Nick Cato's Blog, page 35

Gory, Pulpy Fun...

THE DREADFUL DOCTOR FAUST by K. H. Koehler (2010 Bandersnatch Books / 47 pp / tp)
Poor Louise---you'd think being murdered and dumped into NY's East River would be punishment enough. But her body happens to wash ashore near an abandoned church, and an underground surgeon known simply as The Doctor recreates Louise in his own image, using his own experimental techniques.
The Doctor operates beneath the abandoned church, performing all types of surgeries (even helping to deliver babies) for the homeless and unfortunate who seek shelter. But he's not exactly a nice guy: we discover he's been kidnapping innocent victims since the Victorian era, and has discovered the secret to immortality through his surgery. Louise becomes his assistant, and the two make a demented pair worthy of any late-night schlock-fest.
A model, a bartender, and a high school janitor each fall victim to The Doctor's savage operations, and become part of his "body parts farm." While the story brought Gord Rollo's excellent novel THE JIGSAW MAN to mind, this one's done a bit quirkier and with a slightly gothic feel.
THE DREADFUL DOCTOR FAUST brought several b-movies to mind, especially the seldom seen HEADLESS EYES (1971), ANDY WARHOL'S FRANKENSTEIN (1973) and a personal favorite of mine, DOCTOR GORE (a.k.a. THE BODY SHOP---also 1973). There's a couple of truly gruesome situations here, and it's not a bad take on the mad doctor thing. But I had a hard time caring much for the three main victims, as little is revealed about their backgrounds. Louise, however, turns out to be even more interesting than The Doctor himself, and it all ends with the potential for a sequel.
If mad doctors are your thing, give FAUST a whirl. Others may find this a bit too familiar. Either way, it's plenty fun...

February Reviews now LIVE at...

...the HORROR FICTION REVIEW, my press' FREE online fanzine. Enjoy!
http://www.freewebs.com/hfrzine/february2011reviews.htm

A More Extreme Sasquatch

Check out my latest column over at CINEMA KNIFE FIGHT: http://cinemaknifefight.com/2011/01/27/suburban-grindhouse-memories-night-of-the-demon/
You've never seen a Sasquatch THIS pissed before!

Santa Sangre (Part 1 of 2)

Thanks to the fine folks at Severin Films (http://www.severin-films.com/), today marks the long-awaited (proper) release on DVD and blu-ray of Alejandro Jodorowsky's 1989 cult classic, SANTA SANGRE. Last night I had the pleasure of attending a screening of this new blu-ray at the funky reRun theater in Brooklyn (http://www.reruntheater.com/) on their 12-foot screen. The first time I saw this was around 1990 on VHS, and about a year ago, convinced the film would never come to DVD (especially after it was absent from Anchor Bay's fine Jodorowsky boxed set), I had ordered a double DVD from amazon that turned out to be little more than a well-packaged bootleg with a crappy VHS-to-DVD transfer, along with extras taken from the aforementioned boxed set.
For those yet to see it, SANTA SANGRE is (arguably) Jodorowsky's easiest-to-follow film. While it doesn't have the surreal nature of EL TOPO or THE HOLY MOUNTAIN, it still maintains a bizarre feel throughout, with sections looking like a cross between Fellini and a 70s slasher film. The director's staples (religious cults, father/son generational legacies, etc.) are all present, albeit in a different tone than his previous efforts.
SANGRE tells the story of a young circus performer named Fenix who goes mad after witnessing the murder/suicide of his parents (his dad, Orgo, the circus' ring leader, and his mom, Concha, the head of a heretical Catholic sect). The film begins with Fenix as an adult, living in a strange room at an insane asylum. The story is told through his flashbacks, and from an early sequence of his chest-tattoo "turning" into a bird and flying over a Mexican city, the stage is set for this beautifully-shot film that defies genre. Without giving too much away, Fenix's mother--whose church worships a saint who had her arms cut off during a rape--has her own arms cut off when she tries to kill her husband and the woman he's having an affair with. Fenix eventually uses his arms to do his mother's bidding, and the conclusion is a sort-of bizarre take on Hitchcock's PSYCHO.
With several unforgettable scenes (especially the funeral of a beloved circus elephant) and a score that's a true treat for the ears, SANTA SANGRE is a must see for any lover of original films.
(In Part 2 of this blog, I'll be taking a look at the DVD and it's 5+ hours of extras.)
Young Fenix with his deaf mute companion, Alma
Fenix in a nightmare sequence, recalling the death of his beloved elephant
The Temple of the Holy Blood (Santa Sangre)

Young Fenix and his dwarf assistant
Fenix's hands helping his armless mother
Now with his own theater, Fenix's mother continues to control his hands
Fenix's potential girlfriend falls victim to a jealous mother
Simple but attractive DVD/blu-ray cover from Severin Films

Those Sleazy 70s!

