#the elmo cult forever

[raccoon-smiles]

I have officially logged into Wattpad for the first time in 3 years, and it is so nostalgic. 15 year old me was so sad and mopey, but they had an excellent group of friends on there. Rereading all the messages posted to my account by friends is so sweet. I don't talk to anyone from back then anymore, but I truly believe they were the first and honestly probably last real community I had online. Yeah we were dumb teens writing soulmate aus and honestly turning characters into our own ocs at point, but we were having fun. AND WE ACTUALLY TALKED TO EACH OTHER! We inspired each other and saw that inspiration come to fruition. I'm gonna go reread some of the stuff we wrote because I need to feel that love again.

[the-fab-fox]

Okay, y'all!

What's your go to "nostalgia" song?

What I mean isn't what songs from your childhood that take you back but rather, the songs that just inherently sound like what I feel nostalgia—as a concept—would feel like. Like it just invokes that feeling of nostalgia without actually triggering nostalgia.

Like a part of you wants there to be a trigger but there isn't and it's this tip of the tongue feeling like you're sure there's a memory with this as it's soundtrack. But there isn't. So you're left with that blissful, serene feeling but without the bitterness that nostalgia can bring... Do any of you know what I'm talking about?

Okay, well my songs are Sailing by Christopher Cross, Summer Breeze by Seals and Cross [also random ass sound bar but is it just me or could Lin Manuel Miranda sing the hell out of this?], Brandy (You're a Fine Girl) by Looking Glass, September by Earth, Wind, & Fire, Fields of Gold by Sting, Higher Love by Steve Winwood, I Wanna Dance With Somebody by Whitney Houston, (I've Had) The Time of My Life by Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes, You Make My Dreams (Come True), In the Middle of the Night by Billy Joel, Tell Her About It by Billy Joel, Phil Collins cover of You Can't Hurry Love, Walking on Sunshine by Katrina and the Waves, Don't Dream It's Over by Crowded House, Here Comes the Sun by the Beatles, Waiting for a Girl Like You, In the Air Tonight by Phil Collins, Invisible Touch by Genesis, That's All by Phil Collins, Don't Stop by Fleetwood Mac, Landslide by Fleetwood Mac, Footloose by Kenny Loggins, Forever Young by Rod Stewart, Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Tears for Fears, Listen to the Music by The Doobie Brothers, Baby Come Back by Player, Peaceful Easy Feeling by Eagles, Take It to the Limit by Eagles, St. Elmo's Fire by John Parr, Hotel California by Eagles, She's Like The Wind by Patrick Swazye and Wendy Fraser, Tiny Dancer by Elton John, Don't Go Breaking My Heart by Elton John and Kiki Dee, Bad Moon Rising by Creedence Clearwater Revival, Have a You Seen the Rain by Creedence Clearwater Revival, These Dreams by Heart, (Don't Fear) The Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult, Loosing My Religion by R.E.M., Smooth by Santana (featuring Rob Thomas), What I've Done by Linkin Park, It's My Life by Bon Jovi, I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing by Aerosmith, Wherever You Will Go by The Calling, Times Like These by Foo Fighters, Higher by Creed, Drive by Incubus, Heat Waves by Glass Animals, I Ain't Worried by OneRepublic.

Wasn't gonna list so many and some are stronger on the feeling than others. Especially any 80's/Elton/Phil. Like it's hard to explain but you just get this tingle in your brain and a sort of oasis of nostalgic serenity. And as you can see it doesn't matter what era or genre of music. For me it's a lot of 80s because that era of music itself is already nostalgic in that I was born at the tail end of it. I wouldn't have any real memories of these outside of my parents or radio playing it but nothing specific really and yet I get a rush of that feeling like I grew up during that era. Idk it's an amazing feeling and gives me a lot of energy.

So after that long explanation (I'm sorry 😮‍💨), I'm just curious what songs of not listed above give you this sensation?

I'm dying to see yours and give them a listen and see if they hit me too! There may be many I've forgotten. Let me know if any of the ones I listed give you the sensation as well. I find the power of music endlessly fascinating.

[shhhhimwatchingthis]

Horror/pop culture influences to the Hatchetfieldverse

As a disclaimer i have not listened to every talkback or livestream in its entirety and this is not in any way meant to be The Definitive, Master, Absolutely The Only Right List list. this is just me sharing some horror knowledge and where I think influences lie. please feel free to add on to this list!

The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals: The biggest connection I can make is Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) about aliens taking over the bodies of humans as part of a plot to invade earth. where the term "podperson" comes from

Black Friday: I know the premise is based on the real life Tickle Me Elmo craze in 1994. (people trampling each other for the doll) in terms of pop culture the evil/haunted doll is a trope as seen in Chucky (1978) and Annabelle (2014). Wiggly is an eldritch being, the black and white, the cults, madness (we'll get into eldritch later)

Nightmare Time: So many nightmare time episodes give B-horror vibes and I love it

The Hatchetfield Ape Man: what B horror is made of. I love how retro this one feels even as it takes place in the modern day timeline (Ted and Hidgens are in it, there's a mention of texting and Ted's pornhub premium account, and yet Lucy feels like a such a period character) feels like an old B creature movie (the creature from the black lagoon comes to mind)

Watcher World: to an extent haunted amusement park is a trope (hell its in classic scooby doos) loved ones turning on each other and possesion/influence is seen in a lot of paranormal horror (the conjuring 2, the exorcist) illusion based horror is done really well is Mike Flanagan's Oculus (2013)

Forever and Always: the android and the clone plots feels like classic SF. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep/Blade Runner (1982) Philip K Dick style sci-fi.

Time Bastard: the song itself is a James Bond tribute. a time loop is a great storytelling frame that can cross genres, although the ImplicationsTM always hover around horror. Groundhog Day (1993) is the classic timeloop example, if more lighthearted.

