John Rozum's Blog, page 45

Little Shoppe of Horrors #35

I'm pleased to now be a part of Richard Klemensen's outstanding magazine, Little Shoppe of Horrors , dedicated to the films and personnel of Hammer Studios. The new issue is available which covers Frankenstein Created Woman and Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed, for which I contributed an illustration depicting Veronica Carlson and Peter Cushing. There is also a tribute to Christopher Lee.

For anyone interested in horror cinema, LSOH is highly recommended. As the bulk of each 100 page issue is devoted to one or two movies, actors, or directors, the really read more like extensively researched books than single magazine issues. You can order LSOH #35 (and all previous issues) here.

The Next Show I'm Involved With

"Crazy4Cult9" opens at the end of the month at Gallery 1988 (West). I have three pieces in this show and will preview them closer to the opening.

31 Days of Halloween - Day 31

There are some movies that work best when you going into them knowing little about what's coming. What We Do in the Shadows (2014) is one such film. So, all I'm going to say is it's mundane, and it's about vampires, and it's extremely funny and easily the best film I've watched this countdown. Go see it.

31 Days of Halloween - Day 31 - Movie 1

The tv miniseries of Stephen King's Salem's Lot (1979) is more soap opera than horror, but still holds up pretty well despite a few dated fashion choices. The Glick boys hovering outside of the window, filmed in reverse to give it an even eerier quality, are still a chilling site, and Nosferatu inspired Mr. Barlow is one hell of a vampire, even given his short screen time.  The performances are good, particularly David Soul, Lance Kerwin, James Mason and Bonnie Bedelia, and you genuinely do care about the welfare of the people in the film. It was nice to revisit Salem's Lot after a long time away.

31 Days of Halloween - Day 31

As a child I tuned in religiously to The Creature Double Feature on WLVI, channel 56 out of Boston, and each week I'd also draw the monsters featured in the various movies shown. In a lack of judgement/foresight, my high school self tossed out the entire thick stack of drawings. One managed to slip through the cracks and it is the only one of those weekly drawings to survive. Seen below is Reptilicus in all his glory. 




Based on the drawing style I'm guessing this came from late second grade, possibly third grade. It's not too bad, not terribly off model even though everything seems to be occurring on the same plane. I'm not entirely certain if the curved lines behind Reptilicus and the building hiding him are supposed to be rebar, or Reptilicus' wings. 
After all of these years, I thought I'd tackle Reptilicus again in my current medium of cut paper. I would have loved to have recreated the scene entirely, but time was against me. I think I still like the drawing above better. 


Reptilicus (1961) Cut paper.

31 Days of Halloween - Day 30

The zombie apocalypse strikes, with a few twists. I won't spoil them other to say one involve fuel, and the other involves experimentation. While neither is necessarily any more plausible than the dead coming back to life, I was happy to roll with them. In the context of Wormwood: Road of the Dead (2014).  There were a few things I liked about this Australian film. First off, unlike most zombie movies that start after thee zombie apocalypse is well under way, this one includes day one of the outbreak. Granted we are seeing it on a small, low budget scale, but we are seeing it. We also know the cause, and which people are affected by the contagion, or not, and why. Second, people actually dress appropriately with full protective body armor. Third, most of the decisions being made are smart, and are being made for the good of the group as opposed to the good of the individual. This movie was a lot of fun, and refreshing addition to this colossal sub-genre.

31 Days of Halloween - Day 30 - Movie 1

Until today, I have never seen Hocus Pocus (1993), the movie about a trio of Salem witches resurrected in modern who need human children to prolong their longevity. Starring Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker as the witches, this film is apparently beloved to many based on my tumblr feed, so along with a recommendation from a friend of mine, and my daughter, I figured this year I'd give it a shot.

As a Disney movie, I'm sure I would have enjoyed it to the same degree as say, Blackbeard's Ghost (1968), if I were at a similar age watching Hocus Pocus as I was the Peter Ustinov spectral pirate movie. It's cute, visually interesting and doesn't follow it's own logic, but that doesn't matter much. My biggest peeve, which I'm sure is the favorite part of most people, is I am not a fan of that over the top acting style chosen by the lead actresses to portray their characters. I've never seen any of the Harry Potter movies either, but I've seen enough to see that many of the actors playing the teachers (Emma Thompson, in particular) use this method of "acting." Also, of the three witches, Bette Midler is the only one who really has anything to do.

Was this a bad movie? Not necessarily. I think I'm just not the right age to have appreciated it as others do.

31 Days of Halloween - Day 30

Peter Cushing as Arthur Grimsdyke in Tales From the Crypt (1972). Cut paper.

31 Days of Halloween - Day 29 - Movie 2

A rocketship returning to Earth from Venus crash-lands in the Mediterranean. It's precious cargo, an alien life form, is set free and grows to tremendous proportions. Terrified, it is hounded and hunted until it is finally cornered atop the Coliseum.

20 Million Miles to Earth (1957) is a giant monster on the loose movie from Charles Scanner, Nathan Juran and Ray Harryhausen, the same team that would bring us The 7th Voyage of Sinbad a year later. Unlike most other giant monster movies of the 50s, 20 Million Miles to Earth hearkens back to movies such as King Kong and Mighty Joe Young, by giving us a sympathetic creature who only acts out because it is frightened or under attack itself. Harryhausen's stop-motion animated Ymir gives a wonderfully nuanced performance, and the plaintive sounds it is given only add to the creature's distress.

31 Days of Halloween - Day 29 - Movie 1

The Angry Red Planet (1959) tells the tale of a group of astronauts who reach Mars then come face to face with its dangerous flora and fauna. While much of the film involves less than exciting speculative rocket operation scenes, once they reach Mars, creative cinematography and some bizarre looking creatures give the illusion of a much larger budget than what was actually available. There's also some well edited use of stock footage used at the beginning of the film. This film is imaginative and fun.