Created by Shane Parker, and originally found on his blog, Zero Lives.
Showing posts with label films. Show all posts
Showing posts with label films. Show all posts
The Overlook Hotel - For The Children
In doing some research for a story on the Stanley Hotel and Stephen King's The Shining, (soon to be posted here), I came across this delightful piece.
Created by Shane Parker, and originally found on his blog, Zero Lives.
Created by Shane Parker, and originally found on his blog, Zero Lives.
A Victorian Ghost Story Puppet Film - The Narrative of Victor Karloch
Victorian. Ghost. Story. Puppet. = Favorite. Things. Ever.
I have been anxiously awaiting the completion of Kevin Turk's "Victorian ghost story puppet stage and short film experience," since sometime in 2011. I first heard about the project from a puppeteer friend and my puppeteering teacher/mentor at the time, who were both working on the film. More recently, I was lucky enough to catch the premiere of the trailer here in LA at one of Heather Henson's Handmade Puppet Dreams events. Mysterious, beautiful and creepy, Turk did not disappoint.
It is a "tale narrated by Victor Karloch, an alchemist, ghost hunter and scholar who has devoted his life to the exploration of the supernatural."
You can find more on The Spirit Cabinet
I have been anxiously awaiting the completion of Kevin Turk's "Victorian ghost story puppet stage and short film experience," since sometime in 2011. I first heard about the project from a puppeteer friend and my puppeteering teacher/mentor at the time, who were both working on the film. More recently, I was lucky enough to catch the premiere of the trailer here in LA at one of Heather Henson's Handmade Puppet Dreams events. Mysterious, beautiful and creepy, Turk did not disappoint.
It is a "tale narrated by Victor Karloch, an alchemist, ghost hunter and scholar who has devoted his life to the exploration of the supernatural."
You can find more on The Spirit Cabinet
The Narrative of Victor Karloch [Official Trailer] from Kevin McTurk on Vimeo.
Through The Weeping Glass
"No child ever imagines the unimaginable. That he will end up as a skeleton."
A romance of two worlds has emerged – the Mutter Museum, a medical museum which showcases medical oddities, and filmmakers, the Quay brothers – who, if you are not familiar with, I urge you to rectify this misfortune straightaway – have produced a new film, arguably a “documentary,” Through The Weeping Glass: On The Consolations Of Life Everlasting.
I had the immense pleasure of attending a screening of the film last night, hosted by David Wilson, the man/genius behind the Museum Of Jurassic Technology and the Quay’s themselves.
All three men discussed how their work influenced one another. The Quay’s were working with Michael Penn at the time on a music video for his song, Long Way Down (Look What The Cat Drug In), when one day Penn took the brothers to the Museum Of Jurassic Technology. As it is for most, it was a life altering visit. Wilson tells the story of how he was leading a double life of sorts – working in the entertainment industry and curating the museum – when he was invited by a friend to watch what was “probably bootleg VHS tapes,” of the Quay’s work. This single, influential event caused Wilson to undergo an epiphany, inspiring him to finally extricate himself from the film industry and devote himself entirely to a work that he was passionately compelled to do. Thank goodness for us he did.
Although American born identical twins Stephen and Timothy Quay, “fled” to Europe, citing the ominous commercial beast of Disney as a reason, where they have created all of their work until now. Weeping Glass marks their first film made in the US.
The film, only about thirty minutes, is quite like a private tour of the Mutter, seen through the Quay brother’s unique and distinctive point of view. As they do with their puppetry, the Quay’s ensoul the objects at the Mutter and allow them to tell their story - the skeleton of Harry Eastlack, who broke a bone in childhood, triggering fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva – a disease that basically causes a secondary skeleton to grow in and around the first, the skulls of the Hyrtl Collection including this gentleman, “Giza Hermenyi. Reformist herdsman. At age 70 attempted suicide by cutting his throat. Wound not fatal because of ossified larynx. Lived until 80 without melancholy,” an exquisite “flap book” of human anatomy, and various medical instruments which even caused me to wince. One of them, used to extract gall stones through the penis, another, a 3 in 1 economy tool – a drill like end to enter through the birth canal to crush the skull of an infant/fetus and forceps on the other to extract it in order to save the mother’s life. I was so disturbed I am quite certain I have blocked out the third usage of this horrific tool.
