Editorials
Best & Worst of 2009: Tex Massacre Picks His Top 10!
Tim Anderson, known as Tex Massacre here in the site, is our main man when it comes to DVDs. He watches more films that I can even imagine sitting through. In fact, I wouldn’t be shocked if his brains were mush by now. This morning Tex, our longest writer on staff, submitted his picks for the best and worst films of 2009. Beyond the break you’ll find his selections for the TOP 10 horror films of 2009. What do you guys think?
David Harley (Best/Worst) | Ryan Daley (Best/Worst)
TEX MASSACRE’S TOP 10 OF 2009
This was a very good year for studio horror films that didn’t suck and remakes that weren’t nearly as ill conceived as one might expect them to be. Lionsgate kicked the year off right with a near perfect slasher reboot, taking the basic premise of the classic 1981 Canuxploitation flick adding an extra dimension (literally), and piling on the blood and the boobs. In the end, the most prescient thing about the film was that only 3 weeks into the new year, the tone was already set for 12 months of horror that reminded us how much fun our beloved gene can be.
Surely a film to divide it’s audience, Paranormal Activity will likely be remembered as much for the fact that it raked in over a 100 million domestic box office dollars–on a 15 thousand dollar budget– as it will be for that fact that a good 50% of its viewing audience undoubtedly hated it. For me, this flick represents a near perfect example of the power of suggestion and the electric energy that is generated by seeing a film, in a theater, with a band of brothers and sisters whose only goal is get scared right out of their skin.
Stand up fanboys and fangirls if your spider-senses tingled at the thought that 2009 was the year Sam Rami would save the horror genre. We’ll he came, he saw, and he slapsticked his way back into the low budget (well…compared to what he’s been spending) world of gore (well…as much as you can expect from a PG-13 film). Was it all we ever hoped it would be? Not really. Was it another damn fine night at the multiplex? Hell yeah it was! Hey Sam….time to dust off that old boomstick before Spidey 4 sucks you back into summer movie hell!
I saw these two films about two weeks apart from each other at two separate film festivals in March and April. The first one was at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas and the second was at the Florida Film Festival. Both flicks are zombie-dramas about boys who keep undead girls locked up for their own twisted needs. But, despite the basic similarities in their plots, these films are as wildly divergent as they are amazingly effective. Make-out with Violence is a lyrical and atmospheric mood piece that is haunting in its beauty. Deadgirl is like what you might get if director Larry Clark (Bully) decided to make a zombie movie–sick and disturbing and choc-ful-o raw and troubling sexual content. Both films stand alone as genuinely creative productions, but together they frame an exciting group of filmmakers that are reinventing the genre right in front of our eyes.
Director Emily Hagins has just completed her feature-length zombie film Pathogen, she’s cast it, produced it, shot it, scored it and edited it. It was a labor of love, full of all the learning experiences you’d expect from someone that’s never really made a feature film before–unexpected budget overages, abusing your friends and family, losing footage, re-shoots, fake blood, long nights editing the damn thing on your home computer, you know the drill. The big difference this time? Emily Hagins is 12-years old. Zombie Girl is just a “wow” documentary! What’s more amazing than watching the film unfold, is the fact that not only does Emily succeed in the face of insurmountable odds, its that…I’ve seen Pathogen…and the film is pretty fucking good! Emily is 17 now and working on more feature film scripts everyday! Watch out…cause she’s coming to get you…er…um…Barbara?
Every year, I think that the French New Wave of Horror can’t possible get any more graphic and gory than it did the year before. Then they make, Inside or Frontier(s) or Martyrs! If you think “torture porn” is only the exalted crimson realm of Eli Roth or Jigsaw, then you need to bow down to your new God…Pascal Laugier. Few films can make me cringe, Martyrs damn near made me gouge out my own eyeballs before it was over.
A lot of filmmakers try to homage the movies they loved growing up. Sometimes they do an admirable job at paying respect to the past. Sometimes they do an admirable job at reinventing the past. But, what they never do, and I mean never, is make a film that is indiscernible from the past. Until now. Until Ti West. Until The House of the Devil. Everything from the music, to the lighting, to the 16mm film stock, to the camera angles, set ups, and movements…it’s all authentic. This is a film that could have been made 30 years ago. A film that looks like it was made 30 years ago. It’s grossly fascinating on so many levels as a genre fan, and a horror film historian. But more than anything, it totally works for today too. I don’t know how he did it, or how he’s gonna top it (and look…I liked The Roost and Trigger Man) but baby…I’ll be first in line now for everything Ti West puts his name on after this.
