Nos: You can tell you really love something when it goes through a fit of popularity, vomits out a bunch of half assed movies, and you still, STILL want more. This is how I feel about zombie movies. I have no idea why horror trends to the point of ad nauseum…. but it does. Vampires are all the rage now but not all that long ago, zombies ruled both the big and small screen.  This was a mixed blessing that brought both trash and strokes of brilliance to the genre.  Whether you enjoy the new, rapid moving zombies or prefer the classic, slow moving kind … if you have mad love for the sleek Hollywood interpretations or stay loyal to the Italian screen, zombies have an undeniable appeal to them. I think it’s because they’re the most believable out of all the monsters. Something deep down inside of you always knows that you could wake up in the zombie apocalypse any day now. Well that’s how my mind drifts anyway…

Chad Cherry and I have decided to give our lists for the top picks for zombie movies. Romero has been left off our lists because most of his films are a given. We’ll talk more about him towards the end …

Chad: For the most, part Zombies are depicted as mindless, decaying corpses who love eating human flesh. For the record, they like brains in particular. But you should already know this fashion fiends. (To me this sounds like the normal everyday person I see on the streets, just replace the lust of cranium noodle for greed.)

The “Zombie” likeness has been shoved down our throats so much recently, I feel as if the undead are no longer scary. In ’09 Zombies and Vampires became king. But only the candy-coated Disney-esque almost-lovable ones which are safe enough for church and family time in front of the idiot box ( That’s t.v… I still like you idiot box ) …

Fuck that! I’m gonna show you the real deal ugly Zombie movies which will scar you and the kids, the shit Hollywood wants to flush down the toilet!

It’s time to realize these atrocities are neither cute nor funny, and they are not ‘for cryin’ in the night’ sexy. Unless they’re eating your flesh in Lip Service clothing, that is!

READY TO GET BLOODY ON THIS ONE BITCHES?

In the beginning…..

Author, and one of my favorite un-p.c.horror gurus, H.P. Lovecraft wrote of such monsters in novelettes which explored undead themes back in the 1920′s and into the 30′s. Some of his stories portrayed Frankenstein-inspired creeps which helped define the modern concept of the Zombie. (“In the Vault” might have the first recorded character bitten by one.)

W.B. Seabrook’s book “The Magic Island” exposed western culture to the concept of voodoo cults in Haiti resurrecting stiffs in 1929. It’s the book that introduced the word “Zombi” in to U.S. speech. Well alright!!! Enough of those silly things with words and such in ‘em … What are they called again … Reading hankies? Oh! Books! That’s right … You all want MOVIES!

(You will regret this.)

I’ve hit up some of my favorite obvious “Zombie” flicks in previous articles, so I’ll be touchin’ on some which need to be in the spotlight … But honestly … They should be left in the shadows.

Chad’s picks!

WHITE ZOMBIE

1932. Directed by Victor Halperin and starring Bela Lugosi (If you don’t know who Bela is chloroform yourself.), White Zombie is regarded as the first real zombie film ever. It has a voodoo theme three years prior to Seabrook’s book. This is where the blood ball get’s rollin’ and the walking dead start to become movie stars.

EROTIC NIGHTS OF THE LIVING DEAD

1980 by Joe D’Amato. Fucking Italian! Horror, exploitation, eroticism, rip off artist and voyeurism. Porno Zombie Rape! Euuuwww… Good luck finding this one. (While yer lookin’ check for “Porno Holocaust” and the ‘nunsploitation’ “Images in a Covent”) X trash. The music is ridiculously awesome.

ZOMBIE NIGHTMARE

1986 by Jack Braveman. A complete ‘Mystery Science Theater 3000″ flick. (All of these fuckers are.) But the soundtrack: Motorhead, Virgin Steele, Girl School, and one from the ‘glam- metal’ era by Pantera. Jon Miki Thor did the incidental music and plays the Zombie (reasons to not see this). To make up for that, it’s Tia Carrere’s feature film debut. Before she started “Crucial Tawnt” and met Wayne. Ugh.

Mutual Nos & Chad Favorites!

ZOMBI II (A.K.A. ZOMBIE)

1979 by Lucio Fulci.
Nos: This will always be my favorite zombie film and it’s the standard I set all other zombie films by. Unfair? Perhaps … but when it’s the King of all zombie movies, you have to show some respect. One of the more amazing things about this film is the flesh eaters look like they’ve been rotting. Have you seen the poster art? Fucking disgusting and I adore it. There’s even an epic zombie v.s. shark scene and whole lot of creepy Voodoo. Very much worth your time.

Chad: The flick that put Fulci on the map. Conservative British Parliament scorned this puppy. A Zombie actually fights a real tiger shark underwater. Top that shit. Banned in several countries. Another “Video Nasties”. Likey.

BRAINDEAD (A.K.A. DEAD ALIVE)

1992 by Peter Jackson.
Nos: Pre LORD OF THE RINGS crap-fest Peter Jackson is pretty damn cool. This movie is gross and fun to spring on unsuspecting people at a party. A Sumatran monkey/rat gets the party started by taking a bite out of an old woman, who turns into a zombie. Our hero must fight to protect his new found love and his home town.

Chad: All I have to say is that there’s like a 10 minute lawnmower Zombie splatter, and I mean splatter, scene that will never be topped. Fuckin’ knarly! This one will gross out the most liberal horror fan. A true “Splatstick” Hahaha!!!! SHUT UP!

