Editorials
[It Came From the ’80s] An American Kaiju: ‘Q- The Winged Serpent’
With horror industry heavy hitters already in place from the 1970s, the 1980s built upon that with the rise of brilliant minds in makeup and effects artists, as well as advances in technology. Artists like Rick Baker, Rob Bottin, Alec Gillis, Tom Woodruff Jr., Tom Savini, Stan Winston, and countless other artists that delivered groundbreaking, mind-blowing practical effects that ushered in the pre-CGI Golden Age of Cinema. Which meant a glorious glut of creatures in horror. More than just a technical marvel, the creatures on display in ‘80s horror meant tangible texture that still holds up decades later. Grotesque slimy skin to brutal transformation sequences, there wasn’t anything the artists couldn’t create. It Came From the ‘80s is a series that will pay homage to the monstrous, deadly, and often slimy creatures that made the ‘80s such a fantastic decade in horror.
Compared to Japan’s vast selection of Kaiju films, there are very few giant monster films stateside. Larry Cohen’s 1982 film about a winged serpent terrorizing the Chrysler Building belongs in that small club. At first glance, it looks more like a Ray Harryhausen throwback with its stop-motion Claymation beast, but this cult film is every bit of Cohen’s brand of ballsy filmmaking. A gritty New York police procedural centered around a couple of NYPD detectives, a crook, and ritualistic Aztec murder that just happens to have an Aztec god nesting in one of the most recognizable skyscrapers in America come together in one strange film that can only be attributed to Cohen, in another story of the behind the scenes becoming more fascinating than the film itself.
Initially, Cohen didn’t set out to make Q. At least, not yet. He was in New York to direct I, the Jury, a film on which he wrote the screenplay. He didn’t get along with the producers however, and the film went over budget very quickly, so he was fired only a week into production. Instead of leaving town, he decided to stay and make another movie. So, after a mere few days of pre-production, including preparing a shooting script, he began shooting Q. He sent a telegram to David Carradine telling him when to show up, and that he would be playing a New York detective. Carradine had always wanted to make a movie with his longtime friend, so he showed up only becoming aware that he’d signed up for a monster movie right as he was to begin filming. Michael Moriarty, who plays crook Jimmy Quinn, was hired simply because Cohen was a fan of his and happened to bump into him at a café in New York during pre-production.
It summed up Cohen’s approach; he’s a director who knows what he wants and he’ll find a way to get it regardless of opposition or obstacles. He refused to take no for an answer when seeking permission to shoot in the Chrysler Building, but after the sixth or so time of asking and offering them enough money, they agreed. Even then, they didn’t realize just how high up Cohen intended to go. The unsteady spire atop the building wasn’t the most secure place for the crew to go, but Cohen reasoned that the budget didn’t really allow room to build a safer duplicate to shoot.
After wrapping up the shoot in a few weeks, it was then that he approached Randy Cook (The Lord of the Rings trilogy), who then pulled in David Allen (Ghostbusters, Fright Night), on the special effects with a concept for the monster. Understandably, they weren’t thrilled with having to animate a modeled creature after the film had already been shot, considering the method typically required shots to be blocked out on where the actors and monsters should go before actually shooting. That the shots were often moving, not frozen in place, made Cook and Allen’s job even more difficult. Considering the parameters they had to work with and the budget, the human eating, flying Quetzalcoatl turned out really well.
Compared to most horror films of this decade, Q- The Winged Serpent looks a bit more dated and of its time due to the stop-motion effects. But it’s so strange and so very Cohen that it makes sense that it would gain a cult following. Cohen took a job firing and turned it into a brand-new project, and it gives a whole new perspective on the work produced by special effects teams.
Editorials
‘The Vampire Lestat’ Concert Event Launches New Season With The Ultimate Expression Of Fandom
There are thousands of passionate fans decked out in gothic chic and champing at the bit like feral creatures. They’re screaming for Lestat, a legendary vampire-turned-rock star, as if the entire crowd has been glamored into submission.
