The Artistry of Horror, Dracula’s Cousin, Ghost Sex

People imbued with the power of being able to read, and specifically this blog, know I’m a huge fan of horror movie poster art and the infinity more talented than me artists who design them. While many horror movie ad sheets are created in Photoshop (I learned PS in order to put my head on Chippendale™ dancer’s bodies), the best ones are hand-illustrated and often better than the movies themselves.

Here’s a select batch of some truly dazzling and ingenious takes on horror/sci-fi movies and links (click the artist names) to view some amazing portfolios. The Nope poster above was illustrated by Gilbert Posters (no relation, but that doesn’t stop me from implying credit during Happy Hour gatherings). The art for Smile was done by the insanely talented Nuno Sarnadas (who also did the posters for Prey and Aliens below).

Keith Goulette designed the wicked Black Phone art and you can find him swimming happily among a sea of other talented designers one redbubble.com. (Click his name to explore a whole new world of visual horror). Jack Gregory did the jaw-dropping Evil Dead art, as well as the freakishly beautiful art for Dawn of the Dead and Halloween Ends (click to see his portfolio). The It poster, which should’ve been used by the movie studio, was designed by Jorge Teles, who also did numerous takes on Batman.

While we’re not worthy and should throw away our design tools (for me it’s crayons, felt pen laundry markers, Etch A Sketch™), here are a few out now/upcoming horror movies that may or may not need new cover art done with laundry markers…

THE CURSE OF DRACULA / Out now (VOD/DVD)

“Two small-time crooks scam tourists by organizing a guided tour of a creepy manor house rumored to be haunted by the cousin of Count Dracula. Their first group consist of a Swedish Satanist, two French Goths and a Russian porn director. But the tour descends into bloody chaos when they are confronted by a mysterious phantom wielding a circular saw.”

Dracula has a cousin? The Swedish are Satanists? The French are Goths? Russians are into porn? What kind of world did I just wake up in? Guess I’ll have to start hanging out with normal people, like that ghost guy with the gasoline-powered power tool. He seems cool.

AMITYVILLE THANKSGIVING / Out now (VOD)

“Jackie and Danny’s marriage has taken a turn for the worst. They turn to what they believe to be their only option, Amityville Couples Counselor Frank Domonico, a doctor with a hidden, sinister past, who recommends an isolated cabin retreat. Little do they know that the doctor plans to end their sessions, as well as their lives, with a devilish Thanksgiving dinner — and them as the main course!

So they’re gonna eat the unhappy, fighting married couple. Bet they’ll taste bitter. Heh. They can be washed down with Annulment Ale, though. That should make everyone very…hoppy.

PARASENSE: THE NAKED EXPERIMENTS / Out now (VOD)

“Paranormal veteran, Ross Allison, focuses his attention on the physical aspects of being touched by a ghost. His struggle to prove these phenomena takes a crucial turn when a real scientist and inventor, Chad Goodwin, joins his team as they take naked subjects into the most haunted sites known for supernatural physical contact.”

The best part about having intimate relations with a poltergeist is you can ghost ’em afterward. 

EXORCIST BLOODLINE / Out now (VOD)

“After moving back into her childhood home, a young woman is possessed by a depraved evil spirit masquerading as her dead mother and must battle to save her mind, body and soul.”

For some of us, it’d be hard to differentiate between a depraved evil spirit and a deceased mom. Not me, though. My mom rocks. (Had to say that, as she reads this blog, and I don’t want to be sent to my room…YET AGAIN.)

Horrible Music, Sci-Fi Squared, Blood On The Tracks

For anyone who knows how to read, J. Blake Fichera’s Scored To Death film music books pull back the curtain on the (somebody else said the following, not me) “unique, dark wizardry that is scoring for horror.” And now Maestro Fichera’s vision expands into film itself with a feature length documentary, Scored To Death: The Dark Art of Scary Movie Music.”

Don’t set the table just yet: The completion of said documentary depends on YOU. Yep, this is a crowdfunded venture, and (from the press release) “To help offset the costs of creating such a documentary. Running now through Halloween, all proceeds from the campaign (Kickstarter™) will go directly toward the project. Although casting is still underway, some of the confirmed contributors include John Massari (Killer Klowns from Outer Space), Christopher Young (Hellraiser, Drag Me to Hell), Holly Amber Church (Open 24 Hours), Harry Manfredini (Friday the 13th), and Charlie Clouser (Saw).”

