"A REALLY INTELLIGENT INTERVIEWER." -- Lance Henriksen "QUITE SIMPLY, THE BEST HORROR-THEMED BLOG ON THE NET." -- Joe Maddrey,Nightmares in Red White & Blue
Have you recently found yourself overcome with the unrelenting need to hear two 30-something year-old men talk for nearly an hour about Japanese monster movies? If so, then boy, have you come to the right place.
This week on the Vaultcast, it is my distinct honor to have as my guest Mr. Miguel Rodriguez, a fellow Godzilla-phile who also happens to run his own podcast, Monster Island Resort. As you can probably tell from the name of his show, Miguel is a huge fan of the big green lizard and his many far-out cohorts and foes. And given my own unconditional love of all things kaiju--see my three-parthistory of the original Godzilla series--I figured it might be a very good idea if we put our heads together and engaged in some mutual worship of rubber monster suits.
I warn you ahead of time: The geekery involved this week reaches alarming proportions. Your mileage may vary. If you dare to take a listen to our discussion of singing fairies, cockroach people and little boys in tiny shorts, then check out the embedded player below--or proceed directly to the official Vaultcast page to download.
He would rise to national fame as a breakout performer in a classic piece of American drama, and yet his true legacy would eventually find its origin in one of the most influential genre B-movies of all time. In 1951, the striking, lantern-jawed Kevin McCarthy turned heads in the role of Biff Loman, playing alongside the great Fredric March in the landmark screen adaptation of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman. It seemed his course had been laid. But destiny had other plans for Mr. McCarthy, and a mere three years later he would star in the film that would quickly trump Salesman as the one for which he'd be forever known.
The image of a raving mad McCarthy sprinting down Main Street, USA, warning anyone who would listen about the insidious pod people who had infiltrated the planet--this is one of the enduring moments in the history of cinematic horror. And Cold War knee-jerk propaganda though it may be, it also does what all great propaganda does--it resonates. Deeply. Invasion of the Body Snatchers is the kind of film that gnaws at fears deep inside us, fears we dare not even admit to having. And a large part of what makes it work is Kevin McCarthy and his unforgettable performance.
Kevin McCarthy is no longer with us, having passed away on Saturday of pneumonia at the age of 96. He leaves behind many, many fans who will always remember him as the leading man-style actor who became a cult movie favorite; the kind of actor who was wise enough to know that there are no parts beneath a performer unless he treats them that way.
I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. McCarthy some ten years ago at New Jersey's Chiller Theatre convention, and I can honestly say that there are few celebrities I have ever encountered who were as friendly, as warm, and as appreciative of his fans as he was. He was a man who lived for his work, and who was never happy unless he had some projects lined up--which is attested to by the fact that he continued to appear on screen right up to the end.
Made an orphan at the age of four thanks to the great influenza pandemic of 1918, McCarthy was raised by his grandparents, aunts and uncles in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After considering a career in diplomacy, he decided to pursue acting instead, and came to New York in the late 1930s to attend the world-famous Actors' Studio.
By the time he was offered the role of Biff in Columbia Pictures' Stanley Kramer-produced Salesman film, McCarthy was already an established actor on Broadway and radio. He had the looks, he certainly had the talent, and it seemed like stardom was his for the taking. And in a way it would be, just perhaps not in the way his Actors' Studio instructors would have envisioned.
And yet, it took years following his unforgettable turn as Dr. Miles Bennell, Body Snatchers' beleaguered voice of reason, for McCarthy to embrace his most well-known film, and set about becoming a genre legend. He continued to do quite a bit of television and mainstream film, including The Misfits--the legendary teaming of Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe that became Gable's last movie.
By the 1970s, with "genre culture" going mainstream following the rise to maturity of an entire generation that had grown up on films like Invasion of the Body Snatchers, McCarthy found a great deal of opportunity available to him thanks to the recognition he had gained from appearing in that movie. By then pushing 60, he was more than happy to enjoy the rewards, and started appearing in more and more horror and sci-fi projects, including notably, Joe Dante's original Piranha, in which he played the mad scientist who unleashes the flesh-eating fish. He even enjoyed a cameo in the 1978 remake of Body Snatchers.
