Table of contents for Issue 219 Jul/Aug 2024 in RUE MORGUE

Rue Morgue · 001 Rue Morgue #219 Intro Seeing as the stats show that most of you reside in the land of liberty, opportunity, and Dunkin’ Donuts on every corner, let me fill you in on a thing or two about living while Canadian. Having grown up before the bounties offered by streaming services and e-commerce came to fruition, it often felt like I lived much further from your border than I actually did – Target, T.J. Maxx, and Macy’s were mythical spaces only whispered about by travellers, and the cosmetics advertised in my teen fashion magazines would never ship to the Great White North, even if they accepted our colourful Monopoly money. Moreover, Hollywood was like another planet, one that sent flying saucers to our cities to abduct any…

Rue Morgue · 004 Rue Morgue #219 Cuckoo The cuckoo bird may best be known to some people as the ornamental centrepiece of clocks manufactured in Germany and elsewhere in Europe for centuries. But it’s the surprisingly insidious nature of certain species of cuckoo that helped inspire the film that bears their name, set in the Bavarian Alps and coming from Neon on August 2. The females of these “brood parasites” lay a single egg in the nest of another bird; after it hatches, the fledgling then disposes of the other chicks so that it can become the sole recipient of the host parents’ attention. “I was finishing up my previous movie Luz,” Cuckoo writer/director Tilman Singer recalls, “and I saw a BBC documentary about the cuckoo bird and how…

THIS ISSUE: LANCE DARES TO DREAM DREAM ’N’ SCREAM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLlWTXXL_Rc&t=53s WHAT HAVE YOU DONE, DANIEL? Goredrome I’m lucky to be one of those people who remembers their dreams when they wake up. Alas for Lance, the same thing can be said about my nightmares, so when I lay me down to sleep I don’t know which way my head is gonna spin. Kind of like when I throw on a film for review in this column. So you’ll understand how I felt some trepidation after I gazed upon this little-known Italian outing about a young man who looks after his invalid mother – bathing her, feeding her… and cleaning her up after she’s beaten by her alcoholic husband. Following her inevitable death, our boy Daniel devolves into a dreamworld…

The Wild Hunt is a recurring myth in European folklore concerning a regal or heroic figure leading a group of supernatural hunters, and has inspired a number of fictional works in more modern times. Variations on it have appeared in Hellboy and Thor comics, TV’s Teen Wolf, and the award-winning 2009 Canadian feature The Wild Hunt. A more obscure adaptation is the 1980 Belarusian film The Savage Hunt of King Stakh, and that status is about to change thanks to the joined forces of two companies specializing in off-the-beaten-track screen fare. Directed by Valeri Rubinchik and scripted by Rubinchik and Vladimir Korotkevich from the novel by Uladzimir Karatkievich, The Savage Hunt of King Stakh is a folk-horror saga of dark, surreal beauty. Boris Plotnikov stars as Andrey, a scholar who…

Devour, a new West-African-inspired graphic novel by Jazmine Joyner, opens with a storybook-like telling of the Ghanaian folktale of Anansi, the spider trickster. It then jumps to Louisiana where the elderly Otis is sharing a childhood tale of the day his younger brother, Tim, entered the mysterious Turner house, a residence strictly off limits to outsiders. Tim had emerged from the home in deep shock, saying he met a talking spider that grew to giant-size and spewed hundreds of little spiders from its mouth, engulfing him and burrowing deep into his skin… It’s a stark contrast to the child-friendly folktale with the only link seemingly being Anansi the spider. It’s a tad ironic, therefore, that the legend of Anansi was not top-of-mind for Joyner when they set out to write…

GORE-GEOUS: PERSONAL ESSAYS ON BEAUTY AND HORROR Alexandra West Astrophil Press at University of South Dakota In this revealing, smart, surprisingly moving, and often very funny book, Alexandra West, who co-hosts (with Andrea Subissati) the Faculty of Horror podcast, probes those places where horror and our standardized ideas of beauty collide and maul each other. Each of the five chapters in Gore-Geous: Personal Essays on Beauty and Horror selects a pair of films to comment on notions of feminine beauty; West mixes her thoughts on culture and movies with personal experience to create a book that is thought-provoking while still being easy to read (this is not, in other words, an academic work crammed with theories you’ll have to look up). https://usd-sdbor.nbsstore.net/gore-geous-personal-essays-on-beauty-and-horror The first chapter examines the meaning of the…

