hiatus happenings

Ouch. *cringes* It's been just shy of a year since our last post, here on the Darkley Niche. Been kept busy dredging away at work like a blue collar zombie. Apologies all around, readers. Without further ado let's get the reagent, because we're about to bring this blog back to life!

Although we've been absent for a considerable length of time from the blog scene, we've been keeping at it with watching and reading horror in both film and literature, respectively. And of course there's still oh so plenty on our to-do list. Here's an abridged rundown of what we've viewed in the more recent months during our hiatus. – We'll try to come back to these later on and write more in-depth reviews or commentaries. Consider this the first entree, so dig in.

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MOVIES

 'The Cabin in the Woods' (2012)

When you think you've seen all that horror has to offer, 'The Cabin in the Woods' takes many of the tried and tired subgenres and then turns them on their ear, like your ol' Nanna did when she caught you swearing. I had some inkling of what the premise was, but had only guessed at the tip of the iceberg. This is one film that we can confidently feel safe to say you won't be able to predict. Also, kudos to the filmmaker's nods to 'The Evil Dead' movies and guest cameo, albeit brief, with Sigourney Weaver. This was a fun ride, and it was apparently so for those making it.

'Creature from the Black Lagoon' (1954)

We've been meaning to see this Universal Studios classic for some time, but it wasn't until reading Gary Myers' "Understudy" in the 'Shadows Over Innsmouth' anthology that gave us just the right push. The creature itself, that is, the Gill-man, was an impressive costume, both in its appearance and functionality underwater. Not too many made during the fifties can make that claim. And we've been on a serious H.P. Lovecraft kick with all things Innsmouth, so this really hit the sweet spot. In certain respects, we would even favor this film over 'Dagon' (2001).

'Mary Shelley's Frankenstein' (1994)

Speaking of creatures, here is another movie that features one of its own. This little gem took us by surprise, as we had heard very little about it. And while the names Kenneth Branagh ('Hamlet') and Robert De Niro ('Taxi Driver') don't instantly bring "horror" to mind, it was all pulled off rather well. And there was a rather impressive line-up of actors, ranging from Tom Hulce ('Amadeus') to Ian Holm ('From Hell'). Our only real complaint is that Helena Bonham Carter's ('Sweeney Todd' and 'The Corpse Bride') physical appearance as the Bride was rather disappointing.

'The Thing' (2011)

Having been fans of John Carpenter's 'The Thing', we awaited this prequel with an equal measure of anticipation and trepidation. Admittedly, animatronics and movie make-up will almost always trump CGI in our book. But it wasn't too cumbersome with the latter, which was a relief. And speaking personally, I had to smile when seeing the inclusion of the alien spaceship deep in the Antarctic ice. That hails back to 'The Thing from Another World' (1952) and actually included a number of other bits that I recognized, which were also carried over. It adapted much of what made its two predecessors good movies.

'The Woman in Black' (2012)

When we come back to this film, we'll have to make an attempt at watching the 1989 adaptation, albeit both are based on Susan Hill's novel, much in the same way that both 'The Thing's and likewise 'The Thing from Another World' are with John W. Campbell's novella, "Who Goes There?" Surprisingly, it wasn't hard to watch Daniel Radcliffe without thinking Harry Potter. (If anything, Elijah Woods kept coming to mind.) While his performance was certainly noteworthy, hands down the best part of the film had to be the Eel Marsh House itself. If you've seen it yourself, you'll understand why.

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TELEVISION

AMC's 'The Walking Dead' (2010-present)

'The Walking Dead' has been a mixed bag for most, and while friends of ours have found plenty at fault with it, we still enjoy the series. Could certain changes have been made for the better? Sure. But as far as comic book adaptations goes, this sure beats the hell out of a lot of them. (Seriously. Look at 'Spider-Man's Green Goblin and ask how they go from the illustrated designs to a sorry, Power Ranger knock-off. With a little make up, Willem Dafoe's face would've been fine.) We're still working our way through season two, so it's always possible our opinion might change. We'll see.

John Carpenter's "Cigarette Burns" (2005)

Eighth episode of 'Masters of Horror's second season, "Cigarette Burns" made us think of Robert W. Chambers' 'The King in Yellow' stories, in certain respects. Instead of a play, however, we have a rare film that drives its audience mad. It could also be said that "Cigarette Burns" resembles Carpenter's 'In The Mouth of Madness' (1995), which we loved due to its obvious Lovecraft overtones. Lastly, while Udo Kier makes an appearance his screen time is regrettably kept short. (Coincidentally, this episode happens to star Norman Reedus, who plays a regular on AMC's 'The Walking Dead'.)

