A CHANGE IN THE WEATHER AND A KICK IN THE ASS

November 4, 2015November 4, 2015 / Ron McKenzie / Leave a comment

I had every intention of writing my review of CRIMSON PEAK. I really did.

I was going to tell you that it’s a beautiful, chilling Gothic Romance with great performances and the wonderful visual aesthetics that are part-and-parcel of a Guillermo Del Toro movie, and that you should see it in theatres to soak in all of its splendour the way it was meant to be seen.

In short, I would have been repeating what others have said before me with more eloquence and critical clarity than I would have been able to.

I’ve said it before: I’m a lousy critic, but a pretty mean cheerleader. I’ve always been very vocal about the works and artists that I admire, and that will never change. But lately, the urge to create my own works, maybe even gain some cheerleaders of my own in the process, has become a strong one. I have been dabbling with the notion of writing for years – honest-to-goodness, pen-to-paper storytelling – without ever really committing to completing it. So many “ideas”, so many unfinished stories, just sitting there.

So now’s as good a time as any to stop yapping about it and do it.

I’ve given myself a goal. Deadlines. Scheduled time every night to get in 300 words a day, good, bad or otherwise. I’ve even signed up to compete in this year’s NaNoWriMo. Not so much to win, but to keep momentum going. I’m not getting any younger, and I don’t want this to be one of my regrets on my deathbed. So this is where my focus needs to be. In short, I’m treating it like work. As it should be.

It’s time for a little story, and I assure you, it’s a fitting one.

October 2013: A Night With Stephen King, part of the International Festival of Authors. After the Q&A, King was doing a signing: one item per person. I brought my copy of Stephen King On Writing, a source of great education and inspiration (and mandatory reading for anyone interested in the craft). It was a gift from my wife, Katherine, and she had written an inscription on the title page:

Because you can be just as great.
Love you with all my heart.
XO
-K-

I got to the signing table. King was signing at top-speed, ensuring no one got left behind, and then it was my turn.
He opened the book to the title page and paused to read the inscription. Then he smiled. He looked up at me and said “So? How’s it working out for ya, then?” I told him it seemed to be working just fine. He scrawled his autograph beside Katherine’s words and handed the book back. “Well, maybe she’s on to something, then. Good luck.”

I’m well into my first draft now. Over 3,000 words so far, and miles of paragraphs and sentences to go before it’s over. Maybe she IS on to something. And the only way I’m going to know for sure is by doing it.

Time to go underground for a while. Not away, not permanently. But long enough to see this through.
If I have something cool – like, extra-special super-cool – to share with you, I’ll post it here. But for now, it’s about time I got to work.

See you all when I see you again. Scout’s honour.

And many thanks to Mr. King for the much-needed kick in the ass.

Ron McKenzie

LUCHAGORE PRODUCTIONS’ PALOMA: A Hymn For The Day Of The Dead

November 2, 2015November 2, 2015 / Ron McKenzie / Leave a comment

Vancouver’s Luchagore Productions have made a reputation for themselves as purveyors of vicious, no-holds barred cinema in a very short time. Blending Mexican folklore and religious iconography with bloody grindhouse-style violence, director Gigi Saul Guerrero and the Luchagore crew have made their presence known on the festival circuit with the shorts, EL GIGANTE and MADRE DE DIOS.

Which brings us to PALOMA, a total about-face from Luchagore’s signature style and a most-fitting musical selection for this year’s Dia de los Muertos or Day of The Dead.

PALOMA was created by Luchagore, after accepting an invitation to take part in Capilano University BOSA Centre for Film and Animation’s run of final projects for their Cinematography Class. Working with the stipulated guidelines (one day of preparation, followed by two hours of filming ), the film was subsequently chosen as the opening film for this year’s MORBIDO FEST in Puebla, Mexico, “an elegant and very Mexican piece…the right way to start”, according to Morbido’s Festival Director and CEO, Pablo Guisa.

And he’s absolutely right. While still working within the confines of Mexican occultism and traditions, the result is a languid, static yet haunting vignette -a take on an oft-reinterpreted Spanish standard (beautifully performed by Shadan Saul Guerrero ) that is equally beautiful and jarring – that goes against the grain of what Luchagore’s best known for. And I dig it.

They say variety is the spice of life, and PALOMA shows that Guerrero can slow things down without losing the visual punch of her more brutal works. A sign of true talent and diversity stepping outside familiar territory, and a strong indication that Guerrero and Luchagore Productions are no flash in the pan.

Up next for these Vancouver superstars? DIA DE LOS MUERTOS, a featured segment in the upcoming Mexican horror anthology, MEXICO BARBARO, out on DVD/Blu-Ray and VOD tomorrow!(Ain’t synchronicity a beautiful thing?).

And after that? Who can say? But I can’t wait to see what’s next.

HORROR-RAMA TORONTO: The Post-Mortem

October 22, 2015October 21, 2015 / Ron McKenzie / Leave a comment

The past week or so has been a busy one, to say the least. On top of starting a new job (hooray for gainful employment), there’s also been a number of screenings at Toronto After Dark ( and yes, I will be sharing my thoughts on said films very soon. Honest ) . But first, let’s talk about the other genre gathering that just happened this weekend.

