Random Ramblings from the Vault...

• So they say the younger generation has no interest in older films, and a recent post at John Morehead’s excellent blog Theofantastique seems to support this alarming development. However, while this may be the rule, there are wonderful exceptions, and parenting plays a major role here. It pleases me to report that my 10-year-old daughter Zombelina, without me present, took her mother to the video store recently and asked to rent the 1945 horror anthology Dead of Night, after having researched it on the internet. Warms my sepia-toned heart. See, folks? If we do our jobs right, these kids are open to enjoying all the classics we hold dear. As with anything else, they just need the proper guidance.

• Speaking of the brood, I had the distinct pleasure of introducing the little ones to Psycho for the first time last week (don’t judge me). I can’t overstate how much of a thrill it is to watch a film like that, whose original chills and twists are so thoroughly known to us, through the eyes of people to whom it is literally 100% new. They never saw the whole mother thing coming, and I didn’t spoil it. In my book, that’s one of the joys of parenting right there.

• A trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art is in store for the Solomon clan this weekend—and knowing us, this means an inordinate amount of time spent with mummies, Babylonian demon sculptures, and portraits of martyred saints. Because that’s just how we roll.

• I’m tickled pink these days, thanks to a brand new app I’ve created for The Vault of Horror. You read that right—the Vault is now an app! Get all the latest posts, plus direct access to the VOH Facebook page, contact info and more, in one very spiffy mobile location. Works like a charm on smartphones, iPads or whatever other gizmos ya got. You can download it at this location, or just scan the QR code thingy:

• Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Why did I actually think, with a title like that, that the film could be good? Maybe I thought it had to be better, that it couldn’t actually be as laughably awful as the name would suggest. I’m here to report I was wrong. Unintentionally funny from beginning to end, and borderline offensive at that. Still, it’s not every day you get to see a movie in which a vampire throws horses at Abraham Lincoln.

• Long-time readers of the Vault know I’m a great lover of ‘70s era Marvel horror comics, especially that ever-lovin’ muck monster the Man-Thing. I’d like to highly recommend the brand-new miniseries The Infernal Man-Thing. It’s based on an original script by the late, great ‘70s Man-Thing scribe Steve Gerber—a direct sequel, in fact, to his Brian Lazarus storyline from back in the day. Seems the folks at the House of Ideas took Gerber’s script and handed it over to illustrator Kevin Nowlan to finally finish after years of false starts. And while Nowlan’s unconventional work took some getting used to for this Marvel traditionalist, the finished product is a can’t miss for horror comic fans everywhere.

• Speaking of horror and comics, I have to say that the Lizard, as adapted in the recent Amazing Spider-Man reboot, was one hell of a frightening villain. A little more Abomination than Lizard for my tastes, but hats off nevertheless for a chilling characterization brought to life for the silver screen. If only he had kept the lab coat on…

• If you’re a fan of classic animation, as I am, than you probably have a special reverence for the UPA shorts of the 1950s and 1960s. Some of these were truly groundbreaking pieces of work, and for us horror lovers, included such gems as Edgar Allen Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart. Well, in case you haven’t heard, my favorite cable network TCM has made available a collection of classic UPA shorts called “Jolly Frolics”. I know I’ll be picking it up, to add to my vast collection of classic studio animation on DVD (for the kids, of course…)

• I recently ran a poll to determine everyone’s favorite cinematic Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde, and I was surprised to find that Spencer Tracy won the race. For my money, he’s the least of the three classic J/H’s. And don’t get me wrong, I love Mr. Tracy. But in my estimation, John Barrymore’s original 1920 interpretation trumps all. With no monster makeup—nor any sound, for that matter!—he makes us believe he has transformed, through the sheer power of his formidable acting chops.

• Looking back now it’s hard to imagine, but this October will indeed mark the 5^th birthday of The Vault of Horror. And in case you’re wondering (yes, you), I do have something special in the works to celebrate. More than one something special, in fact. Stay tuned, Vault dwellers.