Showing posts with label Teenage Sex and Death At Camp Miasma. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Teenage Sex and Death At Camp Miasma. Show all posts

Friday, August 28, 2026

RIP Peter Cullen

 
I had something completely different set for today, but for obvious reasons, this won out. Damn. What a fucking week. The really eerie thing was, I received the news of Cullen's death about an hour after I finally bought tickets for the 40th anniversary screening of Transformers: The Movie on September 17th. Something tells me that screening is going to take on a whole new meaning after this news. 




Watch:

I FINALLY got to see Jane Schoenbrun's new film, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma! This was a long, hard road folks.

After waiting weeks to see if any theaters around me would get this, my Clarksville Regal picked it up last Thursday. I grabbed a ticket and sat my ass in the seat at 9:20 PM, only to have a sudden, horrible realization as the trailers played and I found I could not understand nor barely hear the dialogue.

Do you remember me talking about the crappy sound on that 20th Anniversary remaster release of Neil Marshall's The Descent two weeks ago? Well, it wasn't the film. Both of that and my first attempt a seeing Miasma were on screen 10 at my Regal. When I walked out to talk to an employee about this, I was told this was a "known issue."

A known issue, and they kept using that theatre for screenings? Total bullshit. 

I ended up walking out without seeing the film. I filed a complaint with Regal, and perhaps because of that, Tuesday night I noticed they had moved the film to a different screen for one time slot on one night - 10:45 PM last night. So, despite the fact that I've been asleep by 11:00 a couple times already this week, I trudged out at 10:35 PM last night, drove ten minutes to my theatre and put my arse in yet another seat.



Speechless. I would not have guessed in a million years that the fact that the fictitious slasher's name "Little Death" is actually a reference to one of the underlying concepts of the Illuminates of Thanateros; "Little Death" or "La Petite Mort" as a euphemism for the orgasm, which is kind of the hub of the entire film.

I'd have to say I still like I Saw the TV Glow the best of Schoenbrun's work, but goddamn are they on a roll. I am onboard for anything they do. Which includes their first novel, which I pre-ordered earlier today.




Read:

After just discussing it on Drinking with Comics this week, I received my copy of Humanoids Press' English language translation for the classic Metal Hurlant

This is volume 5 - I only just became aware of this. 


I have been wanting to read this magazine for years! There was a time when I would just google the covers and artwork and state at it. So many of the Sci Fi flicks I grew up with were inspired by this - chief among them Blade Runner and Alien - so I think it's great Humanoids is translating and re-releasing these. 

Hurlant was a magazine back in the 70s/80s, but here they're collecting them in pretty nice soft or hardcover editions that must compile stories from multiple issues, though I'm not sure yet what the grouping strategy is. Apparently there are new stories mixed in as well, but for someone reading these the first time through, I can't tell what's what (or at least not yet).




Playlist:


Boards of Canada - Tomorrow's Harvest
The Ocean - Fluxion
Final - 3
The Ocean - Aeolian
Emma Ruth Rundle and Thou - May Our Chambers Be Full
Holy Fawn - Death Spells
Spotlights - Love & Decay
Mountain Realm - Beastbane
Chelsea Wolfe - The Dark
Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats - Shapes of Midnight (pre-release singles)
Judas Priest - Firepower
Judas Priest - Screaming for Vengeance 
The Afghan Whigs - Soft Control
The Mars Volta - Deloused in the Comatorium
Chris Isaac - Forever Blue
The Damned - Darkedelic
Canadian Rifle - Peaceful Death
Russian Circles - Gnosis




Card:

From Jonathan Grimm's Hand of Doom Tarot, which you can buy HERE.


• Eight of Pentacles
• Nine of Swords
• King of Pentacles
• Two of Swords

I had it in my head to try a new layout. Not sure if there is a pre-existing name for this one or not, it just presented itself to me. Let's dig into it!

The work I'm putting into 'work' has gotten a bit uneven. It follows me into my weekends and off hours, and I need to back the fuck up or I'm going to end up stuck in a creative stalemate. The Two of Swords as the final card indicates resolution is on its way, but the King of Pentacles suggests it may take a while...

Friday, February 27, 2026

Teenage Sex and Death At Camp Miasma


When Faster Pussycat's House of Pain came out in 1989, I was thirteen. My friend Zak bought (or stole) the cassette single. I remember it vividly, even though I couldn't tell you what the B-side was. We weren't really FP fans - despite listening to some other pretty hokey bands, something about the name turned us off. I don't remember if I had an opinion on this song either way back then. Let's just say I tolerated it.

K and I have been watching HOBOMAX's Peacemaker series - it's fantastic - and in season one, episode four, this song is used to fabulous effect. Hearing it, I had an immediate, almost unbelievably strong emotional reaction. I chewed on it multiple times over the next week, listened to the Wake Me When It's Over album, and, although that was pretty lackluster, the song stands. 

There's a definite Stephen Tyler element to Singer Taime Downe's approach, but where it comes off unabashed in other songs on the album, for House of Pain it really works. The guitar glitters in forlorn opulence, and the harmonica just seals the deal. It sounds like crying. Which is essentially what the song is about. A little boy waiting for a father that will never show. 

Damn. 



Watch:

I'm rounding the final stretch on a two-week "no drinking" interval. The context is that K had a minor injury to her foot (she's fine), and the doctor prescribed a two-week course of an antibiotic that they warned "is tough on the liver." Because of this, I suggested she should abstain from wine, and I would support her by leaving my beers in the fridge for the duration of her treatment. We started Monday, 2/16 and both feel great, so we're thinking of instituting a loose, "only on the weekends" policy. I'll have one beer Monday night for the taping of DwC, but aside from that, we'll abstain until the weekends. 

I set all this up to set the mood for last Friday, 2/20, when I fired up Jane Schoenbrun's "I Saw The TV Glow." I talked about the profound effect this film had on me in Monday's post. I'm still thinking about it, over and over. A lovely feeling that was made even more acute when I saw Fango's post about Schoenbrun's new film this morning. I've vetted the trailer: it gives nothing away, other than this is now my most anticipated film of the year. Before you hit play, I strongly suggest watching this for the first time with earphones. 


I LOVE falling in love with a Director and then almost immediately discovering they have a new film coming out. Teenage Sex and Death At Camp Miasma lands in theatres on August 7th, and you can bet the farm I'll be seeing this on the big screen, whether I have to drive to Nashville, Chicago, or Berwin. (Berrr-winn!).

I am so excited for this!!!




Playlist:

Sumerlands - Dreamkiller
Mastodon - Emperor of Sand
Slayer - Decade of Aggression
Soviet Soviet - Endless
Tomahawk - Mit Gas
Deftones - Around the Fur
High on Fire - Snakes of the Divine
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - F♯ A♯ ∞ 
Deftones - Gore




Card:

From Jonathan Grimm's Hand of Doom Tarot, which you can buy HERE.


• Page of Pentacles
• X: Wheel of Fortune
• IV: The Emerpor

"Getting a revolving policy going on Earthly matters that feel important but ultimately might not be so is the name of the game. Instead of trying to control everything and everyone, focus on what matters that you can control."