Seasonal Films – “The Devil-Doll” – 1936 (100 years of Horror)

by: RFR Casket Crew Jigsaw Jim

Greetings Film Fiends and Deadites,

What can I say about this film, a cross-dressing Lionel Barrymore??? MGM’s “The Devil-Doll” directed by Tod Browning (of course) and starring Lionel Barrymore, Maureen O’Sullivan and Frank Lawton. This pseudo-sci-fi movie tells the story of a man who was falsely accused of murder, escapes Devil’s Island with a scientist, and with the scientist’s formula, clears his name by shrinking people. This is an early predecessor of the movie Dr. Cyclops. Available on Netflix’s Hollywood’s Legends of Horror.

American Vampire: Survival of the Fittest #2

by: RFR Casket Crew Denise

Vampire hunters Cash McCogan and Felicia Book get shot down over the mountains of Romania and find themselves trapped in the Nazi-occupied country. And as if these monsters weren’t difficult enough to contend with, they also need to worry about the vampires that stalk the night.

Do you remember this series? Well, I do and I’m still faithfully following it. However, instead of Sheriff Book, we follow special agent Felicia Book, his daughter. And she’s haunted by Sheriff Book’s old nemesis Skinner Sweet. Is Sweet still kicking around? Not sure, but his presence is still felt.

This time or this era, Felicia is not only facing vampires but maybe a more evil force – Nazis. And what’s worse – Nazis vampires.

Along with her partner, Cash McCogan, Felicia is on her way to rescue a scientist from the Nazis when their plane is shot down in Romania. Posing as American sympathizers, these two manage to get their destination in one piece. They meet the scientist they were sent to rescue but something far worse is waiting for them.

American Vampire: Survival of the Fittest #2 was written by Scott Snyder and drawn by Sean Murphy. It is published by Vertigo.

Seasonal Films – “The Unholy Three” – 1930 (100 years of Horror)

by: RFR Casket Crew Jigsaw Jim

Greetings Film Fiends and Deadites,

To kick off the 30s, I present “The Unholy Three” directed by Tod Browning and starring Lon Chaney, Sr. (in his last film), Mae Busch and Matt Moore. This 1930 “talkie” remaking of the 1925 silent film tells the story of murder and intrigue at a circus sideshow as several performers go on a crime spree.  Hard to find on Netflix but is available complete on You Tube. Drink a toast to Lon Chaney’s swan song.

When Hip-Hop met Horror

by: RFR Casket Crew Claymation Werewolf

Most people think the world of Horror fandom is like a family. They believe that there is an overwhelming sense of acceptance and community and that we all stand united, hand in hook against whatever adversity the world can throw at us. For the most part this is all true but there is another side to the horror world as many of us know. It can be sinister, it can be competitive…I’ve only been a horror blogger for a couple of months and I’ve already been shot twice! Yes, the sad truth is that no matter how harmonious we like to imagine this world is, there are things that divide us. Freddy or Jason?….Fast Zombies or Slow? Kane Hodder or Derek Mears? Evil Dead or Army of Darkness? Any of these questions can cause an instant eruption of war between your average dedicated deadite but there is a deeper fault line running through the horror community for decades threatening to tear apart the very fabric of everything that we have worked so hard to build.

It will come as no surprise to anyone that I am talking about the Hip-Hop Horror Turf Wars that erupted in the late 1980’s and have only gotten stronger since. When hip hop or “rap” became mainstream it almost immediately began to take off in popularity. Along with its meteoric rise it ignited incredible passion among its fans. That passion took the form of completely new forms of dance, an unprecedented level of poetic expression and the light speed evolution of electronic music. Unfortunately that passion came with aggression, division, and sometimes even violence. Once the world of rap entered into its inevitable partnership with horror movies the division only became worse.

It began small, various hip-hop artists speaking about their fandom of slasher films, giant monsters, and the supernatural…horror directors like Sam Rami and Wes Craven taking on DJ duties at some of the hottest LA nightclubs, and who can forget Stephen King’s short lived segment on Yo! MTV Raps. Soon every monster, unearthly creature and undead slasher began to actively campaign for hip-hop representation. They arrived in Los Angeles by the dozen going to the offices of major record labels, meeting with top executives, slaughtering them and then starting the process all over again. Finally gold was struck, the all American first family of spooky entered in to the ultimate partnership with a struggling, up and coming rapper by the name of MC Hammer. The collective life experiences and vibrant lust for life enjoyed by the Addams’s seemed to be just what Mr. Hammer needed and he was plucked from the depths of total obscurity soon becoming the toast of the town with hit record after hit record. His popularity grew so much that at its peak he became nearly too legit to quit.