While you decide if not being able to read is reason enough to help get this one across the finish line, here are a few upcoming horror/sci-fi films that may or may not put a quartet in the jukebox… 

REPORTAGE NOVEMBER / Out now / Digital and On-Demand via Terror Films

“The mysterious death of a mother and the disappearance of her child leads a group of freelance journalists to the outback of Sweden. The group of four, led by the famous journalist Linn Söderqvist, will make a reportage about the happening and try to find something the police missed. Equipped with cameras and supplies to survive in the forest for days, they wander out into the woods to find the truth.”

Not much truth in the woods, but plenty of conspiracy pine cones to get your reportage on. 

TERROR TRAIN / October 21, 2022 (Tubi™)

“A college student boards a train for a Halloween party, and ends up fighting for her life when a mysterious assailant begins killing the people one-by-one.”

This, of course, is a remake of the 1980 horror film by the same name. (Too bad — Choppin’ Choo-Choo has so much more zing.) In the original they had students killing it on a New Year’s Eve party train. This one is going to a Halloween box social. All a’bored.

28 DAYS HAUNTED / October 21, 2022 (Netflix™)

“Three teams spend 28 days in some of the most haunted locations in the United States, their mission being to conduct paranormal experiments based on the theories of late paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, whose work was depicted in films such as The Amityville Horror (1979), The Conjuring (2013) and Annabelle (2014).”

Ghost-hunting is what you do after you lose your job at Kinkos™.

CUBE / October 22, 2021 (Japan — Theaters) TBD 2022 (US)

“Six men and women are suddenly trapped in the mysterious Cube. It’s unclear where this is, why they are trapped, whether there is an exit, whether they can survive, or what the room even is.”

A remake of the 1997 kinda sort sci-fi mystery with the exact same plot as listed above. Fun fact: Cube is the other name for the Tug Tavern in that once you go in you’re trapped. Except you don’t care if there’s an exit or whether or not you can survive until last call.

Sin Sauna

The year is 1595 and Sweden and Russia have decided to stop fighting. About darn tootin’ time — this battle has been going on for 25 years, and it’s left Finland little more than a semi-populated mud puddle.

Two brothers — one whose been doing the war thing for the entire time, and another who was in school trying to become a teacher — are part of a border recognition treaty detail (complete with rule-breaking Russians), assigned to make maps of the land to be designated to both countries, so each side will know which Starbuck’s™ belongs to whom.

Seemed easy enough. But the older brother is prone to mood swings, stabs someone 73 times (I counted) in the chest to teach him a valuable lesson about war. This number is significant as he’s killed 73 people during the war. I’d have rounded up.

The younger brother is appalled by the emotionless/remorseless war-time behavior, but goes along just the same. They end up in a dark sauna in the middle of the swamp they’ve been mapping. To enter means you have to face up to all your sins, which could be a problem given all the atrocities the older brother has committed in the fine name of war. Once inside he’s tended to by a dark figure who grabs the guy’s face and black stuff starts pouring out as he screams. I’d scream, too, no matter which hole was leaking black stuff.

I didn’t know how to interpret this. Was it a metaphor? Where’d his face go? Did it freeze and fall off in the snow? And is that black stuff really Finland beer? If so, where can I get some? A parable of sorts, Sauna (2008) qualifies as art, so I guess I better refer to it as a “film.” Just wish I knew what the hell it was about.

Coffin Movies, Human Supper Club, Death Boat

Not sure what I think about this: “The Goteborg Film Festival in Sweden, beginning on January 27, 2019, will be offering up 33 “sarcophagus screenings” of Aniara, a Swedish-language apocalyptic sci-fi film.” Yeesh, what’s next — sneak previews in a gas chamber?

According to The Hollywood Reporter, eight volunteers at a time will be shut into specially made caskets outfitted with screens, speakers and air vents. Inside the coffin will be a “panic” button for anyone who gets too freaked out. 

I’d break my finger pushing that button. Points for creativity, though. As for Aniara (2018), here’s this about that: “A spaceship carrying settlers to Mars is knocked off course, causing the consumption-obsessed passengers to consider their place in the universe.” I can feel their pain — my life would be nothing if it weren’t for drunk bidding on eBay™.

Before you go hopping into any movie sarcophagus, here are a few upcoming horror/sci-fi movies/TV series that may or may not have you reaching for the panic button. And remember, it’s not the coffin they take you off in, it’s the coffin that takes you often…

FOLKLORE (February 1, 2019/ HBO NOW, HBO GO, HBO On Demand)
“Folklore is HBO’s newest foray into the horror anthology genre. The series, which contains six hour-long episodes, will take place in six Asian countries including Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. Each of the six episodes is based on that respective country’s folklore and mythology, which includes various supernatural beings and strange occult practices. Each episode will be helmed by a different director, with each episode filmed in the local language of that particular country.”

