Jeremiah Kipp's Contact (2009) Drugs Can Be Somewhat Bad

So you want a quick, intense high? You think maybe that weird guy in the abandoned building isn’t really all that creepy and his “product” will give you just what you need? You’re thinking maybe doing the mysterious drug with your lover will bring you closer together?

Watch Jeremiah Kipp’s short film Contact and think again.

The film begins with an older couple solemnly setting a table. They’re exacting in how they perform this action, and I have to tell you, meticulous people sometimes make me nervous. Filmed in moody black-and-white, the lack of dialogue and nervously sad expressions on the pair added to the tense atmsophere. We’re then introduced to a young couple in love, played with real chemistry by Zoe Daelman Chlanda and Robb Leigh Davis. They buy a mysterious, unnamed hallucinogen from a strange drug dealer who has the only real clearly-spoken dialogue in the entire short. From there, the young couple descends into a trip that begins with an erotic atmosphere, but quickly turns disturbing and hellish enough to make David Cronenberg say "whoa."



It’s an effective anti-drug piece that presents you with some questions to ask yourself after viewing, ways in which the story could go according to your perception of the film. Personally, I like to be challenged in that way, to allow my own fevered brain to come up with answers as to what came before, what the drug could be, why it affected them the way it did, and why the story was bookended with the older couple. At the center of it all was this couple who seemed innocent and curious in their own way, and how this strange drug changed everything about them. Maybe it only changed them, as people and only physically. Maybe there’s something deeper, more – dare I say – supernatural about what happens. All I know is this: I’m not taking that drug.

Kipp’s direction leads your eyes to where they should be and it never felt disjointed. The calm portions were calm with a sense of foreboding and danger, and the drug-fevered sections were appropriately chaotic. Cult film figure and producer Alan Rowe Kelly has a memorable turn as the drug dealer, portraying him with sinister androgyny. Both Chlanda and Davis work well together onscreen, but I was especially struck by Chlanda’s performance – her terror, affection, and curiosity were conveyed stunningly through her eyes. With no dialogue, those eyes had to show everything. And show they did.

I asked Kipp a few quick questions about Contact and here’s what he said:

Regarding what inspired the subject matter: “A dozen filmmakers were asked to contribute to a Halloween film festival in downtown New York entitled Sinister Six -- and my contribution was Contact. A few years ago, I made a film about an underground drug entitled The Pod, but wanted to push the material further. I wanted something graphic, iconic, where each scene relied on visual elements to create tension, and my starting point was a body horror image of faces melted together. But I was also inspired by the rehearsal process involving my lead actress Zoe Daelman Chlanda. She has a unique charisma I wanted to tap into; I wondered what would happen if I used her as an iconic presence in the movie, immersing her in a nightmare world of romance and mystery."




Regarding the thought of a feature film along the same lines: “Perhaps, but I have other feature length narratives I would like to share that are closer to the front burner, such as a monster movie that I'm very keen on putting together. I would love to revisit the material of The Pod and Contact again, but to make it even more abstract, visually provocative and only 60 seconds long, in hyper-saturated colors with distorted images and a camera that is non-stop in its relentlessness.”

Regarding if we’ll see more from these characters: “I think artists wind up repeating the same stories over and over and over again. The character Zoe plays in Contact is not too far removed from the curious 10-year-old boy who was the hero of a movie I made a few years ago called The Christmas Party, where a child is dropped off at a holiday party run by Christians, and he finds himself within a conversion process that is both enlightening and brutal and mysterious. I'd like to believe we have not seen the last of these characters, since the actor playing Zoe's boyfriend (Robb Leigh Davis) said that after the movie is over, he will never stop searching for her. Maybe someday he will find her.”

A big thank-you to Jeremiah Kipp for taking the time to answer! You can view Contact at this link and watch, judge, and interpret for yourself.

And remember, fellow survivors, getting high during a zombie apocalypse might be fun in the short run, but one bad trip can make you a delicious entrée.

Feeling The Horror Blogosphere Love

When I started this thing back in March of 2009, I thought I'd write a few thoughts about a genre that I love and that has affected me my entire life. Something about a movie here, a comic there. I had no idea that my blog would start to get some notice - even though I hoped it would. I really had no idea I'd be given awards from my peers. And I really had no idea I would make the friends I have in the past months.