Apparently re-titled to cash in on the success of THE EXORCIST, this sleazy, 1974 occultic sexromp would've been more accurately called THE SEANCE OF ANGELA GRAY.

Stanley Ladd (a man "on the wrong side of 30") lets a younger woman he meets outside a health club stay at his apartment...and before long she latently moves in. When they're not having sex or smoking joints, Angela often wakes at night, telling horrifing stories about orgies and being raped by a ram, although she's not sure if these are just dreams or repressed memories.

Things take a ROSEMARY'S BABY-ish turn when Angela reveals to Stanley she's pregnant, and has been since before she moved in. But what eventually comes out of her isn't human...and Angela dies during the delivery (and this is only at the halfway point!). The second half of the story deals with Stanley locating the coven who Angela had mentioned and then sitting in on one of their seances as they attempt to contact her.

THE EXORCISM OF ANGELA GRAY is a typical, trashy early 70s pulp horror novel, full of sex, violence, drugs, and "satanism." I believe this is the only novel Vane wrote, although he did pen 14 screenplays and directed 7 flms (inclding 1983's FRIGHTMARE). If you enjoy a quick read in the vein of a low-budget B-movie, you'll enjoy it.

One Corny Devil...

SATAN'S MIRROR by Roxanne Smolen (2010 L & L Dreamspell / 284 pp. / tp)
Emily Goodwin is the host of a popular TV show called "Do You Believe It?," where she debunks myths about monsters and urban legends. When we meet her, she's hot on the trail of an alleged "bat boy," and quickly discovers he's a real person with a deformity. After filing the story with her boss, she barely has time to get caught-up with her young daughter when she's sent on another assignment; it seems there's been several missing persons in the town of Saint Augustine, Florida, as well as reports of a haunted house that may be connected. Upon her investigation, Emily loses her camerman Dan when an interdimensional-portal opens at a locally famous abandoned house, sucking him into the abyss. When the police refuse to buy her story, she heads home shaken up and suspicious of a local fortune teller who may hold the secret to the missing persons.
But it seems someone--or something--has followed her. A demon manages to kidnap Emily's daughter right under her bed through a similar portal that took Dan. Desperate, Emily heads back to Florida to again confront Vanessa the fortune teller, and intends to go back to the house where she lost Dan...knowing she'll have to go to hell itself to find her daughter.
Although the publisher's website doesn't have this listed in the YA section, SATAN'S MIRROR reads as if it was written for a younger audience. The writing is standard, the dialogue quite corny (especially between Emily and her daughter), and for a story dealing with hell and the Devil himself, there's nothing scary here. Pre-teens might enjoy this as the finale features an adventurous, fantasy-like fight sequence, but adults seeking a serious occultic-horror story (as the title suggests) will most likely give up after a few chapters.

Disciple Overkill...

DEATH'S DISCIPLES by J. Robert King (2011 Angry Robot Books / 325 pp. / tp)
A woman wakes up in a hospital after being in a coma for four weeks with no idea who she is. She learns through her doctor that her name is Susan Gardner, and that she was the only survivor of a terrorist attack on a plane that killed 361 passengers. Sergeant Steve Krupinski guards the door to her room; apparently she's being stalked by an extremist cult known as Death's Disciples, and an attempt on her life goes down as early as the second chapter, setting off this fast-paced thriller that had me flipping the pages (almost) non-stop.
DEATH'S DISCIPLES, while a best-bet for thriller fans, sort-of lost me toward the ending. I liked the idea that Susan was able to not only communicate with, but use the abilities of the 361 spirits that now lived within her. But King throws in perhaps one too many twists, and at times I couldn't tell who was on who's side. He's also asking us to accept a supernatural terrorist organization whose members can change their appearance at will to look like those they've killed. If you can get past this, you'll probably enjoy the ride (I mean, WHO could stop a group like this?).
While the supernatural element of the story runs amuck towards the ending, most of the novel reads like a well-done, gripping thriller. I think King (author of several other novels) tried to squeeze-in too much, and the result is hit or miss...but I'll say mostly hit. If you're a fan of government conspiracies, goth kids, and military intrigue, check it out.