This one was already aired on HBO Asia on October 7, 2018. (I didn’t know Asia changed its name.) As cool as the anthology series sounds, doesn’t do me much good if each episode is filmed in its native language. Geez, I can barely speak whatever language I’m currently burping out now.

BENEATH THE LEAVES (February 8, 2019/limited theater/VOD)
“Among countless others, four small-town boys are kidnapped by James Whitley, a deranged, warm-eyed psychopath. His grotesque pursuit to reunite orphaned children with their deceased birth parents is gridlocked when the boys escape and he is arrested. Twenty years later, Whitley flees during a prison fire and decides to see his mission through. Detective Larson, one of Whitley’s prior victims — and now a cop — is removed from the case due to impartiality leaving his partner and lover, Detective Shotwell to solve the case. Fueled by rage and a chance of redemption, Detective Larson chases the steadfast psychopath on his own, only to fall back into the same trap he once escaped as a child.”

Fueled by rage. Kinda my mantra. Hope career criminal James Whitely doesn’t try to kidnap me — I’ve got a full tank.

THE CANNIBAL CLUB (March 1, 2019/limited theater/ March 5, 2019/VOD)
“Otavio and Gilda are a very wealthy couple of the Brazilian elite who have the habit of eating their employees. Otavio owns a private security company and is a notable member of The Cannibal Club. When Gilda accidentally discovers a secret from Borges, a powerful congressman and the club’s leader, her and her husband’s lives are in grave danger.”

Eating your employees — doesn’t sound too tasty, but it does cut down on having to hand out raises and buying groceries.

HARPOON (2019)
“With his perfect family and perfect upbringing, Richard appears to have it all. So when he thinks that his long-term girlfriend, Sasha and best-friend, Jonah, are having an affair, it sends him into a fit of rage that leaves Jonah a bloody mess. Once Jonah and Sasha convince Richard the allegations are false, Richard tries to buy back their trust by taking them out for a day-trip on his family’s yacht. Tension boils over once out to sea, and, to make matters worse, the yacht’s engine fails. Stranded without food and supplies, the trio must set aside their differences in order to survive.”

Can’t remember the title, but there was a Japanese horror movie with the same plot. It didn’t end well for them, either. I think they were all eaten by a giant octopus with nine arms. I could be slightly wrong about that.

Godzilla Apology, Overhead Storage Ghosts, Hurtful Space Things

Still face-planting over Cinemablend.com’s recent article/interview titled: There’s A Reason Roland Emmerich’s Godzilla Was A Flop, According To The Producer. So co-writer/producer Dean Devlin is “apologizing” now after 20 years? This movie still continues to rip us off.

In the article written by Conner Schwerdtfeger (real name, I swear), the film, which Conner accurately claims has since gone on to become known as one of the worst cinematic versions of Godzilla (1998) ever, Devlin burps, “Roland and I made an intellectual idea that was interesting but not compelling filmmaking. We said in real life, a lizard is neither evil nor good, it’s just a lizard. So what if one got to that size and in its effort to survive, it threatened us, but it wasn’t mad at us? It was just simply doing what it did and it causes this problem for us. Well, that’s interesting, but that’s not Godzilla.”

I assume he was wearing his ass hat while doing the interview. And saying Godzilla is just a lizard? That’s like saying the Titanic was just a row boat. And while we’re on the subject, the design/look of 1998 Godzilla’s face was more akin to that of a dirty city bus with unbrushed teeth than the iconic visage the world has come to love/fear/pee your pants over. 

Here’s a few just released/upcoming horror/sci-fi films we can only hope Devlin had no creative control over…

FLIGHT 666 (available now)
“Passengers and crew on an international flight are attacked by unseen forces that threaten all aboard. As they fight to stay alive, they realize these are spirits of murdered girls determined to stop their killer who is on the flight.”

That title’s been taken: the 2009 Iron Maiden Flight 666 documentary. That one had ghosts, too — the spirits of all the emo bands Iron Maiden crushed out of existence. Heh.

THE UNTHINKABLE (June, 2018/Sweden)
“The Unthinkable takes place in the aftermath of a mysterious attack in Sweden. Amid the chaos, a young man is forced to return to his hometown, where he crosses path with his high school sweetheart and falls back in love with her.”

And this is considered to be a horror movie why? Sounds like some teen romance flick, which, ironically, is pretty darn horrifying when you think about it.

