Color Out of Space

Color Out of Space

2019

Director- Richard Stanley

Cast- Nicholas Cage, Joely Ricahrdson, Madeleine Arthur, Brendan Meyer, Julian Hilliard, Elliot Knight, Q'orianka Kilcher, Tommy Chong, Josh C. Waller

           

      The Gardner family lives an idyllic life on their remote farm deep in the forests of New England. The father (Nicholas Cage from Drive Angry, Mandy and a million other things) is a grown up hippy who believes firmly that his alpacas are the food source of the future. His wife (Joely Richardson, who you may recognize from Event Horizon) is a financial advisor, recovering from cancer. She spends her days in the attic talking with investors via w-fi. Their youngest son, Jack, likes to play with the dog and their oldest son, Benny, likes to smoke pot and hang out with Ezra (Tommy Chong), a weirdo who lives in a shack “off the grid”. Lavinia (Madeleine Arthur) is their teenage daughter who fancies herself a witch and dabbles in the occult, hoping for a more exciting life.

            

     Their serene existence is interrupted when a meteor strikes the Earth late one night. The youngest son, Jack, who actually saw the strike, suffers temporary disassociation and a foul odor permeates the air around the meteor. A surveyor who is studying the water table finds an unusual contamination and believes the meteor is the source.

            

     

   

   The next night a storm comes up and the meteor acts as a lightning rod, attracting numerous strikes. The following morning, the meteor is gone, apparently destroyed by the lightening.

            

     Contamination spreads through the Gardner’s farm. Their vegetables grow rapidly but are inedible. Animals mutate into horrible forms. Worst of all, each member of the family seems to be losing their mind, some more rapidly than others. Lavinia, who is losing her mind as well, turns to the only thing she knows, the occult, for protection.

           

     The movie is based on the H.P. Lovecraft short story The Colour Out of Space. It is one of Lovecraft’s most popular stories and has been adapted to the screen numerous times with varying degrees of success. The best known attempts are probably the 1965 Boris Karloff film Die, Monster, Die! and the 1987 film The Curse, starring Will Wheaton. This latest version adapts the plot of the story decently but its real strength is in capturing the essence of Lovecraft, which is pretty hard to do in film.

            

     There are two recurring themes in Lovecraft’s fiction. First, is the insignificance of humanity. Lovecraft postulated a universe with cosmic forces so powerful that they could destroy us without even noticing. The other recurring theme is the inherent unknowability of the universe. Our religions, psychologies, and laws of physics, only capture the tiniest fraction of reality and any glimpse of the greater truth would drive us insane. The feeble human brain wasn’t meant to grasp the true nature of existence.

 Having horrors that can’t be described works fine in literature, where the reader’s mind fills in the gaps that the writer leaves (this is the essence of guided imagery). This is a lot harder to pull off in film, where everything can be seen and heard. It is in this area, that Color Out of Space succeeds. We get glimpses of the alien menace but most is inferred.  The film does a really good job of depicting the changing landscape as the Color contaminates the Earth around it.

Nicholas Cage puts in a good performance (if a little over the top) as the father losing his mind but its Madeleine Arthur, as Lavinia, that steals the show. She practices the occult but seems to take it all with a grain of salt until it’s the only resource left to her.  Her descent into madness is slow but rewarding to watch.

One thing I really enjoyed was that (as befits a Lovecraft film) she turns to the Necronomicon for help. Rather than the grotesque human skin bound copy of The Evil Dead, she uses the old paperback 1977 “Simon” Necronomicon, the version that can still be found in bookstores today. Some viewers may think this is cheesy, but I thought it added authenticity.  What is a teenage girl going to have on hand? Is she going to have access to antediluvian tomes hidden away in ancient libraries written in forgotten languages? No, she’s going to have something she can buy at a bookstore. Besides, don’t try to act like you didn’t own a copy of that book yourself.

I’m not going to say that Color Out of Space is the best Lovecraft movie ever made. That honor belongs to Stuart Gordon’s 2001 film, Dagon. But Color captures the feel of Lovecraft as well as can be done. Average horror fans may or may not like it, depending on tastes, but I think every Lovecraft fan will enjoy it.

