Horror, She Wrote: Lar Park Lincoln

Published February 13, 2015 by biggayhorrorfan

Horror, She Wrote explores the episodes of the ever-popular detective series Murder, She Wrote, featuring Angela Lansbury’s unstoppable Jessica Fletcher, that were highlighted by performances from genre film actors.

For better or worse, it all comes down to the mother!

Nobody knows this better than the vibrant Lar Park Lincoln (Friday the 13th 7: The New Blood, House II), a devoted parent, herself, in real life, who guest starred on Incident in Lot 7, the 13th (h-m-m…) eighth season episode of Murder, She Wrote, which featured a throwback to the spookiest matriarch of all time, Mrs. Bates!

As Angela Lansbury’s Jessica Fletcher navigates the devious world of filmmaking here, it is Lincoln’s kind and spunky Caroline Pryce who offers her eager assistance. But as an unexpected murder darkens Caroline’s world, Lincoln skillfully shows both her character’s accusatory nature and overriding frustration, ultimately, making Caroline one of this mystery’s most well rounded characters.

Nicely, Lincoln is joined by several other terror regulars including Stuart Whitman (Welcome to Arrow Beach, Vultures, Ruby, Night of the Lepus, The Monster Club) as a kindly executive, Michelle Johnson (Waxwork, Dr. Giggles, Blood Ties) as a power hungry mistress and Paula Prentiss (The Stepford Wives, Saturday the 14th) as an agitated actress. Of the three, Prentiss, perhaps, has the most fun. Her Leonora Holt is a self-centered movie star, determined to learn every nuance of the flustered Fletcher, whom she is set to play (a variation of) in a movie adaptation of one of the legendary sleuth’s books.

Nicely, as the majority of the action takes place on the Universal movie lot, the iconic Bates Motel is used as a primary location. It’s a striking choice with echoes of both Norma Bates’ cackle and Milton Arbogast’s arm wheeling fall haunting every frame.

Be sure to keep up with Lincoln, a respected acting teacher and co-star in the upcoming, deliciously titled Sky Sharks, at http://www.larparklincoln.com.

Until the next time – SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!

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Review: The Dark Place

Published February 13, 2015 by biggayhorrorfan

I sometimes forget who I’m talking to in the middle of a conversation. U-m-m…sorry, mom!

Thankfully, Keegan Dark, the enigmatic hero of Jody Wheeler’s recent thriller The Dark Place, doesn’t have that problem. His ability to conjure up images of his life, within the texture of video-like flashbacks, helps save him when his mother mysteriously falls into a coma and he, ultimately, becomes the primary suspect.

Wheeler’s script, here, reads like a Lifetime Television mystery (which isn’t a bad thing in my book) only with a handsome male as the primary focus as opposed to a woman. He provides some nice twists and, as a director, he keeps events moving at a snappy pace, as well.

The production, also, benefits immensely from the presence of Blaise Embry as Keegan. Embry engages even in Keegan’s more petulant moments and he allows a subtle layer of subdued hurt to emerge in the film’s quieter sequences, as well. Fine assistance appears in the forms of Timo Descamps and Shannon Day as Keegan’s boyfriend Will and his estranged mother Celeste, too. Those portraying the characters with (possibly) more mysterious agendas are fine, as well, if somewhat lacking in the necessary edge to make their more sinister actions totally believable.

Still, for those who are tired of gay thrillers that revolve around issues of hatred and oppression (such as 2005’s fine Hate Crime and 2011’s luridly fun Into the Lion’s Den), The Dark Place is an intriguing, sometimes very imaginative place to visit.

The Dark Place was released in November 2014 by Breaking Glass Pictures (www.bgpics.com). Its official Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/TheDarkPlaceMovie.

Until the next time – SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!

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Scorpio Film Releasing

Published February 6, 2015 by biggayhorrorfan

Silly, inventive and leaving you with a desire to come back for more?!? Well, since I am definitely not talking about my last date, I must be talking about gay writer-director Richard Griffin and Scorpio Film Releasing, the company he co-founded with Ted Marr.

Their YouTube channel is full of great offerings like They Stole the Pope’s Blood, Disco Exorcist and Frankenstein in a Women’s Prison. Mary Shelley’s smiling, no?!?

https://www.youtube.com/user/rickythegriff/featured

You can, also, keep up with all their releases at:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Scorpio-Film-Releasing

Frankenstein in a Women’s Prison

Until the next time – SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

Astro Radio Z: Vice Academy 1 and 2!

