Sugar Hill (1974)

In 1968, George Romero changed the cinematic zombie forever.  Night of the Living Dead disassociated the undead from their voodoo roots, making them flesh eating corpses created by an unknown force.  And though a few films maintained the zombie’s traditional origins during the 70s, the release of Dawn of the Dead buried the voodoo element under a cinematic spilling of blood and intestines. 

One of the tradition zombie films released between Night and Dawn was 1974’s Sugar Hill, a successful mix of traditional horror and blacksploitation elements from AIP (following the earlier Blacula and Scream, Blacula, Scream).  But viewers expecting a level of social commentary akin to Romero’s works will be disappointed.  Other than the basic blacksploitation trappings, Sugar Hill is little more than a simple revenge story wrapped in horror trappings.  But the film works thanks to a plot that transcends the racial turmoil of the time, a good cast, some creepy moments and surprisingly good zombie makeup.

The film opens at The Haitian nightclub.  Langston (Larry Don Johnson), the club’s owner, is being pressured to sell out to local gangster Morgan (Robert Quarry).  As Langston is steadfast in his refusal to sell, Morgan’s men beat him to death.

Yea, blink and you'll miss his performance

Langston’s girlfriend, Diana “Sugar” Hill, (Marki Bey), isn’t content to wait for the police to build a case against Morgan and his men.  Summoning voodoo lord of the dead Baron Samedi (Don Pedro Colley), she gains a zombie army and goes on a murderous rampage, dispatching the gang members before moving up to Morgan and his racist girlfriend.

As a blacksploitation film, Sugar Hill contains elements that could offend modern viewers.  Morgan and those around him drop the N-word with a shocking casualness, but one has to remember such attitudes were openly expressed with such language only a few decades ago.  And while Morgan is a surrogate figure for the white establishment that maintained a position of superiority through racial discrimination, the fact that his attitudes don't seem so outdated today is a bit depressing.  Perhaps such views are hidden from the public eye, but a quick tour of the Internet will show just how little some people have changed since the 70s.

But let's get back to the film, and Bey’s changing hairstyle.  Some might consider this a continuity error at first, but her appearance is another bit of political subtext in the film.  When we are first introduced to Sugar, and in all her dealings with “acceptable” (white) society, her hair is a shellacked helmet, designed to help her fit into a culture that would ostracize her.  Yet, once she unleashes her zombie army, the helmet is discarded.  Her Afro becomes a declaration against the white establishment that oppresses her.  It’s not subtle by any means, but quite effective.

Well, if I'm about to be fed to hungry pigs, I imagine this might be

 a more pleasant final image than Anthony Hopkins glaring at me.

But any examination of racial tensions is of secondary importance to the filmmakers.  And were the blacksploitation elements removed from the script, Sugar Hill would still work as a basic revenge flick.  Given the ease in which a modern audience could empathize with Sugar's desire to avenge her love's death, I’m surprised this film continues to be overlooked by many horror fans.  Despite the limitations of the budget, and of visual effects at the time, Sugar Hill is one of the better non-Romero-style zombie movies made and deserves a bigger fan base.

While the cast is fine, Colley’s performance as Baron Somedi is terrific.  While the character is a bit over the top most of the time, but one scene stands out.  The Baron watches one of Morgan’s men threaten a street fruit seller, and the expression of dismay and anger on Somedi's face is amazing.  And it gives credence to the film’s conclusion, as The Baron accepts a lesser payment than expected for his services.  This scene, which could be easy to overlook, solidifies the idea that Somedi's motivations for helping Sugar changed as he witnessed the intolerance practiced by Morgan and his men.

But damn, his less subtle moments are such fun to watch

As for the zombies, the design is rather simple, consisting of some body paint supplemented by cobwebs and reflective, bulging eyes.  But damn, is it effective.  At times, these zombies are creepier and more menacing than the ones in Romero’s first film.  Their blank, glowing eyes and ghastly grins work just as well as the gapping jaws of a flesh hungry zombie, even now.

Okay they aren't going to eat you, bet it doesn't make you feel any less

CREEPED OUT!

You can purchase the film through the Warner Achieves website as a DVD-R, and the picture and sound quality is quite good.  Don’t expect any extra features, as this is standard for DVD on demand releases.  Still, I was disappointed with the cover art.  Rather than the awesome movie poster (see the top of this post), we’re given a rather bland picture of Sugar and Mama Maitresse, with no trace of zombies at all.  It makes the film look more like a drama than a horror film, which is a mistake when trying to generate interest in a film that lacks a large fan base.  I assume this eliminated the need to pay royalties to the poster artist, but that’s a shame, as a simple change in the cover art would draw viewers unfamiliar with this film.