Jane's a Car: this is Stephen King all the way baby. Christine (1983) is novel/film about a killer car, the owner of said car's growing obsession with it, and the cars violent protective but deadly nature

The Witch in the Web: this is trickier for me. the witch is an ancient trope and Willabella Muckwab is a classic witch in the woods. I mean thats fairytale, Hansel and Gretel, luring children stuff. Hannah as a psychic child, and a very powerful one feels very Stephen King, (Eleven from Stranger Things is the same type of character)

Nightmare Time Two

Honey Queen: In terms of the relationship between Linda and Zoe, Death Becomes Her (1992) comes to mind. theres just something about the ruthlessness of these two antiheros. also Gerald is a plastic surgeon much like the male protagonist of that film

Perky's Buds: okay the weed turning birds sentient i can't speak to but birds in horror is a trope for sure, Hitchcock's The Birds (1963) is perhaps the most famous. The Hatchetmen being portrayed as an insular dangerous hillbilly family is also a trope, seen in The Hills Have Eyes (1977) and Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

Abstinence Camp: Ah, the slasher. quintessential modern horror. Abstinence Camp is probably most like Friday the 13th (1980) with both the summer camp setting and the focus on the chastity (or lack there of) of the teenagers and that being the reason for their deaths. (other famous slashers being Psycho (1960) Halloween (1978), and Scream (1996))

Daddy: Peter pan syndrome or the forever child reminds me a bit of The Orphan (2013) though I admit that's not exactly the dynamic here. creepy child forcing a relationship is the twist in Ginger Snaps 2 (2004). cults spring up ALOT in hatchetfield, specifically the idea of wealthy elite worshipping the lords in black in exchange for power. this is an eldritch trope, as seen below.

Killer Track: satanic rock music or music that drives teenagers to the devil is an old panic. In terms of pop culture the premise of the cursed song itself (listen and you die unless you force other people to listen) is The Ring (2001, for the American remake) in The Ring a cursed video kills the watcher in 7 days, unless they show the tape to someone else.

Yellow Jacket: children fighting in death matches is popular now because of The Hunger Games, although the dystopian tropes roots of this is seen earlier in Battle Royale (2000) or The Long Walk (1979) (hello AGAIN Stephen King).

hatchetfield in general: the spooky town/weird town/horror town is a personal favourite trope of mine and hatchetfield qualifies. also seen in Welcome to Night Vale (2012) and the cartoon Gravity Falls (2012) to name only two. Also the ever iconic Twin Peaks (1990)

eldritch horror: the center of hatchetfield lore is the Lords in Black and they're eldeitch horror, that is massive, almost unknowable and incomprehensible extra-demensionsal beings whose scale and power to humanity is like an ant and a boot (we're the ants). explored in the works of HP Lovecraft (most famously The Call Of Cthulhu) but an enduring branch of horror in its own right. Common staples include another dimension(s) where the creatures are from (the black and white in our case) , cults worshipping the Beings for power (the starry children, Linda's wiggly cult) and madness or a corruptive influence. a great modern example is The Magnus Archvies

other influences: saw a Mariah Rose Faith tweet that said she was watching Evil Dead and could see the hatchetfield influences and yeah, the Evil Dead (1981) trilogy is very campy, very self referential horror with a starkid like sense of humor (there's a Toronto musical version Evil Dead Live that is Very Starkid, its infamous for having a "splash zone" where if you're an audience member sitting in those seats you WILL be covered in fake blood)

scream, similar to above, very meta, mixes of comedy and horror.

bonus: Hey Melissa: while not exactly the same reminds me of Misery (1990) about a woman who comes across her favourite author in a car accident, she rescues him and cares for him...and then won't let him leave. body horror, capture,obsession its all there. also based ON ANOTHER STEPHEN KING BOOK GOD DAMN IT.

what horror do you see in hatchetfield? what did I miss? let me know!

EDIT: Nerdy Prudes Must Die: Bullied teenagers getting revenge on the popular kids who tormented them: Carrie (1976 for the film) (what's up Stephen King, pull up a chair), also Heathers (1988). A group of teenagers covering up a bad thing they did and being picked off by the person they wronged is also a trope, seen in I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) Nerdy Prudes is also the first stage show to include The Black Book. The black book, a grimoire or spellbook of edrtich knowledge reminds me of the Necronomicon. The Necronomicon was introduced to pop culture by HP Lovecraft, it appears in multiple of his own works, and then later in works by different creators, including The Evil Dead films. Lovecraft loved the idea of the Necronomicon appearing in other peoples work, as it built up a collective horror/eldritch mythology within our culture. Its appearance in so many works, has cemented the Cursed book/Book of The Dead/within pop culture.

[mauraudersandjily]

okay i’m trying not be negative because this fandom has been a mess for like two months but this blog is made for my ranting so here we go... this is the comprehensive list of why i don’t like/ship b*rchie... enjoy

