Its almost 3 am and here I sit, writing a paper that's due in 8 hours. I have to be up for class in 5. My paper is on Mayan origin stories, taken from the Popol Vuh, which is the text that explains the creation of the world in Mayan belief systems. It was miraculously saved from destruction when European contact was made with the New World; the Mayans hid it.
As I write this paper, I am listening to the theme to Clive Barker's Nightbreed, one of my favorite movies, and one of my favorite pieces of thematic music. Clive Barker's work is always bloody, but it's more than that, too, it's lymphy, I once heard it described, and that description has always stuck with me as the perfect summation of the look of a lot of his gore.
So while listening to lymph music, what do I read, in a section on human sacrifice but this:
"You will become great in your very being. Defeat all the tribes. They must bring blood and lymph before us, they must come to embrace us. They belong to us already." (Popol Vuh, 163-4, Tedlock translation).
That's a lot of lymph for 3 in the morning.
Showing posts with label Clive Barker. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Clive Barker. Show all posts
Friday, June 4, 2010
Monday, June 29, 2009
Pinhead Pinhead He's Our Man!
First off, I just wanted to say ACK for being so scarce. The summer months are pretty busy for me being a huge nerd and all.
And just for some added pimpage, I will be peddling my art work at Anime Expo at the LA convention center CA the weekend of the fourth (I'll be at table B14 with some friends) and at The Gathering of the Gargoyles at the Hilton Universal in Universal City CA (I'll be working the art room). So if anyone is interested in shootin' the shit with me in person, I'm totally up for it! But I talk....a LOT. Consider that your warning.
...please do not bring body parts. I assure you I have no room for them anymore.
Also, Voting is still open for Monsters Vs Madmen. And the "What the FUCK IS THAT!?" contest happening as well.
Enough pimping. On to the blog.
So in my house we apparently have a cook books for Horror DVD exchange happening between me and the husband. Max is a foodie, and I am a blood thirsty bitch. This works out well between us. The shop at where I work has an occasional employee appreciation sale so I peek in on my breaks and pick up some wacky cook books for the Mister. He in turn will buy me a horror DVD of my choice. This week I was torn between the two El Cheap-o Nightmare on Elm Street compilation DVDs for $10 a pop (one disk had 1 through 4, the other had 5 through Freddy vs Jason) or the BlueRay Anchor Bay edition of Hellraiser. But as much as I love the Freddy, Pinhead won out for me.
The Anchor Bay Edition of Hellraiser really isn't that bad at all. While it doesn't have all the bells and whistles that the collectors edition does, it does have some great featurettes including interviews with actors Andrew Robinson (Larry) and Ashley Laurence (Kirsty), the later being insanely hilarious, especially when she ends her interview with "...I think my rash is coming back". Long story. Just watch the interview to understand it. It also has some great interviews on the featurette Hellraiser: Resurrection with Clive "You're my awesomesauce" Barker, the composer Christopher Young, and costume designer Joanna Johnston to name a few. Plus a featurette all about Doug Bradley, Sir Pinhead himself, and his thoughts and feelings on making the film. Its quite sweet to see how happy he is to have played the role as well as how appreciative he is towards the horror genre in general. After watching this movie again It lead to a bunch of random unfocused thoughts...which I am about to barf all over the blog right now.
The film itself is still magnificent especially in BlueRay. And after this last viewing I came to the realization that Hellraiser is my favorite horror film of all time. I have never seen a movie that equally repulses and allures me at once. The elegance of the visuals, the beauty of the language, and the over the top grotesque characters made Hellraiser the best Gothic horror movie to date. I can watch the movie over and over and it still gives me chills. How bad? I won't buy a replica of of Hellraiser puzzle box no matter how much I'd like to have one because I have the irrational fear that it WILL call up the Cenobites and suddenly is hamburger central in my living room. Many people have tried to replicate Hellraiser but it always pales in comparison. For me, no movie is quite like Hellraiser. And there is no horror film icon quite like Pinhead.
