Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Horror Icons' Top 10 Horror Films
Part 1 - The Old School
George Romero
1. The Thing From Another World (1951)
"Because it was the FIRST horror flick that scared the shit out of me. Opening a door... any door... has, ever since, been a traumatic experience for me."
2. The Innocents (1961)
3. Repulsion (1965)
4. Cat People (1942)
5. Jaws (1975)
6. Alien (1979)
7. Poltergeist (1982)
8. Frankenstein (1931)
9. The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
10. Cult of the Cobra (1955)
Tobe Hooper
1. Psycho (1960)
2. The Exorcist (1973)
3. The Haunting (1963)
4. Invasion Of The Bodysnatchers (1956)
5. Frankenstein (1931)
6. The Devil's Backbone (2001)
7. Pulse (2001)
8. Night Of The Demon (1957)
9. Mask Of The Demon (Black Sunday) (1960)
10. Suspiria (1977)
John Landis
1. The Exorcist (1973)
"As for THE GREATEST HORROR FILMS EVER MADE, I personally loathe "best" or "worse" lists of movies. I can rattle off some of the films that I think are terrific in the genre, if you want. I guess if I had to, I would say William Friedkin's film of the William Peter Blatty novel The Exorcist is up at the top, only because of the movie's ability to create "Suspension of Disbelief" is so profound. I am an atheist and certainly do not believe in Jesus Christ or in Satan. But during the running time of The Exorcist I bought into all of it! The Vatican should give Friedkin money or at least saint-hood for what he accomplished with that film."
In no particular order:
Frankenstein (1931)
Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
The Old Dark House (1932)
Dracula (1958)
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
The Thing (both versions) (1951, 1982)
The Fly (1986)Dead Of Night (1945)
The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
Island of Lost Souls (1932)
Psycho (1960)
Repulsion (1968)
Kwaidan (1964)
Onibaba (1964)
Kuroneko (1968)
The Innocents (1961)
The Haunting (1963)
Night Of the Living Dead (1968)
The Devil's Backbone (2001)
The Sixth Sense (1999)
John Carpenter
1. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
"Tobe [Hooper] really hit the times when he did that movie, more than almost any other film. I remember going to see it when it was out here in Los Angeles - it was '74 or '75 - and I remember that experience of seeing it for the first time. Jeez. What makes it all the more effective is the fact it's so funny."
2. Suspiria (1977)
3. Psycho (1960)
4. The Exorcist (1973)
5. Night Of The Living Dead (1968)
6. The Mummy (1959)
Wes Craven
1. Nosferatu (1922)
2. The Exorcist (1973)
3. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
4. Man Bites Dog (1992)
5. The Omen (1976)
6. The Hunchback Of Notre Dame (1939)
7. Frankenstein (1931)
8. The Tenant (1976)
9. Repulsion (1965)
10. Rosemary's Baby (1968) - ("Yes, I'm a Polanski freak!")
Joe Dante
1. The Innocents (1961)
"I've just never been able to find another film that creeped me out as much as this one. It's a quiet, genteel, even Masterpiece Theater-type movie, but its implications are so dark and ambiguous that I never tire of it. Freddie Francis never topped his cinematography here and Deborah Kerr's tightrope-walk performance blurs the line between terror and madness. A great film."
2. Psycho (1960)
3. The Exorcist (1973)
4. Blood And Black Lace (1964)
5. The Bride Of Frankenstein (1935)
6. The Body Snatcher (1945)
7. The Black Cat (1934)
8. Night Of The Demon (1957)
9. Masque Of The Red Death (1964)
10. The Seventh Victim (1943)
Sean S. Cunningham
1. Alien (1979)
"I saw it at a sold out DGA preview and I couldn't believe how I fell for every gag and every situation. I was sitting two rows behind OJ Simpson (he was "The Juice" back then) and I saw him come out of his seat more than once... ergo, I didn't feel like too much of a wuss. For me, Alien was the first of the new breed of fun, exciting and scary movies."
2. Halloween (1978)
3. Jaws (1975)
4. Frenzy (1972)
5. Rosemary's Baby (1968)
6. Misery (1990)
7. The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)
8. The Thing (1982)
"Too Good to Stay Off the Lists:"
1. Poltergeist (1982)
2. Aliens (1986)
3. Psycho (1960)
4. A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)
5. The Shining (1980)
6. The Omen (1976)
7. The Orphanage (2007)
8. The Exorcist (1973)
9. The Fly (1986)
10. Interview With The Vampire (1994)
11. Dead Alive (1992)
12. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
13. Carrie (1976)
14. See No Evil (1971)
15. Battle Royale (2000)
"Great Fun to Watch:"
1. Scream (1996)
2. Re-Animator (1985)
3. Teeth (2007)
4. Shaun Of The Dead (2004)
5. An American Werewolf in London (1981)
6. Zombieland (2009)
Day 4
Day 5
Horror Icons' Top 10 Horror Films
Part 2 - The New School
Eli Roth
1. Pieces (1982)
"Well, we all know that it's not the greatest horror film of all time... or is it? Over and over I have shown this film to people, and without fail, Pieces is the single most fun viewing experience one can have at the movies.It's just completely nuts, the gore is spectacular, the nudity plentiful and gratuitous, and it has the single greatest ending in movie history. Rent it with a group of friends and your favourite alcohol or smoking substance NOW."
2. The Wicker Man (1973)
3. Alien (1979)
4. Zombie Flesh Eaters (1979)
5. The Evil Dead (1981)
6. Cannibal Holocaust (1980)
7. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
8. The Shining (1980)
9. Ju-On (videos from 2000)
10. Who Can Kill A Child? (1976)
Ti West
1. The Shining (1980)
"It's hard to say anything about this movie that hasn't already been said. Kubrick was the best... A filmmaker unlike anyone else that has ever picked up a camera."
2. The Exorcist (1973)
3. Rosemary's Baby (1968)
4. Jaws (1975)
5. The Changeling (1980)
6. Psycho (1960)
7. Alien (1979)
8. Night Of The Living Dead (1968)
9. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
10. Halloween (1978)
Lux
1. The Shining (1980)
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
In no particular order
2. The House of The Devil (2009)
3. Evil Dead II (1987)
4. Twin Peaks: Fire walks With Me (1992)
5. Tenebrae (1982)
6. Let the Right One In (2008)
7. Return of The Living Dead (1985)
8. The Omen (1976)
9. Scream (1996)
10. My Little Eye (2002)
Rob Zombie
1. Frankenstein (1931)
"Nothing reminds me more of why I love horror movies than this tight 70 minutes of classic fright. James Whale delivers the gold standard of which all horror films must aspire to. Iconic characters are instantly and seamlessly created by the great Boris Karloff, Dwight Frye and Colin Clive. As good as it gets."
2. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
3. The Exorcist (1973)
4. Dawn of the Dead (1978)
5. Freaks (1932)
6. Cannibal Holocaust (1980)
7. Halloween (1978)
8. The Shining (1980)
9. Jaws (1975)
10. King Kong (1933)
Pascal Laugier
1. The Exorcist (1973)
"I am overly fascinated by this film. There's something unexplainable in the way it operates on the audience. The rhythm of the editing is strange, unexpected... The prologue in Iraq remains a mystery. Today, any studio would cut it out because it's not directly linked to the story. It seems useless. In fact, it brings layers and makes the film both riveting and impenetrable. An absolute and pure masterpiece of adult horror cinema."
2. Deep Red (1975)
3. The Innocents (1961)
4. The Tenant (1976)
5. Picnic At Hanging Rock (1975)
6. Full Circle (The Haunting Of Julia) (1977)
7. The Omen (1976)
8. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
9. The Beyond (1981)
10. The Other (1972)
Alexandre Aja
1. The Shining (1980)
"From the first aerial shot to Nicholson's final haunting smile, this is a seamless masterpiece of unforgettably shocking images. With more subtext than a lifetime could analyse and an acting performance that will pursue you with an axe into your subconscious, this operatic horror movie is a hypnotic manifesto of the dark side of our soul."
2. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
3. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
4. Alien (1979)
5. The Exorcist (1973)
6. Rosemary's Baby (1968)
7. Evil Dead (1981)
8. The Thing (1982)
9. Maniac (1980)
10. The Fly (1986)
Edgar Wright
1. Carrie (1976)
"This movie is utter perfection for me. I can watch it over and over again. It's a rare horror film where one has total sympathy with its lead even as they wreak horrible retribution on their tormentors. It's a teen classic and pure cinematic opera."