Yea, that's the DVD-R cover.  Don't judge the movie by it.

Regardless of the cover art, you should check out Sugar Hill.  The film holds up because, at its core, it’s a simple revenge flick.  Racial context aside, any modern viewer will understand Sugar’s motivation and have no problem cheering for her vengeful murder spree.  Toss in some creepy looking zombies and a maniacal Lord of the Dead, and it’s a film every horror fan will enjoy.

Frightfully Funny Friday: 10/18 edition

If you ever wonder why so many characters do such stupid things in horror films, check out the faux trailer for Hell, No: The Sensible Horror Film.  

This short features some language and scenes that are probably NSFW.

Yea, we'd be in and out of the theater in 15 minutes or less....

I, Frankenstein looks amazingly bad

Maybe I should have saved this for Frightfully Funny Friday, but it's not very funny.  In fact, it's quite depressing....

I watched the first part of this trailer in shock, wondering who was insane enough to turn The Monster into a reluctant action hero.  But once I saw the producers of the Underworld series were involved, everything about this trailer made sense.  It's the same formula that gave us Kate Beckinsale in pleather, or a tortured vampire falling in love with a Slayer.

The script writes itself at this point.  Take one brooding monster who is humanity's only hope against an army of CGI generated supernatural beings, add in massive battles, collapsing buildings and huge explosions.  Of course, the final ingredient is the inclusion of a British actor (in this case, Bill Nighy) as the villain, just to give the production a hint of class.  Stir well, then sit back and wait for a big opening weekend in January.

Of course, the expected outcome is another monster-as-hero franchise, which would be easy enough to ignore.  But the unholy offspring, should I, Frankenstein make enough money, will be studios rebooting other classic horror characters as heroes.

As one example, I'm sure some studio executive would love to turn Doctor Jekyll into a darker version of The Hulk, after that character made such an impression on audiences in The Avengers.  Just imagine the 3D CGI mayhem on the screen as a steroid-crazed Mr. Hyde battles a demonic horde intent on ruling the Earth.  After all, massive CGI destruction is a sure fire ingredient for big box office.

Or maybe Universal will finally reboot The Gill-Man, but turn him into humanity's only hope against an evil oil company CEO intent on using his off shore drilling operations to open the Gates of Hell.  Oh, and get Miley Cyrus to put on the swimsuit, as underwater twerking will look great in 3D!  A depressing thought, I know, but given Universal's recent track record rebooting their collection of monsters, such an unholy abomination is an almost certain outcome.

Before you chastise me for giving a studio head any ideas, I suspect such treatments (or ones even worse) are already on hold, as executives wait to see how I, Frankenstein does in the box office.  And if the studios smell money coming from this film, 2015 is could be a very long, depressing year.

It's time for Frightfully Funny Friday!

Yes, I know, I know.  I posted the Friday the 13th edition, then when silent.  But work kicked me in the teeth last month, and I got a bit sick with the flu, I was attacked by CHUDs, beaten by the Kids in the Corn, The Car ran out of gas, my appointment with Dr. Giggles ran late, my kid's Good Guy doll went crazy, the Kaiju blocked the freeway...

Look, it wasn't my fault!

And if you didn't catch the reference, go back and watch The Blues Brothers.

Anyway, here's something that's been about the Internet for a couple of days, but damn, it's GREAT.  And a lot of fun!!!

Oh, it's Hellboy Willy!!!  Way too many references for one viewing, I hope this teaser means the Treehouse of Horror episode has returned to it's former glory.  If not, we always have this.

Oh, my. I missed the last two Frightfully Funny Fridays!

Oh, curse my day job.  You know, the one that doesn't involve The Shadow Over Portland, yet keeps a roof over my head and the Internet at my beck and call.  Seriously, being a brain dead zombie at the end of the work day keeps me from the post, and I apologize for such shortcomings.

Still, I have something to share with you, and Michael Bay.  It comes from the wisdom of YouTube, the idea that if you are going to make a senseless remake of a classic film, you can make it fabulous with a scene including the Benny Hill theme.

Yea, I know I had a moment like this on Friday the 13th, but it's still pretty funny.....

Enjoy!

Atomic Brain Invasion (2010)

One can only imagine how difficult it is to make an homage to 50s genre movies.  The filmmaker has to expect modern sensibilities to creep into the story, yet must be kept in check lest the script becomes little more than cliché comparisons to the past.  And walking the fine line between poking fun and delving into outright mockery can become problematic.