Let’s talk about Horror-Rama Toronto.

This was year two for the upstart horror convention, spearheaded by Shock Till You Drop’s new editor-in-chief, Chris Alexander, and Suspect Video‘s head honcho, Luis Ceriz, and it can be summed up succinctly: growth.

More space ( in downtown Toronto’s The Hyatt Regency ), more guests, more panels, more vendors… just more all around. A sizable leap from last year’s inaugural show, but keeping the cozy ambience. And it’s a nice change of pace. I’ve done my share of the larger conventions across Canada – on both sides of the curtains, as well – so to go to a con where socializing with fellow congoers with room to spare and no need for yelling… it’s actually very welcome.

There’s definitely more than enough room for the American-style “hotel con” here in Toronto, especially one that caters to a group that… let’s be honest… tends to get the sharp end of the bloody stick at the larger conventions.

I hope this year was a success. I hope it continues to grow with each year. And I know I’ll be back again next year.

For now, enjoy some photographic highlights from this year’s show. And thanks to Chris Alexander and Luis Ceriz for letting me play in the sandbox for the weekend.

Three familiar faces, welcoming guests to the show. I swear I saw one of them move…

Where wolf? There! There wolf!

It was a rough weekend. Rougher for some more than others.

So many vendors. SO many movies. Seriously, between VHS, DVD, rare import, there was literally something for every taste.

MonsterMatt Patterson, artist and full-grown “monster kid”, selling his works at his table.

Convention organizer and weekend MC, Chris Alexander holds court.

George Mihalka, director of the Canadian slasher cult classic, MY BLOODY VALENTINE, and all around awesome guy.

Con guest, and horror icon, Michael Berryman meets a fan.

Steve Niles, comic writer extraordinaire, with the book (fittingly so ) that put him on the map and revitalized the horror comics industry. That’s not hype, folks. That’s just science.

Tristan Risk (AMERICAN MARY, THE EDITOR) with Holy Scar, up to no good at the booth…naturally.

Next time: Highlights and recommendations from the tenth annual Toronto After Dark Film Festival. Honest.

LITTLE TERRORS SEASON 5: ON WITH THE SHOW

October 2, 2015October 1, 2015 / Ron McKenzie / Leave a comment

Clockwise (from top): Bad Guy#2, Controller, Night Of The Slasher and Point Of View

Wednesday night saw the launch of the fifth season of the ongoing short film series, Little Terrors

The crowd, strong in both size and energy, gathered together in the darkened little theatre at Carlton Cinema, as host/curator Justin McConnell held court at the front of the stage. After a brief introduction to the night’s theme, Control of Time And Space ( and the regular round of giveaways ), the house lights dimmed and the show began.

This latest round of shorts had something for everyone. Offbeat animation, quirky lo-fi, humourous genre offerings and bleak, apocalyptic fare comprised the 12 films on the night’s playbill. While each one had their own unique charms on display, there were a handful of films that deserved special notice. In no certain order, here are a few of the highlights:

NIGHT OF THE SLASHER: an inventive and clever “meta” take on the standard slasher movie tropes, SLASHER follows a teenage girl, as she breaks the horror movie golden rules to lure a familiar masked killer to her and finish him off. Already an official selection of Telluride Horror Show 2015 and Frightfest, SLASHER has a sharp sense of humour with sly references to classic slasher iconography (there’s a great bit, that I won’t spoil here, involving the killer’s choice of mask that should give HALLOWEEN fans a chuckle). The film also has a kinetic energy, thanks to its ‘shot-in-one-take’ cinematography. A lot of fun, and a popular one with the night’s crowd.

I’M YOU, DICKHEAD: a man signs up for a time-travel program, with one goal in mind: go back and convince his ten-year old self to learn the guitar so he can get laid. From that premise, the film has a blast playing with the concept of “time travel paradoxes”, resulting in an escalating series of events that get funnier and more convoluted as it goes on. Highly enjoyable.

BAD GUY#2: a parable of the perils of promotion in the workplace, as a master criminal’s henchman works his way up the goon ranks, with hilariously bloody results. Cartoonish violence, reminiscent of the glory days of Peter Jackson’s early gorefests, sharp comedy and great lead performances by Kirk Johnson (Bad Guy#2) and Dave Maldonado (Kingpin) made this one a real crowd-pleaser.

ONE-MINUTE TIME MACHINE: this one’s already generated viral word-of-mouth via social media, and with good reason. Another comedic riff on the perils of time travel, this one also finds a time-traveler on the make. Using the titular device, our hero is trying to pick-up a woman, hitting the “reset” button every time he makes a mistake. The payoff is brilliant.

POINT OF VIEW: one of the night’s personal highlights. A creepy, fun and perfectly-choreographed piece of terror, inspired (and credited by the filmmakers) by Doctor Who’s iconic ‘Weeping Angels’. Director Justin Harding, present for a Q&A at the night’s screening, explained that the film took five hours to shoot and that efficiency carries over to the final product. It’s tight, tense and unsettling. This one will be screening as one of the many pre-show shorts for this year’s Toronto After Dark Film Festival, and I cannot recommend it enough. Already hard at work developing his next short, a 30-minute sci-fi fantasy parody, Harding is one to keep your eyes on.

