Review: Plain Devil

Published October 15, 2014 by biggayhorrorfan

“We’re not She Devils! We’re just Plain Devils!” – Bomber, Plain Devil

Despite threats and offers of (lots of) candy from other (perhaps more influential) groups, the only sassy sorority that I truly want to join is The Mighty Followers of Tonjia Atomic! For this Seattle based multi-hyphenate has done it, once again, with her delightfully matter-of-fact look at urban gangs called Plain Devil.

Utilizing a swinging 50s ascetic in a modern setting, Atomic tells the story of Little Gypsy, an old school immigrant girl with a contemporary attitude. Setting off to find her destined romantic interests, Montgomery Clift and Mickey Rourke, Little Gypsy is soon verbally accosted by the sassy Bomber and her friends. Little Gypsy is heartbroken until their mutual love of Rourke, unexpectedly, brings her and Bomber together as companions. Soon, Bomber decides that she, Gypsy and co-conspirators, Einstein and Trashy, should form a gang.

Working evocatively against gender stereotypes, Atomic creates a surprisingly easy going vibe here. Things unfold patiently, with even the anticipated rumble arriving with honest charm. Atomic, also, smartly works societal nuances into the piece. The humorous analysis of why gangs are formed packs a true-to-life punch while a continual examination of sexist labels throughout the running time, also, hits home.

Filled with a groovy score and charming performances (particularly from Atomic as the forceful Bomber and Ada Karamanyan as the sweet Little Gypsy), this sunny John Waters-like homage is definitely Atomic’s best work thus far.

Therefore, when you’re done wielding that broken beer bottle in an alley fight; be sure to keep up with Plain Devil at https://www.facebook.com/PlainDevil.

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

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

Music To Make Horror Movies By: Allan Sherman

Published October 12, 2014 by biggayhorrorfan

Long before Weird Al dominated the airwaves, the congenial Allan Sherman rocked the charts with his parody songs and lyrics that twisted the popular songs of the day into comedy routines.

Best known for exploring every fearful tot’s summer camp nightmares with the classic Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh!, he twisted the atomic age’s fretful examinations of space creatures into a romantic joke with Eight Foot Two, Solid Blue, a take on the joyful 5 Foot Two, Eyes of Blue.

Gone by the age of 48, Sherman still provides worlds of delightful exploration for those curious enough to discover him.

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

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

Bad CGI Fridays: Chupacabra Vs. The Alamo (2013)

Published October 10, 2014 by biggayhorrorfan

So, it looks like you CAN go home again. Achieving fame as Ponch on CHIPS in the late 70s/early80s, Erik Estrada returned to the badge and cycle with the 2013 SyFy feature Chupacabra Vs. The Alamo.

As a grizzled officer dealing with a sassy partner (Death Do Us Part’s Julia Benson), a pair of rebellious children…oh, yeah, and a ravenously roving pack of chupacabras, Estrada connects with a weariness that would have been impossible in his shirtless poster days.

Filled with some decent grue, including shots of stringy flesh stretching from the titular dog-like creatures’ teeth, this pic is, naturally, also full of devil eyed computer animation. Often described as spiny, heavy set creatures, the producers benefit from the fact that the chupacabra is mythological in nature. Looking here like lean and starving canines, they sparkle with the silver automation of CGI in close-up shots.

Still, you can label this one as a bit more intriguing than the standard cable horror fare, especially for lovers of animals gone amuck flicks. And…it does teach the lesson that a microwave and kitchen utensils can come in handy during an attack of the ravenous furries!

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

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

Night Gallery Vamps: Lorraine Gary

Published October 7, 2014 by biggayhorrorfan

Best known for her powerful yet down-to-earth portrayal of Ellen Brody in the Jaws film series, the versatile Loraine Gary brought a much more sinisterly haughty elegance to her appearance as Barbara Morgan in the 1973 3rd season Night Gallery episode entitled She’ll Be Company For You.

Luxuriating like a film noir femme fatale in turbans and designer dresses, Gary alternatively flirts with and seemingly condemns the show’s main focus, businessman Harry Audon, played with a slowly evaporating confidence by costar Leonard Nimoy. As the best friend of Audon’s recently deceased wife, Gary’s Morgan definitely wants to rip him apart (in a variety of ways), but she leaves such juicy details to her emotional doppelganger, a supposedly harmless cat.

Departing for a trip, Barbara gifts Audon with said pet. But his mild annoyance with his new responsibility soon turns into terror as the present apparently morphs into a viciously clawed supernatural entity. Ultimately, the viewers are never quite sure what the creature really is. But, one thing is for certain, Gary dominates this piece with an ice cold vigor and sensual sharpness.

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

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

Victoria Price in Chicago!

Published October 7, 2014 by biggayhorrorfan

Who doesn’t like free? Free, of course, is even better when its something fabulous like a showing of the classic House on Haunted Hill and a lecture on dignified horror king, Vincent Price, no?

Proving I’m not leading you on, tomorrow, Tuesday October 7th (2014), author and entrepreneur Victoria Price will be appearing at the Portage Theater in Chicago to lecture on her father (after the showing of the beloved film) – and there is absolutely no charge for the event!

More information is available at the below link:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1485309855067126/

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

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

Music to Make Horror Movies By: Vikki Carr

Published October 5, 2014 by biggayhorrorfan

While the glorious (and extremely classy) Vikki Carr’s exploitation credits are limited – she provided the singing voice for Cyd Charisse in the 60s spy caper Matt Helm and makes an appearance on the soundtrack for Point of No Return, the American remake of La Femme Nikita – she definitely nails the gritty essence of such anti-heroes as The Evil Dead’s Ash, Hardware’s Moses and Demon Knight’s Brayker with her take on Kris Kristofferson’s cigarette stained Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down.

