The First Mighty HDC Battle Royale for the UNDEAD!

[neverending]

No update today, it appears.

:(

[ferretchucker]

___V___! Where for art thou?

[neverending]

V has made his judgements- it's Noir we're waiting on- and it's past quitting time in Maryland, so we won't hear from her today.

[ferretchucker]

Awwww. Well, I'm going camping this weekend so I hope she gets them posted by tommorow.

[Papillon Noir]

First, I would like to thank V, our judge for reviewing these essays. :)

As I said before, only 3 out of the 6 contestant submitted them, and they are:



Essay A

The definitive '80s Slasher is Friday the 13th. Sure there were some that came before that helped to shape and mold the slasher genre, namely Black Christmas, Halloween and some may argue Psycho. But as far as a movie that would define the genre during the salad days of the 1980's, to me it would have to be Friday the 13th. From the initial setting of the tone with the counselors in the loft, it grabs ahold of you and won't let go. It kept you on the edge of your seat, looking at the screen between your fingers. You felt like you were with those counselors, that you were being stalked for the kill as well. The sexual morality aspect had also been done before, but never in such a manner. The kills...my goodness, the kills set the standard that many horror fans began to look for in their horror choices. The Kevin Bacon scene always comes to mind for me. Tom Savini's work as always provides a baseline to judge others that have followed. The reveal at the end was shocking and unexpected as well. These are some of the reasons that this movie inspired a generation of filmmakers.

Sure the franchise eventually became a parody of itself, but Betsy Palmer, and later her little boy, will always be near and dear to our dark little hearts.




V's Response

Fairly sound points. Could have been better though, like the points of Jason popping out of lake and the impact THAT had on audiences, Mrs Voorhees' sinister turn and her Psycho-like transformation...etc.

I give this one 03/05.





Essay A was written by Cactus!

[Papillon Noir]

Essay B

Horror Comedies

Shaun of the Dead


Horror Comedies. They make us wet ourselves with laughter and scream with fright at the same time, but only if pulled off right. Horror comedy films date back to the twenties, but as for the film I have chosen as defining, it is rather new.

Before one can judge a Horror Comedy, there are several criteria that they have to think of that a film of that genre must have.

- They must have elements of horror.
- They must be comedic regularly
- They must have convincing acting for both genres
- They should appeal to fans of both genres.

Simple criteria, but without them, the film would simply fall apart.

Shaun of the Dead, the story of two English house mates
and their friends and family fighting to stay alive in a world that is now full of zombies, came out in 2004 with mostly good reviews. Though the name might suggest it spoofs George Romero's Dawn of the Dead, it is largely an independent film telling it's own story.

With copious amounts of blood, zombies and blood, the film can easily appeal to fans of the horror genre. It's simple storyline doesn't overwhelm to viewer with information and so can be understood and possibly enjoyed by most.

But to be a horror comedy, it needs COMEDY. And this is where I think it becomes the defining film of the genre. Firstly, it's spoofing of zombie apocalypse films, it appeals to two kinds of people straight away. Fans of horror, who can understand many of the jokes from their familiarity with the genre, and people who hate horror, as it seems to agree with the fact the films can be a bit ridiculous at times.

The approach to comedy that it takes is also a great one,
as it chooses to go down a different route than most other horror comedies. Instead of using the slapstick, specific spoofing films that we've seen countless times, it shows how ordinary people would act in the situation. Doing stupid things, and even in the face of death acting almost like nothing's happening. It's relatable as many can say "I'd do that" or "I know someone like that" to at least one part of the film, if they were being honest. And this type of comedy is widely enjoyed by most comedy fans.

So that's three criteria out of the way. As for the last one, somebody only has to watch the film to be able to see how good the performances are. The comedy skills of Pegg and Frost make the film, and whilst watching it, it's easy to see they love both genres and love what they're doing. The other actors too, Bill Nighy in particular also play their parts brilliantly, and above all, convincingly.

There isn't much more that can be said. The film is an enjoyable ride that treats both genres with respect, but at the same time rip them both to pieces and rewrite the rulebooks for them. The actors clearly love what they're doing and they put their hearts into it, treating each piece how it's needed whether it's scary, funny or sad. It can't be seen as just a horror or just a comedy as the two merge together to make a wonderful 95 minute watch that has very little to be complained about.




V's Response

Simple, convincing, excellent and to-the-point.


04/05




Essay B was written by Ferretchucker!