Fun fact- The director, Richard Stanley, seemed well on his way to becoming an accomplished genre director, 30 years ago. He directed the 1990 cyberpunk movie, Hardware, and the 1992 horror film, Dust Devil. His career came to a screeching halt during the disastrous filming of the 1996 version of The Island of Dr. Moreau. After a fall out with the studio, Stanely spent most of the next 20 years as either a screenwriter or documentary filmmaker. Color Out of Space seems to be his comeback, and Stanley plans for it to be the first in a trilogy of Lovecraft movies (let’s hope that happens!).

Scars of Dracula

   

   

Scars of Dracula

1970

Director- Roy Ward Baker

Cast- Christopher Lee, Jenny Hanley,  Dennis Waterman, Christopher Matthews, Michael Gwynn, Michael Ripper, Patrick Troughton, Anouska Hempel, Wendy Hamilton, Delia Lindsay

           

      This film breaks with the continuity that had continued with the last 5 films. Taste the Blood of Dracula ended with the Count meeting his end in a church. This film starts with Dracula’s remains lying in a crypt in his castle. His reanimation is achieved through a creepy looking bat drooling blood onto the remains. One explanation for the break in continuity is that the film was planned as a possible reboot of the franchise in case Lee decided to quit playing the role.

           

     This movie has one of the most memorable openings in the franchise.  After Dracula’s resurrection, a local village girl is found dead with the telltale marks on her neck. A local inn keeper (Michael Ripper), whips the local villagers into a fury and despite the local priests protests, the men of the town put the women and children in the church and then march off to the castle to exact their revenge on Dracula. They arrive and overpower the Count’s servant Klove (no, not the Klove from Dracula, Princeof Darkness, this is a whole new servant named Klove). They set fire to the castle and then leave, feeling smug that they have shown the Count what for.

            

      They return home and upon entering the church they find an abattoir of gore and mangled bodies. The Count has sent an army of bats of to tear the remaining townspeople to pieces. Eyes hang from skulls, bodies are draped over the cross, flesh is torn from faces. The men know that Dracula has had the last laugh.

           

      Meanwhile, in the neighboring town a young  man, Paul, is trying to find an excuse to leave a young lady he has just had sex with (no, not the Paul from Taste the Blood of Dracula, and no not the Paul from Dracula has Risen from Grave, this is a whole new Paul). Paul snubs the affections of beautiful Alice (no, not the Alice from Taste the Blood of Dracula). As she chases him, naked, through the house, her father shows up. Alice accuses Paul of rape so Paul goes on the run.

           

      After a series of events, Paul ends up at Castle  Dracula. At this point the film shifts and takes its inspiration from the Jonathan Harker segment of the novel, Dracula. Instead of three Brides, he only meets one (played by the beautiful Anouska Hempel). As in the book, when she decides to take a bite out of Paul, Dracula intervenes. However, instead of just pushing her aside he (bizarrely) stabs her to death. I think the movie got a little off track here. Why would the lord of vampires need to stab one of his minions to death? To make matters worse, he has Klove dispose of the body by chopping it up and tossing the parts into acid. Why? Was Drac worried about CSI showing up?

           

     Anyway, like in the book, Paul climbs out of the castle window and descends down the wall and finds Dracula’s tomb. At that point the film shifts focus again.

            

       

     Paul has a brother, Simon.  Simon and Paul both have the hots for Sarah (played by one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen in a Hammer film, Jenny Hanley). Simon and Sarah go looking for the missing Paul and their search leads them to Dracula’s castle. The Count drugs them both and has Sarah change into a dress that has the singular virtue of showcasing her cleavage like the newest model at a car show.

            

        The Count tries to bite Sarah but the crucifix around her neck stops him. Klove won’t help the Count because he has the hots for Sarah as well. Klove helps the young couple  escape and the Count punishes Klove who seems to have a kinky masochistic side.

            

       Simon and Sarah get no help from the villagers but the local priest clues Simon in as to Dracula’s true nature. Simon goes back to the castle to look for his brother. He finds Paul dead and confronts Dracula on the roof of the castle. Simon tries to impale Dracula on a large spike. The Count turns the tables and is about to hurl the spike at Simon when lightening (conveniently) strikes the spike, setting the Count ablaze, thus ending the menace (for now).

            

       This film didn’t feel like the previous films in the series. Other than Lee’s and Michael Ripper’s familiar faces (and the over used names) I’m not sure there is much to link it thematically to its predecessors.  The sex was not any more obvious than in Taste the Blood of Dracula but the violence and gore had definitely been upped. Lee (for some reason) was wearing some kind of make-up meant to make him seem paler (I guess). The movie has three things going for it. First, the film looked good. It has bright colors and nice sets and some original scenes. Second was Jenny Hanley. In her blue cape and cleavage showcasing gown, she looks like the sexiest Disney princess imaginable. Lastly, Lee has more of a role in this film, complete with some actual dialogue.

            

      Not as classic as some of the other entries in the franchise, but satisfying if you like things a bit bloodier.

  

   

Nightbreed

Nightbreed

1990

Director- Clive Barker

Cast- Craig Sheffer, Anne Bobby, David Cronenberg, Charles Haid, Hugh Quarshie, Hugh Ross, Christine McCorkindale, Doug Bradley, Catherine Chevalier, Oliver Parker, Nicholas Vince, Simon Bamford, Kim and Nina Robertson, Tony Bluto, Bernard Henry

           

     When it comes to monsters in horror movies, you can put viewers into one of two categories; those that root for the villagers and those that root for the monster. Clive Barker obviously falls into the latter group. Nightbreed (based on his book, Cabal) is Barker’s love letter to monsters, an ode to the outsider. Beyond that it’s a really enjoyable film that blends a monster movie with a slasher and dark fantasy.

            

     Aaron Boone (Craig Sheffer) is plagued by nightmares of him doing horrible things. He also has another dream, a dream of strange creatures running through the night.  He has heard of a place, Midian, where monsters live, and Boone believes that is where he belongs. He sees a psychiatrist, Dr. Decker (played by legendary horror director David Cronenberg) but the therapy is going nowhere. His only support is his girlfriend Lori (Anne Bobby).

            

       Unbeknownst to Boone, his psychiatrist is carrying on a double life. Dr. Decker ventures out into suburbia, with a frightening button eyed mask, and slaughters entire families. Decker gaslights Boone and convinces him that, even though he doesn’t remember it, he is the killer. After getting some hallucinogenic  drugs from Decker, Boone wonders out in front of a semi and ends up in the hospital.

            

       While there he meets another patient ,Narcisse, who has also heard of Midian and knows where it is. Boone, in order to get Narcisse’s help, convinces him that he has been sent by the Nightbreed. Narcisse believes him and in order to prove his worthiness, Narcisse peels off the skin from most of his face. Boone flees but Decker arrives hot on his heels. Decker interrogates Narcisse and learns the location of Midian.

            

       

    

      When Boone arrives at Midian he finds monsters called Nightbreed. Rather than being welcomed as he had hoped, he is attacked by one of the Nightbreed, Peloquin (Oliver Parker who had small roles in Hellraiser 1 and 2). Peloquin takes a bite out of Boone and he flees but runs into a trap. Decker has convinced the police that Boone is the killer and Boone is gunned down. However, death is not the end.

            

       Peloquin’s bite has transformed Boone and he rises from the dead. He makes his way back to Midian where he now receives the welcome he had hoped for. Decker tracks him down but so does his girlfriend Lori. Decker hopes to use Lori as bait to lure Boone out. In the process Decker learns about the Nightbreed. Lori, meanwhile, saves the life of one of their children. This earns her some degree of respect from the child’s mother, Rachel (Catherine Chevalier, who had a brief appearance in Hellraiser 2).

           

        Decker recruits help from a local police chief (Charles Haid, best known for Hill Street Blues) who leads a local militia. They invade Midian with the goal of killing everyone there. Boone must lead the Nightbreed in a fight for their lives.

