TV Recap: THE WALKING DEAD Season 6, Episode 1 – “FIRST TIME AGAIN”

Shock Till You Drop

TV Recap: THE WALKING DEAD Season 6, Episode 1 – “FIRST TIME AGAIN”

SHOCK gives you a spoiler-saturated recap of THE WALKING DEAD’s sixth season premiere.

After the grim finale of Season 5, THE WALKING DEAD Season 6’s premiere episode opens up with a monochromatic recap of Rick’s Deanna-authorized murder of Pete before jamming into a full color, epic visage of a canyon filled with corpses. This flip between a black and white rendered past and a colorful present is the schizoid structure for the duration of the extra-long episode; a bravura creative choice that is handled beautifully by TWD FX kingpin and episode director Greg Nicotero.

As we pan out from the ghoul-filled crevice, we see that Rick is instructing the team – or at least select members of the team, including members of Alexandria and some new faces we haven’t seen before – of their plans to draw the ghouls out. Unfortunately, what was meant to be a “dry run” is scotched when the dead smash their truck-guarded confines (shades of Romero’s DAWN OF THE DEAD), pushing an entire rig off a cliff while other slither between vehicles, scraping off their flesh to the bone (this season seems to be even more dedicated to flipping stomachs than other rounds). The entire set piece is epic in scope and feels like something out of WORLD WAR Z (the book and the film); it’s a stressful opening for what is surely the most stressful show on television.

After the team races off to execute the plan, we slam into the familiar opening with composer Bear McCreary’s now-iconic theme, before returning post-commercial break to the black and white past. With Pete and Reg now dead, the residents of Alexandria in shock and Morgan making a welcome appearance at the camp, we then slide back into the color present, with the team weaving between rows of parked cars, leading a parade of corpses down the road, to fates unknown. Back in the past, Morgan and Rick spend some time together, with Rick amused by his old friend’s newfound martial arts skills and Morgan wary of Rick’s icier, less humane demeanor.

While Eugene is filling in at the wall watch, a trio of Alexandria alumni appear after weeks on the road. Eugene is initially concerned but after some lively banter, he lets the group in. Meanwhile, two graves are being dug, one for Reg and one for the disgraced Pete. Rick refuses to “bury a killer within these walls” and Deanna, still in deep mourning, concurs and orders Pete’s body to be buried in the woods (“let the trees have him”, she says). Meanwhile, Pete’s oldest son Ron watches on the sidelines…

Morgan and Rick take Pete’s body into the forest. Rick suggests they just leave the body there to rot but Morgan reminds Rick of who he is and insists a proper grave be dug. While the two men circle each other, Rick hears a low moaning whispering on the wind and the pair go off to investigate. There, they find the elephantine canyon from the opening, alive with the trapped and rotting dead. Rick understands now why Alexandria has remained safe: the ghouls can’t get to them. But he and Morgan understand that it’s only a matter of time before the canyon fills up and their fortunes collapse. Suddenly, Ron appears with a gaggle of ghouls on his trail. Rick and Morgan decimate the zombies and throw them off the cliff, before sending the seething Ron back to camp.

Back in the present, Daryl slowly drives his new motorcycle down the road in an iconic scene that is like a Messianic EASY RIDER by way of a zombie-centric Pied Piper. It’s a great, iconic sequence with McCreary’s music channeling a primal, percussion-based Jerry Goldsmith.

Glenn and his former antagonist Nicholas form an uneasy alliance at a diner where some noisy ghouls are distracting the herd from following Rick and Darryl down the road to their ruin. Glenn, along with new member Heath, advises Nicholas that they have to break into the diner and silence the zombies immediately. They agree to the plan, only to find the door entombed by a covert steel shutter.

Back in the silver-toned past, Rick tells the residents about the canyon and his dangerous but essential plan to draw the zombies out. The plan is controversial and creates dissent but Deanna silences the naysayers by demanding they listen and follow Rick’s lead.