[Papillon Noir]

Essay C

There is no doubt as to what the Ultimate Horror Musical is. No other horror musical has had the cultural signifigance of this film. It stands heads above any other horror musical in its influence in film, society and people's individual lives. That film would be The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

RHPS began life as a stage musical in a tiny 63 seat theatre in London in 1973. During its initial run it moved to succsessively larger theatres and the crowds kept coming. Richard O'Brien, the show's author has said he wrote the play in order to explore some ideas on sexuality. Certainly the frank look at sexuality in the film is a product of the experimental 70s.

After a successful run in London a Los Angeles production was mounted, to mixed reviews. Following that it premiered on Broadway to mostly negative reaction. Fortunately a film version was already in production. The film featured many of the original cast- Tim Curry, Nell Campbell, Patricia Quinn and Jonathon Adams. Meatloaf, from the Los Angeles and Broadway production was used, and two newcomers to the show were brought in because the producers wanted Americans the play the roles- Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon.

The film follows the misfortunes of two young lovers - Brad Majors and Janet Weiss as their car breaks down and they seek assistance at a creepy old mansion. This is a basic plot device used in many horror and sci-fi films of the 40s, 50s and 60s - and that's the point, since this film lovingly sends up countless genre films. Right from the opening shot- a giant pair of heavily lipsticked lips singing the opening song, we know we are in for an out of the ordinary experience. The use of the giant lips is a symbolic representation of sensuality and you can't help but think a few unsavory thoughts as you watch the lips form the words to "Science Fiction/Double Feature."

Michael Rennie was ill
The Day the Earth Stood Still
But he told us where we stand
And Flash Gordon was there
In silver underwear
Claude Rains was The Invisible Man
Then something went wrong
For Fay Wray and King Kong
They got caught in a celluloid jam
Then at a deadly pace
It Came From Outer Space
And this is how the message ran...


Science fiction (ooh ooh ooh) double feature
Doctor X (ooh ooh ooh) will build a creature
See androids fighting (ooh ooh ooh) Brad and Janet
Anne Francis stars in (ooh ooh ooh) Forbidden Planet
Wo oh oh oh oh oh
At the late night, double feature, picture show

The loving references to classic films bring thrills to any horror movie fan. The fun homage doesn't stop there. The mansion where the movie was filmed was known as "The Hammer House" since it had been used in so many Hammer productions. The tank where the creature is born was used in Hammer's "The Evil of Frankenstein." As the plot develops we meet the evil Dr. Frank-n-Furter and his degenerate crew as they waylay Brad and Janet in their quest to find a phone. Frank-n-Furter seduces both Brad and Janet, which leads to Janet seducing Rocky Horror. In the ultimate paen to hedonism, Janet sings:

I'll put up no resistance
I want to stay the distance
I've got an itch to scratch
I need assistance
Touch-a touch-a touch-a touch me
I wanna be dirty
Thrill me, chill me, fulfill me
Creature of the night

In the try anything once atmosphere of the 70s this sexual experimentation was intriquing to audiences. They identified not with the dullards Brad and Janet, but the freakish Frank-n-Furter and his strange crew. Audiences started doing some strange things at showings of the film- first they started showing up in costume- most often as Frank-n-Furter, Riff-Raff, Magenta or Columbine, though there were Brads & Janets too. Soon they were talking back to the film as it rolled past.

Frank-N-Furter Do you have any tattoos Brad?
Audience: ASSHOLES DON'T HAVE TATTOOS.
Brad Certainly not!
Frank-N-Furter Oh well, how 'bout you?
Audience: SHOW US YOUR BATTLESHIP JANET!

And not only were they talking back, they were participating with props! When Janet puts a newspaper over her head to go outside in the rain, audience members would put newspapers over their heads while other let lose with a volley of squirt guns. When Fran-n-Furter called for a toast the audience threw toast at the screen. When wedding members threw rice, so did the audience. An amazing thing had happened- the fourth wall was broken down and it was THE AUDIENCE who did it. Never before had this happened. This was an organic process initiated by audience members, not something that was part of the film itself. Of course some uptight theatre owners didn't take too kindly to these shenanigans. SMART theatre owners moved the shows to midnight and encouraged the participation.

This had now become the first movie by a major studio that was being shown on the growing Midnight Movie circuit- and this is another way this movie broke new ground. Other studios saw the business RHPS was dojng and rushed some of their stranger films into the Midnight Movie Circuit. Some theatre owners showed nothing but RHPS at midnight and at those theatres things got quite elaborate. Not only were there props and dialogue for the audience there now arose full blown floor shows with audience members re-enacting the entire movie in front of the screen. Some theatres had rotating casts, and even pre-show acts where they would initiate "virgins" to the RHPS experience. For these audience members this had become more, far more than a traditional moviegoing experience. It had become their lives. Some audience members went to see the film hundreds, even thousands of times. It became a tranformative experience for them. Many of these audience members were alienated members of a counter-culture. The RHPS had given them something to belong to.