Scariest memoralbila EVER.
Pinhead. Wow. What a guy. I think the only other horror film icon who scares me as much as him is possibly Freddy Kruger. But its hard to top Pinhead for me. Granted, in the original Hellraiser the main villain is Frank but you cannot deny that Pinhead steals the show. First off, his appearance is extremely grotesque yet never turns the viewer off like many other horror icons. The cross sections of his head, the nails in his face, the exposed flesh on his torso that is pierced and bleeding, the black eyes, the fact that he is the only male horror icon that can look menacing in a skirt... despite all this he still keeps a very human and almost handsome visage which attracts you to him. Maybe it doesn't attract you sexually (unless you're Stac) but he has an allure to him because despite his deformities he still appears human and almost relateable especially the more you find out about him in the sequels.
Pinhead is also a very "less is more" style of icon. While Freddy is over the top with his one liners and Jason and Micheal Myers are silent yet horrifically violent, Pinhead views the world as an indifferent observer. He is cold. And while he can still perform acts of terror upon people with his chains and his back up Cenobites, he conducts it all with the coolness of a British general and a flick of his wrist. Ever notice that Pinhead really doesn't move much? Even when thwarted by the hero he never is prone to chewing the scenery other than a really chilling scream. The very dead and determined delivery of the line "We Will Tear Your Soul Apart!" gives me a large case of the heebies. He's not being threatening He is not trying to scare you. He is merely stating a fact. Pinhead will indeed tear your soul apart because that is what he does. Nothing more nothing less. Pinhead's tortures walk that fine fine line between pain and pleasure which makes one fear what he can do yet keeps you curious as to exactly where the pleasure part fits in. That curiosity I get in the back of my head while watching the film is what really makes my stomach drop out from under me. Why and I wondering?! Why is this man making me wonder this in the first place!? Get out of my head, Pinhead!!
Also, he makes a name like "Pinhead" scary. Pinhead. AHHH!
Pinhead is watching you Masterbate
I would also like to point out that the special effects in the first Hellraiser are still amazing by today's standards. This is why I'm extremely skeptical of how the remake of Hellraiser will be. The reverse filming, the amazing goo, and the makeup/puppet effects were so very real and disarming (especially the resurrection of Frank scene when those two arms come shooting up through the floor) that I really think it will completely cheapen the entire movie when they move to CGI. Of course I'm not %100 it will be all CGI but I seriously doubt they will go many other routes. The only hope for this remake is Clive Barker overseeing the project. I'm a person who usually is pretty open minded about most remakes but with Hellraiser being my favorite and all...well...lets say I'm not really holding my breath for it to be brilliant. But if it is, I promise I will eat my words....But I'm still not holding my breath.
Come on...Doing this in CGI won't be half as creepy.
I'm sure most of you have seen Hellraiser. But if any of you have not please do yourself a favor and rent this movie asap. Its a beautiful, tragic, unique, and bizarre horror film that gives you both the chills of a horror movie like Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street but has the depth and elegance of a Shakespearean play.
...And you gotta love the Pinhead. WOO PINHEAD!
And just for some added pimpage, I will be peddling my art work at Anime Expo at the LA convention center CA the weekend of the fourth (I'll be at table B14 with some friends) and at The Gathering of the Gargoyles at the Hilton Universal in Universal City CA (I'll be working the art room). So if anyone is interested in shootin' the shit with me in person, I'm totally up for it! But I talk....a LOT. Consider that your warning.
...please do not bring body parts. I assure you I have no room for them anymore.
Also, Voting is still open for Monsters Vs Madmen. And the "What the FUCK IS THAT!?" contest happening as well.
Enough pimping. On to the blog.
