[Uncensored Downloadable] Creators Unite Magazine Issue 05 THE CULT ISSUE

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Darlene C. Deever Editor-in-Chief & Publisher Roy Bheer Executive Editor

Contributors of Issue 05 Emilie Flory Creative Director Eric Alfonsi Business Development Director Tony Newton Editor-at-large Christopher Zisi Editor-at-large Kelly B Editor-at-large Todd Rigney Chantal Handley Sooz Webb Nikki Brett Correspondent Biscuit C Translator Lorenza Florida Translator

Laura MacLeod Deputy Editor Marion Berdoati Sauzedde Marketing Director Kyle Kuchta & Bill Fulkerson Maria Cristina Mastrangeli Andrea Galeazzi Photographer Michael Vaughn Dustin Siegwarth PRAIA Dub Meter AStyanaX

COVER ART: CHANTAL HANDLEY Bonus Track: PRAIA

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EDITOR’S LETTER

D-NG-TR-N-QU-C-345523-UNSPLASH

Dear reader(s), For this first issue that launches our second year of publication, we offer you to dive into the creating process of works that became cult, to discover the highly creative work of these emblematic artists who nurture today’s art and continue to produce essential works against all odds: Luigi Cozzi, celebrated for his movies Starcrash, Hercules, Contamination and the upcoming Little Wizards of Oz (about to be released), is the star of this cult edition where you will also (re) discover works of William Friedkin, Frank Henenlotter, John Carpenter, Dario Argento, and, through Bill Fulkerson & Kyle Kuchta’s documentary but also Michael Vaughn’s book, exciting under exploited works.

This new issue is full of gems, like this novel of Christopher Zisi, written as a series for the drive-in movie theaters of 1972, and that we will release in full in a special edition during 2019.

Worth noting in this issue, are the interview of Rude, one of the best tattoo artist, who will attend the world biggest tattoo convention in Paris in February 2019, plus the presentation of Sasha Waltz’ new ballet Kreatur, the albums of Carnation and Stillbirth and a special Comic Books and Scores feature dedicated to the work of writer/composer Gerardo Preciado.

You should know that now, our downloadable issues, which are uncut and uncensored versions of our free online publication, are priced at $5. They contain all the taboo topics and photos (including nudity and gore) that we cannot publish in the free version.

So, enjoy our downloadable issues, they are already cult!

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

P. 002 Masthead P. 003 Editor’s Letter P. 006 Creator’s Corner: The Ultimate Guide to Strange Cinema by Michael Vaughn P. 012 The Real Thrill: Survival Of The Film Freaks by Bill Fulkerson & Kyle Kuchta P. 016 Passion Story: The Henenlotter Case by Todd Rigney P. 026 Le Boudoir: Rude, Most Stylish Parisian Tattoo Artist P. 040 Identikit: Dedicated to Luigi Cozzi’s work and his upcoming Little Wizards of Oz

Interview with Luigi Cozzi by Maria Cristina Mastrangeli P. 072 Inception: Gerardo Preciado, Comic Books Writer & Composer P. 102 Vault of Creation: The Himalayan Devil Woman an exploitation tale by Christopher Zisi P. 146 Tribute: The Exorcist by Laura MacLeod / Artworks by Chantal Handley P. 154 Showroom: Sooz’ Jukebox: Chapel of Abhorrence by Carnation

Annihilation of Mankind by Stillbirth P. 160

Tony Newton’s Video Shop: A mini guide to collecting in 2018

The Cult Horror VHS Halloween P. 174 Inspiration Box: It’s about Time by Chic | Dario Argento’s autobiography: Fear

Kreatur by Shasha Waltz | Bonus Track: Peace by PRAIA P. 189 Stimulus: Suspiria by Dustin Siegwarth Creators Unite 05 Cult Issue

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CREATORS CORNER

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CREATOR’S CORNER

MICHAEL VAUGHN’s Ultimate Guide to Strange Cinema

Exploitation & Cult Stuff that refuses to behave!

In our feature for our Creator’s Corner, we ask creators to present their work and define the key to their success. For this new issue, we asked Michael Vaughn to tell us more about his achievement the Ultimate Guide to Strange Cinema which Brian Yuzna labelled “an amazing ride through the transgressive world of weird movies” and “a great book”!

Hello Creators Unite readers!

Writing the researching The Ultimate Guide was a lot of hard work but also a great deal of fun.

Looking back doing a film guide for my first book was a bit insane… my own money actually would go into it and with a book of this sort you always reflect on what you could have included. I knew that there would always be films I wanted to be a part of the guide but some movies were just too hard to track down, others I could find but nobody had it with English subs. I was very lucky to find some really good sources for rare movies and I hope that even hardcore fans can find something in here that they never heard of. But I hope that I wrote it in such a way that both casual fans and hardcore fans can get equal enjoyment out of my reviews and I run the gambit from highbrow to z-grade gutter trash. But it’s also not just reviews I have some great trivia, movie parings and possibly my favorite exclusive interviews. Some of the interviews include Larry Cohen, Frank Henenlotter and a slew of others. Some interviews I think will really surprise and delight film buffs. Besides full interviews, I also have some quotes from various film people which ties in with a review.

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CREATORS CORNER

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CREATOR’S CORNER Secret of my Success?

In the age of the internet I was not sure how well a film guide would do but it seems like fans consider it a lost art and the feedback I`ve gotten has been really awesome. So, I don’t measure success in terms of money and I know this will sound corny but if fans can get enjoyment from my work, and it helps them find their next favorite film, I feel like I was successful. That, for me is success. I always felt like I just want this: to be good enough to allow me to do another book and another. If you are on Twitter please follow me and if you enjoy my work, please let me know; it always makes my day.

About The Ultimate Guide: It isn't every film that features man-eating zombie sushi. But for those searching for just that and more strange things in their viewing queue, this film guide is for you.

Organized by genre, including comedy, horror, action, drama, fantasy, and sci-fi, this title offers 300 reviews of genre films from all over the world, 160 photos, and exclusive interviews and quotes from the people behind some of the most offbeat films ever made. Alongside this curated list of viewing recommendations, longtime fans and new comers to strange cinema gain bits of fun and informative trivia. For example, David Caruso's film debut was Without Warning (1980), a carefree trip into the woods thwarted by killer flying alien discs. Lurking in these so-bad-they're-good-films, you'll find other familiar actors like David Carradine, James Brolin, Martin Landau, and Ryan Gosling in films like Death Race 2,000 (1975), The Car (1977), The Being (1983), and Lost River (2014). The zombie sushi, by the way, is from Dead Sushi (2012).

Chris Alexander: “The Ultime Guide to Strange Cinema is a concise guide to the cream of the creepy, arcane, oddly erotic, edgy, extreme, unloved and often crossed-eyed cinema crop. Horror, sci-fi, exploitation and cult stuff that refuses to behave. That’s my jam and this book is an ideal entry point to the sort of insanity I thrive on. Recommended reading!”

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THE REAL THRILL

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THE REAL THRILL

by Kyle Kuchta and Bill Fulkerson All Photos Courtesy: OTC Industries, Kyle Kuchta and Bill Fulkerson Two years of filmmaking, eleven years of cult film reviewing, a lifetime of film watching and what does it get you? Survival Of The Film Freaks, the story of cult cinema’s growth from underground buzz to full-blown phenomenon by way of our technological advances. Film Freaks explores how the definition of “cult” as changed over the decades up until the present, from theaters to home video and from cable TV to streaming services.

At the helm of the film are Kyle Kuchta and Bill Fulkerson, with Fulkerson making his directorial debut. As the host of the podcast Outside The Cinema for eleven years (and counting), Fulkerson has experienced the ever-changing way film lovers obtain their cult cinema. Bill tapped Kyle Kuchta, a filmmaking friend with the documentary Fantasm under his belt, to make Film Freaks into a different type of cult documentary; one that explores not only the past, but also the present and future of these films.

Survival Of The Film Freaks, which debuted at HorrorHound Weekend Film Festival this past August, has already made a splash during its festival run, winning awards at the Shawna Shea Film Festival (Best of the Fest), Knoxville Horror Film Fest (Special Jury Prize: Most Connection With Audience), Sin City Horror Fest (Best Editing), and UNDO Divergent Film Awards (Best Movie and Best Documentary).

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THE REAL THRILL

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THE REAL THRILL Featuring interviews with cult favorites like Ted Raimi and Joe Bob Briggs, journalists and podcasters like Chris Gore and Rob Galluzzo, as well as up-and-coming filmmakers like Jackson Stewart and Kurando Mitsutake, the documentary is sure to please film lovers from all generations. The film is slated for a Spring 2019 release.

Hailing from Massachusetts, Bill Fulkerson is a New England creative of a different breed. He hosts and produces the weekly podcast “Outside The Cinema”, a humorous and well-informed show that has dissected cult cinema for over 10 years, 500 episodes and counting. He has been able to showcase his knowledge in various documentaries and podcasts. Survival Of The Film Freaks is Bill's first venture to the other side of the camera, opting to write and direct a documentary to ask/answer the question “Where is cult cinema in the age of technology?”.

Kyle Kuchta started his career as a teen with Southeastern Connecticut Filmmakers (SECT) before going to study film at Syracuse University's College of Visual and Performing Arts. His feature documentary about horror conventions, 2013's Fantasm, was well received, playing at conventions and film festivals across the United States. He spent a handful of years in Los Angeles working on various shorts, documentaries and web shows before relocating back to his hometown in Connecticut.

Documentary/Cult | Runtime: 86 min | Written, Directed and Shot by Bill Fulkerson and Kyle Kuchta Synopsis: Survival of the Film Freaks is a documentary exploring the phenomenon of cult film and how it survives in the 21st Century. The documentary traces decades of film fanaticism up to the present, where the 'digital age' has transformed the way we experience movies.

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PASSION STORY

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PASSION STORY

by Todd Rigney Visual Conception: Emilie Flory Photos Courtesy Basket Case Productions /Palisades Partners/ Levins-Henenlotter & Shapiro-Glickenhaus Entertainment/ Something Weird Video (SWV)/ Bad Biology/ Severin Films / Frank Henenlotter It's funny what sticks with you over the years. I've gone through many different "phases" as a movie buff. Once upon a time, I wanted to see every single Oscar contender/winner, and I wouldn't rest until I'd accomplished my mission. After Pulp Fiction arrived, all I wanted to watch were motion pictures directed by indie mavericks, game-changers, and visionaries. The genre didn't matter; as long as the filmmaker attempted to break new ground, I wanted to be there to experience the fallout. My love for different styles and directors swung far and wide, but as the years passed, I discovered that some remained while others fell by the wayside.

Despite the way my tastes have changed, one filmmaker remains constant: Frank Henenlotter. I didn't know he'd become one of my favorite filmmakers of all time when I stumbled across Basket Case late one night on cable, but I knew I'd discovered something unique and wholly original. It kind of felt like a dirty secret, one I could only share with certain friends. At the time, I'd never seen anything quite like it -- and to be honest, I really don't think I have since. Sure, other Henenlotter movies have come and gone, and they each have their own quirks and idiosyncrasies, but Basket Case has that special something. As goofy, grotesque, and gory as the movie is at times, there's an undercurrent of sadness there that holds the whole thing together.

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PASSION STORY

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PASSION STORY Henenlotter captured cinematic lightning in a bottle, and while I don't want to say he peaked with Basket Case, he never quite managed to recapture that magic.

You might think, "But what about Brain Damage? Frankenhooker? The Basket Case sequels?"

Trust me when I say I love those films. Scratch that -- I absolutely adore them. However, while I appreciate Frankenhooker's sleazy comedy and bizarro body horror, it's not an overly deep film. It does what it sets out to do, but there's nothing there that really grabs you the way Basket Case does.

Frankenhooker's hero, Jeffrey, can't touch Basket Case's Duane Bradley. We're talking apples and oranges here, of course, though each hero has similar motivations: they want love and acceptance, even when the situation goes horribly out of control. However, Jeffrey exists for laughs, whereas Duane feels like someone you want to see overcome his station in life. You want this guy to succeed, despite the horrible things he's done.

The same rings true for Brain Damage's main character, Brian. You sympathize with the guy's plight - he's a miserable drug addict who wants to kick the habit, after all -- but there's really never a moment when you say, "I really hope this guy manages to get his life back on the right track."

Because, honestly, you never develop a solid connection with Brian. He's a puppet in Aylmer's game, a vessel for his survival. And, truthfully, Brian never feels like anything more than that. You feel sorry for his girlfriend and his brother, but for some reason, Brian doesn't garner much sympathy. Again, don't get me wrong -- Brain Damage succeeds on every level, and it's a movie I don't mind watching at least once a year. In fact, a friend and I drove three hours to catch the film on the big screen, and it was well worth the trip.

Although some are deeper than others, Frank Henenlotter’s movies all feature a plethora of miserable characters who are trying to find their place in this weird world.

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PASSION STORY

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PASSION STORY

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PASSION STORY

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PASSION STORY Duane Bradley just wants to live in peace with his brother (although the sequels do cheapen their story somewhat), Jeffrey wants to live happily ever after with his patchwork lady, and Brian awakens to a whole new world of experiences and possibilities -- it's just a shame that Aylmer forces him to eat brains in order for Brian to achieve the level of happiness he craves.

Even Bad Biology, a film that I feel gets a pretty bad rap, features two deeply flawed human beings who are looking for a connection -- one that doesn't leave their lovers in a state of perpetual misery.

It's these elements that bring me back to Henenlotter's work time after time, and it's why his films resonate with me, even if some succeed more than others.

Because at the end of the day, we're all deeply wounded and weird individuals trying to carve out our own tiny chunk of the planet. Maybe we have family members who make that difficult, or girlfriends who fall apart at the drop of a hat. Maybe we're battling addictions, or perhaps we have sexual desires or physical hang-ups that keep us from achieving the closeness we crave. Whatever the case, it's all there in Henenlotter's films -- you just have to look past the blood, guts, and hideous monsters to find it. Horror always works best when you can see a part of yourself in the carnage, a sliver of your personality in the madness. God help me, I see myself in Henenlotter's movies, and even though I don't really like looking in the mirror, I do enjoy seeing pieces of my own psyche in an artist's work.

That's the connection.

It's very easy to write off Frank Henenlotter as a purveyor of sleazy and morally empty cinema. After all, on the surface, his work contains the necessary elements of this genre: nudity, grisly violence, and low production values.

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PASSION STORY

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PASSION STORY

Dig a little deeper, however, and you'll find that Henenlotter's movies, whether intentional or not, offer a glimpse into the underbelly of humanity that a lot of us don't want to see. Addiction? It's there. The mistreatment of people with physical disabilities? Accounted for. How the misuse of science can transform people into monstrous prostitutes? Well, that's a stretch, but you see where I'm going with this. Frank Henenlotter doesn't always get the respect he deserves, mostly because folks choose not to scratch away the outer layers to see what's bubbling underneath. Although he's considered a cult filmmaker to some, to me, he's one of the best directors in horror, hands down.

Todd Rigney

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LE BOUDOIR

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LE BOUDOIR

Photos Courtesy: © VERTIE PHOTOGRAPHIES | THE GOLDEN RABBIT Visual Conception: Emilie Flory & Roy Bheer | Editor: Laura MacLeod | Translator: Biscuit C

Trained at the graphic design and illustration art school of Brussels, Rude, aka Rudy, is undoubtedly one of the brightest and most creative Parisian tattoo artists of his generation. An adept of the new school tattoo, the fine and detailed line, Rude excels not only in creating fantastic and offbeat universes but also in Japanese style tattoos and colorful ultra-comics patterns. His settings of humanized animals point out his passion for the works of Jean Ignace Isidore Gérard Grandville and Hieronymus Bosch (aka Jérôme Bosch, Ed). The origin of his calling: the work of the great Mike Davis of Everlasting Tattoo. Rude was about to embark on a career as a children’s book illustrator when he discovered Davis' work. Fascinated by this universe, Rude decided to train himself to become a tattoo artist. He has practiced his art for twenty years. Along the way he's been inspired by Patrick Conlon, Grime, Seth Wood and Chris Conn. Rude tattooed in Belgium and then France, notably with the famous Tin-Tin, before opening his own tattoo shop called THE GOLDEN RABBIT that welcomes many young artists of talent: Bichon Estibab, Delphine Chu, David Carthy, Professor Reichert, Kevin Hunter, Yomi Kamoike and many more...

On the occasion of this cult issue, Rude agreed to open the doors of THE GOLDEN RABBIT to us for a tattoo session during which we asked him a few questions.

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INTERVIEW WITH RUDE CUM: Hello, Rudy. Thanks for your welcome. We are delighted to present your work to our readers; you raised tattoo art to a new level even though tattoos are still not recognized as an art in Europe. But precisely what, in your opinion, prevents our contemporaries from studying and legitimizing the work of great tattoo artists as they do with the work of great painters?

Probably the ephemeral nature of this art; skin is a live media. The difference comes also because most of the time we ensure and satisfy the wishes of each client.

CUM: This craze for the old school style and “shit tattoos”, isn’t it a brake to the impulses of democratization or even of ennoblement of tattoo art?

Shit tattoos, that’s special; this is not really what we call the old school [traditional American style].

In recent years we saw these prison style tattoos reappear... not especially well inked, kinda simple.

I am part of a generation of tattoo artists who have tried to develop tattoo art towards more elaborate graphic styles, so yes indeed, I think it's a little backwards.

And at the same time, I feel quite an affection for the kind of tattoos which contain the sailors' and gangsters’ codes… what the tattoo art was before I touched a tattoo machine.

Rogue’s world has always fascinated… now to say it puts a curb on the ennoblement of tattoo art, I don't think so. That’s a style among many others and a little bit anecdotal.

CUM: What are, at the present time, the subjects that inspire you the most?

I don't have a particular topic, I've always loved to draw animals, humanized or not, floral elements.

These are still my favorite themes.

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CUM: Is there a tattoo project no one ever asked you for, that you’d like to create?

Yes of course, they are many. There are always projects we'd like to have created, or to be able to create. I have to recommend them or at least don’t think about them to avoid frustration! đ&#x;˜‰ CUM: What equipment do you use? Are there tools (inks, needles etc.) that you use more than others and why?

I use different types of tattoo machines. The so-called traditional, manufactured on the principle of the old bells with a copper winding wire that activates a hammer; rotary machines. And recently I started to use a Pen, a tattoo machine that looks like a big pen.

After years of reluctance, I have to admit that this one offers quite an impressive comfort.

CUM: You said you tinkered some of your machines to continue to use them. What are the differences between the old machines and the new ones?

Yes indeed, with time, on some of my coils (a coil is a tattoo machine that is powered by an electromagnetic coil, Ed), I changed the blades and reels.

That's the advantage of these machines; you can easily continue to make use of them. Over the years, the settings in particular have been specially fine-tuned.

CUM: Does the process of creating a tattoo have a psychological healing effect on the person who acquired a piece? Can we talk about art that heals?

Yes, often. There is a personal story behind each tattoo and sometimes it's very painful. In that case, it’s a way for the person who gets ink to turn the page.

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LE BOUDOIR CUM: What memories do you keep from your encounters with those who inspired you (Mike Davis, Patrick Conlon, Grime, Seth Woods, Chris Conn)...

It's always fun to meet the people who influenced and inspired us. I had the chance to get tattooed by each of a few tattoo artists that you have just mentioned, to really sympathize with some and to savor every minute of those privileged moments. The artists mentioned have all influenced my work; they mainly represent the Californian tattoo scene; the SF scene in particular. Initially, it's been a real eye opener for me, but this obviously isn't the only influence; many other names could be added to the list. Tin-tin, first. He has opened his doors and allowed me to work alongside him for a few years in the early 2000s. I learned a lot!

For the young tattoo artist I was, joining Tin–tin’s team was like getting a steering wheel at Ferrari, ha-ha! (.)

CUM: Do you work with music on in the background? What are you listening to?

It depends on my mood, rock mainly but never too violent.

I also love to draw in peace, without noise. As I live in Paris, it is really necessary for me to be able to enjoy moments of silence. The moments where I draw alone at home are perfect for that.

CUM: What was your vision of tattoo art when you started? How do you see its evolution in the future?

20 years ago, or so, it was much more underground, for sure. That's not what has brought me to tattoo art but definitely its image was more rebellious than today.

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Things changed over those last 10 years. Getting a tattoo has become very popular. The way we communicate about our work has also changed a lot. It sounds like an old fuddy-duddy saying that, but social networks revolutionized everything. Now you can have 2 years of experience and thousands of “likes� on each of your pictures, which was unthinkable not so long ago. Everything goes faster, the appeal and the perception on tattoos... There are good things and bad things in all this, but as in a lot of fields. I have some trouble with this "zapping" culture and at the same time I am also forced to play the game... maybe that's what bothers me in the end ;)))

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IDENTIKIT

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IDENTIKIT

SPECIAL FEATURE

by Maria Cristina Mastrangeli Photographer: Andrea Galeazzi | Editor: Laura MacLeod | Translators: Biscuit C & Lorenza Florida | Photos Courtesy: ©Andrea Galeazzi, Luigi Cozzi | On the cover: painting by Chantal Handley featuring Caroline Munroe as Stella Star

Interview with Luigi Cozzi by his actress Maria Cristina Mastrangeli on the occasion of the release of Little Wizards of Oz, his latest movie which has been acclaimed at festivals and is coming out soon on DVD. Rome, Italy, September 2018

In this still summery day, the meeting is set up at the Profondo Rosso store in Rome. This store, that Luigi Cozzi founded with Dario Argento a long time ago, is located in a central area of Rome called Prati (“The meadow” in Italian, Ed), but the shop is far from ordinary.

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IDENTIKIT

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IDENTIKIT A den for fans of horror and fantasy films, you can find masks, props, DVDs and rare posters there as well as niche books. Many of these books are written by Luigi himself. In the basement there is even a tiny museum of horrors, though its smallness doesn’t make it any less terrifying... I am well placed to know; we had turned one of the dungeons into a lodge during the shooting of Little Wizards of Oz! Being an actress who interviews her director, puts me at once in an unusual position. Moreover, even after three films with him, I still feel that Luigi is a discreet and secret being. I wondered how to get him to talk about himself. And I ended up using an exercise that I usually use with young actresses and actors- it so happens that in another part of my life I direct plays! So, I put three identically folded little notes in front of our director.

Maria Cristina Mastrangeli: On each note you’ll find a question. There is no particular order. You pick a note, you open it, you answer the question and then you go to the next. You can take all the time you need.

Luigi Cozzi: Should I start?

MCM: Whenever you want.

LC: Who am I? He's taken aback.

LC: Who am I, me? Well, I'm Luigi Cozzi, a sci-fi enthusiast who's been trying to make science fiction movies for many years. It's pretty hard. I directed many films, I wrote many others… I worked for a long time with Dario Argento, then I made my own films as a director and screenwriter. Some have worked very well around the world, so I still have fans everywhere! In addition to that, for a number of years, I have run with Dario Argento this store, Profondo Rosso, dedicated to genre movies (Horror, Science

Fiction and Fantasy films, Ed).

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IDENTIKIT

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IDENTIKIT LC: We sell DVDs, masks, puppets and figurines, all dedicated exclusively to this kind of cinema. And at the same time, I try to continue my work as a filmmaker. Recently, I have made two films in which you also have played (Blood on Méliès Moon -2016- and Little Wizards of Oz -2018, Ed)! They are giving me a lot of satisfaction, so I hope to go on.

He looks at me, I don't budge.

LC: Is it OK? Well let’s move on to the second question… Who am I!?! Same question!

He bursts out laughing.

LC: Do I have to answer again?... Who am I? First of all, I'm a writer. I've always written. Then I am a genre movies historian; I have published a lot of books on this specific topic. As a writer I became a screenwriter and from writing screenplays I moved on to directing movies. I have navigated in various fields of the cinema, but now I am recognized as an author.

Luigi has an ironic expression, but tinged with a certain satisfaction, like a child who has managed his first bike ride.

LC: I’ve been promoted, if you want! Before I was only considered as a maker of genre movies.

Here we are interrupted loudly: "Can we come in? " LC: Hi, Vince, come in...

Being in Profondo Rosso store with Luigi also means laying yourself open to amazing encounters…

The three questions game is interrupted by a gentleman who is vigorous despite his 70 years. With a keen eye and a spring in his step, Vince Tempera, the Italian Maestro of so many motion picture soundtracks is coming into the store. Even without knowing his name, you surely have heard at least one of his compositions.

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IDENTIKIT

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IDENTIKIT The theme of his album Sette Note in Nero, for example, was included in the film score of Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill.

Vince’s reason for visiting his friend Luigi is the search for the mailing address of the company that finalizes copyright requests for the utilization of Little Wizards of Oz, for which he composed the music. The two associates talk about the next screenings of "our" film: One in Chicago, the other in Sitges (International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalunya, Ed) October 13th in the Brigadoon section.

Luigi, half joking: "Sitges, near Barcelona, is the Cannes of Fantastic Cinema!"

There follows a chat about the ways new generations comprehend Cinema… they do not necessarily appreciate the fact young people don’t go to the movies... but they are happy that genre movies still sell on DVDs; they are collectibles. Then Vince mentions Romics, the greatest comics and cosplay event in Rome for which he is the artistic and musical director... "Ah, I said, my uncle Vincenzo Silvestri runs the comic books section!" And here we go again… reminiscing about famous manga titles, where Vince was credited... Playful Vince adds "Captain Harlock ! I make a living from this!" (Vince Tempera

composed the score of the Italian version of Space Pirate Captain Harlock for Universal in 1979, Ed).

Vince and Luigi talk to each other. For a period of time, they forget me. The tables have turned, I am in the position of the director who spies on his actors! I'm enjoying this!

Vince Tempera and Luigi Cozzi: We were very early Sci-Fi enthusiasts.

VT: For example, the books of the Urania series (Urania is one of the most vivid collections of books exclusively dedicated to science-fiction. The company was founded in 1952, Ed), the new ones they publish, they simply fall from my hands, so before I start one, I look if the author was born before 1950, otherwise I don’t read it! If the writer is an apprentice of Asimov, this is the best.

LC: I don't like contemporary science fiction novels either.

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IDENTIKIT VT: The weather is so hot!... I can’t stop thinking about this English movie The Day the Earth Caught Fire where we see the Thames has evaporated! (Directed in 1961 by Val Guest, The Day the Earth Caught Fire is a disaster movie talking about the nuclear dangers during the cold war, Ed). Will we end up like this?

LC: The English are great storytellers!

While evoking the mythical missing movie theaters in Rome, Vince leaves to catch his train to Milan, where he lives.

I go back to Luigi’s world...

LC: I was on the second “who I am”... What was it I was saying, again? Oh yes, my author status! After so many years, the people in the industry have finally noticed!...

And the third question? Will it be the same?!

Now jaded, Luigi opens the third paper… but bursts out laughing anyway. He still has this expression of the child who likes to play to 'scare themselves', knowing full well that it is mom or dad who is hidden behind the curtain.

LC: Oh yes! I am an independent author who seeks to do different things every time. I have this "genre director" label, but in reality, I experienced all genres: sci-fi, fantasy, romance, comedy... I don't like to repeat myself, I like challenges. This last film Little Wizards of Oz, for example, I accepted it precisely because it represented a challenge I wanted to take up.

That is me!... more or less!

In the meantime, Andrea Galeazzi has arrived to take a picture of us while we are doing the interview.

A writer, composer and photographer, Andrea is a faithful friend with multiple talents.

The three papers game is over.

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IDENTIKIT Before the last questions, we pause so Andrea can take additional pictures more easily. And here, in this magical place, other connections appear.

Luigi Cozzi to Andrea Galeazzi: Haven't we met before?

AG: That's possible. I also worked with Dario Argento.

LC: Oh yes, on what?

AG: That’s the story of a failure! At the beginning of the 90s, RAI (Italy's state-owned television channel, Ed.) was expected to produce a series with six independent episodes. Argento would have been the curator of the series on the model of CBS’s Hitchcock Presents. I had been contacted to write the screenplay and I had started working with Dario. Finally, the project was considered too expensive. We never made it. But I was recommended to write with Dario Argento, for another series produced for Mediaset.

LC: Ah, yes, the producer was Giuseppe Colombo, he argued with Dario from the first brain storming!

They both laugh.

AG: Well, yes, end of story!

We have enough pictures. Andrea is storing his equipment. I'm picking up the interview with Luigi again.

MCM: Can you tell us more about the inception of The Little Wizards of Oz project?

LC: The idea didn't come from me. Fabio Crisante (The author of the subject, Ed) works at Cinecittà. He has a child in the primary class (fourth grade, Ed ) and in accordance with the teacher during the crafts days he wanted to make the children understand what cinema was, not only the final result on the screen, but what also making movies means.

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IDENTIKIT LC: He invited people from various trade associations to talk to their class about it: screenwriters, makeup artists, costume designers... During his conversations with children and teachers, this crazy idea to involve them in the making of a film took shape in his mind. But he was facing enormous hardships and was about to give up. At that time, he attended a screening of Blood on MÊliès Moon and was astonished to see I had been able to do such a job with no budget!

He came to me: "Would you have the courage to make a film inside the school, with the kids?" I thought about it a short time, then I accepted the challenge: I wanted to prove that it was achievable.

The idea of composing a variation around The Wizard of Oz was there.

I started by guiding very strictly the writing of the idea [when you make a film at almost zero cost, you have to use a whole bunch of tricks; this must begin with the script]... then I wrote the screenplay myself. In the end, there is a nice mix between fiction and documentary. I respected the contributions of the children... and intertwined their parts with the parts where the actors play teachers, like your character (Maria Cristina Mastrangeli plays the bad English teacher Mrs. Pugliesi, Ed). The film lasts 1h40 and is solid. I'm happy with the result!

MCM: The legend is that it is very difficult to work on films with animals and children. I watched the children in the scenes where I play the bad teacher Mrs. Pugliesi: they were very focused! You spent a lot of time with them!

LC: After we shot the movie, I spent three days in the most complete silence. My ears absolutely needed to get used to silence!

Recalling that, he bursts out laughing.

LC: They were unrestrained! In my time, at their age, we were timorous. But they also have a contagious sympathy.

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IDENTIKIT LC: The problems did not come from the children themselves, but from the constraints of the school; we were not allowed to interfere with their educational program, nor to make them work too much, I had only two hours a day in the school with them. It was only thanks to my experience in the film industry that I was able, in just ten days, to shoot everything I needed.

I prepare sketches of the scene, from the camera’s point of view, so I can see what I have to shoot for each position of the camera. And I shoot all the scenes from that point of view one after another, even if they are different scenes. This method saves a lot of time, because the preparation of the camera and lights is what takes the most time on a set. I like to have a lot of different shots, it's my way of shooting. I make movies for the big screen not for the TV set! That way we create the illusion that it is a big budget movie.

MCM: These sketches are like a storyboard?

LC: Yes, exactly.

MCM: And what happens to them?

LC: They are visual notes for my personal use, I tear them to pieces after each shooting day.

MCM (laughing): There are going to be fans who will dig through your garbage like in Hollywood!

LC: In any case, I don't think anyone other than me would be able to understand them. I draw like an amateur! I always use those sketches when I have complicated scenes to shoot. I also used them on movies for which I had a substantial budget.

Even in Starcrash (released in 1979 under director’s name Lewis Coates, Ed). For this film I had at my disposal 2 billion ITL (Italian Lire, Ed), a large amount at the time, but in fact, this film would have needed 5-6 billion ITL. So, I used my sketches and my visual tricks.

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IDENTIKIT LC: For example, we have is this battle scene with lightsabers in a space station. I wanted to shoot it in slow motion and show explosions on the actors’ bodies. We needed an hour of preparation only for the protection of the actor. And this for every explosion! So, in eight hours I would have had only seven shots! In three days, within the time allowed on this set, I would have had only twenty-one shots. This would not do for a battle! So, I shot this scene with three different cameras positioned in such a way that it gave the impression we filmed different people and explosions, when in fact we filmed the same explosion. I had more than a hundred shots to edit. Thanks to my sketches, every actor has been killed three times!

MCM: Your latest movies were shot on digital. Does digital technology change the way you direct movies?

LC: It's a big advantage. I’ve always liked to use technical advances, even emerging ones. In the 70s, I worked a lot for television networks. At the time, we used the "Chroma key" a lot, an effect that I used to use with films, but with very long production times. While there, at the television network, we just had to push a button. I was enthusiastic about it! (Chroma key compositing is a visual

effects/post-production technique for layering two images or video streams together based on color hues, Ed). For the movie The Adventures of Hercules, in 1982, the moon collides with the Earth in the final scene… Hercules becomes a giant and stops the two celestial globes, avoiding the crash. It was a very difficult scene to shoot on film. I thought I should shoot it on video. At the time in Los Angeles, there was only one lab that transcribed video onto film without "The Lines"! So, we first sent the lab the scenes on film to transfer them to video, then shot the video using the "Chroma Key", then sent it back to Los Angeles to transfer it to film in order to edit it with the rest. At that time, mixing film and video was regarded as blasphemy. But no one during the film's distribution, even abroad, has ever noticed it!

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IDENTIKIT MCM: Luigi, you were born in 1947...

LC: It's been a long time!

MCM: What is your first memory of cinema?

LC: I think it was in 1953 or 1954. I have flashes, I see myself tagging along behind my parents while they are going to the movies to see: The Naked Jungle (by Byron Askin, Paramount, 1954, Ed), Prince Valiant (by Henry Hathaway, Century Fox, 1954, Ed), Totò il medico dei pazzi (by Mario Mattoli from

Eduardo Scarpetta,1954, Ed).

MCM: And the first time you understood you had a passion for fantasy films?

LC: Pretty much at the same time, when Disney released 20.000 Leagues Under the Sea which excited me; I was six or seven years old. I didn't know Jules Verne. After I saw the movie, I immediately got his novels. After reading them all, I wanted more! So, I started to devour science fiction books.

MCM: How did you become a director?

LC: It was for Il tunnel sotto il mondo in 1968. I wanted to direct; I was 22 years old when I started.

I looked for buddies to embark on this venture with me… Alfredo Castelli, who is now known for his comics characters such as Martin Mystère (Martin Mystery, Ed) also wanted to try to make movies. We put some money aside. Alfredo earned his money by selling subjects for the newspaper comic strip Diabolik, and I was working as an editing assistant. We were buying film and we were shooting… Like I'm doing again now… With a few friends and total freedom!

MCM: If you had to choose three important dates in your professional life, what would they be?

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He seems puzzled about the number of dates. Is there some magical significance?

LC: 1977, Starcrash, my first spectacular movie. I've always wanted to shoot a sci-fi movie like that.

But they laughed at me, telling me that no one would ever watch a movie like that in theaters. It was possible only after the success of Star Wars...

Two more dates? No, every day counts!

About Maria Cristina Mastrangeli Maria Cristina Mastrangeli, actress and theater director, lives and works between Paris and Rome.

She studied the History and Criticism of the Performing Arts at the La Sapienza University of Rome and Cinema and Audiovisual at the Sorbonne University in Paris.

She has a degree in directing from the Libera Università del Cinema of Rome, headed at the time by Sofia Scandurra and Leon Viola. In 1993 she was selected by the European Community Program EAVE (Les Entrepreneurs de l’Audiovisuel Européens – Media European Entrepreneurs).

She studied performing arts at the Fersen’s Studio in Rome and has a degree from the Regional Performing Art Academy of Rome. But her most important training as an actress was with Actors Studio’s teachers: from 1985 to 1990 at the Duse Studio of Rome with Francesca de Sapio, then with Susan Strasberg and Geraldine Baron.

In 1996, she was invited to teach Method Acting at the EICTV, the International School of Film and TV in Cuba.

In 1998, she founded Octogone, a theater company dedicated to contemporary dramas.

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IDENTIKIT Maria Cristina Mastrangeli played lead roles at the Teatro Argentina in Rome from 1986 to 1991 and worked with Nikita Michalkov, Marcello Mastroianni, Maurizio Scaparro and Roberto Guicciardini.

In 2015 Maria Cristina Mastrangeli played in Pier Paolo Pasolini’s French monologue A Small Fish directed by Gerardo Maffei at the Théâtre de Belleville, Paris.

In 2017 she staged Pinocchio’s Tears by Belgian playwright Pietro Pizzuti at the Avignon Off Festival and played in Tuffatori directed by Anna Romano in Italy for the European project EU Collective Plays!.

For the stage she's currently working on a script titled How to Write a Successful (Auto)biography, Eventually We Will Have Some Talk about Feminism, a play with a stand-up touch, on Feminism.

As a movie actress she recently performed in Il colore nascosto delle cose by Silvio Soldini (Venice International Film festival, 2017), and in the short film Come to Me by young Swiss director Roman Hüben (Festival of Locarno, 2017).

In the fantastic-horror field she's has a lot of fun working on Little Wizards of Oz (Sitges Fantastic International Festival, 2018), Blood on Méliès Moon (world première in 2016 at BIFFF in Brussels) and Paganini Horror (1989), all by Italian Director Luigi Cozzi (aka Lewis Coates), and Monga (1998) the first short film by Spanish Director Ramiro Garcia Bogliano.

About Chantal Handley Born and raised in England, Chantal Laura Handley is an Australian surf artist who creates horror and pop culture portraits using traditional pastels from her studio in Australia. Visit her websites or her Etsy shop and follow her on Twitter and Patreon.

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GERARDO PRECIADO, Comic Books Writer & Composer Interview: Nikki Brett | Editor: Laura MacLeod | Visual Conception: Emilie Flory | Photos Courtesy: Gerardo Preciado, Daniel Bayliss, David Marquez, Eleonora Carlini, Rob Preciado, Jose Coba, OLD SKULL COMICS, MOONHEAD PRESS, ZENESOPE ENTERTAINMENT.

INTERVIEW WITH GERARDO PRECIADO

Hot on the heels of the release of the latest installment of the Terrore! franchise - a series of soundtracks to nonexistent 80's Italian slasher films - we caught up with the CEO (and secretary) of MUSIKE DI DIABLE Gerardo Preciado to talk about the past, present and future of his "One Man Record Label".

Let’s start with an easy question, then work our way from there. What do you think is the meaning of the universe?

Art, that would be the answer, to me at least. You see, to me Art = God, which is funny coming from me since I’m not a religious person at all, in many ways I am opposed to religion. I should clarify that I mean ‘organized’ religion, because when people ask me what is my religion, my answer is “all of them”, I believe in everything, I believe that everything or anything can be both true and untrue at the same time.

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INCEPTION But coming back to the question, there is a sentence in the Bible that resonates completely with me and what is art to me, and what I’m trying to do.

It may be worded a little differently in the English version but it basically says that ‘God made man(kind) in his own image and resemblance’, and to me what that means is that in order to be aligned with God, the Universe, the Force or whatever, you must not only CREATE, you must do it in a way that reflects who and what you are, even if you have influences or whatever, that what you create is true to yourself…

That to me is the very definition of art and… well… our purpose in this reality!

Is that where this idea of music and films from alternate dimensions came from?

Oh, completely, or in truth, completely the other way around, the art, the music, the stories, they are teaching me and taking me in those directions, it’s not like I decided that I wanted to believe these things, or I created this process for me. It is being taught and directed completely by the art itself, which tells me where to go, what to research, etc.

