg (Humane) is just the most recent in a line of second-generation artists with weirdness in their blood. OSGOOD ‘OZ’ PERKINS Son of Anthony Perkins It is perhaps not surprising that Osgood Perkins’ filmography as a director (he began his career as an actor) has been marked by disturbing horror films such as The Blackcoat’s Daughter (2015) and I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House (2016). After all, his father…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Eu6q2V3i5U #BLUD Exit 73 Studios/Humble Games Release date: June 18 #Blud is a colourful hand-drawn video game that pays homage to the hyperkinetic cartoons of the 1990s. With a mandate of “save your friends, fight off the vampire apocalypse, and survive the horrors of freshman field hockey practice,” it’s safe to say this dungeon crawler doesn’t take itself too seriously as it tasks players with stepping into the shoes of teenage vampire hunter Becky and her trusty hockey stick named Brenda in order to save the town of Carpentersville. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SlVX7Cv3UA EVILVEVIL Toadman Interactive Release date: Quarter 2 Proving the near endless versatility of vampires, EvilVEvil offers up its bloodsucker experience in the form of an action-packed co-op shooter in which players can “live out [their] ultimate vampire power fantasy as…

While In a Violent Nature isn’t your conventional slasher, it does deliver much of what gorehounds expect – namely, hapless teens being offed one by one, often in spectacular fashion. But not only are the gruesome kills in Chris Nash’s midnight movie delightfully creative, they’re dreadfully well-executed thanks to the skillful hand of Steven Kostanski, who has delivered some of the genre’s most unforgettable creatures and critters in such fright flicks as Manborg, Father’s Day, and Leprechaun Returns. A filmmaker in his own right, Kostanski says the trick to hitting good gore beats is treating the kill scenes as if they were characters in the film themselves. “I felt like each kill has its own personality and is different from the previous ones,” he says about his work on In…

Amoebas and Cows and Corman, Oh My! I suppose there’s nothing particularly pressing about reviewing Roger Corman’s Monster From the Ocean Floor (1954) right now, it just feels inherently wrong to leave it any longer. ’Cause hey, it’s not a good film. It’s bad – excruciatingly bad, in fact – and not even as entertainingly bad as Corman canon contemporaries Attack of the Crab Monsters or It Conquered the World. In fact, among the 34 (!?!) horror, sci-fi, western, and teen delinquency cheapies the indispensable Corman produced for the drive-in circuit between 1954 and 1959, Monster From the Ocean Floor seems like a footnote to a footnote. So why dig it up now? Indeed, why at all? Well, because I’ve just recently found out that it’s Corman’s first official film…

https://www.amazon.com/Conan-Barbarian-Bound-Black-Stone/dp/1787740145/ref=sr_1_1?crid=6XAVQV6FUMDE&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.FBgL2TnpaF_0nEHJaotSqYNR4oPoU3bXfQDelg8wUV76wMm4KHG-_i6ipIclwJK5PJylcPSrk6avoxlB1DKwiA3TU8h0tZeZXxYLh9iOxon-M4NcX9Tw71xEPA2w3cMsduyFgPSguKjejRxVz2n-vHTvwnSEu3UAP6Nqbo-pHtk5lzlRuxJ68jmjDnVOBBP29yvRW1ytTOIA2Lp23gBoWY51Hl9ITAUyXM8GvTjm7g4G9aINB-DqO1iJdYoLAqDBE7QOsmFhKJSwCQaBWcsKbHRwpN_b1vWzXJW_MjPMHtU.IijX6hOk6aEKcrFkuDp9mnaMBicbIZyDrSeisYFLaXY&dib_tag=se&keywords=conan+the+barbarian+comic&qid=1713463037&sprefix=Conan+the+Barbarian%2Caps%2C81&sr=8-1 Conan the Barbarian lands at Titan Comics with a boisterous holler and bone-crunching swagger. This first story arc, “Bound in Black Stone,” is likely to please fans old and new, leaning heavily into the horror genre and providing plenty of bloody battle scenes and grisly situations for our muscular hero. An army of the undead is making its way across the lands, destroying everyone in sight; at least, until they cross paths with Conan and his party. Jim Zub and Rob De La Torre evoke classic Conan tales – the art, in particular, is clearly influenced by the legendary John Buscema’s run on the old Marvel comic – but they crank the bloodshed to a level rarely seen in the barbarian’s history. Have a flagon of ale nearby, take…