2. An American werewolf in London (1981)
3. The Thing (1982)
4. Dawn Of The Dead (1978)
5. Don't Look Now (1973)
6. Halloween (1978)
7. The Wicker Man (1978)
8. Suspiria (1977)
9. The Brood (1979)
10. Evil Dead II (1987)
Greg McLean
1. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
"For sheer balls out, mind-bending terror nothing can top TCM for me. I saw it when I was 14 years old (having not been exposed to anything so visceral and realistic before) and it blew my young brains out so hard I went to sleep and woke up in a nightmare state believing I was actually "in" the movie. And as full of brilliant storytelling and craft as the others on my list are, none of them got into my head and fucked my brain so badly I woke staggering around in terror in my Empire Strikes Back underpants, trying to find the door to escape from the nightmare that was TCM. That was five hours after the movie had stopped. Now THAT'S a horror movie!"
2. The Exorcist (1973)
3. Alien (1979)
4. Jaws (1975)
5. The Shining (1980)
6. The Evil Dead (1981)
7. Night Of The Living Dead (1968)
8. Picnic At Hanging Rock (1975)
9. Don't Look Now (1973)
10. The Blair Witch Project (1999)/Cat People (1942)
James Wan
1. The Exorcist (1973)
"Any movie that was made decades ago and still has the power to truly scare and offend in today's cynical, film-savvy world, is truly a genuine masterpiece: which this is. The Exorcist works on all levels of horror/thriller filmmaking. How often does a supernatural horror movie get nominated for Best Picture?"
2. Jaws (1975)
3. Poltergeist (1982)
4. The Sixth Sense (1999)
5. Deep Red (1975)
6 Black Christmas (1974)
7. Carnival Of Souls (1962)
8. A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)
9. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
10. Dawn Of The Dead (1978)
Guillermo del Toro
1. Frankenstein (1931)/Bride Of Frankenstein (1935)
Two of the most brilliant films ever made. Paradise lost – never regained. Karloff embodies the plea of Man in a way few have ever done. Whale is in a state of grace as a filmmaker.
2. The Birds (1963)/Jaws (1975)
The two greatest “malignant nature” horror films. Horror is meant to unsettle man’s place in creation, physically or spiritually. Both films succeed admirably at this.
3. The Shining (1980)/The Innocents (1961)
Two of the best “haunted house” movies of all times. In both instances, the scariest edifice is the human mind.
4. Vampyr (1932)/Nosferatu (1922)
The vampiric doctrine concerning the corruption of soul and body is perfectly represented by these two films. One presents us with a skeletal parasite, harbinger of the plague, and the other one with the vague spectre of impending death.
5. Alien (1979)/The Thing (1982)
The two best Science-Fiction/Horror hybrids. In both instances, the irrational horror elements rise above the scientific conceit and throw rational men and women into a paroxysm of terror.
6. Night Of The Hunter (1955)/Don’t Look Now (1973)
Two terrifying fables. Childhood as horror. Tales of innocence endangered or lost in mazes of mortar or trees.
7. The Tenant (1976)/Possession (1981)
Two parables about the dissolution of the self. The horror of an uncaring cosmos landing on the doorstep of domestic life and exposing social theatrics through overwhelming horror.
8. Martin (1977)/Let the Right One In (2008)
Two tales of youth angst as vampiric malady. Unglamourized tales of infinite loneliness and scavenging in the fringes… yet terribly poetic and fragile.
9. They Came From Within (Shivers) (1975)/Night Of The Living Dead (1968)
Two tales about the sudden loss of humanity by the pulsating drive of either hunger or lust. Ambulating sacks of flesh that ache with insatiable apetites. Hell is the others indeed.
10. Eraserhead (1976)/The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
Two tales of modern anxiety that manage to show us just how uncivilized our social structure really is. Tales of horror within the patriarchal structure that demonstrate that the most horrible place on earth is home.
Day 6
A few Great Horror films you may not have seen because
a) you haven't heard of them
b) you thought they'd suck
Day 7
Stephen King
Say what you want about Stephen King now but in the the 70's and 80's he was a truly great writer.
2. The House of The Devil (2009)
3. Evil Dead II (1987)
4. Twin Peaks: Fire walks With Me (1992)
5. Tenebrae (1982)
6. Let the Right One In (2008)
7. Return of The Living Dead (1985)
8. The Omen (1976)
9. Scream (1996)
10. My Little Eye (2002)
Rob Zombie
1. Frankenstein (1931)
"Nothing reminds me more of why I love horror movies than this tight 70 minutes of classic fright. James Whale delivers the gold standard of which all horror films must aspire to. Iconic characters are instantly and seamlessly created by the great Boris Karloff, Dwight Frye and Colin Clive. As good as it gets."
2. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
3. The Exorcist (1973)
4. Dawn of the Dead (1978)
5. Freaks (1932)
6. Cannibal Holocaust (1980)
7. Halloween (1978)
8. The Shining (1980)
9. Jaws (1975)
10. King Kong (1933)
Pascal Laugier
1. The Exorcist (1973)
"I am overly fascinated by this film. There's something unexplainable in the way it operates on the audience. The rhythm of the editing is strange, unexpected... The prologue in Iraq remains a mystery. Today, any studio would cut it out because it's not directly linked to the story. It seems useless. In fact, it brings layers and makes the film both riveting and impenetrable. An absolute and pure masterpiece of adult horror cinema."
2. Deep Red (1975)
3. The Innocents (1961)
4. The Tenant (1976)
5. Picnic At Hanging Rock (1975)
6. Full Circle (The Haunting Of Julia) (1977)
7. The Omen (1976)
8. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
9. The Beyond (1981)
10. The Other (1972)
Alexandre Aja
1. The Shining (1980)
"From the first aerial shot to Nicholson's final haunting smile, this is a seamless masterpiece of unforgettably shocking images. With more subtext than a lifetime could analyse and an acting performance that will pursue you with an axe into your subconscious, this operatic horror movie is a hypnotic manifesto of the dark side of our soul."
2. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
3. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
4. Alien (1979)
5. The Exorcist (1973)
6. Rosemary's Baby (1968)
7. Evil Dead (1981)
8. The Thing (1982)
9. Maniac (1980)
10. The Fly (1986)
Edgar Wright
1. Carrie (1976)
"This movie is utter perfection for me. I can watch it over and over again. It's a rare horror film where one has total sympathy with its lead even as they wreak horrible retribution on their tormentors. It's a teen classic and pure cinematic opera."
2. An American werewolf in London (1981)
3. The Thing (1982)
4. Dawn Of The Dead (1978)
5. Don't Look Now (1973)
6. Halloween (1978)
7. The Wicker Man (1978)
8. Suspiria (1977)
9. The Brood (1979)
10. Evil Dead II (1987)
Greg McLean
1. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
"For sheer balls out, mind-bending terror nothing can top TCM for me. I saw it when I was 14 years old (having not been exposed to anything so visceral and realistic before) and it blew my young brains out so hard I went to sleep and woke up in a nightmare state believing I was actually "in" the movie. And as full of brilliant storytelling and craft as the others on my list are, none of them got into my head and fucked my brain so badly I woke staggering around in terror in my Empire Strikes Back underpants, trying to find the door to escape from the nightmare that was TCM. That was five hours after the movie had stopped. Now THAT'S a horror movie!"
2. The Exorcist (1973)
3. Alien (1979)
4. Jaws (1975)
5. The Shining (1980)
6. The Evil Dead (1981)
7. Night Of The Living Dead (1968)
8. Picnic At Hanging Rock (1975)
9. Don't Look Now (1973)
10. The Blair Witch Project (1999)/Cat People (1942)
James Wan
1. The Exorcist (1973)
"Any movie that was made decades ago and still has the power to truly scare and offend in today's cynical, film-savvy world, is truly a genuine masterpiece: which this is. The Exorcist works on all levels of horror/thriller filmmaking. How often does a supernatural horror movie get nominated for Best Picture?"
2. Jaws (1975)
3. Poltergeist (1982)
4. The Sixth Sense (1999)
5. Deep Red (1975)
6 Black Christmas (1974)
7. Carnival Of Souls (1962)
8. A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)
9. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
10. Dawn Of The Dead (1978)
Guillermo del Toro
1. Frankenstein (1931)/Bride Of Frankenstein (1935)
Two of the most brilliant films ever made. Paradise lost – never regained. Karloff embodies the plea of Man in a way few have ever done. Whale is in a state of grace as a filmmaker.
2. The Birds (1963)/Jaws (1975)
The two greatest “malignant nature” horror films. Horror is meant to unsettle man’s place in creation, physically or spiritually. Both films succeed admirably at this.
3. The Shining (1980)/The Innocents (1961)
Two of the best “haunted house” movies of all times. In both instances, the scariest edifice is the human mind.
4. Vampyr (1932)/Nosferatu (1922)
The vampiric doctrine concerning the corruption of soul and body is perfectly represented by these two films. One presents us with a skeletal parasite, harbinger of the plague, and the other one with the vague spectre of impending death.
5. Alien (1979)/The Thing (1982)
The two best Science-Fiction/Horror hybrids. In both instances, the irrational horror elements rise above the scientific conceit and throw rational men and women into a paroxysm of terror.