It all basically started back years ago, when I was in a band and the other members left the band. I was left alone and so the idea of becoming a ‘one man band’ was very interesting to me, instead of just becoming a solo artist, which there is a difference to me, I don’t know if can explain it with words -- that is another thing, everything I do is about FEELING. So, when did the evolution from ‘One Man Band’ to ‘One Man Record Label’ start?

I was making the third (and final) album by THE ATLANTAS, and that’s where I started to notice that the music was pulling me in two different directions. I realized that I had to kill the thing I loved the most (the band) in order to become something else, or as they say ‘evolve or die’.

And so, the ANCIENT ORDER OF THE DROIDS, a one-man electronic duo, and AMBIDEXTROUX, a garage rocker with a midlife crisis were born.

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INCEPTION How were these artists different from each other and the band before them?

In a way I thought of them as a holy trinity of sorts, THE ATLANTAS being the spirit or the soul, the DROIDS were the mind, and AMBIDEXTROUX would be the body. The DROIDS make electronic music, which is technology based, and AMBIDEXTROUX is an animal, he runs purely on instinct. This gave me the opportunity to compose instrumental electronic music, which was something I wanted to do for a long time, and also have this other template to make horrible sounding garage band music, which I also love, and it is also a part of my personality. The most interesting part, I think, is that AMBIDEXTROUX and ANCIENT ORDER OF THE DROIDS started collaborating with each other, and when they did, the whole thing kind of took on a life on its own. They make music that is different to their own stuff, and that’s when I realized my hands were no longer on the wheel.

Which leads us straight into Terrore! your series of soundtracks to a nonexistent 80’s Italian slasher franchise, can you talk a bit about that?

Well, as I said before, I became a passenger in the process. I started to understand that since there is no time, everything that HAS happened is happening, everything that WILL happen is happening, on top of course of what IS happening. But not only that, everything that could have happened, and everything that could still happen, is also happening right now. That led me to the realization that whatever you are imagining, there is a reality where that is happening. What that means to me is that, when we are creating a story or whatever, we are opening a window into another universe where that is happening, and all we are doing is trying our best to bring what we see back into our reality. Having said that, yes, I had a vision of this sleazy, trashy, cheap Italian knock off version of an American 80’s horror franchise a la (in the style of, Ed) Friday the 13th, Halloween or A Nightmare on Elm Street, and I just had to do it. I mean, it’s one of my biggest dreams, to write a film score to an actual movie, but not having an actual movie wasn’t going to stop me!

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INCEPTION What is funny also, is that the Terrore! franchise has evolved, this year we just released Part V: La Tomba Del Maniaco, which might have the best music in the series, but the story behind the film is also very interesting, it was made by the Spanish mafia as a money laundering scheme and basically the movie sucks because the killer (which by the way is not Il Maniaco, the original slasher in the series) kills only TWO people in the whole damn movie!

Aside from the soundtracks to movies that don’t exist, you have written and scored short films that do exist. What can you tell us about The Shape ?

I’ve been making short films with my brother Rob (who directs them) since we were kids but we hadn’t made one in a while, you could say that I wrote the damn thing just to get a chance to score it!

But in all seriousness, it is based on the phenomena of sleep paralysis, which I had as a teen (the song Revelator, from my first album, is also about that) but also mixing it with the idea, going back to the first question, of this bigger and very real monster, which is these priests getting away with all these horrible things we continue to discover they do to children.

To me the most shocking part of it is the cover up, but I digress, the short itself has a more fantasy, almost 80’s Jim Henson feel to it. I think it came out pretty cool.

We are planning on a feature film that I have to say, I’m very, very excited about… hopefully next year we’ll get the wheels turning on that project!

We haven’t touched on the subject of comic books, which may be what you are best known for…

I’m very lucky that, as I talked about earlier, my older brother is a director and my sister a graphic designer (she has helped me a lot with the artwork for MUSIKE DI DIABLE), but I also have a lot of very talented friends.

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INCEPTION I started making comics a while ago with my friend Daniel Bayliss, who has recently had a lot of success in the States with series like Big Trouble in Little China vs Escape From New York and Labyrinth, and we basically started making comics when we met in college.

We created MOONHEAD PRESS, a blog where we published short stories.

Some of them went viral, it was incredible.

This November we are celebrating the 5th year anniversary of our first published comic with what I think is our best one yet.

A couple of years ago I created OLD SKULL COMICS with another lifelong friend named David Marquez.

Unlike MOONHEAD PRESS, where everything is illustrated by Daniel, I work with many different artists in OLD SKULL COMICS, the idea being, giving it an old school [hence the name] feel to it.

Some stories are more serious than others, for example Master of The Lords is basically an 80’s cartoon made by Alejandro Jodorowsky, and Psycario, a story about a racist, homophobic and misogynistic killer was accidentally turned relevant with the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States.

What can you tell us is different about making music, films and comics?

I think my process is more akin to meditation than anything else, meaning, to turn the brain or the ego OFF. In that way I find instrumental music to be a purer form of art, you go straight into the feeling.

There is an Italian saying, ‘traduttori traditori’ which explains what I’m trying to say, it means basically that to translate is to betray, when you translate a text from one language to another meaning will be lost or misinterpreted by the translator.

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When you add lyrics to a piece of music, you are translating a feeling, that’s what I mean. There is a betrayal, a feeling is the purest form, it cannot be expressed by words. So, you can imagine that the act of writing a script is especially challenging because of this reason, in order to be true art for me, it has to come from that place where the mind cannot go.

Most people wouldn’t know that I am an architect; I find that music and architecture are more alike than music and writing; architecture can have rhythm, symmetry, loudness.

The other principle I base my work is one I learned while in college studying architecture, which is to find the ‘difficult simplicity’ -- to make something interesting by cramming a lot of stuff into it, a drawing with a million lines, a song with three guitar solos, a story with a convoluted plot is far easier than making something interesting with the bare minimum, which is what excites me the most.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, writing a script with your brain turned off is harder to me than letting myself go while making music, but once I get to that place, I guess it's all the same thing.

Before I let you go, what can you tell us about the future of MUSIKE DI DIABLE? There are a ton of projects I’m looking forward to making in the next few years.

AMBIDEXTROUX and ANCIENT ORDER OF THE DROIDS and even the Terrore! franchise will have an end soon to give way to new artists. And even though I’m not completely sure in which directions the music is going to take me, I’m very happy to go along for the ride!

Interview by Nikki Brett

About Gerardo Preciado

Gerardo Preciado is a writer and musician from northern México. As a child and influenced greatly by his older brother, Gerardo grew up with a healthy dose of Superhero Comics, Slasher films, and Heavy Metal.

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INCEPTION In 2013 along with artist Daniel Bayliss, Gerardo Preciado created a web comics blog to publish a couple of short stories, the blog, called MOONHEAD PRESS went viral with its first post, a dark and disturbing tribute to the caped crusader. The Deal was read by over a million people on its first week online alone and was translated by fellow fans around the world into Portuguese, German, Spanish, Italian and several more languages.

The success of The Deal and God's End (the exploration of another superhero archetype) led to Gerardo's first professional writing gig. Grimm Tales of Terror # 9, Gerardo's tribute to 80's slasher films, was released in March, 2015 by ZENESCOPE ENTERTAINMENT. Also in 2015, he funded a new web comics blog called OLD SKULL COMICS, co-created with childhood friend and artist David Marquez. The blog has received a very positive response from fans for its crazy and over the top stories like Psycario and Master of the Lords.

Since 2008, Gerardo runs a 'one man record label' called MUSIKE DI DIABLE, where he releases 'music from an alternate universe' featuring several artists who often collaborate with each other. The label mainly specializes in soundtracks to nonexistent 80's film franchises such as Terrore!, “a film so scary... it was never made!”.

Gerardo has written several short films including Death Racer Vs. the Vampire Women (2007) and more recently The Shape (2017), all of them directed by his older brother, Rob. In 2013 he got a credit in the Robert Rodriguez short Two Scoops by tweeting him the winning weapon concept later used in the film.

Gerardo Preciado currently lives in northern México where he is currently writing his first 'spiritual time travel' novel, and of course, Comics and Soundtracks to films that don't exist.

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An Exploitation Tale/Horror Epic by Christopher Zisi Visual Conception: Dub Meter | Cover: Emilie Flory Special Thanks to: Alice Alinari, Martin Jernberg, Jakub Gorajek, Anne Edgar & Unsplash | Madmind Studio & MakyFoto | Paul Gilmore & Kiattisak | Peter H, Bruno Antonucci, Lila Cosplay & Larissa Reis | Enrique Meseguer | Miles Aldridge | Devil Hands | Gaspard Noé | Berenice Marlohe | Disclosure | Loleïa | Oliana Gruzdeva | [21 Memes]

Somalin Three peaks of destiny. Deep in the Himalayas, on an isolated peak, near a disputed border, lay a Pakistani army unit, torn to shreds by some unimaginable force…

Several kilometers to the north, on a peak shrouded permanently by soupy fog, the crimson blood of a herd of yaks stained the icy snow…

On a yet undiscovered peak, purloined in a dark cave, dwelt a wild woman, known only as Somalin.

Hanging on the wall of this cave were Chinese throwing stars, created by the legendary wild woman from the femur bones of the corpses of soldiers.

Four miles below the ominous cave, Dr. Chandra Proudushar struggled to calm his local guides and chirpas. When planning this expedition in the hallowed halls of Bengaluru University, he never foresaw the horror of the local population toward what law awaiting on the targeted peak. What eventually proved to be a fatal calculation, Dr. Proudushar assumed the humble population were paralyzed by the horror of the Yeti.

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VAULT OF CREATION Unbeknownst to the unfortunate doctor, the local villagers were keenly aware of what waited… way above the wintery clouds.

[The next 450 words of this story have been deleted by the Indian Ministry of Culture] Down the mountain: The mist from Bisleri Falls skewered any remaining visibility. Sunil Gorpa did not mind. Anything that shielded his eyes from the monstrosity locked in the titanium cage was a welcomed companion to the petrified graduate student.

His mentor, and surrogate father, Dr. Proudushar, now a permanent resident of the makeshift graveyard outside the newly discovered cave above. All of Gorpa’s loving memories and images of Dr. Proudushar were now replaced with shocking ones of Proudushar’s vital organs strewn all over the newly discovered cave… or as Gorpa referred to it… The Hell of the Himalayas.

Hearing the water crashing at the bottom rocks of the Bisleri Falls, Gorpa knew he was only five kilometers from the base camp. He thought of the irony of the whole expedition. No more would he wake up in a cold drenching sweat from nightmares about the Yeti beasts. No… his greatest fear, now overcome. Kismet*, Gorpa thought, was now laughing at him, as an even greater horror would now torment him in his slumber. The being inside the titanium cage! Gorpa and the two surviving chirpas dragged the cage toward the base camp. Trying to ignore the shrieking howls from the being inside…

[The remainder of this Chapter, and all of the next two chapters, have been censored by the Indian Ministry of Culture]

Mr. Raj

Thravendish Raj had managed the Taj Krishna Hotel in Mumbai for the past 16 years. The luxury hotel was his child. Every one of his decisions regarding the hotel was motivated by pure fatherly love. What the small, greasy man, sitting opposite him in his own office, was telling him to do… well… it was too offensive to Mr. Raj’s sensibilities to continue a polite conversation.

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VAULT OF CREATION Unfortunately for Mr. Raj, his hotel, through their charitable giving, had financed the university mission which brought the Himalayan Devil Woman back to civilization.

India’s government was forced to make a difficult decision. Though the monster was a vicious cannibal-monster… she was human. Because the beast was deemed human, cages, restraints, and any ownership rights were forbidden.

Sensing Mr. Raj’s outrage, Parmander Surapjav decided to re-state his proposition in gentler terms.

Mr. Surapjav, the Indian Minister of Cultural Inclusion, took a parental tone, despite being of equal age with Mr. Raj. “Mr Raj,” cooed Mr. Surapjav, “India’s strength is its diversity of cultures… our multi-cultural hiring initiative will only make The Taj Krishna a better hotel.” The government minister stopped as he saw Mr. Raj’s face turn deep red.

Mr. Raj, bypassing polite etiquette, cut right to the crux of the meeting, “You are mad,” he shrieked, “Hire a ghoulish fiend? A monster!?!”

“My dear Mr. Raj,” Mr. Surapjav condescended, “the Somalin woman is not a monster, she is merely from a culture which mystifies many in Mumbai.”

“SHE EATS PEOPLE!!!!!” again Mr. Raj shrieked.

“I admit she has unique methods of communication,” quickly retorted Mr. Surapjav. Concluding that politeness was proving ineffective, The Minister of Cultural Inclusion laid out reality to Mr. Raj. “Of course, my dear Mr. Raj, the Indian government, representing all the peoples of our glorious and diverse country, would never mandate you to adopt the parameters of our new hiring initiative.” Mr. Surapjav wasn’t finished, “However, our Bureau of Licenses, Alcohol, and Permits tend to reflect happily on the wisdom of hotels who embrace inclusion and multi-culturalism.”