So in my house we apparently have a cook books for Horror DVD exchange happening between me and the husband. Max is a foodie, and I am a blood thirsty bitch. This works out well between us. The shop at where I work has an occasional employee appreciation sale so I peek in on my breaks and pick up some wacky cook books for the Mister. He in turn will buy me a horror DVD of my choice. This week I was torn between the two El Cheap-o Nightmare on Elm Street compilation DVDs for $10 a pop (one disk had 1 through 4, the other had 5 through Freddy vs Jason) or the BlueRay Anchor Bay edition of Hellraiser. But as much as I love the Freddy, Pinhead won out for me.
The Anchor Bay Edition of Hellraiser really isn't that bad at all. While it doesn't have all the bells and whistles that the collectors edition does, it does have some great featurettes including interviews with actors Andrew Robinson (Larry) and Ashley Laurence (Kirsty), the later being insanely hilarious, especially when she ends her interview with "...I think my rash is coming back". Long story. Just watch the interview to understand it. It also has some great interviews on the featurette Hellraiser: Resurrection with Clive "You're my awesomesauce" Barker, the composer Christopher Young, and costume designer Joanna Johnston to name a few. Plus a featurette all about Doug Bradley, Sir Pinhead himself, and his thoughts and feelings on making the film. Its quite sweet to see how happy he is to have played the role as well as how appreciative he is towards the horror genre in general. After watching this movie again It lead to a bunch of random unfocused thoughts...which I am about to barf all over the blog right now.
The film itself is still magnificent especially in BlueRay. And after this last viewing I came to the realization that Hellraiser is my favorite horror film of all time. I have never seen a movie that equally repulses and allures me at once. The elegance of the visuals, the beauty of the language, and the over the top grotesque characters made Hellraiser the best Gothic horror movie to date. I can watch the movie over and over and it still gives me chills. How bad? I won't buy a replica of of Hellraiser puzzle box no matter how much I'd like to have one because I have the irrational fear that it WILL call up the Cenobites and suddenly is hamburger central in my living room. Many people have tried to replicate Hellraiser but it always pales in comparison. For me, no movie is quite like Hellraiser. And there is no horror film icon quite like Pinhead.
Scariest memoralbila EVER.Pinhead. Wow. What a guy. I think the only other horror film icon who scares me as much as him is possibly Freddy Kruger. But its hard to top Pinhead for me. Granted, in the original Hellraiser the main villain is Frank but you cannot deny that Pinhead steals the show. First off, his appearance is extremely grotesque yet never turns the viewer off like many other horror icons. The cross sections of his head, the nails in his face, the exposed flesh on his torso that is pierced and bleeding, the black eyes, the fact that he is the only male horror icon that can look menacing in a skirt... despite all this he still keeps a very human and almost handsome visage which attracts you to him. Maybe it doesn't attract you sexually (unless you're Stac) but he has an allure to him because despite his deformities he still appears human and almost relateable especially the more you find out about him in the sequels.
Pinhead is also a very "less is more" style of icon. While Freddy is over the top with his one liners and Jason and Micheal Myers are silent yet horrifically violent, Pinhead views the world as an indifferent observer. He is cold. And while he can still perform acts of terror upon people with his chains and his back up Cenobites, he conducts it all with the coolness of a British general and a flick of his wrist. Ever notice that Pinhead really doesn't move much? Even when thwarted by the hero he never is prone to chewing the scenery other than a really chilling scream. The very dead and determined delivery of the line "We Will Tear Your Soul Apart!" gives me a large case of the heebies. He's not being threatening He is not trying to scare you. He is merely stating a fact. Pinhead will indeed tear your soul apart because that is what he does. Nothing more nothing less. Pinhead's tortures walk that fine fine line between pain and pleasure which makes one fear what he can do yet keeps you curious as to exactly where the pleasure part fits in. That curiosity I get in the back of my head while watching the film is what really makes my stomach drop out from under me. Why and I wondering?! Why is this man making me wonder this in the first place!? Get out of my head, Pinhead!!
Also, he makes a name like "Pinhead" scary. Pinhead. AHHH!
