After their debut feature, the unmistakably titled Dead Hooker in a Trunk, I felt like big things might be in the future for twin Canadian filmmakers Jen and Sylvia Soska. I was a fan of that film as a raw and bombastic piece of grindhouse fluff, and I could see them continuing to push the envelope while finding fun and unique ways to present carnage.
I underestimated them.
I came to this realization tonight while finally checking out their follow up feature, American Mary - which is conveniently available on DVD and blu-ray all over North America for the first time. The sisters show a dramatic growth in their writing and their direction, and the result is a new kind of horror film that seems endlessly fascinating to me right now.
Katharine Isabelle stars as the title character, a medical student who wants to be a surgeon until her professional progress is derailed by a devastating act. Mary finds a home in the unique underground scene of body modification, working out of a seedy adult club that seems like the real world version of Hellraiser III and making new friends and enemies along the way.
Mary is a special character. Part of this is because the actress is so talented - Isabelle is hitting all the right notes and hasn't been better since her breakout performance in Ginger Snaps 13 years ago - and part of this is because the character fills such a unique dramatic role. Mary exists in the film as both a victim and a villain, allowing Isabelle to recapture the feral energy that made her so dangerous in Ginger Snaps while alternately making her a sympathetic being that is something of a fallen angel.
The film is open to plenty of interpretations when it comes to our characters, starting with Mary and trickling out to all of the souls she touches. The club's seedy manager also seems to have a sweet affection for Mary. A modified stripper with an affection for Betty Boop initially creeps Mary out, but becomes the film's most sincere and altruistic character as the story moves forward. A slew of patients come through Mary's door - including the directors, who offer a sinister cameo - but the viewer never seems to be forced to any judgment of these characters' worth.
The film's willingness to show us a strange world without pushing narrow-minded values is perhaps the most fantastic thing about American Mary. The Soskas offer plenty of blood and push plenty of visual boundaries, but the answers to questions about what is right or wrong are left up to us. I've already read a few discussions in which viewers debate what some characters deserved and what other characters did well, and I can tell that I'm going to love seeing people's reactions to each character in the film after they experience American Mary for themselves.
It's this restraint that really makes me appreciate what the filmmakers have done here. The Twisted Twins have brought back the same chaotic energy and unpredictable flair that made their first film so much fun, but they've added an artistic touch that pushes American Mary into a fascinating place. I'm not sure everything fits together perfectly as the parts of the film crash off of each other in the final act, but the events that unfold are never dull and mostly thought provoking. Combined with a powerhouse lead performance and a eerie visual style, American Mary is a must-see piece of original horror that should propel its directors and its star to greater heights.
You guys, I'm tired of being boring. I feel like 2013 has been one big long boring year here at FMWL. And that sucks. I could make a bunch of excuses - work sucks, writing about horror movies four days a week exhausts a lot of topics, I'm just lazy - but none of them would actually matter. It's not why I don't do things that's important, it's that I do something about it.
Totally unrelated, yet important, checklist.
When thinking about my own writing and what the heck I'm doing, I came to a realization. I love writing reviews and being as serious as I can be (which isn't that serious, but that's beside the point), but the most fun I've ever had writing about movies - save a few of my favorite posts here at FMWL - was more than ten years ago when a friend asked me to write a DVD column on his site and I turned it into a random series of thoughts that I slapped together off the top of my head while doing what I call "winging it." It wasn't high art and it wasn't always important, but it was carefree and fun and it always put a smile on my face. And, as you might have guessed, that's what I'm doing right now.
That's not to say I plan on getting rid of reviews or the Midnight Movie of the Week or any of the other stuff I do when I'm feeling inspired. But there are so many times when I just want to put some thoughts out there and I get caught up in the how and the what and then I'm like HEY THE MIKE JUST FREAKING TYPE IT. So that will be what I do every once in a while in posts like this one, which will carry the simple title "Today's Things."
(Yes, I thought of that name all by myself. I'm a gosh darn Einstein.)
(Oh, and I might ramble on a bit here. Just roll with it. Or go read something else. Your move, creep.)
