Coming Soon: Pacific Rim

I took a break from obsessively watching the Star Trek: Into Darkness trailer to catch the trailer for Pacific Rim...



Looks like Del Toro finally made his Lovecraft movie.  With robots.  Still to early to tell but I think 2013 is going to be a geek paradise.....

Don't count on your Parents and Don't be afraid of the Dark

There seems to be a lot of mixed feelings out there about the Guillermo del Toro produced Don't be afraid of the Dark.  I for one loved it and it was just what I needed, despite the presence of two things I hate about modern horror films: CGI and Katie Holmes.

Oh I am sorry Katie.  You are actually not that bad here, and it only took me about 20 minutes to quit thinking about how Tom Cruise and friends have brainwashed you.  Girl does not look happy.  Too skinny, sunken eyes, pained expression: it works perfect for this film!


Don't be afraid of the Dark is a remake of a 1973 made for T.V. film.  Guillermo del Toro claims it was one of the scariest films he had ever seen.  I have never seen it, but reading the description of the original gave me chills.  It has jumped to #1 on my "must see list."  Sally, an adult woman in the original film, is now a little girl, played by Bailee Madison.  Dumped on her Father (Guy Pearce) and his young girlfriend (Holmes), Sally is hopped up on anti-depressants, forced to eat a gluten-free diet, and basically just pissed at the world.  She also gets the very real feeling that she is not wanted.  Her busy Father is trying to remodel a Rhode Island mansion with the hopes of getting it on the cover of "Architectural Digest."  Mom is totally absent, heard only over the phone dismissing her daughter to go to a party.  The only one who seems to pay attention is Kim, Dad's new girlfriend.  It is hinted that Kim had a rough childhood herself, so perhaps she feels a connection with Sally.  Sally begins to explore mansion, which once belonged to an Artist named Emerson Blackwood.  Blackwood disappeared many years ago, along with his young son.  In the prologue to the film we see why...

The things that were haunting Blackwood soon begin to haunt Sally.  Although at first she is fascinated by the creatures that call out her name from the basement, she soon realizes that being friends is the last thing on their minds.

God they are ugly little buggers.  Reminds me of my cat after rubbing his face in catnip.  The creatures are Homunculi, better known as goblins or really nasty little fairies.  They need a soul, and Sally's is the perfect fit.  They begin to pursue Sally, and despite a lot of evidence to the contrary, the adults don't believe her.  Dad thinks she is having a psychotic breakdown.  I would be having a psychotic breakdown as well if these ugly little suckers ambushed me in the bath!

One frustrating thing about this film is how long it takes the adults to wise up!  One thing I liked about Insidious is that the parents GOT THE FUCK OUT!  Not in this case, but it is classic del Toro.  Someone wrote that being a child in del Toro's world is never easy.  All is horror.  My own childhood was quite wonderful, but my firm belief in Monsters meant that I was always scared.  Parents don't want to believe that there is a Monster in your closet, despite that fact that everything in your being tells you there is.

Don't be afraid of the Dark is Lovecraft scary.  I didn't read Lovecraft until I was an adult but my childhood self would have totally have got it: The universe is a big, bad, scary place and things far more powerful than ourselves might be out to get us.  Pretty much the message of this film.  The ending is unexpected and chilling, with no question left as to who the real victors are.  The film is beautiful and the performances are excellent.  The CGI is a little annoying, but luckily used sparingly.  I loved this film.  It is like a nice warm blanket for horror fans to wrap themselves up in.

At the Mountains of Madness a go?

Please please please let this be true.  It makes my black, black heart so happy.
http://www.deadline.com/2010/07/guillermo-del-toro-and-james-cameron-ready-to-climb-at-the-mountains-of-madness-together-at-universal/?_r=true
and
http://www.brutalashell.com/2010/07/at-last-guillermo-del-toros-at-the-mountains-of-madness/

The Haunted Mansion

I would much rather see At the Mountains of Madness Guillermo del Toro, but this will work.  Just make something!!!!  We need you!
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/45872?_r=true&anonymousId=-3955414805602876285

Lovecraft: fear of the unknown

Finally, the excellent documentary by Frank H. Woodward entitled Lovecraft: fear of the unknown is out on DVD. I have been waiting to see this since I first heard about it a year ago. The film gives you what you would expect: the facts of Lovecraft's life and his influences. But more to the point it give you interviews with Authors and Filmmakers who have been influenced by Lovecraft, including Neil Gaiman, John Carpenter, Stuart Gordon, Peter Straub, and my personal favorite, Guillermo del Toro.

I was particularly interested in Guillermo del Toro's take on Lovecraft since he is set (one day) to direct At the Mountains of Madness, a film I am sure is going to be so awesome that I already nominate it for "Best film of the Year" for whatever year he gets around to making it.

These Artists are not shy about expressing their love for Lovecraft, nor do they shy away from the more troubling aspects of his life including his xenophobia and anti-Semitism, issues that Lovecraft detractors love to bring up and Lovecraft fans continuously have to deal with. There is little "defending" of Lovecraft here, except pointing out the obvious fact that he was a product of his time. The film also delves into Lovecraft's involvement with "amateur journalism," which introduced him to a whole new world of like-minded individuals (reminds me of our blogging community) and his relationship with his Jewish wife, Sonia H. Greene. Interspersed throughout this timeline are in depth examinations of Lovecraft's work, including Dagon, The Outsider, Herbert West: Reanimator, The Rats in the Walls, and At the Mountains of Madness.

Add to this a collection of Lovecraft inspired art by the likes of Lee Moyer and Tom Sullivan and you have a pretty complete primer on all things Lovecraft.

I find myself, with great regularity, falling into what I call my "Lovecraft Obsessive Phase." For a good amount of time I will read, devour, buy all things Lovecraft until I find that I have to pull myself out before I lose all sanity. For me reading Lovecraft is like having a terrible fever. The hallucinations are fun but when you start to feel better you go "what the hell was I thinking?" But I love the crazy guy.

By the way, one of the best parts of the film is a section where all of the talking heads argue on how to pronounce Cthulhu. I am still not sure how to say it.