VIDEO REVIEW! My Son and I Take on PACIFIC RIM, Guillermo del Toro's 21st Century Kaiju Masterpiece!

Direct from Jack's Movie Town, the movie review blog of my son Skeleton Jack (a.k.a. Wee-Sol), I give to you this very special video review of the film that single-handedly saved the summer of 2013 for me...

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The Lucky 13 Returns! Week Three: Veteran's Day

They say that war is hell, and hell is certainly familiar territory for the horror genre. Therefore, it's pretty easy to see that war would provide a perfect backdrop for some genuinely terrifying cinema. Truth be told, there are quite a few horrifying war films which are technically not actual horror films. War is horrible enough, in and of itself.

That said, there have been a number of powerful horror films revolving around the subject, and we here in the Vault and over at Brutal as Hell decided that in honor of Veteran's Day, we'd devote this week's Lucky 13 edition to just a few of them. So read on, and please make sure to thank a veteran, if you haven't already done so. In their efforts to protect us and all we hold dear, they faced down horrors far worse than anything seen in the movies...

B-Sol on Pan's Labyrinth (2006)...

There may be no greater visionary working in cinema today than Guillermo Del Toro, and Pan's Labyrinth was quite possibly his finest hour. It is a visual feast--a twisted, nightmarish look at childhood, seen against the backdrop of Fascist Spain during World War II. This is a film of great power, a visceral experience in a very real sense.

I've always been fascinated by fantasy and dark fairy tales. The origins of the Brothers Grimm stories in particular have always held a certain allure. And quite simply, Pan's Labyrinth is a potent distillation of that whole vibe, brought to life as only someone with the talent of a Del Toro could've ever done.

And through it all, what impresses me the most is the way in which such a bizarre, supernatural narrative could be so successfully juxtaposed with the very real setting in which our young protagonist finds herself. There is perhaps no monster in the film more terrifying than her own sadistic and brutal father, a cold and calculating captain in the Spanish army. The horrors of war are contrasted intriguingly with the horrors of a totally unearthly realm, and it makes for some unforgettable viewing.

Pan's Labyrinth is the kind of film that reminds us that as terrified as we may be of the unknown, there is perhaps nothing worse than the horrors of the familiar, and of the real. It is a treat for the senses, and my personal favorite horror film dealing with the subject of war.



Joe Monster of From Beyond Depraved on Deathdream (1974)...

War is hell, as they say. And sometimes that hell can invade the peace of the home and hearth. Such was the story of Andy Brooks, the main character in director Bob Clark’s fourth feature film Deathdream. Having previously tickled our morbid spines with 1972’s ghoulish Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things, Clark takes us down a completely different and dark road with this tale of battle scars that never heal.

When Andy returns home from fighting in the jungles of Vietnam, he’s not at all well. In fact, his father and sister were originally told that Andy had died in combat, so his appearance back home is peculiar to say the least. Dedicated fans of the horror genre could probably tell where the narrative is about to go at this point, but the film nevertheless manages to chill in its depiction of Andy’s terrifying transformation. The veteran soldier covers up his body from the sunlight with turtlenecks and gloves… and has an insatiable thirst for blood. He has become, for all intents and purposes, a vampire.

Deathdream though, much like George Romero’s Martin from the same decade, deals with the complex psychological implications of carrying a “curse” instead of focusing on the supernatural aesthetics of the scenario. Andy’s transgression into a walking nightmare provides moments in the film that are fraught with tension and dread. Clark lets us know that he isn’t messing around, starting right from the moment Andy brutally crushes the family dog in a chillingly inhuman manner. Like he was in combat, Andy cannot stop his killer instincts from getting the better of him as more and more people meet death at his hands.

It’s a potent metaphor for the tragic state in which some troops have been known to suffer from upon their return to their countries. Clark’s masterful direction of the story allows him to breathe life into this metaphor, and it never once becomes heavy-handed. It remains heart-wrenching up until the very end, with a climax in which Andy’s mother weeps over the living, rotting corpse of what was once her son as it desperately tries to dig itself back into its grave. It’s a moment that truly has to rank amongst one of the saddest scenes in horror history. And it’s on this grim note that Clark reminds us that, sometimes, life too can be hell.




