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Remember When ‘Beyond Re-Animator’ Begged You to “Move Your Dead Bones”?!

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Fifteen years ago, director Brian Yuzna (Society, Bride of Re-Animator) jumped back behind the camera to helm the third film in the Re-Animator saga that he’d begun with filmmaking partner Stuart Gordon so many years ago. That film, Beyond Re-Animator, did not go on to garner the same “classic” status as the previous films. This time out, Dr. Herbert West has found himself a new batch of warm bodies for his experiments once he’s let loose on a high security prison along with its ill-fated inmates and wardens. The final third descends into utter chaos as West’s lab rats (some quite literally) go berserk and set the stage for a brutal prison riot. Overall, Beyond is a fun time that certainly doesn’t reach the heights of its predecessors but still feels comfortably at home within the Re-Animator franchise. A fourth film to be directed by Gordon, House of Re-Animator, would have seen West taking over the Oval Office and then President Bush. That never came to fruition. Though, I’d be game to see what a West/Trump combo might look like.

While the critical and fan reception for Beyond may have been tepid, its legacy has been bolstered by one truly bizarre addition to the film’s home video release – a music video. For anyone who has witnessed this slice of head scratching Eurodance cross marketing, you’ve surely never forgotten it. “Move your dead bones, bones, bones. You’ll dance for the rest of your life. Re-Animate your feet!” That’s only but a small taste of the poetic lyricism on display here, folks. I’ll never forget perusing the special features on the Beyond Re-Animator DVD only to land on this obscure oddity, “Move Your Dead Bones.” The song is performed by none other than Dr. Re-Animator, naturally. It features a plethora of clips from the film itself interspersed with the overly suave Dr. Re-Animator dancing about in sexy-scrubs while waving around a hypodermic filled with reagent. For those who’ve been sleeping on this hidden gem for the last fifteen year – here, you’re more than welcome.

I’ve tried to find more information on just how something like this came to be, but there hasn’t been much luck in that department. What I did discover was just how deep the legacy of this particular song goes. Apparently, it became quite popular amongst the Furry community. For those not in the know of what a “Furry” is, Wikipedia breaks it down like this:

“The furry fandom is a subculture interested in fictional anthropomorphic animal characters with human personalities and characteristics. Examples of anthropomorphic attributes include exhibiting human intelligence and facial expressions, speaking, walking on two legs, and wearing clothes.”

In 2005, an artist who presented herself under the pseudonym of Zarla and was only ever pictured as her avatar (a red fox) released a flash animation set to the tune of “Move Your Dead Bones.” In the strange clip that appears to be an ode to fan-fic, Zarla the Fox can can be seen dancing with various fictional characters from Silent Hill, Harry Potter, and Super Metroid. It took Arcturus Kirwin to help launch the clip’s popularity amongst other Furries. Arcturus has been a vocal member of the Furry community having developed and admined several of the community’s websites. She blogged about Zarla’s video on LiveJournal, it got reposted on the forums, and blew up from there.

The song has been performed live at several Furry conventions and continues to be popular amongst the fandom. I’ve got to admit, all of this came as quite the surprise to me when I set out to do my research for this track. Though, I remember having a friend who had no idea what Beyond Re-Animator was, yet he knew every word to “Move Your Dead Bones.” After the interesting things I discovered about him later, his knowledge of this song makes a whole lot of sense in retrospect. Annnnyway! In terms of the recording itself, I was able to uncover the David Lyme was the song’s writer/producer. Lyme had an extremely successful career throughout the late 80s/early 90s in the Italo-disco realm. He now writes music for other artists as well as promotional tracks for corporations. Perhaps he was hired by Fantastic Factory (Beyond’s production company) to craft a hit song to help market the film? We may never know. What will always ring true, though, is if I “give you some green color, you will ask for mo’. You will see that you never felt this way before!”

Alright, fiends – celebrate 15 years of Beyond Re-Animator and “move your dead bones!”

Editorials

‘Leprechaun Returns’ – The Charm of the Franchise’s Legacy Sequel

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leprechaun returns

The erratic Leprechaun franchise is not known for sticking with a single concept for too long. The namesake (originally played by Warwick Davis) has gone to L.A., Las Vegas, space, and the ‘hood (not once but twice). And after an eleven-year holiday since the Davis era ended, the character received a drastic makeover in a now-unmentionable reboot. The critical failure of said film would have implied it was time to pack away the green top hat and shillelagh, and say goodbye to the nefarious imp. Instead, the Leprechaun series tried its luck again.