Published February 5, 2015 by biggayhorrorfan

Feeling the undercover blues? Well, get over ‘em! Astro Radio Z, that screwily divine podcast featuring host Derrick Carrey and such zany journalist-filmmaker types as Scott Davis, Kate Owens, Mark the Movie Man, Glenn Buettner, Andrew Shearer, Paul Salzer and myself, has taken on the (historic, skin-laden) Vice Academy series…and the first installment, focusing on the first two films in this soft core delight, is more comfortable than any pair of pink, mink lined handcuffs!

https://astroradiozpodcast.wordpress.com/2015/02/01/episode-27-vice-academy-1-2/

Be sure to keep up with future episodes at

https://www.facebook.com/AstroRadioZ.

Until the next time – SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

Hannah Neurotica’s Letting

Published February 4, 2015 by biggayhorrorfan

The dark and mysterious bedrooms of our childhoods most definitely inform our fears in adulthood.

The eclectic Hannah Neurotica, founder of Women in Horror Month, proves this point with visual acuity in her new short film Letting.

Letting, which is receiving its proper premiere at the “Horror Happens Film Showcase Presents: A Celebration of Women in Horror” at the Camp Jefferson Theater in Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey, is sure to be hitting plenty of conventions and film festivals in the near future.

Keep up with all of it’s progress at:

https://www.facebook.com/LettingShortFilm

Until the next time – SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

Frank Fox’s 0 Feet Away

Published February 3, 2015 by biggayhorrorfan

Assignment: Use the word nifty in a sentence.

Response: No problem.

Frank Fox’s O Feet Away is a nifty little thriller in the tradition of When a Stranger Calls and the opening moments of Scream. Using the queer community’s obsession with hook-up apps as a focus point, Fox’s short film features moments of shadowy tension and fine performances from Max Cutler, as Chase, the piece’s (annoyed then fretful) final guy, and Matt Harrison as a mysterious stranger.

Fox, also, uses sound as a powerful method of communication here. As Chase’s phone rapidly beeps from a stranger’s increasingly invasive missives, viewers’ nerves are slowly frayed.

You can check out this 9 minute excursion in suspense at:

Until the next time – SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!

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Celebrating Joel Grey!

Published February 1, 2015 by biggayhorrorfan

Cabaret

Things can look new again – even at 82! Oscar winner Joel Grey, well past his 7th decade, has officially come out and the world, for the past few days, has been abuzz with this (somewhat unexpected) news.

Best known for his musical performances in shows such as George M and Chicago, Grey, also, has a bit of a horror pedigree due to his appearances on such fright flecked television offerings as Night Gallery and Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. On Buffy, his portrayal of Doc, a seemingly kindly practitioner of dark magic, was one of the subtle highlights of the show’s 5th season.

Buffy

Of course, even without those credits, Grey’s award winning portrayal of the ghoulishly comic Master Of Ceremonies in (the stage and screen versions of) Cabaret should have endeared him to terror fans, everywhere. A seeming precursor to Tim Curry’s Frank-N-Furter from The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Grey’s best known role is a wickedly impish delight. In fact, that glint in Grey’s eye makes one believe that this most theatrical creation could give you as much trouble in an alley as any quip quoting Freddy, lumbering Jason or revved up Mrs. Voorhees!

Well known as a photographer, as well, you can keep up with Grey’s visually enhanced activities at:
http://www.joelgreyphotographer.com/

…and, congratulations, Joel!

Until the next time, SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

The Boy Next Door and The Best Friend Phenomenon!

Published January 30, 2015 by biggayhorrorfan

“Lady, you are gonna get me killed!”

Formula is good for babies and genre fans, but eventually we all outgrow it. While, current (very successful) cheese fest The Boy Next Door does offer some nice reverse fetishism with hunky Ryan Guzman being the prime target of the film’s voyeuristic gaze, it also provides an expected trope (along with its deliriously fun plot holes and frequently unbelievable circumstances) that probably needs to change. Like many thrillers before it, including such offerings as The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, The Juror and this fall’s No Good Deed, Claire, the beleaguered heroine of The Boy Next Door, has a sassy best friend (spoiler alert!) who meets an unfortunate end at the hands of the film’s twisted villain. Here, just like the ladies in the previous flicks, this friend, a high school vice principal played with sarcastic warmth by Kristin Chenoweth, is successful, highly sexual and single. Just like the heroines in the other features, this is the complete opposite of Claire (Jennifer Lopez), a mother whom, despite expected flaws and one questionable mistake, is truly struggling to come to grips with her seemingly shattered family life. While this devise does have some practical purposes, including presenting an extreme sense of emotional resolve for the primary victim, one has to wonder what kind of picture this actually paints. A moment’s contemplation produces the thought that the creators of these vehicles, whether intentionally or unintentionally, are telling us that any woman who doesn’t want a traditional family unit, who wants to thoroughly explore her sexuality and thumb her nose at the patriarchy by having a profitable career, deserves to die. This notion comes off as especially grievous in the case of Someone’s Watching Me, a 1978 John Carpenter directed television film, in which the wise cracking bestie is, also, a lesbian, played with forthright dignity by genre icon Adrienne Barbeau. (Interestingly, Guzman’s habitual nakedness along with the combined presences of Chenoweth, an acclaimed Broadway performer, and Lopez, a fashion icon and diva with multiple club hits, seemingly nods in the direction of The Boy Next Door achieving a healthy gay following, something the producers, in a progressive moment, must have seemingly intended.) Granted, when all is said and done, the murder of the vibrant companion is such an established element now, that some audience members may feel let down if it doesn’t occur. But, in all honesty, it couldn’t be too hard to change the demographics of said character to something less predictable and less, dare I say it, offensive. Until the next time – SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan! http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