THE BEYOND

1981 by Lucio Fulci.
Nos: Another classic Fulci that takes place in the great state of Louisiana. While this really is more of a ghost story, there are still some incredible zombies populating this film. GRINDHOUSE releasing put out a great DVD of this which I highly recommend you find.

Chad: I’m a sucker for Italians. What can I say? Praise this one for oneiric incoherence. Dreamy and deadly. Love this!

& 

Nos’ Picks!

THE SERPENT AND THE RAINBOW

By Wes Craven.
Not only is this an amazing zombie film, it’s also my favorite by Mr. Craven. This story takes a very realistic approach to zombies and explores the ties to Haiti where the legend comes from.  This is one of the few films which creeps me out every time I watch it.  Bill Pullman (CASPER) plays an anthropologist in search of a drug used in black magic, which he hope to bring back to the states for profit. What awaits him in Haiti is something truly terrifying.

DELLAMORTE DELLAMORE (A.K.A.CEMETERY MAN)

By Michele Soavi
Rupert Everett stars as Francesco Dellamorte, a cemetery keeper who is placed with the task of killing the zombies the rise from the burial ground. A truly beautiful film! I really wish Everett did more horror, he looks dreamy covered in gore…

28 DAYS LATER

By Danny Boyle
Some people make a negative fuss over this movie but honestly I really love it. 28 DAYS is a whole new look at a zombie apocalypse. I like the virus approach to newer zombie films anyway and feel this movie really nailed it. Not in the least bit traditional and alarmingly accurate to how humans would handle such a thing. And while I do prefer my zombies to move at a slower pace, I got to admit that if they moved like they do in this film, we all would be fucked.  If for some reason you missed this a few years ago, check it out!

Chad: There’s a lot of 80s stuff going on there, but I could go on and on and on and … on with Zombie movies that you all love more than Justin Beiber’s swoopy head, (Sorry J.B., I know you are an easy target, I can do better.) but I’m gonna stop this madness right now and give it all up to the master of disaster on this subject. He will be the first to deny this fact but the GodZombieFather of it all is …

George A. Romero

Nos: You could really write volumes on this man’s work alone. While I’m not personally a fan of all “DEAD” movies, most have a special place in my heart. NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD was one of the first ten horror films I saw and I think I still watch it at least three times a year.  For being made in 1968, this movie has a real 1950’s b-movie feel to it. Take that and combine it with brilliant writing and infuse social commentary and you’ve got yourself the perfect zombie movie, my friend! Romero’s formula for zombies evolves with every new entry. He stays true to the original root but is never afraid to expand and take risks with the world he has created. This man is truly fucking brilliant.

Chad:
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD -1968

THE CRAZIES (still a zombie movie) -1971

DAWN OF THE DEAD -1978

DAY OF THE DEAD -1985

LAND OF THE DEAD -2005

DIARY OF THE DEAD-2008

SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD – 2010

Cheers to you Mr. Romero.

Now, I don’t even wanna think about getting C.C. brain juice on my Lip Service jeans. Cerebral cortex is so messy and can leave such awful stains. I realize the cingulate gyrus and the temporal lobe are some of the tastiest parts, and you really gotta dig deep to get at em’, but come on! … Very hard to get out of the material. So you “Zombies” out there… (I see some of you right now) Back off. Cuz I WILL make ya watch some of these movies that are made about you. And you don’t want that now do you.. Ya rotten bastards….

Well that’s that. I bid you all a good evening and remember one thing about Zombies kiddies …“SHOOT ‘EM MAN!!! … SHOOT ‘EM IN THE HEAD”!!!!

(All views in this article do not reflect on Lip Service … Lip Service does not promote the eradication of the living dead unless they have terrible sense in fashion )

From out of the coffin and into your heart.
-Rock-n-Roll Astro Vampire Zombie TLV Motherf**ker from Hell… (Huh?)
-Chad Cherry XXX
Come see the sexy scary sounds of The Last Vegas… If you dare…You can not hide.. I am everywhere. Mwwuahahaha!!!!
thelastvegas.com

Nos: Well I’ve been on the road most of this summer! My website (Goddessofgorenos.com) has been met with great enthusiasm and I am truly grateful for all the support I’ve been given.  Film project wise, RATLINE is looking better and better each day … I can’t wait to show it off to the world! Till then you can a clip of it up on FEARNET.com

Xo

Nos

Just like the “She/He has schizophrenia and the whole ending is part of a delusion” got really old, really fast, remakes don’t have a good track record. At first I was on the fence about them. TEXAS CHAINSAW blew the big one but I really enjoyed HILLS HAVE EYES. Then the onslaught of crap-o-rama came.  Nothing was sacred from big budget remakes and the studios (naturally) didn’t give two shits whether it looked good, made sense, or even had longevity.  They just wanted the profits from opening weekend.

“Oh the injustice!” … “Oh the shame!”

Horror fans around the globe, myself included, bitched up a storm as one by one our favorites got re-cast with WB actors. I boycotted, wrote angry things on forums, and burned promo posters to express my rage at the situation. Then I just sorta got numb to the whole thing. Eventually, I started to see the positives … like the fact that some forgotten treasures found the their way to a special edition DVD because of the remake. I began to calm down and just accept that it’s all part of the landscape.

Then came the “American version” remakes.

