Saturday Horror Short #8

Welcome to another Saturday! Today I've got a short little story about a babysitter. Red Balloon tells the story of a young woman strapped for cash and doing a favor for a neighbor -- but of course, she's getting more than she bargained for. Check it out below!

Freakdog/Red Mist (2008)

What it's about: After a night of illegal revelry goes horribly awry, a group of medical students are left at the mercy of the young man they put into a coma - and the one who's unknowingly helping him.

Review: From the director who brought us Shrooms comes this little attempt at a horror story, which is basically I Know What You Did Last Summer meets a backward version of Freddy Krueger. It's neither original nor scary, but I found myself entertained all the same. It's a shame that they locked Andrew Lee Potts away so early on in the film - he's a fantastic actor, and his character edged so wonderfully on absolutely creepy that it was much more interesting having him on screen than any of the other stereotypical canon fodder. But, alas, every slasher-wanna-be has to have their quirk, and this particular one combines elements of J-horror with the kill every sexy American coed on screen elements of straight to video slaughterfests.

Even Andrew was a bit miffed about what happened to his character.

Filler Wednesdays!

Sorry for another filler entry, but I started a new job three weeks ago. I gained an hour long commute and yesterday (the day I usually whip up my Wednesday posts) was especially taxing. So, videos! We're going to go with some more music videos for today. I don't know how many of you enjoy dubstep or drum and bass, but I honestly can't get enough of the wub wub wub. Here are some of the best horror themed dubstep  and dnb videos I've found thus far - if you have any to share, feel free.

Friday will resume regular posting. Enjoy the music!

Breathers: A Zombie's Lament, S.G. Browne (2009)

Heralded as "Twilight for zombies", I was definitely glad to find that this book had much more depth than the vampire trilogy. There is a romance, but it takes a backseat to the idea that "zombies are people, too." Notice the present tense of that sentence - surely you've heard the tongue-in-cheek slogan that encourages proper treatment of our undead brethren. 

In S.G. Browne's Breathers: A Zombie's Lament, main character Andy Warner finds himself turned into one of the undead because of a car accident that killed both him and his wife. For some reason, only he reanimated, and his life has been hell ever since his parents picked him up from the Santa Cruz SPCA. Due to his state of decomposition, his parents, friends, and the general population ostracize him, which leads him to spend that majority of his time in his parent's basement, drinking away their wine collection. He can't speak, due to his vocal cords being damaged in the car accident; instead, he's reduced to writing on a board hanging from his neck.

When he's not in his parent's basement, he attends Undead Anonymous, where a group of likeminded (or like-dead?) individuals all discuss their deaths, their issues with reanimation, and how to best deal with a population who would rather see them truly dead rather than just shambling around on the street. It's there that Andy meets Rita, a suicide who loves to eat lipstick because of the formaldehyde in it, and Jerry, another car crash victim who accepts his zombie-ness with a little more enthusiasm than anyone else in the group. They quickly befriend the silent Andy, giving him a little more to "live" for as they stagger through a world that no longer recognizes them as anything but corpses. This is especially underlined when a new member joins their group, and is viciously mauled by a group of frat boys on Halloween, ending in his death. 

And then Ray Cooper is introduced; this renegade zombie hunts deer, or so he claims, and jerkies their meat for later consumption. He offers it to the group, and slowly they begin to notice changes. They're decomposing less; they're even starting to look a little more like, well, living people. It's quite clear that Ray's magical jerky isn't just venison, but Andy doesn't care. He and Rita have formed a loving relationship, he's starting to find more grounding and fight harder for his rights to be recognized as a person. He also starts to realize that he isn't a person as more and more of his new zombie tendencies begin to surface, at first showing in the killing and refrigeration of his parents. As much as he'd like to think that he is who he used to be before he died, Andy comes to eventually realize that he is now a zombie, and he has to start fighting back before someone decides to permanently put him down.

