Friday, May 4, 2007
By: MrDisgusting
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Horror fans (and the population in general) lost one of the true masters of horror earlier this year. Bob Clark and his son Ariel were killed on April 4th by some moron drunk driver (who was driving without a license). Fans can rejoice, however, because the New Beverly Cinema (which had a tradition of playing Clark’s seminal holiday slasher classic BLACK CHRISTMAS at Christmastime) will be showing his two other landmark horror films this month. The New Beverly is located at 7165 Beverly Blvd. Read on for the details and make sure to check it out!
On May 22, those in the Los Angeles area should do whatever they can do to fork over a measly seven bucks and see DEATHDREAM and CHILDREN SHOULDN’T PLAY WITH DEAD THINGS in a rare theatrical screening.
In case you missed it the first time around, here is an excerpt from B-D’s exclusive interview with Bob, which would sadly be our last. It was conducted around the release of the original Black Christmas on special edition DVD (to coincide with the remake). Ironically, the remake (which, in a strange coincidence, hit DVD on the day he died), though widely panned, was responsible for finally giving his original film the level of appreciation and respect it had always deserved (having been overshadowed by Halloween) and introduced Clark to a whole new legion of fans.
R.I.P. Bob. We’ll save you a seat at the Beverly.
Bloody-Disgusting: It’s often said that the two hardest genres to do right are Horror and Comedy. You have done quite well in both, so you’re somewhat of an expert on the subject. So what’s harder, in your opinion: Horror or Comedy?
Bob Clark: A tough call, but I believe comedy presents the greatest challenge. The elements of horror are more contrived, so it is probably easier to assess what will frighten many people than it is to assess what they will find funny. Clearly I think comedy is more difficult to execute.
B-D: The studio wanted a more conclusive ending for the original Black Christmas, suggesting a scenario where it would be revealed that Chris was the killer. Had they gotten their way, and the killer was identified, would you have gone along with that theory or come up with your own?
BC: I had creative control of Black Christmas; no one ever suggested that Chris might be the killer; Peter (Keir Dullea) maybe. Warner Brothers suggested Peter as the killer. Believing this would satisfy the audience. I disagreed.
B-D: Two of your three horror classics are now in the remake process. The third, Dead of Night (aka Deathdream) can easily be remade today given the current political climate (i.e. Iraq and/or Afghanistan). Has anyone approached you about doing a remake?
BC: Actually Eli Roth purchased the remake rights to “Death Dream”. It was reported in Variety several months ago that a script had been achieved and production was proceeding.
B-D: Black Christmas is being shown again this year in Los Angeles, at the New Beverly Cinema. Is this going to be an ongoing tradition?
BC: I can’t say; you would have to ask Brian Quinn of Grind House Cinema. I will hope that it will become a tradition. Brian has told me he is also planning showings of “Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things” and “Death Dream”.
B-D: It's Christmas Day. TBS is airing A Christmas Story for 24 hours straight. Do you take in a viewing?
BC: Yes, we turn it on and let it on all 24 hours. According to the New York Times. 65.5 million people watched [the TBS broadcast] 24 hours last year 2005.
Source: New Beverly
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