Pinhead is watching you MasterbateI would also like to point out that the special effects in the first Hellraiser are still amazing by today's standards. This is why I'm extremely skeptical of how the remake of Hellraiser will be. The reverse filming, the amazing goo, and the makeup/puppet effects were so very real and disarming (especially the resurrection of Frank scene when those two arms come shooting up through the floor) that I really think it will completely cheapen the entire movie when they move to CGI. Of course I'm not %100 it will be all CGI but I seriously doubt they will go many other routes. The only hope for this remake is Clive Barker overseeing the project. I'm a person who usually is pretty open minded about most remakes but with Hellraiser being my favorite and all...well...lets say I'm not really holding my breath for it to be brilliant. But if it is, I promise I will eat my words....But I'm still not holding my breath.
Come on...Doing this in CGI won't be half as creepy.I'm sure most of you have seen Hellraiser. But if any of you have not please do yourself a favor and rent this movie asap. Its a beautiful, tragic, unique, and bizarre horror film that gives you both the chills of a horror movie like Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street but has the depth and elegance of a Shakespearean play.
...And you gotta love the Pinhead. WOO PINHEAD!
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Review-The Midnight Meat Train
An Open Letter:
Dear Clive Barker,
May I please have your creepy children? I know you're gay but I'm sure we can figure something out.
Yours in Fan-girliness,
Cins
The Midnight Meat Train was one of those movies that I've been wanting to see for ages. Every blog I read raved about it, my friends raved about, and every damn person seemed to have seen it except for me! This is because I appear to be on a 3 month delay with horror films. Seriously. I am usually the last to know about and see them. This does not bode well for Drag Me to Hell (Note to self, drag someone to Drag Me to Hell.). I'm so last season. I know.
Midnight Meat Train is an insane film based off the short story by Clive Barker and directed by Ryuhei Kitamura. This is where I give my general synopsis but I'm not sure if I can really sum up this film in a few words. Basically its about a young photographer, Leon played by Bradley Cooper who encounters and becomes obsessed with a mysterious and frightening man named Mahogany played brilliantly by Vinnie Jones. Many hard left turns, gore, and really fucked up shit follows. I make it sound so simple but trust me its not. I'm trying not to give any spoilers so this review will probably sound pretty vague.
This movie, like an onion, has many layers. And I do believe I will need to watch it again to really get the full impact of it all. I went in expecting a film on par with some of Barker's lesser works. What I got was a movie that was right up there with his greats like Candyman and Hellraiser. Midnight Meat Train is basic in its story but takes that and builds strange layers and situations making it a far more complex film than the usual horror fare. At the beginning of the film you truly believe that you know where it's going. Then things change and you realize that maybe you're just not sure if that IS the direction its going to go. Its hardly an M. Night Shyamalan twist film but it does throw a couple of curve balls at you that make you say "WHOA!" "GAH!" and "I Think I Wet 'Em!"...well maybe not the third one...depending on your bladder. The screenplay never talks down to its audience and it never spells out the information all at once. You get glimpses here and glimpses there of information until the pieces all come together at the end.
The film also holds the Barker trademark elegant gore that I so adore; bloody, gooey, poetic, and grotesque. We have buckets of dark sticky blood against beautiful stark colored images, bodies hanging upside down on the subway train like sides of beef, tumors in a jar, and countless other moments of nightmare fuel. Even though Barker didn't direct the movie, Ryuhei Kitamura was conscious enough to know that you needed to have that element of elegance to really pull off a Clive Barker story. I wouldn't call it the usual Gothic gore that Barker does. The look is far more slick and modern but it still has that feeling of art. Kudos, man. Sometimes its a bit heavy on the CGI (*cough* flying eyeball *cough*) but the director does use that to his advantage and tries to makes cheap CGI appear more like a comic panel or painting, going for more surrealistic visuals than full out realism. 9 times out of 10 it works beautifully.
But lets get to the "meat" of this review....horrid joke I know. I will slap myself later.
