YouTube Friday: The Horror Begins

As some of you might have inferred, I have a long-standing love affair with adding video clips to the blog. I decided to channel that unseemly love into something productive, therefore...

...from the stinking depths of the primordial ooze, where the miracle of birth mingles with the aberrations of Nature, comes forth from an unholy union a creature so monstrous that babies' lips wobble at the very sight of it....

Might I present YouTube Friday. Please, don't scream! It doesn't like it when you scream.

Up first on the docket is a little gem I found at the New York Times website. Normally, performance art ends towards the annoyingly pretentious - anyone who's ever seen the episode of Spaced where Brian takes Daisy and Tim to see a performance piece by a woman named Vulva knows what I mean (Not to mention, it also has one of the awesomest Resident Evil references/homages I've ever seen).


Performance art tends to be creepy-weird: no one really gets it though everyone pretends to and you feel like a giant dumbass because you're not indie/trendy/hip (insert your own adjective that indicates value here) enough to get it.

Not so with Jillian Mcdonald. Known throughout the internet for her obsessive love for Billy Bob Thornton, Ms. Mcdonald has ventured into exciting, horror-themed exploits. One piece shows her sitting demurely on the subway, legs elegantly crossed, while she proceeds to paint her face like a zombie whilst onlookers try not to stare. Another shows a superimposed image of the artist in famous horror movies screaming at the monsters, "not out of helpless fear but with a powerful, sometimes destructive force that scares or even blows the monsters away" according to her website.

Funny, unpretentious, and firmly-tongue in cheek, Mcdonald's work does more than entertain - it sends powerful messages about what it means to be scared (or scary) and female in Western society. Critic Trent Morse writes, "Mcdonald's shrieking character is an empowered woman using her presumed weakness as a sonic bludgeon, but always in a humorous way. The brevity of the movie clips, removed from their plots and storylines, exaggerates the silliness of these horror films. Each time I saw the video, Mcdonald's grossed-out reactions to her conquered enemies elicited grins and even out-loud laughter from gallery goers, a rarity in an art world that sometimes takes itself too seriously."

What I find refreshing is Mcdonald's subtle brand of feminism. Instead of espousing the hyper sexualized gun toters that seem to pervade Hollywood horror movies (Ahem, Ms. Jovovich), Mcdonald portrays a woman menaced (by a hyper sexualized female vampire, interestingly enough) but not put-upon. She doesn't run, breasts joggling for the audience to oogle. Nor does she suddenly gain an uncanny knowledge of martial arts and weaponry and start blasting the hell out the predator with her phallisized gun. No. She simply uses her voice - symbol of identity and personal strength - and screams it into submission. Unnervingly simple, but mind-shakingly profound, Mcdonald's work is truly a joy to view. I'm a little stunned, frankly, that I got so much meaning out of that little clip. Damn, she's good.

She also loves zombies, mostly because she used to be terrified of them. Sound familiar? I am eternally fascinated by how people get wrapped up in horror movies. They're always guaranteed to be interesting stories. Check her stuff out, not only is she smart and funny, she's darn good at what she does. I think I'm developing a little bit of a girl-crush on her.

Oh, and just for fun: Trailers from Hell - along with Edgar Wright - present the trailer for Raw Meat, which I am dying to get my hands on.



Also, X Factor (the UK's version of American Idol) has a wonderful contestant named Rhydian (yes, his real name!) who sang a bit from 2004's The Phantom of the Opera.

Halloween recap

OK, almost two weeks after the fact, I can finally talk about Halloween - now that I'm not sick of it. I have a tendency, the two weeks leading to All Hallow's, to seriously OD on all things horror.

I crashed big time this year. I'm just starting to get over it. Though, if I see one of those stupid Travel Channel shows about haunted travels, I just might pull an Elvis and shoot out the TV. Or maybe not, I always seem to get suckered into those shows. Sad, really.

This year, I once again pulled out the FX and channeled my inner Jack Pierce/Tom Savini. The results were - colorful, to say the least. Usually I go subtle. But not this year. Oh no, not this year.

Here's this year's handiwork (except for the gentleman with the black and white face. That crazy shit is all his own) :
Here's some close-ups:


To quote my sister from my Myspace page: "You're such a happy zombie!"

Of course, I just got finished eating.

And then, the piece de resistance:


Yes, I'm marrying that. Who's more pathetic: me for doing it, or him for wearing it so well?

So yeah, I don't want to dwell on this too much, because, frankly, I'm fucking embarrassed to write this.

I owe Eli Roth an apology.

Yes, finally watched Hostel for the first time. Didn't find it as repugnant as I thought it would be. Just shows what I know. I can see the point Roth was trying to make - ham fisted thought it was - but I can appreciate the effort. I even enjoyed bits of it. That eye scene - fantastic! I haven't been grossed out like that in a long time (since Dylan Moran's evisceration scene in Shaun of the Dead, to be exact). It was still full of gratuitous sex and violence - I still maintain that it's torture porn, but give Roth props where props are due. I kinda want to see Hostel II now. Just kinda.

But don't tell anybody, don't want to damage my street cred. Can you dig it?

I just had a brain flash of that Chicago song, "Saturday in the Park". You know the part that goes, "Can you dig it?" and a voice sings back, "Yes. I can!"

God, I'm lame.

And, just for fun, a Shaun of the Dead holiday greeting, seeing as everyone has lost their fucking minds and already playing Christmas music on the radio. Enjoy!

Bad Blogger, Bad!

So, just to get down to it, I suck big time. Haven't written in awhile for a couple of reasons - poor excuses, really.

First off, got a job. Yipee.

Second, got engaged. Which is largely (apart from the whole love, committing to another person for the rest of your life) turning out to be Suckville, population: ME (and my affianced).

I know, not very horror-related.

I wanted the wedding to be on Halloween of next year, but my mom pitched a fit. So we compromised and the wedding will be November 1, 2008: All Saints Day. The wedding rehearsal will be on Halloween. I'm trying to add horror elements into the wedding - but not so much that it weirds people out. Each table, however, will be named after a classic horror movie. I've put my foot down about that. Any suggestions?

Enough wedding crap. I promise to start blogging again regularly (I have missed you all - even Eric, who demands that I post the obligatory Halloween post - how very trite of you! I kid, I kid.)

There is more to come and it will positively reek of awesome and wonderfulness. Maybe some pics of my Halloween grotesqueries to appease the masses.

Til then, hope you all had a happy and safe Halloween!