There it was, Mr. Raj recognized the threat. Without the government’s permission to sell alcoholic beverages, his hotel would fail within a month. Somehow, since The Taj Krishna was responsible for bringing Somalin down from her mountain-top home, The Taj Krishna would have to free her from her cage and put her to work in the hotel.

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Nikolai Volkov

The Nickel magnate from Vladivostok waited. He spotted the exotic beauty in the concierge lounge on the 23rd floor of the Taj Krishna in Mumbai.

The Russian billionaire loved beautiful women… more specifically… he liked exotic sex with beautiful women. Five years ago, he swept the Miss World Pageant winner off her feet. Natalya Konstantinov became the trophy wife of Nikolai Volkov… so all the papers said. He was 35 years her senior but they both shared a love for deviant and experimental sex. When he saw the tall Asian beauty wearing a form fitting latex cat-suit in the lounge, he knew he had to have her.

Volkov waited for a knock on his door, not realizing that the one called “Somalin” never knocked.

Volkov never felt the first blow as his spinal cord was snapped just above his pelvis. Somalin moved fast… with paralysis, the old Russian would not have to be tied up. No longer a mere cannibal, Somalin was also a nymphomaniac… and she went to work. Volkov never felt any pain and was able to see the wild woman go to work. Her slender hand pulled down two zippers on her suit and within 15 seconds she stood above Volkov’s limp body, totally nude.

Somalin was always intrigued by the male sex organ and what she could do to it. Volkov’s was quite erect, maybe three times the size as usual just prior to paralysis. She straddled Volkov between the sternum and chin, reached behind her and grabbed his man organ. As she caressed it her tongue went to work on Volkov’s face and ears. She then allowed Volkov’s tongue to go to work on her. These kills were getting more and more fun. Fifteen minutes passed and Somalin was tiring of the old fart.

With her right hand she twisted off Volkov’s man-organ and ate it. The thing was down her esophagus and headed to her stomach in two bites. With both hands free and with Volkov staring at her with the stupidest expression she had ever seen, Somalin jerked his head awkwardly, instantly killing Russia’s richest industrialist.

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VAULT OF CREATION Four hours later Volkov’s body would be found by an elderly chambermaid. The poor woman would never work again after making this discovery. The abdomen was ripped open and intestines, liver and kidney were gone. Blood splattered the walls and ceiling and the odor was putrid. The shocked chamber maid would never utter a word to Taj Krishna security as she didn’t want the wrath of Somalin to fall on her, as well.

Sergei Karamazov

Moscow wasn’t happy. Their favorite billionaire had been dissected and eaten by a hotel employee in Mumbai. Nikolai Volkov wasn’t particularly liked in Moscow, but he did provide the best bribes in all of Europe and Asia. Because of Volkov’s generosity, many government officials in Moscow owned boats and vacation homes on the Black Sea. On occasion, the smelly billionaire would also provide his own wife, that former Miss World babe, and her dominatrix tendencies. Many of the bureaucrats preferred Natalya’s sexual favors than Volkov’s checks, and this usually yielded Volkov more favor from them.

Moscow believed their task at hand was easy. In a discreet manner, they would provide Thravendish Raj with the name of a highly lethal Russian assassin. Raj would do the rest. Mr. Raj owned the hotel where the carnage took place and he was also a valuable asset for Russian intelligence. The Russians didn’t know that Mr. Raj also provided great intelligence to the Chinese, but in Asia… everyone serves many masters. Now Mr. Raj, armed with the name and location of Sergei Karamazov, was free to make any deal he could with the lethal former Spetznaz soldier.

Trained to kill with complete discrimination, Karamazov was the ideal choice to eliminate the Himalayan monster. The absence of war almost killed him. Booze, loose women, gambling, and more booze had taken their toll on this killer.

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Still known as the best assassin in both Europe and Asia, Karamazov also completed his missions in the most brutal form. Usually this meant the victim’s head was detached from its torso and sent to some person or organization as a message.

The cold and empty soul that was Karamazov almost didn’t accept what would end up being his last mission. On a cold, wind-swept night at a makeshift drinkery in Mongolia’s badlands (about 200 clicks from Ulan Bator), a fat, bald Indian man strode into the bar called ‘The Thirsty Yak.’ The former Spetznaz soldier was secreted in a stall, or pseudo-bathroom, and would not notice the out-of-place visitor for 30 minutes. Karamazov was passed out in a puddle of warm beer and cow urine and in no condition to talk business.

Time doesn’t move in the outer regions of rural Mongolia and eventually the drunk Russian made it over to the splintery bar. Perhaps the sight of an unopened bottle of Finlandia vodka acted as a homing beacon. Finlandia in Mongolia? Only after he plopped his posterior uneasily on a barstool did Karamazov notice that the bottle was attached to the olive colored hand of a strange Indian man. In perfect Russian Mr. Raj spoke, “You are Karamazov… one million Swiss francs is currently being wired into your account in Zurich. Sober up and meet me at my hotel in Ulan Bator… the Royal Mongolian… in exactly 12 hours.” The little man seemed to disappear instantly after uttering these fateful words.

72 hours later, that first meeting with Mr. Raj flashed through the soon to be detached brain of Karamazov. Rapidly bleeding to death on the floor of Room 618 of the Taj Krishna Hotel in Mumbai he surveyed the hopeless situation. The former Spetnaz soldier caught sight of his Katana sword, still gripped in his severed right hand, about five feet away from him. The unfired AK 47 rifle of the now defunct assassin was still gripped in his now severed left hand which lay about 10 feet away.

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VAULT OF CREATION Moments before, maybe 15 seconds previous, Karamazov would see Somalin, the wild beast of the Himalayas, make her last charge at him, equipped with a half-dozen Chinese throwing stars.

To think that this wild woman would be an easy kill. As the life slipped away from the Russian assassin, Somalin, now nude, rubbed his blood all over her body and face before ripping out his internal organs. Karamazov would feed Somalin for two days… after that… Somalin would again pick out various guests in this luxury hotel she called home.

Plan B

Mr. Raj was furious. No wonder Russia couldn’t become the world’s number one super-power.

Karamazov was a drunken disaster from the get go. Somalin was a monster and Moscow saw her as a woman. Sure, she cleaned up nicely and wore the Taj Krishna uniform nicely. As a cocktail waitress in the cocktail lounge, Somalin donned a black suede mini-skirt (a tight one), black stockings, and a satin white blouse. Oh yes, shiny three- inch heels enhanced the entire package. Somalin would always leave the top three buttons of her blouse un-done which netted her the biggest tips of any waitress in the lounge. The other waitresses used to complain… they were beauties too. Unfortunately for Somalin’s very sexy colleagues, the Himalayan woman ate them all.

Beijing was up. Having a large interest in the Taj Krishna hotel where a lot of American and Russian businessmen stayed, Beijing would appease Mr. Raj. The intelligence services in Beijing concluded that Karamazov’s soft-spot for tall, sexy Asian women caused him to hesitate, thus die… and be eaten.

Nope, an assassin should never allow himself to be seduced, even for a split second. Beijing had the solution. Their deadliest assassin would be sent to Mumbai and eliminate Mr. Raj’s problem.

Suyin Wong

Naked and perspiring profusely, the naked Chinese beauty stared dreamily out her floor-to-ceiling window in her 43rd floor Shanghai apartment.

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VAULT OF CREATION Her reflection stared back at her and Suyin Wong admired her near perfect body. A bite mark on her left breast was the only blemish, but after five years that scar was almost invisible. The dozens of erect construction cranes below were symbolic of the naked New Zealand rugby player tied up in her bed. What a night! Suyin Wong was entitled to some enjoyment and the last several hours were ecstatic.

Today was a workday and she had to cut the Kiwi loose and let him go. His bondage was only fair as the evening started out with Suyin tied to all four bedposts, at the rugby player’s mercy. Bound and gagged, Suyin was pleasured over and over again. After her escape, which consisted of self-dislocating a shoulder and reaching for a blade under a pillow, and a few martial arts moves… Suyin was then in charge. In 120 minutes she pleasured him over and over again. The Kiwi had a wimpish moan so Suyin stuffed her black-latex panties in his mouth and ordered him to be silent. He complied.

The naked Suyin hesitantly pulled herself away from the window and walked back into the bedroom.

She didn’t want to cut him loose. She looked at the digital clock, licked her lips, applied some tangerine lip-gloss to them and told the Kiwi, “I have 20 more minutes… one more time?”. The Kiwi groaned in horror. Suyin moved in one more time… 40 minutes later the Kiwi was gone. His awkward walk would be a souvenir of what she did to him… he’d heal.

Time to go to work. The five-foot six beauty strapped a dagger to the inside of her left thigh, pulled on a leather mini-skirt (after all, Shanghai was hot this time of year) and a leather motorcycle jacket. Off to Mumbai. The assassin was being sent on a mission to kill. The microfilm delivered to her yesterday gave her all the information the Chinese intelligence agencies could accumulate. This was going to be an easy one. The target, a beautiful but unpredictable hotel employee who just so happened to be a six-foot Asian beauty from the Himalayas.

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The Mission

Suyin sat in her first-class seat on the Air India flight and reminisced. She had met Volkov five years ago in Vladivostok… and consequently, met his bitchy-nymphomaniac wife… that Miss World skank! What was her name? Ah yes, Natalya. That was the bitch that left the bite mark on her breast.

Still, despite the scar, this was Suyin’s most successful mission.

As a male flight attendant brought her some more Bailey’s, Suyin reviewed that painful episode in her mind. However painful it was, Suyin was quite aroused by the thought of what she did… and what was done to her.

It didn’t seem like five years ago when Suyin was sent to Vladivostok, a major port city in eastern Russia. The Chinese agent/assassin was the perfect choice. Because of its proximity to the Chinese border, Vladivostok was almost a Chinese city, anyway. Moscow was worried that so many Chinese people freely came across the border for jobs and prostitution that the city would someday be lost to Beijing. Suyin arrived with ease, equipped with phony papers, a sexy wardrobe, and plenty of tangerine lip-gloss. Her target? Nikolai Volkov… billionaire.

Volkov would be in Vladivostok for three weeks. In that time, the owner of all the Nickel mines in Norilsk would purchase two shipping companies. Volkov had the funds to do this, that wasn’t his problem. His task was to pay-off three different criminal organizations (one Russian, one Chinese, and one Japanese). By paying for their favor and protection, Volkov would rule eastern Russia without having to worry about Beijing moving in on his territory. Beijing wasn’t going to cede all this wealth and influence to some Russian billionaire. Knowing Volkov loved pretty women, and knowing he and his new wife loved orgies… Beijing sent Suyin to Vladivostok. Her job would be to compromise Volkov so Beijing could still have their influence in eastern Russia.

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VAULT OF CREATION The stupid billionaire never bothered to get a pre-nuptial agreement with his beauty queen wife. Thus, if the former Miss World, Natalya Konstantinov-Volkov, decided to divorce him… well… she’d get half.

Suyin’s goal was to give Natalya a reason to seek a divorce. If all went according to plan, Volkov would be in debt to Beijing for not sending Natalya some steamy photos that would soon be taken of him and Suyin.

This was not going to be easy. Security around the billionaire was tight and Suyin’s chances of getting within a hundred meters of Volkov were slim. Suyin was prepared and ready. Realizing the pain, humiliation, and degradation that was in store for her, the Chinese agent made her first move… on Natalya.

The Russian beauty was Miss Russia two years ago and then won the Miss World Pageant last year.

Miss Venezuela should have won, and was ahead in every category, with Natalya barely in third place.

Then Natalya went to work. She visited every judge… four old guys, and two previous winners of the pageant. Natalya and her signature riding crop and dominatrix outfits was successful. None of the six could resist her and Natalya allowed them to do all sorts of twisted acts on her. To the embarrassment of Miss Venezuela, Natalya Konstantinov, Miss Russia, was crowned Miss World.

Deviant sex orgies was really the only common interest of Natalya and Volkov. Almost immediately after a Las Vegas wedding, the two settled on a routine. Volkov would travel the world with his new bride. Natalya would spend the first week in places like London, Paris, Budapest, and Berlin scoping things out. Natalya’s job was to find the sexiest and most deviant submissive she could lay her hands on. After a week of whipping her and subjecting her to all sorts of degradation, Natalya would bring in her husband for a violent threesome.

Fortunately for Suyin, the Miss China in that same pageant was also an agent.

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VAULT OF CREATION Hence Natalya’s efforts to sway the judges was all caught on film. Natalya wasn’t the target, however… Volkov was. Suyin kept this in mind when she first approached Natalya in the cocktail lounge at the swanky Vladivostok hotel. With black go-go boots, fishnet stockings, a tight black leather mini-skirt, and a red satin blouse she caught Natalya’s eye. Sensing the Russian’s stare, Suyin applied a heaping helping of tangerine lip-gloss and licked her lips as she looked up to meet Natalya’s gaze. Step one successful, thought Suyin… the nymphomaniac has been seduced.

What happened next in that Vladivostok hotel five years previous still made Suyin wince. After slowly walking out of the bar with Natalya on her tail, she led the Russian beauty to her hotel room.

Suyin knew what was in store for and had plenty of aspirin and pain killers in her toiletry bag.