It's really refreshing to see a take on zombies that pits it not only from their point of view, but does so in a way that raises questions of life after death, how that would redefine death, how these people would be treated, the obvious issues with property and spouses and children that would arise. The zombies are not only victims of their death, but become continuous victims afterward because they go against everyone's expectations of death. It's basically like dying all over again, only in a slow, horrible fashion. The book goes to great lengths to detail the kind of world they live in, much in the same vein as many popular vampire and werewolf books have these days. Zombies have always been around, and documented accounts of them can be found all the way up to the Civil War. Newly turned zombies are usually captured by Animal Control, where the next of kin are contacted to see if they want custody of their dead. If they aren't picked up, then they're put down, like any other stray. Zombies have identification, like any pet, and cannot live on their own without some kind of Breather (the zombie word for human) sponsor to claim that they're not wrecking havoc. 

Overall, the book is written in a wonderfully detailed and humorous fashion, that shows the frustration of the main character while being entertaining. The sarcasm and depth of the book definitely help the reader to truly understand how Andy and the other zombies feel utterly helpless against this thing that has happened to them, how the people around them are totally unforgiving of their condition, and shows parallels to our own world, with how we treat people like invalids, the homeless, and others who don't fit into the expected standard. 

Now to see if they can keep that tone in the upcoming film.

Saturday Horror Short #7

Today's SHS has a mixture of real footage mixed with stop motion animation. This short is delightfully creepy, as a young boy finds himself dealing with a strange creature: a cat with hands. The film only gets more bizarre from there, so why are you still reading? Go watch!

Battle Royale (2000)

What it's about: In the future, the Japanese government captures a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to kill each other under the revolutionary "Battle Royale" act.

Review: It's a ruthless idea - forcing kids to fight to the death, all in the name of maintaining control. The intro of the film pieces together the background and reasoning behind the BR act: growing dissension among the youth has caused elder generations to grow afraid of their off-spring. A few scenes in the beginning show young students acting incredibly unruly, even going so far as to cut a teacher's leg. In an attempt to corral and keep the kids under their thumb, the government institutes games under the Millennium Education Reform Act, or more simply, the Battle Royale Act. Focusing on ninth grade students, whole classes are abducted and placed in unknown locations; this time around, it's an uninhabited island. With two wild cards thrown into the mix, it's a free for all where only one can win.Would you turn against your friends as you're told, or would you try to fight back against the government that has sanctioned murder?

And now for your listening pleasure...

Over on twitter, I was contacted by a member of the band Sinicle, who asked me to showcase a newly made music video for their song "Obliterate." Why would I do that, you ask? Well, it's got zombies in it, and pretty much anything with zombies in it is good in my book.

Formed in 2005 in Reno, Nevada, Sinicle promotes itself as "somewhere between Rock and Roll and Heavy Metal," which is certainly something that I can agree with. The throbbing beats and demonic sound of the lead singer are head-bang inducing, and definitely the kind of music that I enjoy. The music video is beautifully simple: while throwing one of their many shows, fans of the band are rushing toward the concert. The issue with these fans is that they've turned into flesh eating zombies! The band manages to make it through the song, but are woefully devoured at the end, perhaps putting an end to their music careers - or maybe bringing them back as undead Metalheads? Only time will tell!

Check out their music video below, and for more information, or to get in touch with the band, check out their Myspace and Facebook pages.

Wolf Gift, Anne Rice (2012)

The below review will contain more spoilers than I usually have in my book reviews, but I really felt it necessary to cite specific events in order to truly make my points. Read with caution.

The first thing I'd like to say before we get into the meat of this review is that I have been a fan of Anne Rice since I first picked up Queen of the Damned in high school. I think her writing is elegant, incorporating larger ideas into a well-told story. Through her works, I met a lot of the close friends that I do today - we would sit down and analyze, dissect and do our best to look deeply into each character and their stories. If a character was left without explanation, we attempted to fill in the gaps ourselves; her works were rich with historical settings, which was something that I absolutely adored. It took all of us out of our hum-drum lives of high school and its ensuing homework. 