Thing I'm Loving on Blu-Ray
I'm not sure if I've said it enough over the last year, but Shout Factory's horror centric new wing, Scream Factory, is one of the best things to happen to horror fans in ages. Case in point: This week's release of the R-rated Hammer Films offering The Vampire Lovers. Released in 1970, this Dracula-less film is a showcase for the voluptuous and talented Ingrid Pitt, a horror star who must be seen by all fans of romantic vampire tales.
While the film itself is not one of Hammer's best offerings, it stands up as a nice adaptation of the classic tale of Carmilla, which predated Bram Stoker's Dracula and pretty much invented the lesbian vampire stereotype that became a staple of European horror in this era. Pitt is the primary reason to check the film out, and its use of nudity and sexuality - while mild by modern standards - is out of character and risque for hammer. Advertising for the film that has been reproduced (twice on the blu-ray packaging and once as an on-disc disclaimer) boldly states "Not for the mentally immature!", which to me seems like a reminder that there's artful desires behind this surprising film.
(By the way, I always give a movie extra kudos if a villain uses a fake name that is an acronym of their infamous name. Here we get Carmilla pretending to be someone named Mircalla, and me smiling a lot due to this fact.)
As has been the case for most of their releases, Scream Factory put a lot of effort into this release. The blu-ray package (unlike many of their releases, this is NOT a blu/DVD combo pack) offers plenty of extras - I'm stoked to see the commentary by director Roy Ward Baker, even though I'm pretty sure it's carried over from the old DVD release - and the price is even a bit lower than most of the other Scream Factory titles. Fans of Hammer or European vampire flicks of the '70s should definitely find this one.
Thing That's Not Horror That I'm Watching While Writing
Broken Arrow. Look, I know there's a good John Woo and a bad John Woo, and I know that this is bad John Woo. But I still find a lot of enjoyment in just how ridiculously macho this showdown between John Travolta and Christian Slater - neither of whom are often charged with being ridiculously macho - is. There was a place and a time in the '90s when this was comfort cinema to me, and it's still welcome now - it's just not welcome as often
Bonus points for Samantha Mathis. Redheads, man.
(By the way, I dog on the '90s all the time - but I gotta admit they've grown on me. I even like a lot of '90s music now! And I even hated '90s music then. Today a teenager I know called Pearl Jam classic rock and it took every ounce of my being to stop me from shouting "WHOA YOU JUST BACK THE FRAK UP!" and going on a rant. Restraint - Thy name is Mike.)
So yeah, Bad John Woo still has its moments. Unless it's Mission Impossible II. Then it just makes me sad.
Thing I'm Not Sure About Yet, But Which Makes Me Chuckle
When a movie's called Manborg, I take notice. And production crew Astron-6 already had my attention thanks to Father's Day, one of the most obscene and ridiculous (and also fun) movies released in 2012. But Father's Day was one of those movies that I never managed to write a review of, because it's just kind of difficult to piece together a legitimate commentary on such a random movie. You know how sometimes you see something bizarre and you're like "Well...that happened." and you know you had fun but all attempts to explain why you had fun don't make sense? That's where I was at when I saw Father's Day.
That's kind of where I'm at after Manborg too, although it's a different kind of feeling this time. Manborg - the tale of a man who is reincarnated as a cyborg, naturally - is a more cartoonish and less vulgar animal than Astron-6's first film. It's still bloody and gory and inappropriate in its own ways, but it's more playful and maybe even more fun than Father's Day was. Maybe. I'm not really sure. Father's Day was more...ummmm....artistic? Maybe? Heck, I don't know. The point is that explanations of Astron-6 films are really pointless - if you like low-budget retro/grindhouse goofiness, these movies are for you. If you don't, you'll hate 'em. Regardless of your opinion, in ten years we'll be talking about Astron-6 the same way we talk about Troma films now.