6. Night Of The Hunter (1955)/Don’t Look Now (1973)
Two terrifying fables. Childhood as horror. Tales of innocence endangered or lost in mazes of mortar or trees.
7. The Tenant (1976)/Possession (1981)
Two parables about the dissolution of the self. The horror of an uncaring cosmos landing on the doorstep of domestic life and exposing social theatrics through overwhelming horror.
8. Martin (1977)/Let the Right One In (2008)
Two tales of youth angst as vampiric malady. Unglamourized tales of infinite loneliness and scavenging in the fringes… yet terribly poetic and fragile.
9. They Came From Within (Shivers) (1975)/Night Of The Living Dead (1968)
Two tales about the sudden loss of humanity by the pulsating drive of either hunger or lust. Ambulating sacks of flesh that ache with insatiable apetites. Hell is the others indeed.
10. Eraserhead (1976)/The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
Two tales of modern anxiety that manage to show us just how uncivilized our social structure really is. Tales of horror within the patriarchal structure that demonstrate that the most horrible place on earth is home.
Day 6
A few Great Horror films you may not have seen because
a) you haven't heard of them
b) you thought they'd suck
Day 7
Stephen King
Say what you want about Stephen King now but in the the 70's and 80's he was a truly great writer.
Like a lot of people I know, his were the first books that got me reading literature. His novels -- It and Christine especially -- were hugely influential for me growing up. His film adaptations were always so fun to watch and there's a few classic horror movies in there such as Christine, Salem's Lot and of course Stand By Me.
As a writer, he's seen as this writer of popular trashy 'fun to read' fiction but I think he deserves more notice and respect from the literary canon.
"The most important things are the hardest things to say. They are the things you get ashamed of because words diminish your feelings - words shrink things that seem timeless when they are in your head to no more than living size when they are brought out. " - Stephen King
In the run up to Halloween, here's a scrapbook tribute for the guy whose responsible for scaring the shit out of me more than anyone growing up.
Beep Beep Richie!
.jpg)
(cont.)
Day 9
Day 10
Geraldo: Devil Worship: Exposing Satan's Underground
Original Air Date: 22 October 1988
(cont.)
Day 11
I heart Chucky aka Charles Lee Ray aka The Lakeshore Strangler.
A letter I wrote to Andy's mom
As a writer, he's seen as this writer of popular trashy 'fun to read' fiction but I think he deserves more notice and respect from the literary canon.
"The most important things are the hardest things to say. They are the things you get ashamed of because words diminish your feelings - words shrink things that seem timeless when they are in your head to no more than living size when they are brought out. " - Stephen King
In the run up to Halloween, here's a scrapbook tribute for the guy whose responsible for scaring the shit out of me more than anyone growing up.
Beep Beep Richie!
.jpg)
(cont.)
Day 9
Day 10
Geraldo: Devil Worship: Exposing Satan's Underground
Original Air Date: 22 October 1988
(cont.)
Day 11
I heart Chucky aka Charles Lee Ray aka The Lakeshore Strangler.
A letter I wrote to Andy's mom
Dear Andy Barclay's mom.
You're one stupid bitch.
First you buy your son lame clothes for his birthday and didn't even get him one fuckin toy!
You then had to buy a good guy doll off a hobo in an alley.
Didn't you think that was weird?
Good job in bringing the notorious Lakeshore Strangler into your home.
He killed your friend Maggie but that's OK cause I hated her and thought she was mean.
He killed and a bunch of other people too tho...that's not cool. You can't do to that.
Andy had to be taken into a foster home cause you had to undergo psychiatric evaluation for backing up Andy's story about Chucky being alive.
Andy had to go to military school.
Then Chucky tried to play 'hide the soul' with a black kid called Tyler.
I think you're a bad mom.
You have blood on your hands.
Now I'm scared of kids in red converse.
Hate you Andy's mom.
Aday duey Dembella give me the power I beg of you secoose entayur may pwa de mort mortees may le devacor de me voshay adalay pour day bwasay dembella secoose entayur may pwa de mort adalay pour day bwasay dembella adalay pour dembella adalay pour day bwasay dembella adalay pour day bwasay dembella
Lux
Day 12
Salem
4 LT
You're one stupid bitch.
First you buy your son lame clothes for his birthday and didn't even get him one fuckin toy!
You then had to buy a good guy doll off a hobo in an alley.
Didn't you think that was weird?
Good job in bringing the notorious Lakeshore Strangler into your home.
He killed your friend Maggie but that's OK cause I hated her and thought she was mean.
He killed and a bunch of other people too tho...that's not cool. You can't do to that.
Andy had to be taken into a foster home cause you had to undergo psychiatric evaluation for backing up Andy's story about Chucky being alive.
Andy had to go to military school.
Then Chucky tried to play 'hide the soul' with a black kid called Tyler.
I think you're a bad mom.
You have blood on your hands.
Now I'm scared of kids in red converse.
Hate you Andy's mom.
Aday duey Dembella give me the power I beg of you secoose entayur may pwa de mort mortees may le devacor de me voshay adalay pour day bwasay dembella secoose entayur may pwa de mort adalay pour day bwasay dembella adalay pour dembella adalay pour day bwasay dembella adalay pour day bwasay dembella
Lux
Day 12
Salem
4 LT
Day 15
Best horror music video ever made!
Day 16
I feel like this today.
Day 18
Day 19
Behind the scenes of Rosemary's Baby (1968)
Day 21
Day 24
Tonight at the London Film Festival I met John Landis. He was sat behind me at a screening of Catfish (2010)
I saw him leave during the Q&A so I followed him out to the lobby and said hi. I even got to tell him American Werewolf in London (1981) is my fav horror movie of all time.
He was really nice - a total motor mouth, totally rude and brutally honest. I loved it. This was a real great film geek moment for me. My photo didn't turn out too bad. You only get one shot to take a photo in these situations and more times than not you'll come out with a odd facial expression... I'm OK with this one.
Thanks to my good friend Paul who took the photo and got abruptly dragged out of the really fascinating Q&A so I could go meet a hero.
Never been so excited whilst blogging before.
Scrapbook of reference images for the film shoot uploaded for the cast to see.
Day 25
Dear Diary.
Here's a photo of me staring at my laptop.
It's a week to Halloween and I'm freaking the fuck out. My 'to do' list is huge.I have to finish 3 films 2 of which are almost done but the big film needs alot work. I'm relying on alot of other people. This gives me anxiety. In zero budget filming nobody gives a fuck about your movie. If they let you down or cancel last minute. Even if your movie falls apart - so what? It doesn't effect anyone really but you.
During every big shoot I get the 'why do I fuckin bother moment' I think this entry is the prelude to my 'why fuckin bother moment' which inevitably will come. At these points I can see no rewards in film making. It's just me hunched over my laptop at 3am at my kitchen table wanting to give up and go to bed.
I really want these movies to work.
I just want to make great films that my friends will love.
I hope this seasons films doesn't turn into the fucking nightmare like my last Halloween films. I was against the clock til the last second.I worked for 72 hours straight to finish them and as a result burnt myself out and got really sick.
That was uncool.
OK I'm going to sleep now.
Lux
Day 26
Day 28
Day 29
Long live the iFlesh!
Halloween
I Know You Cried Last Night is my new online 'teen drama' told in photos. I'm almost done making Season 1. When It's complete I'll showcase it here ... unless HBO picks it up before that.