I personally like to think that we hold the things we love to high standards. We have expectations for them -- or at least I do.  I have a deep, abiding respect for Mrs. Rice, so it's with mixed feelings that I write this review. During my time at San Francisco State University, where I studied Creative Writing, in many of my writing workshops we were often told that a first draft is not going to be the end product. More often than not, you might throw out the entire first draft, after finding a particular piece within the whole that you think could be the seed for a greater story. And that's precisely what I think happened here, with Wolf Gift.

Saturday Horror Short #6

This week, we're staying within the realm of animation but going CGI rather than practical. Alma is a short film about a child and her heart's desire, a doll. Of course, creepy children are a staple in horror films, but here the child isn't the one you should be afraid of. Subtle and classy, the short was produced by Cecile Hokes and boasts a plethora of awards. Dim the lights, get some snacks, and enjoy!

Alice: Madness Returns (2011)

McGee returns for the sequel to American McGee's Alice; here, we meet up with Alice a year after her release from Rutledge Asylum, which helped her to conquer the fears of losing her family in a huge conflagration that took down their home. Under the care of a man named Dr. Bumby, Alice slowly begins to realize that there is something wrong with her memories: they are broken, and pieces keep resurfacing in order to tell her that there is something amiss about the fire that destroyed her life. Delving back into the Wonderland that she created in order to escape from the hell that her life had become, Alice finds that her imaginary word is slowly being destroyed by a strange train. She quickly realizes that she must stop the train, or lose the truth forever. 

The most memorable aspect of this game is the lush and absolutely insane world created by McGee. It runs rampant with psychological imagery along with just the imagery instilled in the original story Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. Starting off in a vividly bright forest that eventually follows a path to the infamous Duchess. One by one you will encounter the players from both the previous game and the book, each who do their best in giving Alice the pieces of the puzzle that she must complete to aide her in restoring order to Wonderland: if controlled chaos can be considered order. My particularly favorite level was that of the Queen of Hearts' realm; it's about halfway into the game, and as you have Alice progress further and further, the world around you becomes fractured. 

Hack/Slash (2004 - Present)

The final girl is not a new phenomenon in horror films - from strong female characters like Laurie in Halloween to Nancy in Nightmare on Elm Street, final girls are pretty awesome. They're the ones left standing, the ones who generally bring an end to the slashers that they are unwittingly pitted against. In the world of slashers, which is a genre of film that caters mainly to the base desires of lust and gore, having some kind of ideal that brings some kind of substance (however small) to a normally shallow film is a good thing.

And then there's Hack/Slash, which is a comic book dedicated entirely to the idea of final girls. Cassandra Hack, aka the Slasher Killer, is definitely a character that I can get behind. Coming from the roots that one might attribute to a serial killer (although, with Cassie, that topic is debatable), Cassie is the daughter of the infamous Lunch Lady - a woman who killed the students who picked on her beloved only child. Cassie is forced to turn her own mother over to the authorities, causing the woman to kill herself by sticking her head into a pot of boiling water. Oh yeah, this comic doesn't skimp on the gore, at all.

Cassie goes on to become a slasher slayer, a young woman who travels across the country to protect people from killers just like Freddy and Michael and Jason (oh my). She even runs afoul of quite a few well known killers, like Charles Lee Ray, better known as Chuckie, and Herbert West of H.P. Lovecraft fame. Along with the usual titillation of short skirts and skimpy shirts, Cassie also plays by the usual rules of slasher horror films (set into stone by Wes Craven's Scream series), albeit not by choice. She's a virgin, doesn't drink, and usually doesn't say that she'll be right back, though she is definitely guilty of rattling off ridiculous one liners.

My personal favorite villain of the series is Cassie's polar opposite and really brings out the interesting parts of her character: Laura Lochs, a religious zealot who dresses like the prude she is and yet wields arcane black magic in order to achieve her ends. After she gave her virginity up to the man she loved, he promptly scorned her and brought about Laura's righteous wrath. Using arcane tomes from her school's library, she resurrects a priest who committed suicide after it was discovered that he was gay (yes, there's a pattern here that isn't difficult to see). While Cassie skips around in her barely there underwear, she still has more morality than Laura can claim to have in her little finger. It's a definite case of don't judge books by their covers, because you certainly won't be getting what you see. Laura is the upstanding pillar of the community who's educated, had sex and dabbles in the dark arts in order to achieve her ends; meanwhile Cassie has a high school level of education and gets by with a knife in her hand. 