Back to Manborg - I might review it soon, but I'm not sure that review will make much sense. I will say that Mina - the blue-haired anime-inspired heroine - and #1 Man - the poorly dubbed martial arts expert who's presumably from the far east - had me cackling all the time and made the 72 minute film worthwhile. That might be all I need to say for a review, actually. Let's move on...or you could watch the Manborg trailer and catch up with me in a minute.
Thing That's A Random Rant
Those of you who know me or follow me into the social media world probably know that I'm a pretty big sports fan at times. And I was randomly thinking about horror movies today and how lots of horror movies promote lots of stereotypes and I was surprised by how I never thought a lot about athletes in horror movies.
The catch, of course, is that horror movies don't often give us much to think about when a character is written as an athlete. For starters, "idiot male who womanizes often" is often synonymous with "football player" in horror scripts, a distinction that is occasionally deserved but a bit of an oversimplification. I mean, I was a teenage football player, but I still learned how to read and write and how to not treat women like objects and how to never have a girlfriend - all of which are completely the opposite of what we see from "athletes" in horror movies. I am not the norm, and I'm proud of that, but I really don't think that the type of football guy shown in these movies is the norm either.
I always assumed this guy died because of his hairstyle.
But hey, let's leave football out of this right now. Why is that always the example? Where's the hockey players and the basketball players and the golfers? And where are all the female athletes? American schools have laws which require equal amounts of sports programs for males and females, but how often does a female character in a horror movie mention their sports experience? Now, there are naturally some outliers - would you believe that PIECES, which features a character who's a female tennis star, is one of the more progressive horror movies in this regard???? - but I'm struggling to pull them off the top of my head. In fact, this topic might require more thought and its own post.
What say you, dear readers? Got any examples of athletes in horror that stick out to you? Have similar complaints about this stereotype or similar stereotypes in horror films? I know it's one of the least important ones out there - we should probably deal with how terrible women get treated in slasher films before we focus on football stars - but it's something that caught my attention and inspired me to ponder. What do you think?
Thing That's A Random Shout Out
Belated happy birthday to Jen and Sylvia Soska, better known as the Twisted Twins, who celebrated a birthday on Monday. They were the team behind Dead Hooker in a Trunk, which was one of the first indie horror films I reviewed for this site and a goofy favorite that still makes me laugh. Their follow-up, American Mary, will make its US debut on home video in June, and if you don't think I've got that pre-ordered than you don't think my name is The Mike. Can't wait to see what these talented ladies have up their sleeve next!
Thing At The End
Coming soon to FMWL - William Friedkin's new memoir, a yet-to-be-named Midnight Movie of the Week, and a review of the Guillermo Del Toro produced Mama on blu-ray. Plus I've got a stack of Pam Grier DVDs sitting next to me that are just begging for some one on one time. So, until next time, here's a thing from YouTube. Be well, Midnight Warriors!
When From Midnight, With Love first happened, it was supposed to be my way to ramble about the films throughout the history of genre cinema that I love. It still is, but there's been an excellent side effect that came with writing about horror - I've become acquainted with some really cool people who do some really cool things in the horror 'verse.
But it's certainly not fair if I'm the only one here who's acquainted with these cool folks and their cool projects. So, I want to give you a chance to get to know them too. And, as an added incentive for you all...we're gonna give one reader who supports these projects a special prize.
Before we get to that prize (which you can probably guess from the title if you've read FMWL for a while), let's talk about three awesome things you should know about in the horror world.
Mad House Magazine
I spend a lot of time promoting independent horror films here, but it's worth noting that horror fiction is not a dead art. And loyal Midnight Warrior Jose - formerly of From Beyond Depraved, currently of Mephisto's Castle, always of awesomeness - has a new project up his sleeve that demands your attention. In his own words, here's what you need to know about Mad House Magazine!
AN ANNOUNCEMENT TO SINISTER SCRIBES
AND OTHER VARIOUS FIENDS
Do you crave classic horror stories? Do you love the musty smell of a paperback anthology containing vintage horror? Stories about creepy old houses, aristocratic vampires, Lovecraftian creatures, and tales of psychological spooks?