Captured on her sophisticated Nashville By Carr, her version even earned the respect of the legendary Johnny Cash:

The perfect coda for a survivor’s despair, Carr’s subtly dramatic take would fit perfectly playing over the end titles of many a weary splatter fest.

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

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

Review: Evil Dead – The Musical

Published October 3, 2014 by biggayhorrorfan

Sometimes, I just get tired of fighting off those milk encrusted kitchen demons alone. (What I wouldn’t give for a good dagger infused mop or two, as well!) Luckily, I no longer have to attack these undead annoyances as a solo entity – for, at last, Ash is in town! Well, at least until October 12th!

Yes, Evil Dead – The Musical has finally landed with a huge body thudding splatter in Chicago and, for horror fans, Halloween has definitely come a bit early this year!

Lyricist and writer George Reinblatt’s immensely silly homage to the original Evil Dead series is full of winking nods to the Sam Raimi classics with plenty of goofy, fun hearted horror and sex comedy tropes of all varieties thrown in for good measure, as well. It’s definitely not a serious blast of terror, but it’s just about the most stress-free, joy inducing theatrical experience that lovers of fright are going to experience for awhile.

Plot-wise, as expected, Ash and crew head out to a mysterious cabin and after reading from a Book of the Dead, mayhem soon ensues. Everything is in place, here, from (sister) Cheryl’s rape by trees to her subsequent jailing in the rickety vacation home’s basement. Joined in the second act by characters from the similar Evil Dead 2, this production ends with blood flying in outrageous amounts across the front rows of the theater and the sticky, grinning audience members (from the premium rows) corralled out the side doors of the theater.

Obviously produced on a fairly modest budget, this production still delivers with plenty of stage magic. In particular, Ash’s severing of his hand is nicely effective and the emergence of (girlfriend) Linda’s talking head is creatively handled, as well.

Nicely, director Christopher Bond concentrates on characterization as well as hi-jinks with the talented performers. As Ash, David Sajewich charms with everyman bravado while Demi Zaino is an unrepentant delight as Cheryl. Callie Johnson, meanwhile, beams layers of personality into Shelly, a bouncy bimbo-type, and Annie, a take-charge, self important scholar.

Evil Dead – The Musical runs until October 12th, 2014 at the Broadway Playhouse in Chicago. Tickets can be purchased at http://www.theatreinchicago.com and http://www.broadwayinchicago.com.

Be sure to keep up with the production (and its various incarnations) at http://www.evildeadthemusical.com and https://www.facebook.com/pages/Evil-Dead-The-Musical.

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

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

Review: Snake With A Human Tail

Published October 1, 2014 by biggayhorrorfan

I can list off my favorite monsters for you, quickly: The Wolf Man, Godzilla and the Catholic Church.
Amendment: I kind of loathe the last one, actually.

Thankfully, doing what only the best of exploitation film can do, director-writer Spencer Gray explores the true insidious nature (and the hideous aftereffects) of perverted Catholicism with his attention grabbing short film Snake with a Human Tail. Mixing sharp social observation with gritty atmosphere, Gray shows that there is often no true escape from a corrupted childhood.

Opening on a therapy session with Father Fulci, the main character, the audience soon discovers the deep wells of this calm and collected clergyman’s sexual transgressions. A pedophile and erotic deviant, Fulci soon shows that his redemption is not soon at hand. But his love for a transgendered prostitute named Karma may ultimately be Fulci’s downfall. The nervy, confrontational Karma has a secret connection to Fulci’s past and things are about to be blown wide open!

Gray fills the screen, visually, with a 70s noir style while encouraging his cast to downplay the story’s outrageous factors with subtlety and restraint. Of course, there is bloodshed here, but the true violence centers around Fulci’s past crimes, an unforgiveable stain.

As Fulci, genre veteran Marv Blauvelt connects with a surprising languidness. While it would have been nice to see an actual transgendered actress in the role of Karma, Shari Davis ultimately earns respect (and sympathy) with her hard nailed vulnerability.

Snake with a Human Tail is, currently, playing the festival circuit. You can keep shedding along with it at:
https://www.facebook.com/snakewithahumantail

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

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

Film Jerks!!! Meet Sugar Hill!

Published September 29, 2014 by biggayhorrorfan

If a loaf of banana bread can put you into a coma then imagine what Sugar Hill and her zombie hordes could do to your corruptive, cheating, miserable spell casting ass!!! Whoa! Do I sound like one of Sabrina’s aunts from Afterlife with Archie, there?? Hope not!!

Anyhow, I recently joined up with the impressively dressed, totally well spoken Film Jerks!!! to discuss 1974 cult classic Sugar Hill. This fun entry stars the gorgeous, well legged Marki Bey – and if you don’t listen to us analyze her beauty and the zany flesh crawling righteousness of this drive-in epic – well, we just might have to feed you to the pigs! (Okay. Not really.)

You can download the entire (gasp!) podcast at:

http://astroradiozpodcast.wordpress.com/

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

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrofan

Music to Make Horror Movies By: The Panic Beats

Published September 28, 2014 by biggayhorrorfan

You are probably not being paranoid. That guy slinking behind you does…want you to listen to The Panic Beats! Dale VanThomme’s awesome horror-punk solo project boasts titles scrubbed from such classics as I Drink Your Blood, Hatchet for the Honeymoon and Nightmare City, all delivered with aggressively fun Ramones style zaniness.

Heck, even when his songs are populated with evisceration of the female form, VanThomme’s energy is so joyously tongue-in-cheek that no one should be too offended. And if they are – well, isn’t that just part of the fun?!?

https://www.facebook.com/thepanicbeats

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

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan