Throwback Thursday: Making Of The X-Files: Fight The Future (Documentary)

On the heals of the recently announced "X Files" Comic and the rumors surrounding a new "X Files" film, for Throwback Thursday this time around is the DOC on the making of the first X Files movie:  "X Files: Fight the Future", which laid the ground work where the series was going to go.

Taking place between  seasons 5 and 6 we find the X Files unit dismantled and Agents Mulder and Scully reassigned. While investigating an Oklahoma City style bomb threat of a federal building in Dallas the agents find a wider conspiracy as Mulder discovers that the real target of the bomb is actually across the street from the Federal building, and that the reason for it is that the FEDS have a secret lab where they are storing the bodies of a young boy and fireman that have been infected by a black oily substance after falling into an uncharted cave system.

As on par for the theme of the "X Files" the black oily ooze is actually an extraterrestrial virus that transforms the host into a new species. And has a large government cover up.

The show came to an end in 2002 and during their 9 year run has spawned a second film ("I Want to Believe"), several books and the publisher IDW came out with a tenth season in comic form appropriately titled "X Files: Season 10". Along with that the X Files franchised has also spun off several stand alones in both book and comic. One of which was a cross over with "30 Days of Night" premise.

On April 20th, 2014, IDW has said that they plan to release a new X Files mini-series in July entitled "X Files: Year Zero" that will set the stage of the origins of the X Files.




According to IDW:

In the 1940s, a shadowy informant known as "Mr. Xero" directed the FBI to a number of paranormal cases that would soon be classified as "X-Files," which were reserved for the improbable and unexplainable. When faced with an eerily similar "Mr. Zero" in the present, Agent Mulder resolves to uncover the truth about who this mystery person is and their connection to these cases.

...

"The origins of the X-Files unit of the FBI were only hinted at in the TV show, and we're proud to present the story of how the precursors of our favorite paranormal agents established the division in the late 1940s," says editor Denton J. Tipton. "I think Bing and Millie will become fan-favorites alongside Mulder, Scully, Reyes and Doggett."

"I've always thought the 40s would be a wonderful setting for X-Files, with the Russian red menace, atomic mutations and flying saucers all lurking in the shadows— what I like to think of as 'UFO Noir,'" said [writer Karl] Kesel from an undisclosed location. "Of course, iconic characters like Mulder and Scully are a joy to write, and being given the opportunity to introduce their predecessors— Bing Ellinson and Millie Ohio— well, the truth is it's all a little unbelievable to me. But the unbelievable is what X-Files is all about, isn't it?"


Unfortunately for fans the comic will have be enough for now as Gillian Anderson spoke with IGN recently let it drop that mostly likely the anticipated new movie probably won't start until 2016 do to the fact that Chris Carter and his group is still figuring out the details of the script and Anderson herself probably won't have time to film until then.

What is believed about the new film that it probably won't follow the premise of the Alien conspiracy as it was prophesied at the end of the series that the Aliens' had planned for the colonization of Earth by 2012.

You can currently see Gillian Anderson staring in the NBC show  "Crisis" and David Duchovny in the final season of Showtime's "Californication".  

Stuart Gordon's Castle Freak - You're Throwback Thursday Horror Film

Master of Horror, Stuart Gordon loves his HP Lovecraft and that's what we surely get with "Castle Freaks"!

Based on the short story "The Outsider" this horror fest went straight to DVD back in '95.

John Reilly inherits a 12th Century castle that once belonged to a famed Duchess. John does what anyone would that just inherited a castle: Let's go spend some time there as we try to sell it ! So, as the song says: He scooped the family and moved to Beverly. Except this Beverly was Italy. However, John and family have no idea that there is a horrible monster (of course there is) being kept under lock and key in the basement. Not only is it a horrible beast but it is the Duchess' own son who she imprisoned there as revenge against her husband who left her.

Soon, the disfigured beast has escaped by means of breaking off his own thumb to get out of the manacles which bind him. The only reference to the H.P. Lovecraft story occurs when the monster beholds his hideous reflection in a mirror. He has emerged hungry for blood, leading to a series of unexplained deaths and disappearances including that of a prostitute John has picked up and brought to the castle after being rejected by his wife. The prostitute is sexually mutilated and killed by the monster

As John becomes the prime focus for the murder by the cops he must figure out what it is that is stalking the interior of his castle before it takes out it's aggression next upon his family. As John investigates he learns what other terrible secrets that not only lie inside the castle but in himself as well. Ending in a climatic roof-top battle. 




Until Next Time...

"Bates Motel" My Review

It had been staring me in the face for over a week. Just sitting on the screen telling me that me, that yes, I should come in and spend sometime at the “Bates Motel”. So, finally last night I did. I’m glad I did. But I am, at the sametime, also a tad bit disappointed as well.

When I first found out that A&E were bringing Norman Bates (NBC with Hannibal Lector as well) to the small screen I was overjoyed. (Although this isn’t the first time that Norman Bates has found his way television. In 1987 NBC ran a short lived spin-off of the same title) I have been saying for a long time now that if Hollywood wants to keep recycling the old nostalgic 70’s-90’s iconic horror characters then they should develop them for TV. It would allow creators to really explore the inner workings of the story, and revitalize the genre and franchise as a whole with a series that would last around 12-13 episodes. And basic cable -or that of regular cable (HBO, ShowTime and the like)- would be the perfect place for them to do it. First, I don’t think a horror television show centered around any of these characters could withstand a 22-26 episode season. It would grow stale fast. But with the short seasons I believe it would flourish... But I digress.

As I was saying: I was really looking forward to the “Bates Motel”. Then two things happened. First they brought the story to the modern era. Something I wasn’t crazy about. But what the hell. Then I saw that some of the guys behind “Lost” were part of this. And while I was a HUGE “Lost” fan the first 4 seasons, that show’s creators and network did everything possible to screw it up and in the end it was all what they said it was NEVER going to be... but, again, I digress. Those two facts had me wondering if “Bates Motel” was worth my time. And then when I saw that was an early preview for it, and I debated. That is, until last night.

Now I am a huge fan of “Psycho”. And when I say that I mean of the original Alfred Hitchcock movie. While I have sat through all the sequels I thought that they were all poorly done. While “Psycho 2” did try to develop the story a little further all of them just sort retreaded the same story over and over. And not very well. (I know. I know. The same goes for all the “Friday the 13th”’s and the “Halloween”’s and the Freddy movies ect. ect.) And when it comes to the re-make, Gus Van Sant really didn’t do anything different from the Hitchcock film except make it modern and then make it feel yet un-modern, if that makes any sense. Anyway. With “Bates Motel” we are definitely in the here and now, as the story opens up somewhere new (Arizona) and we find a teenage Norman (Freddie Highmore) lying in bed. Norman hears something odd and when he goes to investigate finds his father dead on the floor in laundry room. Where, after a rampant search for his mother, Norman finds her just coming out of the shower. (here, for those of us who know the story and the background, we start to think if Norma (Vera Farmiga) has had a hand in the death of her husband.) Flash to six months later and we find mom and son on a road trip to new digs. And as it turns out, Norma has bought what will become the stage for the entire story of the Bates Legacy.

