HALLOWEEN SPECIAL!!! dead meat

MONSTERS. METAL. ROCKERS.
HMS: The Magazine Edition
October 2013
Anthrax
plays Stephen King
Rocktober
Blood!
TOYS!
dead meat
with Aaron Hauser
HALLOWEEN SPECIAL!!!
Artist spotlight on
Steve McGinnis
Cry Little Sister
KiLLeR DWaRfS Reunited!
YOUR ONE STOP FOR HORROR AND HEAVY METAL
KENNETH GALLANT | RICHARD LEGGATT | JEREMY KELLY | BILLY LAROUQE | MATT COE | AARON HAUSER
www.horrormetalsounds.com
The Internet is chock full of
websites devoted to horror films
and heavy metal music. You can
spend hours patrolling site after
site, devouring reviews, interviews
and getting firsthand coverage of
what is going on in the film and
music industries. Many of these
sites come and go, but as you read through my editorial
I am hoping to impress upon you the importance of what
my website is bringing to the table.
I have always been passionate about horror movies and
heavy metal, and my love reaches far back into the past.
I can remember being enthralled by Universal’s Son of
Frankenstein, freaking out over Karloff’s menacing portrayal
as the mummy, and going ape shit when Vincent Price
cleverly dispatched a group of arrogant theatre critics in
Theatre of Blood. Then there was Godzilla and all his
monstrous cohorts, Harryhausen’s Gwangi and Creature
from the Black Lagoon swimming around in my memory
like it was just yesterday. I remember watching these horrific
monsters do their thing, and many of these cinematic
beasties have stayed with me as I grew into adulthood. I still
love to get scared and there’s nothing better than getting your
blood pumping and heart racing.
HORROR METAL SOUNDS
Horror Metal Sounds is the place to be. It is your one stop for
all your horror and heavy metal needs, and we aim to bring
you the best reviews, interviews, opinion pieces and artist
galleries all in the name of Metalsploitation.
STAFF
Kenneth Gallant
Editor
[email protected]
Richard Leggatt
Designer
[email protected]
Jeremy Kelly
Columnist/Film Critic
[email protected]
Billy Larouqe
Columnist
[email protected]
So having said all that, the monsters of my youth have
shaped me into who I have become today. I’ve been
influenced to certain degrees and it filters down into my
artwork, my short films and my writing, proving that the
monster kid in me has never gone away. In fact my passions
have strengthened in recent years, now that I have carved
a niche as a music journalist, affording me some great
opportunities to review and interview my heavy metal heroes.
I’ve come to realize that my passions towards heavy metal
have substantially grown into my main focus, and after a
number of stints with various other webzines, I came to the
proverbial fork in the road.
Matt Coe
Music Critic
[email protected]
Which brings me back to my original point and as a
passionate soul; I’ve decided to combine these two great
loves. Horror and heavy metal go hand in hand, I’ve said
this a million times already, so I’ve decided to put my money
where my mouth is. I went out and rounded up a group of
spirited and devoted individuals who love both genres as
much as I do. The assembled team is here to help make
this website your one stop for horror and heavy metal, and
as the editor I aim to mold and shape the bevy of opinions,
reviews and interviews each and every month into an exciting
webzine. Once you stop by, I guarantee you won’t want to
leave and I hope Horror Metal Sounds becomes your main
addiction.
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Horror-MetalSounds/1428149410738383
We’re here to stay and I want to welcome all the monster
kids and metalheads to a place for hanging out and reveling
in all the gory details. Horror Metal Sounds is going to be my
personal playground, so get ready to bang your head and
spew copious amounts of blood when you enter, because I
promise you one hell of a ride!
Kenneth Gallant, Editor HMS
Aaron Hauser
Toy Consultant
[email protected]
Be sure to follow us Facebook and Twitter for regular
updates. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to follow our
video blogs and special video features.