Yes, I understand this concept is nothing new. Japanese horror film renditions  for American viewers saw a great surge ten years ago (THE RING, THE GRUDGE). The popular response to these remakes was always “Well I found the original to be much more scary, when I saw it two years ago.” – In this particular situation, I’m gonna have to call people out on a little bit of bull. There is a huge cultural and language difference between America and Japan. It’s not to say their films can’t be scary (Hello, AUDITION)  but pound for pound these films don’t tend to strike a fear chord with us. In these cases I can see why an American version is appealing.

What’s really getting my Irish up are these American versions of French, Spanish, and Italian films … that were made less than five years ago. Long gone are the days of imports, when you had the option to watch a foreign film dubbed in English or (God forbid) in its original language with subtitles in the theater. In this politically correct society, we are much too delicate for horror films (or any film for that matter) which may challenge or disgust us.  So we take a concept and homogenize it to fit our standards. This is both an outrage and a perfect snapshot of today’s America.

Conspiracy? Maybe … but that’s a topic to be explored in another column. Right now I’m just pissed off because the producer from TWILIGHT has a hold of the MARTYRS remake.

IN OTHER NEWS ……

The long awaited Nos website … goddessofgorenos.com  has an official content launch date! That means I’ll be terrorizing the internet with my own brand of sexy in just a few days. It’s different, doesn’t play by the rules, and I’m sure you’ll love it.  - Or you’ll hate it and never talk to me again. Either way it all goes down JULY 1st!

My bestie Ugly Shyla (http://www.uglyart.net/) has been hard at work on new morbid fine art dolls. Check out the latest one on her etsy shop. Ugly’s work is pretty incredible and any fan of horror should own at least ONE of her pieces in their lifetime.

AFTER PARTY MASSACRE has its first trailer up and I’m in it! Wheee! http://www.afterpartymassacre.com/mdf/

XoXo

Nos

Last week I had the pleasure of returning to a film set … and it was long overdue. With the exception of short films, I haven’t shot on a feature since RATLINE wrapped. So when Kristoff Bates asked me to part of AFTER PARTY MASSACRE, I was pretty damn stoked about it!

I don’t really remember how I know Kristoff. In all honesty we run in the same circles and probably met several times before it stuck. I think about 3 years ago he sent me a message introducing himself officially and we became friends. In any case we’ve been looking for a chance to work with each other for awhile now. You wouldn’t think this would be much of a challenge considering he’s a photographer, runs naked girl websites, owns/runs Horror Merch (www.horrormerch.com), goes to several horror conventions a year, AND lives in the mid west like me.  However it seemed something also came up or we’d just miss each other and nothing ever got a chance to happen.

Earlier this year Kristoff and I started talking about AFTER PARTY MASSACRE and how I might be able to fit into the project. Cleveland is a 9 hour drive away and the project had a limited budget; I could only really be cast in something that was shot in one weekend. There where some scheduling conflicts too, not on mine or Kristoff’s end, but from other actors ….this caused dates to pushed around. Such is life on a independent film set. I’m actually pretty amazed on how well Kristoff did handle himself with all the changes. Making a movie is HARD, and it’s even worse when people flake out on you. But he rolled with the proverbial punches and kept going.

I made the drive through Ohio, passing the town where I spent my summers knee deep in a church conference,  ready to spend the better half of 14 hours topless and covered in blood. It seems I’m never one to lack in poetic flair.

When I got in the first night I was greeted by Kristoff waving a dildo in the middle of the street to point me in the direction of his house. I then met the stunning Danica Satanica, who is an up and coming model/actress. I’ve been stalking her on Facebook (DanicaSatanica) for awhile now and it was great to finally talk with her person! She’s a very sweet and talented woman.

I also got to meet to co-mastermind behind AFTER PARTY, Kyle Severn. Kyle is also the drummer for Incantation….I’ve been making a lot of metal girls jealous when I tell them I worked on a project of his.  He was really nice to work with and very dedicated. Always a great combination when you’re pulling a long day on set.

And it was a very long day on set my friends! If you’ve never worked on movie set before let me tell ya … 5 minutes in a film equal about 10 hours on a shoot. We had 3 kill scenes to do and all of them required pretty elaborate special effects. In the end it was well worth the wait because everything looked amazing. I don’t want to give too much away … but one of the effects is a leg getting chopped off and meat chunks flying into the air! How fucking cool is that?

The biggest trooper of night was the stunning Scarlett Von Sinn! She stood for 14 hours in stiletto boots and lugged an ax around. My type of chick! Krisoff caught me taking pictures of her ass.I may have giggled like a school girl when she talked to me. Nothing out of the ordinary. I didn’t hear her bitch once during that shoot and she delivered take after take.

When it came time for yours truly to get the ax … I warned everyone that I scream really loud. No one ever believes me. But sure enough first take I spike the audio. Sound moves a step back for second take, still in the red. By the end of it I don’t think anyone who was next to me could hear very well.

Kristoff booked a hotel room for me and when he checked me into the place we were both stiff covered in fake blood. I tried to hide it by putting my hoodie up but it was still splattered all over my face! I don’t think the night crew was amused. after trying to watch a little T.V., I passed out around 4 in the morning. Woke up to a brand new day and made my way back to St.Louis with the help of some David Bowie.

Life fucking rules.

(But only if you let it.)