We were also treated to a viewing of Edward Waisnis' companion piece, Behind the Scenes with the Quay Brothers . Their "accidental" manner of filming this piece, how they worked with museum staff, (who play all the "parts" in the film), and some of their beautiful lighting techniques are shown.
Through The Weeping Glass will be available on DVD shortly.
The Mutter Museum: http://www.collphyphil.org/site/mutter_museum.html
Museum of Jurassic Technology: http://www.mjt.org/
All photos are from Quay Brothers' work.
The Awakening
The Awakening, set to be released in November of 2011, is a post WWI era period piece, that features a female paranormal investigator straight out of the School For Skeptics. Needless to say, I'll be watching.
Photo of Rebecca Hall in The Awakening - by ORIGIN PICTURES
Scary Christmas
Hmm...maybe I can get excited about Christmas this year...
Cinefamily, (who went from #1 on my love LA list and fell from grace to the untouchable list for various customer service related reasons - so it pains me to throw them business but, I'm making an exception), is offering a free screening of Rare Exports:
It’s almost impossible to shake the old-timey Norman Rockwell-esque image of a jolly, roly-poly man with white hair in a big red suit, whenever the name of “Santa Claus” is invoked -- but Rare Exports, the brand-new Finnish fantasy film based upon the popular short of the same name, shows you that the secret history of Father Christmas is far darker, far creepier and waaaaaay cooler. It's the eve of Christmas in northern Finland, and a mysterious "archeological" dig has just unearthed the real Santa Claus. When all the local children begin disappearing, a young boy, his father and their reindeer hunter friends capture the mythological being -- but Santa's elves, however, will stop at nothing to free their fearless leader from captivity. A wild, nightmarish cross between The Goonies, Gremlins and Let The Right One In, Rare Exports is a re-imagining of the most classic of all childhood fantasies, and is a darkly comic gem soon to be required perennial holiday viewing!
To attend one must RSVP. One RSVP per person. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Your RSVP does not guarantee you a seat. You will receive a confirmation email about your RSVP 24-48 hours before showtime. Early arrival is highly recommended. Doors will open 30 minutes before showtime. No one will be admitted after the film has begun.
http://www.cinefamily.org/calendar/events.html#rareexports
Cinefamily, (who went from #1 on my love LA list and fell from grace to the untouchable list for various customer service related reasons - so it pains me to throw them business but, I'm making an exception), is offering a free screening of Rare Exports:
It’s almost impossible to shake the old-timey Norman Rockwell-esque image of a jolly, roly-poly man with white hair in a big red suit, whenever the name of “Santa Claus” is invoked -- but Rare Exports, the brand-new Finnish fantasy film based upon the popular short of the same name, shows you that the secret history of Father Christmas is far darker, far creepier and waaaaaay cooler. It's the eve of Christmas in northern Finland, and a mysterious "archeological" dig has just unearthed the real Santa Claus. When all the local children begin disappearing, a young boy, his father and their reindeer hunter friends capture the mythological being -- but Santa's elves, however, will stop at nothing to free their fearless leader from captivity. A wild, nightmarish cross between The Goonies, Gremlins and Let The Right One In, Rare Exports is a re-imagining of the most classic of all childhood fantasies, and is a darkly comic gem soon to be required perennial holiday viewing!
To attend one must RSVP. One RSVP per person. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Your RSVP does not guarantee you a seat. You will receive a confirmation email about your RSVP 24-48 hours before showtime. Early arrival is highly recommended. Doors will open 30 minutes before showtime. No one will be admitted after the film has begun.
http://www.cinefamily.org/calendar/events.html#rareexports
The House That Drips Blood. On Alex.
