"Rants & Ravings About Horror" - Week 18: “What Type of Monster Are You?”

Week 18: “What Type of Monster Are You?”

Last week I wrote about werewolf films which got me thinking about monsters and why we love them so much.  I don’t know about you but I love monster films.  Although my least favorite is the vampire, I enjoy watching a good vampire film and in fact, last year’s Only Lover’s Left Alive (2013) was at the top of my list for one of the best horror films of the year.  I absolutely love the Godzilla films (neither American version holds a candle to the Japanese films) and I’m a huge fan of Frankenstein’s monster.  I usually gravitate towards the misunderstood monster of which Frankenstein’s monster is top of the list followed by (of course) King Kong.  I also love zombie films but a zombie is at the bottom of the list of what monster I would want to be unless it was King Zombie from the Deadworld comics.  Being a zombie would be the least fun of all the monsters.

I want to take this week’s rant and go through some of my favorite monster s and why I would or wouldn’t want to be them.  As much as I would love to join the ranks of Frankenstein’s monster, I would hate always being chased by angry villagers and never having a Bride of my own (who would probably misunderstand me as well as everyone else).

Being immortal would be interesting but it could also be as boring an existence as Adam (Tom Hiddleston) in Only Lover’s Left Alive.  I would like to have an existence closer to the suave Jerry Dandridge from Fright Night (1985) rather than the blood thirty savages of 30 Days of Night (2007) or the forever teenage twinklers of the Twilight Saga.  I’d also hate to be a shut in like that of Count Orlock in Nosferatu (1922) but I think I would enjoy life on the road like the vampires in Near Dark (1987) and if I was stuck as a teen forever I guess I could handle being part of the gang of The Lost Boys (1987).  I would hate to be a relative of Dracula as him and his kin has too many enemies and a family feud with Van Helsing and his clan.  There are just as many good things about being a vampire as there is bad.

Being a zombie is pretty much out if you ask me.  There aren’t any cool zombies other than King Zombie and even the zombies in Warm Bodies (2013) wanted their humanity back.  No, life as a zombie is short lived especially in the world of The Walking Dead and I would hate to be someone’s pet like in Fido (2006) or Shaun of the Dead (2004).  I’m sure I’m more in the unlucky category and would slowly watch myself decay like in I, Zombie: The Chronicles of Pain (1998) or Contracted (2013) or Zombie Honeymoon (2004).  Being a zombie should be at the bottom of everyone’s list.

Being a giant monster also doesn’t leave you much room either.  Godzilla rarely had a moment’s peace even when he was exiled on Monster Island and King Kong couldn’t catch a break from anyone.  Being a giant mutated insect would seem cool at first but then the government would just come after you and annihilate you (and your family) like in Them! (1954) or Tarantula (1955) or Eight Legged Freaks (2002) but then again I’m sure I’d have lots of fun as a giant human like in Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958) or Honey, I Blew Up the Kid (1992), but then we’re getting further and further away from horror and more into sci-fi and fantasy.

I would love to be a werewolf!  Not the whole cursed kind like in The Wolf Man (1941) or Cursed (2005) or even An American Werewolf in London (1981) but more in line with the those wolves with control over their transformations like in The Howling (1981) or the werewolves of Underworld (2003) and Dog Soldiers (2002).  I also wouldn’t mind the whole turning into a wolf kind of werewolf like in Wolf (1994) or Blood & Chocolate (2007) or Wolfen (1981); I think that would be cool as well.  There are just so many different ways in which being a wolf could be beneficial unless it comes at the time of puberty like in Teen Wolf (1985) or Ginger Snaps (2000) then I could see it being both a curse and a blessing.

The toxic or mutated monster isn’t something to joke around with.  Sure I think The Toxic Avenger (1984) is cool but then who would want to be a C.H.U.D. (1984)?  Would you want to be a toxic zombie/creature like in Nightmare City (1980) or a Septic Man (2013)?  How about something more akin to David Cronenberg’s The Fly (1986)?  Not really something to behold unless it’s in your genetic makeup like The Fly II (1989) or a science experiment mixed with nature like Swamp Thing (1982) but not to the extreme of Man-Thing (2005).  