The general consensus for the Leprechaun films was never positive, and the darker yet blander Leprechaun: Origins certainly did not sway opinions. Just because the 2014 installment took itself seriously did not mean viewers would. After all, creator Mark Jones conceived a gruesome horror-comedy back in the early nineties, and that format is what was expected of any future ventures. So as horror legacy sequels (“legacyquels”) became more common in the 2010s, Leprechaun Returns followed suit while also going back to what made the ‘93 film work. This eighth entry echoed Halloween (2018) by ignoring all the previous sequels as well as being a direct continuation of the original. Even ardent fans can surely understand the decision to wipe the slate clean, so to speak.

Leprechaun Returns “continued the [franchise’s] trend of not being consistent by deciding to be consistent.” The retconning of Steven Kostanski and Suzanne Keilly’s film was met with little to no pushback from the fandom, who had already become accustomed to seeing something new and different with every chapter. Only now the “new and different” was familiar. With the severe route of Origins a mere speck in the rearview mirror, director Kotanski implemented a “back to basics” approach that garnered better reception than Zach Lipovsky’s own undertaking. The one-two punch of preposterous humor and grisly horror was in full force again.

LEPRECHAUN

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

With Warwick Davis sitting this film out — his own choice — there was the foremost challenge of finding his replacement. Returns found Davis’ successor in Linden Porco, who admirably filled those blood-stained, buckled shoes. And what would a legacy sequel be without a returning character? Jennifer Aniston obviously did not reprise her final girl role of Tory Redding. So, the film did the next best thing and fetched another of Lubdan’s past victims: Ozzie, the likable oaf played by Mark Holton. Returns also created an extension of Tory’s character by giving her a teenage daughter, Lila (Taylor Spreitler).

It has been twenty-five years since the events of the ‘93 film. The incident is unknown to all but its survivors. Interested in her late mother’s history there in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, Lila transferred to the local university and pledged a sorority — really the only one on campus — whose few members now reside in Tory Redding’s old home. The farmhouse-turned-sorority-house is still a work in progress; Lila’s fellow Alpha Epsilon sisters were in the midst of renovating the place when a ghost of the past found its way into the present.

The Psycho Goreman and The Void director’s penchant for visceral special effects is noted early on as the Leprechaun tears not only into the modern age, but also through poor Ozzie’s abdomen. The portal from 1993 to 2018 is soaked with blood and guts as the Leprechaun forces his way into the story. Davis’ iconic depiction of the wee antagonist is missed, however, Linden Porco is not simply keeping the seat warm in case his predecessor ever resumes the part. His enthusiastic performance is accentuated by a rotten-looking mug that adds to his innate menace.

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Pictured: Taylor Spreitler, Pepi Sonuga, and Sai Bennett as Lila, Katie and Rose in Leprechaun Returns.

The obligatory fodder is mostly young this time around. Apart from one luckless postman and Ozzie — the premature passing of the latter character removed the chance of caring about anyone in the film — the Leprechaun’s potential prey are all college aged. Lila is this story’s token trauma kid with caregiver baggage; her mother thought “monsters were always trying to get her.” Lila’s habit of mentioning Tory’s mental health problem does not make a good first impression with the resident mean girl and apparent alcoholic of the sorority, Meredith (Emily Reid). Then there are the nicer but no less cursorily written of the Alpha Epsilon gals: eco-conscious and ex-obsessive Katie (Pepi Sonuga), and uptight overachiever Rose (Sai Bennett). Rounding out the main cast are a pair of destined-to-die bros (Oliver Llewellyn Jenkins, Ben McGregor). Lila and her peers range from disposable to plain irritating, so rooting for any one of them is next to impossible. Even so, their overstated personalities make their inevitable fates more satisfying.

Where Returns excels is its death sequences. Unlike Jones’ film, this one is not afraid of killing off members of the main cast. Lila, admittedly, wears too much plot armor, yet with her mother’s spirit looming over her and the whole story — comedian Heather McDonald put her bang-on Aniston impersonation to good use as well as provided a surprisingly emotional moment in the film — her immunity can be overlooked. Still, the other characters’ brutal demises make up for Lila’s imperviousness. The Leprechaun’s killer set-pieces also happen to demonstrate the time period, seeing as he uses solar panels and a drone in several supporting characters’ executions. A premortem selfie and the antagonist’s snarky mention of global warming additionally add to this film’s particular timestamp.

Critics were quick to say Leprechaun Returns did not break new ground. Sure, there is no one jetting off to space, or the wacky notion of Lubdan becoming a record producer. This reset, however, is still quite charming and entertaining despite its lack of risk-taking. And with yet another reboot in the works, who knows where the most wicked Leprechaun ever to exist will end up next.


Horror contemplates in great detail how young people handle inordinate situations and all of life’s unexpected challenges. While the genre forces characters of every age to face their fears, it is especially interested in how youths might fare in life-or-death scenarios.

The column Young Blood is dedicated to horror stories for and about teenagers, as well as other young folks on the brink of terror.

Leprechaun Returns movie

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

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