5TH PASSENGER (July 10, 2018)
“Set in the aftermath of an oppressive class war, Miller, a pregnant officer aboard an escape pod must struggle to survive with her remaining crew when a mysterious and vicious life form attacks, determined to become the dominant species.”

Sounds like those Republicans are gettin’ all uppity even more than usual.

THE GOOD SAMARITANS (2018)
“A beautiful young woman is stranded alone in a desolate corner of 16th century Romania. Two opportunistic highwaymen seek to take advantage of the woman’s predicament but all is not as it seems…”

Highwaymen is what we now call “ride sharing.” Once you contact them by e-crows, they’ll be by to pick you up in a few days. Be standing on a corner/pile of dirt where they can see you. 

Pools of Horror, Zombie Submarines, Misshapen Monsters

Just watched Unacknowledged (2017), that amazing documentary on the disclosure cover-up of UFOS and the technology they bring to the conspiracy dinner table. Did you know the government has known about UFOs since the late ’40s and that they won’t publicly admit it? if I was an alien, I’d be hot around the lunar collar that I went to all that trouble to come here, just to be associated with that whole “fake news” hoopla. So much for cordial relations with our space brothers.

Speaking of hoopla, here are a few new horror/sci-fi movies that may or may not be fake…

12 FEET DEEP (June 20, 2017/VOD)
“Sisters Bree and Jonna get trapped beneath the fiberglass cover of an Olympic sized public pool after it closes for the holiday weekend. They find themselves at the mercy of the night janitor, Clara, who sees the trapped sisters as an opportunity to solve a few problems of her own.”

This one was originally titled The Deep End. I think a porn movie already locked up that one. The plot is just a reworking of 2010’s Frozen, wherein two guys and a gal get stuck halfway up the mountain on a ski lift that just closed for the weekend. Which begs the question — would you rather freeze to death or be trapped in a public pool that also serves as a all-inclusive toilet for the less discreet among us? Think I’d take my chances on becoming a human popsicle.

DARK BEACON (2017)
“Amy Wilcock loves the married Beth Gadbsy with a fierce and tragic passion. When Beth’s distraught husband Christian dies in an emotional intervention, the now widow disappears with her daughter Maya into secret seclusion. Amy eventually tracks Beth down to a distant lighthouse only to find her broken and maddened in the midst of an alcoholic abyss. But that is not all she finds. They shockingly discover that the spirit of Beth’s spurned husband will not rest until he takes the surviving trio with him. Can Amy save them all from the spiral of madness and the crazed and hell-bent supernatural threat?”

First thought — waaaay too much plot getting in the way of a simple ghost story. For a really fun/funny (it was meant to be serious, but I didn’t interpret it as such) back-from-the-dead lighthouse/beach movie, give 1960s’ Tormented a spin. In that one a jazz musician “accidentally” kills his side trim (jazz term for “groupie”) by “letting” her fall from a lighthouse. She, of course, comes back from the dead, headless and yelling her head off, “Tom Howard killed me!” Those could be good lyrics for a snappy dance number if Tom would just roll with it.

OPERATION RAGNAROK (2017)
“In a town in southern Sweden, tensions between the locals and immigrants grow. Meanwhile, a submarine carrying a strange plague enters the town. The crew infects police officers out to investigate and a full-blooded outbreak begins. The town is isolated by the Swedish army, but the survivors inside, immigrants and locals alike, must band together against the infected.”

This one was originally titled Zon 261. I don’t know what a Zon is. As for the plague aboard the submarine, you sure it just isn’t a case of jock itch gone wild shared by guys stuck underwater for weeks on end with no windows to air out the place?

THE BLOB (2018)
“When a band of miners uncover something hidden deep beneath the earth they unwittingly unleash a hideous creature beyond imagination. Now the townsfolk must fightback, before it destroys everything.”

A remake of a remake of a sequel of a cool 1958 horror movie starring a young Steve McQueen. Really glad back then they made the blob a reddish brown (and growing more red as it consumes screaming citizens). If I saw a big brown blob headed down the street, I’d totally cover my nose and reach for a case of Febreze™ because it could be that King Kong just dropped one heckuva steamer.

American Demons, Swiss Zombies, German Sci-Fi

While 2016 got off to a bumpy start in January, with the upcoming releases of four new horror/sci-fi movies announced in the first few molting days of February gives one hope that the rest of the year won’t suck buttock.