----
Lux Than Zero
*
p.s. Hey. In what is becoming sort of a tradition around here, this year's Halloween slot is being handled by Lux, one of this blog's longest surviving d.l.s. It's a feast, obviously, all leading up to the debut of his new 'teen drama', which I'll mention was inspired by a post on this very blog. As for which post, I'll let you guess, or maybe he'll clue you in somewhere over the weekend. Enjoy the holiday, and give your thoughts and thanks and what-have-you to your host, and thank you so much, Lux. Oh, I just realized yesterday that due to the time difference and everything, I won't be arriving in Paris on Halloween morning after all, but rather late on Monday morning. What this means in terms of the blog is that there won't be a new post on Monday. Instead, the blog and I will be back live starting on Tuesday, whereupon we'll revert to the old European posting schedule. Tonight we wrap up the current run of 'Them' with two last performances, and then tomorrow I'll head back to France. So, that's the deal. ** Plexus, Gabe! Your slave ad definitely set the bar and the standard. Every real slave is just splashing in the shallows. I find the slave profiles on various master/ slave sites, maybe six or seven of them, but most of them tend to come from a site called Recon. That's wild about the hate mail. If it matters, that 'setting the cause backwards' and 'giving straights the excuse to ... ', etc. stuff is exactly the same argument/hate my work got from the majority of gay responders and reviewers when I first started publishing. Actually, my books still get those kinds of attacks sometimes. Not only is it a load of crap, but it it's probably a good luck charm. All of that just confirmed my sense of being alienated from the so-called gay community and gay identity and all neutralizing 'gay' stuff, and that's only been a really good thing. Carry on, maestro. Love, me. ** Bernard Welt, Totally, right? ** Rob5D4, Hey, welcome to here, and thanks a lot. Please feel free to hang out here any time. It would be a pleasure. Take care. ** Sypha, That's very interesting: your coming out. My mom was also a lifelong right winger type, but she did learn to be pretty good on gay-related issues. Not good enough to break with the right wing, but still. Oh, I think that criticism that you took the path of least resistance is such total nonsense. People who try to prescribe how other people deal with their identities vis a vis the world and their intimates have way too much time on their hands. ** JoeM, Hey. Michael Jackson never meant much of anything to me, or not enough to argue about the drop in quality issue. Mm, well, the US is a total mess, that's for sure, but you live in Britain, which is easily among the most moralistic, tabloid-devouring, war-enabling countries in the world, so ... ** Allesfliesst, Hey. Wow, you're just working on one really interesting project after another. Yeah, there's a basic/ documenting video of 'Jerk', and I can send you a copy or get Gisele's management to send you one once I get settled back in Paris, if you like. Thanks! I'll check about possible performances of 'Jerk' in or near Berlin. It's constantly touring, so I'd guess there's a good chance. And I would guess 'TIHYWD' will come to Berlin. I don't know the latest touring line-up. I'll find out. It and I think 'Jerk' are in Munich in late November, like I said, but that's not close. If we do come to Berlin, I'm sure Gisele and I and whoever else would be really happy to talk to your students. After the success of my meetings with the students in Avignon, I think I've been set-up as the student meeter, partially as a possible way to get me invited along to the gigs. Best of luck on the apartment hunt. One month is doable, of course, but, yeah, I'd be nervous too anyway. ** MANCY, Hey. I'm glad you came back. Oh, well, I'm doubly or more impressed that the imagery on your blog is your own work. I kind of thought so. I'll be keeping a close eye on your blogs, and I'm sure others who read this blog will too. If you'd be interested in showcasing your work here, I'd be more than happy to host or help you put together a post. ** Trees, Hey, T. What's this magazine you're in that Janey Smith partially edited? How interesting. Maybe JS sent me some kind of alert. I'll go check. Anyway, cool and congrats to all concerned. My internet connection here is too slow to figure out what happens at the 20 second mark in that video preview, but I think I know who you're referring to. Very nice. One of those guys in that scene is the spitting image of Tao Lin. That was trippy. ** Shannon, Hey, Shannon! Oh, my total pleasure, obviously. Thank you, pal, and a very Happy Halloween to you. Doing anything special tomorrow? ** Laurabeth, Hey. Wow, a poem by you. The p.s. isn't the best situation for me as a reader/ responder because I have to keep moving, but, quickly, I think it's a very strong poem. I like the way it keeps shifting gears and emotional tones, very gracefully yet quickly. The language is quite good throughout, cutting and tight and phrased clearly but unexpectedly. The ending is sharp and powerful. Yeah, very impressive, Laura. I hope writing that one will lead you to keep writing more regularly. Kudos. ** Steevee, There's been a kind of influx of 'Emo' slaves onto the SM sites lately for some reason, so that plus my own interests explains it, I guess. Yeah, the upper age limit I use is 30. I used to call the posts the top ' ... under 30', but I dropped that because it was obvious. Partly, that age limit has to do with my personal interest in the ways younger people choose to communicate, and it's also because those posts are quite labor- and time-intensive to assemble, and if I didn't set limits in my searches, the process would take me far longer, and I just don't have the time to spend. ** Brendan, Fingers heavily crossed for tonight and for you, man. ** The Evil Ghost of JW Veldhoen, Yeah, you leave in just a few days, right? Intense, but hopefully good on the change front. Excellent response to Laurabeth's poem. ** Andrew, Hey. If you missed it, my friend and 'Them' collaborator Ishmael passed along his wisdom about the New School and Sarah Lawrence in the comments yesterday, so check it out if you haven't. ** David Ehrenstein, Even the NYC I knew from living here in the late 80s is long gone, but I'm kind of getting into NYC du jour during this trip. Almost everything has changed, but the fundamental NYC thing is still at work and play in some way. ** Alan, Hey. Thanks for linking to that. Yeah, I had hoped it would be smarter and more perceptive, but it's okay, I guess. Everyone, here's the New York Times review of 'Them' if you're interested. It was really great to get to see you, man. ** Killer Luka, Hey! Well, yeah, of course you can incorporate my novels. That would be a total honor. The show sounds so exciting, so good. I fear I'll only get to see it in installation, etc. shots, but I sure look forward to them at least. Happy Halloween and lots of love to you, C. ** L@rstonovich, The show totally ruled. I heard the first part on my leisurely walk to the theater yesterday, and part 2 is going to get me there today. Awesome, man. You've singlehandedly given me the Halloween I'm not going to physically get this year. Thanks! You make 'Finnegan's Wake' sound so tempting. Hm. I may just have to ... Hope your coastal Halloween is amazing, L. ** Nb, Hey. SIR, seriously? If so, it's just sir in all caps. I'll text you later when I get my schedule all figured out, and let's hope to meet, or I will. In any case, listen for my 'brring'. ** Creative Massacre, That sounds cool, yeah. Happiest of Halloweens to you, pal. How you are celebrating exactly? ** Inthemostpeculiarway, Hey. You're funny, man, yep. 'Blesh you' ... I've heard people say that, but I didn't know it was on purpose. Typically so nice of you to make your friend feel better, but I'm sorry you felt ugh afterwards. Really? The reviews might be finished this weekend? Of course, I'm totally thrilled to hear that. I've been quietly hoping and waiting. Wow, thank you. That's very exciting! I hope you get to do something Halloweeny tomorrow. If not, join my club, I guess, and I guess we'll both survive. My day: I worked on the novel for a while. It's still really slow, but so it goes. Then I went over to PS122, buying some food to munch on the way. It was chilly yesterday, so I had to button all my buttons. Then it was the usual pre-show stuff of talking with the 'Them' gang and warming up and all that. The guy who's kind of managing the show told us it looks pretty likely that we'll be doing 'Them' again in NYC in early January for this showcase event where curators from all over the world converge in NYC to see shows and hopefully try to book them for tours and gigs at their venues and things. Probably two shows right around my birthday. So, that's exciting, if it happens. We met the new and final dead goat. It's a little larger than the other ones, and it has horns, so the performer who does the thing with it has to keep that in mind so he won't get gored. Then we did the show. It went really, really well. Biggest crowd so far, packed to the rafters. We got another standing ovation, which was cool. I started feeling sad that the shows are almost over 'cos it's been so rewarding, and I'm going to miss Ishmael, Chris, and the dancers, who are all such great guys and have become my friends. But I guess we'll reunite soonish, and I have a feeling 'Them' is going to have a fairly long life. My editor at Harper Perennial, Michael Signorelli, and my friend the writer and d.l. Justin Taylor aka Maximum Etc. were at the show, and, afterwards, I got them to go have dinner with me at my fave NYC Mexican restaurant Panchitos, and that was a lot of fun although I ate too much, and I still feel kind of sick to my stomach today. Then I came back here, checked my email, etc., and crashed. Okay, you have the best Halloween you possibly can, my friend, and I look forward to hearing what happened on Tuesday. ** Ishmael, Hey, Ish. Thanks a lot for helping Andrew out. I'll see you in just a while. ** Empty Frame, Hey, man. Thanks about 'Them'. Yeah, it's been amazing, really. I hope the demo, EtV, and Halloween collectively give you a weekend to totally remember. Take care, and see you from a bit closer by next week. ** Misanthrope, You have a such a romantic vision of master/slave life. I'm sure they dream of such a scenario while they sit around waiting for each other to get in the mood. I'll only see the GbV shows if they extend the tour quite a bit. Kind of doubt it, tragically. I'm looking at all the vidclips, but it's not the same. Pollard kind of famously doesn't like touring in Europe, so I'd be pretty shocked if they hit my continent. England maybe, though. If so, I'll likely head over there for that if I possibly can. ** Jake, Hey. Yeah, I hope to have few extra minutes to give your newest piece a decent read today, and I'll let you know my thoughts when I do, of course. Actually, skinny, baby faced 19 year old masters are very in demand. ** Will Decker, Hey. The French unions aren't really Communist, per say, but, yeah, relatively speaking. There are quite a few Communist strongholds in France. Brest, the city I so often go to for the theater rehearsals, is one of them, for instance. Have a Happy Halloween, Will. ** Chilly Jay Chill, Hi, Jeff. Really good to see you! I'm glad you're keeping busy with great things. When do you head over here again? If you're here in January, you might get to see 'Them' if you want. I really look forward to the literary anthology post. Thanks a lot, man. ** _Black_Acrylic, Hey, Ben. Oh, I think I saw 'In My Skin'. I'm almost sure. I'm trying to remember. I'll have to refresh my memory via the net later. Glad you're making progress on the assigned story. I'd be curious to see the results, natch. Happy Halloween to you, sir. ** Okay, I leave you to Lux. The blog and I will see you again come Tuesday, and I apologize in advance for my guaranteed jetlag and its nefarious effects. Happy Halloween, everybody!