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/HMSounds
YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/channel/
UCiet67CHEfKzz4S21pOpKqg/featured
I had been planning this piece for another publication,
but sometimes things don’t go as planned. The idea
was going to be an examination of an 80’s horror film
called Pledge Night – which had a small role for Anthrax
vocalist Joey Belladonna.
Anthrax even had their music used in the soundtrack score,
so along with Belladonna’s brief cameo appearance (as Acid
Sid) the film made for an interesting write-up. At least that’s
what I had thought.
I had tried (unsuccessfully) to reach out to Belladonna for an
interview, so ultimately the piece got shelved when all my
attempts failed. That didn’t stop me though, since starting
HMS I figured this was the chance to revisit the piece and
come up with a fresh slant in the process. What you are
now getting is a look back into the year 1987 when Anthrax
released their third studio recording “Among the Living” to
great acclaim.
The album is significant in many ways. It consistently gets
lumped into top 10 lists for the best thrash albums of all time
and it put Anthrax into the limelight as one of the “big four”
of the thrash metal movement. The band really found their
niche on this release and it showed in the complexity of the
songs, plus the veracity of hardcore riffing and balls-out
headbanging found on almost every track made it an instant
classic with thrash fans.
For me though, Among the Living is not only my favorite
thrash album of all time, but it’s also an album that wasn’t
afraid to wear the influences of horror films and comic books
with pride on it’s sleeves. For instance, the title track “Among
the Living” is based on the Stephen King novel The Stand.
The lyrics make reference to “The Walkin Dude” and the virus
“Captain Trips” that decimates the population in the book.
Also the cover art done by the late Don Brautigam depicts
Henry Kane from Poltergeist 2, done so at the request of
the band because it was the one thing that scared them
the most. Then of course Stephen King’s horrific ideas are
referenced again in “A Skeleton in the Closet” as the song
sources the author’s Apt Pupil short from the novella Different
Seasons. Finally, the song “I am the Law” is about the band’s
favorite comic book character Judge Dredd and has since
gone on to become a staple in the band’s live set.
The most telling thing about the band’s interests in horror
films is revealed on the back cover of the CD booklet. It
shows the band standing in the NY subway tunnel and
you can see drummer Charlie Benante wearing a Day of
the Dead t-shit from George Romero’s famous zombie
film trilogy. They were obviously horror fans and it goes to
prove that horror films and heavy metal go hand in hand. It
didn’t stop there though, especially when you see photos
of guitarist Scott Ian and drummer Charlie Benante posing
with Freddy Krueger on a promo shoot with their side project
S.O.D. for the song “Freddy Krueger” recorded in 1985.
“...the title track ‘Among
the Living’ is based on the
Stephen King novel The
Stand”
Facts like these are priceless and it just goes to show
you how one genre can influence another genre, proving
crossovers were all the rage in the 80’s. In this decade kids
actually read horror novels and comic books and you didn’t
have video game consoles, iPods, iPhones or e-Readers
to fill up the majority of your free time. The decade seemed
more tactile and the horror genre reached new levels of
popularity mass producing paperbacks from authors like
Stephen King, Clive Barker, Ann Rice, Ramsay Campbell
and Dean R. Koontz just to name a few. It was a period I
thoroughly enjoyed because I got into reading horror books
and hearing my favorite metal bands get in on the act too. It
went hand in hand at the time and Anthrax wasn’t the only
band to get in on the festivities, but they certainly got me
started on loving both genres so much more.
Kenneth Gallant, Editor HMS
Killer Dwarfs – The Rockpile East
For anyone who grew up in Toronto during the 80’s the
Killer Dwarfs were the darlings of the Canadian metal
scene. The group was led by the boundless energy of
vocalist Russ Dwarf, who helped to bring the band to
great acclaim with such hits as “Stand Tall,” “Keep the
Spirit Alive” and “We Stand Alone.”