Oh, hai Tommy.
Writer, director and star of cult favorite, (favorite for all the wrong reasons), The Room stars in The House That Drips Blood On Alex - premiering tonight on Comedy Central at 3 A.M. PST.
I know you have a lot of questions like, "What kind of blood, Merricat?!" and "What kind of house?!" and will there be scotchkas? You'll have to see for yourself....
Many thanks to fellow spooky bloggers
http://spookylittlegirllikeyou.blogspot.com/ and http://blog.magnetsdelosmuertos.com/ who introduced me to the man who resembles a hunk of spam.
Evil Children, Monsters and Ghosts - Oh My!
Just then a young boar came dashing by, and the huntsman stabbed it to death. He took out the lungs and liver and brought them to the queen as proof that the child was dead. The cook was ordered to boil them in salt, and the wicked woman ate them and thought that she had eaten Snow White’s lungs and liver.
Singing mice and poofy dresses are surprisingly absent in real fairy tales. Instead they are rife with monsters, deceit, cannibalism, murder. Real fairy tales belong to the horror genre.
*****
About four years ago I was aimlessly channel surfing. Of course, with hundreds of choices I couldn't find anything worth watching. I would often scan past the Korean channels, noting the curious titles of the programs - Mom's Dead Upset, The Coffee Prince, Pretty Lady Chit Chat, My Precious You. This day I finally settled on some program called Mom's Dead Upset and found it to be far better than anything on American television. So began my adoration of Korean tv.
Fast forward to the now. I'm not sure how I found it - maybe it was this trailer commercial on KBS or perhaps I just turned it on one day this past summer. Either way, Grudge: Revolt Of Gumiho mini-series, is currently consuming my life.
A traditional Korean fairy tale concerning a Gumiho, (or Kumiho) is the foundation for this historical drama. Propelling the story is the nine year old daughter of nobility, who is described as being cursed and suffers a "strange disease." The father is told the only cure to save his beloved child, Cho Ok, is to "... find the child born the same year, same month, same day." When this child turns ten years old, his daughter must eat the liver of the child in order to live.
Evil children, monsters, ghosts, zombies, cannibalism, possession - Grudge: Revolt Of Gumiho has it all , against a lush backdrop of period costumes, beautiful scenery, wonderful FX, an unforgettable soundtrack and some of the greatest acting I've ever seen anywhere.
This show and the horrific, yet achingly beautiful imagery depicted in Gumiho is something American tv or film would never touch, and even if we attempted it, it would not be done with so much depth and beauty. There are so many moments of visual horror in this series that will haunt me for years to come - not to mention the emotional horror evoked. I do not get emotional easily - there are only three film moments that can elicit tears from me, yet I was sobbing on my couch and clutching at poor Mr. Blackwood during more than one episode.
We were like children during our Gumiho viewing marathon yesterday, gasping and yelling out loud - jumping up on the couch and yelling "OHMYGOD!!!" - Mr. Blackwood says he can only compare it to Lost or Star Wars in it's epic storytelling style and I have to agree. We have two episodes left - I cannot bear for it to end.
Oh, The Places You'll Go!
Hell A, Boyle Heights in particular, is serving up some deliciously twisted fare for your enjoyment.
1) Fright Night In The Heights - hosted by the Boyle Heights Paranormal Project
Join BHPP to watch everyone's favorite ghost film, The Haunting (1963), in very abandoned, certainly haunted Linda Vista Hospital, in Boyle Heights. Following the screening, guests will have an opportunity to tour both the main hospital as well as the mental ward, which is not open to the public.
The event is co-hosted by:
Ghost Hunters Of Urban Los Angeles
3AM Paranormal
Antelope Valley Haunts
Saturday, August 21st at 8:00 - doors open at 7:45
Suggested donation for the movie - $5 - $20 per person for the tour
610 S. St Louis St.
Boyle Heights, CA, 90023
Although the event is SOLD OUT - I am offering two Blackwood readers a space on the guest list. Comment before Midnight on Friday, August 20th, leaving your name and an email addy I can send you instructions to.