65 comments:
Neato stuff today, Lux!
My faves include (no particular order)
The Haunting
Bride of Frankenstein
Horror of Dracula
Eyes Without a Face
Vampyr
Carnival of Souls
Suspiria
Black Sunday (Mask of the Demon)
Flesh For Frankenstein
The Masque of the Red Death
Frankenstein Created Woman
"The Gay Community" is both plural and amorphous, Dennis. How well I remember the attacks made against you. And where are those critics today?
Nowhere.
Gayness is best expressed in its diversity. Like Samuel Steward (and you MUST get ahold of Justin Spring's great biography ) was a cat who walked alone.
Solidarity is neccesary at key political moments (eg. Stonewall, Matthew Shepherd, the reacion to the spate of recent bashing-driven gay teenage suicides) but not otherwise.
Me? I'm an old Browadway Show Queen gay. We're a dying breed, but so what?
Dig THIS!
...........
Lux: That was like a lifetime's worth of homework. I mean that in an admiring way. Maybe I should say "a syllabus." I think maybe you work too hard, but thanks.
I got to see "Curse of the Demon" (aka "Night of the Demon") on cable last night--one of my favorite movies since childhood. It's not only beautiful "atmospheric" horror, but also, like "Cat People," another favorite, brings the suspension of disbelief thing right into the center of the plot, so you follow the movie right into your own unconscious.
It's funny that I never got that from "The Exorcist," which just bored me and made me laugh the first time I saw it, and the times I've tried again over the year.
To be fair, maybe it's because when I watch it, I can't help thinking about:
1) the movie's gratuitously ludicrous sense of DC geography;
2) how the hell Friedkin got to marry Jeanne Moreau, a chick even I would hit. What's up with that?
I got to teach "The Haunting" and "The Innocents" last year, which was great. "The Haunting" is a wonderful movie, but "The Innocents" is kind of a bottomless well of movie brilliance. By the way, I thought "The Others" did a pretty good job of homage to it, as Nicole Kidman did a nice job of homage to Deborah Kerr. And also by the way, it was nice to hear Kidman say she wanted the role in "Rabbit Hole" because she admired John Cameron Mitchell's movies so much--hope it's not just PR.
And I think I just want to say a word here for "God Told Me To," another favorite of mine. Mostly famous for Andy Kaufman's appearance as a police officer who goes on a shooting spree during a parade.
Really honored you would offer to let me show work here. Of course I would love to do a post, and any help/input etc. you can or would like to offer would be so appreciated. If you want to talk outside the comment section my email is mildredf.1@gmail.com, or let me know where to reach you. I'm usually silent, but I check in here regularly.
Lux - Really nice post. Word verification for this comment is cutlab.
Latest FaBlog: Snap
Kidman is really quite good in Rabbit Hole It's a 180 from Short Bus but really god.
D: My last DC blogpost before I leave for bootcamp.
Remember me, s'il vous plaît!
‘What's wrong with me that I tire while writing foul shit?’
Misa: this explains why you’re tired all the time.
Dennis: don’t think you can trick me into defending the UK!
Which is going down the tubes almost as fast as America.
Horror Films:
Most disturbing: The Exorcist/Eraserhead/Freaks/Rosemary’s Baby
Scariest character: Annie Wilkes (Misery)
Most suspenseful: Alien/Psycho/Halloween
Most fun: Carrie/American Werewolf in London/The Thing (1982)/Scream/Nightmare on Elm Street
Best horror film not mentioned in the lists: Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte.
David E. Totally agree with these words: plural/ amorphous/ diversity/ necessary solidarity at key moments.
Dennis you have a totally justified argument with morons who think that gay artists should be ‘representative’ of anything other than themselves. But you don’t have an argument with some imagined ‘gay community’.
um but yeah its really disturbing. the penis scene....i think the people who made this film have read yr stuff.
MY VIDEO IS OUT OF SYNC VIMEO FUCKED UP THE IMPORT OF IT.
I'VE RELOADED IT AND ITS IN SYNC.
SINCE ITS TEXT/PICTURES THE'VE GOTTA SYNC UP FOR IT TO WORK.
http://www.vimeo.com/16350922
http://spankzine.wordpress.com/2010/10/30/new-writing-from-andrew-mckinney/
Hey, well there's my Spank entries. I'm not really sure how to post it as a link.
Happy Halloween Dennis, it's premature but because Halloween falls on a Sunday a lot of the festivities are premature for whatever reason.
Ishmael, thanks for the information, yeah between the two I think I'd feel most at home at the New School. If I were to get into Sarah Lawrence though I'm eligible for a lot of scholarships and what not. The thing I worry about with the New School is living expenses.
DE that link to Oral Roberts' gay grandson (Randy Robert Potts!) is brilliant. So fucking powerful. I wish the guy I was arguing with on FB - who said he thought that the It Get's Better videos were a waste of time because it all actually gets worse - could see this.
I truly believe that if these videos were shown in schools not only gay but straight teens would be changed.
And sorry: but is he HOT or what!
I'm such a cliche !
Not of a gay
But of a guy...
@JoeM--I think I saw the "it actually all gets worse" thread on FB in which you participated. Either that, or there are numerous people saying the same things.
Lux, Hey, not sure why I haven’t been following your blog via Google Reader, but correcting that now. Nice work on the video too.
Sypha, I hope you don’t really feel guilty about your Dad’s response. It had nothing to do with you, of course, and everything to do with his conditioning, and at least he was sensible enough to be discreet about it, which is probably pretty rare if you think about it.
Dennis, Thanks for saying that. I hope things are cool between us. I was looking forward to your visit for months and then... I had a really rough couple of weeks. You know, Nobuko is leaving Monday. It all happened very fast, and I just haven’t been myself. Oh, I also felt bad about pushing that thing on you. I don’t know what I was thinking. Anyway, love to you as always.
I particularly like the Iranian-American sign: http://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2010/10/rally-signage#more-16719
Andrew,
I just sent you an email to show you how to make a Blogger Link.
I used your link as an example.
If you have any questions or do not understand just email me: We will figure it out for you.
Will
Man, lots of horror stuff today. Weird that I haven't actually seen a lot of horror films, other than the classics (such as Dracula and Nosferatu) or the recent torture porn stuff like Saw or Hostel. But when it comes to horror literature I like to think I'm very well-read.
Alan, well, don't get me wrong, my dad's a great guy and I think I get along with him pretty well. But my gayness is kind of the proverbial elephant in the room. Something that just isn't discussed. And seeing as I have no boyfriend and zero sex life, I don't really see us talking about it anytime soon. Odd that my mother is the more religious of the two yet she seems more comfortable with it.
Joe, was that on my facebook page that you had that "It gets Better" argument?
Dennis, did you hear that Throbbing Gristle has broken up again? Seems like Genesis no longer wants anything to do with the band so it's over. Oh well. Probably for the best as this new reincarnation of TG was nowhere near as interesting as the first IMO.
Hayden Derk,
Good luck in Boot Camp. You will achieve things you never thought you could do. You will finish in better shape than you have ever been in in your life.
Will
...a USArmy Reserve Drill Sergeant from 1966-1972...all through the Vietnam War ... it messed with all of us ... none of us escaped damage ... we coped in all kinds of ways...
MUCH GOOD LUCK TO YOU!
(((HUGS)))
Yes Sypha it was your thread
Steevee I presume this was the one you saw. Hopefully there's not many It get's worse things going round.
Joe, ha ha, yeah, that back and forth debate seemed to go on forever, and as I noted the only reason why I really posted it in the first place was because I thought Lambert looked pretty sexy in his video. I know some people find those videos corny and heavy-handed but I still maintain that if they keep even one gay teen from killing themselves, they would have served a purpose. But then again, I've always been idealistic.