XoXo

Nos

Okay I’ve got be honest, I’m gonna cheat a little on this column. Technically my first horror film was about a certain man eating shark that shall go nameless. I was 3 when I saw that and now I have a for real phobia of the stupid creature. To it’s credit, it did it’s job extremely well…it scared the shit out of me.

But today we’re gonna talk about my slightly less traumatizing experience with a little movie called GREMLINS . If you weren’t alive during the 1980′s or have just been really out of loop, let me give a brief synopsis: Dad finds strange creature in an oddities shop in Chinatown. Dad MUST buy creature for his son Billy’s Christmas present. Old Chinese dude won’t sell it. Dad makes a back alley deal with Chinese dude’s grandson. The creature is a Mogwai and it can’t be around bright lights, must never get wet, and never, EVER be fed after midnight. As you can guess the rules get broken, gremlins pop out of the Mogwi’s back and chaos unfolds.  And while this may not be the most horrific thing ever captured on film, it is most certainly a horror movie and it’s what I’m claiming as my first.

Released in 1984, the year of my birth, I didn’t actually see GREMLINS till ye old 1989 when I was 5. My beloved babysitter had me for the evening and the movie was on television to promote the upcoming release of GREMLINS 2.

I’m pretty sure it was around Christmas time.

The movie was fascinating to me and I really took a shining to bad gremlin “Spike”. Naturally I let out freakish out bursts of 5 years old laughter at parts that only made adults chuckle. I started making plans on how I could obtain my own Mogwai.The whole thing was pure magic and the best part was all the bad gremlins went away at the end … or did they? Leave it to that silly Chinese shop owner to ruin the end and inform me that there just might be a damn gremlin under my bed! Really? Just waiting to swipe it’s ugly, claw filled hand at me when I got up to use the bathroom? Fuck that!

Needless to say I took this little warning to heart and when I got home that night I made my mom check under my bed. She gave the all clear and I went to go brush my teeth. My mother never was one to turn down an opportunity to scare the piss out of me. As I stood at the sink, innocently scrubbing my teeth, my mom let out a damn good imitation of a gremlin laugh. I came screeching out of the bathroom and stood in the middle of the living room crying. Mom thought it was funny until she realized I wasn’t calming down. Every time she tried to get me back in my bedroom, to show me there was no gremlin, I started flailing my hands around and screaming. I think I may have slept with her that night.

It’s laughable to think this is what used to scare me. The shelves in my my living are now home to some the most gory, trauma-inducing films ever recorded … and that’s what I watch while I’m eating dinner. But there is a bit of innocence lost  and part of me really misses that little girl who got all worked up over a kids horror film. She grew up to make scary movies and kiss boys (and girls) and traveled across America to follow her dreams.

Say it with me now: AWWWWWWWWW

Anyways… March turned out to be an uber productive month with lots of fun and excitement! I flew out to L.A. for various projects and ended up shooting some rather scandalous photos with model/actress Ruby Violence. Most of what we shot we highly inappropriate for those under 18 but I’ve including a few behind the scenes and PG13 stills below … so you’ll get the idea.  For folks over 18, I’ll be posting our sexy set on my website (goddessofgorenos.com) soon!

Other adventures included looting the Lip Service warehouse for new clothing and catching a performance by Lightnin’ Woodcock – you should really go check out his music the moment you stop reading this column!

Oh and I also got to see PUMPKINHEAD on the big screen and the New Beverly!!!

I was also featured this month in a KICK ASS zine called AX WOUND. It’s really worth getting your mitts on because Eli Roth, Rebekah McKendry, Shannon Lark, and Sarah Jahier (among others) are also interviewed in it!

XoXo

Nos

[Show as slideshow]

Last month held a rather sad anniversary for the underground … the one year mark for THE CRAMPS front man Lux Interior’s death. (Oct.21st 1946 – Feb.4th 2009)  To say he was an inspiration is a gross understatement. For many of us he was the father of an incredible subculture.

So today Chad Cherry and I would like to delicate THE DEVIL INSIDE to some of the things that made THE CRAMPS truly great!
“Hey I’m on my way, on a journey outta this world”  -LUX-

CHAD:

“In the spring of 1976, The Cramps began to fester in a NYC apartment. With out fresh air or natural light, the group developed it’s uniquely mutant strain of rock-n-roll aided only by the sickly blue rays of late night t.v. While jackhammer rhythms of punk were proliferating in NYC, The Cramps dove into the deepest recesses of the rock-n-roll psyche for the most primal of all rhythmic impulses -Rockabilly- The sound of southern culture falling apart in a blaze of shudders and hiccups. As late night sci-fi reruns colored the room, The Cramps also picked and chose amongst eras – surf, instrumental rock, psychedelia, and 60′s punk.

And then they added the junkiest element of all…. Themselves”.

It would be almost impossible to have not heard of The Cramps. But there are those who live under candy coated rubble that love to get force fed whatever media says is cool at the watered down moment…. Which is mostly shit… This article is for you.. So you can learn.

Their career has been the stuff of legend. Dangerously bizarre but most of all cool, The Cramps represent everything that is truly reprehensible about rock-n-roll. Founding members Lux Interior ( The psycho-sexual Elvis/Werewolf hybrid from hellfire) and the guitar slingin’ soul-mate Poison Ivy ( The ultimate bad girl vixen that I still have a crush on. So sexy evil!) are the architects of a wicked sound that distills a cross of swamp water, moonshine and nitro down to a dangerous and unstable musical substance. (I’ll have a couple shots of that!!!) Their cultural impact has spawned a legion of devil cults and dance floor catfights, and created in it’s wake a cavalcade of cave-stompin’ imitators.

