Editorials
Top 5 Joe Dante Movies!
Earlier this week I visited the set of the new Joe Dante film Burying The Ex. I dug his last movie, The Hole, and feel like it was given the short end of the stick when it came to its release, so it was nice to see him at work on a picture that will likely grab a wide audience. What I saw looked great, with some of the stuff you’d expect to play broadly instead performed with an endearing specificity that I think horror geeks will engage with.
The whole thing got me thinking back on his filmography, so I thought it would be fun to toss a list together highlighting my favorite films of his. Dante has obviously directed way more than 5 features, so this isn’t meant to slight the ones that didn’t make the cut (a lot of them are great) – but rather to celebrate the ones that did.
Check it out below!
5: The Howling
I’ve been vocal about how this film stacks up to the other great werewolf movie of 1981 for me (An American Werewolf In London), but the fact remains that this is still one of the best lycanthrope pictures out there. It’s very difficult to make a werewolf film that’s any good at all, so making a classic one is certainly a coup of some kind. Having a script by John Sayles doesn’t hurt, and the swinging vibe of the commune/retreat gives The Howling a ton of personality.
4: Innerspace
Not horror, but since this is my list I’m making the rules. I loved this movie growing up. Admittedly, I haven’t seen it in a while but the fact that it’s imprinted on my brain has to be good for something. Inventive, suspenseful and hilarious with a great cast. If you’re a younger reader who missed this film for some reason, it’s well worth your time and money.
3: The ‘Burbs
A divisive entry, but sometimes I think people who don’t love The ‘Burbs have no sense of adventure. Met with mixed response upon is release in 1989 (perhaps due to the general public’s inexplicable aversion to horror comedies), I think it’s time for a widespread reappraisal of its merits. I love that the suspicions of Tom Hanks and Rick Ducommun pay off. I love the camaraderie of the whole block (Bruce Dern, Corey Feldman et al..) banding together. But the real genius of the film is how it aligns us against its protagonists by positioning them as bullies against an awkward but sympathetic and misunderstood family. Then it flips everything on its head. Perfect.
2: Gremlins 2: The New Batch
I’m the guy who wrote 5 Reasons ‘Gremlins 2’ Is A Masterpiece, so believe me when I say that this flip-flops with the number one entry on this list on a daily basis. The fact that Gremlins 2 is a high budget satire of corporate entropy is great, but the fact that it manages to successfully import its characters from one genre to another is a miracle. Also, major points for making John Glover’s character (Daniel Clamp) sympathetic when they could have easily repeated past success by taking the Mrs. Deagle route with him. This film really is a masterpiece.
1: Gremlins
Gremlins 2 isn’t Dante’s only masterpiece. Like I said, it often jockeys for #1 position with the original Gremlins. This is one of the perfect Christmas movies, one that embraces both the darker (consumerism) and brighter (family) sides of the holiday. Phoebe Cates’ speech about her dad is the kind of magically dark moment you would never find in a mainstream PG movie these days. It’s also easy to take for granted the kind of world building that’s at work here. Not only does it establish every nook and cranny of Kingston Falls (including the social pecking order), it also successfully introduces a brand new movie monster with an elaborate and complex biology. Hoyt Axton is also perfection. In fact, the entire movie is.
Be sure to check out my Script To Scream on the film, in which Gerald gives the famous Phoebe Cates speech (then dies), Gizmo turns into a butterfly and we conclusively find out about the Futtermans’ demise.
What’s your Top 5? I bet Piranha is on there right?
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!
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