1. no chemistry: this could be argued for either side (seeing as this opinion based) but has great of actors kj and lili are they really do not have chemistry. the scene in the bunker felt awkward, every kiss felt awkward, and don’t even get me started on 2x09. there is no spark between them, no witty banter... like there is just nothing. 2. takes away from character development: this is speaking more on betty’s end but getting over archie is part of character development. going from the naive girl next door pining over her life long best friend, to independent woman and falling in love with someone who loves her for her. having betty be magically back in love with archie is like taking 20 steps back. 3. takes away from the premise of the show: riverdale who premise is like “this ain’t your dad’s archie comics” so why make the most cannon and known ship endgame. this is supposed to be different, and new. you have a show where people get murdered, cults, gangs, and at the center you’re gonna have the same love story that has played out over 60 years... like why? 4. love triangles are over done: i understand this was unavoidable, seeing has the archie/betty/verionca triangle has been going on forever (and know it’s even more exciting because you get to throw jughead into the mix) but from the beginning of the show they said that would be the main part of betty and verionca’s friendship, that it wouldn’t get between them... and what do you do, you have archie cheat on verionca with betty, effectively betraying their friendship. we are all sick of love triangles, i understand it creates drama, but like no fans end up happy from it. 5. enahnces the idea that men and women can’t be close friends without feelings getting in the way: riverdale had a chance for betty and archie just to be close friends and show teens like “hey you can’t have straight friends of the opposite sex and be close with them and not have romantic/sexual feelings for them” but nope. (like i said before i understand that this was unavoidable from the comics but still) and know they have a effectly ruined that... they could still redeem this with jughead and verionca (ive been ignoring whatever ted says) but like you came so close to having this friendship work but yeah to straight people of the opposite sex can’t be just friends. 7. storyline is laced in misogyny, sexism, and a little racism: shoutout to the pretty much all male white writers room (looking at you ted). but like it just perpetuates the idea that the perfect couple is the middle class white girl and boy next door. it takes betty’s goals away, just saying the only way she find true happiness is with archiebald “brave-heart” andrews... because that’s the dream right... ending up with the white knight who will save you from tower of darkness, then will cheat on you after he gets bored, and happiness can’t be with the person who understands you accepts your flaws... 5. archie doesn’t really know betty: i hate the arugment that archie has always been there for betty... because he hasn’t. sure he’s been there, when jughead couldnt... where was archie when the shit with polly was going down, or when her mom went to the farm, or after her dad was shot right in front of her. archie hasn’t seen the scars and betty hands and almost believed that she could have killed jughead. he knows the perfect girl next door betty, not the real betty. and the list goes on and on, how this storyline fucks over and ignores verionca, makes archie into a manwhore (sorry to slut-shame you elmo), this is not the way you do a best friends to lovers trope (watch love, rosie who accomplishes this x100 better) and generally doesn’t make sense for the show anymore... i’m trying to stay positive... anyway stan bughead and varchie

[greensparty]

RIP Joel Schumacher 1939-2020

Film director Joel Schumacher has died at 80. For a long time it was considered cool to make fun of him and his films. In college, some of my friends referred to him as “Joel Shoe Maker”. While it is true that me made some bad movies (notably Batman Forever and Batman & Robin), I’m going pay tribute to the films he did that were pretty good!

He got his start as a costume designer and did some really creative work for Woody Allen (including Sleeper). Then he moved onto screenwriting and he wrote Sidney Lumet’s  The Wiz, Wizard of Oz remake that was really good! Then he moved into directing some noteworthy 80s films. His best movie was 1987′s The Lost Boys. Still one of my favorite vampire movies! Other movies he directed that were pretty good included Flatliners, the Michael Douglas-is-having-a-meltdown Falling Down (which inspired the Foo Fighters’ awesome tribute in their music video for “Walk”), the John Grisham adaptation A Time to Kill, and the phone booth thriller Phone Booth. 

It does need to be said that he also directed some music videos for INXS (”Devil Inside”), Lenny Kravitz (”Heaven Help”), Seal (”Kiss from a Rose” from Batman Forever), and Smashing Pumpkins (”The End is the Beginning is the End” from Batman & Robin). He also directed a 2008 Choose or Lose special for MTV.

The link above is the obit from Indiewire.

[lord-puck-of-the-fae]

Rules: fill in the below categories with 3-5 things that your character can be identified by.

[Gonna do all three characters here because I can! ^^ ]

@lord-puck-of-the-fae​

EMOTIONS / FEELINGS : 1. Mischievous 2. Pride 3. Anger 4. Foolish 5. Piety

COLORS : 1. Bronze 2. Red 3. Violet 4. Gold 5. Black

SCENTS : 1. Metal  2. Leather 3. Meade 4. Elm 5. Blood

SOUNDS : 1. A blade being sharpened 2. The cracking of a campfire 3. A bar fight 4. Autumn leaves crunching 5. Crickets

CLOTHING : 1. Cotton and wool 2. Bronze and leather armor 3. Long chain pendants 4. Black sports bras under white tank tops 5. Waistcoats

OBJECTS : 1. A bronze short sword 2. An amethyst pendant, flawed 3. A gold circlet 4. A black ring 5. A violet pansy

VICES / BAD HABITS : 1. Drinking 2. Picking fights for the fun of it 3. Forgetfulness 4. Impatience 5. Insensitivity

BODY LANGUAGE : 1. Crouching over from high points 2. Open shoulders 3. Feet up on the chair 4. Balancing on things that are not meant to be stood on 5. Low center of balance

AESTHETICS : 1. Deep, old forests with knotted trees 2. White canvas tents on open fields 3. Brick English cottages covered in creeping vines 4. An open-air forge 5. Neon shutter shades and a ‘sun’s out, guns out’ tank top

SONGS : 1. “Scarborough Fair”, Simon & Garfunkel 2. “I Write Sins Not Tragedies”, Panic! at the Disco 3. “Binary Sunset”, John Williams 4. “Opus 61: Number 2, L’istesso tempo”, Felix Mendelssohn 5. “Never Gonna Give You Up”, Rick Astley

@forever-his-ariel​

EMOTIONS / FEELINGS : 1. Grief 2. Anger 3. Depression 4. Resigned 5. Resentment

COLORS : 1. Sea Green 2. Blue 3. Black 4. Silver 5. Violet

SCENTS : 1. Ocean  2. Salt 3. Cold 4. Ozone 5. Petrichor

SOUNDS : 1. The tides 2. Thunder 3. Cracking 4. Sonar 5. French Horn

CLOTHING : 1. Silver crown, tarnished 2. White sea cotton 3. Pearls 4. Suits without ties 5. Flannel

OBJECTS : 1. A braided rope necklace 2. Sea green sea glass 3. A silver trident 4. Polished amethyst 5. A copy of T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land

VICES / BAD HABITS : 1. Wrath 2. Isolating himself 3. Overly formal manners 4. Nail-biting 5. Lack of communicating

BODY LANGUAGE : 1. Casual leaning 2. Sitting on top of tables and bookshelves 3. Crossed arms 4. Unnecessary genuflecting 5. Hand on his chin

AESTHETICS : 1. Deep water coral mazes 2. St. Elmo’s Fire 3. Libraries made of dark wood 4. Storm clouds illuminated by lightning 5. Bioluminescence

SONGS : 1. “Full Fathom Five”, Ralph Vaughan Williams 2. “Pompeii”, Bastille 3. “In Dreams”, Howard Shore 4. “King of Pride Rock”, Hans Zimmer/Elton John and Tim Rice  5. “Stormy Weather”, Elisabeth Welch

