I SAW FIVE NIGHTS A FREDDY'S 2 (FNaF2)

Director Emma Tammi's Five Nights at Freddy's 2 (aka FNaF2), based on the five-phase, video franchise, continues the 2023 original's animatronic madness with the soul-trapped, robot monsters returning (and new ones joining), emblemized by the lumbering Freddy Fazbear (voiced by Kellen Goff), though for this chapter's longer  haul, led by Chica (voiced by Megan Fox) and the lanky harlequin, Marionette. By insidious default, this means that Matthew (Scream/Twin Peaks/Scooby-Doo) Lillard falls to a supporting, "spiritual" role as child murderer, William Afton, just to ensure the marginal creepiness is never just marginal. (Afton is significant, after all, for having planted his victims' youthful bodies, and consequently, their souls, inside their formidable shells.)

For this follow-up, the Freddy's Pizzeria franchise has been relegated to frivolous, urban legend, but Mike, played by Josh Hutcherson, and Vanessa (Afton's beleaguered daughter), played by Elizabeth Lail, know better. When Mike's sister, Abby, played by Piper Rubio, returns to her mischievous, nocturnal friends at their prototype hub, that's when things get dicey, leaving the couple to intervene before the garish characters make her a permanent part of their vengeful, doom patrol. 

Based on this summary, one might presume Freddy's 2 is more standard than not, and to some extent, one might be right (in other words, Freddy's 2 is no Bride of Frankenstein, Dawn of the Dead 1979 or Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn), but it needn't aspire to be more than it is, for its content succeeds in spurring a string of scares. (Perhaps, the weight of its sinister success stems from its Westworld 1973 setup, and even more than the first Freddy's, the sequel makes excellent use of its marauding menaces, enough that even an android Yul Brynner would bestow an approving nod.) 

The cast is beneficial, too, in particular Hutcherson and Lail, who present enough identifiable stress to pull one in, which in turn gives the other personas (whether organic or synthetic) a better means to bounce off them. Lillard stands out, as well, offering sporadic instigation: an effective, ethereal contrast to the corporeal guises that comprise the automaton army. (Quirky kudos also go to Wayne Knight as a cantankerous, robotics teacher and Freddy Carter as a Renfield-ish watchman with a profound secret.)

Tammi's direction doesn't miss a beat, either, as she makes this one more vehement than the first. Scott Cawthon's script deserves comparable credit, with the sequel's pacing moving seamlessly from his prior effort, though enabled by heightened peril and a path for more. (Freddy's 3 is as good as sold, as long as the current chapter's box-office receipts justify it.) 

It would have been preferable, I suppose, if Freddy's 2 had been released around Halloween, but then the Christmas-movie season has never been devoid of horror pictures. Freddy's 2 holds an honorable place in that offbeat, Yuletide tradition, being creepy yet joyful in its twisted-toy premise to satisfy those wanting a little, killer edge this holiday season. 

THE WEATNU HUB: A HAVEN FOR ECLECTIC ARTISTRY

WEATNU (We are the New Underground) holds a special place and purpose in the music industry. The WEATNU Hub carries that expressionistic torch all the further, giving artists (of post-punk, electronic, underground hip-hop, experimental rock and indie rock) a respectful platform where their unfettered creations can be tapped and appreciated. 

As WEATNU's mastermind, Almark Thaolen, indicates on his insightful, Digital Magazine page (https://magazine.weatnurecords.com/2025/11/15/our-vision-weatnu-hub/), the mainstream, music scene (with all of its tiered-to-the-max venues) has buried avant-garde expression to the point of obscurity. This is a pity, since there are so many outstanding, experimental artists who deserve to be heard, with so many potential listeners who'd likely become fans if only they were exposed to the fruitful, experimental content. 

The WEATNU Hub aims to remedy the irritating imbalance with an honorable rotation that keeps artists in the accessible loop, as well as those who yearn to hear something better, something different, beyond the uninspiring, standard flow. 

What makes the WEATNU Hub even more extraordinary is that one doesn't need an app to visit it. The WEATNU Hub is a webpage, one that's free and easy to navigate, where the curious can obtain quality material in an expeditious way, including breakthrough videos, as well as converse with likeminded folk. 

