Reviews
[Review] AMC’s “Preacher” Returns With a Bang, and a Bang, and a Bang
Spoiler Warning.
The first season of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg‘s “Preacher” ended with an epic twist for fans of the Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon comic series. As it turned out, the entire season was a prequel to Ennis’ Vertigo books.
The expanded second season, consisting of 13 episodes, follows West Texas preacher Jesse Custer (Dominic Cooper), his badass ex-girlfriend Tulip (Academy Award nominee Ruth Negga) and an Irish vampire named Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun) as they embark on a road trip to find God.
The first season was all about character development, spending quality time introducing the players in town, and bringing Jesse, Tulip, and Cassidy together. In watching the first three episodes of Season 2 it’s become clear that it was a necessity to deliver a prequel before jumping directly into the goods. Rogen and Goldberg have done a tremendous job world building and attempting to fill in any plot holes that riddle the comics.
Much like the debut comic, the Season 2 premiere dives right in, wasting zero time igniting an epic bloodbath. Our three anti-heroes have (finally) hit the road in search of God all while the Saint of Killers (Graham McTavish) is hunting them down in order to retrieve Genesis from Jesse. The opening scene is something right out of Terminator, with the Saint blowing people’s limbs off and their heads open. It’s a massacre that’s orchestrated with the perfect amount of comedic energy from our three heroes who don’t give a damn. Already a trio of badasses, Jesse’s new power has given them otherworldly confidence that results in 100% more badassery.
And while the series’ overall arc is the same – find God and make him answer for abandoning his creation – it’s now clear that Rogen and Goldberg are doing their own thing. Everything about AMC’s adaptation is different, which is pretty cool because it’s leading to extraordinarily interesting places. For example, the second episode focuses solely on Fiore (Tom Brooke), one of two Adephi angels tasked with hunting down Genesis. Being that he hired the Saint of Killers, Jesse hunts him down in Vegas to request he call off the mission. The episode is unique in that its focus is on what it would be like to be an immortal angel with nothing to live for. The result is shocking, hilarious, and heartwarming, making it one of the series’ most standout episodes.
The series not only explores many new locations, including Hell, but it’s really showing the depth of each of the show’s characters. While the second episode takes us into the very newly created world of Fiore, the third gives us Eugene’s (Ian Colletti) heartbreaking backstory of how he became known as Arseface. The biggest moment, however, is the reveal of the season’s new villain, the infamous Herr Starr (Pip Torrens). While he’s merely given a cameo in the third episode, his posse makes an appearance and Jesse is forced to use “the word” on them. The Grail have officially been worked into the series and it couldn’t be more exciting.
The second season of “Preacher” appears to fully deliver on its promise. The motley crew is on a full-blown road trip that’s leaving bloody entrails in their wake (literally). Rogen and Goldberg have hand-crafted a fresh take on the source material that’s as much of a gift to the fans as Ennis’ comics. What’s even better is that because of the changes there’s no way to know what’s up their sleeves, only that they’re going to take the eclectic mix of blood, violence, emotion, and humor to the absolute extreme.
The critically-acclaimed, supernatural series returns with a two-night event, beginning with the season premiere on Sunday, June 25th at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT, followed by the second episode on Monday, June 26th at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT.
Books
‘In Search of Darkness’ Book Review: A Must-Have for ’80s Horror Fans
In 2019, the documentary of 80s horror In Search of Darkness became an instant hit with horror fans. Now, a beautiful coffee table style companion book is available and is a must-own for all fans of one of horror’s greatest eras. The book is a walk down the horror aisle of the best mom and pop video store in the heyday of VHS, featuring full color photos, poster art, insightful essays and more. More than just a nostalgic throwback, In Search of Darkness is the kind of book I wish I’d had back in my years as a burgeoning horror fan but is also satisfying for the film fanatic I have become in the years since.