This now brings us to the group of monsters which is just about everything else like those featured in Clive Barker’s Nightbreed (1990).  This is a menagerie of monsters of all types from all over the world who have gathered together as one big family.  You have immortals, shape-shifters, amalgamations of all types and even a few dead monsters and God-like deities mixed in and Berserkers.  Midian is where the monsters live whether it is within a hidden labyrinth under a graveyard or somewhere else.  This is a place where all monsters are equal and safe.

Now, this is a small sampling of the many monsters that inhabit our world of dreams and nightmares and I see all monsters great or small as equal (even King Kong and Godzilla).  After examining all the choices I would still stick with being a werewolf (or any were-creature for that matter).  Transforming into an animal, which represents our primal self, allows us to be closer to nature and be one with our true selves and having that ability is ultimately what we strive for in our daily lives.  The werewolf just gives us a more natural way of expressing it (as does I guess being a Swamp Thing).  Being a vampire may be more glamorous but who wants to live forever?

What type of monster are you?

"Rants & Ravings About Horror" - Week 17: “Talking About Werewolf Films”

Week 17: “Talking About Werewolf Films”

I’m a huge fan of the werewolf film.  I always have been since I first saw The Howling (1981).  Sorry for those of you that prefer An American Werewolf in London (1981) but that film has nothing over this one.  For the most part, the traditional werewolf film played with theme of man’s primal urges come to the surface in our most animal form.  Uncontrollable.   Unknowable.  Unpredictable.  That’s what made the werewolf such a formidable foe especially in films where an innocent person is turned into the werewolf and s/he must spend the rest of the film in a battle against themselves.

I’d first like to take a look at the original werewolf in which a man (or woman) is cursed and must spend the rest of the film grappling with their inner demons.  The original Universal film The Wolf Man (1941) without a doubt is one of the best.  It’s 2010 remake The Wolfman (with Benicio Del Toro) was an impressive update on the story but relied too much on CGI.  The Curse of the Werewolf (1961) is one of my favorite Hammer Studios films and it’s a shame that a sequel was never made.  Wolf (1994) is one of the more prestigious werewolf films because of its amazing cast and direction and it never disappoints.  Ginger Snaps (2000) is probably one of the most famous in recent memory not only because it features horror-loving females as the main characters but it was smart and intelligent and something audiences had never seen before.  It was so popular that they produced two equally impressive sequels Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed (2004) and Ginger Snaps Back (2004) which took the same theme and applied it in new and different ways.  On a lesser note is the Wes Craven directed fiasco Cursed (2005) and the less said about that film the better.  I would like to mention the infamous An American Werewolf in Paris (1997) which is a personal guilty pleasure which I’m sure would’ve been better received if not for the early CGI werewolf transformations which are less than satisfactory but actors Julie Delpy and Tom Everett Scott do a marvelous job balancing the comedy with the action and horror.  I’m also a big fan of director Anthony Waller whose big budget break buried his career.

When it comes to werewolf films a lot of the times the main character is dropped into the world of the werewolf without knowing what is truly going on.  Dog Soldiers (2002) is probably one of the more recent popular ones but I’m also a fan Silver Bullitt (1985), Bad Moon (1996) and Wild Country (2005).  Many of The Howling films also delve into this like The Howling III: The Marsupials (1987) and The Howling V: The Rebirth (1989) and The Howling VI: The Freaks (1991).

Sometimes werewolves are not even werewolves but just plain old wolves such as Wolfen (1981) which is one of my all-time favorites so if you haven’t seen this film then I suggest you check it out.  There is also the tamer Ladyhawke (1985), Red Riding Hood (2011) and Blood & Chocolate (2007), the latter of which stars the always enjoyable Agnes Bruckner.  There are also the infamous Twilight Saga franchise of films which feature the larger than life wolves.  I may not enjoy the films but I have to admit that the CGI wolves got better with each subsequent films.