I jumped onto the 'net today in a "eh" kind of mood to find two awards waiting for me, and from more than two fellow bloggers. It was like they pointed both fingers at me with a devil-may-care grin, winked, and said, "you rock." And no one's ever done that to me before!



First, I received one called The One Lovely Blog Award from my good friend Chuck Conry, the owner of the fantastic horror blog Zombies DON'T Run. I'll be heaping more praise on Chuck later in this entry, but for this I thank him. I absolutely appreciate it, Chuck! Part of receiving the award says I can give it to 15 other bloggers. I read a lot of great blogs, so it's not easy to pare it down to 15, but here's my list:

Kindertrauma
Buy Zombie
Chuck Norris Ate My Baby
Day Of The Woman
Gravestomper's Blog
Horror Crypt
Musings Across A Continuum
Screamstress
The Horror Digest
The Paradise of Horror
The Vault Of Horror
Zombies DON'T Run
Scare Sarah
The Sexy Armpit
Jim Hall's Random Musings

Now, not all of those are horror. For example, the last one is one from a dear friend who I've long considered an older brother (since I'm the oldest sibling in mine). They are all blogs I enjoy reading, though, and you just might as well.



Now, the second one I received is the Kreativ Blogger Award, given to me by three very fine people: the aforementioned awesome Mr. Conry, the great Matt-suzaka of Chuck Norris Ate My Baby, and the wonderful Andre Dumas of The Horror Digest. This award comes with a nice little meme to fill out, so let's get that underway:

1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award.
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
3. Link to the person who nominated you for this award.
4. Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting.
5. Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers.
6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.
7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know they have been nominated.

1. To Chuck, Matt, and Andre: thank you SO much for recognizing The WGON Helicopter in your blogs. It really is an honor that you - more experienced bloggers whose own blogs I love - have brought me into the horror blogging family so kindly.

2. Already over there, to the right ----->

3. Scroll back up a bit and you'll find the links to all three of these folks, or scroll down 'cause the links'll be there, too.

4. Seven things you might find interesting about me? Hmmm.....:

--I was an exchange student to Sweden in high school. My Swedish is very rusty, though, as it was a looooong time ago.

--I worked at Disney World for three years as an attractions host. Pay was not great, but the social experience (read: parties, dating, etc.) were tremendous.

--In a stretch between 2002 and 2007 (then once in 2009), I was a commentator for independent professional wrestling in Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Windsor, Ontario. I worked mainly with Scott D'Amore's Border City Wrestling, and got to call some amazing matches. Also got to do sit-down interviews with Bret Hart and Bobby Heenan, among others. So, yes, I am a professional wrestling fan.

--I could name all the United States when I was a year and a half old, and could recognize them by shape.

--My first published writing was at the age of 14 when I reported for a little paper called "Michigan Skiier," and it was about the Winter Special Olympics. My English teacher was the publisher.

--From 8 to 16, I trained in tae kwon do, achieving the rank of black stripe. One of many things I never finished :(

--I love baseball. LOVE it. I'm a huge Philadelphia Phillies fan, and have been for most of my life. Yes, I was heartbroken when they lost the World Series last year.

--I collect comics, and it's been my sincere dream for years to write one.

5. & 6. Here are my nominations:

* Kindertrauma - Really, this site is awesome. They have tapped into my - and many others' - childhood psyche and bring what lurks there to light. Every time I go there, I spend more time than I should browsing all the great memories I share with so many other folks who love to be a little scared by what they saw as kids.

* Chuck Norris Ate My Baby - Matt-suzaka owns this blog, which may have the coolest name of any blog. With a title like that, it's got to be good...and it is. Matt's got great, intelligent insight into the genre and writes with a hilarious sense of humor. Plus, he always writes such great comments on my blog.

* Horror Crypt - Bloofer Lady is a blast to read. She isn't afraid to tell it like it is, and I have the utmost respect for her. She's always incredibly nice, is very funny, and owns her style of writing. You need to check out her blog immediately!

* Screamstress - Alison writes and reports on areas of horror from television to movies to art and everything in between and beyond. Like many of the people I respect out there, she's filled with intelligence and love of the genre. Plus, she always has a kind word when I'm feeling stressed out.

* The Horror Digest - Andre is easily one of my favorite people, not to mention favorite blogs. She's an absolute blast to talk with about everything from horror films to underwater things that scare us. When I searched for a fresh subgenre to obsess over, she introduced me to French extreme. She hasn't steered me wrong yet. Her blog is fresh and funny, and has the wonderful Way To Go Moments. Trust me: Read. Her. Blog.