Atomic Brain Invasion manages, for the most part, to sidestep these pitfalls.  Part of the reason is director Richard Griffin and co-writer Guy Benoit seemed more concerned with crafting a fun alien invasion film, rather than just delivering a film set in the 50s.  And thanks to their efforts, the film is one fans of the genre, and the casual viewer, will enjoy.

Uh-huh.  Elvis says you have to watch this film.

Despite the simple title, the plot is a bit more complicated than expected.  After a brief introduction to our main cast, an alien canister full of nefarious slime lands on Earth.  The hapless victims exposed to this goo shed their heads and become evil brain aliens, though the effect isn’t as graphic as you might expect.  However, to create a horde of Brain Invaders, the beings puke neon colored slime into the mouth of their victims.  Yea, that’s a bit gross, but just go with it.

Meanwhile, the film’s high-school nerd heroes find a spacecraft containing a trio of aliens demanding to be taken to “the King.”  And, surprise, Elvis is performing in the area, so all these aliens want is to see the King of Rock and Roll.  But the evil aliens want to take Elvis to their home world, so our heroes must protect him while unraveling a government conspiracy concerning a “hidden” nuclear test site. 

Yea, no one will notice that

Toss in a greaser hoodlum with an origami fascination and an alcoholic Scotsman (is there any other in such movies?) who might be the victim of an alien abduction, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.  But the film works, thanks to the goofy script that is more a sweet kiss on the cheek to movies of the past, rather than a harsh slap to the face.

But for this film to work, you have to accept that it occurs on an alternate Earth where equality is more advanced than present day America.  The film’s hero, Sherrman (David Lavaliee Jr.), is an African-American and the fact that he’s in love with the lily-white Betty (Sarah Nicklin) is never questioned by his friends.  The only racial slur, mentioned by the greaser hoodlum, is pretty tame compared to the words used back in the 50s.  Oh, and we have an Asian American student that is thought of fondly by most of the men in town, which would feel out of place for a movie from the era.

I mention this point because one scene during the final act.  And while it’s hard not to appreciate what the filmmakers are saying, the scene stops the film’s momentum and feels like it drags out too long.  Yet, the script kick backs into high gear soon after, thanks to a couple of sudden revelations concerning the Brain Invaders. 

Yea, they aren't as smart as they look

And these sudden plot twists work, thanks to a crafty script that sets up everything earlier in the film.  You might not catch every bit upon your first viewing, but it makes a second viewing enjoyable, and I suspect you will want to see this one again.

The cast is terrific, playing up the campiness of the script without turning their performance into a mockery of past genre films.  Lavaliee and Nicklin are perfect as high school students thrust into the roles of heroes, and their moments of hysteria are quite believable. Sherman’s friends (played by Daniel Lee White and Colin Carlton) are fun to watch, as is Michael Reed, Sherman’s antagonist and his rival for Betty’s affections.  And David Erin Wilson’s performance as General Bedfellow is better than one would expect for the character.  He keeps the General from becoming an outright parody of the military characters from the 50s, which one would expect from a modern film playing off 50s stereotypes.

As for the Brain Invaders, the creature effects look great for the budget (and yes, you have to take that into consideration), thanks to some skillful staging.  And though the aliens might seem a bit goofy, their behavior makes sense as the film progresses and allows the audience to believe a group of teenagers could thwart this alien invasion.  That might seem like a strange statement, but wait for the siege on the diner and you’ll get the point.  

Nope, this has nothing to do with how the siege goes, but the end results are pretty funny.  

If you love 50s alien invasion movies, you’ll enjoy Alien Brain Invasion.  And if you’re not familiar with those older films, it doesn’t matter.  The filmmakers capture the spirit of the genre better than most modern homage films, while allowing you to laugh at the troupes of the genre.  It’s a rare balancing act and the filmmakers pull it off, delivering a loving tribute that only pokes fun at a bygone genre, rather than outright mocking it.  

My only complaint is the DVD has a rather generic cover, rather than the comic book style cover I used to open my review.  Had that artwork been included, the DVD would be perfect.  But don't let that very minor quibble keep you from watching or, better yet, buying this film.  It's terrific fun and a great movie to share with friends.  Don't pass it up.

The Return of Frightfully Funny Fridays!

Happy Friday the 13th!  And what better day to start up Frightfully Funny Fridays once again!

So, remember, this is the one day to avoid all the fun things in life, like booze, drugs and sex.  And, for god's sake, STAY OUT OF THE WOODS!!

WARNING: This clip contains a bit of graphic violence, so be safe watching it at work.