@mavros-goodfellow

EMOTIONS / FEELINGS : 1. Fear 2. Resentment 3. Anguish 4. Anger 5. Loss

COLORS : 1. Silver 2. Black 3. White 4. Grey 5. Violet

SCENTS : 1. Ink  2. Pine 3. Ice 4. Old texts 5. Iocane powder

SOUNDS : 1. Oboe 2. Curtains in the wind 3. The Joy of Painting 4. “I didn’t do it for him.” 5. The ringing after an explosion

CLOTHING : 1. Silver and amethyst circlet 2. Silver and black robes 3. Three-piece suits 4. Capes 5. Silk and satin

OBJECTS : 1. An ornate rapier 2. Daggers 3. A china tea set 4. Vials of poison 5. A Venetian mask for a sun costume

VICES / BAD HABITS : 1. Bottling up his anger/emotions 2. Sarcastic remarks 3. Poisoning people 4. Paranoia 5. Self-destructive behaviour

BODY LANGUAGE : 1. Posturing 2. Fluid motion 3. Open hands 4. Steepled fingers 5. Hand under his chin

AESTHETICS : 1. Winter nights 2. Starry skies 3. Abysses 4. Steel blades 5. Art Nouveau

SONGS : 1. “Rotten to the Core”, Descendants 2. “Into the Unknown”, Over the Garden Wall 3. “Don’t Fear the Reaper”, Blue Öyster Cult 4. “Nox Aurumque”, Eric Whitacre  5. “Dream”, John Cage

Tagged by: no one in particular, but I saw it on @goodliest‘s blog Tagging: @unelectedofficial, and whoever else wants it! :)

[kzk101ntwrk]

Joel Schumacher Remembered as Hollywood Mourns the Loss of a Genre Breaking Filmmaker

Joel Schumacher Remembered as Hollywood Mourns the Loss of a Genre Breaking Filmmaker

Hollywood is mourning the loss of a genre breaking filmmaker. Joel Schumacher died peacefully at home this morning at the age of 80 after a year-long battle with cancer. He has left behind a number of Hollywood blockbusters and cult favorites, including The Lost Boys, St. Elmo’s Fire, The Client, A Time to Kill, Flatliners, Falling Down, 8mm, and many more. He also helmed Batman Forever and Batma…

[bmjnews-blog]

Joel Schumacher, Director of Batman Films and ‘Lost Boys,’ Dies at 80

Joel Schumacher, costume designer-turned-director of films including “St. Elmo’s Fire,” “The Lost Boys” and “Falling Down,” as well as two “Batman” films, died in New York City on Monday morning after a year-long battle with cancer. He was 80. Schumacher brought his fashion background to directing a run of stylish films throughout the 1980s and 1990s that were not always critically acclaimed, but continue to be well-loved by audiences for capturing the feel of the era. Schumacher was handed the reins of the “Batman” franchise when Tim Burton exited Warner Bros.’ Caped Crusader series after two enormously successful films. The first movie by Schumacher, “Batman Forever,” starring Val Kilmer, Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carrey and Nicole Kidman, grossed more than $300 million worldwide. Schumacher’s second and last film in the franchise was 1997’s “Batman and Robin,” with George Clooney as Batman and Arnold Schwarzenegger as villain Mr. Freeze. For “Batman Forever,” the openly gay Schumacher introduced nipples to the costumes worn by Batman and Robin, leaning into the longstanding latent homoeroticism between the two characters. (In 2006, Clooney told Barbara Walters that he had played Batman as gay.) Several years after the Batman debacle, Schumacher directed the feature adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical “The Phantom of the Opera.” Despite tepid reviews, it received three Oscar noms. In 1985 Schumacher struck gold with his third feature film, “St. Elmo’s Fire,” which he directed and co-wrote. Brat Packers including Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez and Ally Sheedy as well as a young Demi Moore starred in the story of a bunch of Georgetown grads making their way through life and love. Even the theme song was a hit and is still played to evoke the era. The film offered a pretty smart take on the complexities of post-college life. His next film was a big hit as well: horror comedy “The Lost Boys,” about a group of young vampires who dominate a small California town, starred Jason Patric, Kiefer Sutherland, Corey Feldman and Corey Haim. It became a cult favorite, and a TV series adaptation has long been in the works. Schumacher had a high-concept screenplay by Peter Filardi and an A-list cast — Julia Roberts, Kiefer Sutherland, Kevin Bacon, William Baldwin — for the 1990 horror thriller “Flatliners,” about arrogant medical students experimenting with life and death, and the director hit it fairly big again, with a domestic cume of $61 million. While those hits captured the era well, others during that period were misfires, such as the 1989 remake of the French hit “Cousin/Cousine” called “Cousins” and starring Ted Danson and Isabella Rossellini and the sentimental “Dying Young,” starring Roberts and Campbell Scott. But in 1993 he showed what he was capable of with the critically hailed “Falling Down,” starring Michael Douglas as a defense worker who’s lost it all and decides to take it out on whomever he comes across. The film played in competition at the Cannes Film Festival. The New York Times said the film “exemplifies a quintessentially American kind of pop movie making that, with skill and wit, sends up stereotypical attitudes while also exploiting them with insidious effect. ‘Falling Down’ is glitzy, casually cruel, hip and grim. It’s sometimes very funny, and often nasty in the way it manipulates one’s darkest feelings.” Schumacher’s next film was also a solid hit. “The Client,” based on a John Grisham novel, was a highly effective legal thriller that also boasted terrific rapport between Susan Sarandon’s lawyer and her 11-year-old client, a boy played by Brad Renfro who has witnessed a murder. Between the two “Batman” films, Schumacher directed another Grisham adaptation, “A Time to Kill,” which sported a terrific cast (including Samuel L. Jackson, Kevin Spacey, Sandra Bullock, Ashley Judd and a career jump-starting turn by a young Matthew McConaughey) and, while not without its own weaknesses, asked important questions about race. After the second “Batman” he made the much darker, smaller-scale thriller “8MM,” which followed a miscast Nicolas Cage as a family-man private detective in pursuit of those who made what appears to be a snuff film. His next film, 1999’s “Flawless,” about a homophobic cop who’s suffered a stroke, played by Robert De Niro, and a drag-wearing Philip Seymour Hoffman, was formulaic — the odd couple who couldn’t be more different find out they have a lot in common — but it sported excellent performances by the leads and certainly had heart. Switching gears dramatically, Schumacher made “Tigerland,” starring a young Colin Farrell in the story of young recruits preparing to go off to Vietnam. It had a gritty look, but while some critics saw an earnest quality, others saw cynicism. Schumacher’s 2002 thriller “Phone Booth,” which reunited the director with Colin Farrell and Kiefer Sutherland — and intriguingly trapped Farrell’s antihero in the title New York City phone booth for almost all of the film’s running time — had critics and audiences alike talking, even if the ending was a cop-out. His other films included actioner “Bad Company,” starring Anthony Hopkins and Chris Rock; “Veronica Guerin,” starring Cate Blanchett as a journalist crusading rather recklessly against the Irish drug trade; and Jim Carrey thriller “The Number 23” and “Trespass,” starring Nicolas Cage and Nicole Kidman. Schumacher started out in showbiz as a costume designer, earning credits on 1972’s “Play It as It Lays,” Herbert Ross’ “The Last of Sheila” (1973), Paul Mazursky’s “Blume in Love (1973), Woody Allen’s “Sleeper” (1973) and “Interiors” (1978) and 1975 Neil Simon adaptation “The Prisoner of Second Avenue.” He was also credited as the production designer on the 1974 TV horror film “Killer Bees.” He also started to write screenplays, including 1976’s “Sparkle,” 1978 hit “Car Wash” and the adaptation for 1978 musical “The Wiz.” Schumacher’s first directing assignments came in television: the 1974 telepic “Virginia Hill,” which he also co-wrote and starred Dyan Cannon, and the 1979 telepic “Amateur Night at the Dixie Bar and Grill,” which he also penned. He stepped into the feature arena with the 1981 sci-fi comedy “The Incredible Shrinking Woman,” starring Lily Tomlin, followed in 1983 by “D.C. Cab,” an action-comedy vehicle for Mr. T that Schumacher also wrote. Born in New York City, he studied at Parsons the New School for Design and the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. He worked in the fashion industry, but decided to instead pursue a career in filmmaking. After moving to Los Angeles, he applied his fashion background to working first as a costume designer and worked in TV while earning an MFA from UCLA. Schumacher directed a couple of episodes of “House of Cards” in 2013, and in 2015 he exec produced the series “Do Not Disturb: Hotel Horrors.” Camerimage, the International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography, awarded Schumacher a special award in 2010. He also received the Distinguished Collaborator Award at the Costume Designers Guild Awards in 2011. Click here to view original web page at variety.com Read the full article

