I saw both of these bands live back in 2014 at the Summer Slaughter Fest at Hollywood's House of Blues. Both made a great impression, but it was Revocation that really hit. Cattle Decapitation was great, but my history with the band starts and stops with that show. Digging this collaboration between Revocation and C.D. singer Travis Ryan.
No word if this heralds a new Revocation album, but they're about due based on their past release schedule. This reminds me a bit of the Mastodon/Lamb of God collaboration a few months ago.
Watch:
I completely forgot about posting this trailer for Oz Perkins' The Monkey:
I LOVE this trailer! Man, Oz has really had some unbelievably cool marketing for these last two flicks, and I think it has A LOT to do with why these are so successful. So while blumhouse continues to be the trailer bane of the Horror Fan's existence, Neon has really risen to the occasion and will hopefully lead other distributors by example. There's no way The Monkey doesn't smash the box office, and this trailer has a lot to do with the hype.
Also, some pretty great full page inner front cover and back cover ads in the most recent Fango for this, too:
See? These are fantastic!
There's been such a 'vibe' for both The Monkey and LONGLEGS, and that vibe ads to the success. PLEASE let others learn this lesson. Don't make me NOT want to see your movie with the marketing for it (cough*blumhouse*cough).
I'm behind everything by a couple of days. Had a friend in town earlier in the week, and between catching up at work after a few days off, digging back into finishing Black Gloves & Broken Hearts after five days away at a crucial point in the novel, and recording podcasts for both MaXXXine and Longlegs, I just haven't had time to do anything else. So here's some awesome new music by one of my all-times. You can pre-order the new album RACK from Ipecac Records HERE, it drops September 13th.
Watch:
In the past week I have seen three movies that I expect will define much of 2024 for me. First, MaXXXine, which I've now seen twice on the big screen and am planning for another round:
I'm in the final stages of editing a HUGE episode The Horror Vision just did on this one. Ti West has been a favorite of mine since I first saw The Roost in 2005, and to see his very distinct filmmaking on the big screen for the first time since I caught The House of the Devil back in 2009 at the old Laemmle's on Sunset (after waiting for it for something like 3 or 4 years), but with a much bigger budget and not in a limited art-house release (I'm in Clarksville for hell's sake; I seriously doubt Hosue of the Devil played in Clarksville, haha) was an awesome experience. MaXXXine has some issues, but none that blind my love for it or the director.
Although I saw Nikhil Nagesh Bhat's Kill last September at opening night of Beyondfest 2023, I am counting my viewing this past Sunday on a big screen in Nashville as the first salvo of what may very well be my favorite film of the year.
This film takes the "Surprise, I'm getting married" trope of Indian Cinema and uses it to propel the best Action-Horror film I've seen since Dog Soldiers, easy. See this on the big screen if you can, and don't worry about the run time. It's a little over two hours, and I won't feel it AT ALL.
Finally, Oz Perkins' Longlegs... I'm not really sure how I feel about this flick after seeing it last night. It's fantastic, no doubt, but something about all of Perkins' films creates a disconnect in me.
You'll read this is the scariest movie of the decade. I think that's a bit much. But it is extremely unnerving, and everyone turns in a fantastic performance, especially Nick Cage, who defies all possible expectation and description with his performance.
The only other really big films I'm still waiting on for the year are Fede Alvarez's Alien: Romulus, Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis, and Robert Eggers' Nosferatu. I know there will be other, unexpected greats that filter in here and there, but for now, those are the horizon line. All in all, so far it's been a pretty great year, with Kill and Stop Motion duking it out for my favorite thus far.
Playlist:
Various Artists - The Void
High on Fire - Cometh the Storm
Dean Hurley - Anthology Resource Vol. 1: △△
Kim Carnes - Bette Davis Eyes (single)
Scorpions - Rock You Like a Hurrican (single)
The Dillinger Escape Plan - Option Paralysis
Card:
From Jonathan Grimm's Hand of Doom Tarot, which you can buy HERE.
• XIV: Temperance
• XX: Judgement
• Page of Wands
XIV is Art in the Thoth deck, a variation that projects a slightly different connotation for me. Having only used Thoth for the first 17 or so years I've been familiar with the cards, this recent switch is something I've not quite worked out yet. Art usually suggests synchronization, often of disparate elements into a pleasurable outcome. Temperance, on the other hand, suggests Balance, which is and is not the same. Seeing this card here and thinking about it, I take this as a definite nod to balance some of the uneven and, frankly, negative emotions/thoughts that have ruled my head of late. Taken with XX - ACTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES - and the Page (Princess) of Wands, or the Earthly aspect of Fire, I'd say this is a Pull that suggests I really have some work to do on myself in order to regain the mental/emotional balance I've kind of misplaced the last two weeks or so
From the upcoming Tarantula Heart, available April 19th from Ipecac Records. Pre-order HERE.
LOVE this track! I'm a Melvins fan, but the group has always proved too prolific (I know, no such thing) for me to keep up with everything they do. This one caught me on exactly the right day at the right time, and I instantly fell for lead "single" "Working the Ditch." Didn't hurt that I was able to snag the limited edition, Puke Green vinyl.
The line-up for this album is a throwback to Melvins' two-drummer paradigm; current Ministry drummer Ray Mayorga plays alongside mainstay Dale Crover and just from this track, I feel like we're hearing some really interesting rhythmic ideas. Aside from Houdini, the two drummer years are my favorite of the band, and this already reminds me of (A) Senile Animal, probably my second favorite of the group's albums.
Watch:
I've held off on learning too much about upcoming Horror/Thriller Long Legs because this one is generating a lot of hype, and as well we know, that is a surefire way to kill a film before it is even released (looking at the marketing team for Evil Dead Rise). That said, I'm leaving this teaser here unwatched, with my fingers crossed:
I've seen two of Oz Perkins' previous films, and didn't care for either. The Blackcoat's Daughter straight-up cheats with its casting as a way to deliver its twist, and Gretel & Hansel, while pretty, bored me to tears. Regardless, I'm very much hoping Long Legs will rule and, thus, maybe inspire me to rewatch one or both of those (although I've rewatched The Blackcoat's Daughter three times and each viewing just leaves me scratching my head at why the film is held in such high regard. It is entirely possible that I'm missing something, but I don't think so).
Never did get around to that Sleep record yesterday. I'm headed to Long Beach later today after I get off work, so I may just wait and try and pick up the vinyl then. I'm really saving that first listen for ideal conditions, i.e. smoke and vinyl.
It was announced recently that Oz/Osgood Perkins, director of The BlackCoat's Daughter and I am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House and son of Anthony Perkins, will be directing the film adaptation of Paul Tremblay's brilliant novel A Headfull of Ghosts. I can't wait, and it made me want to go back and re-watch The Blackcoat's Daughter, which I loved despite an interruption in the middle of my initial viewing last year. Here's the trailer in case you haven't seen it:
Not much of a playlist yesterday:
Metallica - Garage Days Re-revisited
Deafheaven - New Bermuda
Card of the day:
Again! I think this is pointing to the fairly lackluster first day on the Keller project, henceforth abbreviated here as T12.
