Nick Cato's Blog, page 38

R.I.P. JEAN ROLLIN (1938-2010)

JEAN ROLLIN (1938-2010)
Jean Rollin was an actor, novelist. and French film director responsible for some of the more unique (and erotic) vampire films ever made. His horror films all had an art house quality, and always had a gothic look and feel (primarily due to his locations, which were usually beautiful castles and vast outside shots of the French countryside). He also helped the gorgeous actress Brigitte Lahaie find a legion of fans, and created the first French zombie film, THE GRAPES OF DEATH. Rollin also directed dramas and porn, but was best known for his horror films which continue to reach new generations of fans, primarily thanks to REDEMPTION video's deluxe DVDs of his work.
Here's a quick look at my 3 favorite Rollin films, each one worthy of any horror fan's time.


REQUIEM FOR A VAMPIRE (1971). First seen on American shores in the early 80s on Harry Novack's "Frightful Flicks" VHS series under the silly (and heavily edited) title, CAGED VIRGINS, this tale of two female fugitives seeking shelter at a castle that happens to be the home of a vampire cult features some great-looking scenes, including dungeons that could give anyone the creeps, amazing dusk-shot footage, and one disturbing shot of a vampire bat feeding on a captive's menstrual blood. Ground breaking and unforgettable.
REQUIEM's obscure opening chase sequence.
One of the countless, eye-catching scenes from REQUIEM FOR A VAMPIRE.
~ ~ ~
1978's THE GRAPES OF DEATH (a.k.a. LE RAISINS DE LA MORT) features zombies spawned by pesticides used to protect a wine-making community. This is not an apocalyptic film, although the zombie outbreak does infect a small farming village somewhere in the French country side. There's plenty of Rollin's trademark gore scenes (one lady's decapitation while nailed to a door is still quite effective) and a tense sequence aboard a train makes this one of the director's more memorable films. And of course the lovely Brigette Lahaie is on hand to flash her bod to the undead!
Rollin was a master of combining horror and beauty...Lahaie (in white dress) observes the coming zombie assault in THE GRAPES OF DEATH.
~ ~ ~
While ALIEN and DAWN OF THE DEAD assaulted audiences across America (and much of Europe), Jean Rollin's 1979 erotic lesbian vampire epic FASCINATION was released in France. Like REQUIEM, FASCINATION doubles as an art house film, with endless sequences that combine horror, eroticism, and wonderfully-filmed sequences on some of the best (and creepiest) looking sets Rollin ever used. Brigette Lahaie and Franca Mai were two of the prettiest vampires ever to grace the screen, and make this one a total joy to watch. One scene of Lahaie (in nothing but a black cape and a scythe) killing a potential convert must've looked incredible on the big screen, but until a revival comes to your town you'll have to settle for the DVD.
You DON'T mess with Lahaie and Mai!
Brigitte Lahaie in one of Rollin's most iconic sequences (from FASCINATION)She slays me (sorry---had to say it).~ ~ ~
THE HORROR FILMS OF JEAN ROLLIN:
THE RAPE OF THE VAMPIRE (1968)THE SHIVER OF THE VAMPIRES (1970)REQUIEM FOR A VAMPIRE (1971)BACCHANALES SEXUELLES (1973)THE DEMONIACS (1974)LIPS OF BLOOD (1975)THE GRAPES OF DEATH (1978)FASCINATION 1979)THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTED (1980)THE LIVING DEAD GIRL (1982)THE SIDEWALKS OF BANGCOCK (1984)TWO ORPHAN VAMPIRES (1997)FIANCEE' OF DRACULA (2002)
Jean Rollin departed this world on December 15, 2010

Check out my latest column at CINEMA KNIFE FIGHT: http:...

Check out my latest column at CINEMA KNIFE FIGHT:

http://cinemaknifefight.com/2010/12/16/suburban-grindhouse-memories-humongous/

The Unread History of the World...

ELEVEN TWENTY-THREE by Jason R. Hornsby (2010 Permuted Press / 298 pp. / tp)
A stranger sneaks a briefcase into Layne Prescott's luggage at an airport in Shanghai. Layne's heading back to his small home town of Lilly's End, Florida, to attend his father's funeral (he currently resides in China as an English teacher). When he gets home, not only does his past begin to haunt him, but a bizarre occurence goes down at his father's funeral service: during his message at the gravesite, the pastor starts to freak out and stabs the nearest mourner with a pocket knife. Others in attendance begin to attack each other. When there's no one left to attack the enraged begin to kill themselves. Layne and his girlfriend Tara barely make it out alive.
Events start to snowball, and after another similar attack 12 hours later, we discover that the residents of Lilly's End are now going into homicidal rages twice a day, each time the clock strikes 11:23. Layne's conspiracy-buff friend, Hajime, swears it's the work of our own government, that this is the result of chemtrails released from low flying planes. Other residents believe it's international terrorism. When Layne goes looking for help and answers, he discovers the town has been placed under a strict military quarantine and all forms of communication with the outside world have been shut off.
Despite images that bring George Romero's THE CRAZIES to mind, ELEVEN TWENTY-THREE is a fresh take on the killer "virus" subgenre (and without spoiling things, this might not even be classified as a killer virus novel), full of non-stop suspense, gruesome violence, and plenty of social and political commentary. Layne Prescott's background is slowly revealed over the course of the novel, causing us to like him and at times, loathe him. He's an intricate character and one you won't soon forget.
Horbsy (author of the excellent, original zombie novel, EVERY SIGH, THE END) strikes again with another novel that could have easily fell in to typical territory: yet he succeeds in keeping the reader guessing and also glued to the pages. This was one of the scariest and all around best horror novels I've read this year. Jason R. Hornsby is now a STRONG two for two...