[ajnerdess]

Long post warning and possible spoilers ahead but I saw IT last night and honestly...... it was perfect.

It was like the perfect cross between Stand by Me, the Goonies and old fashioned, well put together, scary not just gory horror films. Beyond that, there were so many references to the original mini-series and the book without looking cheesy, obvious or thrown in last minute, every single one of the child actors was amazing. It’s no secret that I cannot abide children in the slightest but this film has actually made me want to not just love and protect the characters but also the cast. The film was as hilarious as it was creepy, Finn Wolfhard and Jack Grazer stole the show as Richie and Eddie.

 Bill NAILED the role of Pennywise and I mean nailed it. I had only seen a few episodes of Hemlock Grove and tbh, wasn’t impressed, the dialogue was terrible and a lot of it seemed cheesy and Bill didn’t really stand out much to me personally but dammit if he wasn’t perfect as Pennywise. The perfect creepy character with aspects of a playful clown he worked in enough to make it even creepier. The cinematography was stunning, literally stunning, for a film that’s set in such a small town with the sewers being the setting for a large portion of it, every single frame was beautiful and captured my imagination. I think the film captured the dark elements of the book without including some of King’s really over the top, too weird parts (stuff like the kid orgy and the animal abuse etc). 

Sophia Lillis was perfect as Bev, and to all the people saying they reduced her part to a damsel in distress, look again, she was the toughest of them all by far. People complaining about the sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of her father need to realise that shying away from those kinds of topics is worse. They approached it, as they should do because real people go through this shit and in the end, yes she suffered a lot of crap but she came through the other side as the toughest and literally only 10 minutes of the film was spent with her out of action, the rest of the film not only included her but made her a focal part of the film. Besides all of that, people need to be real, the book was written in the 80′s and there’s only so much the film can stray from the source material. King isn’t the writer to read/watch if you want something easy and innocent, I for one, would hate it if we didn’t have writers like him, he’s unafraid of the nitty gritty stuff and personally, there are things of his that I can’t read or watch because they disturbed me too much i.e. Pet Semetary, the mist etc. But I do my research before and avoid those things instead of spending forever ranting at the people who do enjoy it, like some tumblr users do to people who enjoyed this particular remake. 

I LOVE anything that is set in the 80′s, Breakfast club, stranger things, stand by me, st elmo’s fire etc etc so for me, this film perfectly encompassed everything 80′s that i love, the clothes, music, aesthetics, humour. I thought it was brilliant that the kids used swear words and made crude sex jokes, call me immature but that shit was hilarious and again, it’s realistic, 13 year old boys DO make jokes about that kind of stuff and especially in the novel.

