Editorials
A Bloody Disgusting Tour of the ‘Scream 4’ Art Exhibit!
Last Saturday night at Hyaena Gallery – a Burbank, CA boutique that caters in “odd things for eclectic tastes” – owner Bill Shaffer hosted the opening of a special Scream exhibit featuring several works of art used in the upcoming fourth installment, as well as an assortment of props courtesy of Skip Crank, who served as one of the prop masters on Screams 1-4. B-D’s Chris Eggertsen attended the special event and caught up with Nicolas Caesar – owner of the “Scary-Art Collective“, whose members were commissioned to create the original artworks specifically for the film – in addition to taking some photos of the pieces on display. See inside for the full report!
The Hyaena Gallery in Burbank, CA was humming on Saturday night with the opening of “The Art of Stab“, an exhibit featuring Scream-inspired artwork and a whole host of items – courtesy of prop master extraordinaire Skip Crank – that have been featured in all four films of the franchise. The artworks were commissioned by the Scream 4 production for use in a scene where some “cultish things” occur (this according to artist Nicolas Caesar, who founded the artist’s collective that was asked to create the pieces) in a barn filled with Stab fan art (Stab being the “franchise-within-a-franchise” that has been featured in all of the Scream sequels).
“It’s basically a section of the film where there’s a big cult, and it’s all about fan art“, said the enthusiastic Caesar when I caught up with him at the exhibit. The opportunity for he and his group, known as the “Scary-Art Collective“, to contribute to the film came as a result of his working relationship with Crank on the long-dormant adaptation (“It’s never gonna be made“) of the Clock Tower series of video games released for the Playstation in the latter half of the `90s and early `00s.
“That’s how I got the job initially working with Skip“, he continued. “So when this came up the idea was, `We should do fan art, we should have art in the film. I know this guy, he can make quality work, he knows a lot of artists.’ So Bill Shaffer at Hyaena Gallery and I sorta teamed up. And we just went down our database and we invited everybody. And we were just like, `Alright, here’s the deal. You have a week to do this. It has to be the [Ghostface] character, but you can’t use the word `Scream’, you have to use `Stab’…and you can basically do what you want, one piece, and Hyaena has a stake.’”
Especially given the fact that the artists only had a week to come up with the pieces, the majority of them were extraordinary – some wonderfully bizarre and imaginative, others more straightforward but nevertheless made with supreme craftsmanship, they were, using Caesar’s own words, “museum-quality“.
“How often do you get a masterpiece in a few days?” he asked rhetorically. “One of the great things about it was people were just getting obsessive and maniacal about it, which totally came out in the art. Looking at all the art and the displays, that emotion, that stress, and that whole thing of like `you have to make this deadline for it to be in the film’ I think created some really fucked-up and really awesome pieces.”
Indeed, Craven himself was so impressed with the artwork (which he’d originally planned to use less prominently) that he not only asked for it to be hung in his office prior to the start of shooting but, at the suggestion of the production design team, decided to give the works a much grander showcase in the barn scene. Of course, the inevitable questions of, `what’s gonna happen with all this artwork once we’re done with the movie?’ began popping up, leading Caesar to go into protective mode on behalf of the other artists.
“A lot of people who worked on the film were like, `Oh, this is neat! I wanna take this home!’” Caesar recollected. “And we were like, `No, these are artists! They live off this [stuff]!’”
Of course, Craven couldn’t help but put down dibs on some of his favorite pieces from the collection (which I’m assuming he paid for), even going so far as to ask for his office to be decorated with the ones he chose.
“Wes was like, `I want you to do my office. I want you to dress it like you did“, said Caesar. “So basically Skip had all this stuff with him on hold for Wes Craven. It was like, `I have all this stuff and Bill [Shaffer] had a cancellation in November, let’s just put together a `Scream’ show! Let’s open [it] up to the public.’ Because it’s really rare that you actually get to see props and art from a film that’s not some shitty `Tango & Cash’ piece in Planet Hollywood or Hard Rock Café or whatever, where it’s actually a film that you give a shit about.”
Perhaps the most exciting development to arise from Caesar and his collective’s involvement in the highly-anticipated sequel is that it’s resulted in many more offers for them to create original artwork for films. And while some of those are coming from outside the horror genre, at the end of the day it’s the sick and twisted stuff that inspired them to become artists in the first place.
“All of us who grew up on slasher films and everything, it’s a part of our culture“, said Caesar passionately. “Some kids went to church, we went to creature features.”
And now, on to the gallery!
Editorials
‘Immaculate’ – A Companion Watch Guide to the Religious Horror Movie and Its Cinematic Influences
The religious horror movie Immaculate, starring Sydney Sweeney and directed by Michael Mohan, wears its horror influences on its sleeves. NEON’s new horror movie is now available on Digital and PVOD, making it easier to catch up with the buzzy title. If you’ve already seen Immaculate, this companion watch guide highlights horror movies to pair with it.
Sweeney stars in Immaculate as Cecilia, a woman of devout faith who is offered a fulfilling new role at an illustrious Italian convent. Cecilia’s warm welcome to the picture-perfect Italian countryside gets derailed soon enough when she discovers she’s become pregnant and realizes the convent harbors disturbing secrets.
From Will Bates’ gothic score to the filming locations and even shot compositions, Immaculate owes a lot to its cinematic influences. Mohan pulls from more than just religious horror, though. While Immaculate pays tribute to the classics, the horror movie surprises for the way it leans so heavily into Italian horror and New French Extremity. Let’s dig into many of the film’s most prominent horror influences with a companion watch guide.