They were signed to Epic Records and released a trio of
albums before breaking up after getting dropped from the
label in the mid 90’s. The band did reunite in 2001 to play a
special one off show in Toronto, recording the concert for a
live CD called “Reunion of Scribes,” but after that the band
went back on hiatus.
Twelve years have now passed since that show, and wouldn’t
you know the Dwarfs are back in business resurfacing once
more to support a new release. The album in question - “Start
@ One” was originally recorded at Powerlines Studio in 1993
and never released until now. With that album now sent out
into the world, the Dwarfs decided to go out and support the
long lost record with a series of concert dates that kicked
off last month in the States. Tonight though, they make their
hometown stop at the new Rock Pile East in Scarborough,
helping to celebrate the grand opening of the new club.
The Rock Pile is the brain child of Dominic Tassielli who
once owned the Big Bop nightclub in downtown Toronto.
The club closed down in 2010 and soon after he was back
in business again with the grand opening of the Rock Pile in
Mississauga, Ontario. Rock Pile West as it is now known as,
was home to many great rock and metal acts and it didn’t
take long before the expansion of the franchise into the east
end of Toronto was warranted. Scarborough is the obvious
choice for the club’s latest expansion, given the rich history of
metal acts spawned in the area. Sacrifice is the one big band
that comes to mind and there are many more that have come
and gone since.
As for the opening night festivities, the crowd started
gathering out front of the club around 7:30pm and waited
patiently for the doors to open up for the very first time. But
once those doors flipped open, the crowd of mostly over 40
year old fans stormed into the bowels of the club, ordered
drinks in excessive numbers and got ready for a night of
some solid heavy metal. It didn’t take long before the first of
4 opening acts took to the stage and appeased the raucous
audience. We started off with long time metal act Mortal Fear,
then followed by Flux440, Born Emotionally Dead and then
capped off by Diemonds.
Just shortly after midnight, the Killer Dwarfs came to the
stage, opening with a rousing version of “Stand Tall.” This
classic number really got the crowd into it and from there
Russ and the boys ran through several great cuts from past
albums. What was obvious from the start was how great and
energetic they looked and sounded, and Russ Dwarf stole
the show as far as I am concerned. He was bouncing around
on stage like he was still back in the 80’s and his voice
remained steady while reaching those high notes - the dude
still had it!
“Russ Dwarf stole the
show as far as I am
concerned”
Some of the standout numbers from their 90 minute set
included: a really strong performance on “Union of Pride”
from the album Big Deal and “Nothin’ Gets Nothin’” from Dirty
Weapons really stood out. At this point Russ was interacting
with the crowd and doing some crowd surfing, as the fans
truly bought into his stage performance. From there they
played the title track “Start @ One” from the new record and
then poured some positive energy into “Comin’ Through”
from Dirty Weapons. They closed the show with the spirited
“Keep the Spirit Alive” and finally came back to do “Dirty
Weapons” as the encore number to finish the night off.
The show finished around 1:30am, but it was well worth it,
given how great the Dwarfs sounded on stage. It was like
they never really left and I think, as a reunion show goes,
this is as good as it will get with them. Russ did say after
the show that the band would be returning next year in early
February for another show at the Rock Pile East, so yours
truly will definitely be there to keep the spirit alive!
Kenneth Gallant, Editor HMS
Thou Shall Not Fall
It’s amazing all that goes into making your favorite
movie. A lot of people give credit to, say a Tom Hanks
performance, or a Clint Eastwood script. There are also
memorable scenes, like Phoebe Cates getting out of the
pool in Fast Times In Ridgemont High.
Yeah, we all have good memories of Phoebe Cates. In the
grand scheme of things though, these are all very small
things that make up a movie. As Alfred Hitchcock said
on directing, only about 40% of his vision ends up on the
finished product. Which means there is 60% more of what
the director doesn’t control. One thing that I always loved was
the movie theme songs.