CONTROLLER: this “proof-of-concept” piece was one of the more polished and slick films on display. A young woman, able to control reality by pure thought, has been enslaved by a scientific corporation. She “controls” her boyfriend, using him as her weapon and her means of escape. A trippy live-action anime with fight scenes staged in videogame aesthetics, it hints at a much bigger story not yet told. It’s no surprise, then, that CONTROLLER is going the feature-length route, currently in development at 20^th Century Fox.

STATE ZERO: another bit of glossy sci-fi, with a squad of soldiers are sent into post-apocalyptic Stockholm to investigate a surveillance tower, bringing them into contact with the abandoned city’s less-than-human new residents. Solid production design, cool creature effects and hints of a conspiracy at the story’s heart – with promises of more to be told, post-credits – made ZERO one of the night’s tightest films.

With short-form cinema quickly becoming the venue of choice for the most inventive and original genre fare, Little Terrors continues to be one of the best showcases for up-and-coming filmmakers to show off their wares. Next month’s screening – surprise, surprise – will be Halloween-centric. Considering the line-up of great films shown this week, it’s a more than safe bet that I’ll be back for October’s installment.

And so should you.

For more information, including showtimes, updates and where to submit your own shorts for future screenings, make sure you check out the Little Terrors Homepage, as well as their Facebook , Twitter and YouTube pages for info and trailers of upcoming films.

REVIEW (TIFF 2015): HELLIONS

September 23, 2015September 23, 2015 / Ron McKenzie / 1 Comment

HELLIONS

Director: Bruce McDonald

Starring: Chloe Rose, Robert Patrick, Rachel Wilson

Written by: Pascal Trottier

Released by: IFC Midnight

It’s Halloween Night, and 17-year old Dora Vogel is looking forward to a night of partying with her boyfriend, Jace. The night has other plans for her, starting with her doctor’s diagnosis that she’s four weeks pregnant. From there, things only get worse as her house is visited by an unsettling gaggle of trick-or-treaters, who have less than benevolent plans for her and her unborn child… plans that require blood. Under siege, with her pregnancy moving along at an accelerated pace, Dora is soon pulled into an alternate plane in a fight for survival against the pint-sized invaders. This Halloween is going to be one hell of a night.

HELLIONS , Bruce McDonald’s second foray into horror (following the universally-acclaimed PONTYPOOL) is a very much a beast of a different stripe. While initially a by-the-numbers “alone in the house” slasher story (with an army of costumed demon-kids as the monster of choice here), the film abruptly changes gears and slides into a more surreal, dream-like state. The visuals become more hallucinatory, the narrative disjointed and abstract. The feeling is akin to watching a Stephen King movie, than changing channels to a Lucio Fulci film. The effect is jarring, but effective.

hellions-trailer

The film is shot beautifully, with Dora’s shift into the “other side” rendered in a bleached colour palette that creates an unsettling, otherworldly feel. While the film trucks with the standard proto-Halloween imagery and symbolism (most notably, an ominous looking pumpkin patch where the “Hellions” gather), it all has an ominous tone, saturated with dark oranges and brown and tinged with rot. The trick-or-treaters, all decked out in grimy and distorted “old-timey” Halloween costumes, are an unsettling mix of nostalgia and nightmare. It’s Ray Bradbury’s rose-coloured recollections of the autumnal “October Country”, reimagined by Hieronymous Bosch and filtered through the minds of madmen. It’s wonderfully unsettling stuff.

6.-DoraCorman-1280x900 As far as the cast, the bulk of the heavy work rests on newcomer Chloe Rose’s shoulders. A lot of advance word on Rose’s performance as Dora has come out of HELLIONS’ multiple festival screenings, and with good reason. Rose’s performance is solid, conveying Dora’s terror of her inter-dimensional peril, as well as her impending motherhood, with conviction and palpability. Even as the film’s narrative goes deliriously off the rails, she anchors things with her believable and sympathetic performance, thus earning all those “one to watch out for” kudos. Genre vet, Robert Patrick, delivers great work in his small role as the sheriff who gets pulled into Dora’s nightmare, bringing down-home gravitas to the proceedings and proving he’s still one of the best character actors working today.

The film’s narrative, much like the filmography of the above-mentioned Fulci, defies any concise logic or common sense. By the three-quarter point, it fully embraces its nightmare sensibilities, leaving the “whats” and “whys” open to personal interpretation. Has Dora been pulled into Limbo by her unwanted visitors? Is this all happening in her mind? Is it a symbolic fever dream brought on by her impending parental anxieties? Who can say? McDonald and screenwriter Pascal Trottier aren’t interested in spoon-feeding the audience, and that’s actually refreshing. Horror and allegory have long gone hand in hand, so there’s much to appreciate in a film that encourages you to interpret what you just saw.

HELLIONS is a pretty bold experiment, one that goes way beyond what its promotional campaign would lead you to believe. It’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea – the abstract visuals and plot will probably lose, even irk, some viewers along the way. If you’re willing to let go of preconceptions and go along with its dream-like flow, you’ll be rewarded with a nightmarish little trip. HELLIONS has both tricks and treats in its little bag, if you’re brave enough to open the door when it comes knocking.

