Editorials
2010 BLACK FRIDAY CHOPPING LIST: FILMS & TV
From kick-ass boxed sets to classics put out for the first time on DVD or Blu-ray, 2010 has been a pretty damn good year for horror releases on home video, and in the following “Film & TV” section of B-D’s Black Friday Chopping List we’ve selected a few of the best ones to come out in time for the holiday season. The wide variety of titles included here – from hit T.V. shows about hunky vampires, to a bizarre Japanese film about…well, what exactly?, to the Blu-ray boxed set to top all Blu-ray boxed sets – should cover practically any horror-loving fiend on your list. As for your grandmother, it might be best just to buy her a sensible blouse at JC Penney and call it a day.
COMICS & BOOKS | FILMS | MUSIC | TOYS | GAMES
List Price: $139.99 (standard)/$149.99 (for “Egg” packaging version)
Isn’t this just one of those things that you’d have a hard time buying for anyone else but yourself? This masturbatory boxed set is positively overflowing with hours upon hours worth of bonus features that includes material from all home video releases, all laserdisc releases, the 1999 “Legacy” release and 2003’s Alien Quadrilogy DVD boxed set. In addition, there are four hours of features that have never before been seen on any previous Alien release, period. If you’re feeling especially generous you can go the extra mile and splurge on the version encased in that nifty-looking “Egg” packaging, which also comes with a special edition “Alien” version of the Fox 75th Anniversary poster. So, are you salivating yet? Are ya? It’s ok, me too – just try not to drool all over the gift wrapping.
For the version with “Egg” packaging click here
List Price: $34.99
In case you hadn’t had enough with the original theatrical version, the “version you’ve never seen”, or any of the other versions of The Exorcist you’ve been able to get your hands on over the years, we now have The Exorcist on Blu-ray (finally!) with several hours of new extras. Disc 1 includes the 2000 “Director’s Cut” version, a new 3-hour making-of documentary on the movie (including never-before-seen footage from the set), and commentary by director William Friedkin, among other bonus extras. Disc 2 features the original theatrical version, along with commentaries by Friedkin and screenwriter/producer William Peter Blatty and the feature-length 1998 documentary Fear of God: The Making of `The Exorcist’. To top it all off, the discs are enclosed in a glossy hardback “book” that includes background information on the film, production stills, and actor and filmmaker bios. It’s a must-have for any serious horror fan.
List Price: $19.99
Dark Night of the Scarecrow, now being released for the first time on DVD (indeed, the first time in any home-video format), is a superb 1981 made-for-T.V. movie that has been virtually forgotten for far too long. Starring the excellent Charles Durning, the film is about a mentally challenged man accused of hurting a young girl in town, who is then tracked down and shot to death by a group of good ol’ boys as he hides inside the disguise of a scarecrow in his mother’s field. After the men responsible for his wrongful death – the girl in question was actually mauled by a dog – are let off scot-free by the local judge, they’re systematically hunted down and killed by a mysterious assailant, who foreshadows his arrival by planting a mysterious scarecrow near each of their homes before he comes for them. Overall, Dark Night of the Scarecrow is a terrifically atmospheric, criminally underrated classic that’s now finally being released to a new generation of horror fans, and it would make a great gift for anyone on your list who appreciates under-the-radar gems.
List Price: $39.95 (Blu-ray)/$29.95 (DVD)
Released for the first time ever on any home-video format in the U.S. just last month, House, a completely gonzo 1977 Japanese horror “classic” (depending on how you view that word) directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi, is a film that defies easy description. Essentially, the story involves a teenage girl who travels with six of her friends to the old home of her ailing aunt, where they are set upon by all manner of bizarre supernatural beings and possessed household items, including a bloodthirsty piano, deadly mattresses, and man-eating light fixtures. The effects are charmingly low-tech (apparently Obayashi intended for them to look as if they were drawn by young children) and the acting is, shall we say, not exactly of the highest-caliber, but nevertheless the psychedelic, batshit-insane nature of the film has given it quite a cult following through the years. The disc includes a commentary from House of the Devil director Ti West (an admirer of the film), an experimental short titled “Emotion”, and a featurette on the making of the movie in which Obayashi is interviewed. Best gifted to lovers of experimental, kook cinema.
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List Price: $69.97 (Blu-ray)/$59.98 (DVD)
While it may not garner as much watercooler buzz as that other primetime vampire series True Blood, The Vampire Diaries has its own legion of fans (mostly of the “teenybopper” variety) and manages to score solid ratings week by week. Based on the book series of the same name by L.J. Smith, this is essentially the T.V. version of Twilight, with a gorgeous young cast and a storyline that follows a similar love triangle as the Stephanie Meyer series. The DVD set includes all fifteen episodes from the first season of the show, as well as numerous extras including unaired scenes, a gag reel, background information on the show’s development, commentary by series creator Kevin Williamson, and a downloadable audiobook of the novel Vampire Diaries: The Awakening, written by Smith. If you happen to have a teen/”tween”age girl in your household who can’t get enough of the “hunky” breed of vampire currently dominating pop culture (or perhaps an older friend of yours who counts the show as a guilty pleasure), then this is the gift for them.