Pabst Poo Ribbon!

HOW TO EAT FRIED FURRIES by Nicole Cushing (2010 Eraserhead Press (NBAS) / 96 pp. / tp)
What do you get when you combine humanoid ferrets, squirrels, Pabst Blue Ribbon, an apocalyptic poo storm, and a would-be lepus hitman? Pure bizarro magic.
Cushing's book is like a 70s variety show from another dimension, beginning with a FERRET FORCE FIVE tale that takes place in 1979 and serves as an extension to a short lived TV series: our heroes are sent into space to investigate a smelly situation: feces is raining down on the earth in epic portions, and our furry super team must not only locate the source of the poo, but confront a race of intergalactic squirrels bent on their destruction; then the "fiction" takes some brief detours as we're treated to some fine ferret farming techniques, some seldom-heard history lessons, and some obscure recipes.
SQUIRRELMAGGEDON: 2012 brings us back to the FFF world, this time focusing on a group of humans who discover the apocalypse is not quite like those Jack Chick gospel tracts had proclaimed. (The Fried Squirrel with Gravy recipe which follows sounds quite tempting).
Cushing's section on Wilhem Salvage, former star of the original 1979 FERRET FORCE FIVE TV series, is so well written you'll swear it's not fiction . . . or is it?
Words can't describe how hard I laughed at THE WHACKING OF FATHER CHRISTMAS, where the Easter Bunny's son, Sonny, is hired by Lepus Brasi (!) to take down Santa Claus. I've read many holiday-themed bizarro/horror stories, and this one's easily one of the best.
Packed with plenty of wit and clever dialogue, HOW TO EAT FRIED FURRIES is a blast and a half; hysterical one second and thought-provoking the next. Here's hoping this New Bizarro Author has a lot more to offer. Don't miss this.[image error]

SMOKE--short, sweet, and surreal

Russian director and screenwriter Grzegorz Cisiecki delivers SMOKE, a 7-minute short that shows off some fancy camera work, effective use of music, and without any dialogue paints a surreal, eerie picture of a man who is possibly losing his mind. Check out the full film below and keep your eye on this up and coming film maker.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHyUwbBbrag[image error]

My latest column now LIVE

While decent, how on earth could a film about decapitations be so ... mundane? Find out as I take a look at the 1981 slasher epic, NIGHT SCHOOL, only at CINEMA KNIFE FIGHT!:
http://cinemaknifefight.com/2010/12/02/suburban-grindhouse-memories-night-school-1981/[image error]

Some Dirty Fun...

AS THE WORM TURNS by Brian Rosenberger (2010 Blue Room Publishing / 201 pp. / tp)
Rosenberger (who has been haunting small press horror anthologies for the past several years) delivers this 22-story collection, 7 of which are presented here for the first time.
Among my favorites are 'Monster Burger,' about a fast food joint trying to stay ahead of the competition, 'Picnic in the Woods,' dealing with a canoe trip and the strange critters watching the boaters from the nearby forest, 'Starting Over,' about one man's love for someone literally changing his life, and 'Shop Till You Drop,' a funny, politcally incorrect SHAUN OF THE DEAD meets FATSO zombie tale.
Rosenberger shines when he combines horror with humor, such as in the undead heavy metal yarn 'Rot and Roll' and the hysterical redneck/small town ode, 'The Fisherman.'
As with any collection, not every offering is memorable, but there's more good 'uns here than not. Rosenberger's stories are somewhat reminiscent of old-school comic book horror, think CREEPY and EERIE-era pulp with a healthy dose of gruesome laughs injected at the right moments.
With an interesting introduction from the host of a theatrical Spookshow attraction in Atlanta (!), AS THE WORM TURNS is a fine way for horror fans to discover this up-and-coming author.[image error]

