Editorials
[It Came From the ‘80s] The Killbots of ‘Chopping Mall’
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 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. From 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.
If you were to look at the poster or cover art of Chopping Mall, you’d likely expect some undead maniac hacking away at unsuspecting shoppers. While it is a mall-set slasher, it’s not an undead or masked maniac responsible for murder; it’s a trio of “Protector” security robots. A bad thunderstorm causes a direct lightning strike, putting the robots on the fritz and making them a deadly problem for the group of 8 mall employees who have decided to stay after hours to party and have sex.
Producer Julie Corman (The Nest, Brain Dead) had a deal with Vestron to create a horror movie set in a mall. Jim Wynorski agreed to pen the screenplay if he could also direct the feature, and it was his idea to feature robots. He drew inspiration from the 1954 movie Gog for both the design of the robots and the script. Wynorski even voiced the robots. Or Killbots, rather, which was the title the film was first released under before being replaced with Chopping Mall.
As for the Killbots creation and special effects, the credit goes to effects maestro Robert Short (Legion TV Series, Beetlejuice – which earned him an Oscar for Best Makeup). Short created remote-controlled Killbots that operated surprisingly well, and look great in the action. From a distance when they’re on the prowl, at least. It’s clear in close-up shots that the robots weren’t as articulate with the more intricate claw movement. Even still, it’s a minor detail that doesn’t take away from the impressive effects or the sheer level of fun. Also, Short had a contingency plan in case he ran into issues with the remote-controlled version – a person in a robot suit. But it was smooth sailing, luckily.
While the Killbots are the star, with their “Have a Nice Day!” politeness as they viciously dispatch their victims, the cast is just as fun. Paul Bartel and Mary Woronov reprise their Eating Raoul characters in a minor but hysterical cameo. Then there’s Gerritt Graham (Phantom of the Paradise, C.H.U.D. II: Bud the C.H.U.D., Child’s Play 2) as an early victim of the Protector robots. And of course, Dick Miller steals his scene as a custodian electrocuted by an overzealous Protector.
As for the main group targeted, it’s clear right away who the final girl will be in good girl Allison Parks (Night of the Comet’s Kelli Maroney), and she happens to have formidable survival instincts as well. There’s horror vet Barbara Crampton as Suzie, Allison’s coworker at the mall’s diner (that’s also adorned with Corman production movie posters), and Friday the 13th Part 2’s Russell Todd as Rick. Save for the final girl and her love interest, it’s unpredictable who dies next and how gruesome it might be. It helps that any drama between the group is quickly squashed with funny lines like, “It’s not you, Ferdy. I’m just not used to be chased around a mall in the middle of the night by killer robots.”
Chopping Mall is effortlessly entertaining. It’s easy to see why this became a cult hit over the decades. The cast is clearly having a blast, the killer robot angle feels fresh, and the mall setting (it was filmed after hours in Sherman Oaks Galleria) is an ‘80s time capsule- Glendale, California based store Licorice Pizza was sold to Musicland Group the same year Chopping Mall was released, so its existence is immortalized here in a small way. I’d be remiss not to mention the high energy earworm score by Chuck Cirino, too. There’s no shortage of amusement from this happy, comfort food cult classic. Have a nice day!
I was never against Sony’s initial idea to produce solo movies based on Spider-Man’s most memorable supervillains. After all, a hero is only as good as his Rogues’ Gallery is intimidating, so it stands to reason that there were plenty of dark stories to tell here.
While rushed productions like Morbius and Kraven the Hunter didn’t quite turn out as I had hoped, it’s a relief to see James Gunn and the DC Extended Universe learn the right lessons from Marvel’s flops by investing in supervillain stories that aren’t afraid to step into the horror genre.
The new trailer for James Watkins’ upcoming Clayface movie is a great example of this, as the new footage confirms our suspicions that the movie is set to be a full-on piece of body horror focusing more on telling a standalone scary story than setting up a brand.
With that in mind, I’ve decided to take a closer look at the trailer in order to find out what we can expect from this highly anticipated comic-book adaptation from hell.
So without further ado, here are four things we learned from the new Clayface trailer!
4. Matt Hagen is a Club Vesuvius Regular
A seedy nightclub owned by “former” mobster Johnny Sabatino, the comic books have established Club Vesuvius as a hotspot for criminal activity and metahuman action since 2009. Throughout the years, the club has seen everything from an attempted arson by Firefly to magical acts performed by Zatanna herself.
The trailer for Clayface appears to suggest that Vesuvius will feature prominently in this story as well, as the footage shows us several shots of Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries) casually attending the club as well as a couple of more concerning moments where Gotham City Police roll up to the establishment to deal with some kind of emergency.
3. The Movie Will Not Adapt Any Single Specific Comic
As I mentioned before in my Clayface primer for horror fans who aren’t all that familiar with the character, the initial teaser for the film had me convinced that the project would be more of an adaptation of Batman: The Animated Series’ two-part episode Feat of Clay rather than any specific comic-book.
This latest trailer has only confirmed my suspicions, with Hagen’s predicament here feeling much more in line with Marv Wolfman and Michael Reaves’ sympathetic vision of the character than the more traditional criminal that we usually see in the comics. That being said, I’m curious to see how the filmmakers intend to connect this tragic version of Clayface to the more unpleasant monster we saw in Creature Commandos now that it’s been confirmed that these are indeed the same person.
2. James Watkins is Combining Practical and Digital Effects
I’ll always prefer a well-executed practical effect over CGI simply because the former is closer to the stage magic that inspired early moviemaking. That being said, there’s an undeniable artistry to well-crafted visual effects, and I’d argue that a character like Clayface requires the best of both worlds in order to be convincingly brought to life on the big screen.
I’m clearly not the only one who thinks so, as the trailer has shown us that Watkins is combining digital imagery with prosthetics and plenty of flesh-colored goop to depict Hagen’s unique brand of monstrous body horror. James Gunn had already promised us that the film would feature plenty of old-school practical effects wizardry, so it’s exciting to see that this approach in action.
1. Hagen Will Eventually Transform into Clayface’s Iconic True Form
In the comics, whenever Clayface isn’t pretending to be someone else, the character spends most of his time in his “natural” form resembling a gigantic golem-like monster. This look has certainly evolved over the years, but, at this point, most artists have settled on a vaguely humanoid shape accompanied by a gaping maw (though the villain’s terrifying re-imagining in DC’s Absolute Universe is a bit more complicated than that).
While fans were initially skeptical regarding whether or not the upcoming adaptation would even feature this admittedly outlandish design, the trailer has basically confirmed that Hagen’s condition will get progressively worse until he finally resembles the hulking monstrosity from the comics!
Be sure to comment below if you think we overlooked any interesting details in the trailer, and keep in mind that Clayface will be hitting theaters on October 23.
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