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List Price: $79.98 (Blu-ray)/$59.99 (DVD)
The “adult” equivalent of The Vampire Diaries, HBO’s sultry, over-the-top, nudity-loving True Blood is now in its third year and going stronger than ever. This set collects all 12 episodes from the second season, which continues to follow the supernatural goings-on of Sookie, vampire lover Bill and the rest of the quirky inhabitants of Bon Temps. In addition to the episodes the set boasts seven audio commentaries from cast and crew, including Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Ryan Kwanten, and series creator Alan Ball, as well as “The Vampire Report”, which gives an overview of the biggest “vampire news stories” from the past year.
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I feel bad for people who never saw Grindhouse in the theater, the way it was meant to be seen…but at least the Blu-ray release gives them the next best thing. After a DVD release that saw both Death Proof and Planet Terror being put out individually, the Grindhouse Two-Disc Collector’s Edition Blu-ray is here to save the day, bringing the films are back together again the way they were meant to be seen. Extras include a behind-the-scenes look at the Planet Terror makeup effects, commentary by Robert Rodriguez, and two making-of featurettes that give a behind-the-scenes look at the production of both the Don’t and Thanksgiving trailers (directed by Edgar Wright and Eli Roth, respectively). While it was admittedly enjoyable to see the extended versions of both Death Proof and Planet Terror in their separate DVD releases, these two babies were meant to be viewed as a cohesive whole, making this a must-have for both fans of the films and anyone who missed out on the theatrical experience.
List Price: $29.97
While sequels Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness were released on Blu-ray previously, fans had to wait until this past August for the original to enjoy the same treatment. With transfers supervised by Sam Raimi, this Anchor Bay release looks and sounds spectacular, without thankfully losing the gritty feel of the original version. Sadly, however, it’s rather skimpy on the extras: while it includes all-new audio commentary from Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell, and producer Robert Tapert, the “Limited Edition” Blu-ray (which is now tough to come by) actually included a second DVD disc that featured an hour-long retrospective on the making of the film, alternate takes, a reunion panel between the cast, and more. That’s the version to buy if you can manage to get your hands on it, but the single-disc edition alone is still worth the price for fans – at least until the entire trilogy is released in a boxed set.
List Price: $49.95 (Blu-ray)/$39.95 (DVD)
1955 classic The Night of the Hunter – sadly the only film actor Charles Laughton ever directed – has gotten the deluxe Criterion treatment in its Blu-ray release, with a gorgeous digital transfer of the film’s stunning black-and-white cinematography and a host of extras, including a full 2
College kids, strippers and vampires—those were Donald P. Borchers’ only requirements when he approached Richard Wenk about writing and directing a movie for New World Pictures. As requested, Wenk cooked up Vamp (1986), a tailor-made blend of the decade’s teen movie craze as well as its horror boom.
Grim and earnest stories were still very much a part of the ’80s horror landscape, yet Vamp is something of a comedy. One difference between it and, say, Saturday the 14th, though, is the former avoids using schtick. Wenk’s movie proves that horror comedies also don’t have to subtract thrills from their recipes. Of course, it takes a minute before reaching that point; college antics and culture shocks preface this one macabre misadventure.
Vamp‘s initial setup is apt for a typical college-set, sex-driven comedy; to bribe their way into a fraternity house, two pledges (Chris Makepeace, Robert Rusler) go looking for some adult entertainment. Without wasting time on any further exposition, the characters embark on an all-in-one-night trip that quickly detours into terror.
To procure their elusive MacGuffin—a stripper willing to gyrate for some frat boys—Keith (Makepeace) and AJ (Rusler), plus a third wheel named Duncan (Gedee Watanabe), trade the safety of their remote college campus for the seediness of some unnamed city. The setting is recognizably L.A. by day, but as soon as night falls, downtown, along with the characters, slips into a kind of surreal universe. Director of photography Elliot Davis gave this early entry on his prolific résumé an unusual yet distinctive look; that Mario Bava-esque, magenta-green lighting is omnipresent, so much so that it’s almost its own character.
Chris Makepeace and Robert Rusler in Vamp
The faint comparisons to Martin Scorsese’s After Hours are merited, although not just because of Vamp’s distinguishing nighttime aesthetic. Save for the primary characters, the supporting roles in Wenk’s movie are also quite colorful and transactional in their behavior. The difference here, though, is the additional urge to ruin Keith and his friends at every turn. Some of that harm is humorous and tolerable enough, whereas the moment Vamp dishes out its first fatality, it’s abundantly clear how this movie qualifies as horror.
Vamp falls into that category of horror movie that reveals its genre with a scream rather than a series of whispers. The opening scene can function as a hint of what lies ahead—things are not at all what they appear to be—but otherwise, Wenk is more than happy to hold off on the horror. When that time does come, though, it catches the viewer off guard. In addition to the pure shock value is that sudden decision to upend the movie’s foremost feature. Or so it would seem.