As punk rock pioneers in the late 70′s they cut their teeth on the stages of CBGB and Max’s kansas City and recorded their first record at Sam Phillip’s legendary Sun Studios, funded mainly by Ivy’s income as a dominatrix  in NYC. They coined the now ever so popular term “psychobilly” on gig their posters. Their hair raising live performances where a total, no-holds-barred rock-n-roll assault. After a quarter centry of mayhem, they’re too far gone to even consider any other course.

The Cramps were the garage band that fueled everything nasty about the way my mind developed as a kid. I would skateboard for hours listening to my master comp that I put together via 7inch/12inch vinyl record to cassette. (old skool muthaf#@kas) I still have that tape… Somewhere…. I would destroy my body with my terrible skateboard tricks and The Cramps would be right there in my ears telling me that I’m suppose to be in pain and bleeding like a stuck pig . Now enjoy it punk………….. And i did.

Nos:

I was first exposed to THE CRAMPS somewhere around 15 years old at a Christian school. I had long since been obsessed with music of the late 50′s/early 60′s but hadn’t been properly introduced to the modern take on it. Needless to say it was love at first listen… Such rebellion! Such filth! And at the heart of it all was the ultimate rock and roll love story … Lux and Ivy.

There are countless Psychobilly bands in THE CRAMPS’ wake but none have even come close to matching the raw energy that dripped from Lux’s stage. This man was beyond committed to his bit! At 50 he was still touring and STILL cutting himself up in front of the audience. He wasn’t afraid to unleash his demons ….

Chad:

The band has had several line up changes but the whole deal was always Lux and Poison Ivy. The greatest couple to ever come from Hell. That is why I was crushed when I heard the news last year (while I was on tour with the Crue and partying in new Orleans) that Lux had died after suffering an aortic dissection. Out of nowhere.. He was 62. The first thing I thought about was Poison Ivy. He was her Frankenstein. Second thing I did was finish up the bottle of Jack with TLV as a toast to a great rock-n-roll monster who will be undead in my heart until I hit sunlight and as long as I keep blazing The Cramps evil groove to the rhymes of the devils blues.

Nos:

I remember reading an interview with Lux and Ivy just a few years before he passed. They still seemed so in love and still so in tune with each other. – That’s hard for “normal” couple to do after several decades together … let alone rock n roll pairing! Ivy was the first one I thought of too after I heard about his death…

But the legacy will always live on! And so will their passion for things bizarre and horror related.

One of my all time favorite concert videos is THE CRAMPS live at Napa State Mental Hospital. If you haven’t seen this yet you’re SO missing out! During a 1978 tour THE CRAMPS paid a little visit to a metal institute for a concert and someone captured the results on camera. The patients scream, jump around, and even sing along with Lux …. utter madness.

I’m sure you can pick up a copy via Amazon.

The music of THE CRAMPS was also no stranger to horror films (as Chad Cherry will get into in a minute) and they’ve even been known to make an elusive cameo or two in a horror film. FOR EXAMPLE: Did you know they dressed like zombies and ran around in tunnels for Romero’s DAY OF THE DEAD? It ‘s true … watch the behind the scenes on the DVD!

Chad:

Their music is in some of my favorite movies (Return of the Living Dead -”Surfin’ Dead” and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 – “Goo Goo Muck”) and they were in the greatest Halloween episode of Beverly Hills 90210. Look out Dillon! Lux comes out and say’s “Hey boys and ghouls, are you ready to raise the dead?” then they played “Mean Machine” and Strange Love.” Yeah! I’ll never forget that. I always wondered how the vibe was on the 90210 set having real Vampires around Kelly and Brandon……

Anyway…….. If you don’t have any of The Cramps music (your excused if you were born yesterday) and you love the creepy, then buy these record right now.

• Songs the Lord taught us-  80
• Psychedelic Jungle-           81
• Smell of Female-     -live-    83
• A date with Elvis-                 86
• Stay Sick-                              90
• Look Mom, No Head-           91
• Flame Job-                             94
• Big beat from Badsville-       97
• Fiends of Dope Island-         02

If you are looking for “best of”s and compilations… Here ya go.

• Off the Bone –  83
• Bad Music for Bad people- 84 (Still have my t-shirt from this record………….Smells awesome)
• How to make a Monster- 04
• The Secret of The Cramps- 06

[Show as slideshow]

12►

If you’re into high production and glossy fluff (who isn’t) then stick with American Idol stuff.
Enter at your own risk lovelies.

Another thing that is undeniable about THE CRAMPS is their impeccable fashion sense! Lux could make tights look hot on a man and he wasn’t afraid to wear lipstick with large sunglasses either. Ivy was the queen of animal print and reconstructed vintage … with a touch a dungeon gear added in for good measure. Even in their later years they looked fucking amazing and fashionable.

Lip Service has some very CRAMPS esc items and I’ve put together a list of my personal favorites …

[Ghost town cigarette fit jean] Time to channel your inner Lux with this fabulous jeans from the Ghost Town collection.

[Branch foil print leggings] It takes a bad rocker girl to pull these bitches off!