<< Polaroids >>
The flesh-smeared Polaroids were my undoing. As if his physical body were not enough, I needed to keep him with me at all times, in a group of thirty-six Polaroids ranging from fully-clothed to close-ups of his face to the vast landscape of a boy's erection in direct sunlight, the flashbulb warming his inner thigh in a nanosecond's crescent dream. My favorite photo is the one I took of him while I lay on the floor as he spread his legs before me, his ass the perfect illustration of desire. The shadow of skin under the staccato flash is an alien landscape, as if I'd walked on the surface of Mars with the oxygen tank on my back turned down to a dull whisper. Another photograph is a close-up of the dull ridge of an eyesocket, his eyebrows a lightly-dusted streak smeared across his forehead. His cock was a good five inches. He was eleven years old at the time. Eleven is prime, divisible only by one and itself. The pictures were taken in our bedroom, behind the safety of closed doors. His baseball cap on backwards. The plush velour of his blue cords, his hand on his crotch, mocking me. I've since transferred the photos to a writeable CD-R. I don't want to lose them, let posterity be my downfall. He will continue to grow older but the photos are forever static. I have preserved his beauty as a mother might preserve her daughter's first communion dress. Is there nothing more beautiful in all the world than an eleven year old boy's body? Mountains slowly crumble and oceans grow noxious with decay but this simple fact remains true.
from Distemper, Chapter 43, pg. 195
Dennis, I put a copy of Distemper in the post to you today, mailed it to your Paris address. You'll get there before it does, of course. I hope you enjoy it. I hope all is well with you. How is winter in Paris? Must be beautiful! Happy All Hallows Evening! XOXOXO... Much love, James.
Hey Dennis, thanks for surrendering the day to Lux, his stuff is so magnificent, aint it?
Lux,man you know what I think, cuz I told you, but again, your stuff nails it, I love it
You know, I feel good? I went to the NUMU. That reading was enormous. Laurie Weeks is like my new favorite writer. I went to the Participant INC reception dressed in Fillipa K and my Zanni mask. Zanni, Giovanni, crazy John, has flickered out of existence. I used to think it was a punch mask, but no, more appropriate than that. He made a brief appearance, crazy gone up and left. I learned so much today. Gonna go to drug therapy asap. Yoga, running, sleep, eating. I really want to read Aileen Myles book "Inferno" too, but they were sold out at St. Mark's. There are all these posters for a movie called "The Divine Comedy" that remind me of how photography is a stadium for typography. I love Dante but I have no interest. I like All Souls' Day. So exotic to me, I'll admit up front, a fascination.
To split the difference, I'm going to now say Christmas is my favorite time of year. And May Day. Trading night for day. Brightening up, in all. This was a great season though, "I Know You Cried Last Night" is rending, wow.
"Lux than zero", haha clever. Awesome post. I can't wait till my internet stops being a bitch and I can watch the videos too.
Happy Halloween, Dennis! (I'm not sure if it's the 31st over there yet but it is here).
lux, this is really...comprehensive, wow!
dennis, thanks a lot for your help. and i'm sure you'll be a great student talker. 'jerk' is definitely making its way into my working schedule of next year. i also think about doing a presentation on it in japan. there'll be a symposion-like thing on "violence" in march, and since i've been invited to a conference in tokyo and will be in japan anyway i may go there as well, and then 'jerk' would be an ideal topic. reika suggested i should take our own version of that 'jerk'-panda with me and let him sit on the table during my presentation.
we'll go and check two more apartments today, and one tomorrow, and two more on tuesday. hope there will be one that looks okay and where the landlord likes us. unfortunately i'm spoiled, having lived in very large and luxurious apartments over the last 15 years. the best news is that in case of an apartment that we really wanted and thought we didn't get it because we'd heard nothing from the landlord for a week, the decision hasn't been made yet and it seems we're on top of the list - so if that works out, i'll be happy. it's only 100m from here, so moving will be little more than downstairs and upstairs again. still i feel kind of homeless and wish this situation of in-betweenness would be over.
Love the video and photos Lux. Thanks for a great Halloween post.
Lux, "I know you cried last night" is beautiful. I like it much better than many of the horror movies on those lists.
I'm not much of a Halloween party person, though I did see Argento's Opera for the first time last night, with another "knife through the mouth" scene. Enjoyed it until that goofy ending; the "Bill's cut" would be much better, I think.
Dennis, hope your return flight is going well. I suppose this was an appropriate week for weird sleep disruptions. I can't really complain; after waking up at 3am and staying up till 5, I had a little technical breakthrough on an animation problem. And later I dreamt about reading a very abstract and intriguing meta-thriller told through word cutups. The details were slipping away fast once I woke up, unfortunately. Must be the Chateaureynaud stories I've been reading before going to bed.
Bill
Wow, SHIT, i need more time to dig into this crazy day, but it looks amazing. And that ExistenZ iPhone is just... shit, is it for real? Because that night be the one thing that'd make me get an iPhone. Haha, those fucking japanese, bless'em.
Right, so Swans. Well, what can i say. It's so rare to experience absolutely un-ironic, heartfelt, deep and intense art here and now, and it was all of that and very loud, so pretty ideal. Gira is a sweetheart, and i shall forgive his shameless and borderline-cringey hitting on absolutely every female that crosses his path because he's a genius. Dennis, he says you should write to him about that re-issuing of The Consumer on LHOTB if you want to do it.
More un-ironic and heartfelt art yesterday, Enter The Void, but i was kinda disappointed...
Lots of it was really good, mostly the technical wizardry, the whole image, light and sound direction was fucking perfect. But the ham-fisted freudian"symbolism" kinda killed it for me i'm afraid. Well of course it's gonna be hard for me to connect emotionally to a movie that's essentially about women as mothers, haha, what was i expecting! But the flawed and oversymplified reading of Tibetan mysticism grated on me, as did the implication that sex is nothing but a deep longing for the lost umbilical cord and milking nipples. (which A/ leaves one wondering why the fuck would female beings ever be bothered about fucking then? We have nothing to go back to. and B/ seems to make it ok to use, abuse and exploit others' flesh and self, since all it's really about is actually... "LOVE?")
Uh, yeah. It's strange, the whole childhood trauma and incestuous relationship were such amazing material to work on, really moving and disturbing (jesus christ the crash scene is intense), but somehow i felt that that was abandoned halfway through in favour of a closed-circuit pattern that missed the whole universe and its point; instead of connecting with the culture he haunts autistically Oscar follows his own historical and genetic tail and ultimately bites it, giving birth to a psychic inbred? Sad. But maybe that was the whole point and a symbol for how, instead of growing into something larger and more open and less self-obsessed, we as souls/individuals/species only perpetuate our own selfish little desires?
I think Noé needs to work with someone else's story. He directs like Tom Fucking Waits sings, you know? But his pseudo-mysticism and symbolism are so clunky and pastiche it's really embarassing.
If you're gonna use symbolic imagery it needs to be a bit more, well, subtle than: shot 1 "young (white)man fucks his (white)friend's (white)mother (in japan) and sucks her breast" CUT TO shot 2 "young man as a breastfeeding child stares at his mother's nipple", hahahaha, oh man, that had me in stitches! Pure comedy gold. "Oh, so THAT's what it's ALL about then, Gaspar? Shit man, thanks for showing us the light. I never. ".
My reading is that because poor culturally/emotionally/intellectually challenged Oscar never gets to read the whole TBOTD before his death (and certainly doesn't have anyone reading it to him as he passes away) he misses out on the whole directions and does everything wrong as his soul hovers through worlds, and jumps head-first into the wrong kinda light. Well, he keeps trying, but somehow he just fucks it up. Thus instead of evolving he's back to square one, the poor sucker. Let's hope he learns this time. But i'm not sure that's the intended message, that's what bugs me.
Yeah so not too sold on that one. But if Noé found some real, deep, serious writer to work with him he could become the truly amazing director he should be. If some dude named Cooper wanted to write him a script for instance.... then i'd go and see the movie and wouldn't be so fucking cruel in my review!
Dennis I am in Paris for my Dad's opening. See the show, and perhaps we can see each other even for just a brief second or so. Leaving on the 4th.
@ Lux, thanks for such an authoritative Halloween post. Here's my own top ten horror films, at least for the next few minutes anyway:
Necromantik
Carnival of Souls
Last House on Dead End Street
Cannibal Holocaust
Dans Ma Peau
Dead Ringers
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
A l'interieur
The Thing
The Tenant
@ Dennis, I finished that writing. It ended up as a poem with all 44 words in order, one to each line. My mum was telling me she once wrote something similar based on a crossword solution, hence the dedication. It doesn't scan at all well, but I'm pleased with this:
"Gossamer flowers in dismal bloom"
The rest is just a bit of fun: LINK
Hope you have have a good journey back. Is it too much to ask that someone dresses in spooky costume on your flight?
Wolf, I think that’s on the mark about “Enter the Void.”
Latest FaBlog: Fait Diver -- “Scruffy“
Dennis, check your e-mail.
Lux, Bravo! If you remember, I couldn't even watch your video(s) last year because I'm a sissy when it comes to scary movies, but I forced myself to watch "I Know You Cried Last Night" out of respect for your art, and as I just said...Bravo! I really admire this day, the whole thing.
Okay, I literally can't watch most of the movies on these people's Top Ten. Especially The Exorcist, Rosemary's Baby, and The Omen. I'm 39, 6' tall, and 260 lbs. and they scare me so bad, I literally sleep with the light on if I even think about them too long. So...onwards...
Dennis, I hope your flight was safe, sound, and as comfortable as could be.
