Book Review: GHOULS, GIMMICKS, AND GOLD: Horror Films and the American Movie Business, 1953-1968 by Kevin Heffernan

Horror is one of the most vital genres in film as it has influenced and changed the way audiences look at themselves, culture, and the history of film itself.  In Kevin Hefferman’s book Ghouls, Gimmicks, and Gold: Horror Films and the American Movie Business, 1953-1968, Hefferman examines the business of horror from ’53 (the beginning of the 3-D cycle of films) to ’68 (the release of George A. Romero’s nihilistic Night of the Living Dead and the birth of adult horror). 

Hefferman breaks up his book in chapters specific to an era of film that not only changed the business of the genre but also made a cultural impact on audiences.  In the opening chapter “Horror in Three Dimensions” he delves into how the success of House of Wax and Creature from the Black Lagoon (among others) altered the business during the first 3-D boom.  In the chapter “The Color of Blood” the success of Hammer Films is examined which added luscious color and sex to the gothic horror film adding new life to a genre that was slowly in a downward spiral.  Hefferman also goes into AIP’s Poe adaptations with Vincent Price (“A Sissified Bela Lugosi”), the impact of grind house and art films (“Grind House or Art House?”), the impact of television on the industry and business (“Television Syndication and the Birth of the ‘Orphans’”), and several others culminating with the release of Night of the Living Dead and how it changed the industry (“Family Monsters and the Urban Matinees”).

Heffernan’s book is not one that recycles reviews and critics of any of the films discussed but rather goes into detail on how these films impacted the industry and signaled a shift and change in the way not only audiences but filmmakers saw the industry and genre.  The ‘50s and ‘60s saw such a diverse array of films being released that the reasons for the many shifts has always fascinated and confounded the industry and Heffernan does a great job of breaking it down here (at least in terms of the American movie business). 

The people that will get the most from this book are those who want to know why and how the horror film endured through so many changes in the ‘50s and ‘60s but even the casual horror fan will enjoy Hefferman’s non-academic style which makes everything more accessible to the casual reader (it could have been real easy for a book such as this to become too academic).

“Zombie Atrocities”

Many of you are aware that I’m a member of the Blank Stage Screenwriter’s Group (based out of Roswell, GA).  As a member of the screenwriter’s group I get the chance to listen to and read from some very interesting screenwriters  and help them critique and analyze the good and bad points of their work.  On occasion I get to present some of my own as I’ve most recently done with my Night of the Living Dead fan-film script NOTLD: Parallel Lives, an anthology of stories about the characters from the original George A. Romero ’68 film. 

What was most shocking about the night I presented my screenplay was that over 70% of the group members had neither seen nor heard of one of the most iconic horror films in history.  This wouldn’t have been as surprising if I was in a group of non-filmmakers and writers but this is a travesty to behold.  It is my belief that in order to be a good screenwriter (or any writer in general) that you study the classics and are aware of the iconic stories in order to better immolate them.

If you want to write better films you study the best – Casablanca, The Godfather, The Exorcist, Rocky, Gone With the Wind, The Searchers, etc   You don’t have to have studied and read the screenplay but you should have at least seen such films as Cinema Paradiso, The Seven samurai, 8 ½, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, Jaws, Star Wars, Blade Runner, and most certainly Night of the Living Dead.

Why Night of the Living Dead you ask?

Night of the Living Dead (1968) was a film that changed the face of horror films of the ‘60s and redefined the term “zombie” while also commenting on the state of the United States post-Vietnam war era.  It had an African American as the star (hitherto unheard of) and was uncompromising in its gore (for the time).  It has since been held as one of the greatest horror films of all time alongside The Exorcist and Rosemary’s Baby and Jaws and continues to influence the horror genre and filmmakers even today while still being held as the Godfather of the zombie genre.  It’s not just a great horror film but a cinematique masterpiece.

So, in my opinion it was an utter travesty to hear that many of my fellow screenwriters had neither seen nor heard of the film.  In order to be a better screenwriter and filmmaker I’ve watched some of the best films from all over the world from Bergman to Kurosawa to those of Howard Hawks, Dario Argento, and Samuel Fuller.  I’ve studied the films of Woody Allen, Spike Lee, Mario Bava, Bernardo Bertolucci and Stanley Kubrick; the films of Steven Spielberg, John Carpenter, Martin Scorsese, Walt Disney, Lina Riefenstahl, Seigi Eisenstein, and William Friedkin.

Romero took his inspiration for NOTLD from Richard Matheson’s novel I Am Legend.  He took a classic novel as an influence for his own apocalyptic tale.  Just like he borrowed from an iconic novelist we should take inspiration from the best that cinema (and novelist) has to offer.  As a screenwriter I cannot stress this enough.  I watch (or at least plan on watching) as many classic films that I can in order to better write captivating stories and films.  Like Romero I also read a lot of different materials from novels to graphic novels to news articles for inspiration.  I read a lot of different materials in order to get a better understanding of story structure, style, genre, and execution, among many other things.

It is my hope not only as a filmmaker but as a writer that I can write material at the caliber of the people I admire and stories I know have resonated with audiences in the past.  It is my hope that other aspiring writers and filmmakers (and all artists in general) look to the past not only for inspiration but also to see what came before in order to see where we are heading and can go.  Today NOTLD, tomorrow the world.

