Editorials
Which Horror Movies Are You Pissed Never Got Made?
It’s a given in life that some things that begin don’t necessarily finish the way we would want. We start home modeling projects that should take months but instead take years. We’ll work feverishly on a novel only to hit ‘Save’ and then not open it ever again. It’s not necessarily a bad thing that events go that route, it’s just how it goes.
This is also how it goes with movies. Some get big announcements and the community is thrown into a frenzy of excitement. “This movie is getting made? Yes! I’ve been waiting so long!” or “Holy shit, this sounds so good! I can’t wait to see what it looks like!” Alas, those people suffer disappointment when a title gets cancelled, languishes in developmental hell, or simply fades away, never to be heard from again.
I want to talk about a few of these movies today and hear your thoughts on the matter. Have there been movies announced that never came to fruition and you still get upset thinking about it? I know I do as you can see by my suggestions below.
Clive Barker’s The Thief of Always
Many of you know how much love I have for this book. The story of a young boy who fights against an entity that steals away over 30 years that he could’ve spent with his family, the book was supposed to be turned into a movie nearly two decades ago. I’m still waiting for any sort of adaptation, as it was at one point supposed to be an animated feature and then evolved into a live action one. Tick tock…
Richard Raaphorst’s Worst Case Scenario
Remember this really awesome teaser that came out over a decade ago? It basically was another Nazi zombie movie but the monsters looked SO cool! The movie never got the funding necessary for production but Raaphorst would later go on to make Frankenstein’s Army, a movie I was sorely disappointed by. Still, Raaphorst has shown that he can get the look of this kind of movie down, so maybe one day Worst Case Scenario will get made and we’ll get something really special!
David Fincher’s Torso
David Fincher returning to the serial killer thriller/horror world? Yes please! It’s been over 10 years since it was announced? Oh…
The last anyone heard of this project, David Lowery (Ain’t Them bodies Saints) was slated to write and direct. Since then, crickets are chirping.
Guillermo del Toro’s At the Mountains of Madness
What a shame this never got made. I know that many people weren’t into the idea of Tom Cruise being the main character but I thought it was an inspired move. The guy is a box office draw AND he’s genuinely a great actor. But even if we cast that to the side, the thought of del Toro tackling an actual Lovecraft story seemed like a match made in heaven. His other works have shown that he can create the right look, the right atmosphere, for such an endeavor, meaning we’d have gotten a film that could’ve redefined the term “epic”. Such a loss.
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!
You must be logged in to post a comment.