'Psych'  (2006-present)

Season six of USA's 'Psych' has included some comical homages to horror films, specifically episodes "This Episode Sucks" and "Hereeeee's Lassie". If James Roday and Dule Hill in full costume as 'Interview with the Vampire's Lestat and Blacula isn't enough for fang fans, it also guest stars Corey Feldman ('The Lost Boys'). And while "Hereeeee's Lassie" is essentially a parody of Stanley Kubrick's 'The Shining', there are additional little Easter eggs slipped into the episode, like pregnant neighbor Rosemary ('Rosemary's Baby').

Stephen King's 'Bag of Bones' (2011)

Ugh... Firstly, we're definite fans of Stephen King stories, so make no mistake. 'IT' (1990) the mini-series still ranks among our top horror favorites. But 'Bag of Bones' was nothing if not predictable, as much as we wanted to like it. (SPOILER ALERT) It didn't take much foresight to predict Pierce Brosnan's character was related to the cursed men, for starters. And let's be honest folks, having an author protagonist is a tiresome trend that occurs pretty regularly in King's work. Yes, it was integral to the plot, but come on. Enough with the writer characters, King.

'Adventure Time' (2010-present)

Cartoon Network's series 'Adventure Time' started with an outbreak of candy people zombies, so it was fun to see this idea brought back to life in 3x07a, "From Bad to Worse." Together with the murder mystery in 3x06b, "The Creeps," these two episodes comprised part of Cartoon Network's 2011 Halloween specials. – Speaking for myself, I particularly enjoyed these episodes as they're the closest I can get to watching horror films with my girlfriend.

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READING

 'Shadows Over Innsmouth'

Published by Del Rey Books and editted by Stephen Jones, this anthology includes seventeen stories all inspired by H.P. Lovecraft's "The Shadow Over Innsmouth," along with that as well. Some are hits, others are misses. But that's to be expected, really, and the hits really make this book worthwhile. "The Big Fish," "Daoine Domhain," and "The Innsmouth Heritage," were among my personal favorites. Be assured that a detailed Darkley Niche review will be in the works.

'Tales Out of Innsmouth'

As mentioned earlier in our two cents on 'Creature from the Black Lagoon', we've been indulging in Innsmouth-inspired stories. And while we haven't yet finished this anthology, shorts such as Gary Myers' "Understudy" have already made this read a worthwhile venture. Additionally, "The Weird Shadow over Innsmouth," which begins the book, was made from fragments of early drafts and reworked into a cohesive narrative by John Glasby. It's offers an interesting insight, although the story itself is a little repetitive, as is to be expected.

'The Whisperer and Other Stories' by Brian Lumley

Referring back to the previous book, this particular anthology is the reason why we put a pause on 'Tales Out of Innsmouth'. If it was to take a vacation from Innsmouth, guess again. "The Return of the Deep Ones," similar to most of those told in 'Shadows Over Innsmouth', spreads their tainted influence over to the shores of Britain. So far, so good. However, we may soon be swapping this for another of Lumley's anthologies, 'Return of the Deep Ones and Other Mythos Tales', and resume reading from there.

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That's all for now, our Darkley Niche faithful, but we hope it is enough to rekindle the embers of those followers who have been patiently awaiting this long-overdue post – like Cthulhu in his deathless sleep. We'll aim to keep this weekly to biweekly, if able. A film or book review may well be in order, come next time we write again. Until then, dream darkly readers.

Hot as the Dickens

For our Darkley followers who still have a case of Christmas in July fever, albeit it's currently August, here's a special seasonal episode of Doctor Who, "The Unquiet Dead," featuring none other than Charles Dickens himself. How appropriate to pay homage to the author of the Yuletide, ghost story classic, 'A Christmas Carol'. You can bet your stockings that this episode is going into the Niche's Seasonal Horror Calendar.

On a side note, we felt that we would include our opinion on these risen corpses by stating that our definition of "zombie" isn't inclusive of these particular undead. Or at least we're hesitant in labeling these walking dead as such, and here's why.

Films the like of this, Sam Raimi's 'Evil Dead' trilogy being another prime example, though sometimes considered zombie cinema use possession as the means of reanimation (or transformation, since many of the possessed in Raimi's trilogy are still alive). Sure, the possessed corpse oftentimes attacks the living, but that doesn't distinguish it automatically as a zombie in our book.

The one particular detail that we look for is whether or not the corpse feeds on the flesh of the living, or at the very least the recently deceased. As far as we're concerned, a reanimated corpse that doesn't eat flesh is simply a reanimated corpse. There may be the occasional exception, but that's our general rule of thumb.