These midnight showings went on for years. DECADES. The Clinton Theater in Portland, Oregon has shown the film every weekend at midnight for over thirty years, making RHPS the longest running movie in cinema history. RHPS even found its way into other movies- in the movie "Fame" some teenage students go see the RHPS at a midnight showing and one of them has his life changed. So it has been for many viewers to take to heart its message of "Don't dream it, be it."

Prompted by the midnight success of the movie revivals of the stae show popped up round the world- notably Australia, England, Mexico and South America. Cast albums have been recorded in England (several productions), Australia (serveral productions), Brazil, Mexico, Norway, Germany (two different casts), New Zealand (twice), Iceland, Denmark, Toronto, South Africa, Korea, Peru, Panama and Vancouver. In 2005, the film itself was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

There are many great horror musicals but it can safely be said that none of them stand up to RHPS in its influence and simple enjoyability. Above all, it's a FUN movie to watch, either with a fully armed theatre audience or at home in private. Some people say it's not much of a horror movie, but theyre wrong- it has a mad doctor creating a creature, and an axe murder, the victim of which is then served for dinner. The Rocky Horror Picture Show works on so many levels- as a sendup, as a musical with a great score, as an enjoyable movie with a perfect cast, and for many people, a reason to live. It is clearly the ultimate Horror Musical.




V's Response

Well researched, very thoughtful and insightful and very nicely written. My only complaint - it could have been trimmed and edited to a more shorter essay, with some negligible facts done away with.

Still, this one is the best out of the three. Just for the length, I ll deduct a nominal amount from the points.


4.9/05







Essay C was written by Neverending!

[Papillon Noir]

Therefore, our winner of the Final challenge is Neverending with a 4.9/5!

Now, can he survive the Final Outing to be crowned the winner? We'll just have to wait and see. ;)



For winning this challenge, Neverending receives 12 re-animation packs and a red orb with flames trapped inside.



For participation and the second highest score, Ferretchucker receives 7 reanimation packs.

For participation and the third highest score, Cactus receives 4 reanimation packs.




How these standings will all play out with the rest of the contestants is coming up next.

[Papillon Noir]

The three participants in the Final Challenge go and visit Weapons Master Bob to get their Tommy Gun!



Neverending receives 25 bullets, Ferretchucker receives 20 bullets, and Cactus receives 15 bullets.




Meanwhile, Rayne, Dude Guadalupe, and Fortunato meets with Weapons Assistant Earl to receive their weapon, the revolver.





There are now five areas that are available within the Catacombs: Ossuary, Chapel, Antechamber, Tunnel Sec. A, & Tunnel Sec. B. Multiple contestants can occupy the same area.


There were also several locked chests in the Ossuary, which have now been moved to the above 5 areas. Each chest comes with 3 keys: gold, silver, and brass. You each get one chance to pick which key opens the the chest in the area that you are in.



There are multiple chests in each room, so you need not worry if someone hasn't gotten there first as you only get one shot at opening the chest. All contents of the chest and the type of key that opens it are identical to those in that area, but are different in the other areas of the Catacombs.

Inside the chests are weapons, though there may be one or two that are empty.

If you open a chest with a weapon, whatever damage points that weapon may possess will be inflicted on your victim. If there are multiple victims, the damage will be dispersed as evenly possible and in the order that the victims are named.



Also, Belial is still roaming.



If you run into him he will hit you with a fireball and lower your total life points by a 1/3.



And since this is the Final Challenge, Chimera has also been released into the Catacombs.



If you run into him, he will also lower your total life points by a 1/3. So be careful out there.





Status Update

Neverending - Full Life +16, Ammo 25, Red Orb
Cactus - Full Life +5, Ammo 15
Fortunato - Full Life +3, Ammo 3
Ferretchucker - Full Life +5, Ammo 20, Green Orb
Rayne - 7/10 Life, Ammo 3
Dude Guadalupe - Full Life +3, Ammo 3






So, PM me your choice of victim(s), which area you will be in, and your key choice for that area.

Your Deadline is Tuesday, June 24th at noon EST.



Remember, the winner of Battle Royale is the person left standing with highest total life points. It doesn't matter whether the other contestants are dusted or not. There can also be a tie for the winner. Lastly, this is only the first part of the Outing, there will be a second part to this Outing which will ultimately declare the winner.

[neverending]

Awesome essays Cactus & Ferret~!