Review: The Tell Tale Heart

Published August 25, 2014 by biggayhorrorfan

I have a feeling a platoon of estrogen fueled ghosts are going to be paying writer-director Bart Mastronardi a visit soon. Whether it’ll be Bette Davis, Joan Bennett and Agnes Moorehead or some other golden age dream team is anyone’s guess. But goddess knows, many of those classic screen sirens have to be pissed that Mastronardi didn’t create Miss Lamarr, the faded Hollywood actress who, even in a supporting capacity, is one of the highlights of his version of The Tell Tale Heart, in their lifetimes.

Of course, the milkily doomed Lamarr is enacted with regal precision by Alan Rowe Kelly, a true student of those sassy broads. Therefore, he and Mastronardi establish a sense of gothic glamour throughout the entirety of the piece, one portion of the highly anticipated anthology film Tales of Poe.

As expected, as the story’s narrator and primary participant, legendary genre actress Debbie Rochon does an exemplary job. As a former nurse relating the violent origins of her arrival at a mental health asylum, Rochon glows with a crackled subtlety. It is one of her most nuanced performances in a career layered with passionate portrayals.

The true surprise here, though, is Lesleh Donaldson as Evelyn Dyck, one of asylum’s boldest patients. Donaldson, of course, is well loved for her pretty final girl/victim roles in slasher stalwarts like Happy Birthday to Me, Curtains and Funeral Home. Here, obviously relieved to be given something tangible to do, she attacks her role with comedic gusto. Never straining into parody, she nearly steals the show, revealing largely unseen skills in her (obviously) eclectic repertoire.

Mastronardi, himself, gives this whole outing the organdy visual flair of Corman’s earlier Poe efforts mixed with a dash of Hammer’s (more violent) latter years. The sheen of grizzly humor he supplies is also grand, making one truly curious about the final two efforts in this sure to be dazzling spectacle.

Be sure to keep the arteries flowing with Tales of Poe at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tales-of-Poe.

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

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Music to Make Horror Movies By: The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game (Tne Marvelettes)

Published August 24, 2014 by biggayhorrorfan

Somebody better lock these chicks up! This is filthy!

Indeed, The Marvelettes take on Smokey Robinson’s classic track The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game is full of menacing slink. In fact, Wanda Rogers’ seductive lead vocal would probably put some fear into even the most determined monster. And I don’t mean Motown maestro Berry Gordy (who, traditionally, robbed these amazing women of the majority of the group’s profits) – though, I suppose, ultimately, that wouldn’t be far off base!

Oh, well… For now, just listen and enjoy!

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

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Bad CGI Fridays: The Deadly Bees (1966)

Published August 22, 2014 by biggayhorrorfan

Fame sure packs a sting, sometimes!

Indeed, 1966’s truly fun The Deadly Bees takes pop star Vicki Robbins (the exquisite Suzanna Leigh from The Lost Continent and Lust for a Vampire) from fur stained Top of the Pops settings to the green and relaxing countryside. Of course, her restorative vacation is soon endangered when a mad scientist (disguised as a kindly neighbor) starts sending his killer bees on a variety of death filled errands.

Obviously filmed long before the prevalence of CGI, The Deadly Bees does contain tons of blatantly artificial effects work. The actors, here, are (often laughingly) covered with mighty mounds of superimposed bees during the attack scenes. In fact, rumor has it that these blanketing creatures were created by dunking coffee grounds in vats of water. Mrs. Folgers must be really pissed, huh!?!

But, while this vicious entry, directed by the iconic Freddie Francis, is considered by Amicus scholars to be one of that venerable studio’s weakest efforts, time seemingly has been kind to this buzzing creation. Quaint and charming, it is enlivened by it’s distinguished British performers and the vibrant Leigh. It is truly a pleasant throwback and, certainly, as one of the first killer bees films available, a cultural artifact, as well.