HELLIONS is now available for viewing on VOD, as well as in limited theatrical release, through IFC Midnight.

REVIEW: COOTIES

September 21, 2015September 21, 2015 / Ron McKenzie / Leave a comment

Directed by: Jonathan Milott & Cary Murnion

Starring: Elijah Wood, Rainn Wilson, Alison Pill, Jack McBreyer, Leigh Whannell, Nasim Pedrad, Jorge Garcia

Written By: Leigh Whannell, Ian Brennan & Josh C. Waller

Released By: Glacier Films

Horror and comedy are the most subjective of cinematic narrative forms: what works for one viewer may not do the same for another. Now take those two and mash them together, and you’re dealing with a special kind of alchemy. The list of truly memorable horror-comedies is a small one, with SHAUN OF THE DEAD and (to a degree) AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON usually jockeying for the top slot. COOTIES is the latest film to enter this particular fray with tension, gore and honestly-earned laughs doled out in equal measure by a great cast of reliable pros.

Clint (Elijah Wood) has returned to his hometown of Fort Chicken for his first day as a primary school substitute teacher. Still struggling with a perpetually in-development first novel, he finds himself sharing his workspace with his socially maladjusted faculty (including Alison Pill as old school-crush, Lucy ) as well as a group of children who make a good argument for elective vasectomy surgery. But wait, it gets worse. One of the students, having just ingested a tainted chicken nugget from the town’s local poultry plant (its journey from slaughterhouse to cafeteria is one of the film’s grisliest highlights, by the way) is showing signs of virulent infection, not the least of which is a violent face-biting attack on the class bully. Within minutes, the children are all turned into giggling, psychotic monsters who have their sights set on tearing the teachers to pieces like a Mini-Me version of 28 DAYS LATER. Trapped in the school, Clint and his fellow co-workers must work together to ward off the prepubescent horde and make their escape.

hqdefault

COOTIES has fun playing in the “zombie apocalypse “playground, utilizing many of the tried-and-true standards of the subgenre. The initial assault on the schoolyard, and the infighting that erupts between Clint and uber-macho PE teacher, Wade (Rainn Wilson), owe a great debt to Romero’s seminal zombie trifecta. It’s the fact that so much of the violence revolves around… well, kids. The “infected” tykes are played for straight-up scares, and they’re surprisingly effective in their gleeful savagery (Cooper Roth as infected bully, Patriot, is especially noteworthy.). They are also, in turn, dispatched in equally gruesome fashion, by way of fire extinguisher, baseball cannon, gardening shears and vehicular manslaughter. Considering the current political climate, violence & children is a raw nerve for a lot of people. If handled wrong, this all could have fallen flat on its face as soon as it left the gate but the balance between horror and laughs is in balance, making it…OK, still inappropriate at heart, sure, but not 100 percent offensive.

Part of what sells COOTIES is the great chemistry of the cast. Wood, Wilson and Pill are all rock-solid as the front-and-centers of this ensemble, supported by a roster of very talented comedic actors. Jack McBreyer (30 Rock), Nasim Pedrad (Saturday Night Live), Jorge Garcia (LOST) and Leigh Whannell (co-writer on COOTIES, as well as SAW, INSIDIOUS and THE CONJURING) all provide great back-up. It’s Whannell, though, who inadvertently steals the show as Doug, the school’s Biology teacher. His awkward mannerisms and inappropriate conversations provide some of the film’s best laughs, which is pretty notable considering the talent he’s keeping company with.

COOTIES doesn’t change the game, but it does clinch a spot as one of the better horror-comedy hybrids in recent years. It’s a gory, funny and occasionally tense take on a tale more than twice told, with energy and black humour to spare.
Final Grade: A solid “A”.

COOTIES is available for viewing on VOD, as well as in limited theatrical release. Check the COOTIES website for locations, dates and times.

REVIEWS: DESCENDER VOLUME 1/ SECRET WARS JOURNAL #5 ( RISK OF INFECTION )

September 17, 2015September 17, 2015 / Ron McKenzie / Leave a comment

DESCENDER Volume #1: Tin Stars (TPB)
Jeff Lemire
Dustin Nguyen
Image Comics

Jeff Lemire is one of comics’ most prolific and versatile creators. From the post-apocalyptic SWEET TOOTH to the superhero/horror cross pollination of ANIMAL MAN to the haunting and poetic THE UNDERWATER WELDER, Lemire’s bibliography defies cut-and-dried classification. Which brings us to his latest from Image Comics, DESCENDER, an expansive galaxy-spanning epic that fuses “hard” science fiction with grand space opera, with more than a dash of classic fairy tale.

The universe is piecing itself together, ten years after the arrival of The Harvesters, planet-dwarfing mechanical beings which laid waste to much of the civilized worlds upon their arrival. After the attacks, robots are deemed illegal, enemies of the greater good and hunted down with extreme cruelty.

Enter TIM-21, a young “boy” robot who emerges from a decades-long slumber. Waking to find the inhabitants of his colony all long-since dead or evacuated, TIM wants only one thing: to be reunited with his owners – his “family”. Unknown to him, his reactivation gains him the attention of others, including the universe’s ruling government and his inventor. Seems TIM’s programming has shared qualities with The Harvesters, qualities that could help avert disaster if they return. There are others after him, as well, but their interests in the boy robot are from benevolent. And thus, the chase is on.