The comic definitely panders to the lust of the cis heterosexual male, but in all truth it's playing off the riffs of what makes a slasher film a slasher. Horror films operate on the idea of fear, as well as a sort of behavioral programming method for young adults - anyone doing anything deemed "bad" in a horror film will be axed. Drinking, drugs, having sex, you will die in some absolutely horrible way, brought to that terrible end but this mute creature of a man (or, in Freddy's case, one who just won't shut up). Then you've got characters like Vlad, who certainly don't fit the stereotype of the male fantasy: raised by a butcher, Vlad was ugly from birth and incredibly malformed. Only through the teachings of his adopted father did he survive, and eventually go on to help Cassie in her quest to stop the slashers, even as their quest seems to be an unending, unforgiving, and lonely one.

 From the backlots of Hollywood to across time and space, Cassie travels all over and where ever she's needed to stop killers before they start preying on the young and stupid. Other notable appearances are Wizard of Oz characters and the Archie comics. Each issue is sketched by artists with incredibly varying styles, but each brings their own interpretation of Cassie's gothic look to a new level that fits the various stories they are telling. I suppose my personal favorite would be when Mary Shelley Lovecraft invades a sleepy little town, turning all of its townfolk into Cthuluian fish people - or the time when Cassie had to figure out how to stop a killer who moved through the internet, literally. There are millions of stories to pick through, each quite possibly more amazing than the last.

Hack/Slash is published by Devil's Due Publishing; Omnibus 4 is due out April 4 of this year, so if I were you, I'd get the other three and catch the f*** up!

Being Human UK vs. Being Human US

When I first heard about the UK version of Being Human, I was intrigued. A ghost, vampire, and werewolf all living together in an attempt to live a normal life? All right, I'll give that a shot. It took a little bit before I was able to get a hold of the first few episodes, and I did my best to give it a good shot. But the UK flavor just didn't work for me - the 'rules' that the supernatural creatures were supposed to abide by seemed to fluctuate depending on what needed to happen, and I found the characters grating (especially Annie - so cheerful that I wanted to kill her all over again). So I wrote it off as another BBC show that I simply could not get into. And then I heard that the US, in their great tradition of stealing ideas and remaking/reformatting them for American audiences because we're all obviously so dumb that we can't understand anything that isn't properly made for us, was creating a US version of Being Human. As I've stated before in a previous post, I do my best to take remake news with a grain of salt. Of course, the normal looking actors that BBC generally casts (which is something I adore the BBC for, we aren't constantly subjected to 'perfect people') were replaced with gorgeous, 8% of the population actors. Good job, America, sticking to what I'm used to getting from you. 

Saturday Horror Short #5

Stop motion animation is an art form that I regard highly; it takes skill, effort, and immense patience to create, and if done right, looks amazing. Today's Saturday Horror Short is one such kind of film, with a subject matter that's dark and incredibly twisted. 

I do want to put up a warning for this one, because it might be too much for those with a weak constitution. There is some incredibly graphic material here (though I suppose if you watch horror films on a regular basis, it might not be anything more than what you've seen before, but even then...) so prepare yourself accordingly. Enjoy the show!

Scratches (2006)

One particular trope that horror authors like to visit in particular is secluding a writer in a cabin or otherwise spooky house and causing those who would write fiction to go through such a thing in reality. The 2006 point-and-click horror game Scratches is no stranger to this idea, but it plays along like it's never heard of it before - not that this is necessarily bad. As I've stated before, sometimes things that stick to a particular style, even if it's been beaten relentlessly, work out simply because they know what is required to execute that idea successfully.