We wanted to send a shout out to all interested parties who would want to submit pieces in this vein to MAD HOUSE, new digital magazine that’s eager to hear the terrifying tales that all you storytellers have to share. In addition to fiction, we're open for nonfiction, poetry, and artwork.
If you pine after the Universal and Hammer horror films and worship authors like Poe, M.R. James, Ray Bradbury, Richard Matheson, and many others, then MAD HOUSE is the monster mag for you!
The official deadline for any and all submissions for our premiere issue is MAY 5TH, 2012. We are planning on releasing the anthology in time for the Halloween season and need to have all materials at the ready by the above timeline. Don’t miss out on your chance!
At this time we cannot offer payment to our contributors. We're putting this magazine together for the pure fun of it and out of our love for all that is classic horror. We hope to someday offer monetary compensation for the great work that we’re provided with. In the meantime it is our desire to simply put together a loving publication that we can all share with other terror-loving friends.
We prefer that your submission is in Word document format, 12 point Times New Roman, single-spaced.
Stories can reach up to a 7,000 word maximum. Maximum word count for articles is 5,000 words.
Attach it to your email and make sure you include the piece's title and your name in the subject line.
We will request short bios upon acceptance of your piece(s).
Address all submissions to madhousemag [at] yahoo [dot] com.
MAD HOUSE will require the non-exclusive right to use submissions in our free online edition and any possible PDF editions. First world electronic rights revert back to the creators three months after publication in MAD HOUSE. Reprints are more than welcome. We only ask that creators notify us of previous appearances of their work and credit MAD HOUSE for future publication of their accepted piece.
Check out our blog for more information. Be careful as you traverse through MAD HOUSE and always keep your hands at the level of your eyes! You never know who you may run into.
I can't say enough about this young man's passion for horror in all its formats, and I strongly urge anyone with a love for horror or a talent for writing to give Mad House Magazine a chance.
Ashes
Last October I got the chance to review an intelligent little pandemic horror film - think Contagion meets The Signal - called Ashes. And, it's with great pleasure that I report that the folks over at Osiris Entertainment released the film worldwide on DVD last Tuesday. I wasn't head over heels in love with the film when I first saw it, but it's grown on me with time and I think you darn sure should check it out. I'm not sure if it's on the giant web-based rental and streaming site yet, but I do know you can pick up the DVD at Amazon right about now.
Absentia
Yeah, I've talked about Absentia a lot. Heck it was in the top three of my best of 2011 list. But there's more news on the Absentia front that you need to know, particularly that a) the film is now available for rent on VOD services like Amazon and ITunes, and b) the film will be out on DVD for everyone on March 13th. I can't recommend it enough - which is part of why I'm still talking about it - so make sure you keep your eyes out for it!
Now....about that giveaway!
Why am I sitting here pimping this stuff? Is it because I'm too nice? Is it because I think I'll get attention by promoting it? NO. It's because I get excited about good horror, and I want to see these people and their projects succeed. One such success story is Dead Hooker in a Trunk, which recently hit DVD. I reviewed the movie more than 18 months ago - which is like 47 years in blogger terms - and yet, it's still relevant to horror today. And that excites the heck out of me. And I want to feel that excitement about these projects too.
Some folks in a certain program like to say that "we keep what we have by giving it away". So...I'm gonna give some one who reads this post and supports these three awesome horror projects a free DVD copy of Dead Hooker in A Trunk.
If you want to win this piece of grindhouse-y goodness, here's all I ask of you.
Go to Facebook. "Like" the pages for Mad House Magazine, Ashes, and Absentia. (I promise I won't cyber stalk you, but I will be watching the total number of likes on each page, and I darn sure better see the numbers going up!)
Leave a comment below with a name and contact info, letting me know you want in the drawing for a free copy of DHIAT.
Want to have your name in the drawing twice so you can double your chances of winning? "Like" FMWL on Facebook, and leave a comment on the wall letting us know that you support great indie and print horror!
