Riot Ghoul

The stuff that dreams are made of.

[riotghoul]

Riot Ghoul on Twitter

“Best @CW_Riverdale blog title? @WriterRAS, any thoughts? The Last option should have 2 "f"s but Twitter cut it off #Riverdale”

What am I calling this Riverdale Rewatch/Recap? Vote early and often.

[riotghoul]

The Epic Riverdale Re-Watch is about to begin. Starting October 12th, I’ll be posting Season 2 episode recaps on Thursdays with a bit about the movies each episode is named for. Next season’s titles are almost all Horror!!! October can’t come soon enough.

In the meantime enjoy my trip back to the neo-noir campy dream that is Riverdale.

[riotghoul]

Merc Wants to Watch Some Horror Movies: Reagan Era Scares and Gen X smarm

Almost at the end of this spine chilling list. How many will mercingold watch? feel like the Reagan years were full of creepers, but that might have been a child’s view of politics and yuppies.

1980s

Night of the Comet- A Halley’s comet type phenomena wipes out most of the Earth’s population. What’s left are Valley Girls, a truck driver, and slowly deteriorating Comet Zombies. “Daddy would have gotten us Uzis.” “The burden of civilization is on us."  I love this fucking movie. Kelli Maroney, Mary Wornov, and the backdrop of 80s L.A.

Return of the Living Dead- Before "Scream” made self aware horror movies all the go, the yell of ‘You mean the movie lied!’ was and is hilarious. This might also be the first speedy Zombie movie. “I know you’re up there, I can smell your brains.” The soundtrack is amazing.

Motel Hell- the tagline for this movie was “It takes all kinds of critters to make farmer Vincent’s fritters.” That pretty much says it all.

Evil Dead 2- I am about to be controversial. If you haven’t seen “Evil Dead,” you don’t need to. Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell, and company did it all again, but better. It’s a sequel/parody/remake of the original and it is wonderful. There’s a remote cabin. There’s an evil in the woods about to battle Bruce Campbell. Groovy.

Near Dark- “What do you people want?”

“Just a couple more minutes of your time, about the same duration as the rest of your life.”

This came out around the time of another more popular vampire movie that involved the Coreys. To say that this movie kicks that one’s ass, is a vast understatement. There’s a Winnebago full of vampires driving across the Oklahoma pan handle. Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton, and Joshua Miller (the creepiest child actor of all time) have some people to eat and some true love to thwart.

The Hunger- If you feel more like Urbane Vampires who are impossibly beautiful, stylish, with a Gothic 80s elegance and some Bauhaus on the soundtrack; we have that too. Catherine Deneuve trades in David Bowie for Susan Sarandon, and we get to watch. Saucy.

They Live- In the “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” mold, John Carpenter has a thing to say about yuppies and Reagan era values. There’s a great chunk of time dedicated to a real time fist fight between Roddy Piper and Keith David, and it’s awesome. “I have come here to chew bubble gum and kick ass, and I’m all out of bubble gum.”

1990s-

Tremors- Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, Militia style Reba, and the dad from 'Family Ties’ fight monsters in the desert. It requires no embellishment.

Army of Darkness- Now that you’ve watched 'Evil Dead 2’ you’ll want to finish the Ash saga. He and his boomstick have found themselves in the Dark Ages. Go on, give him some sugar baby.

Night of the Living Dead- There are now an ass ton of remakes of the first 2 Romero Zombie movies. The first person to attempt this was the most successful. That’s possibly because he’s Tom Savini, the man who made the Zombies for all the Romero movies (minus the original “Night”). Tom Savini’s version has a stronger script and a much stronger cast (if you don’t love Tony Todd now, you will by the end of this movie). The 60s version is a classic but this is a great film on it’s own.

From Dusk 'til Dawn- On the subject of Tom Savini, he dons his acting chaps for the Mexican Vampire Strip club portion of this one. See this is really 2 movies. The first 45-50 minutes are a really great, tense, thriller where a pair of homicidal bank robbing brothers take a family hostage to get themselves across the border. Once we’re in Mexico the whole tone changes to a silly, colorful splatterfest.

Phantoms- Did you know Rose McGowan, Liev Schreiber, and Peter O'Toole made a horror movie? They did. It’s not great but they are so worth a peek.

Dead-Alive- This movie (in it’s unrated cut) holds the distinction of being the only movie to ever make me gag. Fucking Peter Jackson. Like “Return of the Living Dead” it is part of the cinema trail that leads to “Shaun of the Dead.”

House on Haunted Hill- I like the remake of “House on Haunted Hill.” Geoffrey Rush handles the Vincent Price duties, Famke Janssen is the wife he despises, and lots of pretty people meet ugly ends.

Just 14 more years to go…

[riotghoul]

Merc Wants To Watch Some Horror Movies: Swingers and Slashers

Continuing the chronological suggestions for mercingold’s horrific education, we are at the swingin’ 60’s and are going straight through to the Disco era. Things are gonna get funky.

1960’s

House of Usher- Roger Corman and his bosses at AIP applied the Hammer full color, well corseted, approach to horror and went all American on that business. First you take America’s favorite fake Brit, Vincent Price, and star him in adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe. ‘Murrica! House of Usher is like “Meet the Parents” only less crappy and with a body count.

Masque of the Red Death- This is the pinnacle of the Roger Corman Poe adaptations. Vincent Price is back again as a Satan worshiping Nobleman throwing a party as the peasants are dying of the plague. Hazel Court is there as his evil concubine, and all the different deaths get screen time.  For the second decade in a row we have a Vincent Price party you might not want to attend.

Brides of Dracula- Meanwhile across the pond, Hammer has given us a Dracula movie with no Dracula. Even though I love Christopher Lee, this is my favorite Hammer Dracula movie. Peter Cushing blows into town and all the young girls are being preyed upon by a foppish Lord. It’s good sexy Vampire times. The Van Helsing makes a cross from whatever’s convenient moment in this film is especially impressive.

Targets- Boris Karloff believed that the world had become more frightening than any monster movie. His last movie, written for him by Peter Bogdanovich (with a sweet part for himself), is about a fading horror star and a veteran with PTSD who is about to snap. Through the course of a day their stories come together at a Drive In in the Valley.

Peeping Tom- You’ll never look at a photoshoot the same way again. As visually beautiful as you would hope a homicidal photographer movie would be.

Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors- So you say you have a short attention span? Here is a collection of creepy tales being told as Peter Cushing reads the Tarot cards of his fellow travelers, including Christopher Lee and Donald Sutherland.

1970s

Theatre of Blood- This might be the most Mercury choice on the list. Vincent Price (have I mentioned I love Vincent Price?) is a Shakespearean actor who, along with his daughter (Diana MOTHER FUCKING Rigg) take vengeance on the critics who have wronged him, including Price’s real wife, the awesome Coral Browne. All the deaths are inspired by the Bard. Beware internet trolls. A girl might get ideas.

Suspiria- Between you, me, and the internet, I find “Suspiria” a little dull. However, like all Dario Argento movies, it is GORGEOUS! Why are dancers so nuts? Here is one man’s theory.

Scream Blacula Scream- There is a whole subset of Blaxploitation horror films, of which “Blacula” is probably the best known (at least the title is). If Blacula thought he came up against some shit the first time, he is about to cross Pam Grier. Even if you are an undead force of evil, that is probably not a good idea. Vampires, Voodoo, and Pam Grier, get your 70s on.

Horror Express- Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Telly Savalas, a Rasputin looking dude, and a caveman walk into a train…I don’t have a punchline, that’s the movie. It’s the “true” story of what happened when the remains of a primitive man are transported on the Trans-Siberian Express.

Night of the Lepus- Giant Bunnies are stampeding and killing folks in a ranching town. That’s right, bunnies. Not even gnarly Jack Rabbits, bunnies. The most frightening thing about this movie is how quickly Janet Leigh’s career went from prestige movies to crap like this. I never said they would all be scary.

Kingdom of the Spiders- Where this not a list for Mercury, “Kingdom of the Spiders” would not be on it. Long story short: Shatner vs. Spiders.

Black Christmas- Before Bob Clark directed that Christmas movie about Ralphie and his quest for a Red Rider BB gun, he made a different yuletide tale. A sorority house full of girls and a psycho. There’s a first time for everything.

When a Stranger Calls- The calls are coming from inside the house!!! Yup, this is where that comes from. Why do they have 2 phone numbers? I don’t know. Babysitter, menacing phone calls, just turn out the lights, and don’t forget to check the children.

  That’s it for now. Regan era baddies will be here soon…

[riotghoul]

Merc Wants to Watch Some Horror Movies: Mid Century Monsters

mercingold wants a list of movies to give her the chills this October. Welcome to horror mid century style.

The WWII period and the Atomic age that follows changes what scares us, as well as the budgets studios were shelling out for monsters and mayhem.

The 1940s and 1950s

The 40s

The Wolfman-Of the big four Universal baddies (along with Dracula, the Mummy, and Frankenstein’s Monster) the Wolfman was the one that was all Universal’s. There had been werewolf stories before this, but the sad tale of Larry Talbot and his unfortunate life came wholly from the famed studio. “Even a man who’s pure at heart and says his prayers at night, may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms, and the Autumn moon is bright.”

The Seventh Victim- Have you ever been trying a new beauty treatment and thought,“what kind of evil fucker came up with this?” Val Lewton presents his theory and we get Satanists running around New York, while Kim Hunter looks for her mysterious, Bettie Page coiffured sister. And Tom Conway provides a little suave something for the ladies.

I Walked With a Zombie- Why leave the shadowy world of Val Lewton if we don’t have to? Once upon a time, in a land before Romero, Zombie movies involved Voodoo magic. In this world a boy named Val said, “You know what’s wrong with ‘Jane Eyre?’ Not enough Zombies.” So this Charlotte Bronte/Marie Laveau, Gothic romance was born.

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein- By the mid-late 1940s the Classic Monsters were not getting the love they used to at their Alma mater. Ill-fitting make-ups, crap scripts, slowly descending into B-movie fodder; but if horror movies have taught us one thing, monsters don’t die that easily. This is BY FAR the finest of Bud and Lou’s horror spoofs. Bela Lugosi is back as Dracula, Glenn Strange (if ever an actor had a name made for horror) as the Monster, and of course Lon Chaney Jr. as the Wolfman, gave horror fans one last great Universal Monster movie.

The 50s

Invasion of the Body Snatchers- Just as the Victorian’s Vampires warned us to fear the Eastern Europeans and the diseases they bring, so this Eisenhower era propaganda masterpiece has it’s paranoia pointed in the same direction. Only this time, the disease is Communism and it’s coming for us all.

The Tingler- Fret not, the 50s aren’t all dour politics, enter the greatest Carny barker in Hollywood history, William Castle. What Castle’s movies lacked in quality, they made up for in crazy stunts. For 'The Tingler’ certain theater seats would be electrified so that terrified movie goers would feel the sinister lobster/earwig looking menace about to attack. Vincent Price classes up the joint, and it’s always a good time when he and Castle get together.

House on Haunted Hill- Fuck yeah I want to go to a party with Vincent Price, just maybe not that party. Uxoricide has never been more fun. This is probably the finest film in the William Castle fun house horrors. It’s certainly the best of the Vincent Price collaborations.

Curse of Frankenstein- While America decided to keep people from their televisions with giant screens and 3D shenanigans, the Brits decided big boobs corseted up and out, with lots of blood, in living (sort of) color was the way to go. Rule Britannia! Sex was a major component when the Hammer Studios decided to revisit the Gothic territory that had done so well for Universal 20 years before. Peter Cushing is all kinds of panty dropping inducing crazy as the Doctor. He’s nailing the maid. He’s involved with the FABULOUS Hazel Court. He’s building a Christopher Lee. So a beautiful tradition of boobs and blood was born. Bet you thought we came up with that one, didn’t you?

Horror of Dracula- Yup, it’s still Hammertime. And yes, I did just make that joke. Peter Cushing is back as the sexiest Van Helsing ever committed to film. Christopher Lee is sucking the blood of the ample bosommed British ladies. This is my second favorite Hammer Dracula but my favorite has to wait until we hit the 60s. 

The Thing From Another World- The debate will rage in the hearts of men forever, is this or the John Carpenter remake better? Fuck it, see both. Counting television, films, comics, and just about any other assorted media you can fathom, this story of an isolated camp in the frozen tundra plagued by a killer alien has a reach longer than any other Atomic age fright fest.

THEM!- I would be remiss to offer you a list of 50s monsters that did not contain at least one tale of irradiated whatevers growing huge and killing folks. Ants make me crazy when they are normal sized so you know I get a special joy out of watching giant ants get their comeuppance. Lock up the sugar and avoid the L.A. river…it’s THEM!

The Blob- Steve McQueen saves a small town from evil space jelly. There’s a theme song that can’t be beat. It isn’t very good but fuck it, baby faced Steve McQueen and a bit of Go Go.

[riotghoul]

Merc Wants to Watch Some Horror Movies

My friend mercingold has decided that she wants to watch some Horror movies and has turned to her more creepily inclined friends for suggestions.

As usual when someone asks a simple film question, I am incapable of a simple answer.

First I thought, should I break films up by style (dreamy, creepy, stylized,…), by actors, by monsters, at the end of it all, I’m going chronological. Well, maybe we’ll have a bit of the others too.

1920s/1930s

Cabinet of Dr. Caligari- to say this tale of sleepy circus performers and the men who control them is dreamy and stylish is perhaps the grossest of understatements. Can’t even start a list without Cesare.

Phantom of the Opera- Have you seen the shitty musical? Well wash the taste of it from your brain with the tonic that is Lon Chaney. You know the deal, the Paris Opera house has a “Phantom.” The not so ghostly haunter tells them who will be singing, and is ignored at their peril.

Dracula- Monsters finally got a voice and he never drinks…wine. The first creeper to speak was Bela Lugosi. Again we are in the world of dreamy style courtesy of the amazing Tod Browning. With Dwight Frye setting a standard for crazy that all ghoulie sidekicks and lab assistants would have to match.

Freaks- While we are taking a trip to Browningtown, why not take in a circus? Using real sideshow performers, the monsters in this story are the “normal” people. Gooble Gobble Gooble Gobble. That Tod Browning ever got something this weird made in the studio system is to be celebrated. Pinheads, half men, conjoined babes, all show you what happens when you cross a ‘freak.’

The Black Cat- What would happen if Frank Lloyd Wright and William Van Alen decided to build a creepy house in the German countryside? Black Cat makes a good guess. If Lugosi thought he hated Karloff (swoon) during the war, wait until Bela finds out what happened to his wife and who’s making time with his daughter (lucky girl). Art Deco mansions built over the bodies of dead soldiers, Satanists, women in jars, and that special chill down your spine that happens when Boris is using his most lovely tone of voice, not to mention…CATS!

Bride of Frankenstein- This suggestion would have been “Son of Frankenstein” but Merc has already seen that one. The Monster learns to talk. Dr. Frankenstein makes friends with someone more bat shit than he is. And even reanimated corpse girls want to marry a doctor.

The Mummy- Can’t stop a girl on a Karloff roll. Yes, this is basically the Dracula script with a few tweaks. This time we are in Cairo during the waning days of the tomb plundering British explorations. We meet a young lady, whose mother was Egyptian, she longs for the Egypt of the past. Her ex-boyfriend (by Ex we mean that 1000s of years ago they died) has reappeared on the scene and wants her back. Bad things happen to men and pets, then we are reminded that in a pre-code world damsels aren’t always in as much distress as they at first might seem.

Mystery at the Wax Museum- While we’re on the subject of Pre-Code ladies fighting evil, fast talking reporter Glenda Farrell knows something is up at the Wax Museum. How are Lionel Atwill’s exhibits so lifelike? Don’t worry Manhattanites, Glenda is on the case. If you scroll back to last year’s “Holiday Bloodbath” posts, there’s some in depth discussion of this early 30s technicolor goodie.

Coming soon, mid century monsters; stay tuned, if you dare.

[ruyohaze]

[rachels-sketchbook]

Sharon Kelly is a fun, fantastic model. I hope I get to draw her again soon! This was earlier this week at the Model Collective drawing session at Titmouse.

[riotghoul]

It’s me!!! You can draw me tomorrow at Gnomon https://www.facebook.com/events/1670591133187297/.

[riotghoul]

Scream Queen To Die For Holly Go Darkly

Why am I a Scream Queen to Die for? Because I am. Enjoy my recipe for fresh baked baby and remember to "Like" it if you want to vote for me! Twitter: @Holly_...

I’m in After Dark Films Scream Queen to Die for contest. Give the video a View, a Like, and even a Share to vote for me!

[feministlisafrank]

Look at this stuff, isn’t it neat? Wouldn’t you think my collection’s complete? Wouldn’t you think I’m the girl, the girl who has everything I need so you don’t have to barge in here to save me, it’s actually unnecessary and also unwelcome so could you leave and let me and my turtle friend get back to our conversation now thanks?

[riotghoul]

Oh Ye of the Twisted Panty: Some Thoughts on GoT

My friend Kasey Wilson wrote a fine blog post expressing many thoughts that I share concerning the Sansa situation. 

All I will add is that when long time viewers of the show complain about Sansa’s rape, it sounds a bit like this...

Yes, clearly the Game of Thrones writers feel a day without rape is like a day without sunshine. It’s been five seasons. That’s their jam. Brutalizing women for character development is a crutch they happily lean on. This season’s writing is pretty crap across the board. They clearly gave Sansa the ‘Fake Arya’ storyline, so what did you think was going to happen?

[riotghoul]

Hawkeye is the new Xander, and other thoughts about Age of Ultron

I’m going to talk about Avengers and Buffy, if this will cause bellyaching look away now.

I really liked “Avengers: Age of Ultron.” It kept the tone change that began with “Iron Man 3″ and “Captain America: Winter Soldier“ while still being a hyper violent good time for one and all.

In case you haven’t seen either of those movies, Tony Stark has serious P.T.S.D. and paranoia following his near death experience in the first Avengers movie. While Captain America dismantled S.H.I.E.L.D. after discovering that it had been overrun by Hydra.

So the tone is a tad darker than our previous destruction of NYC. Villains become heroes, there are bromances and romances, and we set up “Thor: Ragnarok,” “Black Panther,” and the Infinity War movie, with a dash of the seeds of Civil War in there for good measure. Not to mention the beginning of the most famous couple in the Marvel Universe since Peter met Gwen. Phew! Joss Whedon does all of this while being very Joss Whedon.

That being the case, let’s talk about parallels between Whedon’s Avengers and Buffy and the Scoobies. As established by her entrance in the first Avengers movie, Black Widow is Buffy. In the new movie she gets her Angel, Bruce Banner. The star crossed lovers that can never be together because he’s afraid the monster in him will hurt her. Of course she gets a Willow this time out too, who is destined for an eyebrow raising relationship the others may not understand. Lastly Hawkeye, the guy that let’s face it, they don’t really need. You know...Xander.

Yes in the first season Xander saves Buffy’s life. Yes the “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead” style episode where we see Xander’s adventures while everyone else is in a typical Buffy episode is one of the series’ best, but once the college years began Xander had overstayed his welcome. Yet he was there until the end. Why? Only Joss Whedon knows for sure.

Now to Hawkeye, when you have a Hulk, a Thunder God, a Master Spy, a Super Soldier, and a genius in weaponized flying suit, do you need an Archer? In the first Avengers movie’s climatic fight he ran out of arrows. You had one job you useless bastard! One... job.

I hear you fanboys (and ladies), blah blah blah West Coast Avengers, blah blah blah fan favorite...suck it. Introducing the bucolic farm life actually made him even less interesting and doesn’t jive with Loki’s description of him during his threat to Black Widow in the first movie but that’s a discussion for another day.

As with Xander and BTVS, a great deal of time in Age of Ultron is spent by characters gently pointing out how little they need him. Only his wife thinks he’s of any use, but she’s married to an assassin and likely sociopath who has her isolated in the middle of nowhere for her “protection,” so her judgement might not be the clearest.

Since this is sadly Whedon’s last go ‘round helming Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, Hawkeye’s future is a toss up; the herd needs to get culled before this Infinity War business, only time will tell.

The above image is by the dementedly talented Alex Ross.

[scarletwitching]

And, at the extremely fashionable Plaza Hotel in New York City…

WANDA: Please, dear, I really wish you wouldn’t do that… I wasn’t expecting to see you phase through that wall behind you!

VISION: I am sorry, my wife! I did not mean to startle you!

WANDA: “Surprise” would be a better word! The Scarlet Witch is not so easily startled!

VISION: Indeed!

[scarletwitching]

Marvel Two-In-One Annual #7 by Tom DeFalco & Ron Wilson

Vision really needs to quit walking through walls at random. That shit is creepy, son.

In the early 80’s, after Wanda and Vision quit the Avengers and before they moved to New Jersey, they lived in the Plaza Hotel. Like Eloise. If you’re going to live in a hotel, it’s not a bad choice, but this feels a little glamorous for the two of them. Not that they couldn’t live there, but it’s quite a disconnect from that to the suburban Jersey living that came after.

I’ve never gotten into this fanon of Wanda as a paragon of glamour and stateliness, and every time I see a Genoshan royalty AU, I just wonder why that needs to exist. Why can’t she be a poor kid from a very un-glamorous place, one who made good but didn’t immediately turn into Grace Kelly? Why do people look at her background, growing up in a working class minority community in a rural area, and think, ‘But what if she was PRINCESS instead?!?!’ Why is Wanda so much more interesting to some people when the issues of class are scrubbed from her story and replaced with something fancier?

I know the answer, of course, but it’s still worth asking the question.

[riotghoul]

The cheapy movie theater got the Hobbitt last week so, I finally saw the last chunk of the Hobbitt. Here are my timely thoughts. If you are going to make a 300 page book a trudging 6 hour plus epic, you have to expand the right bits. No one gives a Elf’s ass about the politics of in a fishing village, or about 90 monotonous minutes of CGI dwarves fighting CGI Orcs. What we want, what we all would have watched 2 solid hours of, the FUCKING Dragon.

Smaug appears in the last 45 minutes of one movie, then disappears in the first 10 minutes of the next one. Of all the shit that was added, or expanded beyond all reason, no one thought, hey let’s just have a ridiculous amount of Dragon. People love Dragons, people love Cumberbatch, but no please keep that to a bare minimum.

Also scenes where characters who are all in the Lord of the Rings are supposed to be in mortal danger aren’t effective. They live, we’ve seen them. 

Finally, I want a moose. That moose is brilliant. They could have had a whole expanded storyline about the moose and fucked off the nonsense where the short Elf loves the tall Dwarf.

[jillthompson]

Lil painting #54 is a bit of a departure from my usual ‘stuff I see the day I paint it”… An explanation—Joan Rivers was not included in lasts night’s In Memorium section of the Academy Awards Telecast. I found her to be hilarious and honest and brave and she paved the way for women in so many fields of entertainment. I admired her. And apparently all of the Memorium portraits were done in watercolor! So here’s your portrait, Joan!! I would not overlook you! I found a cool old photo from the Sixties to use as reference-I love this sly look on her face! #JoanRivers #365sketchadaychallenge #365daysketchbookchallenge

[riotghoul]

Enter this contest to win a wig of your choice from PennyWigs.com!

[riotghoul]

Hey whovians, this Friday peepshowburlesque's salute to all things Who is happening at Fais Do Do in L.A.