Every time I hear the Jurassic Park score I think of a giant
T-Rex and raptors stalking the cast. Another is the Robocop
theme - takes me to a dystopian Detroit where the dollar is
king and only a few stand up for justice. Rocky harkens back
to the training montages and hard times before a big title
fight that also seems to be a metaphor of Rocky’s life. The
last one, and the equal to the song I’m about to cover is the
Terminator 2 theme song. The beginning percussions paint
a picture of a nuclear war torn world, where a child’s swing
blows in the fallout winds, melding into the thought of a world
changing battle between robots to save a boy who could
be the savior of our world. The melody starts and there’s a
feeling of human sacrifice, of robotic oppression, or of Arnold
Schwarzenegger kicking ass and blowing stuff up. All of this
harkens towards the melodies played.
The only other song to invoke emotion like the Terminator
theme, was Cry Little Sister, the theme from The Lost Boys
by Gerard McMann. The Lost Boys had its light hearted
moments, but for every laugh Keiffer Sutherland and his tribe
were lurking in the shadows to keep you from becoming
complacent. When I hear this, I think of the sky shots of
the boardwalk, the cave they lived in, I think of Keiffer
Sutherland’s ringleader personality; the way he was a Sid
Vicious to Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The perfect example of
how an anti-establishment punk should look and act. Even if
he wasn’t a vampire, he would still be the perfect antagonist
to Jason Patrick’s character. Hell he’d be the perfect
antagonist to society in general. All of this runs through my
head when I hear the drums that lead into a minimalistic
melody to a chorus backed by a children’s choir. Paints the
perfect picture of a new, Bauhaus era of gothic music to
showcase the new era or new take on the modern vampire.
I really think that it’s this song that separates this film from
other vampire outings in the 80’s. The other two vampire
juggernauts were Near Dark and Fright Night. Today it
wouldn’t matter if a theme song was better in one movie
or another, but cinema was different back then. A lot of
movies struggled to find an identity, so it was a novel idea
for soundtrack or a videogame to put it over the competition.
The Lost Boys had a classic soundtrack, even by bigbudgeted Hollywood standards. It was backed by Elton
John’s “Don’t Let the Sun Go down on Me” and Echo and
The Bunnymen covered The Door’s “People Are Strange”.
The Echo and The Bunnymen track led me to their albums.
“When I hear this, I think
of the sky shots of the
boardwalk...”
But now, a few decades later Cry Little Sister is still a staple,
in rock and goth music. Here’s a list of all the artists who’ve
covered this song. It’s pretty long:
Mystic Circle, as a bonus track on their 2002 album “Damien”
Zug Izland, on their 2003 album “Cracked Tiles”
Carfax Abbey, on their 2004 album “Second Skin”
Blutengel, on their 2005 album “The Oxidising Angel”
Aiden, on the soundtrack of the sequel film Lost Boys: The
Tribe
Nikki McKibbin, on her 2007 album, “Unleashed”
Vesperian Sorrow, on their 2007 album, “Regenesis
Creation” (One of two bonus tracks)
Ventana, on their 2009 album, “American Survival Guide Vol.
1”
LA Guns, on their 2009 Album “Covered in Guns”
I WIll Never Be The Same, on his 2009 album “Standby”
Rikets on their 2010 Album “All American Death Cult”
Seasons After, on their 2010 album “Through Tomorrow”
This is the only charted cover of the song, reaching #20 on
the Mainstream Rock charts.
Eminem samples the track on his song “You’re Never Over”
on his 2010 album “Recovery”
Joe Budden samples the track on his song “Thou Shall Not
Fall” on his 2007 mix tape/album Mood Muzik 3
Tangerine Dream, in their 2010 album “Under Cover” Chapter One
Lil B samples the track on the song “Unchain Me” on his
2011 album “I’m Gay”.
Lost Children covered the song in 2012.
The Anix, on their 2011 album “Sleepwalker”
Celldweller released a “Klash-Up” in October 2012, featuring
incidental music titled Hello Zepp from the first Saw movie.