"...then you sent me in a room full of zombies!"

So apologies to Rose, but we must respectfully disagree with you on this one.

The Horribly Slow Murderer

True, while this may constitute as a faux trailer, the video itself is approximately ten minutes long and therefore deserves to be treated as a short film. "The Horribly Slow Murderer with the Extremely Inefficient Weapon" is written and directed by Richard Gale, featuring forensic pathologist Jack Cucchiaio (Paul Clemens), who becomes the target of the relentless Murderer's (Brian Rohan) beatings... using a common, household spoon. Yes, you read right. A spoon. (WARNING: spoilers ahead)

In the immortal words of the Tick, "SPOOOOON!"

It begins in the vein of a cat-and-mouse, psychological thriller with Jack Cucchiaio stalked by a hooded figure in black with deathly white skin... and again, with a spoon. But the genre takes a turn towards ghostly horror of the 'Ju-on' variety as Jack learns the supernatural nature of his tormentor. Consulting a grotesque mystic (Fay Kato) overseas in the Far East, Cucchiaio learns that the Murderer is a "Ginosaji", which cannot be stopped and follows its prey unto the ends of the earth. Cue the appropriate montage of Cucchiaio pursued across the continents, attacked on both land and sea. Nowhere is Jack safe from the wrathful Ginosaji's spoon.

Visiting a dermatologist and orthodontist would do wonders.

Adding additional humor to the chase, Richard Gale even includes an homage of Hitchcock's 'Psycho' shower scene. Hilarious! Especially the belly slaps.

"AAAUGH! Why couldn't it be a loofah?"

Finally, pushed to the point of absolute desperation, Jack retaliates with an amassed arsenal of weaponry and explosives for a last stand against the Murderer, 'Rambo' style. Everything fails. Everything. Lying exhausted and bloodied from the merciless barrage of beatings spanning over twelve years, the Murderer closes in for the kill... only to find that after a few hits the spoon has finally reached its breaking point, snapping in two. What now? Is Jack Cucchiaio free of this curse, or does the Ginosaji have more in store for him? We'll let you see for yourselves.

"The Horribly Slow Murderer with the Extremely Inefficient Weapon" is a riot, if nothing else for its ridiculous weapon of choice and the Murderer's tenacity. We give it four out of five spoons.

BitG: new post label and High Moon vol. 1

Like the recent addition of "Zombies on the Brain", we've created a another post label for comic-related news and reviews: Blood in the Gutter. ("Gutter" is the term that refers to the spacing between panels.) We've taken the liberty of using this title, which was coined by Scott McCloud in the third chapter of his educational book Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. A very good read, by the way, along with his other works. So when you read "BitG", like in this current post's title, that's what the abbreviation stands for.

High Moon, volume one cover

Created by writer David Gallaher and artist Steve Ellis, High Moon is an on-going webcomic which debuted back in 2007 through Zuda Comics, a branch off of DC Comics, as part of its initial launch. Volume one contains the first three chapters of the series. Granted, you can read High Moon for free online, however there's something to be said about having a printed edition to hold in your hands. The graphic novel runs for $14.99 USD, but I managed to buy it for about a third of the original cost at a comic convention, so attending these shows can pay off.

Here's the synopsis given on the back of the book:

"An investigation into a series of strange happenings in a small Texas town explodes into a breakneck chase across American plains, chock full of cowboys, werewolves, vampires, bullets... and more bullets. The first winner of Zuda Comics' monthly online competition and Harvey Award nominee for Best New Series, HIGH MOON is a riveting horror adventure set amid the blood and banditry of the Old West."

The beginning of High Moon has a lone stranger by the name of Matthew Macgregor breeze into said "small Texas town" searching for Eddie Conroy of the Sullivan Gang, an outlaw with a bounty on his head. As it happens, the young daughter of Mister Hunter, the town moneybags, has been kidnapped and with the sheriff gone a "gentlemen's agreement" is made: find the girl, and they'll find his man. Well, needless to say things go up sh*t creek, especially when Macgregor and simpleton Deputy Jeb come across the mutilated remains of cattle and local miners. Macgregor and Conroy, who are both werewolves (Gallaher and Ellis aren't coy about keeping this a secret), become entangled in a town conspiracy with vampires at the heart of it all and the kidnapping, as it turns out, was an attempt to save the girl's life.