This would be followed with more such work in the '80s and beyond, in movies that would permanently cement Kevin McCarthy as a star in the cult actor firmament, including The Howling, Invitation to Hell, Innerspace, and of course, who can forget his turn as the unbearably obnoxious heavy in Weird Al Yankovic's magnum opus, UHF?
McCarthy continued to work in front of the camera right up until this year, by which point he had also become one of the most beloved guests of the genre convention circuit, following decades of appearances. His body of work is as interesting as it is far-reaching, and it's no wonder that he has the loyal following he does. This week, those followers mourn the loss of one of the great ones. The Vault of Horror respectfully dims the torchlight for the one and only, Kevin McCarthy...
HBO's vampire drama True Blood has been building all season to a fever pitch, and even managed to reel me back in after apathy had begun to set in during some of the earlier episodes. And now, the premium cable network has made some brief video clips available which give some hints as to what we might expect this coming weekend, when the last episode of Season 3 airs.
First, we get some indication that there may be more to that whole fairies/aliens comparison than we originally suspected. Then, we've got a soap-operatastic scene between Tara and Sam, in which Mr. Merlotte seems to be on the verge of revealing a very important detail about himself. And finally, Hoyt's momma continues her overbearing ways, made even worse upon the discovery of a big ol' vampire hickey on her baby boy's neck. Check it all out below, True Blood-hounds...
As one who recognizes that pop culture actually existed prior to 1970 (hell, it's probably been declining ever since), I've adored Turner Classic Movies since I got my very first cable box. It's easily my favorite television channel, and I'm also a proud subscriber of Now Playing, the network's official monthly programming guide (and a steal at $12 per year).
So anyway, I got the October issue in the mail the other day, with the earnest visage of Fredric March blazoned upon the cover, when what do my eyes notice in the lower left-hand corner... "Also This Month: Hammer Horror". But of course, thought I--finally TCM is doing something special for Halloween, filling in for the once-outstanding AMC, which dropped the MonsterVision ball a long time ago. After all, if anybody could deliver for Halloween, it would be Turner Classic Movies.
And I'm proud to report that not only was I right, but I couldn't have possibly anticipated just how right I would be. TCM is ready to bring the noise next month, people. Allow me to elucidate. You'd better sit down...
First, we'll start with the Hammer extravaganza. Turner plans on showing a total of 20 Hammer classic throughout the month, with four-movie blocks each Friday:
October 1 Horror of Dracula Brides of Dracula Dracula, Prince of Darkness Dracula Has Risen for the Grave
October 8 The Plague of the Zombies The Devil's Bride The Reptile The Gorgon
October 15 The Mummy The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb The Mummy's Shroud Blood from the Mummy's Tomb
October 22 X: The Unknown Five Million Years to Earth These Are the Damned The Stranglers of Bombay
October 29 The Curse of Frankenstein Revenge of Frankenstein Frankenstein Created Woman Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed!
OK, still breathing? Well good, because I didn't even really get to what they have planned for the entire Halloween weekend itself. For the entire three-day period from Friday, October 29 through Sunday, October 31, they're pulling out all the stops. It'll be non-stop horror classics as only a channel like has the grapefruits to showcase. In addition to the Hammer Frankenstein flicks showing on the Friday, the weekend will feature the likes of:
The Mystery of the Wax Museum (later remade as House of Wax)
Isle of the Dead (Val Lewton's amazing Karloff vehicle)
The Corpse Vanishes (underrated Lugosi Monogram flick)
White Zombie (the first zombie movie!)
Curse of the Demon (sublime British devil-worshiping gem)
13 Ghosts (seminal William Castle original)
The Tingler (more Castle goodness--this time with Vincent Price!)