You know, maybe it's being an American or something, but as soon as I hear the word 'slave,' I automatically think to the slavery entwined throughout our history. Just can't help myself. I think I've mentioned that to you before. It's probably why I unconsciously don't really comment on the slave days, you know? (I just realized that I usually don't say anything about the slaves. The escorts, however...)
Well, fingers crossed for GbV making it to England then. I hope they do.
(And I hope Suede makes it to the US, hehehehe. Though they never will, and really, I don't blame em.)
Oh, and no worries, I'll walk arm in arm and in lock step with you against Joe and the gay community. No worries there. :)
Lux: today was intense, so much work on your end, thanks a ton for sharing all of it and i'll be checking out your trailer soon. when i get a chance to really pay my full attention to it.
Dennis: yea, you think i'm alright at that poem thing? i loved creating writing in high school, but haven't done any since. with the positive responses i received from you, jw, george, and i'm pretty sure david ehrenstein was into it, i think i'll take another stab at it sometime soon. or attempt, it might not work. i was so raging angry and wishing i could be violent at that point. the poem happened in 7 stages/progressions. from quick jotting down of what just happened and how i felt, to that end result.
i guess i'm trying to say thank you for making me feel good.
yours,
lb
Ha, ha, Bernard Welt, I saw "God Told Me To", back in the day, ummm, 1977, soley because the marquee said "It will give you nightmares, forever !" When Kaufman showed up as an appropriately deranged policeman, I pointed at the screen, and stated, aloud, "Hey, that's...", but, couldn't remember his name due to the Colombian gold, and my buddy said "That stupid motherfucker on Saturday Night Live, that sings the Mighty Mouse song ?" Our collective short term memories were scuttled due to that gold. But, remember the androgenous bad guy, with the unfocused face, and the glistening vagina in his side ? Oh, how we laughed !
JW!
Did I just find you on Twitter and lose you on FB?
LB
ALSO. EVERYONE, ANYONE. Who here has a twitter? I'm addicted and need more people to follow.
God Told Me To has more ideas squirming around its' eighty-two minutes than most two hour standard length "mainstream arthouse" productions. Larry Cohen is one of the most imaginative termite auteurs working today.
Happy Celt New Years Day where applicable.
Misa: you and DC arm in arm against the gay community?
Might as well get those suicide pills out right now...
“As for the Republicans—how can one regard seriously a frightened, greedy, nostalgic huddle of tradesmen and lucky idlers who shut their eyes to history and science, steel their emotions against decent human sympathy, cling to sordid and provincial ideals exalting sheer acquisitiveness and condoning artificial hardship for the non-materially-shrewd, dwell smugly and sentimentally in a distorted dream-cosmos of outmoded phrases and principles and attitudes based on the bygone agricultural-handicraft world, and revel in (consciously or unconsciously) mendacious assumptions (such as the notion that real liberty is synonymous with the single detail of unrestricted economic license or that a rational planning of resource-distribution would contravene some vague and mystical ‘American heritage’…) utterly contrary to fact and without the slightest foundation in human experience? Intellectually, the Republican idea deserves the tolerance and respect one gives to the dead.”
-- H.P. Lovecraft, 1936
From Barry Graham's blog:
Glasgow Halloween
@Laurabeth--I'm on Twitter as "stevenerickson."
I've finally gotten in touch with Kent Jones and hope to set up our interview later today.
I was disappointed by the new album by DJ Roc. He's part of the same Chicago footwork scene as DJ Nate, but I prefer Nate. Roc uses vocal samples in much the same way, but for some reason, I find his deployment of them far more grating. Perhaps it's because he draws heavily on gangsta rap, with song titles like "Kill Da Bitch."
David_E!!! Oh, deary me, that's got to be one of the best quotes of all times, and makes me love Lovecraft even more! Had no idea the dude has such strong political views (and in the right direction!) Thanks!
Terryfied and turned on, you're nothing short of the best Lux. I'm nothing short of impressed.
In Toronto airport. This time I love everyone. Tomorrow, an election in Babylon. If the Dems lose as bad as they say, I venture Obama loses next, and he rates as a torpid left-over. If he thought the criticism, if it can even be called that, from the retard right is a bitch, wait till he gets both barrels from people who can actually read. I am happy to be home. If I have my way, I will own my house in two years, no more landlords. Can you believe "landlord" is still something? I can't. Also, I won't eat anything grown or raised outside of a 100km radius. Have you familiar at all with Francis Bacon (not the painter, I specify even though I always think of the philosopher first)? Weeks quoted him. I have a very good friend who rights about agriculture and divination, she uses him too. People like to say you can't tell what the future holds, I'd say to those people they ought to buy an almanac. my friend says that my scapegoat for everything (US militarism) is off-point, that the true problem is ownership based on individual cultivation. That's right, I read "No Alibi" by Derrida last week. Talking with some people about the future, and what it feels like.
At the NUMU the talk was about geist and transcendence. Re-reading "Growing Up Absurd" on the plane.
MJ never meant anything to you? I'm deeply hurt. I will never sleep soundly in my hypobaric chamber again.
Lux, I loved the day and your clips. Amazing work.
Dennis, Happy Halloween and hope you make it back to this side okayish.
right? Yeppers. Hope yr day travel was as louche as mine.
Dennis,
No matter if the rail union in France is not Communist in all the meanings of that word now is I imagine one of those TGV trains speeding along at 297 km/h I now see a red hammer and sickle flag flying out its window.
I come from a time when there was serious debate between communism and capitalism in our schools of economics. It was a search to find ways to achieve what was good in each. Oh do I miss those days. Then Reagan took over; fired, retired and sidetracked all those intellectuals. The last one here in Norman died a couple of years ago. I loved Dr. Brinker.
I will never forget the first time I landed at Dumb Dumb Airport in Calcutta. I looked over and saw Aeroflot Airplanes with the Hammer and Sickle proudly displayed on their tails. I finally felt I was out in the world: In the debate. Maybe I still am.
The blood since the 1950's: Horror.
Will
...who hopes you arrived safe and sound in Paris and who thanks you for that information about Breast, FR a city that we totally destroyed in WWII. And, who enjoyed your comments to Plexus/Gabe about being accused by the straight gays of being a harm to the cause. DavidE is right: what we need are diverse gays. That is a paraphrase DavidE .. hope OK with you. I am thinking of going to a gay meeting tomorrow night here in Norman but I am not sure I am up to dealing with the straight agenda. It is overbearing/boot on the head/Nazi like. If I go I will feel like a shy Michael Jackson as I walk into the room. It will be like, "What is he doing here?" DIVERSITY remember? ...
David Ehrenstein,
I hate to challenge you. You are the most senior, most respected sage of DC's. I challenge you with GREAT trepidation.
This challenge to you even comes from someone like you is one of the dying breed of old queers, lovers of Broadway who will probably skip a night of visiting with my grandchildren to go to the Elton John production of "Billy Elliot" when I am in Chicago next week.
You said recently that Michael Jackson "Molested all those boys." You probably do not realize that that remark might have really offended and upset at least one boy lover I know of on DC's, another really RESPECTED and loved person here. A person who has received counseling that went nowhere. And to this person I will never reveal who you are, do not be worried.
David you as an upholder of diversity in the gay community need to think about what you said you think: I think.
Last night I watched "Gran Torino" directed by and starring Clint Eastwood. The hero of the movie did something really commendable but my thought was as the young thugs were on the lawn in handcuffs how much more wonderful if each of those young men had had a an old gay pedophile in their lives early on and that was an approved relationship in our culture. They would have never been gangsters and caused the awful pain they caused to others and themselves. It is said that a boy who has a father in his life does not become a member of a gang. In a culture where the pedophile is accepted/respected you can interchange pedophile and father. Actually it is theorized that the gay pedophile is better than the father because the father being a heterosexual looses interest in the kid and his mom and is off looking for another woman or is totally engrossed in his work by the time the boy needs him. Doesn't know how to relay what the kid needs to thrive. The gay pedophile never loses interest in how to relay life skills even when the kid is an adult because to him his rose is always a rose is a rose. Heck I was doing that last week with one who is now 36.
You have got to remember that Macaulay Caulking, one of those boys, said about his time with Michael Jackson, "It was a grand old time."
We queers have got to go for diversity in our community: Real Diversity. I think!
I won't even go into defending the "Rind Study" which was recently defended by the award winning feminist writer, Kathryn Bond Stockton in a Chicago symposium held at the Center on Halsted (The Gay Center of Chicago) and put on by The Lesbian and Gay Studies Project of The Center for Gender Studies at the University of Chicago titled "What’s Queer About Sex Offenders? Or, Are Sex Offenders the New Queers?".
Wish you could go to see "Billy Elliot" with me. We would have a GRAND OLD TIME, emphasis on OLD. I could get us tickets in "The Dress Circle" even though I will be wearing boots from Michigan, boot jeans, a Lands End shirt and a leather bomber jacket from New Jersey.