After the bloodshed is over the vampires are ultimately beaten, but (WARNING: spoiler alert) Macgregor has his throat slashed open and bleeds to death. This turns the entire story on its ear and Conroy, who we assumed was not an especially significant character, suddenly becomes our protagonist. After tending to Matthew's body, he scavenges the dead man's belongings and from then on goes by the name Macgregor. While I respect High Moon for throwing us a curve ball, I can't help but feeling a little cheated. The Scotsman bounty hunter was the big draw to the book, speaking for just myself. Although I'm not sure what to make of the red-haired wolf seen at the end of chapter three, one that resembles werewolf Macgregor with its similarly colored fur and jags of bone spurs. Perhaps he makes a return, but this was my main beef with the story thus far.

Tristan Macgregor, sketch

For those of you with a fondness for steampunk, chapter two is an especial treat with the introduction of another character, sporting a top hat and goggles, eloquent speech with an English propriety about it... Oh, and a fully mechanical right arm as well. Hard to not notice that. Adding further to the mystique, his name is Tristan Macgregor, brother of the late Matthew Macgregor from the previous chapter. Aside for working as Nikola Tesla's (an historical figure used in popular culture, often encroaching his inventions into science fiction territory -- ex. 'The Prestige') special envoy, he's searching for the man who killed his brother. And it just so happens there's a man using his dead brother's name... Awkward.

Young Raven

Well, after resolving a local family dispute between two brothers over a woman, subsequently cursing their own town, literally, the mix-up is settled and the two become entangled in another plot by the appearance of a young, blue-tinged Native American woman going by the name of Young Raven. Young Raven has premonitions of Sioux Indians slaughtered en masse by nightmarish horsemen, who turn out to be cavalrymen. The soldiers are headed by Commander Prescott, whose agenda of genocide involves an interest in the elusive Ghost Dance of the natives. Matters become further complicated when Tristan's wife, Dierdre, has gotten into bed literally and figuratively with the enemy.

More follows as the third and final chapter of volume one wraps up, including an intense dream sequence with Conroy and a colossal, raven-man entity. But in any case the series was continued, so volume one is left inconclusive. While the story itself is a little confusing at times, the premise of High Moon and Ellis' spectacular artwork warrant much praise for the first book. I give it four-and-a-half out of five Macgregors.
See also: The High Moon Rises

memorial: Zelda Rubinstein (May 1933 - Jan 2010)

Zelda Rubinstein as Tangina Barrons ('Poltergeist')

It was brought to my attention that actress Zelda Rubinstein, best known for her role as medium Tangina Barrons in the 'Poltergeist' films, as well as guest appearances in the 'Poltergeist: The Legacy' television series that followed as seer Christina, passed away yesterday at age seventy-six at Los Angeles' Barlow Respiratory Hospital. 'Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon' (2006) was the last film that she appeared in, meaning that from her earliest film debut, 'Poltergeist' (1982) being preceded by 'Under the Rainbow' (1981), her acting career spanned twenty-five years that began in her late forties and continued into her early seventies. That's impressive by my standards. Aside from her contribution to the AIDS/HIV public awareness campaign during the 1980s, which could have jeopardized her career, Rubinstein is commendable for her lifelong effort to help little people like herself. A woman whose height was overshadowed by an ample heart, Zelda Rubinstein will be missed.

triple haunted feature: The Echo, The Uninvited, and The Dark

Afraid I'm falling behind on the film reviews, no pun intended. More recently Don, friend and Darkley comic co-conspirator, and myself have splurged on the movie rentals in the past few weeks. So to help catch up, the Niche presents a special feature reviewing three movies about hauntings. Actually, one of these is not a haunting, but I'll let you learn for yourselves which it is. We'll keep the synopses shorter and leave out the important spoilers, so have at it.

An American remake of Fillipino horror film 'Sigaw' (which neither of us have seen and only learned that it was a remake after the fact), 'The Echo' follows recently released ex-con Bobby Reynolds (Jesse Bradford) who moves into the apartment of his late mother. The circumstances surrounding his mother's death are vague and appears to have gone senile, shutting herself up in the apartment in the remaining weeks of her life. The apartment building supervisor, having replaced the prior super not so long ago, is less than helpful on the details. Bobby is left to find unsettling pieces of the puzzle: piano keys stained with blood and whole fingernails inside the piano itself, a closet with cans of cat food and locks on the inside, and a hole in the wall caused by some sort of hard impact, just to name a few.

To make matters worse, Bobby is put in a precarious predicament by the evidence of abuse going on next door, which only he seems to take notice of. Several times the victimized mother (Iza Calzado) and daughter (Jamie Bloch, 'Diary of the Dead') reach out to Bobby, each in their own way. But when it's the word of an ex-con against a police officer (Kevin Durand), and a rather large man at that, who menacingly tells Bobby to mind his own business, who would they believe? However, it's not long after that we learn the apartment next door is abandoned and that there is no family. At least no living family. Following the pattern of horror films like 'Ju-on', the spirits of 'The Echo' are trapped in a violent cycle that extends its reach to any who make contact, apparently those who visit or live on that particular floor. Oh, and there's also an old girlfriend (Amelia Warner, 'Nine Lives') that gets caught up in this mess, but who really cares, right?

