I adore everything creepy! I'm a lifelong, dyed-in-the-wool horror film enthusiast (surprising to some who've known me considering what a shrinking violet I appear to be), and this gravitation towards all things macabre really came on with a vengeance after the kids grew up and left home. In other words: I could've been the star of Tod Browning's GEEKS (instead of FREAKS) where my maniacal devotion to the horror universe is concerned. (Geek in the Pop Culture sense, of course. I generally do my best to avoid biting the heads off of chickens.) In my off time, I also delight in tinkering around with the digital art medium. Then there are the fake / gag photos I generate: "McFakeys" my friend, Jon & I call them... Perhaps you can't face another dreary day without securing a fabulously fictitious photo of yourself partying and posing with a couple really hot Creepy Girls? Or how about a perfectly splendid bogus snapshot of YOU standing next to your favorite flute-twirling, fish-farming, follicle-challenged rock star? Or wouldn't it be hugely amusing to see exactly what you'd look like as a member of the latest broodingly suave gothic rock duo? While this might seem like an incredibly silly pastime, it also happens to be lots of fun!... When I'm not tinkering with computer graphics projects (I borrow & manipulate images from various sources, tweak, twist & modify them to create pieces of my own -- the spookier, the better), I spend whatever free time I can find contriving various audio projects (my new Audacity program is a bloody wonder) or video projects (I seemingly never get enough of making creepy music videos on my Windows Movie Maker program) on my trusty "dark as a moonless night" desktop.
This is rather a terrifying step for so shy a person to take. I suppose people of similar interests would be a good start. ..
No, what follows is NOT one of my cleverly faked photos. One couldn't possibly fake the awe-inspiring "geek factor" in this snapshot from Halloween parties past... I'm a freakin' mutant where music is concerned. I like what would be considered old stuff: DAVID BOWIE (a glimmering inspiration for countless artists), PETER GABRIEL, LEONARD COHEN, the king of all musically eclectic underground bands: JETHRO TULL (headed by flamboyant flutist, IAN ANDERSON), TOM WAITS, RICHARD THOMPSON, JOY DIVISION, BAUHAUS, or oldish stuff: R.E.M., THE CURE (headed by guitarist, ROBERT SMITH... I'll always love 'em, they're the best!), SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES, PETER MURPHY, NICK CAVE, SISTERS OF MERCY, SMASHING PUMPKINS, CONCRETE BLONDE, DEAD CAN DANCE, NIRVANA, PEARL JAM, SWITCHBLADE SYMPHONY, PORTISHEAD, THE CRANBERRIES, TORI AMOS, LOREENA MCKENNITT, SARAH MCLACHLAN. And it often seems that the things which are newer to me aren't new-comers of the year either: EVANESCENCE, INKUBUS SUKKUBUS, SERAPHIM SHOCK, TYPE O NEGATIVE. Oh well, I guess that's all fairly old stuff. Still, I try to remain open to new things (whenever they happen to come dropping out of the sky to clunk me on my head). The overall list runs from traditional & contemporary Celtic material (I love DOUGIE MACLEAN, CLANNAD, SILLY WIZARD, JUNE TABOR, among others.), through to what's disparagingly referred to as Classic & Progressive Rock, to Alternative, to Grunge, to Goth (CRANES, THE PIXIES, ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN, THE JESUS & MARY CHAIN, RADIOHEAD, THE MISSION U.K., CHRISTIAN DEATH, CORPUS DELECTI, ARDENT SLEEP, MERIDIAN, THE NEW CREATURES, BELL BOOK & CANDLE, EX-VOTO, DEEP RED, THE SHROUD, BLACK TAPE FOR A BLUE GIRL, THEATRE OF TRAGEDY, GIRLS UNDER GLASS, DREADFUL SHADOWS, SEX GANG, CURVE, LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT, MOONSPELL, THE CRUXSHADOWS, BURNT WEEPING EYES, GALLOWS HUMOR) and beyond. They're all just labels, aren't they? The greatest thing is in the discovery of an artist / performer whom miraculously succeeds in transcending labels. (Ooo, how subversive. Way to stick it to "The Man". I love it!) I also like searching the web for lesser-known regional artists, people that don't have the whole corporate music ball 'n' chain around their ankles. Not yet anyway, but of course, even musicians have to eat.
