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
‘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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