This is all that’s listed on Wikipedia but I think they might
have forgotten a few. This list has some prolific artists,
while most are new bands doing a cover of it on their first
album. Covers sell. I own a few of these records, and
I love the Seasons After version and the Carfax Abbey
version. Seasons After being the best for rock, and Carfax
Abbey takes care of the goth. I listen to both versions
every day.
There were a lot of people, though, that I was surprised
to see on the list. I didn’t know Eminem used samples,
although I wasn’t too surprised. Checking these songs
out I found most of them are very generic covers, but the
number of people covering the song show an astounding
following of The Lost Boys film. I even think that it shows
some renewed interest since most of the covers are pretty
recent.
I love The Lost Boys, but if the theme music is indicative
to what other people think, then the movie is way more
of an 80s staple than I thought it was. I thought it sort
of went the way of Joel Schumacher’s other 80’s iconic
film “St. Elmo’s Fire”. Just one of those fun films from a
different time. I guess it was good enough to stand the
test of time. I’m never too optimistic when it comes to 80’s
horror films. Too many have been left behind and I’ve
been left jaded. Here’s one though that I’m glad made it.
Spend a day or you’re lunch break checking out some of
these songs. Even if you don’t like most of the music - the
good memories will be more than enough to bring back
the great memories to tune out the lame tuneage.
Jeremy Kelly, HMS
Rocktober Blood
About three years ago, I discovered a book called The
Official Heavy Metal Book of Lists by Eric Danville,
published by Beatbeat Books. One of the lists was
“Spinal Tap Meets the Mummy - Mike McPadden’s 13
Favorite, Absolutely Killer Heavy Metal Horror Movies…”
Through this list, I discovered many of my favorite
Metalsploitation (heavy metal horror) movies, including
Rocktober Blood (1984). I soon looked it up and was
blown away by this kickass singer in Alice Cooper
makeup singing an awesome song called “I’m Back.” I
had to know more...
Rocktober Blood starts off in a recording studio where singer
Billy “Eye” Harper and his band are recording “I’m Back.”
After completing the song he then leaves and “he” returns
and kills some of the workers. He then attempts to do the
same with his back up singer and then girlfriend, Lynn
Starling. He is interrupted by security. Fast forward ahead
two years, we find out that Billy was executed for the mass
murder of 25 rock and rollers. At a press party, it’s announced
that the band, now named Headmistress is forging on for the
Rocktober Blood ‘84 tour, and now Lynn Starling is the lead
singer. While it appears that they have moved on with their
lives, “Billy” suddenly pops up, and it appears that Billy has
come back from the grave to haunt Lynn. For the next few
days, “Billy” stalks Lynn, kills many of her friends around her,
and Lynn desperately tries to convince everyone that Billy is
after her. Everyone thinks that Lynn is crazy. Once Lynn is
finally sure that Billy is dead, Billy comes back once again,
and it’s revealed that it’s actually Billy’s twin brother, John
Harper, who did all the original killings too. He explains that
he’s trying to avenge his music being stolen; this all happens
before the big concert. As they say, though, the show must
go on...
Soundtrack: Much like the movie, the Rocktober Blood
soundtrack is also extremely hard to find. But it is a true
treasure when found. It includes various artists with the
original songs for the movie being done by the band Sorcery,
who played the fictional Headmistress band in the movie.
Track 1 - I’m Back (Richard Taylor, Lohn Cohen, Richie
King and Perry Morris) - a spectacular 80s anthem that is
performed at the beginning and end of the movie. This song
should have been a hit.
Track 2 - Rainbow Eyes (Lohn Cohen and Reba Meryl) Lynn Starling’s big song in the movie is also a great metal
anthem that may be the closest thing the soundtrack has
to a hit.