Rue Morgue · 005 Rue Morgue #218 Queer For Fear HEATHER O. PETROCELLI’S NEW BOOK QUEER FOR FEAR: HORROR FILM AND THE QUEER SPECTATOR HAS BEEN GARNERING A LOT OF ATTENTION AND RIGHTLY SO. INTERDISCIPLINARY and extensively researched, it belongs to University of Wales Press’ “Horror Studies” series, edited by Dr. Xavier Aldana Reyes, whose purpose is to reclaim respectability for the term “horror,” as opposed to “Gothic,” which has traditionally carried loftier cultural connotations in academia. But Queer for Fear reaches even loftier ambitions by drawing from a wealth of empirical data gathered from the community in question, assembling a plurality of voices that aren’t often heard in the ivory towers. “So many scholars research or use horror in their teaching, yet there is still a reluctance sometimes to…

WHILE EVERY HORROR CINEPHILE HAS THEIR FAVOURITE DECADE IN THE GENRE’S history and, indeed, every decade has its gems, the 1970s surely ranks as one of the all-time great eras for fright fare. It was an incredible ten-year period positively stacked with masterpiece after masterpiece. The slasher paradigm was solidified in films such as Black Christmas and Halloween; George A. Romero and Lucio Fulci gave us some of the grossest, most rot-a-licious zombie flicks we’ve ever chewed on; possession-flavoured cinema hit an all-time high with The Exorcist (and, even more notably in my humble opinion, Cathy’s Curse); Italian horror power couple Dario Argento and Daria Nicolodi broke our brains with their hyper-violent, hyper-gorgeous forays; and it goes without saying, of course, that the ’70s were the zenith of the animals-run-amok…

IF YOU’VE BEEN TO ANY HORROR-THEMED EVENT IN SOUTHERN ONTARIO AND LIKE TO PARTY, CHANCES ARE YOU’VE ALREADY ROCKED OUT WITH BLOOD OPERA. The Hamilton-based ghouls have built a steady following on a catalogue of horror soundtrack covers the likes of Alice Cooper’s “He’s Back (The Man Behind the Mask)” and the Ramones’ “Pet Sematary” – not to mention a stage show featuring bloody makeup effects and a Return of the Living Dead-themed strip show. Now, Blood Opera makes its first foray into original recordings, with the full-length album Songs in the Key of Death, released independently this year. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CVK33GT8/ref=sr_1_5?crid=269V5WCQNQT81&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.T_HlwaMVuqULdzKk63GBy7dQP0DwxMoOkk25LKRVZVSG06isoN8IFmmdVGNfU7NcdztE-uNl61w6_NL3sejDkEjNwwUkO4jUS0fA63Pc6qL8SdrMDPoU7mjQcseIlmsgWK6K5l5duoc8pQozrHvh3gAuU1fkZA-nEDH-aVtyvtvw-UU-wT6dx4hFHjw2i4FQAD2NnNPCSomraFIX47em5tqgo2W9v3LGN_LlutyGs7c.SvpIHvxohBJFERh4m9eh3So7xS9fos18AKFrccokeVY&dib_tag=se&keywords=songs+in+the+key+of+death&qid=1713465444&sprefix=songs+in+the+key+of+death%2Caps%2C89&sr=8-5 “The one constant in this band is that we are always changing, transforming, and experimenting with what it is and what it shall be,” says Blood Opera lead ghoul Maxxx…