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Join us next week for The Lucky 13, when we give thanks for our favorite Turkey Day horror flicks...

Week 1: Halloween
Week 2: Man vs. Nature

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21st Century Terrors, Part 2: 2001

As the first decade of the 20th century draws to a rapid close, join me as I take another look at the horror genre as we knew it, year by year. Yes, I know it's been a couple of months, so it's about time I get this thing going again. This time we're talking about the second year (or, as some purists might call it, the first)--the year that was supposed to be so awesome an entire movie was once named for it.

Well, as far as horror goes, I don't know if it quite lived up to all that, but 2001 was at least pretty interesting. It was a step up from 2000, when the doldrums of the '90s were still lingering; and it gave us just a glimpse of the good stuff that was to follow as the decade would wear on...

When I think of 2001, one of the chief films that comes to mind is The Others. Here we had an effective, genuinely eerie ghost movie--which also happened to be completely mainstream, starring a mainstream actress in Nicole Kidman. As with any films that linger in recent memory, this one tends to divide fans, yet you can count me among those who were enthralled by Alejandro Amenabar's very traditional, and also very well-made haunted house picture.

But if it's indie horror you want, then 2001 gave us that, as well. Namely, a little movie (at the time) that has gone on to become one of the true cult classics of recent years: Session 9. The farthest thing from mainstream, this multi-national production was given a limited release and carted around to film festivals around the world--a model that would be repeated many times over afterward for a lot of horror cult faves soon to come.

The year 2001 would also bring us the greatest triumph to date of a foreign filmmaker whose work we would all be coming to know much better soon enough. Of course, I'm talking about Guillermo Del Toro and his brilliant little Spanish film The Devil's Backbone. Set amidst the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War, this is a much more bizarre and off-beat ghost story than The Others. And although Del Toro had made some waves in the 1990s with Cronos and Mimic, this was the film that really put him on the radar of genre aficionados.

Perhaps one of the interesting legacies of 2001 was the growing, looming presence of foreign horror--nothing new, to be sure, but Devil's Backbone was just part of a widening flood that got even wider that year and also gave us flicks like Indonesia's Jelangkung (The Uninvited), and the unique French-Canadian monster movie The Brotherhood of the Wolf.

But never let it be said that the horror genre wasn't above going back to the well, 21st century or not. Because 2001 was also the year that gave us the first reappearance of a tried-and-true horror icon of the previous two decades--namely Jason Voorhees, who donned the hockey mask one more sorry time for the ill-conceived and ill-advised Jason X. As the world waited for the inevitable confrontation of Jason and fellow slasher mega-star Freddy Krueger that would still be more than a year away, they were instead given this dismal affair--whose only standout moment is that truly innovative liquid nitrogen kill that everyone always gushes about.

In the same vein of relying on that which is easy and already a proven formula, was the admittedly entertaining Jeepers Creepers, which also kicked off one of the decade's first bona fide horror franchises as well. The movies may be formulaic, but particularly in this first installment, The Creeper is a truly different movie monster and does offer some actual scares.

What might have even more scary, however, would be an even safer and less creative trend that was only in its infancy at the time: namely, the reliance on remakes and sequels to bring in an easy buck. This was the year that gave us Thirteen Ghosts (I refuse to spell it any other way), a lame retread--one of several to come--of a venerable Vincent Price gem. But far, far worse, this was the year of Hannibal.

Many of you may remember the furor that arouse when Thomas Harris announced he had already signed the movie rights for his as-yet-unwritten sequel to his highly successful novel The Silence of the Lambs, before even writing the actual novel itself. Everything about it smelled wrong, from Jodie Foster's wise removal of herself from the proceedings, to the rumors of wildly over-the-top brain-cooking and man-eating dogs, to Officer Starling's character assassination (the reason for Foster's aforementioned removal).