            

      This is more than just a monster movie. Fans of Clive Barker know that he likes to incorporate religious symbolism and imagery. This is seen best in Baphomet, the Nightbreed’s god. Black skinned and dismembered, he hangs from the ceiling of his tabernacle. The Nightbreed have a tradition of prophecy that can be seen on display with the art that adorns their walls. Likewise, the religion of the humans is seen as destructive and evil as evidenced by a vision Lori has where she sees members of the Inquisition torturing and killing monsters.

           

      There are some fine performances here, most notably is David Cronenberg. His character is soft spoken and reserved, almost a cold fish. This is in stark contrast to the bloody homicides he commits. Craig Sheffer does a good job as the protagonist mixing a kind of rock and roll coolness with his desperation.

            

         Acting aside, the real stars of this film are of course the monsters. The special effects department really outdid themselves. Made before CGI, the monster are all done with good old fashioned practical effects. There is such a huge variety of monsters, even after multiple viewings you won’t have seen them all. This is the best collection of beautiful and bizarre imagery since George Lucas’ cantina scene in the original Star Wars. For a good look at over 60 Nightbreed,check out the Nightbreed Bestiary here.

           

       

       The film was not well received by the critics who, I think, just didn’t get the idea of a movie where monsters are the good guys and the humans are the villains. It didn’t make its money back. However, it developed a loyal following among fans becoming a cult favorite. Barker was not happy with the version of the film that was released (though I think it may be his best film, giving Hellraiser a run for its money). Barker cut a lot out of the movie. About 20 years after its release a concerted effort was made to track down the footage that had been cut out.  The first use of the found footage was to create The Cabal Cut that had a very limited release. Later some of the extra footage was used to make a more widely available Director’s Cut.

           

       The Director’s Cut is not simply a longer version of the theatrical release, it’s a different film. Not only were new scenes added but some old scenes were taken out. Specifically the ending of the film was also changed (and not for the better, in my opinion). I prefer the theatrical version myself. Most of the added scenes are at the beginning of the film and (to me) just slow the movie down. I can’t really compare the Director’s Cut to the Cabal Cut since I haven’t seen the latter (I checked and as of this post there were only 2 copies of the Cabal Cut available on eBay, one for $350 and one for $950, yes you read that right).

           

      The best thing would be to watch both versions, the theatrical and the director’s cut,and decide for yourself which one you like best. Currently, both versions are available on blu-ray.

         

       In addition to multiple versions of the film, the movie also inspired two different comic book series.

     

     

Fun fact- High Quarshie plays a police detective trying to track down Aaron Boone. Genre fans probably know him best as Captain Panaka from Star Wars Episode 1 but he also had a supporting role in the original Highlander film. Horror fans may also recognize him from The Church, the third film in Dario Argento produced Demons saga.

Fun fact #2- The Hellraiser connection: In addition to Oliver Parker and Catherine Chevalier there are some other Hellraiser stars appearing in this film. Craig Shaffer, who played Boone, also starred in (the less than stellar) Hellraiser Inferno. Nicholas Vince, who plays the moon faced Kinski, also played the Chattering Cenobite in Hellraiser. Simon Bamford who plays the tattooed Nightbreed named Ohnaka, played the Cenobite Butterball in Hellraiser. And of course, the leader of the Nightbreed, Lylesberg, was played by Pinhead himself, Doug Bradley. Eventually the Nightbreed and the Cenobites faced off in the comics.

 

A Nightbreed Bestiary

A Nightbreed Bestiary

The members of The Tribes of the Moon, more commonly known as the Nightbreed, come in many diverse shapes and sizes and possess a wide array of special attributes. Some have specific vulnerabilities while some are near invulnerable. Some can change shape and a few appear to be immortal. What follows is a catalogue of some of the members with descriptions about those members for whom more is known.

Midian- For many generations, Midian was the home of the Nightbreed. On its surface, it appeared to be an old, dilapidated cemetery. In truth it was an underground network of caves and tunnels that formed a small city. Midian was eventually discovered by humans and destroyed, forcing the Nightbreed to seek out a new home.

Baphomet- Baphomet is the god of the Nightbreed, but he is a god that has assumed a corporeal form here on Earth. Baphomet is dismembered. He hangs stationary from the roof of his tabernacle, bestowing blessings upon, or judging the hearts of, the Nightbreed. Baphomet’s origins are unknown. Was he a Nightbreed himself, one that ascended to godhood? Or perhaps his origins are celestial; a fallen angel or demon.