* The Vault of Horror - B-Sol owns the end-all, be-all of horror blogs: informative, creative, funny, and at the forefront of the horror blogosphere in many ways. It was one of the first I started reading when I immersed myself in this world, and I've never been sorry. Plus, he's involved in professional wrestling, so that's a plus!

* Zombies DON'T Run - Chuck Conry is my brother from another mother. He and I could probably chat all night about a great many things, not the least of which is horror. His blog is hilarious, smart, and informative - always a smashing read. Chuck is also my wrestling tag-team partner (if we had actually been trained) in The Murder Victims. We always lose.

And there you go. All those people and blogs I mentioned above are ones you should be checking out if you're not already. I don't want to discount any of the others on my sidebar's list. Really. Check them all out. I wouldn't list them there if I didn't think they were worth it.

I really appreciate the consideration from everyone who mentioned me, and the support I've received from my friends here who have offered everything from movie recommendations to a kind word to simply joking around. You've made this experience unforgettable.

Happy New Scares -- Er, Year

It's the turn of another year, and apparently another decade or whatnot. You know, the years really just blend together for me. When the zombies started walking, every day's the same.

On March 5 of 2009, and after a lot of me saying "I should really do this," I started this blog in an effort to bring my voice - hopefully, a unique one - to the horror blogosphere. In that time, I've been welcomed by a group of new friends, more experienced and truly excellent bloggers who have made me feel like I belong. For that, I will be eternally grateful, so thanks to all of you.

Also, thanks to all of you who take the time to read and sometimes comment. I really hope you enjoy what I'm jotting down about the world of horror from my viewpoint, and I'll just keep trying to make it better.

That said, I really need to be more prolific. So, in 2010, more movies, more comics, more horror everything, even if it's just a quick thought. Hoping also to hit up more conventions and events, see what I can do to be a part of more things.

Speaking of movies, I'd be remiss if I didn't pick out what I believed to be the most affecting horror movie I watched in 2009. Now, it didn't have to be a 2009 film, per se, just one I'd seen in the past year. And the choice I have may be obvious.

The horror movie that hammered my soul more than any other this past year was the French film Martyrs. If you want to know my deeper thoughts about this amazing film, the post of my review is right this way. I saw it in November, and I'm still affected by what I saw. It reached a visceral nerve inside me and I'm still thinking about this long after the credits. So, cheers to you, Martyrs, for reaffirming my faith in foreign horror.

As I raise a drink well inside the safety zone compound, I wish you all a Happy New Year and a wonderful 2010.

Thanks!

Torchwood: Countrycide - Wait, What? Is That Horror?

OK, wait a minute. This is a horror blog, right? I mean, in it, I like to discuss horror films, books, shows, comics...well, maybe I should include ideas as well. Something doesn't have to be classified in the horror genre for it to contain horror ideas. I never want to constrain myself by only taking one angle on a subject.

Take, for example, the episode of Torchwood called "Countrycide." First, a bit of a primer on this British show. Torchwood is a spin-off of the wildly successful modern reboot of Doctor Who. In fact, take a look at the spelling of Torchwood. Yep, it's an anagram for Doctor Who. There's a whole history in the parent show about why Torchwood was formed: something had to be in place in case the Doctor was not present to save the world. It had a few incarnations before the one the spin-off is based upon, mostly militaristic. This version is much smaller and only consists of five people out to prepare the world to defend itself against alien and supernatural threats. Oh, and it's a lot more...ahem..."sophisticated" than its parent show. There is frequent cursing, sex, violence, all sorts of good stuff.

The group consists of leader Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), a former Time Agent who cannot be killed and is a bit of a smooth talker. There's former policewoman Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles), tough and sensitive, trying to balance her personal life with the wildly insane life of Torchwood. Also in the group is the compassionate main tech Toshiko Sato a.k.a. Tosh (Naoko Mori), obedient and quiet assistant Ianto Jones (Gareth David-Lloyd), and intensely forward medic Owen Harper (Burn Gorman). Those are your players, now let's set the stage for "Countrycide."

The episode begins in such a way, that it reminded me of the French horror thriller Ils that I recently reviewed. A woman drives down a lonely stretch of English country road when she comes across what appears to be a body. Upon investigation, she sees that it's a dummy. Someone's messing with her, that much is clear. She's hearing sounds, seeing shapes. Suddenly, the tires on her car are flat. When she realizes she's really, really in trouble, that's when a hooded figure attacks her.

