Patrick Rutigliano's Blog, page 7

Under the Radar – Pumpkinhead

Horror lends itself well to locales off the beaten track. Backwoods towns straddle the border between old world and modernity, nature and civilization, making them ideal settings for superstition to thrive. And this kind of dark fairy tale atmosphere is what Pumpkinhead is all about.

The movie opens with young Ed Harley’s family refusing a panicked neighbor shelter in their home. The man runs off, only for Ed to witness his death at the hands of a monstrous creature during the night.

Decades later, Ed (Lance Henriksen) runs the town shop while taking care of his own son. The two are content with their simple lives until a group of teenagers looking for a cabin stop for supplies. One tragic accident later, and Ed is left with the lifeless body of his child and the memory of the creature he saw when he was just a boy.

There are definitely tropes present in Pumpkinhead. Half the movie actually plays out very much like a stereotypical slasher film. The teenagers are bumped off one by one in various awful ways. They run, the creature always catches up somehow… you get the idea.

However, what elevates this movie so much is the half centered on Ed Harley. Lance Henriksen puts in a hell of a performance, and the audience gets a good look at the grief and rage driving him to make the Faustian deal he strikes–as well as the guilt that follows. Ed doesn’t just get his revenge; through blood, he’s linked to the demon and forced to experience its killings himself. It’s a good twist and provides a strong enough reason for him to reconsider what he’s done.

As expected from Stan Winston (who also directed), the titular monster is great to look at. It’s easy to see shades of the classic xenomorph from the Alien films, but there are enough differences to keep the design fresh and memorable. The process Ed has to go through to summon it is pure fairy tale, complete with an ancient witch (amusingly named, “Haggis”) and an eerie pumpkin patch that holds unspeakable things. It’s a lot of creepy fun.

While not a perfect film, Pumpkinhead is a great watch for fans of the genre. There’s a good actor giving it his damnedest and a killer far more unique in design and origin than its more conventional slasher kin. Already something of a cult classic due to its many appearances on cable, I can only hope more people give it a look.

Almost There

Well, The Last Look is finally just about right where I lost it. I would’ve been even further along if the stinking power hadn’t gone out in my building yesterday (sheesh, what is it with this thing attracting bad luck?), but I digress.

In other news, I’ve been informed by my editor at Crystal Lake Publishing that Wind Chill has a tentative December release date. The fact that it matches the book’s setting makes me happy. I’ve also already penned Sunday’s installment of Under the Radar. Now, I just need to figure out what to write about next…

Under the Radar – Predators

Sequels are a tricky business. If too close to the original, an audience will label a follow up as pointless. If too far, the film runs the risk of alienating fans entirely. Striking the right balance between innovation and familiarity becomes even more difficult when directors and time periods change, potentially altering the flavor of the property beyond recognition. It often takes a proper fan of the original movie to do it right, and watching Predators, it’s clear that Robert Rodriguez truly enjoyed the first film in the franchise.

Predators opens with a bang. A mercenary, Royce (Adrian Brody), wakes to find himself in free fall. He manages to activate his parachute and land safely, only to find a motley assortment of killers has made the same drop. With no idea who abducted them or where they’ve landed, the group has no choice but to work together even as those who arranged their arrival begin to stalk their prey.

The original Predator was a miracle combination of testosterone-fueled ’80’s action and slow-building horror elements. It’s still kind of amazing that it worked so well. While it’s impossible for a sequel to be quite as unique, the new team’s predicament provides enough fresh wrinkles to make things interesting.

The camaraderie of the original film is replaced by an uneasy alliance between strangers. This allows for some good initial tension/paranoia and provides more space for developing the characters. The movie also makes the smart move of changing up the Predators usual modus operandi from scene one, making it clear to fans that something is amiss. The reveal is a great payoff and adds a nice extra layer to the situation. The action is spaced out just enough to keep it exciting, and it’s consistently visceral and well shot. The effects are also impressive throughout.

That said, there are some flaws. The biggest of these is easily Laurence Fishburne, who hams it up every second of his (mercifully short) screen time. There’s also a twist regarding the team’s odd man out, Edwin (Topher Grace), that I saw coming from a mile away (I actually predicted it from the first time I read about his character). The fact that none of the other characters even question his presence is honestly pretty baffling. Likewise, it seems very strange that no initiative is taken to use the camouflage technique that saved Dutch in the first film until the end of the movie given that his account is shared by one of the team.