Vinnie Jones as Mahogany has created one Hell of a horror villain icon! This was a wonderful character. The character only says 3 or four words they entire movie but he conveys paragraphs with his eyes. A big hulking man in a beige suit, intense eyes, and a quiet way about him. The phrase "Its the quiet ones you have to watch" was created for him, I'm sure. Mahogany is a beautifully terrifying and sad horror film villain. Though I'm not sure if you can really call him a villain. You soon realize he's as much a victim as everyone else. Yet he never falls into the woe as me poor widdle bad guy trap which could lessen his impact. You are always terrified of him and his impeccably shiny and clean meat tenderizer...hopefully I didn't give too much away. I never was afraid of meat tenderizers, then I saw Midnight Meat Train.
If you have not seen The Midnight Meat Train (though I have the sneaky suspicion that I am the last to have seen it) its definitely worth the rental. Actually I think its worth buying the DVD full price! And trust me, I can be a cheapskate so that's saying a lot from me. Check this classic out!
On a different note, Monsters and Madmen tie breaking results will be posted tomorrow. Thank you Johnny for breaking the dang tie!
Thursday, November 27, 2008
What I am Thankful For-The Creepy Addition
Thanksgiving is a great time for food, family, and being grateful for the gifts they recieved in the last year. Well, for my family it was. For others I'm sure it was a great time for stress, burnt turkey, and your cousin coming out of the closet infront of your redneck Uncle Chuck.
But I digress.
I felt I had a few things to thank the horror genre for giving us and today is a good day to do so.
What Cins is Thankful for:
Clive Barker
Clive Friggin Barker, man. Currently he is my top favorite in my personal Trilogy of Terror (Clive Barker, Wes Craven, and John Carpenter) What sets Mr. Barker apart for me is his elegance in the horror genre. His movies have an elevated feel much akin to the Gothic horror films of the 50's and 60's. I like to call him the master of "Goo. His visuals always have this style of "Goo" to them that no other film maker can capture (much like the Stanley Kubrick boobies. Ever notice that every woman in a Kubrick film has the same type of boobies? Just me? Really?...Nevermind.). His gore is elegant. Seriously. No matter how graphic or gory his scenes become, there is a beauty of it that keeps me watching. I am not a gore hound, but I cannot get enough of Clive Barker gore. If you never seen a Barker film I highly recommend Hellraiser (a Classic), Candyman, and a hidden Gem, Nightbreed.
So thank you Mr. Barker, for giving us a little art with our horror.
Ellen Ripley
I'm thirty two years old...and I want to grow up to be Ellen Ripley.
Ripley was the first female character I ever saw in a SciFi/Horror film who a-did not have massive cleavage and b-survived off her wits and c-Kicked ASS! I'm sure Ripley was not the first but she was the BEST. I saw the first two Alien films in reverse. So when I experienced Ripley coming out in that power armor and demanding "Get Away From Her, You Bitch!" I stood up and shouted 'YES!! YES!!! I WANT TO BE THAT!!"
In retrospect it would he shitty to be Ripley. I rather not be constantly persued by Xenomorphs and subjected to Alien 3. But At the time? Yes. I would have been awesome.
So Thank you Ripley for showing the world that women can kick much ass.
Eli Roth's Thanksgiving
Okay, as a horror blog I felt obligated to post this on Thanksgiving. I think its an Internet law somewhere. I'm not a big fan of Eli Roth's films. I feel they're too much gore, too little heart. But man himself though? I love the guy. He clearly loves horror and has a wicked sense of humor. Example? Pancake boy from Cabin Fever. I have NO clue what that was about but I laughed for about 2 minutes after that.
So when Mr Roth created this hilarious trailer for Grindhouse, I fell a little in love with the bastard. I was eagerly awaiting his trailer movie Trailer Trash which was supposed to come out last August and didn't. I can't seem to find much information about it these days. Hopefully it hasn't been shelved.
Oh well, at least I still have Thanksgiving.
Thank you Eli Roth, for being a wicked little bastard.