YES! LENA REID “Not only do horror video games have the potential to be scarier than movies, they have been scarier for a long time.” NEWS FLASH TO CINEPHILES WHO HAVEN’T PLAYED A VIDEO GAME OUTSIDE OF THE ARCADES OF THE ’80S: THE GAMING INDUSTRY IS CURRENTLY OUTPERFORMING the music and movie industries combined in terms of revenue. That’s not the question here, but it still bears mention – from your mom’s Candy Crush addiction to competitive worldwide esports that may well wind up in the Olympics one day, we have to recognize that gaming is currently dominating the entertainment industry and shows no sign of slowing. How does that fact address the question of scare potential in gaming? Well, big business means big budgets, and big budgets mean big…

In 1867, eighteen-year-old Mathilde of Austria was killed when her dress caught fire due to a lit cigarette she was trying to hide from her father, Archduke Albert, Duke of Teschen. Electro-rock band Devo’s first B-side “Jocko Homo” includes the chant “Are we not men?/We are Devo," which is meant to be in reference to the 1932 horror film Island of Lost Souls. Edward Legge was elected into the British House of Parliament in December 1747, despite having perished in the West Indies some three months earlier. News of his demise didn't arrive until almost a week later. Luis “La Bestia” Garavito, the world’s most prolific serial killer (at 147 confessed murders) died of cancer in prison last October. He was 66. The 2017 Japanese zombie comedy One Cut of…

Rue Morgue · 006 Rue Morgue #218 Tormented Guilty Pleasures “HORROR CINEMA HAS LONG RECOGNIZED THE HAUNTING POWER OF GUILT, BUT FEW FILMS HAVE MANIFESTED THIS EMOTION AS TANGIBLY AS BERT I. GORDON’S 1960 CHILLER TORMENTED.” If you’ve ever strolled through the self-help section of a bookstore or clicked on a self-care blog, you’ve surely come across it – well-intentioned advice on how to push past those nagging feelings of guilt. And while letting go of past regrets can be therapeutic, especially for those experiencing misplaced or chronic guilt, there seem to be many more these days who cynically view their conscience as an inconvenient obstacle to achieving what they want out of life. Horror cinema has long recognized the haunting power of guilt, but few films have manifested this…

https://www.amazon.com/Metamodern-Slasher-Film-Century-Horror/dp/1399520954/ref=sr_1_1?crid=18DZ78QAS0J2Q&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.pvkbGeqlTW7PqGbldornDZzvu-Hr-JONLtZB47q3Buj-DWkcTTzFM9EdiEdzv1fOnEGRyloIcw9fhB_v7Xj--yj92T21FO0zzvgq70E8uIxz6GwXjLCd2AmkTi5MrmfegBYhqWTqE9KkkiEbwqfb39IZ5NjvldpVy6D0RZm3qqEvRFBQwBgZKE6m--LMH9Q9UfKGDy8z89Bg7MDgGYcGmFg1Hvkx6EHSkjJoXqzoPsM.ictx_f0HUGtFuPKakG3OEECjS1evwhlKI8pOs7CQuTs&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+metamodern+slasher+film&qid=1713463911&sprefix=the+metamodern+slasher+film%2Caps%2C79&sr=8-1 THE METAMODERN SLASHER FILM Steve Jones Edinburgh University Press The latest study by Steve Jones bears the same approach and quality as his 2013 effort, Torture Porn: Popular Horror After Saw [RM#142]: selecting a much-maligned red-headed stepchild subgenre and helping us appreciate it from a fresh perspective. If you think that the 21st century’s slashers are just a bunch of lame retreads and pale remakes unworthy of serious discussion, Dr. Jones is just the right kind of expert to make you rethink post-postmodernist slashers of the past fifteen years. Jones points his keen eye at the slew of Scream-induced movies and their later iterations and applies a fresh theoretical framework of “metamodernism” (a less cynical, less nihilistic, and more hopeful variant of postmodernism) to a number of case studies…