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.

BARBIE WILDE HAS SUCH SIGHTS TO SHOW YOU: A review of VOICES OF THE DAMNED

September 2, 2015September 3, 2015 / Ron McKenzie / Leave a comment

Barbie Wilde is the very model of “multi-disciplinarian”. Musician, dancer, model, journalist and one of horror’s most recognizable icons – The Female Cenobite from Clive Barker’s HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER II. She’s done it all. In recent years, though, she has been gaining notoriety and acclaim on a new career path: author.

Wilde polished her skills in that most-honored (and harder than it looks) fields of “entry level” writing: the short story. Sharpening her teeth in the true crime genre, Wilde eventually made the leap to full-on horror, starting with an entry in the 2009 HELLRAISER-themed anthology, HELLBOUND HEARTS. And she hasn’t stopped to take a breath. With multiple stories published in a number of anthologies as well as her first novel, 2012’s THE VENUS COMPLEX, under her belt, Wilde has proven herself to be a prolific and very-active creative force. Violence, pitch-black humour and yes, sex can be found in equal measure in her work, drawing complimentary comparisons to Clive Barker’s early works in his seminal Books of Blood collections. And now, readers get the chance to see these stories collected in one place.

VOICES OF THE DAMNED gathers together Wilde’s short stories into a single volume, and what a piece of work it is. Featuring a cover by Clive Barker, interior illustrations by Barker, Nick Percival & Steve McGinnis (and many, many more) an introduction by Fangoria’s Editor-In-Chief Chris Alexander and an afterword by Vancouver’s twin terrors, Jen and Sylvia Soska, it’s clear that Wilde’s got the support of a lot of the genre’s players. Superlatives are good, but does the work inside match the dust-jacket hyperbole?

Oh, yes. Yes, it most certainly does.

Wilde covers a wide range of sub-genres, ranging from body-horror to Old-World folklore to stories that defy classic convention or description. There’s a little something for everyone, but these stories are my personal favourites and recommendations

POLYP: a routine colonoscopy becomes anything but, when the patient learns that there is something malignant, hungry and alive inside him. And it wants out.

VALESKA: a clever, blood-and-sex soaked reinvention of the vampire mythology, with a female “Seminal” drawn into the war between her kind’s two rival factions.

AMERICAN MUTANT: a wealthy and successful televangelist learns that he is the father of a teenaged boy, one with the powers of both sin and redemption in his hands.

THE ALPDRUCKE: A man suffering from a sleep disorder learns that his problems are so much worse, as he has been targeted by a malicious nightmare demon.

GAIA: a woman, broken and battered by events in her past, reinvents herself as her goddess namesake, which is very bad news for the two thugs who choose her home for a break-and-enter.

For HELLRAISER devotees, the big hook (pun intentional) here is The Sister Cilice Trilogy, the first time all three stories have been collected in one volume. Wilde has taken the character so long associated with her career – Pinhead’s second-in-command, The Female Cenobite – and fleshed her out. She now has a name, a history and her own agenda . The result is a wonderful expansion of the Hellraiser universe which follows her entry into Hell and her subsequent ascension to the top ranks of The Order Of The Gash. It’s ambitious, epic stuff and a more-than-worthy addition to the canon.

Chances are (if your tastes are anything like mine), you’ve already signed onboard for this. For anyone still harbouring any hesitations, allow me to ease your mind. Wilde’s imagination, and her penchant for the disturbing and the sensual, are well worth your time.

VOICES OF THE DAMNED releases on October 31^st, with pre-orders available now at Short,Scary Tales Publications.

Next week, I’ll have my interview with Barbie up-and-running for your perusal.

Til then…keep watching, constant reader.