All that said, Predators is still a solidly enjoyable experience. Rodriguez envisioned the film as a companion piece to Predator only, and it does very well in that respect. It’s just the right mix of old and new, but with opinions split right down the middle, far too many aren’t giving the film its due.

Round Three Continues

After a fair bit of work, I’m nearly back to where I was in The Last Look before my computer died. I should be there in a few more days. Then, I’ll finally get to start digging into the heart of the craziness I have planned. Needless to say, it’s about freaking time.

I think I may already have the subject of the next segment of Under the Radar picked out as well, but I’m debating as to whether it’s quite unappreciated enough. Ah well, I’ll mull it over a bit more before making my decision. There’re still plenty of other properties out there that could use a little love.

Under the Radar – Ginger Snaps

Teenagers have never been represented particularly well in horror films. Many of these characters are one-dimensional stereotypes (the jock, pothead, etc.), outlived by one or two comparatively moral peers. The typical “final” girl is usually so telegraphed, it’s easy to identify her within a minute or two of her first appearance, leaving the last act of the movie a foregone conclusion. And this is where Ginger Snaps offers a welcome change of pace. Kind of.

Neither of the film’s leads start off as likable. The two sisters, Brigitte and Ginger, are goth girls in the most obnoxious, stereotypical sense of the word. Like South Park, their earnestness is very much part of the joke, but some viewers (and I was among them) might hesitate about spending a full run time with these characters during the first fifteen to twenty minutes.

Fortunately, it’s right near the end of that mark where things get interesting.

During a rash of neighborhood animal killings, the girls decide to take revenge on a local bully by kidnapping her dog. Before they can pull it off, Ginger is attacked by a wolf-like creature. The two escape and the werewolf is killed by a passing van, but it isn’t long before Ginger begins to manifest some peculiar symptoms.

While this synopsis might sound a little bland, it’s the execution of the aftermath that makes the film. The characters quickly lose a chunk of their goth pretension, and both actresses prove to be surprisingly good. Brigitte (Emily Perkins) becomes more anxious with each bizarre behavior her sister exhibits, while still remaining unwaveringly loyal. Meanwhile, Ginger (Katharine Isabelle) begins a devolution into a more primal state that also serves as a blackly humorous allegory for puberty. Everything from periods, premarital sex, to sexually transmitted diseases is given a wink and a nod. And to the film’s credit, most of it manages to be pretty damn funny even as it builds to a bleak final act.

In the end, Ginger Snaps is smart enough to know when to let its first joke (mostly) pass and truly make something of its premise. The movie remains just funny enough even when things are really going to hell–an admirable and difficult balance to strike. And as an added bonus, the special effects aren’t half bad, either. While the opening may be a little much to take, make the effort to get through it. I promise, it really does get better.

And the Good News Cometh

Normally, I wouldn’t post about an acceptance until the ink is drying on the contract, but I think I can make an exception in this case (as the paperwork looks solid and the publisher gave me the okay). Wind Chill has found its home with Crystal Lake Publishing. Needless to say, I am beyond pleased. This year was well overdue for a little good fortune.

I’ve also started up The Last Look for a third time as my laptop has not been receptive to any of my repair efforts. I loathe redoing the same chapters yet again, but it’s a necessary evil and I’m too stubborn to just give up on the damn thing. And on that note, I’m off to work on it some more. I’ll try to have something ready for you all by Sunday.

Under the Radar – Trollhunter

Folklore often finds its way into horror, but the results tend to be mixed. Some legends are simply too specific to one culture to translate well to another, losing some of their power. But giant, rampaging monsters? Yeah, that’s something that’ll work pretty much anywhere.

Trollhunter follows a group of college students investigating a suspected bear poacher. Hoping to use him as the subject of a a documentary, they track the hunter down only to be refused an interview. However, after following him into the woods one evening, they discover he is after far bigger game than the local wildlife.

Trollhunter works for a number of reasons why most found footage movies fail. The actors feel natural in their roles and have a decent enough reason for filming everything. The hunter, played by Otto Jespersen, is a surprisingly subtle and complex character–so much so that I wouldn’t have minded an entire film centered solely around him.

The trolls also prove to be a compelling presence in and of themselves. They’re treated far more as unique animals to be managed rather than supernatural monsters. Certain traditional qualities–like aversion to sunlight–are given scientific explanations, leaving their hatred for anything Christian as the only part that doesn’t quite work. The filmmakers also chose to create several different species of troll rather than relying on one type. This adds some welcome variety and tension to the encounters as one is never quite sure what to expect. The special effects are decent for the most part, but they do look weaker outside of the darker and infrared scenes. Still, it’s not overly distracting.