The entire experience is magic, but not because some supernatural thrall has been activated. What’s going on is even more special. It’s the power of the effusive fandom that’s been authentically assembled by AMC’s sublime Immortal Universe, namely Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, now, The Vampire Lestat.
The Vampire Lestat is far from the first Anne Rice adaptation, and it’s not as if there’s been a lack of erotic vampire material for audiences to sink their teeth into. On June 2nd, during a one-night-only spectacle, New York City’s prestigious Beacon Theatre shook from Sam Reid’s bravado performance and an audience full of adoring fans who had already memorized Lestat’s songs.
It’s clear that The Vampire Lestat just hits differently than its predecessors. It’s become more than just a TV series at this point, and this opulent display of ego, swagger, and pure sex is the perfect way to premiere the new season and give back to the fans who helped make Interview with the Vampire/The Vampire Lestat such a breakout success. It’s exactly the sort of hyperbolized hedonism that would make Lestat cackle.
For all intents and purposes, AMC has successfully created the illusion that this concert/premiere is just one of the many destinations on Lestat and his band’s 54-stop tour that is simultaneously playing out on this season of television. It’s such a sophisticated and thorough level of interactive fan engagement that the audience doesn’t just understand, but also manages to accentuate through its involvement.
It’s a level of seamless synergy that’s not unlike the give-and-take relationship of vampire and victim.
Before the concert started, “LeStans” were sitting in the Beacon and flipping through a fake Rolling Stone issue with Lestat emblazoned on the cover, complete with interviews with the undead frontman inside. Other fans were admiring the vinyl pressing of Lestat’s EP as they walked past a section of undead band merch. Fandom and fantasy blur together, and it all becomes this elaborate, immersive experience. Fan celebration, erotic gothic fantasy, and a lavish rock concert transform into one beautiful thing.
To this point, AMC Global Media’s Chief Content Officer and President of AMC Studios, Dan McDermott, introduced the event by reiterating to fans, “You are the heartbeat of the series.” That’s abundantly clear on nights like this as that heartbeat collectively pulses to this performance. In terms of how AMC engages with The Vampire Lestat’s fans, it’s as bold a reinvention as the season itself.
This intuitive gamble speaks to AMC’s creativity in this department and a fandom that is eager to seize such opportunities. It’s the same innovation that led to zombie walks for The Walking Dead and real-life Los Pollos Hermanos restaurant pop-ups from Breaking Bad. It’s a great way to pump up the audience for The Vampire Lestat and then maintain that enthusiasm for the whole season.
For most series, a rock ‘n’ roll concert just doesn’t make any sense as a promotional tool. The Vampire Lestat finds itself in a very unique position where it can deliver an excellent concert at an iconic theater, but also use it to showcase The Vampire Lestat’s music by Daniel Hart (who was shredding on stage alongside Reid and the rest of their band) and, more than anything, Sam Reid’s endless charisma.
The way in which Reid feeds off of the crowd’s energy, modulating his performance and giving different sections of the Beacon life, is a perfect distillation of the series’ thoughtful relationship with its audience and how it’s become such a breakout success for AMC. AMC Studios President Dan McDermott emphasized that the fans are the reason that the show is still here and why an event like this is even possible. It’s rare to see a series in which every single cog in the machine is so perfectly attuned to its fans. Reid’s fans already cheer whenever they see him, so why not translate that to a concert setting?
It’s clear in this season of television that Reid was born to be a rock star, but it’s surreal to see him effortlessly command the stage — and the audience — at every step of the concert. He recites Shakespeare monologues and bitches out Armand between songs, all while the audience screams in support. For the duration of this concert, Reid is Lestat, and he’s given thousands of fans a memory that’s as immortal as any vampire.
Now bring on the encore and get this show on the road!
You must be logged in to post a comment.