After Hammer’s success the floodgates opened and rappers were joining forces with masters of monster movies all across America. Will Smith or the “fresh prince” as he is known on the streets joined forces with the imitable Frederick J “Freddy” Krueger, when Krueger himself senselessly murdered Smith’s long time partner DJ Jazzy Jeff. Smith later said that the rhymes he created with Krueger where not only the freshest he had ever created but also the dopest. He also proclaimed Freddy one of the best natural scratchers he had ever seen. The arrival of the Fresh Prince marked a 180 degree turnaround in Krueger’s career following the end of his 8 year partnership with the Fat Boys who, after defecting from the Krueger Camp announced a newly signed contract with Michael Myers.

Their first hit song under the agreement “Devil’s Eyes (Pass the Fries)” shot straight to the top of the Killboard Top 100 Horror Charts. It wasn’t all success though …for instance when Chucky and Vanilla Ice formed their infamous White Boys and Killer Toys alliance it turned out to be a huge flop and effectively ended both of their careers. And Young MC’s ill fated “Dance Off“ with Pumpkin Head in the follow-up video to his hit “Bust a Move” became a laughing stock.

Some people weren’t content to enter into collaborations, and became crossover artists in their own right. When C&C Music Factory released their single “Things that Make You Go AAAAAHHHH!” The world fell in love with their new blood, gore and pyrotechnic driven performances. Even international artists got into the act. Seamus O’ Shame (The Leprechaun) actually became a rapper. He made his debut with a song entitled “Lep In The Hood” at the end of a movie with a very similar title. After releasing his album he realized he could lay down some ill tracks and bring people unspeakable pain at the same time and he never looked back.

While the def jams were flying fast and loose and the money was rolling in, there was something much more ominous brewing below the surface. Turf wars and minor scuffles had began to break out as to who ran what horror neighborhood. The leprechaun laid claim to the Tiny Terror Zone which did not go over well with Chucky or The PuppetMaster Puppets. Jason and Michael Myers left untold death and destruction following the terrifying Silent Lumbering Killer Wars of ‘83.… It all got bad and then it got worse. For decades, record labels and horror movie producers turned a blind eye choosing to focus only on the millions of dollars they were raking in and ignoring the loss of both life and street cred. Sadly, something happened in 2010 that would make the world take notice, when Jackie Earl Haley and Samuel Bayer conspired to do the unthinkable. They murdered Freddy Krueger in cold blood. The worlds of horror, hip-hop, and hip-hop-horror fell silent. They realized that money and fame had gotten in the way of what really counts, poetic expression…and ultra violent gory movies. It was decided by all parties involved that everyone needed to get back to basics and to start doing what they did best. With that in mind, all horror/rap partnerships were dissolved.

Recently it seems as though there have been signs of a mild renaissance in the world of horror rap. Will Smith in partnership with the Saw franchise released the song Getting Jiggysaw With It and it seems to be doing fairly well in the charts so far. We can only hope that this time things will be different. That we can have a real sense of community and produce works that are all about art and not about money or “turf”. Together we can live in a world that undead, horribly disfigured, psychotic serial killers like Freddy Krueger would be proud to call home. With that in mind I hope that each of you can sit back, relax…and have a nice day!

Rotting Flesh Radio SHOW #247: Scare-A-Torium, Ashley Lawrence, The Attic and the Annual Haunt Tours!

SHOW NOTES FOR THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 23, 2011 SHOW #247

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THIS WEEK’S SHOW NOTES:
Alright all you Fright Freaks and Halloween Junkies, the Annual Haunt Tours have arrived! Yes, as we kick off the Annual Rotting Flesh Radio Haunt Tours by hitting the rode we have a jam packed Body Bag for you this week. To kick things off we have Kelly Collins from the Scare-A-Torium Haunted House stopping in with RFR Casket Crew’s Pierce on location during the build of the event.