Freaks (future cult classic that wrecked Tod Browning's career)
The Terror (Karloff meets Jack Nicholson!)
The Raven (Corman/Poe greatness!)
House on Haunted Hill (the best of the Castle/Price collaborations)
The Haunting (greatest haunted house movie ever made)
Poltergeist (a little too recent for the channel if you ask me, but I'll take it)
The Phantom of the Opera (Lon Chaney's iconic turn)
Cool? Well, that's less than half of all the horror films being shown by Turner Classic Movies for Halloween weekend. In short, folks, October on TCM is the kind of thing for which DVR was invented. Not that I'd know, since I still tape shows on my handy Reagan-era VCR, but you get my point. This channel will be doing it right the entire month, and I encourage everyone who has it on their cable lineup and loves good horror to enjoy those 31 days of bliss. I know I'll be.
Not along ago, I had the pleasure of visiting one of my very favorite places on Planet Earth, the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. Located uptown just on the edge of Central Park, the Met is a literal treasure trove of of cultural history, beauty and the creative ambitions of the human race. A single visit is not even enough to scratch the surface of the majesty that lies within, and each and every time I go there, I find all new things at which to marvel.
For my most recent visit, I thought I'd snap a few photos, much like I did last October when I visited that affiliated museum located even further uptown, The Cloisters. For the purposes of The Vault of Horror, as I did the last time, I made it a point to seek out some of the more bizarre, dark, creepy and downright frightening artifacts and works of art I could come across. The result is the collection of images you will find here.
One small note: Allow me to apologize in advance for the paltry lack of specific information on most of these works. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of not taking notes while at the museum, and forgetting that the inventory of the Met is far larger than that of The Cloisters, thus making it extremely difficult to track down the information I needed online based on visual recognition alone. I'll have to do better next time. And there will be a next time...
The Mummy of Artemidora. Middle Egypt, c. 900 A.D.
Mummy of an unidentified woman.
Handle in the shape of a dragon's head. China, 1st century A.D. Gilded bronze.
Sculptures from the Asian collection.
The Martyrdom of St. Barbara by Lucas Cranach the Elder. Germany, c. 1510. Oil on wood. She was killed by her dad. Another one of those warm and tender religious tales.
The Blind Man's Meal by Pablo Picasso. Spain, 1903. Oil on canvas. From Picasso's "Blue Period", and on display as part of the recent Picasso special exhibition.
So my absolute favorite TV channel, Turner Classic Movies, is set to blow the roof off this mutha in October, with a month-long tribute to Hammer Films, and a mind-blowing marathon of terror gems the entire Halloween weekend. I'll be devoting a post to it later this week, but suffice to say I'm beyond psyched.
Speaking of Halloween, the B-Sol tradition of dressing up for the trick-or-treaters continues this year for the fifth time in a row, although I'm a bit stumped this time. I've been Superman, the Invisible Man, Indiana Jones and a zombie thus far. I'm thinking I might go vampire this year...
The season finale of True Blood is just one week away, prolonged thanks to the Labor Day weekend. Don't want to give anything away, but I'm pretty bummed at the apparent loss of a couple of great characters. Nevertheless, I appreciate the reasons for it, from a dramatic point of view.
Can I just say how glad I am that I not only subscribed to Time-Life's superb "Enchanted World" series of books back in the '80s, but also kept them all this time. It's an incredible series of tomes on various aspects of ancient folklore and myth, and if you should ever come across them in a garage sale somewhere, I heartily recommend snatching them up.
Am I the only one who thinks it a damn shame that there was never an I Was a Teenage Gill Man?
Haven't had an opportunity to catch The Last Exorcism yet, but I've been seeing some very divided reactions out there, which quite frankly are leaning toward the negative. I'm thinking I'll skip it this week and check out Machete instead.