Honestly, the only aspects of the film i thought could be improved on were the characterisation of Mike. The dude just seemed like he had less of a personality than the others and that was purely down to the script seeing as the actor was just as strong as the others. They should have given him a little bit more focus, especially considering that the bullies targeted him because they were racist, homophobic redneck fucks. The bullies did again seem a little one dimensional but then, they were in the miniseries too and King has a habit of making bullies dicks for the sake of it (one of the big reasons why Nostalgia Critic always calls out King).I also didn’t like that they pied off the Bev/Ben ‘romance’ for a Bev/Bill ‘romance’ just because it was almost like Ben, the token ‘fat kid’ was never going to be taken seriously as the love interest. At one point, i thought him getting the girl would be am interesting angle to go with but the film sadly decided to play it safe by fixing her up with the obvious choice. Made me feel way more for poor Ben though, which i guess is the up side to it. The parents being dicks and ignoring the kids also seemed a little patchy but i’m pretty sure a lot of these issues will be cleared up in the sequel, which i now, literally cannot wait for. I’m more excited for it than infinity war at this point. 

This remake is a perfect, perfect example of how a remake SHOULD be done, and I got shivers over how busy the cinema was, it’s amazing to think how many people went to go see a film that wouldn’t be considered a big cash cow like Marvel, DC, Harry Potter etc. I love it when cult films get the recognition they deserve.        

[creepykingdom]

Chicago's Cinepocalypse Film Fest Announces Explosive 2019 Line-Up

Chicago’s premiere festival for electrifying and provocative genre cinema, returns to the Music Box Theatre June 13th for eight days of features, shorts, events and surprises, including eight fantastic break-out world premieres!

We’re proud to announce our new presenting sponsor for the third edition of the festival: ALTER, a horror brand from Gunpowder & Sky that curates, develops and distributes award-winning short films, series, and feature films.

Verotika

DIRECTORIAL DEBUT FROM PUNK/METAL LEGEND GLENN DANZIG OPENS FEST WITH HEAVY HORROR ANTHOLOGY VEROTIKA

CFF 2019 couldn’t be more excited to introduce you to VEROTIKA, the directorial debut from Misfits founder and punk/metal legend Glenn Danzig. Glenn’s passion for film, the occult, and all things ghouls ‘n ghosts has long influenced his music, and now he’s taking these elements to the big screen. Featuring a plot shrouded in secrecy, a soundtrack of new Danzig music, and based on the output of his comic book publishing company Verotik—a compound of “violence” and “erotic”—this feature film anthology is a realization of his lifelong love of comics and the dark arts. We’ll melt your face off with the world premiere of VEROTIKA on opening night, with Glenn in attendance.

ICONIC GENRE ACTOR MICHAEL IRONSIDE HONORED WITH ACHIEVEMENT AWARD, IN ATTENDANCE FOR 70MM SCREENING OF TOTAL RECALL

The festival will present its annual achievement award to none other than the esteemed Canadian actor Michael Ironside, who’s been a staple in the world of genre cinema for the past three decades. Ironside will accept his award following a special 70mm screening of the sci-fi action film TOTAL RECALL.

Culture Shock

CINEPOCALYPSE SPOTLIGHTS THE BADASS WOMEN OF HORROR WITH GIGI SAUL GUERRERO’S CULTURE SHOCK; CHELSEA STARDUST’S HOTLY ANTICIPATED SATANIC PANIC; THE WORLD PREMIERE OF CARYN WAECHTER’S SOCIAL MEDIA NIGHTMARE DEADCON; VERONIKA FRANZ’S PSYCHOLOGICAL SLOW-BURN THE LODGE AND POLLYANNA MCINTOSH’S DELIRIOUS DEBUT DARLIN’

Cinepocalypse is rolling out the blood-red carpet for some of the most exciting voices in horror filmmaking of this age. We’re thrilled to host a special screening of CULTURE SHOCK, directed by Gigi Saul Guerrer, one of Variety’s 10 Latinxs to Watch. Her contribution to Hulu and Blumhouse’s popular Into The Dark series follows a young Mexican woman as her pursuit for the American Dream turns into the American Nightmare.

Minimum wage jobs are bad enough but a pizza delivery goes devilishly wrong in Chelsea Stardust hotly anticipated AFTER HOURS-esque dark comedy SATANIC PANIC. Produced by the production wing of Fangoria, who will also be releasing a special mini-edition of the magazine for CFF.

Satanic Panic

Caryn Waecther tackles isolation in the age of social media with her haunting sophomore feature DEADCON, following real-life YouTubers Lauren Elizabeth and Claudia Sulewski up against vengeful ghosts even more horrifying than their devoted fans.

Dark pasts come calling back in Veronika Franz & Severin Fiala’s Sundance hit THE LODGE as the fate of a young woman and her new, grudging step-children unravel in this star-studded psychological slowburn featuring Riley Keough, Jaeden Lieberher, Alicia Silverstone, Richard Armitage and Lia McHugh.

Pollyanna McIntosh, best known for her role on AMC’s The Walking Dead, moves into the director seat for DARLIN’, a follow-up to Lucky McKee’s 2011 film THE WOMAN, while also reprising her starring role in the debut that charged SXSW’s Midnight Madness earlier this year.

DELICIOUSLY DELINQUENT SPOTLIGHT ON GWAR WITH SPECIAL RETROSPECTIVE AND LIVE BUTCHERING OF CULT CLASSIC ROCK 'N' ROLL NIGHTMARE

Cinepocalypse salutes the patron saints of debauchery with a two-tier punch of totally original and unparalleled cinematic chaos, with GWAR members in attendance. First with a special retrospective screening event showcasing a number of their most extravagant short films, including the Grammy-nominated PHALLUS IN WONDERLAND (for the first time on the big screen!). BälSäc and Sleazy P. take the stage to verbally skewer John Fasano’s 1987 Canadian cult classic ROCK 'N' ROLL NIGHTMARE, starring (and written by) fellow rock god Thor!

Tammy And The T-Rex

LONG LOST FILMS ARE UNEARTHED WITH THE NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN, GORE-CUT OF TAMMY AND THE T-REX, STARRING DENISE RICHARDS, AND EXTENDED VERSION OF OUTRAGEOUS HOT DOG… THE MOVIE

Don’t let anyone tell you that lost treasure doesn’t exist, because CFF is beyond thrilled to present two world premieres more precious than the Holy Grail. A love story like no other (from the director of MAC AND ME, no less!), TAMMY AND THE T-REX is a ’90s Disney Channel movie on bath salts, starring Denise Richards as the titular T-Rex love interest. Thanks to the Academy Film Archive we’re able to screen the never-before-seen, never-known-to-exist, R-rated ‘Gore-cut’ 35mm print for the first time ever!

