Greetings!

A new month, and some new ventures into the Crypt! This time I have the Golden Anniversary of a genre classic, some biological anomaly from a Humboldt County artist, some photos of last season's excursion back into Renaissance time at the Festival Of Courage, and plea for tolerance. If that doesn't quench your thirst this summer, what may?

I've been spending my quiet time delving into the offerings of the CHILLER television network. Proclaiming themselves dedicated to the best of the Horror genre, much as SYFY deals with Science Fiction (although there is certainly a large crossover between the two), CHILLER , whose tagline is “Scary Good!” , shows episodes of past television shows such as THE X FILES, MILLENIUM (always welcome) THE TWILIGHT ZONE (the 1980s version, the syndicated version of the episodes, some of which are truncated as badly as NIGHT GALLERY ever was) and POLTERGEIST: THE LEGACY ; imported and cable series such as MASTERS OF HORROR, MONSTER (an intriguing anime) and THE HUNGER ; independent films such as the notorious (yet very well done) THE GIRL NEXT DOOR, BANE (which started out very impressively and frightening, until it fell apart at the conclusion)  and THE SLAUGHTER ; and big-budget, well-known films such as the remake of DAWN OF THE DEAD, BRIDE OF CHUCKY , and the PHANTASM films.

So, with all these offerings, are we getting the best of Horror programming from CHILLER ? ( **shrug** ) Eh. Like any other channel, CHILLER is responsible for filling their airtime with something, and that something needn't necessarily be good; just able to fill a time slot. Plus, as anyone whose perused the Horror section of your local bookstore of DVD outlet, there is a lot of product out there that is...well, how can we put it?...less than satisfactory.

This is not to negate CHILLER in any way; it's simply a realistic appraisal. Whenever you mass-produce anything, you run the risk of occasional (and not-so-occasional, depending on your motives) mediocrity, as well as the expected complete waste of time. This is true of any genre: Western, Thriller, Romance; in fact it's true of anything, from sneakers to restaurants to bicycles to sculptures. Theodore Sturgeon, a Science Fiction and Dark Fantasy master, when announcing he would be writing episodes of the original STAR TREK series, was taken to task: "Ted, how can you right for television? Don't you know 90% of television is garbage?" Mr. Sturgeon's reply? "90% of anything is garbage." Rod Serling, in looking back and evaluating his original TWILIGHT ZONE series, remarked, "I'd say a third of them were pretty damn good; another third were OK; and the final third were real dogs." I believe this to be as honest and accurate an assessment as possible, and we can only marvel at how much genuine quality there can be in the popular arts when the odds are stacked against them so readily. But that's a discussion for another time...

(If I have any major complaint about the CHILLER channel, it's that some of the more explicit films are edited for content; I'm not entirely certain why, perhaps it's part of the cable broadcast standards, but since some of these very movies and shows have been shown on cable in their unedited form, I can't say for certain what the difference might be. But if they're editing to avoid complaints from viewers, or so not to offend their sensibilities... aren't we tuning in to have our senses and sensibilities battered and offended? Isn't that why we're Horror aficionados?)

However, even though CHILLER doesn't always seem to live up to its potential, there have been some truly exemplary offerings on the channel; fascinating, thought-provoking and quite frightening. I highly recommend the following to you, as a discriminating viewer of the Dark Fantastic; I believe all programs listed below are available through either Amazon.com or DVD rentals - you'll have to do the detective work yourselves...

APPARITIONS is a spellbinding miniseries of religious horror in the manner of THE EXORCIST and THE OMEN . Created and produced by the star of the series, Martin Shaw (who gives a nuanced, rich, low--key performance) the show deals with an priest turned exorcist Father Jacob, who becomes a political pawn between his Catholic superiors who want to turn their backs on the "superstitions" of demonology - for their own sinister self-interests - and the fallen angel Michael, attempting to raise an army of the damned from Hell. Well made, thoughtful and adult in nature, many episodes were written and directed by Joe Ahearne, who worked on the series UNTRAVIOLET and the new DR. WHO.

AFTERLIFE can best be described as the English version of THE GHOST WHISPERER ; but much darker and deeper in tone. What separates this effort from its American counterpart is the clear, frightening vision of writer and creator Stephen Volk (the man behind the infamous GHOSTWATCH television event and, with Nigel Kneale, probably one of the finest Dark Fantasy and Horror screenwriters), a man who genuinely knows how to use the medium to elicit fear, and a formidable performance by Lesley Sharp as Alison Mundy, a simple woman who communicates with the dead. Ms. Sharp (perhaps best known on these shores as one of the housewives in THE FULL MONTY ) is a powerhouse actress, and is ably supported by Andrew Lincoln as the skeptic who befriends her. The series is chilling, stark, and ultimately filled with humanity.

(And while we're on the subject, you could do far worse that to track down GHOSTWATCH itself; it was shown one time and then banned from the BBC until recently, although there are no plans to broadcast it. Much like Mr. Welles did with his WAR OF THE WORLDS radio broadcast, Mr. Volk's faux-documentary of a reality program exploring a haunted house created a sensation on Halloween when it was initially broadcast, leading many viewers to believe they were watching an actual and terrifying new event.)

There have been many film versions of Poe's “The Fall Of The House Of Usher” , including the 1960 Roger Corman/Vincent Price classic. But a recent attempt in 2006, named simply THE HOUSE OF USHER , updates the story to contemporary times, and while it is a loose adaptation, it plays with the major events of the story and has a mood that I believe does full credit to Poe's tale of madness and heredity. Well scripted by Collin Chang (from a story by Boyd Hancock), director Hayley Cloake uses a deliberate, somber pace to full establish a mood of bleak, unhealthy despair and anxiety. The photography is lovely(as I have long maintained, Horror works best when counterpointed with the beautiful) and the performances are universally excellent, with special note to Izabella Miko, who shoulders much of the movie and may simply be the most stunningly attractive actresses I have seen in a long, long time. The ending will chill your marrow.

Tim Sullivan may be best known for his updating of Herschell Gordon Lewis's 2000 MANIACS into 2001 MANIACS ;  although I've not seen it, I'm certain his follow-up DRIFTWOOD couldn't be more different. A strong, powerful drama of as young man caught in an abusive youth prison camp with a disturbing secret, DRIFTWOOD is so assured and incisive in its view of power corrupting and unrelieved guilt that it almost doesn't need its supernatural themes to propel its story. But it is a supernatural tale, with all the portent and subtext that a classic ghost story provides. The acting is uniformly excellent, the direction and writing (from Mr. Sullivan and Chris Kobin) vivid and engrossing. Mr. Sullivan is a talent to be watched very closely.

Having nothing to do with the televisions series of a similar title, VAMPIRE DIARY is a low budget faux-mondo film in the manner of THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT and PARANORMAL ACTIVITY , purporting to be actual footage of a young woman's daily relationship with a seductive older female that may not be completely human. Detailing their visits to local Goth clubs, their sexual habits, and the growing desperation that the number of victims of their revelries is drawing attention, the film moves on the clever plot manipulations and performances by the very naturalistic actors. Be warned: it's very deliberately paced; in other words, quite slow moving in sections, which didn't bother me terribly. I found the movie engrossing, particularly as it moved towards a surprising conclusion. The final moments are absolutely haunting in their images and implications, and will take your breath away.

There are many more treasures hidden among the dross on the channel; unfortunately the website doesn't archive its movies and programs, so I've had some difficulty finding their titles; perhaps I'll update this list at a later date. In the meantime, I hope you'll enjoy these alternates to the better known fare offered at your local Cineplex. Turn out the lights, lock the doors tightly, and enjoy!