The Torchwood team is called in to investigate not only that disappearance, but of 16 others in the same area. They're used to dealing with the strange and unusual, and this appears to be right up their alley. It could be UFO's, it could be ghosts, werewolves, who knows? Mysteries are their thing. Like the Scooby Gang, but with more sexual tension.

After setting up camp, they find a mutilated corpse in the woods. It's been skinned and much of the meat taken off its bones. They start to realize the gravity of what they might be dealing with, but don't have long to think about it when someone steals their swanky Range Rover as they look on. Fortunately for them, they're Torchwood, and handy gadgets are handy just for pickles such as this. Ianto tracks the Range Rover into a nearby town which appears to be a little more quiet than it should be.

It's a spooky little village, and it seems to be deserted. Not a single soul to be seen. As the team splits up, Jack, Owen, and Gwen surprise a young man named Kieran, who fires upon them with a shotgun and wounds Gwen. As Gwen is tended to by Owen - furthering their smoldering tension - Kieran tells his story, that he thought "they" had come back for him. He claims "they" aren't human, and he's in utter shock, only wanting to get away right now.

During this time, Ianto and Tosh have been taken hostage, but by whom, we have no idea. They're locked up in some kind of weird room with chains, hooks, and strange fluids. They also find remnants of other people: shoes, clothes. Upon opening the fridge they discover, well...here's another horror staple: it becomes clear to them that they are now food. There is a supply of meat inside the fridge, and it isn't a rack of lamb.

In the pub, someone or something tries to break in even as Jack and the others fire on it. Whatever it is, it takes the kid Kieran and leaves. They still have no idea what they're dealing with, despite Jack's vast knowledge of aliens and unknown.

Back in the meat locker, a scared lady opens the door and tells Ianto and Tosh she's there to help. She warns them of a "harvest" and says she's been sent to "collect" them, but wishes she could help them. Every ten years, apparently, the harvest "takes" them. She holds them at gunpoint and insists they come with her.

Cut to the pub (remember, this is a TV show, lots of cuts and such) and Jack is seeing this place isn't all it seems to be. There are jars of icky things and hey, a blood trail. It must be the one of the attackers, and it sure is. Jack interrogates him, but the guy is borderline insane and laughs in his face. But Jack, being somewhat immortal, has been around the block once or twice when it comes torture and amps it up a bit.

Gwen and Owen run into the woods and eventually meet a policeman, much to their relief. They insist on the police's help, that the village is in grave danger. Ianto and Tosh are taken to a horrible house, full of hanging plastic, blood splatters, and "that stench." The woman really didn't want to help them, obviously. It was just a spot of fun. They meet their attackers, the ones who have apparently cannibalized the village. They have met their attackers, and they are them...in other words, they are all too human. Not aliens. Not demons or ghosts. Humans. And they love what they do. "See, the meat has to be tenderized first." But awesome Ianto headbutts the leader and Tosh gets away into the woods.

Tosh, handcuffed, is found by the leader, who gleefully bullies her until Owen and Gwen show up with the policeman. Finally, Tosh is saved! Well...until the policeman reveals his true colors and forces Owen and Gwen to disarm. Oh, great. Everyone's in on it.

It looks like curtains for our brave team. Back at the charnel house, the leader explains that the meat must be bled out, "like veal." He really enjoys this way too much as he holds a cleaver to Ianto's neck. A growing tremor distracts the band of bitey people. Seems they forgot about good ol' Jack, who storms in and wounds each one in a rage. Jack wants to kill them all. "People like this don't deserve a warning!" he exclaims, but Gwen wants to know. The same curiosity that got her the job with Torchwood compels her to know why.

She interrogates the leader by asking him that one question: why? The leader is playfully evil, toying with her, knowing he can scare her with words. And he does. He agrees to tell her why he does it, with a tear rolling from one eye, only if he can whisper it:

"Because it made me happy."

The expression on Gwen's face as he tells her that and as he's dragged away by Jack says it all. Utter and complete horror. See, horror? That a person could perpetrate this kind of evil on others, and that it had nothing to do with aliens or the supernatural, echoes in her head. And it changes her.