The resulting motion picture, Hannibal, was just as bad as everyone was afraid of. One of the most revered horror/thrillers of all time, The Silence of the Lambs, would now forever be attached to this, easily the most notorious genre failure of 2001.

Nevertheless, most would consider 2001 part of a positive trend in horror overall, and those of us who believe that this past decade has been a very good one for horror will probably tell you that 2001 was pretty much a sign of things to come. With the new century in full swing, it was only getting better for all things horrific.

Also from 2001:

• From Hell
• Ghosts of Mars

Part 1: 2000

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Guillermo Del Toro Novels to Make It to Small Screen

Take visionary director Guillermo del Toro, add Buffy the Vampire Slayer producer Marti Noxon, and you have a potentially interesting project on the horizon. Variety reported earlier this week that Noxon and partner Dawn Parouse Olmstead (producer of Prison Break) are working to develop a TV show out of the series of novels planned by del Toro and novelist Chuck Hogan--which kicked off last month with The Strain.

The novel is all about a strain of virus which either kills you or turns you into a vampire (sounds kind of like The Last Man on Earth...) I believe it's planned as a three-part series of novels, and the idea is to turn it into a special three-season "event" TV series. Variety reports that Noxon and Olmstead plan to shop the show around early next year, following the publication of the second book.

Rumor has it that The Strain began as a proposed TV concept from del Toro, but when it didn't pan out, he got together with Hogan and turned it into a book, or a series of them, as it turns out. And now that the buzz on the books is so hot, it looks like del Toro's original plan is coming to fruition after all...

Is it just me, or does there seem to be a boatload of amazing horror novels suddenly flooding the market? Or maybe I've just been too much of a sci-fi geek to notice?

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Katie Holmes, Don't Rape My Childhood!

I'm trying to trust the wisdom of Guillermo del Toro right now. I really am. I'm trying to trust the man who translated Mike Mignola's Hellboy flawlessly to the screen, and who so deftly brought nightmares to life in Cronos and Pan's Labyrinth. But my faith is being shaken, I can't deny it.

See, I've been buzzing for months now at the thought of del Toro producing a remake of my all-time favorite TV horror movie, 1973's Don't Be Afraid of the Dark--an obscure, brilliant, yet flawed little picture which, in the right hands, could become a masterpiece. Finally, a remake to be excited about? Right??

Then I wake up this morning, an otherwise fine spring day, to discover that The Hollywood Reporter has uncovered the very first casting news on the upcoming project. Guillermo del Toro's remake will star... Katie Holmes.

Yes, Joey Potter from Dawson's Creek will apparently be heading up the long-awaited, 35-years-in-the-making, big-screen adaptation of the movie that has been an obsession of mine since the age of five, and which is largely responsible for my entire horror fascination. Yes, Katie "I Almost Single-Handedly Ruined the First Great Batman Movie" Holmes, owner of one of the most ho-hum resumes of any mainstream Hollywood leading lady.

Granted, she did put in a somewhat interesting performance in Sam Raimi's all-but-forgotten 2000 chiller The Gift, but is this really a woman who screams out "horror"? Supremo nutball Tom Cruise's captive Stepford wife, the chick who's proven that even the classic Louise Brooks bob can be potentially unsexy? Perhaps my Thetan count is simply too high, but what's a dedicated DBAOTD fan to do but despair?

I'm assuming that Mrs. Cruise has been cast in the role of Sally Farnham, played by former child star Kim Darby in the original. Now, I know what some of you may be thinking. Sally Farnham was certainly nothing to write home about, on any level, going through the film like a somnambulistic 14-year-old boy. I'll grant you that. But that's the whole point, see, I was expecting a lot more from this big-time remake, especially given the impressive fire power involved.

Maybe I'm overreacting. Yeah, that's the ticket. After all, the part calls for a type that's not unlike the public image Holmes has created for herself anyway, right? Maybe her combination of cluelessness and anhedonia is exactly what got her the part in the first place, and will serve her well in portraying the ill-fated housewife targeted by bizarre, otherworldly creatures. Hey, wait a minute. Ill-fated housewife? Targeted by bizarre, otherworldy creatures? ... Holy Jeebus! She's perfect!