Will ...for DIVERSITY
willdecker@yahoo.com
Lux,
I sure enjoyed your video. I usually do not watch scary stuff but liked yours: Engaging! Heck I just watched it a second time and put it on full screen which is best.
Will
PS: I just looked -- OMG this post is so long ... sorry! Just feel strong about the subject above. Now forward to tomorrows election and off to bed. My cold is kicking my ass. W
welcome home - my sense is you are not dead - which as a matter of course is good. I miss everyone a lot already and am beyond content with what we accomplished or better said what we made together.
Yeah the Times review missed so much "the loosening grip of aids" and frankly the fucking core of the piece actually, but ah just a review - not of much worth in the scheme of things. I was more taken by the response by everyone who came to see, hear and experience it. Very powerful. and of course our own responses to it all.
anyway grand to work with you, would love to any time that seems right, with Ish of course or without if something makes sense.
So can you give me your mailing address either here or by email. I found the bolano book, I know your not a fan, but I would like to give you and Ish a copy - as a gesture. I often read a chapter or two over the last month as we were working on THEM, it seems of piece to me and well and...hope your jet lag isn't killing you and I guess good morning and welcome back to Paris
good luck with all your projects including the Marble Swarm
Dennis - My Halloween was pretty low key. Saturday I spent the day handing out candy to the two trick-or-treaters that I had, then I scared the shit out of this woman with my costume and I'm pretty sure she's now trying to pray my gay away. lol. Sunday, a friend and I spent the night watching some pretty fucked up movies..
Aftermath
Flower of Flesh and Blood
I can't remember the name of the other one but it was about this artist who made this statue of his dead wife, then as the movie goes along the thing comes to life.
The other one I watched clips of is called, "Cutting Moments" there's a couple of fucked up scenes in that film.
I may compile a day of these. They're all short films, and for someone who likes gore, they definitely need to check them out.
wow. lux.. WOW! this is tremendous.. i loved the day soo much.. what a labour of love.. what a collection.. YOU ARE HALLOWE'EN truely GOBSMACKING
and then your film.. FUCKINGHELLMAN
fantastic reallyreally loved it
ALL of it! i WANT more.. keep up the greatGREAT work man
and i hope you had a spookilicious all hallows eve
i wouldn't even know where to start a fave horror film list.. but i guess it'd have to include TIME OF THE WOLF, DEEP RED, POSSESSION, THE TENANT, TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, LOST HIGHWAY and THE EXORCIST although my fave cliche' horror is SLEEPAWAY CAMP the whole series.. just can't get enough of it
coop you were in a plane on the 31st? that sucks.. did you take a printer with you? i guess these days that's pretty scary stuff right there
well i missed samhain round here but i won't be missing DIA DE LOS MUERTOS.. i'm off on a roadtrip in a few hours to thank an aunt that died recently and there are a few other graves that need tidying up.. you going to visit anyone today coop?
Dennis, Thanks for getting to hang out so much. It was great seeing you. I'm sure the jetlag still sucks, so feel better and get rested. Yours, N.
_______
@decker.. trolling FAIL dickwad
I don't remember if I've seen Don't Answer the Phone, but Don't Go In The Basement's the one where he burns them, right? All those Don'ts get confusing. And Intruder's okay, but it has Molly from Sleepaway Camp 2! I never got why that girl didn't get up from the acid bath in Slaughter High or the appeal of The Exorcist, really, but it's nice to see Del Toro say Martin's one of his favorite horror films. I Know You Cried Last Night was really cool, too. "I should've stayed home and watched horror movies" describes my life, and it was cool seeing House by the Cemetery for a few seconds. Hopefully you didn't make yourself sick this time, though. So yeah. Cool day, Lux.
Hey Dennis,
Well, it's looking like Tuesday now, and I'm sorry about that but I just need to fix a few things. But yes. It'll be there, in your email, soon, and I'm sorry it took so long.
I actually don't really celebrate Halloween. But hopefully your plane did, a little. Cotton candy spider webs and all that.
Oh, the goats are fighting back. Well I hope it didn't hurt anybody.
I'm so glad Them has gotten the response it has. And yes, January's soon-ish. Only three months. So that's nice, too.
My weekend:
Shower.
Wake up, go to my friend's sister's apartment, the really nice one that I told you about a while ago. She started watching an episode of Nikita, and I didn't really like it so I kind of stared at the wall next to the TV for the better part of forty or so minutes because she was really into it, so any frustrated disappointed bored sighs wouldn't have been appreciated.
On Sunday I didn't see much. Friend's friend, who's married, called and said her husband was 'letting' her go to a club and asked if I wanted to go, and I said no. The 'letting' thing really bothered me, and I talked to my friend about it, and she said she doesn't expect the marriage to last, which is probably for the best. But she also wants it to end.
Saw a truck with a cross wrapped in Christmas lights go down the street. I think it was one of those Halloween is The Devil's Night things, which means it'll probably be staked out in front of Harry Potter in a few weeks.
The sun setting looked really nice, so my friend tried to take a picture, first on her phone and then a camera, but they fucked up both times, so she jumped out of the car and was yelling at the sun to "GO UP, DAMMIT, GO BACK!" so that was entertaining. She got a picture but it wasn't what she wanted.
Today, paper work and then went to her semi friends house. It was very modern so it looked nice but nothing felt nice, especially the chairs. He kept spinning a dusty around and turning the sink on inbetween talking about how nobody likes him because he's gay and that must be the reason, clearly. It's not, but she almost ran into his house trying to get out and was on the verge of a panic attack because of it, so I had to calm her down and gradually coax her out of there safely.
Boardwalk Empire was good, Desperate Housewives was better than usual, The Big C was okay and I haven't watched Weeds or The Living Dead yet, but will soon, probably.
Two of pop music's contributions to It Gets Better, featuring boob sparklers and Jesus neckalaces:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGJuMBdaqIw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q97c5szTgIA
Yeah, that's it. Right now I'm marvelling at the life span of a Ring Pop and hoping you're not too tired and are going to have a good Tuesday. But how was your weekend?
Without Alibi. Have you familiarity? WTF? I go back to Canada and I write/right like Borat? I met an ex-Deutsche bank genius from Hong Kong who is making mad money, giving me some help, and a 50 something religion major who now owns a cinema in the Canary Islands, and does drywall and construction for 3 months a year here in Cowtown. Rad guys. Having drinks on Friday. The contractor gave me a ride home from the airport. I talked about Blaise Pascal, psycho-physics, repetition, Deleuze, etc. My man knows Farsi and went to McGill! Convinced my new pal Adam, the investor, that capitalism is for dummies and that sets and commie econ is where it is at for the foreseeable future, regardless of what the hate machine of the RNC manages to puke up in the way of "thought". It is so strange, my value here is so much higher than in New York. Here they just elected a Harvard educated mayor who happens to be the first Muslim elected as mayor in Canada, and there's this thing happening, bands are rad, there's new galleries, money is leaving, but people are starting to show up. Sure it is cold, but everyone is really nice and it isn't very expensive. This is home. My mom hugged me for the first time in nearly two decades. And I wept for what felt like the same period. Incredible how amazing and sweet people are. All three of us off the plane are now also living with our fathers.
I'll miss certain things, Luc Sante is reading this week at NYU. That'd be cool to hear. But I got renovations to start, gotta get a new license, start writing grants, apply for some programs... And as of Thursday or so I'll get a dog. Probably a black lab. Lookalike.
I'm breathless, Dennis. Truly breathless.
*Dennis, talk/meet later? Want to hear more!!
*Will Decker... you said 'Actually it is theorized that the gay pedophile is better than the father because the father being a heterosexual looses interest in the kid and his mom and is off looking for another woman or is totally engrossed in his work by the time the boy needs him'
now all 'heterosexual' fathers are evil, selfish and don't give a shit about their children (and wives) just because they're not gay or pedophile. Sure.
Don't you just hate it when people put you in random categories and assume things about you? If you do, don't do the same.
*Lux, super day!
Hello Oscar,
I know it is awful to lump. I would recommend as support of what I said a couple of new books:
1. "The Queer Child or Growing Up Sideways in The Twentieth Century" by Kathryn Bond Stockton Duke University Press
2. "Sex At Dawn: The Prehistoric Origins of Modern Sexuality" by Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jetha Harper Collins 2010
Sex at Dawn reads like fine wine - Sip It. That is what I am doing. It was recommended to me by my new Evolutionary Psychologist friend in Detroit who would agree with everything I said in my post to DavidE. In fact I will post it unedited to him. He will probably say, "OMG Will are you nuts?" while agreeing with everything I said.
There are new things going on. In the end science will win out. Remember what happened to the founder of Modern Science, Galileo when he said the earth was not the center of the universe. It is going to be tough/awful/horrible. But in the end we will have a better world, a world that fits who we are.
Will
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