The film also balances humor with its more horrific elements surprisingly well for a movie in its sub-genre. Quiet visual absurdities are used to great effect, fitting in far better with the false reality presented than any one-liner could. That said, the real-life footage snippet at the end is fantastic, perfectly fitting the dry bits of comedy that preceded it.

Overall, Trollhunter is one of the best in its category. The unique setting and choice of monster would have helped set it apart on its own, but the care given to how the creatures fit in into the world puts it among the most compelling movies of its kind.

Under the Radar – Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem

An atmosphere of eeriness and unease is arguably the most effective tool of any work in the horror genre. More than blood and guts, dread is what sticks with a player already used to excess. And Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem has stuck with me since I first played it nearly a decade ago.

Alex Roivas, a college student, awakes from a bizarre nightmare to answer her phone. Informed of an “accident” at her uncle’s estate by the police, she catches a red eye and arrives to find her relative and surrogate father decapitated. Despite the horrific nature of the crime, there is no physical evidence beyond the body itself for the police to go on. Sensing a dead end to the investigation, Alex insists on staying in town to solve the mystery herself. It’s not long after moving into her new abode that she uncovers a hidden room and the arcane book that waits within.

Eternal Darkness is as close a tribute to the works of H.P. Lovecraft one can get without citing his cosmology. Insanity, a constant threat to the health of Lovecraft’s characters, constantly infects the character (and the player!) with hallucinations ranging from upside-down rooms to random dismemberment. While there is a horror mainstay in the enemy roster in the form of zombies, they come in three different flavors, providing a little variety. The other creatures are far original and impressive, ranging from hulking behemoths to spindly beasts that stow away in human bodies. Amazingly, Eternal Darkness may have the only effective melee combat system in any horror game, allowing the player to target an opponent’s individual limbs with ease.

But as I said, it’s neither gore nor combat that sell this game–it’s the atmosphere.

The sound design is excellent, putting the player on edge with every spitting torch or hushed whisper brought on by the sanity effects. The story itself is superbly written. The Tome of Eternal Darkness provides something a of a past-life regression each chapter, transporting Alex to a different period in the book’s history and slowly revealing more of the cosmic plot in which she’s become entangled.

The narrative flows seamlessly between time periods and teases each new piece of the puzzle, breathing fresh life into old environments until an excellent payoff.

While the game does have a few flaws (i.e. the excellent combat system actually makes killing enemies a bit too easy and the graphics are a bit dated), it stands head and shoulders above the jump scares of its survival horror kin. And frankly, even twelve years after its release, I’m still dreaming of a sequel I know I’ll never get.

Author Interview Incoming

I’ve recently spoken to my friend Ben Eads, author of Cracked Sky, and we’ve decided his appearance here will be in the form of an interview. While I’ve got some questions I already want to ask, if any of you readers have anything you’re curious about regarding Ben or his work, feel free to drop your question in the comments section of this post. If it’s a good one, I’ll include it in the interview. Meanwhile, Cracked Sky is available for pre-order at Amazon, so go take a look:

Cracked Sky

Under the Radar – The Edward Gorey Museum

Edward Gorey is an artist who needs no introduction. His illustrations have graced countless books, including his own, seasoning them with his peculiar style. That said, I had never heard of the Edward Gorey Museum in Yarmouth, Cape Cod until my brother happened to mention it during a visit. Naturally, I had to check it out.

Originally known as “The Elephant House,” Gorey’s former home boasts an impressive number of artifacts, all reflecting his wry eccentricity and somewhat morbid aesthete. The knickknacks he was so fond of collecting playfully clutter much of the space, all but devouring the kitchen it its entirety (which was Gorey’s own handiwork–he preferred to eat out). Complete versions of a few of the books he published through his own Fantod Press are available for perusal, and there are plenty of his excellent illustrations on display throughout the house. Patrons are even offered a scavenger hunt for representations of the ill-fated children who appeared in his best known work, The Gashlycrumb Tinies.

The tour guide was very friendly and a genuine fan, more than happy to expound on the objects and art on display or Gorey’s personal history.

Even with some rearranging of its contents, the house feels like the artist through and through. And Edward Gorey is always a good time.