Movies
[Review] NECA is Keen on Impregnating Me With a Xenomorph
A little while ago, a giant box appeared on my porch seemingly out of nowhere. I was at my desk, clickity clacking away on my keyboard writing up stories for all of you lovely readers when I heard the knock that portended the arrival of said package. By the time I got to my door, there was no one there nor was there a delivery truck in sight. With a shrug, I picked up this large box and brought it into my place, whereupon I opened it up and discovered that it was a care package from my good pals over at NECA…who are probably trying to kill me.
You see, inside the box was a life-size Facehugger. Clearly they’re hoping I get impregnated and my chest bursts open and a Xenomorph runs rampant through my city before somehow ending up in Detroit. (“Hey, Alien 5? I think I’ve got a story for you…“)
All jokes aside, it was a rather stunning revelation as I wasn’t expecting anything like this. I’d previously done an unboxing video for their Capt. Spaulding figure, so this seemed to be an exponentially larger critter to take a look at. But boy am I glad that it’s because the life-size Facehugger has become my new best friend!
Nearly 3.5 feet long, the life-size Facehugger is said to be made with “detailed, hand-painted foam“, which is completely accurate. It looks beautiful, there is incredible detail not only in the painting but also in the construction (I never realized until getting this that Facehuggers had “fingernails”), which highlights all the gross and sexual aspects of this insect-like monstrosity. However, the word “foam” is probably not the best descriptor because that term makes me think “soft” or “huggable”. While the Facehugger can be held comfortably and the tail bent to accommodate many different shapes (hang it from your neck or a light for spooky effect!), it’s not the softest material. It’s not excessively hard as it definitely has give and is squeezable but it certainly doesn’t feel like foam.
It should be worth noting that the tail is the only posable part as everything from the tail forward is solid and doesn’t adjust. There are also a few spots where the paint has worn off. It’s not catastrophic nor is it even all that noticeable unless you really look close but it’s something to mention.
Overall, the life-size Facehugger is incredible. It’s a total conversation starter (“What the fuck is THAT?!”), it looks fantastic, and it’s fun to play around with. Hell, I sometimes carry it from room to room just because I enjoy having it close by.
The Final Word: I’m 100% into this guy. The cons that I mentioned above don’t come even close to outweighing the pros. This is something I plan on keeping and showing off for the rest of my life.
The trailer for Ti West’s upcoming adaptation of A Christmas Carol raised a lot of eyebrows when it dropped earlier this week. While plenty of folks initially dismissed Ebenezer as a derivative project meant to cash in on the recent wave of unnecessary prequels that expand the backstory of beloved characters (such as 2023’s Wonka), Charles Dickens’ original novel already made a point of exploring Ebenezer Scrooge’s origins in detail – meaning that this new film is likely just a particularly faithful adaptation of the source material under a different name.
Couple that with the fact that the movie is being helmed by a genuine horror auteur and I think it’s safe to say that the latest iteration of the first modern ghost story is in good hands.
That being said, one detail that immediately jumped out at me during the brief teaser (other than a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it nod to Johnny Depp’s iconic bedroom death scene from the original A Nightmare on Elm Street) is the fact that many of Ebenezer’s ghosts appear to have been directly lifted from the iconic John Leech illustrations that accompanied the first edition of Dickens’ novel.
Here are a couple of stills from the trailer compared to the original artwork:
The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come in ‘Ebenezer’ and ‘A Christmas Carol’
The Phantoms in ‘A Christmas Carol’ and ‘Ebenezer’
Marley’s Ghost in ‘Ebenezer’ and ‘A Christmas Carol’
Mainly working with old-school wood and steel engravings that would later be transferred to print, Leech was instrumental in crafting the iconic look of history’s most influential phantoms – especially since Dickens is said to have been deeply involved with the creation of these so-called “comic illustrations.”
And since the novel is commonly said to have popularized spiritualism in Victorian England, much of the ghostly iconography that we still see in genre media to this very day (including some of Ti West’s previous films) can be traced back to the author’s partnership with Leech.
Ebenezer won’t be the first A Christmas Carol adaptation to borrow heavily from these designs, but I can appreciate how Ti West is incorporating an important part of horror history into his latest film.
Ebenezer will be available in theaters starting November 13.
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