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

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From Corn to Cuts: Chatting with John Franklin and Tim Sulka

Published August 20, 2014 by biggayhorrorfan

Best known for his roles of Isaac in the original Children of the Corn and Cousin Itt in the popular Addams Family re-imaginings, John Franklin is also an accomplished writer. Along with his writing partner (and first cousin) Tim Sulka, Franklin created the script for Children of the Corn 666: Isaac’s Return, which proved to be a great success for Miramax-Dimension. Now, the two have recently released the first volume of their truly entertaining Sweeney Todd graphic novel reboot, Prime Cuts. Interestingly, the proudly out Franklin acknowledged, post-interview, that he would have gladly revealed his sexuality when plugging Addams Family in the 90s. He was just never asked. Thus, it was a true pleasure to speak with this talented maverick and the equally accomplished Sulka, as evidenced below.

BGHF: How do you two start your writing partnership?

John Franklin: We’re first cousins. We started doing it in high school. We wrote a couple plays for playwriting contests in high school and won first and second place.

Tim Sulka: Then when we were seniors we wrote a murder mystery musical which kind of launched our bigger writing career together. We really liked to work off each other and finish each other’s sentences. When I moved to LA, we started writing sitcom scripts and features. We kept a schedule, everyday, for many, many years.

BGHF: The voices do flow with Prime Cuts. I couldn’t tell who was writing what.

John: That’s nice! We’ve been writing together for a billion years. We do have different styles and we go back and forth and talk about things. But it all just works out fantastically, ultimately.

BGHF: So, how did Children of the Corn 666: Isaac’s Return come about?

John: Well, the original Children of the Corn came out in 1984. My agent was always saying do a sequel, you’re a writer! Finally, they did start making sequels. So, we decided to go in and pitch it. We found out that Miramax-Dimension had the rights. My acting manager had some connections and got us a meeting. We went in and they were like, “OK. We have no other ideas”! They did want to end it with number 6. They thought it was a perfect bookend. Isaac begins number one and ends number 6. So, they killed me off. But it made so much money for them that they cranked out 7 and 8.

Tim: It did really well overseas, too. We would get checks from German sales of Children of the Corn 666.

BGHF: So, what was the inspiration for Prime Cuts? Was it simply a love for Sweeney Todd?

Tim: There seemed to be a plethora of teen movies that were based on other material. We thought there must be a story that we can find that would put a spin on something, becoming a modern retelling. It came to us one day. What if we did a teen Sweeney Todd? No one had done that. We both were fans of the legend and it seemed like a really great idea. We had written Children of the Corn 666, so we wanted to continue in that genre. We wanted something dark, but we are naturally comedy writers. So, we wanted something funny, as well. The idea we had was to take a comedic twist on it. We wrote this, originally, as a screenplay. We took the idea of Sweeney Todd and flipped it around. Our young character became Todd Sweeney.

John: In the original Sweeney Todd, he’s a barber and he shaves people. So, we have our Todd Sweeney just getting out of cosmetology prison. He’s cutting hair and that’s what he’s brilliant at. Then he starts killing people to get revenge.

Tim: We put him in a world where everything was drying up. It’s a very dry, arid place. There’s no meat in the world, so you have to look to other sources to find it. That’s how the whole idea of cannibalism comes into play. It’s set in a strip mall with a pizza parlor next to the salon. The two forces combine and create a new kind of horror.

BGHF: It is darkly campy and I was just constantly surprised. It’s like a great blend of literature and John Waters.

Tim: We love John Waters absolutely!

BGHF: It’s a great amalgamation of all that.

Tim: We even thought he would be great to direct it! It would be a great John Waters film or someone like that. Whoever does it would really have to get the humor of it – and the look of it. I think Rob Gutman, the comic’s artist, really captures a new look to it. It’s not anime. It’s not Marvel comic style. It’s got its own look to it. It fits the tone of the piece. You find out in Volume 2 what the revenge is about and why he came back to his hometown of Pure Springs. There’s a certain barber who’s dealing drugs to all the soccer moms in town and he’s got his eyes set on him. There is some blood and gore in volume one, too.