First up is Ava’s Possession, arriving March 4, 2016: “Ava is recovering from demonic possession. With no memory of the past month, she must attend a Spirit Possessions Anonymous support group to figure out what happened. Ava’s life was hijacked by a demon, now it’s time to get it back.”

Demonic possession is always good for the soul.

Gonna have to wait ‘til the end of 2016 to see Attack of the Lederhosen Zombies. I’m okay with that –gives me something positive to look forward to in December besides egg nog. Here’s what AotLZ is about:

“Steve, a young professional snowboarder, his girlfriend Branka and fellow snowboarder Josh get left behind on the mountain. They seek shelter in a garish, loud aprés-ski tavern that’s hosting an all-night party for the longest night of the year. Things go from bad to worse when a scientific experiment conducted by a local entrepreneur unleashes an epidemic of zombies and mutant wildlife, but this is mostly lost on the local drunkards as they themselves are not always so easy to distinguish from zombies. Steve, Branka and Josh have to find a way to survive this hellish night.”

If they’re looking to cast local drunkards, my calendar is wide open.

Speaking of being possessed, The Possession Experiment arrives in the European market on February 13, 2016 and offers YET ANOTHER spin on the curiously popular demonic possession/exorcism theme: “Brandon, a theology student, is teamed with a classmate and are led to investigate a multiple homicide/suicide that eventually is discovered to have been an exorcism gone horribly wrong. Brandon quickly becomes obsessed with the event, and decides the only way to research this topic is to undergo it himself. Brandon realizes that though he was incredibly intrigued by it, he has taken on more than he can handle.”

Performing an exorcism on yourself seems a lot like that Cinnamon Challenge on YouTube™.

Horror not your cup of blood? Then you might want to check out the oddly titled EZO1 Madness (releasing 2016), the first independent sci-fi movie coming from Germany in more than two decades, or 20 years. Described as “combining breathless action in an interesting take on Eastern and Western philosophy and classic horror elements.”

I’m all about philosophy, so this one could be good brain food: “EZO1 Madness is set in a post-apocalyptic world, where the last of human kind are hunted by giant monsters, zombies, genetically enhanced soldiers and ancient machines of war.”

EZO1 Madness is set to make the indie film circuit in 2016. Until such time I’ll go back to reading The Incoherence of the Philosophers For Dummies.

Hand Maid UFO

If you go through life and never get a chance to board a real flying saucer, here’s the next best thing: Sweden’s UFO – a hotel in the woods built to look like an extraterrestrial hooptie (street for sweet ride).

Named simply The UFO, this flippin’ cool hotel is situated near Sweden’s unpolluted Lule River and can house two adults and two kids for £374 a night. Two things: That converts to an otherworldly $539.81 U.S. fun bucks. Secondly, I don’t care how much you love your kids, this is too expensive to let rug rats come along. Best to take two other adults and split the bill four ways: $134+ each. Add booze and get your probe on.

The UFO was built by Tree Hotel, a company that is world-recognized and awarded for their tree house designs (it already won the Swedish Grand Tourism Prize), like The Blue Cone, The Dragonfly and The Bird’s Nest, which looks like a real bird’s nest – they served hatched eggs for breakfast. (This is where Mothra stays when she’s in town.)

Lastly, you have to climb a long stair step ladder to get into The UFO. I would’ve thought for that price they could beam you up. And the bed sheets are printed with the Constellation. Now you can find Uranus in the comfort of your own pajamas.

Click HERE for more sweet tree house themed hotel action.

Headless Dead Head

In 1959’s The Headless Ghost, a sexy exchange student from Sweden is talked into spending the night in a haunted British castle with two American boy exchange students to see if the dump is actually haunted, or if it’s just a tourist angle. Swedish chicks will fall for any pick-up line.

The castle turns out to be bedeviled, but by a ghost who is so friendly you want to hang out and drink ale with the polterguy. Seems there’s a problem, though; Another ghost – a duke of some sort with a royal pedigree – has lost his head and he can’t find it. (It’s probably out in the barn where undead farm animals are eating his brains and… Sorry, I lost my head for a moment.)

So no-head ghost has to walk the castle between the living and the not, until such a time when his severed skull can be returned to its rightful owner and he can go to Hell like the rest of us.

There’s another problem. A third ghost doesn’t want them to find the second ghost’s face. Sounds cool on paper, but this is really cheesy teen scream stuff, with no screaming to scream of. In other words, too much talking and not enough head losing. And since when does a ghost movie end happily? I thought there were rules about that.

So exactly how did the ghost become headless? Best guess is that he was running with scissors. That, or he tripped and fell on a guillotine.