Lylesburg- He was the leader of the Nightbreed for a very long time. He served as their chief cleric judging new members of the Tribe in the name of their god as well as being their lawgiver. Lylesburg was a conservative leader, helping the Nightbreed survive through stealth. This served them well until they were finally discovered. Lylesburg was a wise leader but unable to lead his people in war.

Aaron Boone (Cabal)- Boone was once a human who had dreams of the Nightbreed. He thought that he suffered from a mental illness until he met another human, Narcisse, who also knew about the Nightbreed. Narcisse guided Boone to Midian. Instead of the welcoming he hoped for, he was attacked by Peloquin and bitten.

Later Boone was seemingly killed, but Pelogquin’s bite had bestowed certain gifts upon Boone. Like Peloquin, Boone could now shape shift, and he is also seemingly immortal.

When he shape shifts he takes on a more feral appearance and occult glyphs become apparent on his skin. In this state his strength and endurance increase and he is a more ferocious fighter.

Boone loved a human and his love for her eventually led other humans to discover Midian and destroy it. Rather than being cursed by Baphomet, the god of the Tribes of the Moon, Boone was renamed Cabal, and given the responsibility of leading the Nightbreed after the loss of their home.

Shuna Sassi- Beautiful and deadly, Shuna Sassi’s body is covered with quills. These quills are poisonous and she can launch them from her body. She is agile and moves with the grace of a dancer. She also seems to have the power to enthrall men like a siren. Whether this power is due to pheromones or something else is not clear.

Peloquin- Brutal and ruthless, Peloquin is one the Nightbreed’s fiercest warriors. 

He has the ability to shapeshift. He can take on a more feral appearance which seems to enhance his fighting ability. He also has the ability to judge someone’s innocence or guilt simply by catching their scent. Peloquin is extremely difficult to harm and may be immortal. He has the ability to bestow at least some of these powers on others with his bite, “the bite that mocks death.” . It was his bite that transformed Aaron Boone into a member of the Nightbreed.

Peloquin is loyal to the Tribes of the Moon but doesn’t follow laws that he doesn’t agree with and is not above eating any humans that might accidentally cross his path.

Rachel- Beautiful Rachel is looks like a normal human but she has powerful abilities and weaknesses. Rachel can become an intangible mist, able to slip through the smallest cracks. She can also phase parts of her body, making her hand intangible, inserting it into an enemy and then reforming it inside of them. However, in addition to these powers she is also weakened by the sun and covers herself with veils if she has to venture outside.

Babette- Rachel’s daughter, Babette has very different powers from her mother. She is a shape changer. However, she inherited her mother’s vulnerability to sunlight.

Narcisse- An actor who seemed to suffer from some kind of mental illness, Narcisse cut most of the flesh away from his own head to prove his desire to become a member of the Nightbreed. He was later murdered but his body came back to life and he made his way to Midian. It was he who first guided Aaron Boone to the Nightbreed.

Kinski—Kinski is a loyal member of the Nightbreed who also serves in Baphomet’s tabernacle. He adheres to their laws and also retains some amount of sympathy for humans, at least the ones that don’t mean any arm. He prefers to use knives in combat.

Lude- Part devil, Lude is a sneaky and viscous fighter. He is friends with Leroy Gomm.

Leroy Gomm- Close friend to Lude, Leroy Gomm enjoys feeding his pet eels with his own blood. He has a pair of symbiotic creatures that live in his body. They come out through slits in his belly and can attack his enemies.

Ohnaka- A quiet Nightbreed, Ohnaka prefers the company of his little dog.  He is especially vulnerable to sunlight and it can kill him.

Otis & Clay- Two individuals that share the same body.

Berserkers- These insane creatures come in many shapes but only one size; large. Semi-intelligent, the Berserkers are little more than wild animals. For the safety of everyone, they are usually kept locked up, where they fight each other. They are only released to fight against enemies in times of absolute dire need.

There are countless other Nightbeed. Their shapes, sizes, powers and vulnerabilities vary dramatically. For even more pictures, check out a review of the film here.