How much did I love Zombieland? I loved it so much that I saw it twice and very nearly went a 3rd time. Do you know how often I do that? Fucking never, that’s how often I do that. I don’t have time. And I sure don’t have the time in October. If Columbia had opened this flick in February, I’d have moved into the local AMC and just marathoned it all day, everyday, for a week. It’s like an anti-end-of-the-world-film. Zombieland looks so awesome, I actually want to live there! Of course in my Zombieland, Amber Heard and I would get to make-out before she joins the ranks of the undead.
Vexing. That’s how I feel about this film. That’s how I feel about placing it at number 2 on my list. It could be number 1, and in any other year it would be. It’s a totally different beast–a black bird, a stillborn deer, a creepy fox who coos “chaos reigns”. I make no bones about it, I think Lars von Trier is a genius. He’s working a level that almost no one will ever attain. Equal parts pure artist, sick freak, and social commentator. Don’t like what he has to say or show you? Don’t watch it. And, don’t look into the mirror, you might not like what you see there either. If you don’t think cinema can shake your synapses into a firing frenzy, see this film. If you don’t think cinema can mesmerize with its twisted beauty, see this film. And, especially if you think you’ve seen it all….see this film.
In the last decade, I’m hard pressed to recall a film that had more advance hype than this one. Even more amazing, is that Director Mike Dougherty’s film not only lives up to the hype, it might just exceed it. The biggest tragedy of loving horror films as much as I do, is that it sets you up for disappointment at virtually every turn. Trick r Treat doesn’t do that. It doesn’t disappoint. It’s a masterpiece of modern horror, and the best Halloween horror film since John Carpenter spray painted a Captain Kirk mask white and pounded out a few freaky notes in 5/4 time. I could write pages about my unabashed love of this film, it’s already iconic central character and the brilliance of intercutting the Creepshow-esque storylines into a Pulp Fiction-styled narrative. But, I won’t. I’ll just leave you with everyone’s favorite new catchphrase: “Charlie Brown’s an asshole!!!”
Like I said it was a good year for Studio Horror so, I’ll throw some love to The Orphan, The Uninvited and even Last House on the Left (if you turn it off 5 minutes early). I dug Jennifer’s Body too…so there! On the indie scene Splinter, The Burrowers, Vinyan and Grace finally got off the festival circuit and into my DVD player! If you’ve got kids or you’re just a big kid, Monsters vs Aliens and Coraline made for a super badass 3-D double feature picture show. Sci-fi drama isn’t exactly horror but hey…we covered Moon and District 9 anyway…and be damn glad we did, cause they were both freaking great! Next up, a bunch of good genre docs came out. Especially the trash opus, It Came From Kuchar and the Ozsploitation masterpiece Not Quite Hollywood. And don’t forget about Anchor Bay’s His Name Was Jason, for your unfiltered history of the most unlucky day of the year and Best Worst Movie, the making of, and legacy of, Troll 2! And last, but not least: Birdemic, a film that (when it gets released) you’ll have to see to believe!
2009 Honoraries
Best Worst Film You’ll See in 2010: Birdemic
Best Films I Haven’t Seen Award: Dead Snow, Thirst
Honorary Kevin Smith “Ass to Mouth” Award: Human Centipede
Fuck Up of the Year Award: Magnolia changes the subtitles on Let the Right One In
Dumbest Marketing Award: If you’re remaking a film (Terror Train) to cash in on the name recognition…don’t change the name (now called Train)
No One Believed It Was Real Award: The Fourth Kind
Why Are They Still Doing This Award: After Dark Horrorfest III
Cinematic Armageddon Day: August 28 (The Final Destination and H2 prove that 2 incredibly shitty horror movies opening on the same day can still make big bucks!)
Better than the Theatrical Poster Award: Fantastic Fest Ltd. Ed. Screenprint for Antichrist
Editorials
‘Bloodstone: Subspecies II’ Revisited: A Bigger, Bolder Follow-Up to Full Moon’s Vampire Cult Classic
Horror sequels are a peculiar thing. In most cases, follow-ups to scary movies tend to retread the same formula with different victims and more over-the-top scares. This is because audiences tend to be more interested in the antagonists of these pictures than anything else, with even main characters becoming disposable when the time comes to produce a sequel.
That’s why some of the most memorable horror sequels are the ones that actually manage to hold onto interesting survivors from previous films while also pushing the story forward instead of having the same thing happen again to a different group of people. From Scream 2 to Dream Warriors (and arguably even The Exorcist III: Legion), there are quite a few of these innovative sequels to go around.
However, if there’s one franchise that deserves more attention when discussing bigger and better continuations that make the most of episodic filmmaking, it has to be Ted Nicolaou’s Subspecies.
The Full Moon classic spawned an indie horror icon, but bizarre sequel Bloodstone: Subspecies II is even more beloved than its predecessor.
Building a Bigger Vampire Saga
While the film itself takes place almost immediately after the events of the first movie, Bloodstone only entered production a couple of years after the release of the original as both Charles Band and Nicolaou weighed the pros and cons of returning to Romania to continue the series. In an effort to maximize efficiency, the team decided to invest in a trilogy where parts II and III, now fully written by Nicolaou, would be filmed simultaneously over the course of a single grueling shoot.