I don't limit myself strictly to horror films (though there are some who would say that's not true), but the fact remains: it does comprise the larger part of my home video collection. Within that genre, I'm of the belief that the very best resides somewhere between James Whale's BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN and EVIL DEAD 2: DEAD BY DAWN. Best loved silent films include NOSFERATU, PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, THE CAT AND THE CANARY. Enduring favorites from Hollywood's Golden Age include: Tod Browning's DRACULA, the simultaneously produced Spanish language DRACULA, FRANKENSTEIN, WHITE ZOMBIE, DOCTOR X, THE OLD DARK HOUSE, ISLAND OF LOST SOULS, MYSTERY OF THE WAX MUSEUM, MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE, THE INVISIBLE MAN, THE MUMMY, THE GHOUL (Once thought to have been a lost film, a pristine print miraculously emerged in the mid-1990s. It features an impressive British cast for a so-called "back from the dead" tale, and I regard it as quite a creepy old treasure -- despite Karloff's lumbering mutely around throughout most of it, and the awkward paranormal disclaimer at the end.), THE BLACK CAT, THE RAVEN, MARK OF THE VAMPIRE, MAD LOVE, WEREWOLF OF LONDON, THE BLACK ROOM, THE INVISIBLE RAY, DRACULA'S DAUGHTER, THE WALKING DEAD, THE INVISIBLE MAN RETURNS, TOWER OF LONDON, SON OF FRANKENSTEIN, HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES, NIGHT MUST FALL, and the Charles Laughton version of THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME. And one really can't reminisce about that enthralling wave of horror films during the '30s without singling out two giants of the genre. I'm massively fond of Boris Karloff & Bela Lugosi, having grown up watching their classic films on TV's spooky cinema showcases. Then came the 1940s, a second wave of chills in THE WOLF MAN, THE UNDYING MONSTER, SON OF DRACULA, GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN, THE LODGER, THE BEAST WITH 5 FINGERS, THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY, FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN, RETURN OF THE VAMPIRE, HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN, SHE-WOLF OF LONDON, HOUSE OF DRACULA, and the distinctively atmospheric films of Val Lewton: I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE, CAT PEOPLE, THE SEVENTH VICTIM, CURSE OF THE CAT PEOPLE, THE BODY SNATCHER, ISLE OF THE DEAD & BEDLAM. (The latter 3 starred Boris Karloff in his finest portrayals of that decade.) Vincent Price is a sentimental fav, too, and I've gone full-tilt in gathering up all of his films thus far available on DVD. A huge favorite is his first-ever haunted house film from the mid-1940s, DRAGONWYCK. I grew up watching such stalwart classics as HOUSE OF WAX, THE BAT, HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL, THE FLY, THE LAST MAN ON EARTH, TALES OF TERROR, TWICE TOLD TALES, PIT AND THE PENDULUM, THE HAUNTED PALACE, MASTER OF THE WORLD, WAR-GODS OF THE DEEP, THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES, along with Price's countless guest appearances on various TV shows. (After I came of age, I made a concerted effort to fill in the blanks where his filmography was concerned, seeing most of the various movies which I had missed out on for whatever reason. FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER & TOMB OF LIGEIA are my top favorites of Roger Corman's Poe series.) And Vincent's 1970 made-for-TV AN EVENING OF EDGAR ALLAN POE is truly essential viewing, and the best thing he ever did in the way of Poe. All these years later, after so many of the major stars of horror's vintage cycles have passed away, I remain grateful that producers had the wisdom to pair up some of those legendary actors in the same films, such as combining Vincent Price with John Carradine, Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee in movies like THE OBLONG BOX, MADHOUSE, THE MONSTER CLUB, SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN & HOUSE OF LONG SHADOWS. I reserve a special place in my heart for the work of Christopher Lee & Peter Cushing -- without doubt, a highly esteemed horror duo for the ages. They co-starred many times in many memorable films, HORROR OF DRACULA, HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES (the 1st Technicolor version of the classic Sherlock Holmes tale) & HORROR EXPRESS standing out in my mind as a few of the most dynamic occasions. I enjoy many of the Hammer films: CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN, RETURN OF FRANKENSTEIN, my own personal choice for best werewolf movie ever made, CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF, PARANOIAC, NIGHT CREATURES, NIGHTMARE, BRIDES OF DRACULA, EVIL OF FRANKENSTEIN, DRACULA: PRINCE OF DARKNESS, THE GORGON, FRANKENSTEIN CREATED WOMAN, CAPTAIN KRONOS: VAMPIRE HUNTER, THE VAMPIRE LOVERS, COUNTESS DRACULA, FRANKENSTEIN & THE MONSTER FROM HELL, STRAIGHT ON TILL MORNING, and many