Get ready to return to the sexy slopes of HOT DOG… THE MOVIE for the 35th Anniversary Producer’s Cut 4K Restoration of the David Naughton- (AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON) and Shannon Tweed- (post-Playmate of the Year and pre-Gene Simmons) starring winter wonderland, PORKY’S-esque youth comedy, now with never-before-seen restored footage. The special screening will be hosted by Synapse Films Don May Jr., the A.V. Club’s Katie Rife and Mike “McBeardo” McPadden, author of Teen Movie Hell: A Crucible of Coming-of-Age Films From Animal House to Zapped!

CFF 2019 TEAMS UP WITH ORION TO PRESENT ‘RATED R’CHILD’S PLAY-INSPIRED SPEAKEASY DESIGNED BY GENRE-JACK-OF-ALL-TRADES GRAHAM SKIPPER, PARTNERS WITH CREEP RECORDS FOR VINYL RELEASE OF THE RANGER SOUNDTRACK!

CFF is pleased to announce two new dynamic offerings during our third edition that’ll take you beyond the screen. Visit Rated R, our CHILD’S PLAY-themed speakeasy at the Music Box, sponsored by Orion Pictures and designed by director/actor/performer Graham Skipper and live-entertainment creators Meyer2Meyer Entertainment. Rated R will feature themed drinks, spooky arcade games, horror movies, DJs, monsters lurking in the shadows, and more!

Bring the festival home with a copy of the limited edition vinyl soundtrack for Jenn Wexler’s punk-rock horror THE RANGER, part of our 2018 slate and available soon on Shudder. Released by Cinepocalypse and Creep Records, the album includes tracks from artists such as FANG, The Avengers, The Grim, and Dayglo Abortions.

ILLUSTRIOUS FILMMAKER JOEL SCHUMACHER HOSTS RETRO SCREENINGS OF CULT-CANNON FALLING DOWN ON 35MM AND FLATLINERS ON 70MM

Joel Schumacher, revered director of THE LOST BOYS, BATMAN FOREVER and ST. ELMO’S FIRE (to name a few!) joins the festival as Jury President and to present and take part in Q&As for special screenings of FALLING DOWN on 35mm and a rare 70mm print of FLATLINERS, originally filmed in Chicago.

Why Don’t You Just Die

AN AMBUSH OF ELECTRIC, EXCITING WORLD PREMIERES!

Continuing to set the bar for exciting new genre cinema, CFF brings even more world premieres to the Music Box. We’re not joking around when we say you’ve never seen anything like Eric Power’s ATTACK OF THE DEMONS. Three friends fight off a horde of demons in the apocalyptic film that more than delivers in carnage, gore, and cut-paper animation. Holly’s perfect-on-paper life is threatened by strange dreams she can’t explain in Dean Kapsalis’ THE SWERVE. Both a stellar portrait of depression and a horrific drama, Dean’s feature-debut easily marks him as an emerging talent to watch.

Indie horror vet Lucky McKee (MAY, THE WOMAN) returns with KINDRED SPIRITS, a twisted tale of two sisters, and the one who won’t let anything, or anyone, get between them. Eric Liberacki’s Chicago-set slasher THE LURKER pits theatre students against savage killer in a film that gives new meaning to “The show must go on!”

The festival will also play host to a number of exciting North American and Midwest premieres. Talal Selhami’s Morrocan monster horror ACHOURA, where old friends confront both their past and a beast of legends. Emilio Portes’ demonic border-set BELZEBUTH follows the investigation of missing children that takes a decidedly demonic turn. YouTubers try to crack a ghostly urban legend in Fabrício Bittar’s horror-comedy GHOST KILLERS VS. BLOODY MARY with equal amounts gags and gore. The Polish pagan epic THE MUTE, from award-winning Polish director Bartosz Konopka, explores a clash of beliefs in a thrilling, atmospheric heavy weight. Daniel de la Vega offers up a throwback to the days of black-and-white Noir films with the bewildering crime thriller PUNTA MUERTO.

Celebrated horror director Joe Begos brings us BLISS his latest pounding feature, that’ll drag you to the deprived underbelly of L.A. with the spiraling artist Dezzy Donahue, whose struggle for inspiration becomes complicated by her mounting bloodlust. Based on a tragic, true story Lucas Heyne’s MOPE follows two best friends, and low-end porn actors, who sought fame but gained infamy in connection to a gruesome, on-set murder. The tables are turned on two wannabe criminals in VILLAINS, from directors Dan Berk and Robert Olsen and starring Bill Skarsgård, when thievery runs a foul and the prowlers soon become the prey. Kirill Sokolov delivers a taste of bombastic revenge in WHY DON’T YOU JUST DIE, a delicious serving of Russian dark humour as each character tries to murderously wreak revenge on the next, presented by our friends from across the globe, Paris’ L'Étrange Festival.

Cinepocalypse is thrilled to be supported by the following sponsors: ALTER, Orion, Bloody-Disgusting.com, Shudder, Fangoria, & Vinegar Syndrome.

This year’s poster was designed by visionary heavy metal artist Paul Romano, whose work can be found on hundreds of album covers and frequently collaborates with famed force of musical destruction Mastodon.