Freddy In Space
No, I am NOT sucking up. I truly like this blog. A lot. Freddy In Space has not only inspired Stac and I to open up our wacky corner on the web but also is an endless source of movie reviews, trivia, and rare gems that I've never seen before. John is also a really great and friendly guy. He is always open to discussing movies or whatever on his blog or message board. So Go Read it! Now! Right now! I'll wait. Really.....
FreddyInSpace.BlogSpot.Com
...See? Wasn't That Fun?!
So Thank you John and Freddy In Space for inspiring our silly ramblings and weirdness. Also, thanks for not thinking I'm a stalker. Of course after this paragraph you may think I am now. Sorry about that.
I hope everyone has a great and happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy the Turkey hangover tomorrow!
But I digress.
I felt I had a few things to thank the horror genre for giving us and today is a good day to do so.
What Cins is Thankful for:
Clive Barker
Clive Friggin Barker, man. Currently he is my top favorite in my personal Trilogy of Terror (Clive Barker, Wes Craven, and John Carpenter) What sets Mr. Barker apart for me is his elegance in the horror genre. His movies have an elevated feel much akin to the Gothic horror films of the 50's and 60's. I like to call him the master of "Goo. His visuals always have this style of "Goo" to them that no other film maker can capture (much like the Stanley Kubrick boobies. Ever notice that every woman in a Kubrick film has the same type of boobies? Just me? Really?...Nevermind.). His gore is elegant. Seriously. No matter how graphic or gory his scenes become, there is a beauty of it that keeps me watching. I am not a gore hound, but I cannot get enough of Clive Barker gore. If you never seen a Barker film I highly recommend Hellraiser (a Classic), Candyman, and a hidden Gem, Nightbreed.
So thank you Mr. Barker, for giving us a little art with our horror.
Ellen Ripley
I'm thirty two years old...and I want to grow up to be Ellen Ripley.
Ripley was the first female character I ever saw in a SciFi/Horror film who a-did not have massive cleavage and b-survived off her wits and c-Kicked ASS! I'm sure Ripley was not the first but she was the BEST. I saw the first two Alien films in reverse. So when I experienced Ripley coming out in that power armor and demanding "Get Away From Her, You Bitch!" I stood up and shouted 'YES!! YES!!! I WANT TO BE THAT!!"
In retrospect it would he shitty to be Ripley. I rather not be constantly persued by Xenomorphs and subjected to Alien 3. But At the time? Yes. I would have been awesome.
So Thank you Ripley for showing the world that women can kick much ass.
Eli Roth's Thanksgiving
Okay, as a horror blog I felt obligated to post this on Thanksgiving. I think its an Internet law somewhere. I'm not a big fan of Eli Roth's films. I feel they're too much gore, too little heart. But man himself though? I love the guy. He clearly loves horror and has a wicked sense of humor. Example? Pancake boy from Cabin Fever. I have NO clue what that was about but I laughed for about 2 minutes after that.
So when Mr Roth created this hilarious trailer for Grindhouse, I fell a little in love with the bastard. I was eagerly awaiting his trailer movie Trailer Trash which was supposed to come out last August and didn't. I can't seem to find much information about it these days. Hopefully it hasn't been shelved.
Oh well, at least I still have Thanksgiving.
Thank you Eli Roth, for being a wicked little bastard.
Freddy In Space
No, I am NOT sucking up. I truly like this blog. A lot. Freddy In Space has not only inspired Stac and I to open up our wacky corner on the web but also is an endless source of movie reviews, trivia, and rare gems that I've never seen before. John is also a really great and friendly guy. He is always open to discussing movies or whatever on his blog or message board. So Go Read it! Now! Right now! I'll wait. Really.....
FreddyInSpace.BlogSpot.Com
...See? Wasn't That Fun?!
So Thank you John and Freddy In Space for inspiring our silly ramblings and weirdness. Also, thanks for not thinking I'm a stalker. Of course after this paragraph you may think I am now. Sorry about that.
I hope everyone has a great and happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy the Turkey hangover tomorrow!
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