If afraid of major spoilage, those new to Vamp would be wise to stop reading here. There’s just no skirting around the fact that the central fellowship in this buddy movie hits a serious snag when AJ is killed. That development causes the story to become more of a “long, bad night” journey for Keith and his romantic interest. So while Wenk scores points for subverting expectations, there is also a touch of sadness in his decision. Because if Vamp does anything well, it’s making the characters likable.
Something that comes easily to Vamp—and other teen horror movies from this same era—is its ability to invent young characters worth caring about, or at the very least, are interesting and not so immediately off-putting. More impressive is how Wenk did all this without actually fleshing out those characters. Still and all, Keith and his kind are a grade above cookie-cutter, and in some cases, aren’t completely devoid of growth.
Grace Jones in Vamp
Vamp appeals with an assorted cast of characters. No two are the same, nor are they operating on the same wavelength. The cinematically extroverted AJ, whose actor conveyed charm and vulnerability in near equal amounts, comes alive when he’s at his most undead. Makepeace then makes the chronically cautious Keith a sympathetic fellow, even as he’s more and more affected by the night’s bizarre events. Meanwhile, Duncan is indeed the designated loser of the whole bunch, but Watanabe still manages to humanize him. As a bonus, the role didn’t require him to pull a Long Duk Dong.
As for Dedee Pfeiffer, she is plain adorable as the mysterious After Dark server nicknamed “Amaretto”. She spends all night fixing her dress strap while at the same time trying to get Keith to remember how he knows her. As their offbeat romance grows, it becomes another highlight of this movie. Whether or not Pfeiffer’s character is really a vampire also creates some welcome tension in the story.
Like a lot of its contemporaries, Vamp went on to become a bit of a cult classic. That current status is determined by several factors, but without a doubt, the casting of Grace Jones is the most considerable. The image of her writhing on that unique-looking chair, a Keith Haring original, springs to mind whenever this movie is brought up.
Chris Makepeace, Billy Drago and Paunita Nichols in Vamp
Prior to that first display of unequivocal horror, local vampire queen Katrina (Jones) took to the stage and delivered a strip show like no other. One would expect nothing less from that renowned model and performance artist. By now reports of Jones’ tardiness on set are no secret, yet it’s also hard to deny her commitment to the part of Katrina. It was, in fact, Jones who took charge of her character’s appearance—on top of Haring painting her body and that now-iconic chair, she had Andy Warhol handle her costuming. And not too many actors could seize a room’s attention without saying a single line of dialogue.
In 2022, Vamp received a retrospective novelization from Encyclopocalypse. This literary union of preexisting source material—Wenk’s original screenplay—and new ideas from author Christian Francis amounts to a more comprehensive visit to the After Dark Club. The basic story there is no different than what’s shown on screen; however, Francis gets creative with the characters’ origins and designs, and he enhances a number of key scenes.
The novelization expands on the urban and social decay of the main setting, and supplies a background for the After Dark Club. Sandy Baron’s character, Katrina’s emcee and familiar, is given ample motivation for sticking around; up until the fiery end, he is loyal to his friend and former business partner “Squeak”, who looks like he was “fed through a combine harvester, and left as nothing more than a heap of mangled remains”. Then there is Billy Drago’s character Snow, the leader of a street gang called The Dragons. His reason for menacing Keith and AJ is more altruistic than in the movie; he and his peers act tough to scare off any potential food for the vampires.
Lisa Lyon in Vamp
If not for all the backstories, Francis’ Vamp would be a hell of a lot shorter. Instead, this tie-in read dives into how AJ met Keith—the orphaned Anthony Joseph hailed from a broken home back in Brooklyn—and how their friendship flourished over the years. Keith’s archership is no longer just an assumed part of his entire being; it’s a confidence-building extracurricular for a boy who got picked on before coming into the protection of the new kid in town. These supplemental, in-depth looks at the protagonists, plus their close connection, are maybe unnecessary. The movie already did a fair and concise job of addressing their platonic intimacy without the need for flashbacks and insights, specifically in that scene where AJ lays it all out as he sacrifices himself.
Where the novelization gets off course is its approach to the minor characters. Intermittently backstorying the likes of Katrina’s indentured servants, Seko (Leila Hee Olsen) and Vlad (Brad Logan), ends up disturbing the flow of the writing. Was it absolutely essential that readers know Vlad was the Grand Duke of the House of Romanov, or how Snow’s accomplice Maven (Paunita Nichols) became so dentally challenged? No, not really. However, one’s mileage with these random biographies may vary.
The novelization is a more substantial experience, but for a movie like Vamp, less is more. And as plentiful as they are, it never simply coasts on its campy charms, either. The character work sits comfortably in that realm between cursory and meticulous, the script is sharper than first realized, and Greg Cannom’s vampire makeup is straightforward yet effective. Most of all, the movie didn’t squander its out-of-the-box concept. Richard Wenk made his vision of a “comic nightmare in which just about anything that can go wrong does” come true, and it is very enjoyable.
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