BGHF: How many volumes are you planning?

John: I think Tim was saying that there will eventually be four. Volume one is the first twenty minutes or so of the screenplay. We’re going to keep on pumping them out and make them really look good.

BGHF: Awesome! To jump back to the acting a bit, John, you’ve done so much. Is there a project that you feel has been overlooked that you want to talk about?

John: (Chuckling) There’s a lot of them! There’s a movie I did with Richard Thomas and Beau Bridges called The Christmas Secret. It’s a wonderful Christmas story. I thought it would be a huge Christmas perennial. They don’t even offer it on DVD. I don’t know why. It’s a very bizarre thing. I, also, was in Tower of Terror with Steve Guttenberg. I thought that was going to be a huge thing. They’ve got the ride at Disneyland and Disney World. Granted, the movie still rents – but why it isn’t huge…I don’t know.

BGHF: I guess it’s an unknowable.

John: But, The Christmas Secret really surprises me. You look in the store at Christmas time, there’s The Christmas Shoe, The Christmas Gift – but no The Christmas Secret. It must be something legal. So, go to CBS.com, everyone, and demand The Christmas Secret on DVD!

BGHF: Alright, we’ll try to work some Big Gay Magic, baby!

John: Yeah!

BGHF: All kinds of magic!

John: The rainbow coalition!

BGHF: We’ll go totally Josephine Baker on them!

To find more about Prime Cuts and purchase details, please visit http://www.primecutsnovel.com.

You can, also, follow along at http://www.facebook.com/primecutsnovel and http://www.twitter.com/primecutsnovel, as well.

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

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

The Backside of Horror: Hell Baby (2013)

Published August 19, 2014 by biggayhorrorfan

This face says it all!!!

Let’s face it, half the fun of horror and exploitation is seeing some hot bodies frolicking around in the buff. And while I worship the female form, I believe exploitation definitely veers into the exploitive when only gorgeous women are on display while their male counterparts remain chastely buttoned up. Therefore, The Backside of Horror salutes the filmmakers and actors whom even up the score a bit by showing us instances of hot and juicy male flesh in their bloody celluloid fantasies.

On occasion a horror parody shows us that butts can be funny. 2013 gave us a frantic Marlon Wayons scrubbing his bus seat sitters in A Haunted House and a surprised Rob Corddry (as Jack) accidentally flashing a relative (during an aborted sexy shower scenario) in Hell Baby.

Hoping to ease the tensions of his estranged marriage (damn those satanic spawnings!), Corddry/Jack plans to get romantic with his fragile bride, post-cleaning. Of course, the (now sparkingly fresh) woman in question turns out to be his wife’s sexy hippy-dippy sister (Riki Lindhome), just arrived for a (supposedly helpful) visit. Awk-ward!

Better luck on another go round, Jack!

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

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Music to Make Horror Movies By: Slant 6

Published August 17, 2014 by biggayhorrorfan

Before the dirt was piled upon the dissonant grave created by (Washington D.C. based) female trio Slant 6, they quickly released an EP that asked the question What Kind of Monster Are You? and embodied un-deadly cover antics on their final (awesomely titled) recording Inzombia!

In existence for a mere three years (1992-1995), the amazingly creative Christina Billotte (now rumored to be a ceramics artist), the magnetic Myra Power and the ecstatic-ly limber Marge Marshall, ultimately, gave us spookily enhanced, unforgettable memories of sonic awesomeness.

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

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Bad CGI Fridays: John Carter of Mars (2012)

Published August 15, 2014 by biggayhorrorfan

Recycling cans = good! Recycling movies = ???

Filmed as Princess of Mars in 2009 to ride the Avatar wave, the (infamous) Asylum repurposed their flick in 2012 as John Carter of Mars to punch fists with the big budget action adventure, John Carter.

Both versions, of course, are filled with notorious cheap creature computer effects – and a lot of half naked Antonio Sabato, Jr.

Now, who said this was a bad movie???