2)25th Anniversary Of The Night Stalker Capture Tour
To commemorate the 1985 capture of the infamous Los Angeles serial killer Richard Ramirez, Eastside Desmadre Tours will conduct a guided walking/public bus tour to explore the downtown L.A. haunts and dwellings of the “The Night Stalker.” Included in the tour is a visit to the East L.A. street where he was captured, as well as interviews with local witnesses involved in his apprehension. Hosted by Crimebo The Clown.
$25
August 29th, 12:00 - 4:00 P.M.
Hubbard Avenue
Los Angeles, CA, 90023
http://nightstalkertour.blogspot.com/
http://crimebo.com/
3) All About The Hollywood Pantages Theatre
The Pantages is a beautiful, historic theatre, more importantly, it is reportedly haunted. This tour covers it all, behind the scenes, art deco magnificence, history.
August 28th, 10:00 A.M. - 1:30 P.M.
6233 Hollywood Blvd
Hollywood, CA, 90028
http://www.lahtf.org/
4) Maja's Magic School : Electricity, Ectoplasm & Spirit Rapping
September is here yet again and that means its time to go back to school - Magic School!
September 12th, 6:00 - 8:00 P.M.
Annie Besant Lodge
2560 N. Beachwood Drive
Los Angeles, CA, 90068
http://www.godismyboyfriend.com/
5)The Hotel Horrors And Main Street Vice - Esotouric
I cannot say enough regarding my adoration of Esotouric. If you haven't yet adventured with them - better put it on your list.
The Hotel Horrors portion is a true crime and oddities tour featuring some of the wildest, weirdest, goriest and most memorable happenings in historic hotels.The Main Street Vice portion is a social history tour celebrating the ribald, racy, raunchy old promenade where the better people simply did not travel, but kicks were had by all who did.
$58
September 11th 12:00 - 4:00 P.M.
Cafe Metropole
923 E 3rd St
Los Angeles, CA, 90013
http://esotouric.com/mainhotel
Real Ghost Among Reel Ghosts?
My dear friend, Tess, who I've mentioned before, came across an interesting discovery while viewing The Innocents.
This is a marvelous film, and I like it all the more because during my second viewing, I noticed a Glowing Thing!
It's in the scene where Miss Giddens goes upstairs in a nightdress with her hair down, hearing spooky noises. Just after she comes past a square pillar with her candelabra, there's a loud echoing clatter. Then the camera angle changes to a long shot down a hallway, to an open area at the end. I don't know what it's called in architecture -- it's the area where a hallway or passage widens out into a sort of landing, with balustrades. And there is indirect light coming from off-camera on the right side.
Very quickly, on the right, there's a small white glowing area that moves and then disappears. If you slow it down and zoom way in, you will realize it's a human head, which glows whitely, catching the light that comes from off-camera. Some shadowy facial features are faintly visible, but only very faintly -- my guess is that it's a man from the development of the chin, but I can't really see anything else distinguishing.
The motion of the head is of someone bent slightly forward who straightens up, and then moves back out of sight. It's very creepy, in part because it looks so furtive and unintentional. In fact it reminds me of blurry film footage of "real ghosts" that you might see on a TV show about the supernatural, the kind of thing captured unintentionally while people are filming something else altogether.
Since it's so difficult to see this thing -- even to see that it is in fact a person's face -- without zooming in and slowing down, which of course one couldn't do in 1961, I wonder whether it was a crew member adjusting something on the set rather than an intentional ghostly actor.
Perhaps the filmmakers saw it later, but left it in because it added to the ghostliness. Or, maybe it really *was* intentional. But I'd be surprised if so -- it's just so small, and goes by so quickly, unless you view the scene with technological enhancement!
What would be the most fun is if it's neither an actor nor a crew member, and is apparently a Real Ghost™! Maybe I just started a rumor...