Imagine PINOCCHIO in the world of MASS EFFECT, and you have the crib-notes summary of DESCENDER. And that is meant as a high compliment. It would be easy to lose any sense of character development in a world as densely-structured as this, but Lemire’s gift is in creating believable, relatable characters with well-developed relationship dynamics and that’s what gives DESCENDER its heart. This is a broken universe, filled with hard and jaded characters, but it never allows itself to fall into the easy trap of “grimdark”, edgy-for-the-sake-of edgy storytelling. There’s real heart here, with the optimistic TIM-21 as its fulcrum.

It also doesn’t hurt that it’s all so beautifully rendered. Lemire foregoes art duties this time out, with Dustin Nguyen manning the artist’s chair this time out. And it’s, simply put, gorgeous to behold. With fluid pencil work accentuated by watercolour, the hard and polished sci-fi edge usually associated with this kind of a story is given a lyrical and poetic look. It lends itself to a fairy-tale aesthetic, as mentioned above, but never loses intensity in the story’s more intense or violent moments.

DESCENDER has become one of the “buzz” titles since its debut, and with good reason. It’s intelligent, funny, heartbreaking and beautifully rendered epic storytelling with its eye on the smaller picture. It’s also further proof that Lemire is one of the best storytellers working in the business, comics or otherwise. If you’re not onboard yet, this collected first volume is an easy recommendation for a “blind buy”.

SECRET WARS JOURNALS #5 (RISK OF INFECTION)
Jen & Sylvia Soska
Alec Morgan/Nolan Woodward
Marvel Comics

SECRET WARS JOURNALS, the anthology series tied into Marvel’s universe-shattering SECRET WARS crossover, is one of the more experimental titles in this already gonzo-crossover event with C-Listers like Paladin, Misty Knight and even Millie the Model getting their moment in the sun.

This week’s issue features the aforementioned Millie story, as well as RISK OF INFECTION, a new take on the once-obscure Night Nurse. While Night Nurse may not be a “draw” on her own (even with her newfound prominence in the public eye thanks to Netflix’s DAREDEVIL), it’s this story that marks the four-colour debut of Vancouver’s Twisted Twins, Jen and Sylvia Soska.

Since the release of their grindhouse homage, DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK, and the subsequent whirlwind success of its follow-up, AMERICAN MARY, The Soskas have cemented their place in pop culture with intelligent and visceral storytelling and a fervently-devoted fan base. So it’s a no-brainer that their hardcore fans will be picking this title up, sight unseen. But what about everyone else? Is there enough here worth picking up for a non-card carrying member of The Twisted Twins Army?

The answer is yes. Without a doubt.

It takes a certain kind of skill to pull off a satisfying narrative within the confines of ten pages. Even more so when reinventing a pre-existing character for the sake of a one-and-done self-contained tale. But The Soskas pull it off. Taking the “Linda Carter” iteration of the character as their foundation, this Night Nurse is a gun-toting, battle-scarred, occult combat medic who travels between the planes of Battleworld, “examining the medical holocaust caused by all these varied ecologies butting up against each other.” One such holocaust: a rampant demonic techno-virus that’s part infection, part possession and all ugly. The story is quick and dirty and wastes no time to getting Carter into the thick of things to cure the illness. We get just enough of her backstory, before everything goes to literal Hell, for Carter to be a fleshed-out character. It’s a short blast of occult body-horror apocalyptic Western, with hints of a much bigger story in the background.

nurse-strut

Art duties for this story fall to Alec Morgan (artist) and Nolan Woodward (colours). Both are new commodities to me, but they are a very good fit – both for the story and for each other. Morgan’s pencils and Woodward’s rich palette combine to create a lush yet gritty visual style that pops off the page. The very first page – featuring close-ups of Carter self-stitching a gash in her skull – is especially striking. The glistening blood and the texture of the stitches have an almost-tactile feel to them, which is the optimal result one can hope for with this kind of shot. Again, I haven’t seen their work before this story, but I will definitely be seeking it out from here on in.

If there’s one complaint to be had (and “complaint” is too harsh a term here), it’s that it IS too short. With all the hints of the bigger story leading up to this, it feels like there’s still so much more room to play here. But if that’s the only negative to be found here, that’s still a whole lot of positive.

The Twisted Twins have shown they can handle themselves in the Marvel sandbox as well as they do behind the camera. It’s only a matter of time before Marvel lets them play with one of their A-list titles. And if they’re smart, that will be sooner rather than later. And please find a way to incorporate this version of Night Nurse into the new Marvel Universe, too. She’s pretty kick-ass.

IN CONVERSATION WITH: JEN AND SYLVIA SOSKA (Marvel’s NIGHT NURSE)

September 16, 2015September 16, 2015 / Ron McKenzie / Leave a comment

soska and spidey team-up

If there’s a singular descriptive that best sums up Vancouver’s Twisted Twins, Jen & Sylvia Soska, it’s “busy”.

