Deafheaven dropped a new EP a week or so ago, and it's brutal A.F. I'm posting this "film" that accompanies the opening track, "Hunter," but I haven't watched it yet. Regardless, love that we got this! The POWER in this track, in George's voice and the overall mix - it's just awesome.
You can order a copy of At Work In The Fields Of The Bomb directly from the band HERE.
31 Days of Halloween:
One of the flicks I watched over the weekend was Joko Anwar's 2019 Impetigore. I could have sworn I'd watched this before, back when it first hit Shudder during or shortly before the pandemic. I absolutely watched the opening, which is one of the best openings in Horror of the last decade. No previous Letterboxd entry, though, and I did not remember the overall plot, so I guess I started it and never went back. Regardless, this is a fantastic flick, and it represents everything I have come to love about Indonesian Horror over the last half dozen years or so. The darkness of a steaming jungle lit only by torches and the claustrophobia of such a wide open space. The brutality, and, of course, the insane ritualistic mechanics of the haunting/possession or, in this case, curse.
Despite not being a Slasher, elements of this hearken back to Peter Carter's Rituals, The Final Terror and Just Before Dawn for me. The Folk Horror elements are strong, but do not constitute the point of the film. For that, read about the impetus that inspired Graham and I think it adds an entirely new level of respect to the final product.
I followed Impetigore with one I had seen and loved before, and Jordan Graham's Sator 100% holds up. This is the definite of a slow burn; the horrific elements steep, and while they do, we're treated to some of the most breathtaking nature cinematography in recent years.
1) George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead
2) V/H/S/ playlist (Amateur Night; Safe Haven; Slumber Party Alien Abduction; Bone Storm; Dreamkill)
3) The Warriors
4) Big Trouble in Little China
5) Dreamscape
6) Infirmary
7) Beware Boiúna
8) Milk & Serial
9) Pumpkinhead
10) Deathgasm (The Last Drive-In Presentation)
11) Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings
12) Carrie (Mike Flanagan)/ John Carpenter's The Thing
13) The Roost / Return of the Living Dead III
14) Trigger Man
15) Evil Dead Burn
16) Pulse/ Lord of Tears
17) Impetigore/ Sator
18) My Soul To Take/ The Serpent and the Rainbow
Sunday night Kirsten asked about a Wes Craven movie neither of us had ever seen, so we rented My Soul to Take on Prime.
Despite some atmospheric shots peppered throughout the film, this one was a stinker. You can literally feel Craven chasing his next big hit, modifying previously used formulas to the degree that this feels like a mismatched amalgamation of several of his previous films. Because this was so bad, I had to follow it with my favorite Craven film, and one that reminds me how great he could be, 1988's The Serpent and the Rainbow. Here's an old tv spot from its original theatrical run:
I've known this film for most of its life, first seeing it on WGN channel nine's weeknight movie at 7:00 PM back circa 1989 or 1990. I love it, and it always strikes me as containing some of the most horrific images I've ever seen.
Play:
I was minding my business this past Friday when I saw an article on Fangoria that mentioned this new game Directed by Andrés Borghi, whose team handled the FX in Demián Rugna’s When Evil Lurks. The game, Tenebris Somnia, has live action cut scenes. I really didn't need to hear anything more.
I've not played as much as I would have liked over the weekend, but I played enough to look forward to more. The game play is taking a bit getting used to, but it's in my wheelhouse as far as styles go, and I'm not much of a gamer, so that should in no way be considered a judgement on the game itself. So far, it's doing what it promised and providing an intriguing Horror premise (alternate dimensions?). The cut scenes have been cool - nothing crazy yet, but again, I'm still early on in the game play. I'll report back when I advance further.
Playlist:
Miranda Sex Garden - Fairytales of Slavery
Goblin - Suspiria OST
The Damned - Night of 1000 Vampires
Big Black - Lungs
Type O Negative - Dead Again
NIN - Further Down the Spiral
Bauhaus - In the Flat Field
Marilyn Manson - Antichrist Superstar
Lustmord & Dave Lombardo - The Pulse of Atoms
Deafheaven - At Work In The Field Of The Bomb EP
Genital Shame - Wellness Plan (pre-release singles)
Fvnerals - Let the Earth be Silent
• Eight of Cups
• Page of Wands
• 03: The Empress
Let curiosity counter writer's block, but rapid prototype things - don't be afraid to entertain new ideas and walk away from them quickly if they don't work.
Great advice. As I write this, I have a whole new angle on the third act of Shadow Play 2 in mind, but it's a stretch and I'm not sure it will work. Time to find out.