While maintaining an ominous atmosphere and some legitimately creepy elements, there is relatively little that 'The Echo' offers that makes it original from other American remakes or the Asian horror films that they're based on. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad movie by any means, just average. I give it three out of five blood-stained piano keys.

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While the title of 'The Uninvited' (2009) would lead you to presume that it's referring to a haunting spirit or such, it's actually a flesh and blood woman. Meet Anna Ivers (Emily Browning, 'Ghost Ship'), a teenage girl recovering from the traumatic death of her mother, which lead to her stay and rehabilitation in a mental institution. Anna has reoccurring nightmares of the night her mother died in the boat house from an unexplained fire, but has blocked out the incident from her conscious memories. Having worked through a suicidal phase, Anna's psychiatrist deems her ready to go home and in parting says, in the hopes that her memories will gradually return, "finish what you started".

But as they say, you can never go home. Anna returns with her father (David Strathairn) to their seaside house, but it is not the home that she left before. Anna's sister, Alex (Arielle Kebbel, 'Freakdog'/'Red Mist') is resentful, initially, of her sister leaving and has developed a bit of a drinking problem. Aside from Anna's absence and their mother's death, what has driven Alex to further drinking is Rachel Summers (Elizabeth Banks, 'Slither'), their mother's former nurse and stepmother-to-be. It's apparent at this point that Rachel is the "uninvited" person in the house. Hoping to make a good impression on Anna, Rachel puts on a friendly, if somewhat pushy, facade for the girl.

But when the frightful apparition of Anna's mother (Maya Massar) starts appearing to her, making accusation of murder in a manner almost reminiscent of 'Hamlet', she begins to suspect that Rachel may have had a hand in her death. Together with her sister, Anna tries to solve the mystery of Rachel Summers' past, the circumstances of the boat house fire, and three murdered children whom Anna sees in visions.

'The Uninvited', like 'The Echo', is also an American remake of an Asian horror film, South Korea's 'A Tale of Two Sisters'. And likewise, Don and myself learned this only after the fact. It does deserve credit for not feeling like a typical remake, since neither of us suspected. A decent story with a few well done twists at the end, I give it three-and-a-half out of five pearl necklaces. (It'll make sense when you watch the film.)

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Based on the novel 'Sheep' by Simon Magin (which I haven't read -- by now you've likely noticed my trend of unfamiliarity with the original sources of most films), 'The Dark' (2005) takes us to the gorgeous countryside of Wales. Visiting her estranged husband James (Sean Bean, 'Silent Hill'), Adele (Maria Bello, 'Secret Window') hopes that this time together will help bridge the gap growing between her resentful teenage daughter Sarah (Sophie Stuckey) and herself. However, all is not peaceful as the grassy pastures by the coast would appear. A stone monument inscribed with the word "Annwyn" stands erect on a cliffside, memorializing the suicides of a small congregation who fell into the sea. This is explained by Dafydd (Maurice Roëves, 'The Nightmare Man' series), an older local and friend of James', who further elaborates that Annwyn is the land of the dead in Welsh mythology.

After Sarah disappears while exploring the shore, a strange girl later appears in her place named Ebrill (Abigail Stone). As Adele unravels the mystery of Ebrill and the history of the monument she learns that the two are connected to a figure called "the Shepherd", Ebrill's father and a local pastor. Losing his daughter to illness fifty years ago, Ebrill's father (Richard Elfyn) convinced his congregation to commit mass suicide as a path to Paradise. Believing the Welsh legends, he lied and sacrificed them to bring Ebrill back from the underworld. She did return, however she brought an evil over with her. Attempting to bleed out the darkness with trepanning, this backfired and led to his untimely death. Afterward, Ebrill went to the sea, back to Annwyn, but has come back after all these years for what she wished most for: a loving father. Eventually this leads up to a climatic conclusion as Adele crosses over with Ebrill into Annwyn to bring her daughter back.

While the plot unfortunately starts to fall apart towards the end, the concepts of the story itself were quite good. And the cinematography was absolutely beautiful, no question of that. If I may be so bold to compare films, 'The Dark' reminds me slightly of 'The Wicker Man' (1973, not the 2006 perversion) and 'Silent Hill', appropriate since Sean Bean starred in the latter. After weighing the pros and cons, I have to give it three out of five ghost sheep.

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~movie trailers~