others. (I've had to play catch up in an effort to acquire the ones I wasn't permitted to watch as a boy. I'm still at it, too. That glorious 8 film box set Universal finally put out was a real windfall of treasures!) I'm quite keen on many of those fright flicks from Amicus, too: DR. TERROR'S HOUSE OF HORROR, THE SKULL (Yes, I know, the skull isn't really floating, you can see the wires!), THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD, FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE, TALES FROM THE CRYPT, ASYLUM, MONSTER CLUB (despite the incredibly silly parts). In addition, I'm a great admirer of Mario Bava's work, especially those in the Italian Gothic tradition: BLACK SUNDAY (a.k.a. THE MASK OF SATAN), BLACK SABBATH (a.k.a. THREE FACES OF FEAR), KILL BABY KILL, THE WHIP AND THE BODY, BARON BLOOD, LISA AND THE DEVIL. Barbara Steele followed up her star-making role in BLACK SUNDAY with some memorable Euro tales of terror, most notably CASTLE OF BLOOD (a.k.a. DANSE MACABRE), NIGHTMARE CASTLE (a.k.a. THE FACELESS MONSTER), THE HORRIBLE DR. HICHCOCK, and it's sequel THE GHOST, TERROR CREATURES FROM THE GRAVE. On the topic of Dario Argento, most everybody naturally tends to reference SUSPIRIA as the touchstone of the Argento filmography (a more distinctively terrifying film has never been seen by my eyes, though apart from that, I stopped trying to make any real sense of it a long time ago), but my own personal favorite of Argento's theatrical works is TENEBRAE. Another brilliant bit of stand-out filmmaking was Michele Soavi's CEMETERY MAN. (There was some talk of doing an American remake some years ago, to which I say: "Why bother? The original is perfect, leave it alone!") Ever since Bela Lugosi left his memorable mark on the role of Count Dracula, it has certainly been more than slightly intimidating for other actors to take up the character. With that being said, John Carradine, Christopher Lee, Jack Palance, Louis Jordan, Frank Langella, Gary Oldman & Richard Roxburgh have all succeeded very cleverly (even brilliantly in some cases) in bringing their own distinctive interpretations to the part. Therefore, in the Pop Culture sense, I believe there's no doubt whatsoever that Dracula truly is and shall always remain immortal. I love EDWARD SCISSORHANDS. (But then, who doesn't?) I feel that Tim Burton ought to be dubbed "A National Treasure", then given unlimited amounts of money to make the kinds of films he genuinely wishes to make -- as opposed to those which the studios talk him into making. Even so, anything he does is more than worthy of seeing, owning, appreciating. Without a doubt, the semi-factual bio pic ED WOOD is Burton's greatest work to date, and Martin Landau richly deserves endless praise for his sensitive, non-stereotypical portrayal of the elderly Bela Lugosi. And another feather in Burton's artistic hat is the fact that he had the good sense to recognize (years before most other Hollywood feature film bigwigs did) exactly what an amazingly gifted and versatile actor Johnny Depp is. Furthermore, THE CROW had a lasting impact on me, enormously tragic on levels both real and imagined, profoundly sad but beautiful. Clive Barker? I'm the proud owner of NIGHTBREED, LORD OF ILLUSIONS & HELLRAISER 1, 2, 4 & 6. (And I know exactly when to cover my eyes.) A toast: "To a new world of Gods and Monsters!" Bill Condon's GODS AND MONSTERS is an utter masterpiece, an eternal favorite of mine, recounting by way of a partially fictional framework the life and death of acclaimed stage & screen director, James Whale. Some movies have a way of becoming a part of your own soul. This film has without doubt become part of mine. SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE had similar promise, featuring flawless performances by John Malkovich & Willem Dafoe, but ended up falling short in other areas. (It seems as though there are scenes missing in the overall story progression, or that's how it struck me.) In the realm of unholy nightmares walking the earth, Stan Winston's original PUMPKINHEAD and Victor Salva's two JEEPERS CREEPERS films gave us a pair of brilliantly conceived contemporary monsters, which served to make the likes of "Jason" & "Michael Myers" appear tediously pedestrian by comparison. (I'll spot John Carpenter the first HALLOWEEN film, since he truly made magic out of next to nothing on that one. But where the FRIDAY THE 13TH series is concerned, check out the film which inspired it: Mario Bava's TWITCH OF THE DEATH NERVE... "Okay, shut up, Steve!") In my humble opinion, Brinke Stevens & Debbie Rochon rule in the realm of low-budget horror, each having graced an impressive array of both straight fright flicks and comedy / parody films throughout their respective filmographies. I'm particularly fond of Debbie & Brinke's WITCHOUSE 3: DEMON FIRE collaboration, which was made on more of a shoe-string budget than you might imagine, but succeeded quite well in manufacturing a dangerously