Editorials
[It Came From the ’80s] Toxic Waste Mutant Schlock Monster ‘The Being’
With horror industry heavy hitters already in place from the 1970s, the 1980s built upon that with the rise of brilliant minds in makeup and effects artists, as well as advances in technology. Artists like Rick Baker, Rob Bottin, Alec Gillis, Tom Woodruff Jr., Tom Savini, Stan Winston, and countless other artists that delivered groundbreaking, mind-blowing practical effects that ushered in the pre-CGI Golden Age of Cinema. Which meant a glorious glut of creatures in horror. More than just a technical marvel, the creatures on display in ‘80s horror meant tangible texture that still holds up decades later. Grotesque slimy skin to brutal transformation sequences, there wasn’t anything the artists couldn’t create. It Came From the ‘80s is a series that will pay homage to the monstrous, deadly, and often slimy creatures that made the ‘80s such a fantastic decade in horror.
Most are familiar with director Jackie Kong’s sense of humor through her horror comedy Blood Diner, but her entire filmography encapsulates her aim to shock and awe, often by way of laughs. Even her feature debut, The Being, has an underlying sense of humor despite playing it fairly straight. Kong wrote and directed the film at the young age of 23, but it wound up sitting on the shelf for three before finally getting a release in November of 1983. The release purgatory played a major role in the commercial failure of The Being, which means it’s a lesser-known creature feature of the ‘80s. Granted, if you’re seeking out Kong’s work then your best bet is still Blood Diner, but for completists, fans of schlocky monster movies, or those looking for deeper dives into horror, The Being is worth a closer look.
Set in the fictional Idaho town of Pottsville, townsfolk begin disappearing, leaving only piles of green gelatinous slime in their wake. Afraid of what that kind of negative publicity might have on the town’s booming potato farming, the Mayor (played by Dune, The Sentinel, and Bloody Birthday’s Jose Ferrer) enlists the help of a chemical safety engineer, Garcon Jones (Martin Landau), to investigate. Also investigating the disappearances is Detective Lutz (Bill Osco, credited as Rexx Coltrane), who soon suspects Jones knows way more than he’s letting on. There’s no real mystery at play, though, the opening scene sees a teen fleeing a toxic waste site only to be decapitated by a mostly unseen creature moments later.
In terms of voiceover narration and a peek into quiet, small town living, The Being looks and feels like The Town that Dreaded Sundown, but with a toxic monster twist.
There’s even a fun drive-in scene where the monster is going on a killing spree while people are watching (or making out to) a monster movie on the big screen. Again, leaving only gelatinous green sludge behind. If you’re looking for horror movies to watch on Easter, The Being has you covered there too, as it features an Easter egg hunt that sees one of the youngest children poking her hand down a hole inhabited by the creature. It’s a scene that keeps you in suspense, wondering if it’ll veer into taboo-breaking territory that results in a child getting eaten. It’s also a scene that further supports Kong’s twisted sense of humor – that child is played by Kong’s daughter, Roxanne Cybelle Osco, who also later appeared in Blood Diner.
Makeup special effects were handled by Mark Bussan (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: First Contact), and there’s no shortage of slime or goop for this nuclear dump site monster. As for the actual creature, well, Kong wisely opts to never quite show the creature in full. What little glimpses we do get of it makes it look like a giant sleeping bag, but in piecemeal it looks like a cycloptic humanoid with really long teeth. All of which to say, that at age 23, Kong had a strong vision and grasp of how to handle the movie’s monster.
There’s a strong caliber of talent for a small scaled toxic waste creature feature, especially with Landau at the forefront of the cast. It’s definitely a B-grade horror movie that plays homage to the atomic monster movies of the ‘50s, and with it comes the schlock. But for a lower budget creature feature, it’s competently made and offers some wacky humor beneath the surface. Between this and the far more entertaining Blood Diner, it makes you wish they gave Kong more horror movies to helm.
Editorials
‘Leprechaun Returns’ – The Charm of the Franchise’s Legacy Sequel
The erratic Leprechaun franchise is not known for sticking with a single concept for too long. The namesake (originally played by Warwick Davis) has gone to L.A., Las Vegas, space, and the ‘hood (not once but twice). And after an eleven-year holiday since the Davis era ended, the character received a drastic makeover in a now-unmentionable reboot. The critical failure of said film would have implied it was time to pack away the green top hat and shillelagh, and say goodbye to the nefarious imp. Instead, the Leprechaun series tried its luck again.