In addition Haunted Europe is back and this month Mike is bringing you Micheal Bolton, the creator and brain behind Europe’s ScareCon! And Deadites, things don’t slow down yet, because Gruesome Joe is here with the Musical Morgue giving you an in-depth look at the Haunt Rocker’s newest release, The Attic.

We have a Body Bag full of Haunt Industry News and Events for the week and RFR Casket Crew Storm is here with another Halloween Rant In a Haunt Minute and Joey Blood is bringing you all the Bloody Blu-Ray releases for the week!

And Dog Soldier has a special treat for you as he brings us an exclusive interview with Hellraiser’s Ashley Lawrence! Jigsaw Jim is here with a Rancid Review of Sinister Cinema and we have all kinds of Morbid Goodies for you this week.

There are ALL-NEW Rules to Win the Screamline Studios Graverobbing Giveaway and Twisted Tunes from the Grave.

So all you Fright Freaks, Haunters and Halloween Junkies, you can…
Sit Back, Relax and Rot Away to Rotting Flesh Radio!

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Freaky Friday Film Review – “The Dark Secret of Harvest Home” – 1978

by: RFR Casket Crew Jigsaw Jim

Greetings Film Fiends and Deadites,

Happy “Autumnal Equinox”! To commemorate this holiday I present a strange piece that was an NBC miniseries in 1978. Based on Tom Tryon’s 1973 novel, “The Dark Secret of Harvest Home”, directed by Leo Penn and starring Bette Davis, David Ackroyd, Rosanna Arquette and Rene Auberjonoiis, tells the story of a young couple moving to a small New England town that practices that “old time” religion.  Although the book was vastly superior to this miniseries, it is still worth a look. Hopefully it will give you some ideas at “planting time”.

Seasonal Films – “The Phantom Carriage – 1921 (100 years of Horror)

by: RFR Casket Crew Jigsaw Jim

Greetings Film Fiends and Deadites,

Phew, I almost dropped the brain on this one! I was reminded by my friends at Rue Morgue Magazine about a 1921 Swedish film that greatly influenced future film makes (especially Ingmar Bergman). “The Phantom Carriage”, written, directed and starred Victor Sjöström; tells the tale that if you die at midnight on the last day of the year, you’re doomed to drive the carriage that reaps the souls of the dead for the upcoming year. Told in lots of flashbacks (very similar to “A Christmas Carol”) and the special effects (for the time) were superb. As stated, it has elements of The Christmas Carol redemption angle although the protagonist in this story is a real piece of sh*t. Available on You Tube and soon to be released on DVD and Blu-ray. Thanks again to all of the crew at Rue Morgue Magazine for the subtle reminder.

Grimm Fairy Tales – The Ugly Duckling

by: RFR Casket Crew Denise

When a young unattractive teen is tormented by her high school peers she makes a deal with Belinda and seeks out her own form of revenge. Now, ten years later, the once ugly duckling turned swan is living a successful life as a top model. However, on the night of her high school reunion, she’ll find that the deal she made many years ago is about to come to bite her.

He couldn’t have her as his own, so he killed her. In fact he killed many of ‘her’. Over and over and over, the swan killer has struck and he cannot be stopped. Events were set in motion years ago by Belinda, and now the psycho she helped create is loose and on the prowl. While stalking a new beautiful woman from afar, we learn of his past which will lead up to his next victim’s murder. She must die and he knows that he cannot stop himself – but maybe something else can.

Those wacky people over at Grimm Fairy Tales have taken the much beloved children’s story The Ugly Duckling and twisted it for our entertainment. Actually they took the beloved story and have broken it into two parts. The first part, in issue 28, is a twist of The Ugly Duckling. The second part, The Swan is retold in issue 36. Put these two together and you have one grand twisted tale of revenge, murder and psychos – what more can a  Deadite wish for.

If you’ve never picked up a Grimm Fairy Tale, I implore you to do so. The thing I like about this series is how a innocent child’s tale can be twisted and folded and bent and come out the other side completely the same yet completely different. These books reminds me of a paper version of The Twilight Zone or Tales from the Darkside which are quite entertaining to watch. And like those TV shows, Grimm Fairy Tales continue to be quite entertaining to read.

Glue On, Fill In, Creep Out

by: RFR Casket Crew Hatter 99

Last week I talked a bit about the value of experimentation in the haunting industry. This week I’m going to zoom in a bit more on one of my own off-season experiments from the past week.