In the present day, we are treated to Michonne, Rick and Morgan on the other side of a metal partition in which, in a Fulci-esque sequence, the dead slam into the wall like drunken moshers, with some of the ghouls splattering their already withering skulls to smithereens. It’s an awesomely disgusting scene.

Abraham begins to unravel and, in yet another nod to DAWN, starts hot-dogging, psychologically unraveling like Roger before a savvy zom bites his leg. It’s only a matter of time before we lose Abraham, I think…

Meanwhile, Connor, who had previously planned a coup to overthrow Rick, accidentally sabotages the “zombie parade”: when a peek-a-boo ghoul jumps out and bites half his face off. Michonne, Morgan and Rick find him, kill his undead assailant and urge him to stop screaming. When he cannot, Rick drives a knife into the base of his skull. Morgan and Michonne are depressed by this cold act but, as Morgan says and Michonne echoes, “I know the way it is…”

With past and present timelines now aligned, the zombie death parade seems to be working until an ominous horn blasting distracts the ghouls and they exit stage right, running into the woods to find the source of the sound, straight to the gates of Alexandria….

Thanks to Nicotero’s skillful direction, this lengthy, 70 some-odd minute opening was an ambitious, exciting and nerve-jangling start to yet another free-fall into episodic shock.

As to who sounded the death horn…could it be The Wolves? Tune in next week, same bloody bat time, same bloody bat channel.

The post TV Recap: THE WALKING DEAD Season 6, Episode 1 – “FIRST TIME AGAIN” appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.

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Hellions (2015)

AnythingHorror Central

Hellions (2015)

“Blood for Baby”!!!

What’s better than a Halloween-themed horror film being released during the Halloween season? Having said horror film being made by one of my favorite indie filmmakers, Bruce McDonald. In the horror world, McDonald is most well known for the 2008 film PONTYPOOL, written by Tony Burgess and considered by many to be an “unfilmable film.” Well, McDonald showed the world that with enough talent and vision that anything can be accomplished, and how he is back with HELLIONS, about a high school girl being terrorized on Halloween night by a pack of vicious trick or treaters. Everything I’ve come to expect from McDonald is here, and though the film stumbles in the fourth act, I still found this film to be hugely entertaining.

HELLIONS stars Dora (Chloe Rose), a high school girl who lives in a very sleepy town and who looks as though she is going through all the usual rebellions of a girl her age. Sure actress Rose looks too old to be playing a high schooler, but she brings so much charm and depth to the character that I was willing to overlook the casting choice. As the film opens, we see Dora hanging out with her boyfriend Jace (Luke Bilyk). They are talking about the Halloween party they are planning to attend later that night. It is Halloween and from the looks of it, the town they live in produces a lot of pumpkins. One character even notes that if it wasn’t for Halloween, no one would even know their town existed.

 

Later that day, Dora gets some troubling and distressing news from the doctor, and she tries to figure out how she is going to break the news to Jace and her mother Kate (Rachel Wilson). Just when Dora gets the courage to tell her mother what is going on, Kate tells her she really needs to take Remi (Peter DaCunha)–Dora’s little brother–trick or treating. Dora is all alone in the house, which is in an isolated location, and waits patiently for Jace to come pick her up for the Halloween party. Instead, a spooky kid in a pumpkin costume knocks on the door and Dora shares an intense, creepy moment with him. Then a little while longer, two spooky kids show up at the house. Then three. Then more. This isn’t going to be a good night for Dora as the kids terrorize her and let her know they want something from her and won’t leave until they get it.

Dora is NOT having a very good night!!

The set up and execution of the early scenes of the “kids” laying seige to Dora’s home are excellent. We get the style and substance that I’ve come to expect from McDonald. The kids are extremely creepy and very effective. McDonald also colors his scenes with some very distinct color schemes. At times, the film has a pinkish-red hue, while other times there is a bluish hue and a yellow hue that covers the screen. These colors aren’t just McDonald’s attempt at being “stylish,” but represent the mood of the scenes they are coloring. Towards the end of the film when things are looking bleak for Dora, the film takes on a darkish blue-gray hue and really helps set the mood for what is about to happen.