[Patent Vinyl bra w/o-ring details] ‘Cause who really wants to wear clothes on stage?

[Gangsta Pranksta Knee length dress] This little number has a real vintage appeal with an updated rock n roll edge!

[pocket hipster straight leg] Great for sweating yer balls off!

[Caged skirt] This Caged skirt is fucking crazy and would look wicked hot on both girls and boys.

Chad:

LONG LIVE ROCK-N-ROLL HORROR! The mold was broke when the B-movie sci-fi outer space neanderthal sex vamps called The Cramps landed back in the late 70′s. This is a one of kind rare band that you will never see the likes of again. You can still hear their music coming from graveyards in the evening, and I guarantee that they will keep you  rockin’ with the un-dead all night long……….

So I just got back from the middle of nowhere Michigan, a.k.a – no-mans land -………. The Last Vegas set up a recording studio in a lake house with our engineer and started flushing out song ideas that we’ve had floating around inside our wicked little minds from the last couple of tours (and some from a lot earlier as well). The location was so isolated that phone reception was non exsistant and there was zero internet the whole week we were up there. Creepy and beautiful, cold and very snowy. Picture the movie ‘The Shining’…. But replace the sweet shrubbery maze with a frozen lake. Very scary at night. It was so quite and peaceful too… Until we got there that is. “ALL WORK AND NO PLAY, MAKES CHERRY A DULL BOY”!!!!! Check out The Last Vegas on tour this March. THE TEXAS C.C MASSACRE is coming!!!!! Cheers from your favorite Vampire creep…. -Chad Cherry- xxx

Nos:

No doubt THE CRAMPS will continue to inspire generations … both musically and with their legendary style.

In the Nos world I’ve been busy shooting new content for my website: goddessofgorenos.com and posing for magazines! I’m gracing the cover this month of ST.LOUIS SINNER and two of my photos made it into issue 31 of GOTHIC BEAUTY … which will be on newsstands March 12th! I’ve also been cast in a new horror film called AFTER PARTY MASSACRE and I’ll be shooting in glamorous Ohio next month.

Here’s some more great Cramps eye candy:

[Show as slideshow]

12►

I know some people get all fussy about V.D. (Ha!) so Chad Cherry and I put together our top picks for the holiday. So whether you’re snuggling up to that “someone special” or just flying solo, these movies should put you in the mood for love!
** psst … And, don’t forget, my sexy, new site, Goddess of Gore: Nos, is officially launching on Valentine’s Day!**

Nos’ Picks

Nekromantik 2

So last year on my SCARS blog I mentioned NEKROMANTIK as one of my favorite Valentine’s Day films. I’m still holding  to my tradition of watching it this Sunday – however it’s sequel is pretty damn amazing too! After Rob’s tragic end in the first film, a young nurse digs up his corpse  and has her way with him. Her boyfriend is a little (understandably) freaked out by this and the couple must learn to compromise….

The end is utterly gut wrenching and wicked hot.

May

Poor little has been an outcast since childhood… her only friend being a doll named Suzy. Just when things start looking up in her adult life, she fears her doll Suzy has become jealous.  May’s world starts to unravel as she desperately searches  for a true friend and ultimately decides to make one of her own! It’s a pretty fucked up little story about self love … which is the type of love you should really be focused on this V.Day.

Metropolis

There’s nothing I could really say that would do this movie justice. It’s simply one of the most beautiful things ever captured on film. True it’s a little more SiFi than horror but I think horror fans can appreciate it just the same! For those who haven’t had the pleasure of watching; Metropolis was made in 1927 and depicts the year 2026 in a breath taking neo Gothic landscape …made ENTIRELY from real miniatures. (No gross C.G.I. here!) It’s a classic tale of the “haves” and the “have nots” with a beautiful love story woven in.

Dracula

There are many fine editions of the Dracula tale… but in honor of love day I’m gonna have to go with 1992 Coppola version! True Keanu Reeves kinda stinks it up a bit but the presence of Tom Waits more than makes up for it! And then you have Gary Oldman in one of his finest performances … he truly makes a gorgeous Count. This version also has some excellent gore, something I feel the other Dracula films tend to lack.

Chad’s Picks
HELLO HELLO LOVERS!!!!
What better way to say “BE MINE” on St. Valentines Day then with Chad Cherry’s take on this fantastic day specifically made for lovers. And for this hallmark holiday filled with hugs and kisses, chocolates, candy hearts, shiny gifts, cute shaped cards and the whispers of sweet nothings in to your main squeezes ear, I bring you some of the most romantic couples in the history of love.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre

First off we have the ever so handsome Leatherface and his one and only. I could’ve never imagined how long this relationship has lasted. To me it’s beyond love. They have something that most couples only wish they could have.

Friday the 13th

This stunning couple has had there ups and downs, but all in all they will always come back to each other no matter how many other sharp jagged objects of temptation get in his way. They will always know that they are made for each other.

Halloween

This is a true blue romance that just keeps blossoming as the years roll on. You hardly ever see them apart…. They are so good for each other.

House of 1000 Corpses

Otis and 45.magnums sittin’ in a tree……. Fuck it, you know the rest. “SHUT YER FUCKIN’ MOUTH”!!!!

Reanimator

A match we all know that was made in heaven. A man and his green shit that brings dead things back to life.