sinister atmosphere amid surroundings which might otherwise have been regarded as fairly drab and mundane. Props go out to director J.R. Bookwalter (THE DEAD NEXT DOOR) for his resourcefulness and creativity. Speaking of the Full Moon Pictures universe, I'd be horrendously remiss if I didn't make mention of what became my favorite vampire feature film series of all time (with apologies to the immortal Count Dracula), SUBSPECIES 1, 2, 3 & 4. I'm just sorry that persistently rumored intensions to produced a 5th film in the on-going saga (said to have been a prequel) had to be abandoned due to a rash of production delays, the illness of a primary cast member, and the eventual disbanding of Full Moon Productions. Such a shame, but at least writer / director Ted Nicolaou was able to create four truly stellar vampire tales (five, if you count the equally excellent SUBSPECIES spin-off project, THE VAMPIRE JOURNALS). While Sam Raimi's EVIL DEAD trilogy is an absolute must-have (And that should really go without saying, don't you think?), BUBBA HO-TEP served as an excellent Bruce Campbell showcase, both crowd-pleasingly humorous & unexpectedly poignant. Japanese horror films have really been busting loose in recent years, very-very dynamic, fresh & exciting. I loved the original versions of THE GRUDGE & DARK WATER (both are superior to their American counterparts in various ways, but the U.S. versions are still worthwhile), KOMA & VITAL (spellbinding and poetically macabre), and 3 EXTREMES is an excellent anthology (although personally, I tend to favor the first & third of the tales). I expect there's a lot I haven't seen as yet, and I'm always open to viewing other works in this exhilarating new wave in Asian cinema. I'm very keen on the two UNDERWORLD films, with a third likely in the offing (further elaborations on the classic vampire / werewolf feud), and of course, Kate Beckinsale isn't hard to gaze longingly upon either. For that matter, I thought VAN HELSING was fun, even though genre purists tend to bash it -- I embrace it! Guillermo Del Toro's THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE is perhaps the best ghost story ever put on film, or it's certainly in a league with the other greats: THE UNINVITED, THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR, Robert Wise's THE HAUNTING, THE INNOCENTS, THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE (the previous two being a pair of first-rate haunted house tales produced many years apart, featuring Pamela Franklin), THE CHANGELING & THE OTHERS. Also, Rob Zombie's HOUSE OF 1,000 CORPSES is the greatest horror film of the decade thus far, or that's how I see it. I'm a fan of the numerous comedies in the genre as well: THE GORILLA, GHOST BREAKERS, YOU'LL FIND OUT, ARSENIC AND OLD LACE, THE BOOGIE MAN WILL GET YOU, ABBOTT & COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN, SPOOK BUSTERS, THE BOWERY BOYS MEET THE MONSTERS, Roger Corman's THE RAVEN, A COMEDY OF TERRORS, HILLBILLYS IN A HAUNTED HOUSE, FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS, HAROLD AND MAUDE (the most morbidly hilarious / emotionally moving movie I've ever had the pleasure to see -- it's one of a kind), YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, GHOSTBUSTERS 1 & 2, BEETLEJUICE, ARMY OF DARKNESS, IDLE HANDS, DRACULA: DEAD & LOVING IT, SHAUN OF THE DEAD (Thanks again, Jon!), SCARY MOVIE 1 & 2 (the 3rd one sucked!)... And I'd definitely have to turn in my "Geek Club" membership card if I didn't own the special edition DVDs of CITIZEN KANE, PULP FICTION, JACKIE BROWN, THE USUAL SUSPECTS, EL MARIACHI / DESPERADO, BLUE VELVET, SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, FROM DUSK TILL DAWN, BOOGIE NIGHTS, THE RULING CLASS, THE WICKER MAN (the original, the classic, accept no substitutes), THE STUNT MAN, THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW, MONTY PYTHON & THE HOLY GRAIL. Still, my taste in movies seems as scattershot as my musical preferences. My all-time favorite film is THE LION IN WINTER (starring Peter O'Toole, Katharine Hepburn & Anthony Hopkins) for the exceptionally intelligent writing & impeccable acting from beginning to end, preserved forever. On the other hand, I love Kevin Smith films, too. ("Affleck, you was da bomb in PHANTOMS, yo!") I'm weird, I know, I've heard it all my life... Unquestionably, my best-loved cable channels are the Independent Film outlets. I desperately loved the BENJAMIN SMOKE profile / documentary -- very provocative, enlightening and moving, indeed. And thanks to On Demand, I was pleased beyond measure to finally get to see Neil Jordan's BREAKFAST ON PLUTO. Geez, there was a hefty dose of nostalgia for this old '70s survivor! Being such a fan of his previous films (LOCAL HERO, THE CRYING GAME, INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE), I happily count it among his finest works... Is this a movie list or a bloody blog entry? Sorry, I've obviously lost control of myself.