Torchwood is not a horror show, that's very true. It's sci-fi spun off from sci-fi. But that's not to say that you can't mix a little horror with your sci-fi. At the heart of this episode was a classic torture horror story about cannibals, a vanished village, and the shriveled heart of evil. No gadgets, no lasers, and no Doctor to bail them out.

I like it when I find horror in the least expected places.

Check out the video of the end of the episode to see some of those horror elements, a heroic save by Jack, and the chilling words from the leader of the cannibals.

Trailer of the Day: Pontypool

This has the potential to be a creative new take on a tried and true genre. Kind of reminds me of the Anti-Life Equation used by Darkseid in DC Comics...

Uh-oh...comics...horror...worlds colliding...

Trailer of the Day: Let The Right One In

This Swedish vampire flick is being considered one of the best horror films in recent memory.

Hail And Welcome

Welcome to The WGON Helicopter, a blog which I hope will take off and be read by more than a few people, but will serve as a place for me to explore the horror genre even if it isn't. As it stands, I plan on putting my view out there regarding horror in its many media: films, television, books, video games, comics, music...and any that I didn't name or have not yet been invented.

Horror is the genre that rings a visceral bell for all of us. When I first started taking writing seriously (albeit I should take it even more seriously), I was told that the hardest genres to write were comedy and horror. They were the most base stimulators of emotion: laughter and terror. One could argue love or sadness or anger in there, too, but for the sake of this blog, let's just roll with those first two for now. I gravitated towards horror fiction at a young age, after initially being frightened by the now-innocuous images of Jerry Lewis transforming in "The Nutty Professor" and when Boris Karloff first shows up in "The Mummy." The television trailer for "The Exorcist" terrified me, as did pretty much any episode of "Kolchak: The Night Stalker." I remember seeing the trailer for "Dawn of the Dead" late one night in 1978 at a friend's house. For years, I couldn't shake that image of the undead bursting into the elevator, lunging for the first-person camera (at about the 0:48 mark in the trailer below).



Along the way through my preteen and teenage years, horror turned from something to avoid (Heaven forbid I should be in the same room when "The Exorcist" was on network TV) to something exciting. The insurmountable evil that the characters faced. The will and strength to battle back against it. The terrifying guises that the antagonists took. What would they (and we) have to go through in order to win, much less survive, against a horrible foe?

Stephen King was the gateway drug. Mustering up my 13-year-old strength one summer, I checked "The Shining" out from the library. I turned to page one and dove right in. Two days later, it was finished and I had learned to embrace the excitement of the horror genre. Yes, two days. Hey, I was 13, it was the summer of 1980, and it wasn't like we had the Internet or fancy video games to deter me from books and the outdoors. Not long after that came a book that took a bit longer to read, but made me focus my own writing: "The Stand." It still remains as my favorite book of all time, having been read four times in my life. From there, horror became my genre of choice when it came to books and movies.

For years, I had been afraid to watch "Dawn of the Dead." Would it be too much for me? Gore in film hadn't done much to make me queasy before, so why would it now? It had a mystique, but one I wanted to conquer. I'm glad I did. I was amazed at everything about it. Yes, there was gore. Oh, and plenty of it. Tom Savini is a visual effects god of the highest order, of that there is no doubt. But it was the story of the survivors, and that's what drew me, and continues to draw me, to the zombie horror/survival horror genre. Each survivor is a fingerprint representation of us, society, as a whole. I was mesmerized by this tiny band of survivors coming together, building a home, only to see greed on all sides tear it down. The zombies were secondary characters. It became my favorite horror film. On the long list of horror films I love, it remains in the top spot.

So that's why this blog is named "The WGON Helicopter." It's the chopper in which our heroes escape Philadelphia, and in which the remaining survivors leave the mall at the end of the film (what, spoilers? come on!). WGON is the fictional TV station for which the chopper reports traffic.

In this blog, I'll talk about horror "across the curriculum" and not just about zombie horror, despite the theme. I'll throw links on here if I find some interesting news, or maybe video once in a while. You never know. I just want to have fun with this thing and talk about the genre I love. Over on the right, you'll find a list of links. I highly recommend all of them. You'll find links to urban exploration, some great horror sites (like Bloody Disgusting and Kindertrauma), even a couple comic book sites. On some of those sites, you'll find even more links and news and...well, just discover for yourself. For now, though, I hope you enjoy whatever I post here.

Until later, this is me signing off, high in the sky, from the WGON traffic chopper --