Major Acid's E-Rag
What Else Is There?
Volume 1, Number 9
Rue Morgue
It’s going to be a summer filled with horror and violence. Well, yes,
the news, but that’s not what I mean. I mean that the dominant theme for
movies this summer is horror and violence.
Now if you are of a psychological turn of mind, this might be suggestive
of – what? As it happens, I tune into an on-line list that does discuss
that very kind of thing. It’s a peculiar list, filled with terms like
“group fantasy” and “alters” and “killer mommies.” (Relax, that killer
mommy isn’t what you think.)
The point is, and my list pals agree, movies to some degree reflect the
psychological temper of the times, and the times are scary. This is also
evident when flipping through the pages of the latest issue of Rue
Morgue, a Canadian magazine published out of Toronto.
The Toronto connection comes in handy because this summer’s horror fest
(Mel Gibson’s ode to bloodletting aside) kicks off with a film shot in
Toronto. The major article that results is a “day in the life” approach
to being a zombie extra for Dawn of the Dead.
Dawn stars Sarah Polley in her all-Canadian primness, but the article
has virtually nothing to do with her. Polley had to learn lines and act
and everything. The Rue Morgue editors, in contrast, just got to camp it
up in decayed body, latex drag and do a lot of “aaarrghing”.
It’s a breezy, fun article, and that goes for the rest of the magazine,
too. Rue Morgue’s editors love horror; they don’t buy into the argument
that pop culture depictions of violence drive impressionable teenage
boys to acts of mass murder. The current issue, in fact, starts off with
a poorly written editorial to that effect.
[I don’t buy the argument, either. Neither do my list friends who blame
the bulk of our violence on rampant childhood (especially sexual)
abuse.]
Although the zombie piece is fun, the money article is a long
conversation with Mike Mignola, the creator of the highly popular comic
book hero Hellboy. This is not coincidence as the film version of
Hellboy will be in theatres shortly, too.
Most of the rest of the magazine is given over to short pieces written
in aggressively low-brow language: reviews of dvd releases, of music
from horror films past, of new or interesting books, of twisted if
occasionally beautiful art. The current issue showcases the oddly
compelling (don’t call the men in white coats) work of Mark Ryden. Of
that art, the tag line of the article says it all: “Children. Innocence.
Bunnies. Blood.” And you thought only Anyanka (and the occasional Monty
Python fan) feared the dreaded bunny.
At first page flip, however, it’s hard to find these articles. They are
all lost in the glare of the garish artwork that overwhelms everything,
crowding into and over the text.
I suppose this is the magazine version of what appeals to a
youth-oriented culture – loud, vulgar, in your face, and crassly
commercial. The baby boomers, it turns out, aren’t the only ones
interested in money. (As for the angst ridden Gen-Xers, thankfully they
turned out to be a brief interregnum.)
Horror, like rap and whatever else is out there, is all about the money.
This explains the large amount of advertising in the magazine, but think
twice before you cringe at the thought of more ads. For the dedicated
fan, the ad space is a good thing since the ads let you know what’s out
there. For horror/violence film fanatics, here’s part of the summer
line-up based on ads in the magazine: Dawn of the Dead; Ginger Snaps II;
The Punisher; and Van Helsing.
Okay, so Rue Morgue is overrun with ads, but this is a good thing. It
means that the mag’s generally garish, hard to read, occasionally
vulgar, but nonetheless entertaining style will continue. Even if latex
clad men going “aarrgh” proves to be a one-off.
As for my on-line list friends, and all you amateur psychologists out
there, the list of spring and summer blockbuster violence is brain
candy. What does it all mean? Well, some of it is just fun, like Dawn of
the Dead. Really, how much deep significance can you attribute to a
remake of a sequel? (Okay, my bad – quite a bit, it seems.) As for the
rest of the offerings, I am noticing a vengeance streak here.
The Punisher is about the business of payback, never mind that the
payback results from someone else’s payback for large violence done in
the name of the law, and Van Helsing, at least judging by the artwork in
the ad and the lethal looking circular saw type weapon in his hand,
crossbow in the other, is a cross between Blade and – maybe Angel from
Buffy?
The “good guys” (including Hellboy) are on the hunt, and the results
will be bloody. Frankly, I think our collective psyche needs a drink.
Rue Morgue is published by Mars Media Inc.
Issue 38 sells for $7.95 CAD or USD and is on stands now.