I grew up with my young eyes practically glued to the television, it was my lifeline, my window on ideas, concepts, worlds vast and glorious. One could even say that I overdosed on it. Most memorable were THE TWILIGHT ZONE, THE OUTER LIMITS, STAR TREK, I SPY, and of course: THE PRISONER. I was also a slavishly devoted viewer of Boris Karloff's THRILLER: "The best anthology series ever.", according to Stephen King. I agree. Rod Serling's NIGHT GALLERY was another personal favorite, especially the early episodes, before Serling lost creative control. These days, however, it's hard for me to get terribly involved in recurring television shows. I was an enormous fan of Chris Carter's series, MILLENNIUM, starring the magnetically intense Lance Henriksen. The arch of the episodes struck an intriguing balance between serial killers and demons preying upon humanity. Dark, very-very dark, though it was almost always approached and executed with intelligence and serious intent. But when it was canceled at the end of its third year by the numb-skull execs at the Fox Network, it broke my heart. I'm still a bit bitter about it. On the lighter side of things, I was also a huge fan of MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000. Yes, MST3K's 10 year run was the perfect mix of wonky and clever, childish and sophisticated. Not too shabby for a puppet show showcasing a warped library of exceedingly bad movies, made miraculously entertaining by way of the running commentaries in the orbiting screening room. And I won't waste time recounting how annoying I later became by making snide remarks during movies, good, bad, and everything in-between. Anyway, other than that, I'll admit that I'm bored senseless with so-called "reality" programming, it's so contrived, artificial, micromanaged, the furthest thing from reality. Oh, the irony! Besides, it can't be terribly good for those seasoned artists / performers belonging to the Actor's Guild, filling all of this airtime on numerous networks with hand-picked unknown passersby -- driven by promises of riches, or at the very least their 15 minutes of fame. (I don't mean to slam anybody who enjoys it. If folks out there dig it, fine, no judgments or condemnations. That's just my personal view on it all.) I'm very keen on regional TV as a curious kind of fascination, whenever it can be found. You know, local programming produced throughout the country which hasn't achieved competence to the point of becoming overly slick & robotic: backroads travel spotlights, wonky local talk shows, over-the-top wrestling telecasts, or spooky / campy horror hosts making fun of the flicks they present. Sometimes I think it would be fascinating to travel the country with VCR in tow and collect all sorts of examples of regional television: a sinister spectrum of horror hosts, for example, would be my project of choice, then edit the whole mess into a love-letter to that rapidly disappearing phenomena... My friend, Jon, got me hooked on ALIAS, then they canceled it just as they were righteously hitting their stride. Need I go on?... In short, a great deal of my TV viewing time is taken up by The Cartoon Network (thanks to my grandson, Moses, the ED, EDD & EDDY addict), or preferably -- my cherished oasis of artistic diversity: either one of the 2 or 3 Independent Film channels would be my preference, when the bloody cable isn't on the fritz. (Otherwise, I just slap on my DVD copy of THE CURE: TRILOGY once again, and allow it to carry me away.)
The works of Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, Ray Bradbury, Harlan Ellison, Stephen King have pretty much been my corner stones... I know, here's another area I need to develope a lot more.
Eleanor Roosevelt, Edward R. Murrow, John F. Kennedy, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., Joan Baez, John Lennon, Ian Anderson, Bono, Harvey Milk, Quentin Crisp, Gore Vidal, James Baldwin, William Burroughs... and anyone else that tells the truth in a climate of bald-faced lies. (This is the short list, it would seem.)