@Atrum II: The second one is Strike Witches.
@Annamatopoetry: I'm finally getting around to reading Let the Right One In right now, and it is wonderful (even better than the excellent film). So I'm *very* excited about his take on zombies, maybe even excited enough to order it from the UK. Thanks for mentioning it!
I like the art. I LOVE the bunny mecha. I watched the trailer twice and was intrigued to say the least. But I am not a Zack Snyder fan. Everything he makes is super slick and looks great, but has a conservative ideology at its core (most apparent in 300, very much there in Dawn, I haven't brought myself to watch Watchmen so I don't know about that). As a zombie fan, I was most disturbed by the way he turned the ultra-progressive original Dawn of the Dead into a film that ultimately does nothing to challenge the status-quo (and if anything upholds it). Also, something bothers me about how much of Sucker Punch seems to be stolen from Japanese pop culture and given a massive American budget. Is that a recipe for greatness or pap? My jury is definitely still out...
You've been an important voice in the discussion of what constitutes "the weird" and to what extent it is a distinct and significant category (your essay in Collapse IV *blew my mind* by the way). You're clearly playing with conceptions of the weird in Kraken, but what about The City and the City? To what extent do you see it fitting into, expanding, or challenging the weird tradition?
@edicius: A 12-year-old (or 13 or 14? I can't remember) girl who has been physically and possibly sexually abused by her father has (if I remember correctly, painful) sex with all seven (?) of her male friends. Sooooooo empowering. I've actually avoided rereading It because of that very scene. I (female) read It many years ago when I was about Beverly's age and that part of the book scared me way more than the clown! I've always wanted to write to Stephen King (who I generally like and respect) and ask him why he thought that was a good idea. I can see the initiation aspect for the male participants, but for the girl... yech. That's a real horrorshow.
Can we really ever say "zombies (Romero aside) were..." anything? I mean, Romero completely changed our understanding of zombies by 1) bringing them to America (rather than being located in Haiti or some other "exotic" locale), 2) making them flesh-eaters, and 3) making them apocalyptic (other than The Last Man on Earth, which influenced Romero and is actually about "vampires," zombies didn't threaten *everyone* everywhere as they did after Romero.) I'd say that if we're going to make gross generalizations about what zombies "mean" (and, really, can we?), we wouldn't want to put Romero aside.
I love the comments that look at how Turner is wrong on the Godzilla side, but I think he's overgeneralizing about zombies too. Let's not forget that the first zombie movie, 1932's White Zombie, was largely about economic relationships. The zombies were created to be slaves to work the sugar plantations. It seems like Turner is ignoring history and only looking at very recent zombie films. #zombies
Speaking of Disney princesses, has anyone else seen this amazing "twisted princesses" art?
[geektyrant.com] #theprincessandthefrog
@Cory Gross: I loved the puppet-like Cthulhu in that film. Brilliant! Genuinely uncanny and (as Lovecraft should be) WEIRD. #horror
@Allen_Richards: I'd like to the second the recommendation of Nightmare USA and its publisher FAB Press, which puts out some of the best books on horror you can find. They've also recently published a really great study of zombie films (Book of the Dead), a book on exploitation filmmaker Tony Tenser, a gorgeous book about Japanese "pink" films, and an art book on the video nasty. Great stuff! #horror
@Annalee Newitz: Agree! House of 1000 Corpses is part of a long tradition of horror films that play with middle class fears of the "other" in the form of the lower classes. Zombie movies (not Rob Zombie, just zombies in general) such as Dawn of the Dead often deal with this in an urban environment (think of the tenement slum zombies at the beginning), but 1000 Corpses is one of the "privileged city folk confront poor rural white trash" entries in the genre, along with The Hills Have Eyes, Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and Deliverance. Rob Zombie's take on this theme is actually pretty radical in that it puts the audience in the point of view of the redneck monsters (imagine Deliverance told that way!)
On an unrelated note, I did not expect to wake up to The Godmonster of Indian Flats. But it makes me happy!!! To anyone who owns that DVD: make sure you watch the "You Cannot Fart Around With Love" bonus feature.
Although I think the *scariest* horror films never show the monster, I have a giant soft spot for films that show extremely silly monsters far too much, such as the otherwise beautifully and subtly shot Night of the Demon that is "ruined" by the silliest monster of all time. #horror
AMEN. I've seen this story floating around and thought "I'm glad io9 is ignoring this." I didn't even want to dignify that guy with a response.
But this article is exactly what was needed. You are right to point out that there *is* a lot to talk about regarding gender and sf: past, present, and future. And even if Mr. Spearhead Poopypants started the conversation, we can continue it in a civilized, interesting way, as posters have done here.
I will also be happy when I see a science fiction (or fantasy or horror) film written by a woman, directed by a woman, starring interesting actresses playing complex characters. Even though there are dozens of amazing female sf (book) writers, the film industry is still massively male-dominated.
I'm surprised they've forgive Judy Garland for saying they were a bunch of drunks.
@Annalee Newitz: Thank you! I will definitely pick it up. Violence, gore, "shocking" or "pornographic" material -- bring it on. I was just wary of FGM being over-eroticized. The reason I've strayed from my childhood love to fantasy into an adult obsession with horror is because fantasy is often too tame, idealistic, and consolatory, so I'm excited to hear of a fantasy author taking on darker and more unsettling subjects like abuse.
I also appreciated your reading of the class/economic relationship in the novels -- often missing from critiques of fantasy.
I'm really curious about the Janine Cross novels. I love controversial sf/fantasy, so I'm definitely intrigued but I've avoided them because I read that the main character is able to feel pleasure after her clit has been ripped out.
I have a problem with that, which should be pretty self-evident. Not only is it inaccurate but it's a pretty dangerous assertion, even to make in a fantasy novel.
So, Annalee, I totally trust your taste. Should I read these novels anyway?
@girlleastlikelyto: I didn't miss the previous season (I've watched them three times!) but I completely forgot about Betty reading. Hmmm... I *am* going to have to rethink Betty. Especially because Ship of Fools is such an amazing book. Thank you!
@sincbt3: YAY! I'm on the Juno hate train with you. I will never, ever let my hatred of that film go. Ever. My refusal to see this film has nothing to do with Megan Fox, nothing to do with the misdirected marketing. I'm a woman. I'm OBSESSED with horror films. But the reason I won't see this film is Diablo Cody. I can never get back the life I had before I heard the phrase "honest to blog." I know it's irrational, but there it be.
I cannot believe no one mentioned Mothra. Fans of daikaiju eiga are sadly lacking on Jezebel!
@Strangebomb: I'll take Moore's "arrogance" (you say arrogance, I say linguistic and artistic complexity) over the superhero pap that usually passes for comics any day.
And I hope he mimeographs it. The zine is dead. Long live the zine.
