Nothing takes me back to my early 20’s like a good ol’ Silent Hill game (to be fair they’ve all fallen off since the 3rd installment…) Even the first movie from ’06 was a pretty decent adaptation of the franchise. I’ll admit, the one thing that really spooked me to the bone was the ominous unnamed butcher with the rusted metal frame adorning his head and shoulders, referred to simply as “Pyramid Head.”
That lumbering gait, dragging that enormous cast iron meat sword behind him, slowly chasing you through unlit, labyrinthine buildings and alleyways is still the stuff of nightmares all these years later. Enjoy!
Well, here it is. The final 6 days of Inktober 2019. Full disclosure, The last entries were finished between October 31st and November 8th. Regardless, the last time I finished all 31 drawings, it was 2016 and I finished in mid December, so I consider this a win for me creatively. So here goes!
The Descent 2005
Neil Marshall, most recently known for a handful of Game of Thrones episodes and that horrifically bad Hellboy reboot is the director responsible for not only one of the best takes on werewolves in the last 20 years, but also a horror film that encompasses three different types of terror in one cohesive narrative.
The Descent manages to combine a severe emotional trauma character arc, a claustrophobic caving adventure and said cave being overrun with photophobic monsters into one hell of a ride. It spawned an unnecessary sequel (derived from the American release ending, which was a little too optimistic than the original UK release.)
I hope Neil Marshall finds his way back to some worthwhile projects following Hellboy, because his contribution to Game of Thrones was pretty good (his notable episodes being the classic “Blackwater” battle of Blackwater Bay and the season 4 battle for the Wall.)
Urban Legend 1997
This was a prompt that took me a minute to nail down. Urban Legend was one of those disposable Teen Slasher genre flicks that spiraled out from the success of Scream. And despite starring a post-My So Called Life Jared Leto (pronounced LEE-To) it managed to be pretty fun, spinning some kills into its narrative from the ever disturbing series of “children’s” novels Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (whose terrifying artwork was egregiously replaced for its anniversary re-release…)
The sequel it spawned was… lacking, but I’ll always appreciate that Brad Dourif cameo in the original (known for his voice of Chucky from the Child’s Play series, Wormtongue from the Lord of the Rings series and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.)
Christine 1983 “Good hands, bad taste in cars…”
I’ve always had trouble with backgrounds and set-dressing as an artist. This was my way of getting over my phobia of anything with angles.
It’s a little crooked on one side, but overall, I’m happy with out it turned out.
Side note, I’ve had the opportunity to be on set with this car on a different film and can’t wait to see how that footage turns out!
From the first frames of the film (naked stretching?) to the inciting incident (hit and run, backpack full of bricks…) to the inexplicable STANLEY TUCCI cameo??
Yeah, this movie is straight up cocaine addled 80’s madness and it has to be seen to be believed.
HELPER. MONKEY. MURDER!
Thankyou, goodnight.
It Follows 2014 “It could look like someone you know or it could be a stranger in a crowd. Whatever helps it get close to you.”
STD. Demon. It Follows was a really fun horror movie. Despite a little bit of Scoobie Doo planning in the 3rd act, for the most part it was an extremely original concept.
Again, this was an attempt to get out of my comfort zone artistically. Backgrounds and perspective scare me. A lot. You can almost tell with the trees on the other side of the street and the houses on the other. Guh. Also, I’m going to point it out: The hands are holding each other in a way that is FACING the demon that’s supposedly following them… Whoops…
One of the high points of the movie is that it forces you to pay attention to the background because the demon is so innocuous you can’t tell who or what it might be at distances…
This is the last day of Inktober. I finished it on Thursday 11/8. It is from a movie you should most definitely see if you’re a horror movie fan.
Mulholland Dr. 2001 “I hope that I never see that face, ever, outside of a dream.”
I’ll admit the prompt list this year was more of a challenge than the last couple. Though It’s wholly on me that I insist associating each daily word with a “horror” movie, and therein could lie the problem with my approach to the whole Inktober project.
That said, with thought I landed on David Lynch’s hollywood nightmare, Mulholland Drive. While the movie starts out with a happy-go-lucky tone with a far darker underbelly than can be trusted. Then an hour and a half in, the rug gets pulled out from under the audience and it becomes pure Lynchian nightmare fuel. I spent a large portion of my 20’s being very annoyed at this movie until I came across this gem of a write up. Just be ready to read all caps for a while.
A Ghost Story 2017 [I don’t think they’re coming]
On the nose again. A Ghost Story is a very strange concept film. Not really horror, it’s more of a drama with a silent protagonist (well, Casey Affleck dies in the first 10 minutes or so and spends the rest of the film under a white sheet.) The story touches on lonliness, nihilism and the potential time-slippage ghosts may experience in their post-mortem existence.
This piece was also a nice reminder that during Inktober I don’t have to go all out on every single entry and sometimes minimalism gets the point across better than anything ultra involved and complicated.
Bubba Ho-Tep 2002 “Your soul suckin’ days are over, Amigo.”
”Hail to the King, baby.” While it’s a line from Army of Darkness (unofficial Evil Dead III), it’s more appropriate for Don Coscarelli’s (Phantasm, Beastmaster) adaptation of Joe R. Landsale’s geriatric caper, Bubba Ho-Tep. Bruce Campbell plays “Elvis” (it’s never REALLY established if he’s THE Elvis or a dementia ridden impersonator) who is wasting away in a nursing home. Then an escaped mummy starts killing the residents of the nursing home and it’s up to The King and his sidekick JFK (played by the late Ossie Davis… yeah, you read that right) to dispatch the crusty corpse.
It’s delightfully juvenile and just completely bonkers as a concept. A+ 10/10 would watch again.
Vertigio 1958 “You shouldn’t keep souvenirs of a killing. You shouldn’t have been that sentimental.”
Again, while not really considered a horror movie, I’d be remiss if I didn’t include some Hitchcock nod during Inktober.
Vertigo has always been a solid favorite of mine when it comes to the Hitchcock oeuvre. Alongside Rear Window, I think this might be the best performance Jimmy Stewart put forward, especially since after a certain point he becomes not only unsympathetic, but wholly unlikeable as a character.
Before going on to direct both Guardians of the Galaxy films for Marvel Studios, James Gunn wrote and directed two of my favorite indie genre films, one of which being 2006’s Slither.
As a devout fan of Nathan Fillion (from his Firefly days, we can forgive him his cop-drama career move,) this was immediately up my alley as a cinephile and horror fan. Also Gunn’s history with Troma films and his writing credit on Dawn of the Dead (still the only Zack Snyder film I can watch without getting the urge to destroy a television.) Slither was a goopy horror movie with a solid comedy backbone. It also forged the adorable friendship between Gunn and star Michael Rooker!
Meanwhile: Posts are being made (mostly) daily on my Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook pages. Final days write ups will be arriving soon!
Wil Smith Illustration 