As soon as Suyin opened her door, Natalya was on her. Suyin saw a flash of white and was out for a few seconds. When she woke Natalya was on top of her tearing off Suyin’s red satin blouse. Her attempt to protest this destruction of an expensive piece of wardrobe was instantly met with several hard slaps to her face. Suyin’s face was numb and Natalya was drooling. Natalya tore a swatch of red satin cloth, from the former blouse, and shoved it into Suyin’s mouth to shut off any of the China-woman’s protests.

Over the next four days Suyin would spend two hours each afternoon as Natalya’s sex slave. In addition to slapping Suyin repeatedly, she ordered the Chinese agent to walk around on all fours and bark like a dog. Suyin complied. Natalya would then pull out a riding crop and whip Suyin’s buttocks… and of course Suyin would bark. The ordeal would end late each afternoon after Natalya would tie Suyin to the king-sized bed and do all sorts of deviant things to the humiliated Chinese vixen… including biting her. Natalya would never realize that Suyin was, in fact, in control.

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VAULT OF CREATION After four days Natalya had a special surprise for this Chinese submissive. The introduction of Nikolai Volkov would take place on this rainy Saturday afternoon. The session began as normal. Natalya slapped and whipped her slave with reckless abandon. Suyin did her best not to scream but on occasion let out a weak whimper which only aroused Natalya some more. The Chinese agent was then ordered on the bed where Natalya, wearing a black leather dominatrix outfit, tied her arms and legs to the four bedposts. Still clothed, this time with a tight leather red mini-skirt, white go-go boots, the usual fishnets, and an opened white suede jacket, Suyin waited for Natalya to either rip off or cut off her garments.

Volkov then made his grand entrance. Natalya met him with a leash and told him: “Hello darling, the bitch has been a bad dog!”. She then gave the billionaire a leash and asked if he would punish the bound “skank”. Volkov then stripped and ordered Natalya to do the same. With a box-cutter, Volkov then cut all of the garments off Suyin as Natalya used her tongue to caress every part of her stiffened body. Humiliated but defiant, Suyin was ready to turn the tables on these maniacal Russians.

The Venusian Eclipse

The Venusian Eclipse was invented centuries ago and perfected by the women of China’s Ming Dynasty. In a very patriarchal society, females needed to procure certain advantages to gain favor and flourish in these times in China. Men of the Ming Dynasty were owed 100 % obedience by their females and failure to obey would result in torture or death. Women who could perform the Venusian Eclipse to their male sex-partners were adorned with any gift or luxury they desired. The act is hardly simple and begins [[The next 2700 words of this manuscript have been edited out by the Ministry

of Decency and Culture of The People’s Republic of China]

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VAULT OF CREATION Suyin Wong was one of four women in the world with the ability and skill to perform The Venusian Eclipse. There used to be seven but over the past couple of years the Chinese assassin, who despised competition, neutralized three of these beauties (one in Hong Kong, one in Tokyo, and one in Las Vegas). Wong’s ultimate goal would be to eliminate the remaining three, one more in China… one in Italy… and finally one in Sweden. Wong was confident that soon she would be the only woman in the world capable of performing this exaggerated and magical sex act… then she would rule the world.

As Natalya licked and bit Suyin’s breasts and Nikolai attempted to shove his man-organ into her mouth, the Chinese assassin began The Venusian Eclipse.

Like the women of the Ming Dynasty, Suyin was a jealous vixen. Though men of the Ming Dynasty loved threesomes, women skilled in The Venusian Eclipse never shared… hence step one of the act… eliminate the competition. In an instant Suyin dislocated two of her limbs, slid out of the ropes that bound her, threw Natalya off of her and went to work. With a quick jab inside Natalya’s left thigh, followed exactly a fourth of a second later with a quick jab to the Russian vixen’s jugular, Suyin successfully rendered her unconscious. Natalya would be out anywhere between two to four hours and no amount of noise or movement… and there would be a lot of noise and movement… would wake her. Next… Nikolai.

With Natalya out of operation, the billionaire looked like a lost puppy. Suyin was on top of him within two seconds after finishing off Natalya. With dozens of listening devices and dozens of hidden cameras capturing every move and spoken word, Suyin quickly applied steps two, three, four, and five of The Venusian Eclipse to the helpless deviant. These steps consisted of

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VAULT OF CREATION With complete control of Nikolai, and with Natalya sleeping… and snoring… Suyin humiliated him.

He barked… he begged… he barked some more… and he recited a script Suyin provided him.

Nikolai would be caught on film extolling embarrassing stories about Natalya. Stories that would humiliate her. Nikolai would also go on and proclaim his allegiance to Beijing, and claim that Moscow is a corpse of a bear.

These recordings are just what Beijing wanted and Suyin delivered masterfully. After a 42-minute performance, caught on tape, Suyin put Nikolai to sleep next to his vixen-bride.

As Suyin pulled herself off the bed, she smiled at her tormentors and grabbed Natalya’s riding crop from under her left leg. Bloodied by Natalya’s bites, Suyin looked at the Russian beauty queen, whipped her unconscious body with the riding crop several times, then barked a few times and offered her a parting good-bye: “Every dog has its day… bitch!”.

Suyin vs. Somalin

Beijing made a calculated risk. In providing Suyin Wong intelligence regarding this current assignment, they had left out a couple of pieces of information.

First, Suyin Wong, assassin-extraordinaire, was never told about the failed Russian attempt on Somalin. Karamazov was a drunk has been, so his failure was no surprise. Beijing wasn’t worried about Suyin knowing about this bloody failure of Moscow. What Beijing did not want their woman to know was that she was Plan B. This would have been such a blow to Suyin’s ego it would have rendered her a mere unreliable nymphomaniac instead of a world class assassin. Plan B is for losers, at least as far as Suyin was concerned.

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VAULT OF CREATION The Chinese agent checked into the concierge level of Mumbai’s Taj Krishna Hotel just before sunset.

She would kill the Himalayan woman tomorrow, but tonight would be for scoping out the hotel, Somalin, and then some pre-marital sex with any man she chose. At 7:00 pm Suyin readied herself.

After applying a generous portion of tangerine lip-gloss, a very tight leather mini-skirt (purple in color), nude stockings, six-inch stiletto heels, and a very tight white halter top… and an attitude for sex and murder, she set off to the concierge lounge down the hall from her room.

In the lounge the tall slender cocktail waitress was hard at work. Somalin, clad in her usual alluring Taj Krishna uniform had two purposes. First, use sex appeal to gain massive amounts of tips. Next, pick out a man for wild sex… and then eat him. She found her man. The sight of this Australian cricket player drove her wild… or at least more wild than she already was. It took every ounce of power she had not to rip his clothes off there in the lounge. Somalin knew he was noticing her and every time he glanced in her direction, she would apply some wild-cherry lip gloss.

Miss Wong strutted into the lounge oozing sexual desire. She noticed Somalin immediately though never glanced in her direction. At the same time Somalin applied her wild-cherry lip-gloss, Suyin applied more tangerine lip-gloss. Frank Russell, Australia’s most renown cricket player couldn’t have been more aroused. He was about to explode so he needed to act soon.

Suyin sat at a small table in the corner where she could watch Somalin’s every move. The Himalayan beast was a beauty. Suyin began fantasizing about being whipped and beaten by this monster and quickly turned her thoughts to a more heterosexual endeavor. “May I sit here?” Frank Russel wasn’t smooth. In need of some heterosexual sex to take her mind off her carnal desires for Somalin, Suyin’s response surprised the Aussie.

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“Shut up and follow me to my room… now!”. The two immediately departed. Tomorrow Suyin would seduce Somalin and lure her to the same room where the assassin would puncture the liver of the Himalayan monster. But tonight… ecstasy and pleasure would rule the next several hours… or that is what Suyin planned.

The pretty Filipino waitress who worked with Somalin lay on a table in the center of the concierge lounge, bleeding profusely as her intestines leaked out of her abdomen. Somalin actually liked her but when her cricket player was stolen by that Chinese slut, she lost it. No one ever stole Somalin’s men or food and the cricket player was going to be both. Just who did this whore think she was?

Somalin thought about eating the remains of the Filipino waitress but decided on another main course… tonight, Chinese food would be on the menu.

Suyin and Frank went at it as soon as the door to the hotel room shut. They ripped each other’s clothes off and after Suyin’s attempt to slap the cricket player were thwarted away, he picked her up and threw her on the bed. Both participants naked now, she gave him a move right out of the playbook for The Venusian Eclipse and now straddled the Aussie. He was hers, or so she thought. As she prepared to massage his groin and lick his chest everything went white.

Somalin never used the door so when she arrived inside Suyin’s room, the nymphomaniac was caught by surprise. As Somalin watched Suyin do some amazing moves on Frank Russell, she was jealous.

Perhaps she would watch Suyin and learn. Somalin thought better and decided to move in for the kill instead. The Himalayan monster grabbed Suyin’s stockings, which had been thrown on the lamp beside the bed, and used them as a noose and slid them around the slut’s neck. With a yank, Somalin sent Suyin Wong, Chinese assassin, flying across the room and crashing into the wall. The assassin was out cold which gave Somalin time with Frank.

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In less than a minute Somalin turned the Australian hunk into something resembling a giant scoop of hairy strawberry ice-cream. She used Frank’s blood as war paint and covered her entire body in it.

Standing on the bed, over the former cricket player, Somalin looked at the naked slut who was just coming back into consciousness.

Sweaty and naked, Suyin had to gather her senses fast. Every part of her ached and pulsated. She was on the floor, her legs spread out in front of her while leaning against the wall. When Suyin opened her eyes, she saw a blood covered beauty standing on the bed. This bloody vixen seemed to be guarding the yanked out internal organs of the unfortunate cricket player. Even worse, the demon woman stared at her as a Doberman stares at a porkchop. Suyin reacted immediately with two moves. The assassin’s lip gloss lay just beyond her limp right hand… she grabbed it and applied some more of this seductive tangerine lip-gloss. Next, Suyin gave Somalin a look of seduction and slowly caressed her lips with her tongue, taking in the citrus flavor of her lip-gloss. As she licked her lips she readied herself mentally to perform The Venusian Eclipse on a female… would it work?

Somalin stared at her prey. The Chinese slut lay limp and helpless against a wall. For stealing her man, this woman would pay with her life. The Himalayan monster intended to keep Suyin alive for several minutes so she could watch her own liver and intestines be pulled out. Then something clicked… no… ’exploded’ was a better word. The tall beauty watched as her prey licked her lips… Somalin found this exciting. Instead of wanting to eat Suyin, Somalin desired something more intimate. As she watched Suyin some more, now licking her own lips, Somalin was awestruck by the contorted but alluring moves Suyin was performing. Then, Somalin approached and the two women

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Business as Usual

Mr. Raj thought about it every minute of every day. In the 12 months since he helped clean up the bloodbath in that hotel room on the concierge level, the manager of The Taj Krishna in Mumbai was a changed man. A kidney on an end table… a pancreas on the mini-bar… a lung dangling from a ceiling fan… the images were too vibrant to forget. Though he thought about it, there was an unspoken rule which he obeyed… never talk about it. The fate of the sultry Chinese assassin and the monster Himalayan woman were a mystery. Most people who saw the carnage in that hotel room (now a broom closet) believed the two women were shredded and many of the internal organs belonged to them. Mr. Raj didn’t buy this… somewhere, out there, one or both of these vixens was still… well… doing whatever.

Beijing never inquired about their agent. This was odd. Mr. Raj figured they were embarrassed.

Afterall, Beijing liked to complete tasks quietly and behind the scenes. Mr. Raj was certain that his efforts to keep the carnage of the Somalin-Suyin ultimate cat-fight quiet pleased Beijing. Even though they asked and asked, Mr. Raj didn’t even let Moscow know what he saw in that hotel room.

With Somalin gone, The Taj Krishna Hotel in Mumbai had regained its six-star rating. After 132 guests in two years were rumored to have gone missing in The Taj Krishna, they fell to a five-star rating. Mr. Raj had successfully brought his hotel back to the pinnacle of luxury and fine-dining.

Miss Sweden

The mirrored elevator at this 6-star hotel in Nassau flattered her nicely. Natalya still had it. After winning the Miss World Pageant almost 10 years ago, she lost nothing, and thanks to some minor cosmetic surgery and Botox… actually gained a little. The image in the mirror was striking… a sultry woman wrapped tightly in a gold-sequins gown.

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VAULT OF CREATION It hugged her posterior nicely and pushed up her bust appropriately. As host of this year’s Miss World Pageant, Natalya was having the time of her life. Two weeks at a beach resort surrounded by 73 of the most luscious babes on the planet.

As the beauty queen from Russia left the elevator on the sixth floor, she had made up her mind.

Departing the rehearsal for the swimsuit (bikini, actually) competition, Natalya could not make up her mind… Miss Guatemala or Miss Sweden? Both perhaps? No, one at a time. It would be Miss Sweden…

Inga something… the last name didn’t matter. Yep, the Swede would do for tonight. Before winning the pageant a decade ago, Natalya had to partake in this rite. She never forgot being summoned up to the hotel room of the pageant’s host where she was told the unofficial rules. Natalya didn’t mind, as winning the Miss World Pageant would have its benefits. With only token opposition, for the next three hours the Russian beauty became the sex-slave for the pageant’s host and his dominatrix wife.

