Monday, June 30, 2014

Freddy Krueger

First appearance: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Something's killing teens in their sleep in Springwood, U.S.A. Adults don't believe their kids are being stalked and killed in their dreams by the creepy Janitor they incinerated after he escaped legal prosecution for "child killing." Are the kids right? How come none of the parents were arrested for this act of vigilantism? Can you really beat Freddy just by turning your back on him and saying "You have no power over me" like you can with the Goblin King Jareth?

I've always found the Elm St. series a little strange in it's inconsistent tone. The first movie's creepy, the second movie is strange, the third gets a little super heroy, then it tries mixing the super hero action type stuff with creepy, Then Freddy becomes some kind of murderous clown. It's like they really don't know what to do with the concept. That didn't stop Freddy from becoming an instantly recognizable character and house hold name.

This is the second time I've tackled ol' chewing gum face. Looking back through my old Monstar drawings I thought I'd up date a couple of my favourite characters that I think I feel like drawing again.

Trailer time!

Pamela Voorhees

First appearance: Friday the 13th (1980)

A bunch of horny teens get killed at a summer camp they're trying to re-open. You see, at some point in the past some kid drowned in the lake because a bunch of horny teens were behaving like a bunch of horny teens instead of doing their jobs as camp counsellors and that kid's mom wasn't very happy about that. She takes matters into her own hands.
But did her child actually die when they drowned in the lake?  Who's killing the teens? If you haven't figured it out you didn't look at the image at the top of this synopsis nor have you paid any attention to any pop culture references pertaining to this particular slasher movie franchise.
I still don't understand why after 10 movies in the franchise they decided it needed to be re-booted. There's no hard continuity through out the series. The basic premise of the movies is pretty simplistic, its really a series that can just exist in a world of infinite sequels. Unless your plan is to focus on Mrs. Voorhees again. Jason's pretty much a modern legend now and there's no need to re-tell his origin story.
So if you're out there thinking of making a new movie about Jason Voorhees, just make it a sequel stop trying to retell his origin, the fans want more they don't want rethinking of what makes the hulking masked morality lesson tick.
But enough of my ranting.
Trailer!

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

F. W. Colqhoun

First Appearance: Ravenous (1999)

After a mission goes terribly wrong during the Mexican-American war, Second Lieutenant Boyd's courage fails him and he plays dead as the rest of his unit is massacred around him. The bodies of his fellow soldiers are transported back to the Mexican headquarters. While buried under a pile of his fellow soldiers he is suddenly struck with a sense of bravery and he captures the Mexican command.
As reward for this he is promoted. Unfortunately for (now Captain) Boyd his commanding officer learns of the cowardice that lead to the victory and sends him to Fort Spencer in the Sierra Nevada Mountain range.
While at the fort a stranger named Colqhoun shows up. He claims he was part of a wagon train that became lost and was reduced to cannibalism to survive. The people at the fort mount a rescue attempt, but is this Colqhoun all he appears to be?

This is definitely one of my favourite movies about cannibalism. I really enjoyed the use of native myths used to describe what was happening to some of the characters. It's also got a really interesting score, not something you hear all the time. The gore seems strangely understated and yet not for the week of stomach. I think because the director was a vegetarian the scenes of people enjoying steaks and big Old West meaty meals are handled in a way that really makes the food unappetizing, just to keep you in Boyd's headspace for much of the story. You may not want to eat stew after watching this movie.