MARTYRS (2008)

I watched Pascal Laugier's Martyrs (2008) last night around midnight.  I viewed this one a few years ago.  I don't remember what I thought about it at the time (maybe disappointment due to not getting what I had expected), but it's sure fucking with my head now.  Even while I'm writing this post I'm thinking to myself how pointless everything is.  Why am I doing this?  Why do I do anything?  I can't talk.  Everything has just stopped. I feel like praying, but I have nothing to say.  And to whom would I pray?  Who would be listening?  When a movie has the ability to mesmerize or trap someone inside his mind, that movie surpasses entertainment.  I don't know how anyone could find this film entertaining anyway.  I didn't.  It bothers me.  It takes me away from my blessed life.  If only for a moment I realize how pointless I am.  I didn't exist then, and I won't exist soon.  I'm here for this blink and that is all.

This has been my second viewing of Martyrs, and knowing what to expect this time around, it has had a much deeper impact than when I watched it a few years back.  If you care to give it a shot, I suggest watching it alone, putting it away for a month or two, and then watching it again.  I feel like this film has just ripped apart my insides.  It has taken my mind to a state in which I have trouble articulating through writing.  Maybe it's just me.  You'll probably hate it.  As repulsive the imagery in this film is, it has permanently affected me.  It has accomplished its task.  It has succeeded in its purpose.  Recommended.

It Conquered the World

This obscure 1957 Roger Corman flick has been under my radar for some time now, but I still haven't had the pleasure of experiencing its glory.  I've seen parts of its end via the movie Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (1987) and have viewed its trailer several times.  I've seen photos and read its synopsis, but continue to wait for an official DVD/Blu-Ray release.  Lately Shout Factory has been giving special treatments to old Corman movies and I'm crossing my fingers in hopes they'll get to this one.  I'm not thrilled about paying over $20 for a bootleg, but I feel myself slowly breaking down and fear I may soon give in.  If there is anybody out there willing to send me a copy, I'll return the favor with a print of the title's Venusian creature that I illustrated a few years back along with a set of my 1950s movie monster buttons.  That's a fair trade, right?

Regardless of having never seen the film, it's hard to ignore Paul Blaisdell's unique and very silly vision of what a creature from Venus might look like.  In the photos above is my rendition of his creation, made from polymer clay.  I finished it just days ago.

Here's my first homage to Beulah through watercolor back when I had first read about the movie in the pages of David Earl Worth's very informative Sleaze Creatures (1995).

SOLD

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

I would check out these books from the school library when I was a kid.  They introduced to me some of the classic spooky songs and stories I know today.  At the time, some of the tales really freaked me out, but what really made me uneasy were the incredible drawings by Stephen Gammell.  That artist must have really dug deep into his nightmares to create such haunting imagery, because his illustrations are absolutely bone chilling.

I made this video this morning.  The boys and I got up to watch our Saturday morning cartoons and then pretty much sat around all day, so I scanned some of Gammell's drawings and made this video.  His visual nightmares play to a song taken from the first book in the series.  It can be found on Harley Poe's new album.  Our version is a combination of lyrics stitched together from several sources.  Enjoy.