Since their debut feature, 2009’s DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK, the Soska Sisters have hit the ground running with little to no time off for a breather. With four feature films under their belt (and a fifth in development) as well as hosting duties on GSN’s upcoming horror-survival game show, HELLEVATOR, and their recently-crowdfunded collaboration with Daniel Way – the so-NSFW graphic novel KILL CRAZY NYMPHOS ATTACK – you would think their dance card was fully punched. They have found time, though, to fulfill one of their lifelong dreams: to write for Marvel Comics.

SECRET WARS JOURNALS #5 (on shelves today) is part of Marvel’s lead-up to the company-wide reboot, which will see the familiar Marvel Universe broken down and reconstructed. Jen and Sylvia’s contribution (one of two stories found in this issue) spotlights an “alternate universe” version one of the company’s more obscure characters, Night Nurse, in a tale of occult body-horror.

And the result… well, you can read all about that tomorrow right here.

I had the chance to catch up with Jen & Sylvia to discuss the title, their unabashed love of comics and what it was like to work with “The House Of Ideas”.

So what brought you to Marvel’s door?

Sylvia: That would be through our wonderful friend Lauren Sankovitch, who had worked for Marvel before. We met through our mutual friend, Matt Bankston, at San Diego Comic Con and we were fast friends. Months later, Lauren got us in touch with Jake Thomas when they were looking for writers for their Secret Wars story arcs. Jake gave us a crash course in comics and also was very gracious as we nerded out all over him.

Jen: Our grandma always used to buy us comic books. We’d go for walks to the corner store and we got to pick out one each. She called them funny books. I remember we’d flip through them looking for girl super heroes. X-Men in the 80s was our first step into comic book land. I loved Rogue and Sylvie loved Storm. We got so many over the years. We eventually went to collecting them at a comic books store near our grandparents’ place, Big Pete’s. It’s still our comic book shop.

As lifelong Marvel fan(atics), what was it like getting to run amok in their playground?

Sylvia: For two girls who grew up making up Marvel stories to kill time between their cartoon shows and comic books, we never dreamed to have this kind of opportunity. We are quite familiar with the Marvel Universes, but Jake was there to get us caught up on all the things leading up to where our story would play. To be honest, I never wanted to leave. Unlike other mediums of entertainment that we have been involved with in the past, there was so much freedom working for Marvel. The world is as big as your imagination and you have no restrictions as to how big or how abstract you can go.

Jen: It’s a dream come true. We spent so much time making up stories for Marvel characters between the two of us between releases. To be able to write for a company that had so much to do with the women we grew up to be is so surreal and just incredible. Admittedly, it was a major career goal for us to be able to work for Marvel, I just expected it to take years longer to be able to break in to it. It felt familiar and so much better than I could have ever imagined or dreamed of to get to play around and raise a little hell in the Marvelverse.

How familiar were you with Night Nurse, and her many iterations, before taking on the project?

Sylvia: The most familiar to us was the new Claire Temple, as portrayed by Rosario Dawson on the perfect Netflix Daredevil show. Night Nurse also made an appearance in the Brian Michael Bendis Daredevil comic run, but Jen was way more familiar with that as she’s the huge Daredevil fan. I don’t want to give anything away, but because of how the story goes, it was important to us for the readers to get to know the original Night Nurse, Linda Carter. As we brushed up on her, I found a lot of similarities between her and our AMERICAN MARY protagonist, Mary Mason.

Jen: We loved her reinvention in the Daredevil Netfilx series. We did a lot of research to catch up on what she’s done and where she’s been. I saw her pop up with Daredevil in the comics and with Strange, too. Not surprisingly we included both in our comic.

When you were putting it all together, what was the editorial input like? Were you given carte blanche with your story, or were there specific guidelines in place before you put pen to paper?

Sylvia: As a filmmaker, much of our work is being put in a box and then you creatively problem solve to tell a story without seeing those perimeters. Working for Marvel was freedom. Obviously, we were fitting into a pre-existing world, but Jake was there to let us know where we were and then let us go. It was a very collaborative process and a fun one because all of us are comic fans, so we were speaking the same language from call one. When we first got to brainstorming ideas, we had some pretty out there ones that had this been a studio meeting, it would have been unlikely to have gotten approved – in this we got everything. We actually were very encouraged to really spread our wings creatively.

Jen: It was liberating. We’ve read so many comic books, so we kind of understood the style, but Jake was simply incredible teaching us the ropes of piecing it all together. Obviously, there are a lot of changes happening in the Marvel Universe right now, so we had to be told what was up and who was off elsewhere doing stuff. We got to create a brand new demon as Blackheart was busy elsewhere, ha ha.

As filmmakers, was the comic-creating process an easy fit for your sensibilities or did you have to flex new creative muscles?

Sylvia: Like filmmaking, you get surrounded by a team of talented people who bring the story to life and support you every step of the way. We wrote out our panels but we also drew how we envisioned the pages and the progression of the story. Seeing those original crude sketches and then seeing the final artwork was a huge holy shit wow moment.

Jen: We were in very good hands. Jake and the amazing editorial and art team were wonderful. They really supported us and guided us in the right directions. It’s a bit of a learning curve as you need to distribute information and tell your story differently than you would in a screenplay or a book. It was very cool. I think we’ve got the swing of it. It’s really cool because you literally get to create everything in your story and world. Nothing’s off limits.