Now come the guilty pleasure werewolf films and films in which the werewolf doesn’t play a huge part.  I love the films where the werewolf doesn’t play a huge part like in The Monster Squad (1987) which has all the classic monsters of which the Wolf Man is just one.  This goes the same for Van Helsing (2004) in which only the Wolf Man and Frankenstein’s Monster were the only interesting characters.  I’m also a huge fan of the Underworld franchise but for the most part the werewolves were sidelined to the vampire characters, but this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t seek them out if you haven’t already seen them (there are currently four films in the franchise).  There is also the original Teen Wolf (1985), which was a ‘80s version of the Wolf Man as portrayed by Michael J. Fox in his prime as an actor.  It’s one not to miss.  The anthology film Trick ‘R Treat (2007) also had some amazing werewolves in it as does the entertainingly fun Waxwork (1988).  A film I wasn’t too fond of the werewolves but enjoy for entertainment value is Skinwalkers (2006).

There are tons of other werewolf films (and sequels) that I’ve not mentioned here mostly because I haven’t seen them all.  The more I come across, the more I realize I’ve yet to see so my list of films to watch continues to grow.  I hope that this list has a few gems you’ve not seen as well.  Werewolf films are not as glamorous as the vampire and zombie films so there will never be as many of those films but it is a genre that should be looked at from time to time.

UNIVERSAL HORROR AT 100 YEARS!

Everyone who is anyone who likes horror films will know that 2012 marks Universal Studios’ 100 year celebration.  For the past year the studio has been re-releasing some its most classic films both to DVD and BD and some for the very first time on either or both.  It has been a banner year for the studio and for horror fans in general as Universal Studios has been responsible for some of the most influential and classic horror films of any other studio in history.  They got their first renaissance in the ‘20s and ‘30s with the original Classic Monster films (i.e. their version of Dracula, the mummy, invisible man, Frankenstein’s monster, etc.) and moved into more mainstream films such as Jaws, the Child’s Play franchise, Jurassic Park, An American Werewolf in London, and many many more.  With their recent remake of the classic Wolf Man (2010) and the prequel to John Carpenter’s The Thing (2011) and an all new version of The Mummy on the horizon there does not seem to be any plans of the studio not continuing to bring audiences more horror films for years to come.  

I’ve decided to stop and take a look at some of my favorite Universal Studios horror films.  Now this list will in no way touch upon all of the contributions that the studio has made to the genre but I wanted to pick a few from each decade to show you how far the studio has come and where it might go in the future.

The ‘20s & ‘30s.

The ‘20s and the ‘30s were the decades in which the studio excelled at producing horror films.  Many of the films from this decade are now classics and continue to entertain audiences even to this day.  Some of my favorites are The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) and The Phantom of the Opera (1925) both of which have been remade countless times but these two continue to be the quintessential example of the classic Universal Studio horror film.  Also included in this bunch are Dracula (1931), Frankenstein (1931), The Bride of Frankenstein (1935), The Mummy (1932), and The Old Dark House (1932) all of which are at the top of my list for best Universal horror film.  The ‘20s and ‘30s were a time when the horror film was first being discovered and Universal was throwing everything at audiences to see what worked so these two decades marked a growth in the genre.  There are tons more films the studio produced during these two decades but these are my favorites that I continue to go back to time and time again.

The ‘40s & ‘50s.

The ‘40s was a decade that was filled with sequels to past successes as well as remakes such as The Wolf Man (1941) and The Phantom of the Opera (1943), which are among my favorites.  I’m a huge fan of the Phantom of the Opera story so I always look forward to another adaptation of the classic novel.

The ‘50s brought to audiences The Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) and the science fiction horrors of Tarantula (1955) and The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957).  In this decade what terrified audiences wasn’t storybook monsters but science and the unknown and so Universal’s  horror film output shifted to science fiction horror and fears of the atom bomb made most famous from the Japanese import Gojira (aka Godzilla 1954).  This would shift the focus of Universal’s “need” and “want” for horror over the next couple decades.

The ‘60s & ‘70s.

I must say that these decades represent the decline of horror at Universal Studios as the company shifted its focus to more real life horror or films that few would even consider true horror films.  The most notable exception would be the summer blockbuster that is Jaws (1975) which was a huge cash cow for the studio (and for which generated 3 subsequent sequels).  Some people who don’t like horror films deny that this is one (simply so they don’t have to admit they like a horror film) and thus horror films became taboo during this period in the studio’s history.  The studio did continue to delve into fantasy films in a big way such as Battlestar Galactica (1978) (because of the success of Star Wars) but that’s for another article at another time.