As a lifelong Tolkien worshiper, one of my greatest thrills in seeing Peter Jackson's superb trilogy realized on screen was having the Orcs of Middle-Earth come to life. Tolkien was never particularly descriptive as to what they actually looked like, and it was fun to witness Jackson's interpretation. Personally, I had always imagined them as looking something like the Gamorrean guards of Jabba the Hutt's palace...
After being reminded of its greatness by a mention on Andre Dumas' blog The Horror Digest, I once again watched one of my all-time favorite films, Amadeus, and I have to say--that opening scene, in which Salieri tries to slit his own throat, might just be the goriest moment I've ever seen in a straight-up Oscar-bait type dramatic motion picture. Beautiful stuff.
So...Clash of the Titans 2? Really? I mean, are they going to be just making up stuff and adding it to the original Perseus legend of Greek myth? Does Perseus find himself down on his luck, a washed-up, aging adventurer who must lace up the leather boots one more time to prove he can still go the distance? Hmmm...anyone know if Burt Young is available to play his slovenly brother-in-law?
For those anxiously awaiting my opinions on Piranha 3-D--I know you're out there somewhere--just a little heads up. I wrote a review of the film for the blog Babbling About Books...And More, to which I've contributed in the past. From what I understand, the review should be posted some time tomorrow, so keep a look out for it!
Some new posters have been released for director Matt Reeves' remake of the Swedish horror film Låt den rätte komma in (Let the Right One In), and comparison among the four appears to prove the popularly held belief that foreign posters for U.S. films are much better than those created for domestic use.
The first poster is extremely simple, featuring the film's title, slightly bloody against an icy white background:
The second U.S. poster is, in my opinion, the most impressive of the domestic posters released for Let Me In to date. This poster features actress Chloe Moretz curled up in the fetal position in a pool of what appears to be blood:
The third domestic poster for Let Me In is also extremely simple. Personally, I think that having yet another snowy background, this time with a snow angel centered in the middle of the poster, is boring--but what do I know about poster design?
The final Let Me In poster is my favorite of the four and is, of course, the one poster designed for foreign release. A close-up of Chloe Moretz's face fills the poster, and the greyscale color scheme used draws viewers' attention to one of the only splashes of color in the image: a bright red drop of blood oozing out of Moretz's mouth and dribbling down her lip. Deliciously creepy.
One other film poster created for Let Me In was released earlier this year, using stand-ins due to the fact that the roles had not yet been cast.
For more information on Matt Reeves' Let Me In, currently scheduled for release next month, head over to the film's official Facebook page or IMDb page.
For the first time ever, this time around in Conversations in the Dark we spend our allotted minutes focusing on one film and one film only...more or less. It's an exceptional kind of show this week, but one makes exceptions when one is joined by an online horror dynamo the likes of Ms. Kristy Jett, the omnipresent force whose work can be found on sites like The Blood Sprayer, Fangoria.com and Dread Central, and who is one of the guiding lights behind Fright Rags, online horror T-shirt merchant extraordinaire.
See, Kristy happens to be obsessed with the 1991 slasher/William Castle tribute Popcorn, and since she asked so nicely, we spent a solid half hour-plus waxing rhapsodic about that particular motion picture, amongst a few other random things that will pop up whenever you get two consummate blabbermouths together. So listen in as Kristy and I discuss the film itself, as well as Ms. Jett's ambitions to put together a special-edition, 20th anniversary DVD release worthy of it. Listen below, or head to the Vaultcast page and download!
Have you recently found yourself overcome with the unrelenting need to hear two 30-something year-old men talk for nearly an hour about Japanese monster movies? If so, then boy, have you come to the right place.
This week on the Vaultcast, it is my distinct honor to have as my guest Mr. Miguel Rodriguez, a fellow Godzilla-phile who also happens to run his own podcast, Monster Island Resort. As you can probably tell from the name of his show, Miguel is a huge fan of the big green lizard and his many far-out cohorts and foes. And given my own unconditional love of all things kaiju--see my three-part history of the original Godzilla series--I figured it might be a very good idea if we put our heads together and engaged in some mutual worship of rubber monster suits.