Graphic Novel Review: GODZILLA: AWAKENING

It has become a standard in the comic book industry that with every major Hollywood film release there is a comic book adaptation, sequel or prequel to the film to enhance audience’s experience beyond that of the film.  Godzilla: Awakening is one of these original graphic novels that are a prequel to the Legendary Pictures/Warner Bros. film. 

Written by Max Borenstein and Greg Borenstein with pencilers Eric Vattle, Yvel Guichet, and Alan Quah this story takes place years before the events depicted in the film so you don’t have to have seen the film in order to enjoy this story.  This is the beginning of the story as we start back in 1980 Japan when Serizawa begins a story to his son Ishiro that will forever change everyone.  Serizawa was there in ’45 when the bomb struck Hiroshima releasing monsters into the world for the very first time.  These monsters would continue to follow and haunt Serizawa throughout his life even as his son grows up to see how obsessed his father has become.

The story follows Serizawa through several key incidents that will eventually lead him to discover the existence of Godzilla and the Mutos (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organisms) which will determine the course of the rest of his life.  The older Serizawa who started the story is trying to tell Ishiro how he became who he is by telling him how his life was ultimately changed by giant monsters, which will then effect the course of his son’s life as well.

This book works as the origin to the film’s Dr. Ishiro Serizawa (played by Ken Wantanabe) who is the grown up son of the Serizawa in this graphic novel.  If you’ve seen the film then you know that the watch that Ishiro carries around with him is the one depicted in this story and that it plays a huge part in how this character has developed since discovering the existence of Godzilla and the Mutos.

Despite being a prequel to the film there is enough Godzilla action to keep the Godzilla fans happy.  Interesting, that this story has nothing to do with the various Godzilla series from IDW Publishing which continue to keep the character relevant despite the lack of any new films until now.  This story is not as action packed and monster filled as the IDW series’ but it does still give it a run for the money and that’s what will ultimately appeal to Godzilla film and comic book fans.

Graphic Novel: NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD by Stephen A. Dymarcik II

There will be no end to the raping of George A. Romero’s classic film Night of the Living Dead (1968).  Because of a snafu with the copyright the film entered into public domain and every once in a while someone will come up with a new way to earn money from Romero and company’s hard work.  This is the case with the newest graphic novel based on Romero’s film simply titled Night of the Living Dead by Stephen A. Dymarcik II from Qualmdown Comics.  I can’t say that I’ve heard of either Qualmdown Comics or Dymarcik but they do a great job of ripping off the ’68 Romero film. 

The book uses whole stills from the film as a jumping off mark for the illustrations which mimic the artistry of rotoscoped films.  It’s like a shot-for-shot representation of the film and where there are a couple of deviations from the film they are minor and incidental (but it gives the impression that some thought went into the book although I doubt there really ever was).

Considering that both original creators of the film John Russo and Romero have sanctioned their own officially licensed version of the film (and many sequels) there really was no need for another one especially one that simply regurgitates the screen shots from the film.

I will say there is only one true highlight of the book which is the sound FX which Dymarcik brings to life on the page like those seen in the old ‘60s Batman television series.  It’s cheesy but then again so is this book.  There is no real reason to check out this book unless you’re curious or just a die-hard Romero fan like me (and you don’t mind wasting a fee hard earned bucks).

Book Review: KILLER KAIJU MONSTERS: STRANGE BEASTS OF JAPANESE FILM Edited by Ivan Vartanian

Giant monsters have always been a huge draw for horror fans and especially young audiences.  Most of our early association with giant monsters is with the numerous Godzilla films and even Mighty Morphing Power Rangers or Ultraman.  Ivan Vartanian has taken our love of the giant monster (and more specifically the Japanese giant monster) and crafted the book Killer Kaiju Monsters: Strange Beasts of Japanese Film.  Although not a complete and comprehensive guide to Japanese monsters it does give readers a quick overview of some of the most popular starting with the Big G himself – Godzilla. 

Each monster in the book is accompanied with stills from the films that they were featured in as well as a filmography of those films (for the completest that needs to see all the films their favorite giant monster may have appeared in).  You can’t understand what Japanese giant monster films are unless you understand the term “kaiju” and Vartanian does a great job explaining to the casual viewer what a kaiju is and what it meant in the original Japanese giant monster films.  In fact, Vartanian also delves into character design and presents cross sections of kaiju in addition to illustrations and various forms of artwork that has been inspired by the kaiju.  

A real highlight of the book is the look at soft-vinyl figure collecting and the plethora of pictures showcasing the various figures created over the years.  There is even a paper craft kaiju in the book that allows you to put together your own “little” giant monster.  One of the highlights for me was the Japanese illustrated comic at the end depicting kaiju against yokai (spirits and paranormal world creatures) in order to dramatize the thematic and stylistic differences between the two types of characters.  Despite being exclusively in Japanese I can plainly understand what is going on due to the illustrations.

As I mentioned before this is in no way a comprehensive book as it really only focuses on Godzilla and his rogue’s gallery of monsters with a small mention of Gamera.  I could’ve gone for a longer book that had more info on many more overlooked kaiju but this is a great starting on point for those wanting to know more as this is the basics.