Over the course of three days, you play as Michael Athrate, a successful suspense/thriller author who has recently acquired the Blackwood estate. This particular piece of real estate was the fruit of a long search by Atherate's agent, due to his client demanding a space that would make his imagination run wild in order to write a sequel to his best selling novel. Since Athrate writes in the horror genre, the game follows such a path; obstacles begin to appear in the form of no power, and then scratching noises making themselves present in the middle of the night. Athrate slowly begins to uncover the true story behind the Blackwood estate as he explores the grounds and rooms of the house. Everything is detailed elaborately, bringing the half-built Victorian mansion to life. From wallpaper to various baubles on table tops, the house looks like a lush haven for a wealthy family: but of course, these sorts of houses have their secrets, and the Blackwood estate's are a little darker than most.

James T. Blackwood, the original owner, was an extensive collector of African tribal art - it's influence can be seen throughout the house as well in a second-floor museum focused entirely on the subject. In a journal in Blackwood's study, the player can discover that on a particular trip, Blackwood stumbled upon a rare and believed to be mythical cannibalistic tribe. They were apparently being led by a mask (no, no Jim Carrey jokes here please); Blackwood became so enamored of the object that he made plans to steal it, and eventually import it back to America. The events that transpired afterward is where you, the player, come in. The puzzles of the game are fairly straight forward and bring everything together in a slow fashion that will leave you wanting more. The scares are few and far between, but the scenes that do their best to make you jump in your seat will definitely do just that the first time you see them; repeat plays will probably not have the same effect. The first person point of view certainly lends the idea that you're right there in the action, which coupled with a dark room and headphones can certainly make for a horror-inspiring atmosphere.

The game altogether is a fairly quick playthrough, not really taking more than 8 hours (if that); but it's a great interactive novel. I didn't know this until recently, but the Director's Cut edition has an extra side quest to give you more information after the ending of the game. Titled "The Last Visit", you play as the reporter who returns to the Blackwood estate 10 years after the events of the original game in order to do one last piece on the events before the house is torn down for good. Overall, this game is great for people who like a good, slow horror story - Scratches: Director's Cut is available throught Steam for just $9.99.

The Last Lovecraft: Relic of Cthulu (2009)

What It's About: When average-guy Jeff learns he's related to world-famous "weird fiction" writer H.P. Lovecraft -- and that he's the very last leaf on the Lovecraft family tree -- he gets drawn into a plot to keep an ancient artifact out of alien hands. If he fails, the nefarious Starspawn could harness the relic's power to summon the alien god Cthulhu. And if that happens, the whole universe is at risk.

Review: Lovecraft's stories are terrific fodder for horror films - the purple prose is rich with horrific descriptions of alien beings that would tear a mortal's mind asunder with just their mere presence. However, The Last Lovecraft: Relic of Cthulu is not really that film. It's a horror comedy that revolves around a trio of geeks, one of whom happens to be the last living descendant of Lovecraft himself (despite the fact that Lovecraft never had any kids - shhh, it's a secret!). We are introduced to Jeff and Charlie, two working stiffs who have been friends since they were young. Jeff is oblivious to women, while Charlie is far too involved with his various action figures. Into their hum-drum lives comes crashing the Council of Cthulu, who need to hand over one half of a precious relic that could be used to summon the octopus-faced deity from the watery depths. They just have to keep it away from the Cult of Cthulu, who have the other half and wish to summon their terrible master so that he might once again rule over the planet.

Council...Cult...Confused yet? 

This Dark Endeavor: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein, Kenneth Oppel (2011)

Anyone who reads this blog knows that I have a deep passion for pretty much anything even remotely related to Mary Shelley's classic, Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus. I have reviewed a few sequels to the book, but This Dark Endeavor goes in a completely new direction. Titled a prequel, it's really more of a reimagining of the story of a mad scientist and his creation. This, this right here is how you do "reboots" or "remakes", you come at the subject from a different view point and try to see how it can be reinvented, examined from a new perspective. Not only that, Oppel's descriptive, florid writing isn't overbearing, instead bringing a level of intelligence I've come to expect in anything that wants to try and stake a claim on the Frankenstein legacy.