Hat ON.

I remember way back, when I was a wee one, when I could smear grape jelly all over my face, and everyone would just laugh, comment on how cute I was, and then clean me up with a moisty nap. At some point, though, when I entered the public school system and had to begin to conform to society’s vision of a good citizen, that type of play was, for the most part, abolished. As much as I wanted to dig my fingers into the pudding on my lunch tray, draw little ghosts onto my face with my pen, and spread the contents of my little Heinz ketchup packets around my mouth, that type of activity would have been frowned upon. So I retreated to the safety of spelling and mathematics, and over the years in school I learned quite a bit of book-stuff. I don’t regret that one bit; however, that little fanciful child within still pokes my ribs sometimes, yearning to break free. How can I provide an escape for him, allowing him to vent that pent-up energy that has accumulated (and continues to accumulate) over all these years?

Well, thankfully the Halloween and Haunted Attractions industry comes to the rescue. I can scream at the public. I can wear clothes that don’t fit. I can forget the chemistry and calculus for a bit. I can smear stuff all over myself, and it’s accepted. Case in Point: Last weekend the little wild-child inside me became enamored with the oncoming Haunt season, so I decided to run out to Spirit Halloween, buy some makeup, and use my face as a morbid canvas for the afternoon. Was there a real-world reason for me to do this? No. Was I working in a Haunt that night? No. Did I have a costume party to go to? No. Was anybody going to see it in person? No (except for my cat). I just wanted to do it. So, I bought my makeup, turned up the Halloween music, and set out to glue toilet paper all over my face. Of course, the whole time I was envisioning teachers and parents, shaking their index fingers at me, insisting that Elmer’s school glue was meant for gluing cotton balls onto lambs made out of construction paper. And toilet paper, of course, was made to be used on other parts of the body, NOT on the face. But I imagined their disapproving stares, smiled slyly, and squirted even more glue onto my face. After an hour or so of gluing, shaping, and drying, I pulled out the base makeup to fill it all in, blobbing huge gobs of brown, purple, and yellow onto my cheeks and lining my eyes, nose, and lips with black. Then I ripped parts of the toilet paper, creating areas of morbidly delightful peeling skin, filling the wounds with red base makeup. Then, of course, the blood. Ah, the blood. By now I imagined the proponents of propriety turning their heads in disgust, so I gladly pulled out globs of thick blood and smeared it into the wounds before accenting them and my chin with stage blood. Finally a quick dabbing of my teeth with black paint finished the job.

I had no real plan for what this face was to become, so after a few moments of reflection I decided to make myself an evil elf. I grabbed a hat from my closet, blackened my neck, and that was it. I took a few photos, admired my work, and then peeled off the mask and cleaned up. I was quickly my “normal” self again, but the evident joy of that little freak inside me is clear in the photos. I enjoyed myself, and for a time, that placated me.

The result wasn’t perfect. The hat could have used some distressing work. And a few parts of my face needed some more makeup, but overall I was satisfied with what I had accomplished in a couple of hours. I’m still very new to the horror makeup processes, and while I’ve attended some seminars and watched numerous YouTube tutorials, I’ve found the most effective (and most enjoyable) means of learning is by experimentation. I don’t always have a plan for what I want to do. I just pull out the glue and start molding. And I take pictures so that I can study what I did and tweak my methods in the next session where needed. It’s a scientific method. It’s academia. Nothing wrong with it.

Now, I can feel the little rascal within me wriggling again. I think I’ll go make a cotton-ball-construction-paper lamb. Maybe I’ll decapitate it. The blood sticks to the cotton balls well. Lamb chops?

Take THAT Establishment.

Hat OFF.

Seasonal Films – “The Phantom of the Opera” – 1925 (100 years of Horror)

by: RFR Casket Crew Jigsaw Jim

Greetings Film Fiends and Deadites,

The film that solidified Chaney as the “Man of a 1000 faces”; “The Phantom of the Opera”, directed by Rupert Julian and starring Lon Chaney, Sr., Mary Philbin and Norman Kerry. This 1925 Universal Film based on Gaston Leroux’s novel is a must see! Available on Netflix instant download and You tube. Pay attention during the Bal masque scene, you notice something that had never been done up to that point in cinema.