Much like the first Subspecies, Bloodstone’s low budget meant that the filmmakers once again had to cut corners and re-use as many of their resources as possible. Thankfully, the process was much easier this time around as Nicolaou, with the help of Romanian cinematographer Vlad Paunescu and his wife Oana, became more acquainted with local customs and made new friends. Shooting abroad still came with its own unique set of challenges due to a lack of translators and the occasional safety concerns, but the crew managed to make things work by filming things guerrilla-style and setting up shop in abandoned caves and real medieval ruins.
The director’s newfound contacts, coupled with the relative success of the first movie, meant that he was basically given free rein over an assortment of shooting locations usually considered off-limits for indie horror. That’s why Bloodstone features insanely ambitious lighting and effects work even during scenes shot in the middle of a bustling Bucharest. The filmmakers went so far as to project Radu’s Nosferatu-like shadows over local monuments as if he were a Romanian boogeyman, an idea that was actually encouraged by local cinephiles.
In fact, many of the more elaborate scenes here had originally been planned for the first movie before being discarded due to the lack of available resources. It was only with the support of Romanian fans and filmmakers that Bloodstone was able to give Radu a chance to be even more menacing the second time around.
Michelle’s Transformation Takes Center Stage
However, when it came to the American part of the crew, not everyone was able or willing to return for another round of Romanian adventuring. That’s why Radu’s human-loving half-brother Stefan (Michael Watson) is unceremoniously killed off at the beginning of the film while the role of Michelle had to be recast. Denice Duff took over for Laura Mae Tate, with the character now being joined by her sister, Rebecca, played by Melanie Shatner (yes, that Shatner).
In the finished film, we follow Michelle as she awakens to her new life as a vampire and discovers that Radu has murdered her lover. Struggling with grief and her newfound bloodlust, Michelle contacts her sister overseas, with Rebecca soon travelling to Romania on an ill-advised rescue mission. Meanwhile, Radu (Anders Hove) reaches out to his undead Mummy (Pamela Gordon, underneath heavy layers of impressive makeup effects) and promises to deliver her the coveted Bloodstone artifact while also making Michelle his eternal consort.
Revisiting the movie, I was impressed with how introspective this story is when compared to the original. The sequel assumes that you’re already familiar with the previously established characters, so the story wastes no time in exploring the immediate aftermath of the previous film’s events. From Michelle’s reluctant transformation into a creature of the night to Radu’s obvious mommy issues, Nicolaou is way more interested in pushing these characters into new and uncharted territory rather than recycling existing plot points.
Practical Effects and Gothic Atmosphere Still Impress
Yet, much like the first film, it’s Romania itself that makes the movie worth watching. The ruins of Castle Vladislav are even more majestic now, and visiting the moody streets of Bucharest with its surprisingly punk-rock nightlife made for a nice change of pace when compared to the original film’s quiet village setting. Once again, the abundance of interesting locations makes the movie feel much more expensive than it really is, with the filmmakers surrounding our characters with a living, breathing environment that would be impossible to recreate in a studio.
The increased freedom also allowed Nicolaou to flex his filmmaking muscles and tackle more ambitious blocking/composition in the sequel. The low budget and tropey script mean that the visuals don’t always work, but it’s consistently clear that this neo-expressionist style could only come from a passionate team attempting to pay homage to the shadowy horror classics of yesteryear. If the retro atmosphere isn’t enough for you, there’s enough practical gore here to satisfy even the most demanding of horror hounds!
Radu himself is also far more interesting now that Hove is more comfortable working alongside an international crew, with the actor having gone on record explaining that, while he spent more time drinking vodka than working while shooting the first movie, the sequel was a much more creatively satisfying experience for everyone involved. The character’s relationship with his abusive Mummy is also a highlight of the expanded mythology, especially since the practical effects that bring her to life are just as freaky now as they were back in ’93.
My only real gripe with the horror elements of the picture comes from the glaring absence of the diminutive stop-motion minions from the first film, though I guess the surprisingly entertaining addition of Professor Popescu (Michael Denish) and his archeological antics mostly make up for that.
Bloodstone: Subspecies II is obviously the middle chapter of a trilogy, with the ending feeling a lot less definitive than its predecessor as several plot threads are left to dangle in the wind, but I appreciate how the flick explores new ground while remaining faithful to nearly all the ideas that made the original such a good time. While I don’t think it’s as big of an improvement over the first movie as some fans make it out to be, Bloodstone is definitely worth revisiting if you’re a fan of old-fashioned vampire yarns.
Tune in next time for the thrilling conclusion to this initial trilogy, Bloodlust: Subspecies III!
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