Track 3 - High School Boys (Susie Rose Major and
Paul Bennett) - this song is by the female fronted band,
Facedown. The Facedown songs were mainly used as filler
songs in the movie and soundtrack. Although this song is
good, surprisingly, I don’t remember hearing it anywhere in
the movie.
Track 4 - Can’t Kill Rock and Roll ( Major, Bennett) - another
Facedown song. This one is played during the party scenes
in the movie. A great song that kind of sounds like The
Who with Pat Benatar on vocals, whereas the Sorcery/
Headmistress songs sound more like Black Sabbath/Judas
Priest/Iron Maiden.
Track 5 - Soul Searcher (Nigel Benjamin, Richard Onori,
Pat Regan) - this one is a mystery to me. On my unofficial
CD copy of the soundtrack, it plays a piece of the scary
background music used in the movie. During the workout
scene in the movie, I heard a metal instrumental that I didn’t
hear anywhere on the soundtrack, so I’m still wondering
about it. According to one website, the song was done by a
band called Eyes.
Track 6 - Watch Me Rock (Bennett, Major) - A pretty good,
lively song that’s played during a scene where they’re setting
up the stage.
Track 7 - Touch Me/Won’t you Let Me Touch You (Bennett,
Major) - The last Facedown song, is pretty good too.
However I don’t remember this song in the movie either.
Track 8 - Killer on The Loose (Taylor) - Another Sorcery/
Headmistress tune. This one is performed in the epic concert
scene during the movie. A great song with lots of great guitar
solos, including a lengthy Van Halen type solo which plays
before the actual song begins.
Track 9 - KCAB-MI - this is simply a back masked version
of I’m Back with several eery sounding effects. The song
sounds kickass both backwards and forwards.
Track 10 - Watching You (Taylor, Morris) - A beautiful ballad
that is played over the end credits of the movie.
The soundtrack rules! The Sorcery/Headmistress line up
includes Nigel Benjamin who does all the males vocals and
the singing voice of the Harper twins, Susie Rose Major,
the singing voice of Lynn on Rainbow Eyes, lead guitarist
Richard Taylor, rhythm guitarist Lohn Cohen, bassist Richie
King, and drummer Perry Morris. The Facedown line up
is Susie Rose Major on vocals, Paul Bennett on guitars,
Michael Zioch on bass, and Barry Brant on drums. The Eyes
line up is Nigel Benjamin on vocals, guitar and keyboard,
Bob Steffan on guitars, John Telesco on bass, Pat Regan on
keyboards, and Richie Onori on drums. Benjamin, Regan,
and Onori also did much of the background music in the
movie. According to Benjamin, he originally wanted to include
an instrumental called Senate of Demons but it was deemed
by the filmmakers to be “too scary.” Overall, it’s a great raw
metal soundtrack, setting the perfect sound to a fantastic film.
“Overall, it’s a great raw
metal soundtrack”
To this day, Rocktober Blood is one of my all time favorite
movies and soundtracks. It’s like an updated version of
Phantom Of The Paradise, only Rocktober Blood is better.
The movie has interesting characters, a rad soundtrack,
witty one-liners, good gore effects, funny moments, scary
moments, sexy moments and is artistically made, with very
cool lighting effects, and a beautiful stage set during the
concert scene. The concert scene is one of the best in film
history too. This movie has it all! I have many fond memories
tied in with this movie. I’m even planning on putting on a
stage production of Rocktober Blood in the near future.
And… I was very happy to become acquainted with many
people who worked on the film, notably, Tray Loren who
plays the Harper twins, Ben Sebastian who plays the head
of security, writer and producer Ferd Sebastian, director
Beverly Sebastian, drummer Perry Morris, Susie Rose Major
who does the singing voice of Lynn, and Nigel Benjamin
who does the singing voice of the Harper twins and plays
Chris Keane, the manager in the movie. They have told
me many behind the scenes stories from the making of the
film, such as Perry Morris telling me how while the film was
being made, the band Sorcery was also making a Dick Clark
Halloween special, and that a majority of the movie was
filmed in the Fall of 1983 although it was released in 84. Nigel
told me that he didn’t even know what the film was about
until he saw the final production. I feel honored to know these
artists personally.
