Editorials
‘The Lego Batman Movie’ is (Surprisingly) a Horror Fan’s Wet Dream
It’s like The Cabin in the Woods… for kids!
We horror fans are often begging to see our favorite villains mashed together within the same universe, which is probably why so many of us hold movies like The Monster Squad and Freddy vs. Jason so near and dear – it’s also why little Easter eggs like Freddy’s glove in Evil Dead 2 and the Xenomorph skull in Predator 2 made us all so giddy back in the day.
The idea of our favorite villains coming together to wreak havoc is undoubtedly a fun one, and no film to date has proven that more than The Cabin in the Woods. Released in 2012, the self-aware horror flick united (unofficial versions of) cinema’s most iconic monsters under the same umbrella, unleashing a full-on monster mash of insanity in the final act.
Oddly enough, The Lego Batman Movie does much the same thing.
No really. I’m not even kidding.
I totally missed The Lego Batman Movie when it was released in theaters back in February, but I had the chance to check it out last night now that’s it on home video; much to my surprise, the animated DC Film is absolutely loaded with iconic movie monsters. In fact, the entire plot of the film centers around them!
Around the 50-minute mark, Batman banishes the Joker to the Phantom Zone, a space prison that houses the most evil villains in the world. Joker had previously been using an army of DC villains in his attempt to take over Gotham, but when Batman handily defeats them (yet again), he enlists the help of the Phantom Zone’s denizens.
This is when The Lego Batman Movie becomes a monster mash of pretty epic proportions. The Phantom Zone spills out into Gotham, unleashing Gremlins, Dracula, the Mummy, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, King Kong, the Kraken from Clash of the Titans (or Godzilla, if you prefer), and even Sauron from The Lord of the Rings!
Much like The Cabin in the Woods, most of the monsters aren’t directly referred to by their movie names – except for the Gremlins, who fall under the Warner Bros. umbrella – allowing them to cleverly be used within the movie. Other Phantom Zone henchmen include a T-rex and velociraptors which one can assume are from Jurassic Park, as well as a shark that might as well be the shark from Jaws. Generic dinosaurs and sharks are part of existing Lego playsets, mind you, but the intent seems clear: these are movie monsters, banished to the Phantom Zone by movie heroes.
I fully expected The Lego Batman Movie to be a DC fan’s wet dream, and it absolutely is (Egghead, Vincent Price’s “Batman” character, even pops up!), but I had no idea going into the film that it’s also a horror fan’s wet dream. As much fun as I was having watching so many iconic monsters do their thing as a team, I was also smiling ear to ear at the thought of the kids of today being introduced to those villains for the very first time.
Maybe a few new Gremlins fans, for example, will be created thanks to Lego Batman.
Check out screen-grabs of all the Lego Batman monsters below and don’t miss this one!
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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