Festival badges are available now, and individual tickets go on sale Friday at noon CT at cinepocalypsegenrefest.com

[bmjnews-blog]

Joel Schumacher, Director of Batman Films and ‘Lost Boys,’ Dies at 80

Joel Schumacher, costume designer-turned-director of films including “St. Elmo’s Fire,” “The Lost Boys” and “Falling Down,” as well as two “Batman” films, died in New York City on Monday morning after a year-long battle with cancer. He was 80. Schumacher brought his fashion background to directing a run of stylish films throughout the 1980s and 1990s that were not always critically acclaimed, but continue to be well-loved by audiences for capturing the feel of the era. Schumacher was handed the reins of the “Batman” franchise when Tim Burton exited Warner Bros.’ Caped Crusader series after two enormously successful films. The first movie by Schumacher, “Batman Forever,” starring Val Kilmer, Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carrey and Nicole Kidman, grossed more than $300 million worldwide. Schumacher’s second and last film in the franchise was 1997’s “Batman and Robin,” with George Clooney as Batman and Arnold Schwarzenegger as villain Mr. Freeze. For “Batman Forever,” the openly gay Schumacher introduced nipples to the costumes worn by Batman and Robin, leaning into the longstanding latent homoeroticism between the two characters. (In 2006, Clooney told Barbara Walters that he had played Batman as gay.) Several years after the Batman debacle, Schumacher directed the feature adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical “The Phantom of the Opera.” Despite tepid reviews, it received three Oscar noms. In 1985 Schumacher struck gold with his third feature film, “St. Elmo’s Fire,” which he directed and co-wrote. Brat Packers including Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez and Ally Sheedy as well as a young Demi Moore starred in the story of a bunch of Georgetown grads making their way through life and love. Even the theme song was a hit and is still played to evoke the era. The film offered a pretty smart take on the complexities of post-college life. His next film was a big hit as well: horror comedy “The Lost Boys,” about a group of young vampires who dominate a small California town, starred Jason Patric, Kiefer Sutherland, Corey Feldman and Corey Haim. It became a cult favorite, and a TV series adaptation has long been in the works. Schumacher had a high-concept screenplay by Peter Filardi and an A-list cast — Julia Roberts, Kiefer Sutherland, Kevin Bacon, William Baldwin — for the 1990 horror thriller “Flatliners,” about arrogant medical students experimenting with life and death, and the director hit it fairly big again, with a domestic cume of $61 million. While those hits captured the era well, others during that period were misfires, such as the 1989 remake of the French hit “Cousin/Cousine” called “Cousins” and starring Ted Danson and Isabella Rossellini and the sentimental “Dying Young,” starring Roberts and Campbell Scott. But in 1993 he showed what he was capable of with the critically hailed “Falling Down,” starring Michael Douglas as a defense worker who’s lost it all and decides to take it out on whomever he comes across. The film played in competition at the Cannes Film Festival. The New York Times said the film “exemplifies a quintessentially American kind of pop movie making that, with skill and wit, sends up stereotypical attitudes while also exploiting them with insidious effect. ‘Falling Down’ is glitzy, casually cruel, hip and grim. It’s sometimes very funny, and often nasty in the way it manipulates one’s darkest feelings.” Schumacher’s next film was also a solid hit. “The Client,” based on a John Grisham novel, was a highly effective legal thriller that also boasted terrific rapport between Susan Sarandon’s lawyer and her 11-year-old client, a boy played by Brad Renfro who has witnessed a murder. Between the two “Batman” films, Schumacher directed another Grisham adaptation, “A Time to Kill,” which sported a terrific cast (including Samuel L. Jackson, Kevin Spacey, Sandra Bullock, Ashley Judd and a career jump-starting turn by a young Matthew McConaughey) and, while not without its own weaknesses, asked important questions about race. After the second “Batman” he made the much darker, smaller-scale thriller “8MM,” which followed a miscast Nicolas Cage as a family-man private detective in pursuit of those who made what appears to be a snuff film. His next film, 1999’s “Flawless,” about a homophobic cop who’s suffered a stroke, played by Robert De Niro, and a drag-wearing Philip Seymour Hoffman, was formulaic — the odd couple who couldn’t be more different find out they have a lot in common — but it sported excellent performances by the leads and certainly had heart. Switching gears dramatically, Schumacher made “Tigerland,” starring a young Colin Farrell in the story of young recruits preparing to go off to Vietnam. It had a gritty look, but while some critics saw an earnest quality, others saw cynicism. Schumacher’s 2002 thriller “Phone Booth,” which reunited the director with Colin Farrell and Kiefer Sutherland — and intriguingly trapped Farrell’s antihero in the title New York City phone booth for almost all of the film’s running time — had critics and audiences alike talking, even if the ending was a cop-out. His other films included actioner “Bad Company,” starring Anthony Hopkins and Chris Rock; “Veronica Guerin,” starring Cate Blanchett as a journalist crusading rather recklessly against the Irish drug trade; and Jim Carrey thriller “The Number 23” and “Trespass,” starring Nicolas Cage and Nicole Kidman. Schumacher started out in showbiz as a costume designer, earning credits on 1972’s “Play It as It Lays,” Herbert Ross’ “The Last of Sheila” (1973), Paul Mazursky’s “Blume in Love (1973), Woody Allen’s “Sleeper” (1973) and “Interiors” (1978) and 1975 Neil Simon adaptation “The Prisoner of Second Avenue.” He was also credited as the production designer on the 1974 TV horror film “Killer Bees.” He also started to write screenplays, including 1976’s “Sparkle,” 1978 hit “Car Wash” and the adaptation for 1978 musical “The Wiz.” Schumacher’s first directing assignments came in television: the 1974 telepic “Virginia Hill,” which he also co-wrote and starred Dyan Cannon, and the 1979 telepic “Amateur Night at the Dixie Bar and Grill,” which he also penned. He stepped into the feature arena with the 1981 sci-fi comedy “The Incredible Shrinking Woman,” starring Lily Tomlin, followed in 1983 by “D.C. Cab,” an action-comedy vehicle for Mr. T that Schumacher also wrote. Born in New York City, he studied at Parsons the New School for Design and the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. He worked in the fashion industry, but decided to instead pursue a career in filmmaking. After moving to Los Angeles, he applied his fashion background to working first as a costume designer and worked in TV while earning an MFA from UCLA. Schumacher directed a couple of episodes of “House of Cards” in 2013, and in 2015 he exec produced the series “Do Not Disturb: Hotel Horrors.” Camerimage, the International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography, awarded Schumacher a special award in 2010. He also received the Distinguished Collaborator Award at the Costume Designers Guild Awards in 2011. Click here to view original web page at variety.com Read the full article