If this ain’t a mood-setter, I don’t know what is!!

Most of the film is Dora, alone in her home, defending and fighting off the little Hellions. Much of the success of this film rests squarely on the shoulders of actress Chloe Rose (Dora). She is strong, focused, a survivor, and Rose plays the role perfectly. Once you see her performance, you’ll forgive the fact she looks way to old to be playing a high school girl. But I’d rather have a great actress who looks a little older than the character she is playing rather than a younger actress who couldn’t pull off the role. Rose exhibits just the right amount of vulnerability so she doesn’t become a Rambo-esque character, but she also isn’t someone who will ball up into the foetal position and break down into hysterics. Rose did a fantastic job in her role as Dora.

At different times, two other characters come to Dora’s help–or should I say “help.” Dr. Henry (Rossif Sutherland) ends up stopping by Dora’s home and becomes involved in the horrors that are happening. He provides some insight into what he thinks might be going on. Later in the film, the town’s sheriff, Corman (Mr. Liquid Metal himself, Robert Patrick) comes to Dora’s rescue… sort of. He provides much of the explanation as to what is happening and does his best to protect Dora. 

Someone’s feeling a little peckish!!

During the fourth act, HELLIONS takes a detour into some surreal and trippy territory. While these scenes are stylish and beautiful to look at, they unfortunately derail the narrative that was established in the film up to this point. These scenes end up becoming more of a distraction from the main story. This is a shame that the film loses its focus for a little bit because up until this point, McDonald had given us a great story and ‘seige on a house’ plot. The stalk n’ slash scenes are really well done, and the way the mystery unfolds as to why this is happening to Dora was very well done.

If you can get past the surreal interlude, then I think you’re going to enjoy HELLIONS. McDonald is one of those rare filmmakers that delivers on both style and substance and doesn’t sacrifice one for the other. HELLIONS is a really fun Halloween time horror film that is perfect to watch all alone with the lights out. Check this one out.

My Summary:

Director: Bruce McDonald

Plot: 3.5 stars out of 5

Gore: 4.5 out of 10 skulls

Zombie Mayhem: 0 out of 5 brains

Reviewed by Scott Shoyer

Stay Bloody!!!

Filed under: Holiday Horrors, Independent Horror Scene, Movie Reviews, New Horror Releases, New Posting

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Exclusive Interview: 80’s Action Legend Michael Dudikoff talks Cannon Films and NAVY SEALS VS. ZOMBIES

Shock Till You Drop

Exclusive Interview: 80’s Action Legend Michael Dudikoff talks Cannon Films and NAVY SEALS VS. ZOMBIES

Cannon Films legend Michael Dudikoff talks to SHOCK about his career, family and making a comeback in NAVY SEALS VS. ZOMBIES.

Now on DVD and VOD is first-time director and former NASCAR driver Stanton Barrett’s testosterone heavy NAVY SEALS VS. ZOMBIES, a tough-as-nails romp about a muscle-bound troupe of battle-scarred vets facing off against a horde of flesh-eating zombies.

Sure it’s all low-budget hokum, but there’s nothing wrong with low-budget hokum when it’s executed with this much earnestness. This straight-faced approach to shoot-em-up genre fare suited the Go-Go Boys, Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus of the lamented Cannon Films, remarkably well in the 1980’s and that spirit is alive and well here. In fact, with its steel-jawed leads, urgent score and endless gun battles, NAVY SEALS VS. ZOMBIES indeed feels like a long lost Cannon flick. And the fact that Cannon legend Michael Dudikoff is in it, further hammers that vibe home…

Dudikoff, as most serious scholars of cult 80’s action cinema are well aware, was the golden boy of Cannon, having starred in scores of hit flicks for the studio, including the popular AMERICAN NINJA films, the scrappy AVENGING FORCE and the underrated ‘Nam drama PLATOON LEADER. But really, those credits only scratch the surface in what has been a long, varied and prolific career pretending to be other people in from of an ever vigilant lens.