The ‘80s & ‘90s.

Universal would step back into the horror genre full force not only because horror films began to be popular with mainstream audiences but also because of home video and the straight to video boom on the ‘90s.  Universal would produce and distribute tons of horror films original, sequels, or simple acquisitions.  The success of An American Werewolf in London (1981) helped change the face of the modern horror film by putting humor in it (which is not to be confused with making funny horror films like the Albert & Costello Meet franchise of films) while still taking the film seriously.  They also perfected the nihilistic horror film with John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982) and the dark fantasy film with Legend (1985).  Universal was at the top of its game once again.  The ‘90s brought action to the Universal horror film with Darkman (1990), Army of Darkness (1992), Jurassic Park (1993), and The Mummy (1999) and led the studio to one of its most profitable decades (when you add in all the revenue from the straight to video films where many of their films grew bigger audiences).

The ‘00s & ‘10s.

Let’s just say that the 21^st century of horror has been dominated by the gore film and the funny horror film of which the later is where the Universal films lay the most.  With Shaun of the Dead (2004), Drag Me To Hell (2009), and Wolf Man (2010) the studio relies on some biting humor in their films with a mean streak of gore.  Horror films have also been dominated by a younger audience which strives for these conventions which is why tastes have shifted so often and so fast.

The Wrap-up.

Universal Studios has had a varied and wonderful 100 years and brought audiences all types of films to both enjoy and cherish.  Some of these films have transcended generations and newer generations discover the older films every day.  This is a testament to the growing influence that their films have had and will continue to have for generations to come.  I suggest that if you’ve never heard of or seen some of the films mentioned in this article that you try and seek them out.  These are some of my all time favorites that should be added to any horror fans collection.

Graphic Novel Review: THE CRYPTICS

I’ve read many of writer Steve Niles’ stories and graphic novels (and comics) the most famous and influential being the original 30 Days of Night, which ushered in a new age of horror comics that flourish to this day.  Niles’ The Cryptics graphic novel is no 30 Days of Night and for die-hard fans of his material this oddity will barely even register (especially among many of his other works).

The Cryptics is the misadventures of the offspring of some of Hollywood’s classic monster films.  Present and accounted for are the sons of Dracula, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, the Wolf Man, Dr. Jeckel & Mr. Hyde and even Van Helsing’s son shows up.  This is an anthology of short stories and comic strips (many average only a few pages long) and detail the misadventures of all the characters who call themselves friends.

The stories are meant to be funny but the comedy is inconsistent.  There are some truly outrageous episodes such as “Gone Fishing” and “Mirror Mirror” (where the son of Dracula realizes he doesn’t cast a reflection) but my favorite is “To Heck and Back” (where the Wolf Man’s son is accidentally sent to hell before his time).  The stories work better when confined to only one to three pages as they read like a Sunday comic strip but the longer stories are a mixed bag.

The one element of the graphic novel as a whole that does work is the fact that Niles succeeds in presenting all the characters as three dimensional characters (something he doesn’t always succeed with in his longer works).  Over the course of both the smaller and longer pieces you get a sense that these characters are experiencing life and childhood just like you or I would have.  Herein, lies Niles’ true success with the series.  He is able to channel the classic monsters that we all grew up with and remember (or at least I do) and meld them with our childhood memories (or how we think we remember them) but to more unusual and comedic results.  They get to have misadventures while fishing, meeting Reapers, playing guns in the yard, having pop quiz at school, having a nightmare and many other adventures that go with growing up.

Niles has worked with many artists over the years but on this series he brings along Benjamin Roman (who also writes a few of the stories as well).  His illustrations perfectly contribute to the off-beat nature of the characters and the series as a whole.  Roman also contributes colors for several of the stories as well.

The Cryptics may be a mixed bag of goodies but there is no denying that Niles can write the funny books just as well as he does the horror and guts books and it reminds audiences and readers that he is a true connoisseur of the classics and can make them relevant to this day and age.