Editorials
The 5 Most Embarrassing Horror Sequels!!!
As horror fans, we often feel that our beloved genre is under attack from the mainstream. People who just don’t get it, people who wonder why we waste our time on such “crap.” We want to scream from the mountain tops, “hey! A lot of this stuff is great! You just don’t get it!”
It’s fine. Horror’s not for everyone. That doesn’t bother me. What does bother me are sequels so bad they disgrace the genre. Why? Because there’s a good chance that when you say, “I love ‘Scream'” someone else thinks back to the time they saw Scream 3 because a friend dragged them to it and they think *that* is your favorite movie. It kills me. With that in mind, I’ve actually stricken some horrible films from this list because they don’t quite qualify. Sure, Jaws 4 is horrible, but there’s no way on earth anyone’s going to confuse it with Jaws. The entire planet knows Jaws 4 is bad and no one is assuming you like it (unless they really hate you).
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This movie has a high pedigree in terms of its cast and production value, but it’s flat out terrible. Still, I’ve kept it low on the list because it kind of falls into Jaws vs. Jaws 4 territory in the sense that everyone and their mother knows the original Poltergeist is great.
This is a dangerous movie for you Halloween fans out there. Since the second, third and fourth movies are all varying degrees of decent, people associate you with the franchise because you rightfully defend most of its installments. Hell, you’ve probably even defended H20 – which I can totally understand. Unfortunately, a side effect of this might be that people actually think you like Halloween: Resurrection. Just imagine that there’s a family member out there watching one of the Busta Rhymes scenes right now thinking it’s your favorite movie.
While the Wrong Turn series is fairly low profile, a lot of us have gone to bat for the first two films. Joe Lynch’s Wrong Turn 2 in particular has inspired many conversations that involve the exchange, “you should give it a chance! It’s good!” While the chances are low anyone will confuse this soon to be forgotten installment with the first two, it’s so mean spirited and repugnant that it stains the entire franchise.
Remember how they basically tried to bring the illuminati into the mythology of the series as a way of explaining the cannibalistic family as some sort of borderline alien “experiment in terror?” That was the most interesting part of the movie! Yet, two of its actors (Renee Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey) went on to become major stars. Which means that a lot of uninitiated folks have seen this film over the past 19 years and none of the others. Makes you feel uneasy, right?
The film that inspired this entire list. An American Werewolf In London is one of my favorite movies. Ever. Hands down, regardless of genre. I openly share with many people that it’s one of my favorite films and an alarming percentage of them come back to me with a variation on, “oh the one with Julie Delpy and the guy from ‘That Thing You Do’?” And I’m sitting there wondering why the person thinks so lowly of me as to assume that it’s my favorite f*cking movie.
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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