In NAVY SEALS VS. ZOMBIES, Dudikoff takes a break from kicking-ass to play the rigid Col. Sheer, a roughneck military man whose guidance helps the heroes navigate the zombie apocalypse. For those of us raised on the actor’s presence, it’s comforting to see him back where he belongs, making unpretentious, escapist fantasies for those folks just looking for 90 minutes of fun, fantasy violence and maybe even a dose of morality.

SHOCK caught up with Dudikoff to talk about his work with the now defunct Cannon Films, his return to cinema with NAVY SEALS VS. ZOMBIES and, most poignantly, passing on the wisdom of his beloved father to his own children.

SHOCK: There’s a moment in Mark Hartley’s Cannon Films documentary ELECTRIC BOOGALOO, where you get pretty emotional discussing your feelings about Golan and Globus. It really must have been a wild time back then…

DUDIKOFF: Oh, man, you have no idea. I mean, where would you find such colorful characters today? These guys, well, they did deals on napkins and Menaham Golan, well, he truly was a little boy; he just loved the movie industry and being around that was captivating. He made me want to be part of this crazy business. He inspired me and just being part of the Cannon family was exciting. I never knew what I was going to do until I got the script and then, bang, I was doing it. And man, there were so many things I was told I was going to be; I was going to be SUPERMAN; I was going to be SPIDERMAN. At one point they said they were going to put me together with Charlie Bronson in a picture and that’s what I really wanted to do. That never did happen. But they were working on it…

SHOCK: Looking over your filmography, there is one title that I always grooved on as kid and that’s 1988’s PLATOON LEADER; I saw PLATOON LEADER before I saw PLATOON and I always preferred it. Do fans ever approach you about that picture?

DUDIKOFF: They sure do. That was based on a true story, a book. I loved that movie. We filmed it in South Africa. Playing that role was really exciting because a lot of the actors in that show, well, they really wanted to do some real acting. We all tried to make it better than it was written and we really collaborated. Thinking back on that, gosh, it was an exciting time. A lot of my fans wanted a sequel, in fact and strangely I heard that at one point the military was using it as a recruiting requirement to show to new recruits!

SHOCK: It’s a decent picture. I think any negative critical response wasn’t to the film, but rather the level of graphic violence in the picture which was extreme for its time.

DUDIKOFF: Yeah, I agree and that’s too bad, because war is that way and it is violent and you have to be ready for it. But I loved making PLATOON LEADER…

SHOCK: You’ve worked with so many directors over the years but never a race-car driver turned director. How did your NAVY SEALS VS. ZOMBIES boss measure up?

DUDIKOFF: Trust me, he was totally together. I enjoyed working with Stanton and I just hope he does more work and remembers to call me! You know, I think now we are craving the kind of no-nonsense movies we used to make in the 1980’s. It’s nostalgia, sure, but it’s also the fact that these were good, straight up genre movies. Stanton really wants to make these kind of quality genre movies. He wants to do good work. He’s very serious minded.

SHOCK: You play a grizzled military man in the film. Not a physical role but you are the anchor of the film…

DUDIKOFF: Yes. I based the character, Col. Sheer, on my father. My father was a military man and I tried to channel him, to capture what he represented to me. My dad was a man of no wasted words. He valued strength, integrity. He believed in getting the job done. Don’t quit. Just do it. He taught me to think before you speak. And that’s important. He was something else, let me tell you…

SHOCK: Am I correct in assuming he is no longer with us?

DUDIKOFF: Correct, my father has passed on.

SHOCK: Did he live to see your work during the Cannon years?