I encourage Bizarrechat's readers to give the WEATNU Hub a try. It's a worth-while source which, once visited, is impossible to disregard.  

To experience the proverbial proof in the WEATNU Hub pudding, visit https://hub.weatnurecords.com/. 

I SAW CAPTAIN AMERICA 1990: ALBERT PYUN'S PRIME CUT

Cannon/21st Century Film Company's 1990, "commercial" edit of Captain America (released for "widespread" viewing in 1992 via VHS and  laserdisc) became a polarizing effort, appreciated by some, dismissed by others. Viewers have since learned that director Albert (Cyborg/The Sword and the Sorcerer/Dollman) Pyun and writers Stephen (Legend of the Seeker) Tolkin and Larry Block's desired version wasn't a mere, unsubstantiated bluff. Yippee Ki-ya Mother Video has, in fact, obtained and transferred this coveted, "final cut" to non-regional Blu-ray. 

To be honest, I was more than fine with the version I'd seen and long owned (much in the way that I've been fine with Dick Purcell's chapter play, the 1960s, animated shorts and Reb Brown's television specials), but the chance to watch Pyun's preferred product, with Matt (Andersonville/The Ice Road) Salinger as Steve Rogers and Scott (Teen Wolf 1985/Forbidden World) Paulin as the Red Skull, tugged often at my mind. As such, I moved fast when I discovered I could purchase the true (red, white and blue) edition, with a reputed, fifteen minutes of footage restored, no less. I gotta say, I wasn't let down by the results.

For those unaware, the original, Captain America presents Marvel's patriotic, fish-out-of-water fable in linear succession: nothing wrong with that, but the straight-and-narrow flow prevented much of the director and writers' quiet introspection, as staged through pivotal flashbacks. It's because of this pensive approach that the culminating battle between Cap and the Skull delivers a greater payoff, its sense of redemption and comeuppance far better entrenched.   

It's not surprising that the Pyun's alteration works. Film editing (as Orson Welles astutely attested) can be either a blessing or a curse when it comes to aesthetic outcomes. One only needs only watch the raw footage of Star Wars: A New Hope to cringe in disbelief. One can also see James Gunn's cut of Justice League and understand how its tone is worlds apart from Joss Whedon's. (On this basis, one can only wonder what might be achieved if Superman IV: The Quest for Peace was revamped. Supposedly, it's happening.) At any rate, Pyum's Captain America shows what can be gained when an impassioned director's instincts have final say. Again, I was always fine with the prior version (never once perceived it as "the worst, comic-book movie ever made"), but Captain America's redesign places the creation on an unexpected level of modest-budget sophistication. 

From what I can gather, there's hope for a wider release of Pyun's redesign, as well as further sharpening of its imagery, though the Blu-ray I received is much smoother and vibrant than I anticipated.*   

If one is a Marvel-movie fan, Captain America: The Pyun ("Prime") Cut mustn't be ignored. It can (and should) be procured at

https://yippeekiyaymothervideo.com/products/captain-america-standard-edition

WISE WORDS:

 

MICHAEL HOUSEL'S THE PERSONA, VOL 3: SILVER SKIN, NOW AVAILABLE

My Airship 27, New Pulp novel, The Persona, Vol 3: Silver Skin, has arrived and is far more a science-fiction sequel than those prior. The story also holds its share of horror, inspired by Italian, cannibal movies, continuing the series' flair for scares.

For Silver Skin, the identity-absorbing Persona, aka Mike Mansford, discovers that an alien world has infiltrated Earth in the Amazon. The strange invasion is conducted by an insane, silver-skinned entity named Sentinel Sifer (perhaps the favorite of all my villains).  

Aiden Belcher has fashioned the interior illustrations. Michael Youngblood has rendered the Creature from the Black Lagoon-inspired cover, with Rob Davis having formatted the jungle-based, back cover. The combination creates a pleasing, pulpy aesthetic.

I do hope folks will latch on to this one. It is, in my estimation, an honorable extension to my saga.

FYI: Persona #3 also contains a bonus story entitled "Dark Waves," which picks up where Green-Fleshed Fiends left off, thus tying up loose ends for Mansford's mythology, as well as confirming the saga's alternate-reality relegation.