Dead Rising: Watchtower Trailer Drops!

Published January 29, 2015 by biggayhorrorfan

Pestilence ridden floods, 7-11’s with exploding dairy products…I would, gladly, follow Jesse Metcalfe just about anywhere.

So, obviously I am thrilled that Metcalfe, whose other terror credits include Insanitarium and The Tortured, is taking on the zombie hordes in the upcoming Dead Rising: Watchtower, based upon the popular video game series.

The trailer for the upcoming flick, which begins streaming on Sony’s video service, Crackle, in March, actually looks like a lot of fun.

In the meantime, be sure to get exclusive updates (and other cool stuff) at:

https://www.facebook.com/deadrisingwatchtower

Until the next time – SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!

The Hollywood Warrioress: On the Chicago Set!

Published January 23, 2015 by biggayhorrorfan

Are you having an Up All Night with Rhonda Shear flashback? Well, you should be! One of the famed and original queens of scream, the eternally divine Deborah Dutch (Sorority Girls and the Creature from Hell, Hard to Die, Vice Academy series), has been working on her dream project The Hollywood Warrioress (with a variety of behind-the-scenes contributors) for over the past year.

While the film, a combination of super heroine vengeance, horror and action, has shot most of its footage in (and around) LA, the East Coast and Midwest have, also, been used as locations. In fact, one very chilly March day in 2014, I gathered with Chicago director and terror entrepreneur Chad Hawks to shoot a newsroom sequence for the film.

Was I excited? Sure! But, in a special case of behind-the-scenes madness, I almost didn’t make it to the studio where we shot. Like most creative types, I have a primary job that serves as my (ahem!) financial oasis. So, while I was finishing up my shift for the day, Chad set up the space. Needless to say, after I left work, I was totally unable to find a cab to get me to the location. As I set about to call one, my phone, naturally, died due to the (suddenly excessive) Midwest wind chill. Frantic, I ran back to my place of employment, plugged the phone in and tried to summon a cab from there. I couldn’t get through to a single cab company! I got in contact with Chad and we, quickly, decided that I’d take a nearby bus to a certain street where he would pick me up. He urged me to keep my phone on, as well, just in case he decided to come fetch me in route. It turns out we only had the filming space for a certain amount of time.

I schlepped onto the bus with my backpack and (by now drooping) garment bag…where my phone promptly died again. Defeated, I turned it off, completely. Then, after, excitedly, getting off at the wrong stop and promptly hopping back onto the bus again, I flicked on my phone and discovered it had powered up again. At that very second, it rang. It was Chad. He was in his car, directly behind us. Flustered and unkempt, I hopped off that dusty yellow chariot at the next stop and got into Chad’s black sedan. After offering profuse apologies, we rushed onward.

At the spot, I discovered, once again, what a consummate professional and total trouper Chad is. Not only was the green screen we were going to film against ready to go, but he also had to help me make costume choices and style my recently cut hair into something I was (at least vaguely) happy with. He then allowed me to pound through the very florid, very fun dialogue a couple of times as a warm-up and then we set to filming. We worked through the material in a variety of tempos and Chad added a few, interesting visual flourishes. After checking to make sure the different takes all had sound, we then broke the set down and headed out for a much needed dinner celebration.

Now, would I have liked it much better, on the day itself, if everything had gone a bit more smoothly? Sure. But, as a writer type, I sure do love having a good story to tell and, with a year’s distance, I now can say I wouldn’t have had it any other way!

You can get a sneak peek at some of our efforts at:

Be sure to follow The Hollywood Warrioress, which recently had a highly successful preview showing in LA, at https://www.facebook.com/hollywoodwarrioress. More screening dates should be announced soon.

Fun samples of Chad’s video work (including a bevy of celebrity interviews and profiles) is, also, available at https://www.youtube.com/user/ChateauGRRR.

Until the next time, SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan