GLORIOUS (July 2022)

  

GLORIOUS

(July 2022)

“Piss stinking inebriated. All by my lonesome at this rest stop here in… wherever the hell this rest stop is.”

The “piss stinking inebriated” Wes (Ryan Kwanten, also one of the executive producers*) is actually in the comfort room of the Route 37 Rest Area.

And he isn’t alone. Not at all.

Though he will eventually come to wish he was (even if he is being kept company by J.K. Simmons… or Simmons’ voice, at any rate)…

“Will it hurt?”

“Very much.”

Based on a story by Todd Rigney (which can be found in his flash fiction collection Taste Level Zero), Glorious is directed with a steady and blackly humorous hand by Rebekah McKendry, from a screenplay credited to Joshua Hull and her husband, David Ian McKendry.

Save for a few brief exceptions, the film is an odd sort of horror two-hander, in that Kwanten is basically bouncing off Simmons’ voice, but hey, it’s J.K. Simmons, so wotta voice!

“I’m sorry, but you’re not going to able to leave until we’re done here.”

Glorious is an exquisitely grotesque paradox, an unsettling vision of cosmic horror, told from within the cramped confines of a filthy, rest stop comfort room…

So if that sounds like the sort of title that floats your horror boat, then check it out!

“F*ck it. Let’s do this.”

* Along with horror stalwart Barbara Crampton.

(Glorious key art courtesy of impawards.com.)

IN FABRIC (September 2018)

   

IN FABRIC

(September 2018)

“A purchase on a horizon, a panoply of temptation. Can a curious soul desist?”

“I’m just looking, thank you.”

“The hesitation in your voice soon to be an echo in the recesses of the spheres of retail.”

I don’t know about you, but if a salesperson walked up to me with that spiel, I would not hang about to hear more…

Particularly if I’ve already seen the creepiest TV advert ever* for the shop’s latest sale…

“You who wear me will know me.”

Peter Strickland’s In Fabric kicks off with Sheila Woolchapel (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), a lonely mother just trying to find love and intimacy who happens to visit Dentley & Soper’s, leaving the premises with the singular “Ambassadorial Function Dress”--a chiffon and silk and satin number in, get this, artery red--in stock.

A dress that happens to be, gulp, haunted.

“The very purpose of this seasonal retail occasion is to expunge. Returning what has already left the Ladies’ Fashion Boutique of Dentley & Soper’s Trusted Department Store goes against the nature of things.”

A haunted (or in some cases, cursed) fashion item featuring in a horror film is nothing new, of course.

Some that come quickly to mind: Kim Yong-gyun’s Bunhongshin (The Red Shoes), Won Shin-yeon’s Gabal (The Wig, AKA Scary Hair), the more recent Bad Hair (from Justin Simien, which features a “possessed weave”), and Elza Kephart’s Slaxx (killer jeans, natch).**

And while some of those titles lean more into the comedic side of their horror-comedy combo, there’s still something undeniably unnerving about having something that you’re wearing--that, by its very nature, is something that rests snugly against your body--have a malevolent mind of its own, even if there are some laughs mixed in with all of the chills.

Trust Peter Strickland to toss his hat into this particular horror movie ring…

“But your dismissal of such a prestigious consumerist festivity leaves me bereft.”

If you’ve seen Berberian Sound Studio (and if you haven’t, please, please, please do yourself a favor and seek it out), you’ll know what I mean when I say that Strickland is the kind of director whose work is definitely experiential. Like David Lynch, the way he combines visuals with sound and music is alchemical in nature, disturbingly bewitching.

Just like that artery red dress.

And while there is a ribbon of drily absurd humor that flows through its runtime, In Fabric also drapes us with an unsettling, inescapable tone, almost like that artery red dress settling down all around us, brushing up relentlessly against our bare, viewer’s skin…

The inner, hidden workings of the retail world have never been quite this surreal and creepy on film***…

“Don’t tell me you’re scared of a dress.”

* Courtesy of Julian House, who also worked on Strickland’s Berberian Sound Studio.

** For the record, I’ve seen all of these, except for Slaxx.

*** The closest I think we’ve come to something like this is Kim Sung-ho’s Geoul Sokeuro (Into the Mirror), in which bizarre goings-on mar the intended re-opening of the shopping mall, Dreampia. Though to be frank, that film doesn’t even come close to the unsettling strangeness of Strickland’s vision of Dentley & Soper’s…

Comics, though, are another matter entirely…

Eerie retail hijinx may be found in Christopher Cantwell and I.N.J. Culbard’s Everything, from Dark Horse comics, edited by the one and only Mother of Vertigo, Karen Berger…

Parting Shot: If you find yourself enamored with Strickland’s aesthetic, then I implore you to also check out his definitely not horror piece, The Duke of Burgundy, as well as his contribution to The Field Guide to Evil, “Cobblers’ Lot,” loosely based on the Hungarian folktale, “The Princess’s Curse”.

(In Fabric quad and OS’ courtesy of impawards.com.)

ANTLERS (October 2021)

  

ANTLERS

(October 2021)

“Yeah, he said he was, uhh, hiking up near Greymouth, when a stench led him to a man half buried in the woods. I guess the other half was found in the mine, near a meth lab. Was probably a, a bear or a cougar, something.”

“Jesus.”

“From what he just told me, I don’t think Jesus was anywhere to be found.”

Guilt-ridden Julia Meadows (Keri Russell) finds herself back in her hometown of Cispus Falls, Oregon, still trying to “resolve” her lifetime of “issues” (which reveal themselves gradually during the first act, proving her own terms blatant understatements).

It’s a place she admits she barely recognizes anymore, an economically depressed mining town, in the midst of a so-called “war on American energy.”

But, given that this is a horror movie co-produced by no less than Guillermo del Toro*, it should come as no surprise that there are even darker (and bloodier) things afoot.

“Daddy said God is dead.”

Director Scott Cooper (working from a screenplay credited to C. Henry Chaisson, Nick Antosca, and Cooper, based on Antosca’s short story, “The Quiet Boy”) gives us a horror film that isn’t just about literal, supernatural monsters, but also the kinds of monsters that lurk behind the unassuming masks of men.

While the “Creature”** is, naturally, the main attraction, Antlers is also about generational trauma, and the tragic and grotesque scars left behind by abuse.

It’s about “the lost, the frail, and the depraved”.

“I just have to feed him, and he’ll love me.”

There’s also an interesting supporting cast here, with the likes of Jesse Plemons (as Julia’s brother, Paul, who also happens to be Cispus Falls’ Sheriff), Amy Madigan, Graham Greene, and Rory Cochrane.

Sadly, three of the above mentioned are relegated to either Exposition Delivery, or those sad, thankless horror movie roles that ultimately underutilize the actor.

You can’t win ‘em all, I guess.

Still, Antlers is most definitely worth a look.

I came to it because of the lure of Antosca***, del Toro, and Felicity herself, and was, in the end, happy I did.

Check it out, if you’re so inclined, and maybe you’ll be glad you did, too…

Will you, I pray, demand that demidevil

Why he hath thus ensnared my soul and body?

--Othello

   Act V - Scene II

* David S. Goyer is another co-producer.

** For my fellow comic book nerds out there, the one and only Guy Davis is credited for Lead Creature Design, as well as a bunch of drawings that appear onscreen.

Davis is also the main Creature Design dude for del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities, and has worked with him on a whole bunch of past productions…

In del Toro's own words: “Guy Davis, to me, is one of the best monster designers alive right now.”

*** And, speaking of, those, ahem, antlers on the one sheet should remind you of another thing Antosca worked on, that should in turn, tip you off as to the nature of Antlers’ Creature…

(That other thing is also to be found in the Iguana Archives.)

Parting Shot 1:

The short story “The Quiet Boy” can be read online here.

My personal recommendation is, if you haven’t already read the story but are curious to see the original source material, then check it out after you’ve seen Antlers.

Parting Shot 2:

In Antlers’ end credits roll, Christian Bale is one of the names under “Special Thanks”.

Cooper has worked with Bale on three films to date, the latest, the Netflix adaptation of Louis Bayard’s The Pale Blue Eye.

Looking forward to that one…

(Antlers OS courtesy of impawards.com.)

NOCEBO (October 2022)

    

NOCEBO

(October 2022)

“Something is hidden inside of you, Christine. Something you hide from yourself. It is invisible to you, and you must see it. It makes you sick. I will draw it out of you and show it to you.”

A children’s fashion line called Tykie comes to a screeching halt after a distressing phone call, and the disturbing “encounter” that accompanies it (one of the creepiest dog scenes I’ve ever seen; at one point in the film’s runtime, that dog is described as “a hideous thing”).

In the aftermath, fashion designer Christine (Eva Green) suffers through a debilitating months-long ordeal, broken only upon the sudden arrival of Diana (Chai Fonacier), who hails from a “very special place” in the southern area of the Philippines, and who claims to have been hired by Christine, though she has no memory of it at all.

“It’s very pretty.”

“It is?”

“We will make it pretty.”

Meanwhile, the other members of the household, daughter Roberta (Billie Gadsdon) and husband Felix (Mark Strong), need to acclimate to this stranger suddenly living under the same roof. One is initially rude, the other, increasingly suspicious, while Christine becomes more trusting and dependent on Diana.

“This is just different medicine, Christine.”

That’s the basic set-up of Lorcan Finnegan’s latest, Nocebo.

If you’ve been paying attention, Finnegan landed ‘round these parts previously for Vivarium, and this film, like Vivarium, ends up being a potent title with a very singular, unsettling vision, proof positive that Finnegan continues to be a name to look out for.

Nocebo is also of particular interest to me since it’s an Irish-Philippine co-production, significant portions of which were shot on location in the Philippines.

Also noteworthy are Fonacier’s commendable performance, and the film’s score, courtesy of Jose Antonio C. Buencamino. This seems to be Buencamino’s first feature film credit, and it’s an impressive one.

“This is so much better than a cure.”

There’s also a particular scene in Nocebo--during Diana’s recounting of her past--that should be a treat for any lovers of Philippine folklore out there.

The term Diana uses may not be the one that might be expected, given what unfolds onscreen, but it’s a nonetheless familiar image to a folklore lover, and that scene’s imagery goes off like gangbusters.

Ultimately though, while the horror in Nocebo is shudderingly effective, it’s the tragic underpinning of the narrative* (scripted by familiar Finnegan collaborator Garret Shanley) that serves as the iron-hard core of this film.

It’s been a long, long, looooong while since I’ve seen a Filipino horror movie that’s this effective.

And sure, it’s a co-production, but still…

So, hopefully, that’s piqued your interest enough to seek this one out…

“You must allow me in, Christine. I will prepare you to face it. You will know it when you see it. You will understand what must happen. And you will be free.”

* An incident based on an actual tragedy in recent Philippine history. To say any more at this juncture would be to spoil a key plot point.

There is a prominent statement though, during the end credits roll that will acknowledge and shine a spotlight on that tragedy.

(Nocebo OS’ and quad courtesy of imdb.com, twitter.com, and themoviewaffler.com.)

CRIMES OF THE FUTURE (May 2022)

  

CRIMES OF THE FUTURE

(May 2022)

BODY IS REALITY

 

The senior Cronenberg is back ‘round these parts with Crimes of the Future.

No, not his second, hour-long feature from 1970, but an all-new film that feels like a thematic extension to some of his previous works like Videodrome and eXistenZ. (Little wonder, that, since the screenplay was originally written over two decades ago.)

“‘Human’ is the operative word. Human evolution is the concern. That it's going wrong. That it's... uncontrolled, it's... insurrectional. It might lead us to a bad place.”

We find ourselves in an indeterminate point in the near-future, when the human body has begun to spontaneously grow new organs of equally indeterminate function (so-called “neo-organs”), and thus, bear witness to the violent (and virulent) collision of biological evolution, art, society, politics, pollution, and revolution.

“The creation of inner beauty cannot be an accident.”

With a haunting sonic backdrop by frequent collaborator Howard Shore, the senior Cronenberg once again drops us into an unsettling, disorienting reality, a world where the most mundane of activities like sleeping or eating become disturbing visions of the human body juxtaposed with pieces of shuddery, nightmare furniture.

“An organism needs organization. Otherwise, it's just designer cancer.”

So, yes, if it sounds like old school Cronenberg is back, then you heard right.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Eastern Promises, and as he himself has asserted, he sees no difference whatsoever between that kind of film and this new Crimes.

In his personal assessment, there is no such thing as “body horror.”

But what there is, is that very Cronenberg obsession with carnal transfiguration, the (r)evolution of the human body, and the impact that has on the world outside of all that shuddering skin and mutating meat.

“Long live the New Flesh,” indeed.

“We understand human bodies are changing. I know this quite well.”

(Crimes of the Future key art courtesy of bloody-disgusting.com.)

CHECK THIS OUT! (July 30, 2022)

ARENA Glossary (1)

ARENA GLOSSARY

domaz

the winner of the previous Tornos, who acts as a scorekeeper/referee/impartial observer for the current one

numen (pl. numina)

omnipotent entity (considered by some as a deity) who views the Tornos as idle entertainment; each numen acts as a patron for a pehon

pehon (pl. pehonem)

fighter chosen (and often abducted from their home dimension) to represent a particular numen in the Tornos

taumaz

a group of four pehonem temporarily allied together

Tornos

a tournament the numina mount on a regular basis, in which pehonem battle each other till only one remains undefeated, becoming the winner, and subsequently, the domaz for the next Tornos

Vahta

the isolated location from where the numina observe the Tornos

(the) Vanayis (The Wish Without Limit)

the ultimate prize of the Tornos, a reality-altering wish

If you haven't read the first episode of ARENA yet, and have absolutely no idea what those funky words are all about, then please click on the logo above for front row seats to the Tornos.

(Click on the logo, people...

Click on the logo and engage...)

ARENA is brought to you by the tag team responsible for the DAKILA: Siyudad story arc--the mighty fine Pytr Mutuc on art and colors, Ye Olde Space Monkey on script and letters.

As with PODERICO POWERBOMB!, ARENA is also one of the many, many entries in the Webtoon "Call to Action" contest, so, we need as much support as all you mighty fine folk can muster...

We need what Webtoon calls "engagement"...

So, please, engage away, people!

And please be kind enough to help spread the word; feel free to share the ARENA link to any and all, particularly those you feel would groove to its distinctive beat.

As I've said before, my mighty fine collaborators Marv del Mundo and Pytr Mutuc, and I, need all the support we can get, and all the support all you mighty fine people out there can muster.

Thanx so much!

you can’t drink just six,

 

Dave

Thanx to my mighty fine co-creators on PODERICO POWERBOMB! and ARENA, Marv del Mundo and Pytr Mutuc.

Thanx to all you mighty fine folk helping to spread the word.

(ARENA logo designed by Pytr Mutuc.)

CHECK THIS OUT! (July 27, 2022) PODERICO POWERBOMB! Glossary (1)

CHECK THIS OUT! (July 27, 2022)

PODERICO POWERBOMB! Glossary (1)

                                                                    

What you'll find here, though we're calling it a glossary, can actually be looked at as a primer as well.

For anyone who's read (or is about to read) PODERICO POWERBOMB!, and who happens to be unfamiliar with Filipino myth and folklore or things like Filipino place names, then we've got you covered here.

Our intent is to present an updateable glossary/primer, in that new terms and entries will be added as new episodes are released, and these updates will hopefully be of service to those who may be encountering these terms for the first time.

To wit:

PODERICO POWERBOMB! GLOSSARY

BGC

Bonifacio Global City, a “financial and lifestyle district” located in the city of Taguig in Metro Manila

bruho [broo-ho; from the Spanish brujo]

male witch, sorceror, witch doctor; often a practitioner of so-called “black” magick

danag [da-nag]

race of vampiric humanoids

datu [da-too]

title used to denote the ruler of a particular group or community; equated with “chief” or “prince”

diwata [di-wa-ta]

spirit who protects the land and those who dwell upon it 

huevos [hoo-we-vos]

eggs

huevos rancheros [ran-che-ros]

literally, ranch-style eggs

kantahan [kan-ta-han]

singing

mijo [mee-ho]

contraction of mi hijo, "my son"; a term of endearment sometimes used regardless of blood relation

Pasay [Pa-sai]

city located in Metro Manila

Pasig [Pa-sig]

city located in Metro Manila

We hope that helps those who might have stumbled on some unfamiliar terms...

PODERICO POWERBOMB! is brought to you by the tag team responsible for the Dakila/Fr Trese DEVIATION crossover, "Iunctura"--that would be the mighty fine Marv del Mundo on art and colors, and Ye Olde Space Monkey on script and letters.

Click on the image below to join Team 'Rico!

Please be kind enough to help spread the word; feel free to share the PODERICO POWERBOMB! link to any and all, particularly those you feel would groove to its distinctive beat.

My mighty fine collaborator Marv del Mundo and I would greatly appreciate the support.

Thanx so much!

you can’t drink just six,

 

Dave

Thanx to my mighty fine co-creators on PODERICO POWERBOMB! and ARENA, Marv del Mundo and Pytr Mutuc.

Thanx to all you mighty fine folk helping to spread the word.

(PODERICO POWERBOMB! logo designed by Marv del Mundo.)

CHECK THIS OUT! (July 24, 2022) [Updated with New Link]

CHECK THIS OUT! (July 24, 2022)

[UPDATED with NEW LINK]

Is!

Now!!

Live!!!

Click on the logo, people...

Click on the logo and engage...

ARENA is brought to you by the tag team responsible for the DAKILA: Siyudad story arc--the mighty fine Pytr Mutuc on art and colors, Ye Olde Space Monkey on script and letters.

As with PODERICO POWERBOMB!, ARENA is also one of the many, many entries in the Webtoon "Call to Action" contest, so, we need as much support as all you mighty fine folk can muster...

We need what Webtoon calls "engagement"...

So, please, engage away, people!

If all goes well, this will hopefully be our foot in the Webtoon door, and for those of you who are familiar with my writing, you'll know that there is still so much more story to be told...

And, if you haven't checked it out yet, there's also

                                                                    

which you can find

PODERICO POWERBOMB! is brought to you by the tag team responsible for the Dakila/Fr Trese DEVIATION crossover, "Iunctura"--that would be the mighty fine Marv del Mundo on art and colors, and Ye Olde Space Monkey on script and letters.

You can check out some promo art here and here, or as a tag team combo, here.

Please be kind enough to help spread the word; feel free to share the PODERICO POWERBOMB! and ARENA links to any and all, particularly those you feel would groove to their distinctive beats.

As I've said before, my mighty fine collaborators Marv del Mundo and Pytr Mutuc, and I, need all the support we can get, and all the support all you mighty fine people out there can muster.

Engage away, people!

Thanx so much!

you can’t drink just six,

 

Dave

Thanx to my mighty fine co-creators on PODERICO POWERBOMB! and ARENA, Marv del Mundo and Pytr Mutuc.

Thanx to all you mighty fine folk helping to spread the word.

(ARENA logo designed by Pytr Mutuc; PODERICO POWERBOMB! logo designed by Marv del Mundo.)

CHECK THIS OUT! (July 19, 2022)

CHECK THIS OUT! (July 19, 2022)

                                                                    

Is!

Now!!

Live!!!

See?!

https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/poderico-powerbomb/all-manner-of-things/viewer?title_no=787924&episode_no=1

(Actually, both images above are links too, so, hey, please feel free to click away...)

Brought to you by the tag team responsible for the Dakila/Fr Trese DEVIATION crossover, "Iunctura"--that would be the mighty fine Marv del Mundo on art and coloring, and Ye Olde Space Monkey on script and letters--PODERICO POWERBOMB! is one of the many, many entries in the Webtoon "Call to Action" contest, so, as I said in an earlier "Check This Out", we need all the support all you mighty fine folk can give us...

While a majority of the judging percentages lies in the work itself and is determined by Webtoon's judges, there is a percentage taken up by "engagement."

So engage away, people!

If all goes well, this will hopefully be our foot in the Webtoon door, and for those of you who are familiar with my writing, you'll know that there is still so much more story to be told...

As for

from the tag team responsible for the DAKILA: Siyudad story arc--Pytr Mutuc on art and colors, Ye Olde Space Monkey on script and letters--this should hopefully go live sometime later this week...

You can check out some promo art here and here, or as a tag team combo, here.

Please be kind enough to help spread the word; feel free to share the PODERICO POWERBOMB! links to any and all, particularly those you feel would groove to its beat.

As I said, my mighty fine collaborators Marv del Mundo and Pytr Mutuc, and I, need all the support we can get, and all the support all you mighty fine people out there can muster.

Engage away, people!

Thanx so much!

you can’t drink just six,

 

Dave

Thanx to my mighty fine co-creators on PODERICO POWERBOMB! and ARENA, Marv del Mundo and Pytr Mutuc.

Thanx to all you mighty fine folk helping to spread the word.

(PODERICO POWERBOMB! logo designed by Marv del Mundo; ARENA logo designed by Pytr Mutuc.)