Sadly though, as of this writing, the movie and soundtrack
are both very rare and hard to find, and the movie is
only available on VHS (and laser disc in Japan), and the
soundtrack is only available on vinyl. But we should never
give up hope that they might reach the cd and dvd format, as
Ferd Sebastian once told me he was planning to someday
put the movie on dvd. I can’t wait til this happens! In the
meantime, please tell your friends about this criminally
underrated heavy metal horror masterpiece. And I hope that
you will love it as much as I do.
Movie and Soundtrack recorded in Los Angeles, soundtrack
recorded at Baby-O Studios and SIR studios and sound
stages. Produced by Ferd and Beverly Sebastian. Click here
to view the complete list of credits.
Billy Larouqe, HMS
TURMOIL IN THE TOYBOX
On the night she went to the prom…
Terror Toys is an exciting feature bringing you the latest in
horror action figures and collectibles. I’m very excited to
have the services of Aaron Hauser of Turmoil in the Toybox
fame, as one of our leading experts for this page. Aaron is
also a skilled broadcaster/videographer with the Air Force,
totaling over 11 years of experience working in news and TV
production, along with producing various pieces for 99 Air
Base Wing Public Affairs. His youtube series chronicles some
of the best reviews on the net for movie collectibles, props
and toys, so having him as a part of this feature is an honor.
Carrie is one of cinema’s most thrilling films. The movie was
first brought to the silver screen in 1976 by director Brian
De Palma, adapted from Stephen King’s landmark novel.
The film stars Sissy Spacek as the abused and timid Carrie
and Piper Laurie as her demented mother in gripping roles
that will forever be cemented in cinema lore. Arguably an
improvement over the source material, De Palma laced the
film with crass humor and dirty jokes, but used imaginative
cinematography and a fabulous production design to really
bring this story to life. The climactic moment of a vengeful
Carrie drenched in blood as she unleashes her psychic
powers will never be forgotten, making this truly one of the
finest moments in American cinema.
This month Aaron brings us a review on the recent arrival of
Neca’s series 1 Carrie remake figures for the upcoming film.
The two figures in the package include: the prom version of
Carrie and the bloody version, so listen closely and watch
Aaron give a very informative review of these exciting new
figures.
Then in 2002 Carrie White made a comeback as a TV movie
from director David Carson and TV veteran writer Bryan
Fuller. Actress Angela Bettis was cast in the role of Carrie
and Patricia Clarkson was given the coveted role of Carrie’s
mentally deranged mother. The movie is somewhat bland
and the writers totally ignored the lewd sexual overtones that
was a part of Margaret White’s character. The ending is also
a curiosity, as Carrie seemingly survives and is seen leaving
town. The assumption here is that the ending was meant
to lead into a weekly series, which quite frankly would have
been a bad idea.
Now eleven years later Carrie is being remade yet again,
only this time under the direction of Kimberly Pierce (Boys
Don’t Cry). What’s interesting about this particular new take
on the concept is that it will be directed by a woman. Perhaps
a more feminine perspective might give credence to the sad
plight of Carrie’s abused childhood and subsequent teenage
alienation. The role of Carrie this time around goes to Chloe
Grace Moretz and the esteemed Julianne Moore gets to sink
her teeth into the role of Margaret White. This new version
is actually being considered a re-imagining instead of being
called an outright remake, so we will see how this one fares
now that it’s in theatres.
Kenneth Gallant, Editor HMS
STEVE McGINNIS
Horror Metal Sounds: Do you have a favorite horror film?
Welcome to the Gore Spotlight; a feature that will
expose, illuminate and generally pound you in the guts
when showcasing the artistic talents of those we chose
to shine our spotlight on.