DUDIKOFF: Oh, my gosh, you wouldn’t believe how proud he was. See, my father was an artist too. He painted a mural in the house I grew up in and one time, when I came back home from doing AMERICAN NINJA and a few other pictures, on top of the painting on the wall was NINJA and three other movie posters of mine up there. I said ‘Why, dad? Why are you covering you art? You painted that!’ He said ‘Mikey, that is what it’s about. Look at that poster. Look at you and that flag behind you. This is what matters.’ Knowing he was that proud of me, that was the best feeling in the world. Because growing up, I was so very proud of him.

SHOCK: Do you have children of your own?

DUDIKOFF: I do, yes. In fact, recently I was talking to my kids about goals and dreams and telling them how important it is to follow your passions and dreams. My son says ‘Daddy what is your dream?’ I told him that I was an actor and I wanted to keep working and he said ‘But Daddy, when are you doing this? When are you going to follow your dream?’ See, he’s young and he never saw me go to work? So when I got the job to do NAVY SEALS VS. ZOMBIES, he saw me pack my bags and get ready to leave for the job and he met me at the door and he said ‘I’ll miss you daddy,’ and I saw it in his face that he really would miss me. And it was great because my son saw that it wasn’t just talk; he saw I was following my dreams, my passion. That it wasn’t just talk…

SHOCK: Are you enjoying this chapter of your career?

DUDIKOFF: I’ll tell you something. I enjoy every moment of the business. I work hard. I am always willing and wanting to do good work. I’d like to work a little more but I’m here, doors are opening. I’m a fortunate guy and I have lots of versatility in my credits; I’ve tackled every genre and, gosh, these horror films are really big. I’d like to do more. But the point is, if you’re an actor, you just go out and work and do the job right. No ego. Just be humble and enjoy the ride…

The post Exclusive Interview: 80’s Action Legend Michael Dudikoff talks Cannon Films and NAVY SEALS VS. ZOMBIES appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.

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Watch Let Me See Your Eyes in its Entirety

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Watch Let Me See Your Eyes in its Entirety

One of my favorite short films I watched this year, LET ME SEE YOUR EYES, which has had a very successful festival run, is now available to watch in its entirety. Directed by Anything Horror fav, Derek Cole, written by Jack Nathan Harding, and starring Harding and Stephen Twardokus, LET ME SEE YOUR EYES is one of those short films that leaves an impression (see my review here). Check out the plot summary below followed by the short film in its entirety. Let me know what you think in the comments below:

It’s ‘every man for himself’ in this post-apocalyptic world, where a biological mistake has turned most of the population into animalistic eating machines. And that’s just fine with R.J. As a matter of fact, this proud hermit has adapted well to the new world order. He’s even got heat, food, and a rare clean water source. For three years, R.J. has contentedly spent his days in a dark, cramped, and heavily barricaded room, drinking tea and reading paperback westerns by candlelight. One night R.J.’s routine is disrupted when he warily lets in a desperate young stranger. He soon realizes the person he let in may be more dangerous that anything he’s been trying to keep out.

Stay Bloody!!!

Filed under: Breaking News, Horror Short Films, Independent Horror Scene, New Horror Releases, New Posting

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Brazilian Horror! Chilling Thriller HARD LABOR to Open in NYC

Shock Till You Drop

Brazilian Horror! Chilling Thriller HARD LABOR to Open in NYC

Acclaimed Latin American shocker to open in NYC this month.

Award winning Brazilian domestic horror film HARD LABOR (aka TRABALHAR CANSA) is set to open theatrically at New York’s Cinema Village on October 30th. The film will then expand its North American screen presence throughout the year. HARD LABOR is the feature debut by Brazilian co-directors Marco Dutra (WHEN I WAS ALIVE) and Juliana Rojas (SINFONIA DE NECROPOLE) and has been described as THE SHINING by way of Italian master Vittorio De Sica.