Speaking of Soskas & Comics, what’s the word on your next project, Kill Crazy Nymphos Attack?

Sylvia: Talk about freedom. Those that are familiar with our work know that we have strong opinions about many social, political, and religious issues. My mom more simply has put it ‘you two have always had a problem with bullshit.’ It’s coming along fantastically. Daniel Way is one of the most viciously intelligent and uncanny artists that I have ever had the pleasure of collaborating with. There are things that he comes up with that we could never in a million years and then there are things that we come up with that is from a different world because we look at this very graphic novel as the jumping off place for a ballsy grind house throwback flick.

Jen: It’ll be coming out next year and I’m so overwhelmed by the love and support we’ve gotten from the fans. It was our very first Kickstarter project and I simply couldn’t believe how much support we got. I love it! It’s especially great because there are absolutely no limits there. And when you’re writing with badass Daniel Way, nothing’s off limits to begin with, ha ha.

Having worked in film and now written for Marvel, are there any other titles you would like to get your hands on, creatively? Which Marvel comic/film properties would you like to have a crack at?

Sylvia: All of them. Reading Marvel Comics really helped me growing up as a weird kid that got picked on a lot. Comics are a medium of entertainment like nothing else. My favourites are Spider-man, Deadpool, Punisher, Storm, and, new favourite, Night Nurse.

Jen: I’d honestly take on any Marvel hero. I love them all. They’re like old friends. I grew up with all of them. I think we’d have a very cool spin on X-Men. Venom is a favorite and I don’t think we’ve quite gotten him right yet.

With Marvel “rebooting” its comics universe, is there a chance we’ll see your take on Night Nurse integrated into the new continuity?

Sylvia: I can’t comment, but reading the Secret Wars Journal #5 will answer that.

Jen: Oh! Great question! I’m afraid I can’t say. You’ll have to pick up the comic book!

SECRET WARS JOURNALS #5 is available today at your nearest comic shop. KILL CRAZY NYMPHOS ATTACK is slated for release this year (officlal date TBA). And be sure to add The Twisted Twins official website to your bookmarks for any and all of the news that’s fit to print.

A CONVERSATION WITH: BARBIE WILDE

September 15, 2015September 15, 2015 / Ron McKenzie / Leave a comment

“I have always been fascinated by (serial killers), because I am SO not like them at all. I am very empathetic, I care too much and then you have these “lone wolves” going through society, picking off the masses.”

Barbie Wilde

“Damaged people, ultraviolence, murder and explicit sex—what’s not to love about her work?”

Chris Alexander, Fangoria Magazine

I first met Barbie Wilde last year at Toronto’s HorrorRama, after an extended period of online correspondence and social media chit-chat during my time at Rue Morgue Magazine. The only reason this merits any mention at all is that Barbie is a funny and genuine sweetheart. A sweetheart with a talent for the dark and disturbing. Make no mistake, there’s more than a little bit of darkness swirling beneath that pleasant facade. Fortunately for us, she’s put it all down on paper for our sick amusement.

After gaining rave reviews for her 2013 debut novel, the violently satiric THE VENUS COMPLEX, Wilde now gears up for the release of her latest work: VISIONS OF THE DAMNED, a collection of short stories previously released in various publications, all gathered together for the first time courtesy of Short, Scary Tales.

While best known for her work in front of audiences and the camera, writing has been in WIlde’s blood for a very long time, dating back to age 11 when she wrote and performed in a play about the ride of Paul Revere. “I’ve always been writing and trying to get stuff off the ground for many years. I cannot say how long it took to get THE VENUS COMPLEX to get out. That was very difficult and I went through a lot of problems. It started out as a novel about a plucky female forensic psychologist tracking down a serial killer. And I got really bored. I thought “this is like every other book I’ve ever read”. The things that have always interested me are the “whys”, the psychology of the characters. And so, I thought ‘what if it was all told through his head?’ It was very difficult to get a publisher to take it on, and I actually gave up on it for years.”

Soon, though, Wilde was approached to contribute to a horror anthology being overseen by Paul Kane and Marie Regan, one with very near and dear ties to her heart. “I was still struggling to get the book published (they) said “listen, do you want to write a story for this anthology, Hellbound Hearts? All the stories had to be based on the novella,The Hellbound Heart, that Clive wrote, which of course I knew well. So I thought “oh, gosh, guys. I’m really sorry but I don’t really write horror. I am interested in crime.” And they went “oh, go on. And that was the first horror story I ever wrote.”

Her entry in the Hellraiser-themed anthology, Sister Cilice, formed the first in a trilogy which featured a loosely-based and reimagined version of the iconic “Female Cenobite”. ” The Lead Cenobite in the book IS female, so it while it wasn’t “The” Female Cenobite”, it was “a” female Cenobite. From there, a lot of people asked me to write horror stories. It’s not to say I was reluctant, but I was wondering ‘why is that?’. I guess people assumed because I was in this horror movie, that I was just going to do that.”