THANKS SO MUCH for the interview with Caitlin Cronenberg [in RM#218]. Humane is one of the best first-time directorial efforts ever. Great script, fantastic cast, and confident direction. Her mastery of photographic composition is evident in every frame. Can’t wait to see her next effort. Thanks again for being the undisputed leader in horror media coverage. JOE PORTER, VIA EMAIL YOU KNOW IT’S A GOOD YEAR when the daughters of the masters are making their own horror movies. Thanks Rue Morgue for shining the spotlight. KEVKEV, VIA EMAIL JUST WANT TO SAY I’ve been loving the magazine since I picked up my first issue back in 2003. I enjoy how it covers the full spectrum of horror but in particular books and film. I was thinking it would be great…

(Grosset & Dunlap, 1978) The inevitable sequel to the original summer blockbuster, 1978’s Jaws 2 spawned a boatload of merchandise, including a set of trading cards, a tie-in novelization, comic book adaptation, a soundtrack album of John Williams’ score, and an unusual “Adventure-Activity Book” published by Grosset & Dunlap. Illustrated by artist Mallory Callan, the 64-page workbook features crossword puzzles, mazes, connect-the-dots games, and drawings to colour. What separates this from most Jaws 2 memorabilia is that apart from the shark fin in the cover art, the book does not reference any of the characters or plot points from the film (although a Universal copyright appears inside). Instead, we are curiously presented with cute cartoon illustrations of sharks, smiling divers, and happy-looking sea creatures. Highlights include birthday party invitations and…

The female half of the human race has been directing horror since the birth of cinema, but their contributions have never been properly and systematically valued – until now. Heidi Honeycutt’s I Spit on Your Celluloid: The History of Women Directing Horror Movies, coming this August from Headpress, is a pioneering overview of the subject that aims to right that wrong and redress the balance once and for all. This huge volume is not merely a history of women directors in horror, it also provides key context by way of conveying the changing nature of the genre throughout the 20th century thanks to the women’s rights and civil rights movements, new distribution technologies, the destruction of the classic studio system, the rise of digital cameras and social media, as well…

Part of the reason podcasting has become so popular in recent years is that it’s still a platform untouched by the conventional broadcast gatekeepers, which allows creators to run wild with niche interests. Anyone can create a show about anything, and yet, only a few podcasters have been able to transition their programs into a commodity that stretches beyond the RSS airwaves. This is what sets Mike Muncer and his weekly genre history show, The Evolution of Horror, apart from the rest: while the podcast remains largely a one-man affair, it has bloomed into a powerhouse brand since its inception only seven years ago, including a new card game designed to allow the show’s fans to assemble their own horror movie narrative with the genre’s most enduring tropes and subgenres.…

ON THE SLAB: THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME GUESSING GAME 8:20 mins/YouTube via Lane Avenue Studios Channel Bill (Josiah Overstreet) invites his two old college friends Andrew (Ricco Fajardo) and Karen (Sarah Mills) to a nice restaurant for dinner. As the night progresses, the couple notices that Bill is becoming nervous and distracted, escalating when the check arrives and he invites them to play a strange game. Zach Wincik’s wonderfully tight and tense film was born out of a childhood game he used to play with family at restaurants, inspiring him to wonder what would happen if there was some “drastic consequence” for the loser. Even though the entirety of Guessing Game takes place at one small table, it’s able to build a taut narrative with attention given to every facet…

Rue Morgue · WHILST EVERY SUBGENRE ACROSS THE HORROR DIASPORA HAS ITS LOYAL FANS AND detractors, perhaps none is as divisive and debated as ye olde found footage. For every person who pukes their pants in excitement and fear during a shaky-cam flick, there’s a stony-faced someone else puking their pants in boredom (and maybe actual nausea, thanks to said shaky cam). As for me, I am decidedly in the former camp, an unabashed, unapologetic found-footage freak who will give any attempt at it – no matter how home-cooked or messy – a whirl. And boy oh boy, is a lot of it home-cooked and messy. Technological advances and the subsequent democratization of filmmaking have made found footage the D.I.Y. go-to format for many a backyard horror director with a…

1 THE LIGHTHOUSE GROOMING SET $42 USD Just because you spend your life isolated in a lighthouse and on the brink of madness is no excuse for smelling like a dead seagull. This grooming set is fit for the saltiest of seamen, containing beard oil and a mermaid-shaped lathering soap in collaboration with NY-based boutique perfumer Joya. Your lighthouse-mate will thank ye! Shop.a24films.com 2 FINAL GIRLS HELVETICA NAMES T-SHIRT $29.95 CAD Naming the four most epic final girls of horror is easy. The hard part is choosing between Cat and Bat Designs’ many Helvetica names shirts – from the genre’s top slasher icons to Anne Rice vampiverse members to Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s original Scooby squad. At least choosing a colour isn’t as daunting… Available only in black! Etsy.ca/ca/shop/catandbatdesigns.com 3…

