Tuesday, September 15, 2026
SALLY THE ZOMBIE CHEERLEADER'S SCHOOL OF HORROR: HORROR HOTEL, AKA THE CITY OF THE DEAD
Sally the Zombie Cheerleader's School of Horror dishes up one of the great folk-horror flicks, known as Horror Hotel (to Americans) and The City of the Dead (to the Brits).
Christopher Lee leads this Lewton/Bava-esque opus, playing an occult professor whose prize student (Venetia Stevenson) visits a coven in Whitewood, Massachusetts. (Pssst! The "city" is cursed due to a witch burning in 1692. Indeed, devil-pact mayhem and vengeful comeuppance are assured.)
Sally reveals fascinating facts on director John Llewellyn Moxy's menacing vision, which was scripted by Milton Subotsky, who (along with Max J. Rosenberg) was a significant force behind Amicus' popular, horror anthologies. Sally also offers a clever comparison of Horror Hotel to its 1960 competition, Psycho: a coincidental but impactful overlap that's hard to shake once one sees it. (And as a nifty bonus, the presentation is underscored by pop-up, liner notes, which rival even those of VH1's tuneful heyday.)
This is one class that can't be skipped, for Sally (assisted by SkeleKat and her demonic-duo dolls) is dead set on making her fond fleshies experts in the fine art of witchcraft or at least have them possess the means not to become sacrificial lambs.
One can attend Sally's illuminating, Horror Hotel/The City of the Dead dissertation at ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecukDj--Oew
Sunday, September 13, 2026
ROCK BAKER'S PRETTY DEEP: A TALE OF TWO TURFS
Right on the heels of his hot seller, She's the Tops!, artist/writer Rock Baker (via the innovative C.B. International) offers yet another unique and stirring escapade, this one of an aquatic kind.
Pretty Deep, as it's cleverly called, is the story of Paula, a pinup "aquaphibian" of an idyllic, Atlantean-styled realm. When she comes upon a glowing, stone tablet from the surface (which her friend, Ted, and his sister often investigate), it spurs great calamity, including a kaiju manifestation that morphs in a weird, twofold way.
As with the cosmic, dino-driven She's the Tops!, Pretty Deep's cultural scheme mirrors our own, with a setup similar to Hanna-Barbera's The Flintstones and The Jetsons, where a juxtaposing of cultures create a mirthful mix of irony and uncanny familiarity.
Also, like Baker's other works, including his celebrated Cartoon Cuties, Pretty Deep presents vibrant artwork (embellished by Chris Wayne Stagg's lettering and Michael Jensen's production design), which complements the concept's sprightly nature. (A fabulous, pinup gallery follows the tale.)
I must say, Pretty Deep is ideal for an animated feature, but then, all of Baker's visions are suited for such. In essence, his panels act as cinematic storyboards, and Pretty Deep epitomizes the format.
Give Pretty Deep a try. I'm confident you'll find its adventurous charm well worth your time.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HJ3ZTHR4?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title
VIDEODROME DARK FICTION: INSPIRATIONS
As reported earlier this month, an upcoming volume of Eighth Tower's Dark Fiction series will feature stories inspired by David Cronenberg's Videodrome.
My contribution is called "Anomaly Drone." (Per Eighth Tower's mastermind, Raffaele Pezzella, Martin Loomis is editing the fable at this pivotal point.) I can't reveal too much on the tale's content (as is the tradition with the early phases of any Dark Fiction project), but I can say that it deals with parallel realities (adjacent to what one finds in the movie) and uses a hand-like formation as one of its catalysts.
As fans of Videodrome will recall, the hand motif prevails throughout the plot, though in the case of my tale, the angle is a trifle different. In fact, I've tapped several, macabre sources to make my anomaly's frightful fingers snap (ahem).
This post features imagery from those influences. Indeed, the common thread is evident, would you not agree?
Further details on this bold, new, Dark Fiction anthology will be forthcoming. Stay tuned✌
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