Movies
Toy Review: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Slayer’s Scythe
Buffy grew on me. The film was fun but I still don’t feel the need to own it- at least until a decent edition gets released. The TV show? Meh. I’d seen enough of it to know I’d get to it someday. Then they came out with that stupid cube of DVD’s and a couple button clicks on Amazon later I found myself watching every single episode in order and loving it. Same with Angel. Vampire-lite to be sure but heavy on story arc, a genuine sense of good fighting evil, destiny and free will combining to create a palpable cosmos of myth…
So what’s a good geek to do? I looked at the collection of Buffy figures that I’d been sent by Sideshow over the years went on Ebay re-bought my Sideshow Gentlemen figures from the Hush Episode, eventually purchased the Buffy Premium Format Figure and even dug out my Buffy Season One Promo mini-stake that I’d been sent by Fox back in the day. Needless to say I felt Buff enough. Until I saw this beauty that is. I don’t collect weapons either for the most part, though I do have a Exc. Hellboy II Samaritan on order with Sideshow. But this just gives me a different feeling when I pick it up. In the show the Slayer’s Scythe can only be wielded by the Slayer herself and is a weapon of immense power meant for use in the greatest battle she will ever fight.
This heavyweight exact replica of Buffy creator Joss Whedon’s personal Slayer’s Scythe is awesome and authentic down to the last detail including the one thing that I would nitpick. Meant to imitate Ostrich leather the handled strap is preprinted, not textured enough and overall somewhat chintzy compared to dynamic stylings, great coloration and chrome job and overall presentation of this piece. Diehards might also complain that the axe end itself isn’t sharpened but trust me this was a wise choice on the part of Factory X. The stake end is very sharp and you’ll want to be careful monkeying around with this thing as its easy to poke yourself when you’re goofing around.
But of course die-hards should have no problem at all removing and replacing this material with a rough leather strap. It’s basically a choice between maintaining the collectability and having it look a little better. Normally at these prices I want perfection but this is such a minor point I had no problem with it. I’ve had this piece long enough that even those who have no idea what show its from generally pick it up when they come into my office.
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A contemporary reimagining of H.P. Lovecraft’s short story Herbert West: Reanimator is on the way, and Deadline has unveiled the first look at the new Herbert West and the pathologist drawn to his orbit.
Adam Simon (The Haunting in Connecticut, “Salem”) and Tim Metcalfe (The Haunting in Connecticut, Kalifornia) penned the script. The original screenplay and storyline come from Jade Sandberg Wallace.
Michael Grossman (“The Originals”, “Pretty Little Liars”) directs.
The new images introduce star Joseph Morgan (“Vampire Diaries“), who plays “brilliant surgeon and scientist Herbert West, who is obsessed with creating a serum to reanimate the dead.” Katie Cassidy (Speed Demon) stars opposite as the pathologist with a troubled past who joins his efforts.
Together, they prove that conquering death may be the ultimate sin against life itself.
The film’s official synopsis: “As a child, Herbert West watches his father Peter reanimate his dead mother Judith in a secret basement lab — only for Judith to mortally wound Peter and nearly kill Herbert before Peter shoots her. The trauma leaves its mark on Herbert, but so does one final image: his mother’s finger, twitching after death. Thirty years later, Herbert West is a brilliant, secretive surgeon still chasing his father’s obsession.
“Pathologist Kate Locke arrives in town and is drawn into his orbit — first through a spark at a hospital fundraiser, then through his secret lab, where he reveals a serum capable of reanimating severed tissue. Kate, hiding a dark past of her own, is thrilled rather than horrified, and moves into West’s mansion to work alongside him. Their early experiments on a cadaver succeed only briefly. West concludes that dead tissue is the problem — they need something fresher.”
Supporting cast includes Scott Aiello, Ira J Amyx, Randall Newsome, Emma Reinagal, James D. Bryce, Kathryn A Bentley, Jack Lancaster, Amy Holland Pennell, John Pierson, Mindy Shaw, Eric Dean White, Tristan Wilder Hallet, Adrienne Lamping, Aaron Crippen, and Drew Patterson.
Makeup artist Jeff Lewis (“Star Trek: Voyager,” “Star Trek: Enterprise”) and cousin Roger Lewis are heading the production via their newly established Woodlake Entertainment.
Lovecraft’s short story, first serialized in Home Brew magazine in 1922, is the first among his works to mention the fictional Miskatonic University. It was most famously adapted into a 1985 horror movie from Stuart Gordon, starring Jeffrey Combs as Herbert West.
Herbert West: Reanimator is set in Alton, Illinois, where production is now underway.
Herbert West: Reanimator. Photo credit: Matt Lief Anderson
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