You may not spot the handsome, six-foot-four Osgood “Oz” Perkins on the red carpet at the Met Gala or chasing paparazzi off his lawn, but horror has its own A-listers and Perkins has fast become one. Between a lifetime in showbiz that started early (namely a bit part in 1983’s Psycho II as a young Norman Bates, alongside his father Anthony Perkins who reprises his career-making role) and supporting roles in such Hollywood hits as Legally Blonde and 2009’s Star Trek reboot, he’s no stranger to the film set. But after earning a degree in English, the actor turned his attention to the other side of the camera – and the darker side of cinema – with writing/directing credits for 2015’s sleeper hit February (previously titled The Blackcoat’s Daughter), 2016’s…

ADAMS FAMILY VALUES HELL HOLE Starring Toby Poser, John Adams and Olivera Peruničić Directed by John Adams and Toby Poser Written by Lulu Adams, John Adams and Toby Poser Shudder After scoring a handful of festival circuit hits with Hellbender (2021) and Where the Devil Roams (2023) indie real-life family the Adamses return to expand their borders with the Serbian/American creature feature Hell Hole. While this is not exactly genre-changing, world-shaking stuff, it’s hard not to root for an actual mom-and-pop production where everyone’s good-time vibes drip right off the screen. It’s a nice reminder amid all the films dealing with guilt and trauma and such that sometimes horror movies can just be, you know, fun. At a disused coal mine in the middle of Serbian nowhere, a group of…

Anyone else feel like the Grim Reaper has been working overtime lately, especially in the horror genre? Between last issue and this one, we’ve grieved more than one notable American horror author. First, James A. Moore left us on March 27 at age 58 after a lengthy battle with cancer. Moore was a generous and prolific writer who worked in several mediums. He published more than 25 novels and novellas, as well as many short stories. His 2003 novel, Serenity Falls, about a town with sinister secrets, was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel, while his 2006 novella, Bloodstained Oz (with Christoper Golden), drew a Best Long Form Fiction nom. Moore also wrote the Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds novelization (based on the 2003 video game),…

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CKWV7Y3N/ref=sr_1_2?crid=20VMLS1XH30MF&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.K-oXTaDw8Ma-NJ_HHWaWdKN5Suaj3vzlSOATMmqMEHrGjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps._DtdYLdJIyZnTS3P_ERbBwgx3jJYImStVfz9AAJms50&dib_tag=se&keywords=star+feels+dave+neabore&qid=1718033263&sprefix=star+feels+dave+neabore%2Caps%2C135&sr=8-2 DAVE NEABORE ELECTRONIC Star Feels CADABRA RECORDS Dog Eat Dog bassist (and horror memorabilia collector extraordinaire) Dave Neabore is back with a very synthwavy EP follow-up to his horror/sci-fi soundtrack-inspired Retro Inferno. It’s impossible not to love Star Feels’ opener “Power Plan,” an absolutely hip-shaking ’80s dance number that will put you in a good mood no matter the circumstances. Next, the title track directly calls Stranger Things’ iconic score to mind (yet also Robyn’s “Dancing on My Own”) with a hilariously appropriate vocoder handling the vocals. Over on side B, you’ve got “Delayed Green” sounding more in the vein of ’80s Tangerine Dream playing in a dark goth club. “Night Shift” closes off this journey with some Daft Punk-styled darkwave vibes. No matter what planet you’re from, this…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1h5qe8eY3wE CROW COUNTRY SFB Games PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox X/S The retro gaming craze shows no signs of slowing – the only thing that’s shifting is what’s considered retro. While many indie horror games have cashed in on the 8-bit ’80s era of gaming, SFB Games’ surprise hit Crow Country sets its story and aesthetic in the ’90s, when early Playstation titles dabbled in 3-D perspective, effectively revolutionizing how players could navigate game environments. Crow Country conveys much of the charm of that era with its fuzzy pixels, clunky controls, and a storyline that takes unexpected turns. As special agent Mara Forest, players are commissioned to investigate the disappearance of Edward Crow, founder of the long-abandoned theme park known as Crow Country, which not only stands in disrepair but is…