Exclusives
Slow Coda Channel Argento in “Valspeak” Video [Exclusive]
Over the past couple of years, the music video world has become interesting again. Remember when there was nothing but a spate of lyric videos or, at best, we could expect a performance video of the band in a warehouse? Since then, a lot of bands and artists are finding fantastic filmmakers who craft something unique, something interesting, and something actually worth watching.
Such is the case with LA indie rock group Slow Coda and their video for their track “Valspeak”. Directed by Gabriel Younes, the video shows a young woman dancing through her house and gathering cleaning supplies, all set to the cheerful and upbeat music. And while I won’t spoil the ending, I will say that I felt an unease from the beginning and it absolutely 100% paid off. So, for those who wonder why this is on BD, just let the story build to its climax.
As I watched the video, I couldn’t help but notice that it bears strong influences from Italian master of horror Dario Argento, specifically Suspiria. Chloe Godard, who plays the woman, exudes a very strong “Suzy Bannion” aura and is simply delightful and charming to watch.
Singer and co-songwriter Tavis Balkin explains:
“Valspeak” is kind of meant to conjure up images of an idyllic teenage paradise, like the kind you see in so many 80’s movies — a time and a place that I’m pretty sure never really existed outside of the TV screen. To accentuate this angle, we added some New Wave flourishes and the song ended up being the most upbeat track on the EP. The tape is finally out this weekend and we’re really stoked.
You can download the You Again EP for free via Bandcamp.
Director Gabriel Younes tells BD, “The video for Valspeak was meant as a sort of love-letter to 1980’s cleaning montages in films and TV twisted with some horror. We really wanted to push a nostalgic feeling and call back to a time in the horror genre that really resonates with me visually by playing with light, color and lengthier camera moves, while feeding into the playful tone of the song.”
Slow Coda online:
Official Website
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Tour dates:
Ham and Eggs Tavern – Los Angeles, CA – March 21
Exclusives
‘The Haunting of Pennhurst’ Exclusive Clip Trains Scare Actors For Historic Haunt in Tribeca Doc
The past and present collide in haunting, poignant ways in the genre documentary The Haunting of Pennhurst, which sees a Halloween haunt serve as a reclamation of true historic horrors.
Ahead of its world premiere at the 25th Tribeca Film Festival, we have an exclusive clip that sees scare actors in training for the Halloween season. The catch? This haunt is opening at the historic Pennhurst State School & Hospital site, a facility that caused immense harm to its disabled patients over decades of its operation.
In the documentary, “For over seventy years, Pennhurst State School & Hospital was called a place of care. What happened inside killed over half its population. It closed in 1987, leaving behind unmarked graves and an unresolved history. Today, on those same grounds, disabled performers – many living with the same conditions that once sent people to Pennhurst – put on their makeup, pull on their costumes, and prepare to scare people for a living.
“Through grit, compassion, and buckets of blood, the eclectic performers of the Pennhurst Asylum haunted attraction are wrestling with a space that is at once a lucrative business and a gravesite.”
The upcoming documentary hails from directing trio Nathan Stenberg, Mike Attie, and Katarina Poljak, who explore their socially-relevant subject through archival footage, first-hand accounts, and an immersive verité.
“Pennhurst has haunted us since we first passed through its dragon-tooth gates; the horrors of the institution echo through the site today. We are so grateful to bring this film to the Tribeca Festival, particularly the Escape from Tribeca section, which feels right for a story where past and present bleed together. We hope audiences leave unnerved and asking the same uncomfortable questions we did,” Attie, Stenberg, and Poljak said in a statement.
Watch the clip below that sees disabled and neurodivergent scare actors learning the ropes of a Halloween haunt, reclaiming the site’s grim history in the process.
Tribeca Screenings:
- Public 1 (Premiere) Screening – Friday, June 5 at 9:15PM at Village East by Angelika
- Public 2 Screening – Sunday, June 7 at 3:15PM at Village East by Angelika
- Public 3 Screening – Tuesday, June 9 at 6:15PM at Village East by Angelika
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