HARD LABOR riffs on very palpable economic issues that affect contemporary Brazilian society but masks them in a very strange and frightening dark fantasy film sheen.

Here’s the synopsis from the official press release:

Although emotionally in sync, Helena (Helena Albergaria) and her white-collar husband Otavio (Marat Descartes), suddenly find themselves at opposite ends of the labor force: just as she gets ready to open a grocery store (and become a business owner), he is fired from a “stable” job.

As Otávio goes through a series of humiliating and ego-crushing job interviews (and is forced to re-invent himself for a new job market), Helena jumpstarts her grocery store in a mysterious (and progressively deteriorating) building. Soon enough, her enthusiasm for a better future begins to give way to a dark, pervasive doom – and Otávio’s self-upgrading morphs into an eerie transformation.

Have a look at the trailer below and keep reading SHOCK for more on this unique, frightening film.

The post Brazilian Horror! Chilling Thriller HARD LABOR to Open in NYC appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.

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Comic Review: ROWAN’S RUIN

Shock Till You Drop

Comic Review: ROWAN’S RUIN

SHOCK’s comic Queen Svetlana Fedetov looks at the spooky 4-part miniseries ROWAN’S RUIN.

From THE CONJURING and INSIDIOUS to classics such as THE HAUNTING and BURNT OFFERINGS, there’s nothing more fun than piecing together the clues of a haunted house’s past as the watcher is thrust into the movies shocking conclusion. It’s that kind of hook that keeps horror fans coming back for more; the thrill of the chase, the morbid promises of terror. BOOM! Studios has decided to turn the archetypal supernatural mystery formula into their newest comic release, ROWAN’S RUIN, a tale of flickering shadows, locked doors, and whispered warnings. Mixing classic horror with modern technologies, the work offers up a story of isolation that preys on the creeping fear that we are never really alone and, with a mini-series format, promises a limited work that won’t over stay its welcome.

The series revolves around Katie, a well-off woman on the brink of her last summer break before grad school and the pressures of the adult world. Deciding to join a home-swapping website, she is over the moon when she is offered to swap houses with a woman in England for the summer and eagerly flies over there intent on having the time of her life. Soon though, she starts noticing weird things about the home, such her constantly dying batteries, strange traps around the yard, and the weird note from the homeowner that says to stay out of her bedroom. As much as she attempts to avoid the nagging feeling that something is definitely off, she can’t ignore that she is in over her head when the odd rumors of the house reach her ears. And, of course, there’s the nightmares…

ROWAN’S RUIN is nothing if not a fun read. It’s got a great, slow burn style without dragging itself through the pages or having too much of a ‘talking head’ vibe. The writer, Mike Carey, is no stranger when it comes to writing horror comics, having worked on DC/Vertigo’s classics LUCIFER and HELLBLAZER, and he brings that kind of experience to this original work. Everything is deliberately placed to suck in the reader only end right on the perfect burning point. Perhaps the only drawback is that none of the characters are that interesting. Katie is a standard, middle-of-the-road woman with a well-tailored jacket and jeans, her parents are kind but over-protective, and her love interest is a man who has a sexy accent and likes to take boat rides. Hopefully we some more original character work in the following issues, but so far, this is more story driven than character driven.

The art by Mike Perkins is more or less solid. The layouts are well done and the background are surprisingly detailed, creating an enveloping view of Rowans Ruin’s world. The soft watercolors by Andy Troy help to bring the look together with a dark palate and an eye for design. Unfortunately, some of the character movement gets a bit gobbed up with either splotchy faces or awkwardly stiff or enlarged limbs. It not such a big deal that it takes away from the experience, but sticklers for fine comic art might be a bit put off. Regardless, ROWAN’S RUIN is a fun read for those looking for a solid scare and a solid mystery to keep you up at night.

The post Comic Review: ROWAN’S RUIN appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.