Never mind.

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Will There Be a Hellboy 3?

For the time being, all thought of a third installment in the fan-favorite Hellboy series from Universal seems to have been put on hold. For a couple of reasons.

Although just as well-done as the original, and a box office improvement, Hellboy 2 still fell a bit short of studio expectations. Also, director Guillermo del Toro recently made headlines by announcing that he is now completely booked for the next nine years. As of now, Hellboy 3 is not included amongst his upcoming projects, which means that if he ever returns to complete what he has described as a trilogy--which he has said he wants to eventually do--it will not be for another decade, at which point star Ron Perlman would be nearly 60. Indiana Hellboy, anyone?

At the m0ment, Del Toro is totally immersed in working on The Hobbit with producer Peter Jackson, as well as a follow-up to chronicle the events between that film and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. That's expected to occupy him for the next five years. After that, he turns his sights to some classic monster revamping--namely a long-discussed Frankenstein film and a new take on Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. Then comes a new, "more faithful" (don't they always say that?) version of Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five, and an adaptation of the forthcoming historical novel Drood by the superb Dan Simmons. And finally, Del Toro's own pet project, an adaptation of At the Mountains of Madness, a seminal work by H.P. Lovecraft.

All exciting projects, to be sure, and Del Toro looks to be positioned as the next Lucas/Speilberg by the end of it. But no HB in sight. Oh, crap.

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The Golden Army Approaches! Hellboy II Third Trailer

Having recently rediscovered the first Hellboy on DVD after forgetting just how terrific it was, I'm more stoked than I thought I would be for Hellboy II: The Golden Army, out in two weeks. The always-reliable Apple.com unleashed the latest trailer for the Guillermo del Toro comic adaptation sequel last night. Check it out:



I continue to be impressed. Del Toro is a great filmmaker who'd be great no matter what kind of films he chose to make. The fact that he revels in genre filmmaking is a boon to fans everywhere. If you'd like to see more, there's a fantastic comics-style "animated prologue" at Apple's Hellboy II page that takes us back to 1955, when the story of the Golden Army was first told to the young Hellboy. (While you're there, you can also watch the trailer with better resolution.)

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Del Toro to Bring Frankenstein Monster Back to Life

In an exclusive interview given to MTV News yesterday, Guillermo Del Toro stated that he is working on his own Frankenstein adaptation. The director of Hellboy and Pan's Labyrinth is a known lover of the classic Universal monsters, but it sounds like his take might be a unique one. Oh yeah, and he also chats about two little projects called The Hobbit and Harry-something-or-other...

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Hellboy to Duke It Out with Drac, Frankie & the Gang?

Ever since the Hellboy property came over to Universal, the rumors on the net have been swirling about the possibility that Universal's most cherished cinematic creations, the famed "Universal monsters" of the studio's classic 1930s-1950s horror films, might cross over into the world of everyone's favorite crimson ass-kicker. Feeding into these rumors has been director Guillermo del Toro's professed long-time love for these icons of the genre.

The rumors of Hellboy doing battle with the likes of Dracula, the Frankenstein Monster, the Wolf Man, the Mummy and the Creature from the Black Lagoon were further solidified earlier this week at the premiere of 30 Days of Night, when IESB.net cornered Mike Richardson, publisher of the Hellboy comic book and owner of Dark Horse Entertainment, to find out what we can expect from Hellboy 2. You can see the video interview for yourself here. Richardson states that such

a crossover is in fact being discussed, and it's clear from his reaction that it's more than mere speculation at this point.

Expect Hellboy 2 to hit theaters next summer. Also expect to witness the biggest silver screen battle royal since Godzilla took on King Kong.

On a side note, The Vault of Horror acknowledges the passing today of the great Joey Bishop, last of the fabled Rat Pack.

And on another side note, for all the horror/wrestling crossover fans out there, be sure and pick up the Dec. 2007 issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated, on sale now--cover story by yours truly...

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