Sleepwalkers

A boy and his mother. She might be lil’ stern at times but it just enhances the passion in the bedroom. Keep it in the family, incest is best. That’s just sexy……… Right?……

Otis

To truly show you love somebody……. Keep them locked up in the basement.

Maniac

I always thought Frank could do better, but he finds something in her that completes him. Anyway who am I to judge his commitment.

Nosferatu

Nosferatu + Type 0 negative

Frankenstein / Bride of Frankenstein

It still surprises me that they can somehow stay out of the tabloids.

What better way to say “I love you” then though cinematic blood shed. Enjoy the inspiration of these couples that really know the meaning of love. And hopefully on V-day you can get a chance to have sex with somebody besides yourself…. Cuz that’s what its really all about.
XO
“I’M YOURS”,
Chad Cherry…. Expert on love.

click for full size

Greetings Lippy fans! Welcome to the first annual DEVIL INSIDE horror movie wrap up. Chad Cherry and I will be breaking down 2009’s gruesome offerings.  Unfortunately many of the horror movies made in 2009 where not gruesome in good way… I really hope that every director’s New Year’s resolution is to “grow a pair” because I am sick of watered down junk.  This year we got stuck with a TONE of sequels and remakes.  However there were a few surprises and some unsung heroes.  I just don’t understand why making intelligent horror has become like pulling teeth! Nor do I understand “horror” movies that suffer from total lack of gore, violence, and traumatizing scenes. It’s total bullshit.  But I’m going off on a rant now … I’ll let Mr.Cherry spill a few words then we’ll get down to the nitty gritty!

Chad: Unfortunately most of the horror movies from 2009 were re-makes gone a muck from the classics we ( the freaks haha) still adore. For the sole reason that Hollyweird must have lost some of it’s imagination. I’m sorry to have to let you in on this folks. It’s all about quick coin and fuck all to art. Taking a risk might not pay the bills ya know.  Nothing new or out of the norm with that though I guess.

click for full size

So this month I’m going to write about some of the bastard film makers of 2009 that have stuck to their guns and have fired off some doozys.

Alright first off a couple of these I’m sure you all have heard of but there might be a few in the mix that haven’t hit your radar yet. Here is my version of the blood goodies for the warped and macabre ( I’m talkin’ about Jessie) 2009 round up of what I got a chance to get into while still ROCKIN’ the foundation of this planet you all call earth!

FRIDAY THE 13th. (re-make)

I’m not gonna get into details about this re-make. Just look out for Derek Mears! He is the cat’s pajamas.

Nos: I enjoyed going to theater and seeing it but I think that had more to do with the group I went with. Considering all the things that could have gone wrong with this remake, I think it turned out better than expected. Derek Mears did a damn fine job as Jason.

[Show as slideshow]

DRAG ME TO HELL

Chad: This is Sam Raimi getting back to his old crazy ways of film making. Ala Evil Dead I and II and Army of Darkness! Excited? You should be.If you haven’t seen any of these movie get out from rock you have been livin’ under punk! This one focuses on a supernatural curse that gets placed on young lady by a Gypsy witch bitch. Now hexed, her world turns into a gnarly and very terrible acid trip of evil! The old lady in this movie is H.O. double T- HOTT! Check out the pics!!! OOOOH BABY! Don’t mess with eastern European hags man.

Nos: A lot of people hated this movie, I was not one of them. DRAG ME TO HELL was a fun summer flick that had a couple of good scares in it. Was it the second coming of Alfred Hitchcock? No and that’s not what you should’ve been expecting. This is Raimi folks. His movies, though charming, are not rocket science. –And that’s okay! I was just happy to see something that wasn’t  a damn remake!

[Show as slideshow]

MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3D

Chad: O.k…So I’ll admit it. Even though the 1981 original George Mihalka directed version is ‘King’…’King’ I say! I did like this re-make. Come on, it was in 3D. It has some good nudity and some great blood splatter everything. Also my bro Tom Atkins (Night of the Creeps, The Fog, Halloween III etc.) kicks ass till he gets his jaw and face removed. The orig is my fav but Patrick Lussier did a stand up job for this classic re-make about a miner that kills his co-workers, survives a cave-in, wakes up from a coma, slaughters every one in site, retreats back to the cave, gets shot by the cops, comes back 10 years later….(Hold on let me catch my breath-…Alright where was I…Oh ya.) Starts up the most wicked massacre the lil’ mining town has ever seen and stuffs ripped out hearts in candy boxes…Romantic. -Three words- PICK AXE STYLE!!! Watch the O.G. first.

Nos: This is one of two cases where the remake actually “wowed” me! (The first was THE HILLS HAVE EYES remake.) The original MY BLOODY VALENTINE is a true slasher classic.  This remake had a lot to live up to and it started things off right with the 3D. The acting was really well done and I enjoyed the new little twists they put on the story! The gore made me laugh out loud in the theater. – Naturally disturbing all those around me. I feel these late 70’s, early 80’s slasher films translate into better remakes … mostly because the originals aren’t that well known and had budget limitations.  It’s still not an excuse to redo someone else’s work or be lazy. But if you’re gonna do it, do it right.

I wish someone would send ME a bloody heart in a candy box!