I'm confident you all could love these projects on your own, but that doesn't mean I won't push you in their direction. So go forth and find out why I love them, then come back here (or meet us on Facebook!) by Midnight CST on Friday 2/17 to get yourself entered in the drawing for a free DVD copy of Dead Hooker in a Trunk!
I normally shy away from posting "news" stories. There are about 1,473,984 blogs/websites that can bring you that stuff. But I caught wind of some news - or at least news to me - about a couple of my favorite movies of the last two years today, and I could not hide my excitement from y'all. And if the title of this post doesn't show you how happy I am, wait till you hear what I've got to say below.
First up is the most infamous title in the history of FMWL - Dead Hooker in a Trunk. I don't have to tell you much about the film, because it's exactly what you'd expect from a film called Dead Hooker in a Trunk. But it's more than you'd expect from a film called Dead Hooker in a Trunk at the same time. It's gory and violent and crude, but it's also funny and even kind of sweet. I've pimped it more than enough here at the site, so when I saw a tweet from those devilishly Twisted Twins (BTW, if you don't already know about Jen and Sylvia Soska, don't worry - there's still time to save you!) this morning that stated that IFC Midnight (who are generally awesome) would be releasing the DVD of Dead Hooker in a Trunk on January 31, 2012....I got really excited.
Seriously, does that look like a bundle of awesome or what? (Spoiler alert: IT DOES LOOK LIKE A BUNDLE OF AWESOME.) And best of all, pre-order links are already up at CD Universe and good ol' Amazon.com. So if you've really been craving a movie about a perished prostitute in a portmanteau (OK, that's a different kind of trunk, but when you have a chance to type portmanteau you type portmanteau) that's one of the most deliriously fun movies you'll see next year - you need to check this one out ASAP (Which, again, is January 31, 2012.)
On the other side of the indie DVD release news spectrum, I was equally joyed to find the official Facebook page of Absentia - which is a strong contender for the top spot on my Best of 2011 list that should appear near the end of the year - mentioning today that Phase 4 Films would be releasing their film on March 13, 2012.
You might be dissuaded by that DVD cover - I'm a bigger fan of the simpler poster art that accompanies my review of the film RIGHT HERE - but let me assure you that Absentia is one of the most intelligent and well-acted thrillers out there right now. Great performances by Katie Parker and Courtney Bell are a major part of the film's success, but director Mike Flanagan also frames some of the best scares I've seen in ages. It's a really remarkable little film, and I challenge anyone out there to check it out and see for themselves. I'm not much for guarantees on the internet - they're generally not worth the pixels they're printed on - but I will flat out guarantee that Absentia will get you to jump out of your seat at least once. Probably more than that. Seriously.
As a fan of all things awesome, it absolutely thrills me to see these movies getting their chance to hit video and make their mark in the horror scene. If you're looking for something fantastic and original during the first few months of 2012, I don't think you can do much better than these two films. As different as they may be, Dead Hooker in a Trunk and Absentia are two great horror films - and y'all need to be ready for them.
If you're like me, you might find out that they are two films that will make you proud to be a horror fan.
If I were listing the most exciting genre cinema experiences I had in 2010 - which I will be doing in a few weeks - one of them would certainly be that I was introduced to the work of Jen and Sylvia Soska, the Twisted Twins behind the soon-to-be cult classic Dead Hooker in a Trunk. December 11th marks Twisted Twins Productions' second anniversary, and the diabolical duo have a gift for us today. It's the teaser trailer for their next feature film, American Mary. I'm not quite sure what it is, but I can start to make some guesses....and I want it now.
For more info on American Mary, The Soskas, and everything Twisted, head on over to their official site. And rest assured, this isn't the last time you'll hear about them at FMWL - as I'll be reviewing one of their short films in the very near future as part of our ongoing partnership with the Bleedfest Film Festival!
If you have questions or suggestions not regarding a specific review, or would like to recommend a movie to The Mike, feel free to email him at frommidnightwithlove(at)gmail(dot)com!
Also, please leave feedback at the bottom of reviews by checking one of the boxes, or by leaving a comment! Any feedback that can help improve the site or reviews is much appreciated!
Posts