Order The Persona, Vol 3: Silver Skin at

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=michael+housel+the+persona&ref=nb_sb_noss

REMEMBER THE FALLEN: DECEMBER 7, 1941

 

I READ (& LISTENED TO) TIM CURRY'S VAGABOND

Tim Curry recounts his impressive life and career in an autobiography called Vagabond, from Grand Central Publishing. 

For the "memoir" (Curry doesn't fancy the term), the revered performer evades the personal matter of his sexual preference(s), with only a teasing allusion regarding his relationship with Miss Piggy, focusing instead on facets of his bittersweet upbringing, which cover his fondness for his father and sister and an anxious aversion toward his mother. His school years and early friendships are detailed in a breezy yet nuanced manner, which make the initial part of his reflection as relaxing as it's informative. This approach is enhanced by segueing, coming-of-age passages that later guided Curry's nomadic entrances into acting, singing, voice work (for cartoon and video-game animation), real-estate brokering, fits of stage fright and narcotic indulgences. 

As should come as no surprise, Curry's commentary is packed with celebrity antidotes (some meaty, others brief and/or quippy), which encompass Queen Elizabeth, King (Prince) Charles, Princess Diana, Donald Trump, Ivana Trump, Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Chris Columbus, Diana Ross, Mick Jagger, Bianca Jagger, Truman Capote, Andy Warhol, Ridley Scott, Tom Cruise, Grace Jones, Sylvester Stallone, Marisa Tomei, John Landis, Rita Moreno, Kevin Kline, Michael Palin, Eric Idle, Mike Nichols, Charlie Adler, Carol Burnett, John Huston, Bernadette Peters, Richard O'Brien, Patricia Quinn, Meatloaf, Jonathan Lynn, Tommy Lee Wallace, Madeline Kahn, Patti LaBelle, Charlie Sheen, Brian Henson, Carly Simon ... and the short-fused, John Wood, with whom he "shared" the stage in Travesties.

Behind-the-scenes details are plentiful for The Rocky Horror (Picture) Show and its colorful antagonist, Dr. Frank-N-Furter (as would be only expected and demanded), but much the same can be said of the straight-and-narrow yet amusing Three Men in a Boat, the stage production of Amadeus (in which Curry portrayed the eponymous Mozart), a high-profile stage production of The Pirates of Penzance (as the Pirate King), Legend (where he endured hours of meticulous body casting and makeup applications by Rob Bottin and his crew to become the fearsome Darkness), the original adaptation of Stephen King's It (tackling the mind-tickling "clown," Pennywise), Annie (as "Rooster" Hannigan), Clue (as Wadsworth), Home Alone 2 (as Mr. Hector), The Three Musketeers 1993 (as Cardinal Richelieu), Muppet Treasure Island (as Long John Silver), Spamalot (as King Arthur) and Will Shakespeare, aka Life of Shakespeare (as the titular raconteur). 

Other productions are referenced but not with as much time or analysis as one might desire (that includes Curry's excellent portrayal of Bill Sikes in Oliver Twist 1982, as well as his roles of Dr. Thornton Poole in Oscar and Herkermer Holmoka in Congo), with additional ventures only name-dropped or left unmentioned altogether (e.g., Charlie's Angels 2000, The Hunt for Red October, The Shadow and the science-fiction saga, Earth 2). Despite the occasional downplays and omissions, Curry's prime picks are in-depth enough to compensate for any skips and/or evasions. 

On the flipside, he laments at length being fired from Rosencrantz and Gildenstern Are Dead: one of the book's saddest segments, even if tame compared to the arduous impact of his stroke, which dominates his chronicle's conclusion.

In addition to Curry's recommended text, his audio performance of such is a veritable treat. Though his voice grows strained on occasion, his underlying tonality maintains its mirth, trenchancy and pathos, which further highlights Vagabond's contagious candor. 

For Curry fans, and those who relish stage and screen recollections in general, Vagabond (no matter which format one chooses) is worth the journey. 

Vagabond can be purchased at 

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=tim+curry+vagabond&crid=1DFBH1QKVIC5G&sprefix=tim+curry+vagabon%2Caps%2C261&ref=nb_sb_noss_2