There were other forces at work, outside motivations to get the novel done. “The expression is “when acting left me behind”. That’s the sweet way of putting it. I think you’re very lucky to get any acting work whatsoever after 35. After that, I went into casting, which was really soul-destroying – if you still have any hopes of acting – when you see how casting directors work. And you wonder, oh, is it really that brutal? Do they really sit there, open an envelope, look at the picture and then throw it into the wastebasket without even looking at the C.V? That was a real hope-sucker. In the end, I decided ‘okay, this is good’ because it would force me into doing what I always wanted to do, which was my serial killer novel. Paul Kane, bless him, suggested Comet Press and they loved it.”

With the publication of THE VENUS COMPLEX, Wilde found herself with new fans, including those who were interested in helping her work reach a wider audience. Chris Alexander, FANGORIA MAGAZINE’s Editor-In-Chief, published “three” of DAMNED’s stories (Zulu Zombies, “The Cilicium Pandoric” and Writer’s Block) in Fango’s sister mag, GOREZONE and also contributes the collection’s foreword. She’s also gained the support of Vancouver filmmakers, Jen and Sylvia Soska (American Mary, See No Evil 2), who bookend the anthology with the afterword. ” I met them in Texas and I was so excited, because I thought Mary was brilliant. I had looked over and they were running towards us through this throng and we immediately had a Cenobite-Soska “selfie” session. We have been firm friends ever since. I had a long chat with Jen in Chicago, and that was when we realized we were both Canadian so were able to talk about growing up in British Columbia, which has its own special pleasures.”

When it comes to writing horror, Wilde always roots the most supernatural of premises in reality. ” When I was given the letter U for Uranophobia (the basis for DAMNED’s story, GAIA), I thought whoa, there aren’t that many phobias to start with. What I really wanted to do was write a story about home invasion, because I think that’s scary. So I had to twist one of my phobias into this rather fantastical one, this Fear Of The God Of The Sky.”

With VISIONS OF THE DAMNED slated for release on October 31st (but of course) , the advance critical review has been very positive. “I’ve just been just been thrilled with the response so far. I didn’t know how people were going to take them.” So, what’s next for Wilde? More writing, obviously, including a potential sequel to THE VENUS COMPLEX. She’ll also be on the convention circuit again, promoting the release of VISIONS OF THE DAMNED. They say there’s no rest for the wicked, and Barbie Wilde is living proof.

VISIONS OF THE DAMNED is available for pre-order through Short, Scary Tales Publications . Barbie Wilde is also online at Twitter, Facebook and at her website, barbiewilde.com .

REVIEW: Izzy Lee’s INNSMOUTH

September 11, 2015September 11, 2015 / Ron McKenzie / 1 Comment

Originally written for rue-morgue.com .

“You can bet that prying strangers ain’t welcome around Innsmouth. I’ve heard personally of more’n one business or government man that’s disappeared there…”

H.P. Lovecraft, The Shadow Over Innsmouth

When one thinks of the works of H.P. Lovecraft, “erotica” and “full-frontal” aren’t the first words that spring immediately to mind. Despite Lovecraft’s fabled aversion (and apparent squeamishness) to humanity’s most basic of instincts, sex and nudity have long been front-and-center in cinematic adaptations of his stories, especially in Stuart Gordon’s now classic triad of RE-ANIMATOR, FROM BEYOND and DAGON.

You can now add Izzy Lee’s INNSMOUTH to the list of films that put the “Love” in “Lovecraft”.

Lee has been making waves on the festival circuit with her brand of transgressive and politically-charged short films for some time now. Tackling such issues as the religious right (PICKET) and the battle over female reproductive rights (LEGITIMATE), Lee’s horror is filtered through a definitive (and unabashedly so) feminist perspective, something that makes INNSMOUTH’s take on Lovecraft’s mythos that much more subversive.

The plot is pulp-simplicity: Homicide Detective Olmstead (Diana Porter) is investigating a mysterious and gruesome homicide in Arkham, a case that will take her to the nearby coastal town of Innsmouth. It isn’t long before Olmstead finds herself on the receiving end of the town’s fabled “hospitality” for outsiders, and the attention of town matriarch, Alice Marsh (Tristan Risk).

At ten minutes long, there’s not much more that can be said without spoiling its surprises – and rest assured, they’re there. What can be said is that it’s a rebellious and erotic take on Lovecraft’s fabled coastal town. Faithful to its history, yet unconventional in every other way. The female protagonist, lesbian erotica and hints of Marsh’s ambisexual proclivities are as far removed from Lovercraft’s sexless and somewhat misogynist prose as can be, but the mood keeps it tethered to its literary roots.

And in what will come as no surprise to anyone, Tristan Risk owns this. While her screen time is minimal, she makes every second that she’s onscreen hers for the taking. She has seductive evil down pat – vampy, but not campy. More importantly, though, the girl is fearless. In keeping with the “no spoilers” vibe, Risk cements her reputation as one of horror’s bravest, giving us a 100% NSFW moment that serves as the film’s climax and confirmation that she’s well ahead of her onscreen contemporaries in destroying boundaries.

INNSMOUTH does exactly what the best of short films should do: teases at a much bigger picture waiting in the wings and leaves you wanting more.

INNSMOUTH will be screened at the HP Lovecraft Film Festival in Portland on the weekend of Oct 2 – 4, with other screenings lined up for festivals and conventions going into 2016. Check out Nihil Noctem’s website, Facebook page and Twitter feed for updates as they become available.

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