Comic Geek Update No. 6

DC's post-zombie epic BRIGHTEST DAY kicks into high gear with the latest 2 issues. No. 13 features Hawkman's brutal attack on Hawkworld as he attempts to rescue Hawkgirl from her demented mother. It was nice to see an entire issue dedicated to one situation, with only a brief teaser for the next issue. Issue 14 deals with Deadman--convinced Batman's the Chosen one to wear the White Ring--discovering his mistake and finally professing his love for Dove. HUGE congrats go out to writer Geoff Johns, who was recently named Best Comic Book Writer at the 2010 Spike TV Scream Awards (must count for something, no?). Diggin' this bi-weekly series to (un)death.The 4th installment of Dynamite's adaptation of THE WARRIORS is, like the issues before it, a scene-for-scene adaptation of Walter Hill's 1979 cult classic film. If you're not a committed fan and/or collector of all things WARRIORS, you'll probably be bored out of your mind. But for those of us who can't get enough, these comics look great on the shelf next to the VHS and DVDs![image error]

A Retro-Honoring Spook Show

BUT FIRST THE DARK by Frank Chigas (2010 Medusa Press / 333 pp. / hc)
Before we get to the stories, I must mention how awesome of a job Medusa Press does with their books: the small, neat pages make this collection very conducive to reading, and the retro-looking dust jacket AND printed-on cloth cover are nifty touches book collectors live for.
As for the ten stories contained within: Frank Chigas' style feels like you're reading stories from the early 1900s: they're pulpy, at times spooky, and most importantly, completely entertaining.
Among my favorites were 'The Pocket Watch' and 'Indian Pipes,' 2 genuinely eerie tales dealing with a powerful object and a satanic cult (respectively). In 'The Visitation,' an old man's drying wife is taken from him by a stranger he has seen outside their window several times, while 'Strange Companion' relies on some grim atmosphere to spin the yarn of a Mr. Desmond Hall's encounter with a stranger on a snowy London evening.
While I enjoyed Chigas' retro-sounding prose (the stories take place shortly after 1900), a couple of tales were predictable and at times I felt like I was reading an old issue of CREEPY or EERIE. But, again, Chigas CAN write and is able to quickly develop sympathy for his characters (no easy feat in a short story) as well as bring the chills on.
BUT FIRST THE DARK comes in a handsome boxed set with another 10-story Chigas collection titled STRANGE CORRIDORS, which I'll be diving into next. (Visit MedusaPress.com for details. Each book can be purchases separately).

Comic Geek Update No. 5

After almost 3 years, Dark Horse's amazing CONAN THE CIMMERIAN series ends with a brutally violent, action-packed finale to the 4-issue "Iron Shadows on the Moon" story arc. Conan has one of his roughest battles of the series as he protects Olivia from a huge Gray Ape, and on the other side of the island Conan's former crew are torn apart by giant statues come-to-life through an ancient curse. It all ends with the surviving pirates once again pledging allegiance to Conan, who has taken over their ship. Along with his new girl (the outcast princess Olivia), they sail into the sunset. The final cover is a tribute to Frazetta by Cary Nord, and the back pages feature some cool fan art and letters.
Conan fans who missed any of these issues missed a real treat, as these were among some of the BEST illustrated Conan tales ever to see print (and that's not over-praise...countless Conan fans agree). The writing and especially the artwork has been top notch since Issue no. 1. Dark Horse is already set to launch a KING CONAN mini-series, so hopefully they'll keep the Cimmerian goodness coming.Dark Horse also releases the 4th issue of their CREEPY relaunch, this time featuring four new stories, one new Loathsome Lore, and one classic reprint from the old Warren Magazine series. While the final installment of the Hitler thriller X-CHANGE was decent, the b-movie titled ZOMBIE WEDDING AT SLAUGHTER SWAMP was the funnest tale of the issue, and has some gore-geous artwork courtesy of Hilary Barta. Classic Creepy cover artist Ken Kelly does the cover.
In traditional CREEPY style, the stories--although grim at times--border on cheezy, so come expecting a retro-good time.
The 7th issue of Vertigo's iZOMBIE series kicks off a new story arc titled "uVampire." Our favorite zombie girl Gwen (who needs to eat one human brain per month to keep her hunger under control) is overdue for a feeding when Horatio calls for a date (she has been putting him off due to her hunger). With a corpse robber on the loose, the cemetery hasn't had any new bodies for a while, but luckily today an old woman was buried who was "really messed up" in a house fire. Gwen feeds on her brain later that night, and sees the woman's life as she does: she thinks she sees herself in the woman's memories . . . and could it be she has just eaten her mother's brain? Along with her retro-60s ghost friend Chloe and vampire girl Claire, iZOMBIE has been an entertaining read and this latest issue opens up a few interesting possibilities. Michael Allred's artwork gives the whole thing a unique feel. My only problem is the 6-page preview of a forthcoming Vertigo graphic novel, too much space that could've been used on the comic I paid for. Otherwise, I'm diggin' this.