Full disclosure - adding this song from the 77s' 1984 album All Fall Down was an eleventh-hour switcheroo. In truth, I don't recall ever hearing of the 77s before last night, when this song played over the closing credits of Scott Derrickson, C. Robert Cargill and Joe Hill's Black Phone 2.
F*#king track made an impression, to say the least.
I drove home on the 24 with both windows down, around 11:00 PM, blaring this track, and it felt GOOD. About as good as blasting "Rock You Like A Hurricane" felt leaving my first theatrical viewing of Ti West's Maxxxine* last July. Something about an awesome, swanky rock song pumping out the windows into the night air.
I know that song's not actually in Maxxxine, but it fit the mood of the moment just fine.
31 Days of Halloween:
There's a lot of trepidation surrounding Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill's Black Phone 2. The trailer looks fantastic, but A) like all goddamn Bluhouse trailers, it shows too much, and B) how do you follow that first film?
I've been a fan of these two since Sinister. I stand by that one, regardless of that unneeded final scene. The atmosphere is so... heightened. I don't know that the film scares me, but I know it scares the characters. That's something I'm not sure I've ever put into words before, but it's accurate. The success of that first Black Phone film - what these two did with Joe Hill's wonderful but curt short story, it just seemed impossible to follow through on. Not the case.
As annoyed as I've become seeing this trailer before every movie for the last month or two, somehow, it doesn't actually give that much away. That said, I'm posting this here for posterity's sake; if you haven't seen the film yet, don't watch it. The less you see, the better. Why? Because Black Phone 2 is visually and sonically STUNNING.
That should come as no surprise to anyone who has followed Derrickson's career. The two standout additions here are the use of grainy, 16mm film stock that signifies an altered state of awareness and Atticus Derrickson's score.
Both the 16mm technique and Atticus Derrickson carry over from the duo's "Dream Killer" in V/H/S/85. I'm not the biggest fan of that particular franchise; however, seeing that segment on the big screen two years ago is something I reflect on quite a bit. The visual textures Derrickson creates, and the way they're accentuated by the score (and a cameo by Throbbing Gristles' Hamburger Lady) make such a strong sense impression... It's unlike most cinematic things. Same too with Black Phone 2. I'm not saying it's the best thing since The Shining, but this style is unlike anything else I've seen. There's a nostalgic element, but I think that's the atmosphere, not the actual technique.
Either way, if you dug the first one, Black Phone 2 is well worth your time.
1) Incident On and Off a Mountain Road///The Funhouse (theatrical viewing)
2) Tales From the Crypt Ssn 1 Ep 4, "Dig That Cat... He's Real Gone"///Cabin in the Woods
3) Satanic Hispanics
4) Creature From the Black Lagoon 3D///Lucky McKee's May
5) The Strangers
6) [REC]
7) The Autopsy - GDT Cabinet of Curiosities///[REC]2
8) Where the Devil Roams
9) The Roost
10) Good Boy/The Viewing - GDT Cabinet of Curiosities
11) Blood Moon (aka Wolf Girl)/All Hallows' Eve (The Last Drive-In Helloween)
12) The Shining/The Simpsons Ssn 6 Treehouse of Horror V
13) Stream (2024)
14) Creepshow (1982; theatrical viewing)
15) They Live in the Grey/John Carpenter's Prince of Darkness (theatrical viewing)
16) The Black Phone 2
Playlist:
Bauhaus - The Sky's Gone Out
Miranda Sex Garden - Fairytales of Slavery
Type O Negative - World Coming Down
Odonis Odonis - Eponymous (pre-release singles)
Perturbator - Age of Aquarius
Dream Division - Beyond the Mirror's Image
Dream Division - The Devil Rides Out
Goblin - Phenomenon OST (Wax Work Edition)
Ghost - Infestissumam
Deth Crux - Mutant Flesh
Cursed Moon - Rite of Darkness
Gylt - I Will Commit A Holy Crime: Tandem
Bauhaus - Burning From the Inside
77s - All Fall Down
Beastmilk - Climax
Throbbing Gristle - Hamburger Lady (single)
Throbbing Gristle - Slut Bait (Live at the I.C.A. London single)
Card:
From Jonathan Grimm's Hand of Doom Tarot, which you can buy HERE.
And Grimm's Kickstarter for The Eldritch Lace Tarot deck is now live! You can go check it out and support it HERE.
• Nine of Swords
• VII: The Chariot
• Eight of Wands
Anxiety, Willpower and Action. Meaning, I have to do something about the anxiety currently haunting me. That's pretty vague, but I don't have a lot of gumption in me at the moment, so leaving this here to possibly decode later.