A few bruises, some bondage, and a lot of humiliation, Natalya completed the hazing and went on to service the other five judges, as well. Success! Her dominatrix outfit and riding crop were more help to her than the harmonica she utilized during the talent competition of the pageant. She was awarded the Miss World title.

Now inside room 604, a luxury suite with a great big bathtub, Natalya scanned a folder for the room number and cell number of Inga the Swede. The blonde, blue-eyed vixen would have her chance to claim the title, but only if she submitted to the Russian’s requests (demands, actually). The Swede would take this honor in one of two ways. Inga might be repulsed, cry a lot, and beg Natalya to spare her. The Russian hoped for this as physical force, straps, and humiliation was a turn-on to her. Or, Inga would be thrilled sensing that this was her unofficial notification that Natalya had chosen her as Miss World.

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VAULT OF CREATION The latter reaction wasn’t as much fun, but it did mean that she could get Inga to bark like a dog and beg for more. Natalya had done that 10 years ago and found it quite a turn on.

Natalya was ready to call her and request the Swede come to her room with that shiny, fire-orange bikini when a voice startled her: “Hello Master!”…

The voice was seductive and confident and caused Natalya to spin around so fast the folder with all the pageant contestants cell phone numbers was knocked to the ground. She was almost shocked to see that Chinese submissive slut sitting on the king-sized bed, clad in shiny black go-go boots with six-inch heels and laced to her knees, fishnet stockings, a black leather mini-skirt, and a leather jacket opened to reveal those same breasts she bit into five years earlier. In an authoritative voice which served her dominatrix role well, Natalya shouted out an order: “Well, you look better than ever.

Get on all fours bitch and bark!”. Natalya remembered the encounter of five years ago and she knew this Chinese beauty was ready to submit.

Wong caressed her tangerine lip-glossed lips with her tongue, eyed Natalya from head to foot, and let out a wanting groan: “Natalya, my darling, I thought we would try something a little different.”. The Russian babe liked the sound of that and noticed the black riding crop Wong was holding.

“Oooooh, a little pain always wets my appetite!”, Natalya moaned back.

“A little pain? I was thinking a lot of pain. I want you to meet my friend!” purred the Chinese assassin. With that Natalya was spun around with such great force her neck almost broke. Somalin, wearing a black skin-tight latex body suit was already on her. As Natalya’s eyes met the wild woman’s, a feeling of extreme lust overtook her for a split second. As Natalya’s liver was ripped out of her torso and thrown against the wall, her last thought before death was “what a way to go!”.

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With Natalya’s limp corpse on the floor, Wong picked up the now blood-stained folder and scanned it for a whole minute. She looked at Somalin, smiled, licked her lips and softly said: “Inga Sundin, Miss Sweden, Room 302… let’s go!”

To be continued…

Christopher Zisi

About Christopher Zisi

Christopher Zisi is an American horror writer from Fredericksburg, Virginia. In 2013 he created the blog Zisi Emporium for B Movies which showcases his thoughts and witticisms of horror, exploitation, and science fiction films. To date, over 800 films have been reviewed on this blog. Mr. Zisi has published four books which include compilations of his reviews and one of his own horror poetry.

Before writing about horror full time, Christopher Zisi was a Special Agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. During his 25-year career with the Bureau, Zisi conducted drug and organized crime investigations in the Baltimore Field Office and eventually moved to the FBI’s training academy in Quantico, Virginia. At Quantico, he taught interviewing and interrogation, detection of deception, and also issues relating to police shootings. The FBI sent Zisi to 25 countries (including Vietnam, Cambodia, Poland, and Indonesia) to teach interrogation and detection of deception.

Christopher Zisi is married to a musician and has two children in college. In 2018, he will publish another book focusing on exploitation films.

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THE EXORCIST Special Tribute by Laura MacLeod

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros & Hoya Productions Visual Conception: Emilie Flory | Paintings: Laura Handley

Directed by William Friedkin Written by William Peter Blatty Starring Linda Blair, Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Jason Miller, Lee J. Cobb Plot: Something beyond evil is happening in a little girl's room. Regan has brutally changed both in the way she looks and the way she acts, with violent outbursts on everyone who comes in contact with her.

Her worried mother gets in contact with a priest who comes to the conclusion that Regan is possessed. The top priest who can deal with an exorcism, Father Merrin, is called in to help save Regan from the demon inside her. FilmFanUk You might not know the name "Tubular Bells", but hearing a few notes will almost certainly make you think of The Exorcist. There's very little music used in the film, heightening the sense of stark realism that makes the supernatural aspects that much more startling, but Mike Oldfield's instrumental classic will forever be associated with William Friedkin's equally classic horror film, based on William Peter Blatty's novel of the same name. Inspired by the tale of a 1949 exorcism, the story of Regan MacNeil's possession has become part of the fabric of the horror genre.

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Of course, when it was first released in 1973 no one imagined that The Exorcist would be anything more than another scary movie. It was initially booked to show in only 26 theatres across the United States.

But something about it caught the attention of audiences, who made it the second highest grossing film of the year, beaten only by The Sting. Garnering ten Academy Award nominations (and winning Best Adapted Screenplay), The Exorcist has the distinction of being the first horror film to be nominated for Best Picture. Nearly 50 years after its release, it can still be found at the top of many best film lists -- and not just best horror film lists.

One of the many reasons for this is that the film pulled no punches. Following the maxim of "show, don't tell", the full terror and grotesqueness of Regan's plight is on the screen for all to see, and while some of the effects have become a trifle dated for the most part they haven't lost their power to shock (as in Regan's spider walk down the stairs). Reports of people fainting in the theatres were widespread, along with stories of audience members vomiting or being forced to leave the theatre to recover. Nowadays such reports seem exaggerated at best, but remember that these were people seeing what was largely a new type of movie, and it wasn't at all what they expected.

It was only five years before the release of The Exorcist that Hollywood had completely left the Hays Code behind, replacing it with the first version of the modern ratings system. From 1934 to 1968, the Hays Code officially controlled the content of all major Hollywood films -- a non-Code approved film was unlikely to earn wide release -- and under its auspices a film like The Exorcist could never have been produced.

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Regan's profanity, the crude, horrifying sexuality of many of the possession scenes, Father Karras' gruesome death, and the sometimes-irreverent way Catholic beliefs are treated were all expressly forbidden.

Perhaps most remarkable of all to an audience of that time, the triumph of good is hardly absolute, as the Hays Code required. While the demon is (apparently) gone at movie's end, three characters have already died and those left alive are not necessarily well. Regan's mother Chris says that her daughter remembers nothing, but even that hopeful statement is immediately undermined when Regan seems to recall something of the priests who saved her.

And those priests were her mother's last, desperate resort, when modern medical science could no longer offer any convincing explanations or solutions for her daughter's condition. After drugs have failed and hypnosis has done nothing but almost get the hypnotist killed, after the psychiatrists have given up, Chris seized upon the suggestion of an exorcism and, through sheer force of will, made it happen. With the moon landings a recent event and technology seemingly poised to conquer every frontier, science's abject failure here was a further shock, yet another way the movie would have been deeply unsettling to many viewers.

Along with Rosemary's Baby, The Exorcist helped create a trend of demon films in the 70's, with the denizens of hell invading seemingly ordinary homes and lives, without any obvious rhyme or reason.

This trend has resurfaced relatively recently as well, with the release of films like The Exorcism of Emily Rose in 2005 and The Rite in 2011, an Anthony Hopkins film that closely mirrors The Exorcist, down to its young priest and old priest. And it's clear where the Paranormal Activity series got some of its inspiration.

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But the theme of possession has never quite gone away, and it's rare to find a film dealing with that aspect of horror that doesn't give at least a nod to The Exorcist.

Blatty's and Friedkin's classic themes of good versus evil and science versus faith are as fresh today as they ever were and have done much to contribute to the movie's longevity.

And Oscar nominated perfomances from Ellen Burstyn, Jason Miller, and Linda Blair, along with a Best Director nod to Friedkin, certainly don't hurt.

Its iconic imagery -- thanks in large part to cinematographer Owen Roizman, who received five Oscar nominations in his career, including one for The Exorcist -- is part of our landscape, with its famed poster one of the most memorable and evocative of its kind. Like "Tubular Bells", it immediately summons up scenes from the film, compelling us to remember.

Laura MacLeod Laura MacLeod is a self-taught critic who's loved movies of all kinds since the Night on Bald Mountain scene from Fantasia scared her half to death at the age of four.

She's been sharing that love (along with the occasional healthy dose of sarcasm) online since 2006 as the Movie Critic Next Door.

Chantal Laura Handley creates horror and pop culture portraits using traditional pastels from her studio in Australia. Visit her website or her Etsy shop.

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Sooz’Jukebox Albums Reviews by Sooz Webb Visual Conception: Emilie Flory & Dub Meter Photo courtesy of SEASON OF MIST & UNIQUE LEADER RECORDS

CARNATION Chapel of Abhorrence VOCALS: SIMON DUSON | GUITARS: JONATHAN VERSTREPEN, BERT VERVOORT | BASS: YARNE HEYLEN | DRUMS: VINCENT VERSTREPEN | RECORD LABEL: SEASON OF MIST

ABOUT: Merciless Death Metal Madness from Belgium

Far from the delicate, fragrant image Carnation’s name brings to mind, Chapel of Abhorrence can only be described as the place where fragile things would go to wither and die. Or at least, have their faces melted off with pure, unadulterated savagery. Formed in 2013, Belgium's death metal titans invite us to the church of noise with their debut Ep, delivering a sermon laden with enough old school flair, jaw rattling riffs and doom-ridden panache, to be sure to convert any disbelieving naysayer.

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SHOWROOM Screaming into existence with album opener The Whisperer, the quintet set our senses on edge early with a heavily distorted intro. Vocalist Simon Duson lowers the tone (literally) with his deep, aggressive vocals, and we’re flung full throttle into a world of unyielding aberration, death and carnage. This is a monster with no mercy, shaking foundations to the core, with thundering rhythms and a sense of gleeful malice. The theme continues throughout the albums 11 tracks, pausing only for a moment of ‘calm’ briefly, on the slightly slower tempoed Fathomless Depths. That’s not to say it’s an easy ride, with the track providing a death stomp worthy of any pit, rather than a relaxing respite for any form of quiet contemplation.

The overriding M.O (modus operandi, Ed) of the Ep is to engage emotions with a message of desecration, and Chapel of Abhorrence drops the mic on brutality, putting a full stop on a thoroughly compelling album with the appropriately titled Power Trip.

As a deftly crafted introduction to a band whose technical verve is truly haunting, Carnation’s offering to the subgenres pantheon is visceral enough to stay with you, long after you have finished listening.

Ominous, punishing and distinctly unforgiving, it’s an enjoyably harsh pilgrimage to blackened metal mecca. To get your mitts on a copy and find out more about the band, including upcoming tour dates, click on the poster [the blue icons].

STILLBIRTH Annihilation of Mankind VOCALS: LUKAS SWIACZNY | BASS VOCALS: DOMINIK “PUMPA” KÖNIG | GUITARS: JAN WIEDE, SIMON “SHRIMPS” STÜRMLINGER | DRUMS: MARTIN GRUPE | RECORD LABEL: UNIQUE LEADER RECORDS

ABOUT: Stillbirth was founded in 1999 by Lukas Swiaczny and plays a mix of Death Metal, Grindcore and Hardcore with slamming elements.

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SHOWROOM Blimey! This band may be called Stillbirth, but nothing about them is motionless! Blistering through 12 tracks of unadulterated Death metal glory, at a speed The Flash would balk at, the German Extreme quintet mix old school dropped down Deathcore dissipation, with a fresh and funky techno beat. And what they’ve come up with, is a sound guaranteed to start a circle pit in your living room!

Opening with the viciously delicious Fictional Entertainment, a riff-tastic neck cracker with a bone jarring rhythm, the band declares war on our senses, immersing us in a cacophony of pig squeals and thumping detuned velocity. And the offer to wallow in ferocious filth and fury is entirely too enticing to turn down. These debauched machinations pulsate throughout the whole album, gifting us the chance to revel in its savagery! The years of heavy graft the band have put in to perfecting their sound resonates through the intricate, and seemingly structureless, brutality. Originally formed in 2002, these guys have the intent, and skill, to repeatedly sucker punch your lugholes with byzantine intensity.

I listened to this album while I was completing a few household chores and, well, invigorated by the raw, unadulterated aggression, let’s just say the house has never been so clean… But, of course, you don’t need to don a pinny and rubber gloves to appreciate Stillbirth’s blistering sound (unless you want to), and fans of mind crushing, adrenaline pumping insanity can fully appreciate the bands made-formosh pit glory, when they head out on tour later this year. For dates and venues, including some in the UK, click on the poster [the green website icon]. Alternatively, if you want to inject your day with remorselessly devious savagery, then pick yourself up a copy of the album by clicking on the shopping icon. With ear liquifying potency, Annihilation of Mankind has concentrated death metal ferocity into its purest form. Guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser for fans of the genre. Now if you’ll excuse me, me and the cat have got to throw our devil horns/paws up in appreciation, while I whizz the hoover about.