The general consensus for the Leprechaun films was never positive, and the darker yet blander Leprechaun: Origins certainly did not sway opinions. Just because the 2014 installment took itself seriously did not mean viewers would. After all, creator Mark Jones conceived a gruesome horror-comedy back in the early nineties, and that format is what was expected of any future ventures. So as horror legacy sequels (“legacyquels”) became more common in the 2010s, Leprechaun Returns followed suit while also going back to what made the ‘93 film work. This eighth entry echoed Halloween (2018) by ignoring all the previous sequels as well as being a direct continuation of the original. Even ardent fans can surely understand the decision to wipe the slate clean, so to speak.
Leprechaun Returns “continued the [franchise’s] trend of not being consistent by deciding to be consistent.” The retconning of Steven Kostanski and Suzanne Keilly’s film was met with little to no pushback from the fandom, who had already become accustomed to seeing something new and different with every chapter. Only now the “new and different” was familiar. With the severe route of Origins a mere speck in the rearview mirror, director Kotanski implemented a “back to basics” approach that garnered better reception than Zach Lipovsky’s own undertaking. The one-two punch of preposterous humor and grisly horror was in full force again.
With Warwick Davis sitting this film out — his own choice — there was the foremost challenge of finding his replacement. Returns found Davis’ successor in Linden Porco, who admirably filled those blood-stained, buckled shoes. And what would a legacy sequel be without a returning character? Jennifer Aniston obviously did not reprise her final girl role of Tory Redding. So, the film did the next best thing and fetched another of Lubdan’s past victims: Ozzie, the likable oaf played by Mark Holton. Returns also created an extension of Tory’s character by giving her a teenage daughter, Lila (Taylor Spreitler).
It has been twenty-five years since the events of the ‘93 film. The incident is unknown to all but its survivors. Interested in her late mother’s history there in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, Lila transferred to the local university and pledged a sorority — really the only one on campus — whose few members now reside in Tory Redding’s old home. The farmhouse-turned-sorority-house is still a work in progress; Lila’s fellow Alpha Epsilon sisters were in the midst of renovating the place when a ghost of the past found its way into the present.
The Psycho Goreman and The Void director’s penchant for visceral special effects is noted early on as the Leprechaun tears not only into the modern age, but also through poor Ozzie’s abdomen. The portal from 1993 to 2018 is soaked with blood and guts as the Leprechaun forces his way into the story. Davis’ iconic depiction of the wee antagonist is missed, however, Linden Porco is not simply keeping the seat warm in case his predecessor ever resumes the part. His enthusiastic performance is accentuated by a rotten-looking mug that adds to his innate menace.
The obligatory fodder is mostly young this time around. Apart from one luckless postman and Ozzie — the premature passing of the latter character removed the chance of caring about anyone in the film — the Leprechaun’s potential prey are all college aged. Lila is this story’s token trauma kid with caregiver baggage; her mother thought “monsters were always trying to get her.” Lila’s habit of mentioning Tory’s mental health problem does not make a good first impression with the resident mean girl and apparent alcoholic of the sorority, Meredith (Emily Reid). Then there are the nicer but no less cursorily written of the Alpha Epsilon gals: eco-conscious and ex-obsessive Katie (Pepi Sonuga), and uptight overachiever Rose (Sai Bennett). Rounding out the main cast are a pair of destined-to-die bros (Oliver Llewellyn Jenkins, Ben McGregor). Lila and her peers range from disposable to plain irritating, so rooting for any one of them is next to impossible. Even so, their overstated personalities make their inevitable fates more satisfying.
Where Returns excels is its death sequences. Unlike Jones’ film, this one is not afraid of killing off members of the main cast. Lila, admittedly, wears too much plot armor, yet with her mother’s spirit looming over her and the whole story — comedian Heather McDonald put her bang-on Aniston impersonation to good use as well as provided a surprisingly emotional moment in the film — her immunity can be overlooked. Still, the other characters’ brutal demises make up for Lila’s imperviousness. The Leprechaun’s killer set-pieces also happen to demonstrate the time period, seeing as he uses solar panels and a drone in several supporting characters’ executions. A premortem selfie and the antagonist’s snarky mention of global warming additionally add to this film’s particular timestamp.
Critics were quick to say Leprechaun Returns did not break new ground. Sure, there is no one jetting off to space, or the wacky notion of Lubdan becoming a record producer. This reset, however, is still quite charming and entertaining despite its lack of risk-taking. And with yet another reboot in the works, who knows where the most wicked Leprechaun ever to exist will end up next.
Horror contemplates in great detail how young people handle inordinate situations and all of life’s unexpected challenges. While the genre forces characters of every age to face their fears, it is especially interested in how youths might fare in life-or-death scenarios.
The column Young Blood is dedicated to horror stories for and about teenagers, as well as other young folks on the brink of terror.
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