At any rate, it's a Glowing Thing and it's completely awesome.
It's in the scene where Miss Giddens goes upstairs in a nightdress with her hair down, hearing spooky noises. Just after she comes past a square pillar with her candelabra, there's a loud echoing clatter. Then the camera angle changes to a long shot down a hallway, to an open area at the end. I don't know what it's called in architecture -- it's the area where a hallway or passage widens out into a sort of landing, with balustrades. And there is indirect light coming from off-camera on the right side.
Very quickly, on the right, there's a small white glowing area that moves and then disappears. If you slow it down and zoom way in, you will realize it's a human head, which glows whitely, catching the light that comes from off-camera. Some shadowy facial features are faintly visible, but only very faintly -- my guess is that it's a man from the development of the chin, but I can't really see anything else distinguishing.
The motion of the head is of someone bent slightly forward who straightens up, and then moves back out of sight. It's very creepy, in part because it looks so furtive and unintentional. In fact it reminds me of blurry film footage of "real ghosts" that you might see on a TV show about the supernatural, the kind of thing captured unintentionally while people are filming something else altogether.
Since it's so difficult to see this thing -- even to see that it is in fact a person's face -- without zooming in and slowing down, which of course one couldn't do in 1961, I wonder whether it was a crew member adjusting something on the set rather than an intentional ghostly actor.
Perhaps the filmmakers saw it later, but left it in because it added to the ghostliness. Or, maybe it really *was* intentional. But I'd be surprised if so -- it's just so small, and goes by so quickly, unless you view the scene with technological enhancement!
What would be the most fun is if it's neither an actor nor a crew member, and is apparently a Real Ghost™! Maybe I just started a rumor...
At any rate, it's a Glowing Thing and it's completely awesome.
After she told me this, I immediately got myself a copy of the film and watched Tess' Glowing Thing. There is something there.
Pay attention to the area slightly left to the center of the screen.
Screen shots from youshotandywarhol.
Tess is the proprietress of a magical store - please visit - http://www.midnight-muse.com/
Spider Baby
"Just because something isn't good doesn't mean it's bad. "
Rejoice.
Free screening of the film, Spider Baby, with writer/director Jack Hill.
February 18th, 7 P.M.
Los Angeles Athletic Club
For info and to get on the guest list take yourself to http://www.spiderbabyonline.com/
The Urim and Thummim Movie: Crypto-objectology
The Urim and Thummim. Ever heard of it?
No?
Me neither.
The name belongs to an Old Testament object that served as an oracle to Aaron, Moses' brother. The Book Of Mormon "author" Joseph Smith also claims to have come into possession of it.
So, fast forward too many centuries to keep track of. Three native Tennessee Everymen are on their way to Nashville for a tiling job. They enter town late and decide to blow off the job and go to a local Goodwill store. One of these men finds an unusual object lying on a self in the housewares area of the store. He lays out sixty nine cents for it.
He claims this object is the Urim and Thummim.
See for yourself.
I recently had a chance to see the documentary, where I met the director and the three gentlemen featured in it. I also had my chance to look into the "object." That, gentle readers, is a story for another day.
Thoughts?
Do Demons Have Mamas?
After daily addressing the query, "Have you seen Paranormal Activity yet?!" I can now answer, "Indeed, I have."
I appreciated a number of things about it, but especially the amount of obvious research that went into it. Much of it was very similar to actual paranormal occurrences and the female lead's account of her experiences to the psychic were pretty much standard fare from a client.
Also, for what its worth, it was fun.
**SPOILER WARNING
Having worked with a demonologist and experience with quite a few clients claiming all manner of "demonic" goings on, of course I have plenty to say about the subject. However, I can never seem to get past this question:
The first matter that always comes to mind though is their names. Psychics, clients, and demonologists always have names for these guys. Names like Elek, Akmarl or Vozik. Who names these demons? Do they have mamas who name them? Why never Stan or John or Bill?
Someone must know...
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