In Oppel's version, Victor is born with a twin brother, Konrad. The two are identical and inseparable, and along with their cousin Elizabeth and good friend Henry Clerval, this band of intelligent young people spend their days in a lap of luxury. Henry is an aspiring writer (though he knows that it will never amount to much if he wishes to truly support himself) and writes plays that his friends perform. Victor is an arrogant, rash young man, setting himself clearly apart from his twin, who is not only the elder, but the more charismatic, intelligent, and generally well liked of the two. One might think that this would lead to enmity between the brothers, but in truth they work together like two sides of the same coin. Elizabeth, the only female of the group, and the main female character of the book, keeps up with the boys with little issue, able to add in their debates and even taking part in their learning as a part of the Frankenstein's liberal household. 

A thirst for knowledge runs deeply in the group, and they stumble upon a hidden library in the house; a Dark Library, full of occult knowledge and alchemy spells. Victor and Konrad's father discover the group in the library, and ban them from ever entering it again, for alchemy is illegal in Geneva and he would not have his children mixed up in something as sodden as "magic". Victor's interest is piqued, but he is content to leave well enough alone until Konrad mysteriously falls ill. He continues to worsen, even as treatment after treatment is given to him. Victor finds that the only solution may be an Elixir of Life, described in one of Agrippa's books (Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, a German magician and alchemist). But the text is written in code, and in order to break it, Victor, Elizabeth, and Henry are force to seek out one who is familiar with the craft of alchemy. This search leads them to Julius Polidori, undoubtedly named for Lord Byron's doctor, who was a well-known companion of Bryon, Percy Shelley, and Mary Shelley. 

The book follows Victor's adventures in collecting the three items needed to create the elixir - and in the discovery of alchemy, Victor learns much, much more about himself that he ever thought he would. Not only does he have a gift for crafting alchemical potions, but he comes to learn that he and his brother are at odds over the subject of Elizabeth's heart. I personally enjoyed seeing the usual young adult love triangle told from the perspective of one of the suitors; it was also good that the romance did not make up the bulk of the novel. The true focus of the book is on the relationship between Konrad and Victor. Its easy to see where the sequel, Such Wicked Intent (due out in August of this year), is going to head, but I loved that the book played with similar elements as that of the British stage play version of Frankenstein, put on by the National Theater. It's the thought that Victor and his Creation are two sides of the same coin, complementing and completing each other in a richer way than any romance or relationship could. 

Homages to the original novel abound throughout the book, popping up with delight for the reader who can spot them. It certainly lays out where the story can go, but I trust Oppel to make it quite a journey to get to the end - for in the telling of any story, it's more about the obstacles that the protagonist must pass through in order to reach their ending rather than the ending itself. For a young adult novel, this book was gripping, and I had it finished within days of finally locating it. If you're looking for a great, quick read, I highly recommend this book.

Saturday Horror Shorts #4

Welcome to yet another edition of SHS! Today's showing is something a little less typical than most horror fare - it starts out leading the view into thinking that it's following one pattern, and then adds a new element that completely changes the whole thing. The short film is surreal and moving, ever switching things up to keep you on your toes until the very end! Check out Endless by Michael Bloom. Get the popcorn, dim the lights, and be sure to watch it in full screen!

Have a great weekend!

The Ward (2010)

What It's About: A thriller centered on an institutionalized young woman who becomes terrorized by a ghost.

Review: John Carpenter - that's a name pretty much anyone who is even slightly into horror films should know. I mean, the man came up with Michael Meyer/the Halloween series. Carpenter isn't one of my favorite directors to be perfectly honest with you; he opts for the slow creep, the idea that tension builds to a huge payoff, but unfortunately this is rarely the case. The Ward fits into this category - a slow thriller about a troupe of girls locked up a mental facility, slowly being picked off by a ghost. Sounds like a great idea, right? Unfortunately, the execution is off, leaving the viewer waiting to be scared but never actually reaching that point. And then there's the ending, but I don't want to spoil that for those who do want to watch this film.

The film will certainly give it's all in trying to scare you.