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Concert Review: FRIZZI 2 FULCI in Toronto

Shock Till You Drop

Concert Review: FRIZZI 2 FULCI in Toronto

SHOCK reviews the Toronto stop for the stunning FRIZZI 2 FULCI show.

The first few drops of rain began to fell on the small, black-clad and primarily male crowd lined up in front of legendary Queen street West concert hall The Opera House last night, but no one seemed to mind. This dedicated tribe of Toronto horror fans were here to see a spectacle that likely none of them thought they’d ever see in their lifetime; a live performance from an artist that, for most of them growing up, existed only in myth and as a secret handshake between others in that marginalized, spread out gaggle of fans that thrilled to the over-the-top films of director Lucio Fulci.

Indeed last night was an important night for Italian horror film aficionados and yet, so few actually came out for the Toronto stop of maestro Fabio Frizzi’s acclaimed FRIZZI 2 FULCI North American tour (the performance has been selling out everywhere else). The show is the revered composer’s love letter to his late collaborator Fulci, whose gory, operatic dark fantasy films have long obsessed serious genre cultists around the world. Still, the low attendance was irrelevant; in fact, the intimacy the sparsely populated room provided made the performance more akin to a private party. And, oh, what a party…

Following a special VIP reception, in which friends and fans had the chance to hang out with both Frizzi and his special guest, Toronto-based GOBLIN keyboardist Maurizio Guarini (who provided keyboard effects for many of Frizzi’s signature recordings), the composer and his band took the stage at 9:30. Behind the performers, a massive screen was erected; on it, clips from the many films – from 1975’s FOUR OF THE APOCALYPSE to 1977’s THE PSYCHIC to 1981’s THE BEYOND – unspooled while Frizzi, holding court center stage, conducted, strummed and plucked his acoustic guitar and bashed his keyboard while his rapturous vocalist Giuletta Zanardi, worked her pipes overtime.

From the first few notes, the audience was electrified. Frizzi, a commanding yet relaxed and friendly presence, engaged the crowd with Italian-accented anecdotes about Fulci and his life in cinema, before drifting back into yet another gorgeously orchestrated performance of majestic cues that most of us in the crowd knew inside and out and yet have never, ever experienced in such a sophisticated, opulent way.

And while it was a kick to see leather-clad Metal-heads swaying like pseudo-hippies to the gentle, Dylan-esque songs from FOUR OF THE APOCALYPSE, the energy really started to swell when the band reached 1979’s ZOMBI 2. Re-orchestrating the goofy calypso music that opens the soundtrack album as a harder, guitar driven prog-groove gave way to the mother of all sequences, wherein Guarini sauntered onto stage and added to the screeching ascent of the infamous “eyeball” track. As a moldering zombie mitt pulled actress Olga Karlatos closer to her retina-decimating splinter demise in that legendary scene, Guarini and Frizzi pounded their keys while the band skillfully, gently tweaked subtleties in the original track and Zanardi wailed like a banshee, whipping the crowd into a near religious frenzy.

Here’s a clip from the performance:

The CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD sequence (which Guarini inexplicably opted to sit out, despite having played on the soundtrack) was just as wild, though a mix up with the video projection caused the notorious gut barfing-bit to be cut short. Thank heavens John Morghen’s head drilling remained and the band took that shocking, bloody scene to superlative heights of elegant perversion.

Frizzi also played some new material from director Scooter McCrae’s short film SAINT FRANKENSTEIN, lush music that proved that he remains a vital, relevant contemporary composer. By the time the band reached its final encore, a performance of the signature soundtrack for THE BEYOND, fans were united in what felt like a hazy, orgasmic dream. Many of us had misty eyes (this writer included) and all of us knew, as we stepped out into the now pouring rain, that we had witnessed something special, something that we’d likely never see again.

Even if we do end up seeing it again.

Because there really isn’t anything like your first time…

The post Concert Review: FRIZZI 2 FULCI in Toronto appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.

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