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

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

Horror, She Wrote: Lynda Day George

Published August 13, 2014 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.

I swear I never hit Aunt Agnes over the head to steal her aging Southern beau! But, at least, I am not alone when being falsely accused.

Indeed, on My Johnny Lies Over the Ocean, a first season episode of Murder, She Wrote, the divinely scrumptious Lynda Day George finds all eyes on her as the series’ grand dame Jessica Fletcher (winningly acted by the legendary Angela Lansbury) wonders if her character, Diane Shelley, might be gas lighting her fragile niece on a rocking ship of horrors.

Of course, with roles in such films as Mortuary, Pieces, Beyond Evil, Day of the Animals and Ants, George is definitely one of the high priestesses of horror for certain generations. Here, as in most of those films, she is, once again, a victim of circumstance. Her quietly gracious Shelley is merely escaping a bad love affair hence her mysterious appearance as this boat’s latest purser.

Slightly reminiscent of Cruise into Terror, the 78 television film she starred in, George is joined on this outing by her Animals’ co-star Leslie Nielsen. As Jessica’s grieving charge, one of many relatives of the mystery loving maven that would be introduced over the years, actress Belinda J. Montgomery (best known to terror fiends for starring in sleazy 84 slasher Silent Madness) is on the receiving end of this story’s horror archetypes (shadowy attacks, ghostly callings and shaky pleas of sanity). She handles these chores with a liquid grace. Still, one wonders what would have occurred if she and George had switched places. Reimagining, anyone?

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

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Night Gallery Vamps: Lesley Ann Warren

Published August 12, 2014 by biggayhorrorfan

Naturally, Night Gallery Vamps explores the eternal magnificence of the amazing actresses who enlivened Rod Serling’s haunting anthology series Night Gallery (1969-1973).

While British actresses such as Ingrid Pitt and Eileen Daly have seemingly cornered the market on the sensuous vampire due to Hammer and its latter day ilk, luckily, lovely New York-born performer Lesley Ann Warren graced the small screen with Hyacinth, her truly erotic creature of the night, in the steamy 1973 episode of Night Gallery entitled Death on a Barge.

Languishingly lounging on a candle strewn barge, Warren’s unearthly creature soon earns the undivided attention of a small town clerk. His consistent nocturnal visits eventually make his girlfriend (played by Nightmare on Elm Street 3 & 4’s Brooke Bundy) curious. When her encounter with the fang bearing Hyacinth almost leaves her dead, she determines that her beau’s mysterious new obsession is, indeed, a vampire. Will a jealous co-worker and a possessive sweetheart soon mean the end of the gorgeous Hyacinth or vice versa?

This episode (written by Halsted Welles via Everill Worrell’s story and directed by Leonard Nimoy) definitely reinvents some of the bloodsucker rules. Hyacinth hasn’t fed for over a year and is watched over by her human father. Yet the gothic Tennessee Williams’ vibe that Nimoy indulges in here is enchanting and the fetching Warren, whose other genre appearances include the CW enhanced Teaching Mrs. Tingle and 2001’s very interesting Wolf Girl, glows within its tragic overtones. She is magnetic, frightening and sympathetic. It’s a bravura performance in (a mere) 22 minute teleplay.

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

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Music to Make Horror Movies By: (The Divine) Ronee Blakley!

Published August 10, 2014 by biggayhorrorfan

She’s conquered the horrors of Return to Salem’s Lot and gave Freddy the what-for (at least initially) in the iconic (original) A Nightmare on Elm Street. But, for those who have adored the acclaimed music of eclectic wonder Ronee Blakley, this probably came as no surprise.

Need a New Sun Rising from her beautifully realized recording Welcome is a poetically potent reminder of life’s beauty and an amazing hymn to determined survival. In fact, this layered masterpiece could serve as an empowering theme song for all the final girls who conquer the uncompromising horrors of many a slasher classic.

Be sure to revel in all Blakley has to offer at http://www.roneeblakley.com

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

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