Warning: Immaculate spoilers ahead.
Rosemary’s Baby
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The mother of all pregnancy horror movies introduces Rosemary Woodhouse (Mia Farrow), an eager-to-please housewife who’s supportive of her husband, Guy, and thrilled he landed them a spot in the coveted Bramford apartment building. Guy proposes a romantic evening, which gives way to a hallucinogenic nightmare scenario that leaves Rosemary confused and pregnant. Rosemary’s suspicions and paranoia mount as she’s gaslit by everyone around her, all attempting to distract her from her deeply abnormal pregnancy. While Cecilia follows a similar emotional journey to Rosemary, from the confusion over her baby’s conception to being gaslit by those who claim to have her best interests in mind, Immaculate inverts the iconic final frame of Rosemary’s Baby to great effect.
The Exorcist
William Friedkin’s horror classic shook audiences to their core upon release in the ’70s, largely for its shocking imagery. A grim battle over faith is waged between demon Pazuzu and priests Damien Karras (Jason Miller) and Lankester Merrin (Max von Sydow). The battleground happens to be a 12-year-old, Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair), whose possessed form commits blasphemy often, including violently masturbating with a crucifix. Yet Friedkin captures the horrifying events with stunning cinematography; the emotional complexity and shot composition lend elegance to a film that counterbalances the horror. That balance between transgressive imagery and artful form permeates Immaculate as well.
Suspiria
Jessica Harper stars as Suzy Bannion, an American newcomer at a prestigious dance academy in Germany who uncovers a supernatural conspiracy amid a series of grisly murders. It’s a dance academy so disciplined in its art form that its students and faculty live their full time, spending nearly every waking hour there, including built-in meals and scheduled bedtimes. Like Suzy Bannion, Cecilia is a novitiate committed to learning her chosen trade, so much so that she travels to a foreign country to continue her training. Also, like Suzy, Cecilia quickly realizes the pristine façade of her new setting belies sinister secrets that mean her harm.
What Have You Done to Solange?
This 1972 Italian horror film follows a college professor who gets embroiled in a bizarre series of murders when his mistress, a student, witnesses one taking place. The professor starts his own investigation to discover what happened to the young woman, Solange. Sex, murder, and religion course through this Giallo’s veins, which features I Spit on Your Grave’s Camille Keaton as Solange. Immaculate director Michael Mohan revealed to The Wrap that he emulated director Massimo Dallamano’s techniques, particularly in a key scene that sees Cecilia alone in a crowded room of male superiors, all interrogating her on her immaculate status.
The Red Queen Kills Seven Times
In this Giallo, two sisters inherit their family’s castle that’s also cursed. When a dark-haired, red-robed woman begins killing people around them, the sisters begin to wonder if the castle’s mysterious curse has resurfaced. Director Emilio Miraglia infuses his Giallo with vibrant style, with the titular Red Queen instantly eye-catching in design. While the killer’s design and use of red no doubt played an influential role in some of Immaculate’s nightmare imagery, its biggest inspiration in Mohan’s film is its score. Immaculate pays tribute to The Red Queen Kills Seven Times through specific music cues.
The Vanishing
Rex’s life is irrevocably changed when the love of his life is abducted from a rest stop. Three years later, he begins receiving letters from his girlfriend’s abductor. Director George Sluizer infuses his simple premise with bone-chilling dread and psychological terror as the kidnapper toys with Red. It builds to a harrowing finale you won’t forget; and neither did Mohan, who cited The Vanishing as an influence on Immaculate. Likely for its surprise closing moments, but mostly for the way Sluizer filmed from inside a coffin.
The Other Hell
This nunsploitation film begins where Immaculate ends: in the catacombs of a convent that leads to an underground laboratory. The Other Hell sees a priest investigating the seemingly paranormal activity surrounding the convent as possessed nuns get violent toward others. But is this a case of the Devil or simply nuns run amok? Immaculate opts to ground its horrors in reality, where The Other Hell leans into the supernatural, but the surprise lab setting beneath the holy grounds evokes the same sense of blasphemous shock.
Inside
During Immaculate‘s freakout climax, Cecilia sets the underground lab on fire with Father Sal Tedeschi (Álvaro Morte) locked inside. He manages to escape, though badly burned, and chases Cecilia through the catacombs. When Father Tedeschi catches Cecilia, he attempts to cut her baby out of her womb, and the stark imagery instantly calls Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury’s seminal French horror movie to mind. Like Tedeschi, Inside’s La Femme (Béatrice Dalle) will stop at nothing to get the baby, badly burned and all.
Burial Ground
At first glance, this Italian zombie movie bears little resemblance to Immaculate. The plot sees an eclectic group forced to band together against a wave of undead, offering no shortage of zombie gore and wild character quirks. What connects them is the setting; both employed the Villa Parisi as a filming location. The Villa Parisi happens to be a prominent filming spot for Italian horror; also pair the new horror movie with Mario Bava’s A Bay of Blood or Blood for Dracula for additional boundary-pushing horror titles shot at the Villa Parisi.
The Devils
The Devils was always intended to be incendiary. Horror, at its most depraved and sadistic, tends to make casual viewers uncomfortable. Ken Russell’s 1971 epic takes it to a whole new squeamish level with its nightmarish visuals steeped in some historical accuracy. There are the horror classics, like The Exorcist, and there are definitive transgressive horror cult classics. The Devils falls squarely in the latter, and Russell’s fearlessness in exploring taboos and wielding unholy imagery inspired Mohan’s approach to the escalating horror in Immaculate.
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