Steve McGinnis: Hands down 1982’s The Thing. The
effects created by Rob Bottin and his team were amazing
and still stand the test of time.
This month we feature horror artist Steve McGinnis, who
hails from Brantford, Ontario. Currently he owns Digital
Impact Graphics and has been hacking through with a series
of illustrations, graphics and all around horrific images.
He’s done work on posters and ads for Fangoria Magazine,
Macabrecon, Niagara Falls Comic Con and the Blood in the
Snow Horror Festival. Steve is also a die-hard horror fan and
heavy metal fanatic and can be reached here:
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/steve.mcginnis2?fref=ts
Horror Metal Sounds: Let’s start out with a bit of information
about you. How did you get started as an artist?
Steve McGinnis: As a kid I did nothing but draw, I’d hide
out in my room after school and create these books of
adventures. My folks still have them all in a box somewhere.
Through high school I was told by every teacher not to
pursue art as a career because I was no good at it. This
really put a fire under me and I drew non-stop. After taking
Fine arts and Digital media in college I worked for an artist’s
studio which helped me focus on my realism techniques.
Then after bouncing from graphic job to graphic job in the
early 2000’s I went out on my own.
“I will always put pen to
paper and my passion is
horror.”
Horror Metal Sounds: Who are some of
your favorite artists and can you tell us what
your influences are?
Steve McGinnis: Wow, there are so many.
Frank Frazetta has to be one of my all time
fav’s. I read Conan as a kid and his covers
were mind-blowing. I would include Frank
Miller in this group too.
Horror Metal Sounds: I understand you are a fan of heavy
metal, so what bands are you into?
Steve McGinnis: I always have music on and Metal
has played a big part of my life and in my art throughout
my time as an artist. Black Sabbath with Ozzy, Slayer,
Sepultura, Cavalera Conspiracy and Slipknot is some of the
bands I am into.
Horror Metal Sounds: What does the future hold for Steve
McGinnis?
Steve McGinnis: Tons and tons of horror illustrations
whether they get published or not I will always put pen to
paper and my passion is horror. It’s a big plus when people
enjoy it.
Kenneth Gallant, Editor HMS
THE CONFLICT OF DANIEL
BRANNON
It was said that on the day Commander Maggot was
born God was sick. What a profound statement to be
made, as the film opens. We then see the grubby looking
vagrant, waking up disoriented and battling strange
voices in his head. Is he really taking to someone, or is
this all a figment of his imagination? That is the question
that gets raised, as Daniel picks himself up and wanders
the streets in search of some answers.
This short film was shot in 2008 by Spider Gun Productions,
and it was originally spawned from a dream that writer
Kenneth Gallant had experienced. Some quick sketches
were made and once they were shown to artist Rich Leggatt
history was made shortly after.
The film was shot guerilla style, so all the locations were shot
outdoors and in some cases relied upon public locations to
create an effective atmosphere for the story to gestate. It
was shot in a single weekend and then quickly edited a week
later. The film runs for about 15 minutes and it has been
shown online to family and friends.
This concept of Daniel Brannon is simple, but through and
through this is a monster movie done old school. The short
is inspired from movies like Phantasm, David Cronenberg’s
Shivers and Frank Henenlotter’s Basket Case. There’s also
a creepy feeling of dualism that helps to push the narrative,
effectively creating a chilling portrait of a man spiraling out of
control.
“On the day I was born,
God was sick”
The character of Daniel Brannon went through several
revisions over time, but once the final concept was agreed
upon it was smooth sailing from there. Only one actor was
needed, and that went to friend Robert Leathem who agreed
to don the ragged clothes and monster mask to help bring
the movie to life.
This was the first film for the newly formed partners of
Kenneth Gallant and Rich Leggatt and it helped to launch
them into a series of shorts that followed. Of all the films
done by these two partners Daniel Brannon has stood out
the most.
Kenneth Gallant, Editor HMS