Female Fright Flingers!

In the fall of 2005, my (then) print fanzine THE HORROR FICTION REVIEW featured a 6-author interview titled FEMALE FRIGHT FLINGERS, where I interviewed some of my favorite ladies in the genre. As a prelude to WOMEN IN HORROR APPRECIATION MONTH, I've scanned this section for your reading pleasure. Click on each page for larger (and hopefully readable) image.

Good...but Familiar

Darren Aronofsky's BLACK SWAN is psychological thriller that plays out like a combo of Argento's SUSPIRIA and Ross' THE TURNING POINT (both released in 1977) with some late night cable "erotic thriller" thrown in for good measure.

This is one of those films where, despite the excellent performances from the entire cast, there's just something missing. I felt like I've seen this a thousand times before and I'm hoping Aronofsky will attempt a different type of ending with his next project (I was told this one was similar to THE WRESTLER…it's more than similar…it's basically the same).

I haven't seen too much mentioned about actor Vincent Cassel, who plays Swan Lake's director Thomas Leroy. He's fantastic as a high-class sleazeball, and for some reason reminded me of Udo Kier. I found the much-hyped lesbian scene between Nina (Natalie Portman) and Lily (Mila Kunis) more disturbing than a turn on (especially with the crater-faced Barbara Hershey [as Nina's mother] banging on the door during some of it). But suffice it to say, it's going to be weird watching re-runs of That 70's Show for some time to come…

One element that impressed me was how Aronofsky often changed the colors and shades of the background to highlight the moods and direction of the characters, quite reminiscent of Peter Greenway's 1989 controversial art-house hit, THE COOK, THE THIEF, HIS WIFE & HER LOVER. The black swan-sequence of Swan Lake during the film's finale looked great, although I was hoping for a different ending (which I saw coming about 20 minutes into the film).

The relationship between Nina and her mother, Erica, seems solid at first, but in time we begin to wonder how much control Erica truly had. While it's ultimately left up to the viewer to decide, I was hoping the film would take this a step further.

Natalie Portman should have no problem winning an Oscar for this (she truly does shine here), but it'll be a long shot if it takes best film.

BLACK SWAN's a decent take on the classic "good vs. evil" thing, but one I expected more from.

Winona Ryder does a great job as aging dancer Beth Macintyre. MAN do I still love her!

Continuing to be the BEST in the Genre...

The UK's BLACK STATIC magazine has been on a roll since its first issue, and now at it's 20th it shows not only no signs of slowing down, but of getting better.
This issue's fiction features 5 solid tales, including a collaboration between Paul Meloy and Sarah Pinborough titled 'The Compartments of Hell," a fresh take on the apocalyptic thing. Nate Southard masterfully uses suggestion to make "Going Home, Ugly Stick in Hand" a memorable monster mash (literally), while Norman Prentiss delivers the quiet and quite creepy "The Covered Doll." Barbara A. Barnett's 'The Wounded House" features a woman coming to grips with some dark memories and the death of her grandmother, and Ray Culley's "At Night, When the Demons Come" is another futuristic yarn, this time following six survivors who are tormented by demons...all of them seemingly female.
The usual columns from Stephen Volk and Christopher Fowler are informative and entertaining, and Mike O'Droscoll's "Old Horrors Revisited" explains why some films that scared us as kids no longer hold up today.
There's 12 pages of Peter Tennant's amazing book reviews (I think he spends as much time on a review as it takes to read the book), which are simply the best guide for horror fiction fans on the market today, and the issue is again end-capped by Tony Lee's 10-paged DVD and Blu-Ray reviews.
I say it all the time, but here goes again: WHY aren't you reading this yet? (Subscriptions and single issue order info at ttapress.com/shop).