As the story plays out we find that Norma has purchased the motel and the famed house on the hill in a foreclosure. This fact plays as a major plot device. As we come to learn from a visit of the former owner, Keith, played by W. Earl Brown (Deadwood). Who makes his intentions quite clear: pack up and go. That the town will never accept them and then alludes to things probably left unfound about the property. Although, with Keith, he acts as someone who just lost his house would. He’s angry and hurt. But when it comes to most of the teenagers of the story, well, they come off overly friendly. I don’t know about any of you, but when I was ever the new kid in school there wasn’t a lot of: Lets get to know the new kid. I mean there were some. But not from all corners. Especially from the cheerleader types. Norman comes off as this complete chick magnet. Even one of his teachers seems to act as if she is making a play for him. Now Norman has always been a very good looking character -on screen. The character of Norman Bates in the original 1959 novel by Robert Block he is anything but. But, Hollywood being Hollywood made Norman a very attractive young man. A fact that I think was pure genius on Hitchcock’s part. The sheep in wolf’s clothing can be one of the scariest things of all. But he was never a chick magnet. Norman Bates was introverted to say the least. And controlled by a domineering mother. Again, I am interested to see how far they take the dynamics of the relationship that Norman has with his mother. They have already sort of alluded to those facts. And it seems that insest in TV is the black.

Things go from tense to just plain bad when it comes to Keith, who turns up later in the night after Norman has snuck out of the house to meet up with the girls he met at the bus stop. Keith breaks into the house and attacks Norma. Even as going as far as raping her. Something I was surprised to see on A&E. But before anything worse can happen Norman finally shows up home and jumps Keith, knocking him out. After Norman leave the room, Norma kills the hand cuffed Keith where he sits on the floor. Now comes the problem of what to do with the body. While taking the body down to the motel to place him in one of the rooms tubs, Norman drops Keith’s body, staining the carpet with blood. Then in a quick decision Norma and her son start to not only rip out the carpet in that room but the ones that have similar carpets as well. So it looks uniformed. During their little impromptu renovations Norman finds a weird sketch book under the carpet he is pulling up. The writing inside appears Asian and all the drawings are of women tied up. The the cops for whatever reason decide to show up. Here we have another addition from the “Lost” series as one of the cops is played by Nestor Carbonell. After a few tense moments where one of cops has to use the bathroom, the same bathroom where Keith is lying in the tub, we learn that Keith and Carbonell’s character are friends. After the cops leave, Norman and his mother are in a rowboat with Keith’s body. Here we start to see the true dynamic that is their relationship.

The end of the pilot throws in this added curve of a “Dragon Tattoo”-esque room where we see a girl chained to the wall, referencing the sketch found by Norman earlier.

My overall view of the pilot episode of “Bates Motel” is that it was just okay. I mean there were parts that seemed a little rushed, then they made it a point to bring in parts to reference the original “Psycho”. And if they were making it a more modern entity, and it was just being the beginning, they didn’t have to. I know why they did. But it did not have to be episode one.  

I give “Bates Motel” 3 out of 5 severed heads.

Until next time...     

Stephen King's "The Night Flier""

I found Stephen King’s “The Night Flier” one of the better adaptations done to his original stories. Because we all know when it comes to King being brought to the big screen it can be more miss than hit. Save a few exceptions in the likes of “The Shinning”, “Carrie”, “Christine.” Mostly because they had great directors behind them. That, and the movie actually follows the short story pretty closely.

“Night Flier” follows the exploits of Richard Dees (Miguel Ferrer), ace reporter for the sleaze tabloid magazine Inside View. However, Dees seems to have fallen on hard times as a reporter. And along with an up coming starlet Katherine Blair (Julie Entwistle), who is out to make a name for herself and is breathing down the Dees’ neck, it’s just a matter of time that Dees will find himself washed up. Because in truth, there is not in the way of reporting after you have done the tabloid thing.

Dees is offered a story by his editor (Dan Monahan) about a guy cruising private, out-of-the-way airports in his own plane and is killing the people that he finds there. The twist: The killer is draining the blood of his victims. Even going by the name Dwight Renfield (a character from Bram Stoker’s “Dracula”). Dees turns the story down thinking that it is a waste of time. The story then goes to Blair who turns up some interesting info of what has been taking place with the murders. Smelling that this might turn into something, Dees decides to take back the story and sets out in his own plane, back trailing the killings. 

Unfortunately, for Dees, he has no idea that his waste of time story will be the biggest thing to ever come his way.