The format is beautifully and simply laid out, with at least a dozen (usually more) movies from each year of the decade presented in order of release accompanied by informative and insightful essays by the authors Heather Wixson and Patrick Bromley. Both authors have been mainstays of film journalism, specializing in horror, for many years. Wixson began her career in 2007 with Dread Central and has spent the past ten years as the Managing Editor of Daily Dead, from which she recently retired to focus on books and other projects. She has devoted the past several years to interviewing and writing books about the Make-up and Special Effects wizards that have brought so much to film over the years, specifically the horror genre.
Bromley is a film journalist and critic whose work can be found all over the place including right here on Bloody Disgusting. He recently provided the commentary for the Vinegar Syndrome release of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 and is known as something of a Tobe Hooper expert. He is also the founder and editor of F this Movie!, an eclectic film website, and host of its accompanying podcast. So, to be clear, the authors know their stuff.
Wixson and Bromley divide writing duties roughly in half and though each has a distinctive voice, their writing styles dovetail beautifully into a cohesive whole. Each author plays to their strengths. Being familiar with both their work I didn’t even have to look at the bylines to know that Heather covered Christine and Terror in the Aisles and Patrick took on The Funhouse and Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers. Wixson’s passion for make-up effects is clear and comes through in many of her contributions. In general, Wixson takes on the “big” titles, the movies that defined the decade the most, and Bromley covers what the more cynical among us might call schlock, but he would likely call pure cinematic bliss. There are exceptions and surprises, of course, as there should be (Patrick covers The Shining for example). Each essay dives into the history behind the film, the major players involved, the reception, and legacy with often surprising aspects drawn from interviews with the filmmakers from various sources and insights from the authors.
For all their in-depth explorations of each film, in general the authors keep their critics’ hats safely stowed, keeping in mind that every entry on the book has its fans. In fact, they may well have sold me on finally hitting play on some of the schlockier offerings of the decade like Evilspeak, Nightbeast, and Blood Diner. Hell, I may even give The Beast Within a spin for shits and giggles. The point is that this book is a celebration through and through. The authors are honest about the critical receptions of the films, which were often unkind, and sometimes let their own opinions shine through, but recognize how beloved even the schlockiest films can become given time and availability. And that is an ongoing theme of In Search of Darkness. What may have been dismissed in its day often becomes revered as the years pass. Variations on the phrase “the years have been kind to…” referring to various maligned projects like The Thing, Halloween III: Season of the Witch, The Blob and many, many others, can be found throughout the book for good reason.
Each chapter of the book also includes a rundown of the top horror movies at the box office for the year as well as the top movies of all genres for context. The final page for each year highlights some of the major news and pop culture events including the top songs, albums, and television shows. There is a large central section that pays tribute to the talent involved with the greatest horror films of the 80s including directors, actors, effects artists, and more. This section includes brief biographies of John Carpenter, Wes Craven, Stephen King, Tom Savini, Barbara Crampton, Robert Englund, and many others presented in a dynamic and engaging fashion.
One of the beauties of the book is that it covers so much ground. Sure, you’ll find Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Hellraiser, and the Halloween sequels in it, but you’ll also find deeper cuts like The Changeling, The Being, and Tetsuo: The Iron Man. I was happy to find the same love given to Frank Henenlotter and Larry Cohen as to George A. Romero and David Cronenberg. In other words, In Search of Darkness is extraordinarily eclectic, highlighting the diversity that truly defined what is often viewed as a homogenous decade. The authors make the case that the 80s was horror’s greatest decade, and with what they lay out throughout this book, it’s tough to argue against that. I even came across a film or two I hadn’t even heard of before, which has become increasingly rare as the years go by.
At just shy of $85, the cover price may give some horror hounds pause, but believe me, it’s worth every penny. This is a beautiful volume that every fan of 80s horror will want on their shelf or prominently displayed on their coffee table. Filled with favorite titles, hundreds of full color photos, insightful and informative writing, this is simply a must own.
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