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by Tony Newton Visual Conception: Dub Meter & Emilie Flory | Images Courtesy of Interstar, Lisa-Film, Metro Film, Rapid Film, Compass International Pictures, Falcon International Productions, Vice Press, Larry Franco, Debra Hill, John Carpenter, Matt Ferguson, & Vestra Pictures

Welcome to the cult corner of the universe where VHS is still king and where magnetic tape rules the home video entertainment market! In this Issue I will be talking about collecting VHS tapes and talking on the cult horror VHS Halloween.

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SHOWROOM If you are collecting VHS tapes and wanting not only to boost your collection but also make an investment, buy ex-rental video shop cassette tapes (the big box rental VHS tapes), the ones that would be sitting on the shelves of the video store themselves… Also, any pre-cert VHS tapes… the ones without a rating! So, you are looking for tapes without 18, 15, PG or U certificates which are on the sleeve and cassette. These are well worth owning. Some of the pre-cert* tapes are small boxed as not all pre-cert videos where big box release… These are also worth buying. *A Pre-Certification video is any videotape or laserdisc/CED issued in the UK before the introduction

of the 1984 Video Recordings Act, Ed.

Try to track down VHS tapes without a rating from the BBFC or MPA and ex-rental. Video Nasties are the most sought-after VHS tapes across the globe; having a complete set of these is the holy grail for collectors and you would pay thousands of pounds for a complete set.

It's well worth collecting exploitation and horror VHS tapes, and always good to look for really obscure tapes. All that being said, joy can be found in the most bizarre places. I picked up a job lot of VHS tapes and finding Ghostwatch on VHS taped direct from the TV in 1992 from Halloween night in, this lot was certainly the find of the month! It brought back awesome memories of watching that live in 1992, when it aired on Halloween as a BBC special, scaring the utter shit out of me.

Buying VHS is a fun hobby: okay it's cool to track down a tape that you have typed into an online auction 3 times a week for over six months to no avail and finally find it, but nothing can be as good as when you find an awesome tape while hunting at garage sales, car boot's or charity shops! Finding a killer tape for a few pounds or less is like striking gold… Holding that tape tight in your hand, paying the person, trying your hardest not to give away that you are just brimming with excitement and joy and then, basically walking away feeling smug, then letting out a huge grin… Nothing compares to being in the wild hunting VHS tapes!

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SHOWROOM Serious collectors like myself are finding it harder and harder to get tapes as dealers, wanting to just turn a quick buck, are moving in on the latest VHS boom and even notice at garage sales and car boot sales. Some people think they have struck gold with the Jane Fonda work video or The Only Fools and Horses box set and they are trying to sell it to you for over 20 quid: "These are worth money, you know!".

It's not just the VHS tapes themselves that are great addition to your collection‌ VCR players are getting harder and harder to find in the wild, and prices online (even for second hand fully refurbished ones) are gaining well over £60 per player!

I'm having VHS nightmares at the thought of having no VCR player to play these tapes on in the future, so I pick up as many VCR players at good prices as I can, I have about 8 backed up so, I will always be able to play my beloved tapes and new finds!

There is nothing as exciting as watching a trailer on a VHS tape of a film you have never heard of and then tracking that film down and watching for the first time on VHS.

Halloween (1978)

Directed by John Carpenter Written by John Carpenter, Debra Hill Starring Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tony Moran Original Score from John Carpenter Cinematography by Dean Cundey Plot: Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween night 1963, Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield to kill again.

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SHOWROOM Not only is Halloween my favourite holiday, but it's the best slasher film ever made!

Halloween has to be one of my all-time favourite stalk and slash films and the slasher that put the H in horror. Who would have thought that a modified William Shatner mask would have kids across the globe shitting themselves? But it did! Though what’s behind the mask is far scarier than the mask itself…. a soulless psychopath with an appetite for death and destruction!

I think it was because of this film, Halloween, that I became obsessed with horror films, Halloween is just a brilliant slasher movie.

John Carpenter does an amazing job here, the film is shot perfectly. Every shot is iconic and has a soundtrack to match.

Jamie Lee Curtis is nothing short of brilliant in this role, she is on fire! Jamie Lee’s character Laurie Strode is nice. So nice, that unlike most stalk and slash offerings (where you can’t wait for the main character to be killed off), you empathize with her character and will her on to survive the terrible ordeal as you step into her shoes and feel the fear she experiences on screen. The atmosphere is perfectly built and the pace never seems to drop.

I must have seen Halloween… well, over thirty times!... It’s our annual Halloween movie which never fails to deliver on all levels. Halloween still holds its own and has set the bar for slasher films to live up to. Debra Hill who co-wrote Halloween along with John Carpenter was not only a terrific writer but an outstanding producer, producing films such as Halloween 1, 2 and 3, The Fog, Escape From New York, The Dead Zone and even the 2006 film World Trade Centre. You can’t talk about Halloween without mentioning Donald Pleasance who portrays Dr. Loomis, and in my opinion this is his best onscreen performance ever! Dr. Loomis shouting aloud "Michael" still sends shivers down my spine.

Halloween is a fantastic contribution to filmmaking and shows that, using passion, enthusiasm and lots of talent, what greatness can be achieved despite the low budget.

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SHOWROOM Not only is Halloween my favourite holiday, but it's the best slasher film ever made! Halloween has to be one of my all-time favourite stalk and slash films and the slasher that put the H in horror.

Who would have thought that a modified William Shatner mask would have kids across the globe shitting themselves? But it did! Though what’s behind the mask is far scarier than the mask itself…. a soulless psychopath with an appetite for death and destruction! I think it was because of this film Halloween that I became obsessed with horror films, Halloween is just a brilliant slasher movie.

John Carpenter does an amazing job here, the film is shot perfectly. Every shot is iconic and has a soundtrack to match. Jamie Lee Curtis is nothing short of brilliant in this role, she is on fire! Jamie Lee’s character Laurie Strode is nice. So nice that unlike most stalk and slash offerings (where you can’t wait for the main character to be killed off), you empathize with her character and will her on to survive the terrible ordeal as you step into her shoes and feel the fear she experiences on screen.

The atmosphere is perfectly built and the pace never seems to drop.

I must have seen Halloween… well, over thirty times!... It’s our annual Halloween movie which never fails to deliver on all levels.

Halloween still holds its own and has set the bar for slasher films to live up to.

Debra Hill who co-wrote Halloween along with John Carpenter was not only a terrific writer but an outstanding producer, producing films such as Halloween 1, 2 and 3, The Fog, Escape From New York, The Dead Zone and even the 2006 film World Trade Centre.

You can’t talk about Halloween without mentioning Donald Pleasance who portrays Dr. Loomis and in my opinion this is his best onscreen performance ever, Dr. Loomis shouting aloud "Michael" still sends shivers down my spine.

Halloween is a fantastic contribution to filmmaking and shows that using passion, enthusiasm and lots of talent what greatness can be achieved despite the low budget.

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SHOWROOM John Carpenter went on to direct classics such as The Fog, Escape From New York, The Thing, Big Trouble in Little China and They Live to name but a few.

In the UK the VHS tape was a rare find, for some reason you could get hold of Halloween 2 for a few quid and you could find that in any bargain bin, but the actual Halloween film, the original beast, was very hard to own.

I paid around £50 in the late 80's for an ex-rental copy which I must have worn down to nothing. I would watch and re-watch the film week after week. I would just sit back and soak up every part of the film looking at every detail… Trying to figure out just how John Carpenter managed to create the film which had a feel and aesthetic all of its very own. It was unique to any other slasher film; I think John Carpenter just got all the ingredients right. It's like making a wedding cake you need every ingredient and everything has to be the right quantity or you will end up with an inedible cake! Everything, on every level in this film is just spot on… from the acting, the sound design, the production, the killer script, the lighting and the killer score provided by the maestro himself, John Carpenter.

The UK Media big box and US card box version have sky rocketed up in value of late this month: a UK Media VHS version sold for… well, over £120 on an online auction!

Don't forget VHS LIVES!...

Check out VHS Lives: A schlockumentary and show us your VHS collections!

Tony Newton

Tony Newton produces horror films [including documentaries and horror anthologies as well as feature films] through VESTRA PICTURES, BODYBAG FILMS and SCHLOCK FILMS. His VHS Documentary VHS Lives : A Schlockumentary is out now with part 2 VHS Lives: Undead format coming on very soon!

For more information/to get in touch, click on the icons below.

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CHIC | DARIO ARGENTO | SASHA WALTZ Selection by Roy Bheer & Emilie Flory | Visual Conception: Dub Meter & Astyanax Photos Courtesy: Sasha Waltz & Guests | Chic / Nile Rodgers | Coliin Swavey / Unsplash Dario Argento & Claudio Argento, Sigma Cinematografica Roma & Seda Spettacoli Creators Unite 05 Cult Issue

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The long-awaited album project from Nile Rodgers and CHIC, aptly titled It’s About Time, is finally getting a release via VIRGIN EMI. It features an eclectic range of collaborators, including Californian rapper Anderson .Paak, Craig David, Stefflon Don and ROC NATION’s Vic Mensa. The album cover, seen below, recreates the artwork of the band’s eponymous debut album with models Duckie Thot and Jazzelle Zanaughtti.

Rodgers said: “When I first came up with the concept for the first CHIC album cover more than 40 years ago it was a deliberate statement that we could all be abundant, we could all be with the beautiful people, we could all be included, we could all have good times…. Looking at the world today for the release of It’s About Time I felt that it was important to make those statements again for a new generation."

In 2016, Rodgers was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and entered the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017. The group is currently touring the UK and performed its new track Boogie All Night on Jools Holland, which features NAO’s soaring vocals and Guernsey-raised producer Mura Masa.

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The master of the thrill of International cinema, Dario Argento, presents his autobiography entitled Paura [Fear] | EDITIONS ROUGE PROFOND « My name is Dario Argento. I was born in Rome, at 197, via del Tritone. At this address was an important photography studio, Studio Luxardo where my mother Elda worked. There, also lived my grandparents Alfredo and Margherita, the owners and founders of this prestigious firm… In the 1930s and 1940s, movie stars, stars on stage, champion athletes, intellectuals, artists, and models jostled to be photographed by us. Having a portrait done by the studio was a sign of excellence. I was born in the spotlight. ».

Dario Argento, an avid reader from an early age, has a passion for movie theaters where his solitary nature and his vivid imagination find fertile ground. Thanks to his experience as a journalist in PAESE SERA, he meets Sergio Leone who changes his life by offering him to collaborate with Bernardo Bertolucci on the screenplay Once Upon a Time in the West. An ambitious desire then begins to mature in Dario Argento’s head: writing an uncommon screenplay, nourished by the emotions felt while watching the movies of Lang, Hitchcock and Antonioni. This results in Argento’s film directorial debut with The bird with the crystal plumage, his first giallo and one of the highest-grossing films in Italy in 1970. The name of Dario Argento then goes around the world. And masterpieces follow: The

cat o' nine tails, Four flies of grey velvet, Deep red, Suspiria, Inferno, Tenebrae, darkness, Phenomena (aka Creepers), Opera, Stendhal’s Syndrome... In addition to a portrait of the artist at work, Argento’s autobiography delivers the dreams, considerations, and confidences of a man caught between withdrawal into himself and renewed desires for traveling and meetings, between passion for life and existential doubts. With this ultimate confession as a certainty: " As long as there is someone to scare, I consider myself as a happy man”.

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DIR E C T IO N CH O R EO G R A P H Y : SA S H A WA LT Z | CO S T U M E DE S IG N : IR IS VA N HER P E N | SO U N D : SO U N D W A LK CO LLE C TIV E | LIG H T DESIGN: URS SCHÖNEBAUM | DANCE CHOREOGRAPHY: LIZA ALP ÍZAR AG U ILA R , JIR Í BA R T O VA N E C , DAV ID E CA M P LA N I , CLÉ MENTINE DELUY, CLAUDIA DE SERPA SOARES, PEGGY GRELAT-DUPONT, HWANHEE HWANG, ANNAPAOLA LESO, NICOLA MASCIA, THUSNELDA MERCY, VIRGIS PUODZIUNAS, ZARATIANA RA N D R IA N A N T EN A IN A , CO R E Y SC O T T -GILB E R T , YA E L SC H N E LL .

Kreatur is the first collaboration of Sasha Waltz with Iris van Herpen, Urs Schönebaum and

Soundwalk Collective – all four of them do interdisciplinary work and seek exchange across artistic and academic fields. The dutch artist and fashion designer Iris van Herpen combines traditional craftsmanship with innovative digital technologies to produce her visionary art. Her sculptural creations, which are simultaneously organic and technological, sometimes appear to combine with the body like a second skin, at other times cover the body like a suit of armor or a shell. With his light designs, Urs Schönebaum creates spaces for theater and opera productions, exhibitions, performances and installations around the world for Marina Abramovic, Robert Wilson, Michael Haneke and others. The international art and music trio Soundwalk Collective (Berlin/New York) combines anthropology, ethnography, psycho-geography, the observation of nature, and explorations in recording and synthesis in their genre-bending sound compositions, for Kreatur e.g. from Berghain Berlin and the Gedenkstätte Berlin-Hohenschönhausen. For Kreatur Sasha Waltz with her 14 dancers examines the phenomena of existence against the background of a disrupted society: power and a lack of power, dominance and weakness, freedom and control, community and isolation.

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