[Show as slideshow]

DEAD SNOW

Chad: Guess what’s not nice?…. Zombies! O.k., now guess what’s even worse? …. Nazis! Put the two together and what do ya have?…. Sour kraut and sausage? No dummy! NAZI ZOMBIES!!!! That’s not designed to make anybody feel good. Norwegian director Tommy Wirkola’s horror comedy Dead Snow is though! In this one a group of med students on an Easter holiday hit up a cabin in the middle of snowy ass Norway to enjoy in some skiing, drinking, sex, unfrozen blood thirsty swastika wearin’ living dead guys, molotov cocktails, chainsaws, machine guns attached to snowmobiles, decapitation and death. Holy Happy Easter fuckers! If you don’t want to watch this after my explanation then get out of my house (just kidding). If you do what to see this then get ready to po-po in yer pants! Hilarious and nasty!

[Show as slideshow]

MARTYRS

Nos: This movie fucked me up. It’s seriously hard for me to even write about it because I don’t like reflecting on it. The film is wonderfully made and the acting is indescribable. And that’s what’s wrong with it: It’s too good at what it does. The story is about a childhood abuse survivor seeks revenge … and that’s not doing the plot justice. What unfolds is beyond words. All I can really say is that I watch horror and exploitation on a daily bases and this movie had me in tears by the end.

[Show as slideshow]

RUN BITCH RUN!

Chad: Joseph Guzman’s 09 exploitation flick in the vain of ‘LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT’, ‘I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE’, and ‘MS.45.’. A total throw back 70′s style rape turns into revenge, catholic school girls on the wrong side of the tracks dealio. A classic revenge movie scene for scene! Gritty, filthy, gore ridden, rape and sodomy. Why do I watch these kinda movies? Because I am not right….At all. No matter how liberal you think you are, – this movie will offend you -…Big Time! And it’s got Daeg Faerch who played lil’ Micheal Myers in Halloween in it too. Cute. “PAY BACK IS A BITCH”

SAW VI

Nos: It’s hard to keep sequels interesting. On average they to fizzle out around 3 and are beyond stupid by 5. However the SAW franchise has done a damn good job keeping its fans happy. We’re at 6. 6!!! And that silly Jig Saw is still finding clever ways to make people play his game. In this episode we watched SCREAM QUEEN winner Tanedra Howard hack off her own arm, saw what was in “the box”, and learned that yes indeed they could stretch this out to part VII.  I know the spell will be broken someday but I’m happy to report it wasn’t with VI!

HALLOWEEN 2

Chad: Written and directed by a creep named Rob Zombie. I’ve been in love with these movies since I heard the name John Carpenter, and I don’t give a good goddamn what trash talkin’ Micheal Myers super fans say about this re-make. Rob knows his shit. Period. Zombie puts another shade of darkness on “The Shape” and opens the door of brutality on this puppy, showing us what lies behind the mask and how tormented the lives of the surviving victims have become. Not pretty… Not pretty all. I went to the theater 3 times to see this bitch. One of my 09 favs.

[Show as slideshow]

THE ROAD

Nos: So this movie doesn’t fit neatly into the package of horror film but I’m going to include it in my list. (Hey I could be writing about THE UNBORN but I’d rather not go there.) THE ROAD is a post apocalyptic film that focuses on a father and son’s survival. In a world where most movies are a nauseous blur of shallow predictability, THE ROAD stands out with its depth and soul. This film is scary. The world is dying and growing cold, birds and other small creatures only exist in books, most of the human race has resorted to cannibalism. In all this hopelessness the father and son keep each other going. It’s a really remarkable film that I think horror fans would really appreciate.

TRICK R TREAT

Nos: This movie is really special. I remember catching little glimpses of the preview trailer and getting SO excited about it! I adore anthology horror and I thought it was greatest thing that it was coming back to the big screen. But alas … Hollywood can be really stupid. This gem didn’t make it to the big screen and was instead released right to DVD.  It’s the studio’s loss because this movie is an instant classic. TRICK R TREAT (Not to be confused with TRICK OR TREAT starring Ozzy and Gene Simmons.) brought back all the fuzzy warm feelings of Halloween as a child. It’s the perfect spooky film and has one of the most beautiful sets I’ve ever seen. I simply must applaud production designer Mark Freeborn for his amazing work. (As a side note Freeborn was also the production designer for HARPER’S ISLAND and WILLARD.)

Chad: Writer/director Micheal Dougherty’s anthology of four terrifying Halloween stories put together “Creepshow” style (love that movie) shows you how shit can get nuts if ya break all Hallows eve traditions. And Sam, the lil’ guy (or whatever the hell he is?!?!) wearing a burlap pumpkin mask and has a cameo in all episodes let’s ya know that creatures, sicko’s, urban legends, jack-o-lanterns and little red riding hood can fuck up the most frightening night of the year…Halloween. Candy apples with razor blades… Tasty.

[Show as slideshow]

What’s up with Chad?

Look out for the new single and video by – THE LAST VEGAS – “WHAT EVER GETS YOU OFF” !!!! And thank you to all the TLV warriors who made “I’M BAD” the itunes single of the year!!! My finale note to all is……. WEAR LIPS SERVICE CLOTHING AND YOU WILL BE A SEXUAL TYRANOSAURAUS!!!! Trust me.

What’s up with Nos?

I’ve been hard at work on my new website! So many new photos and never before seen video going into this … I can’t wait to show everyone! If you want up to the minute details check out my FACEBOOK page and my TWITTER.

And if you’re looking for that last minute holiday gift to yourself stop by: myblackumbrella.com!

I really can’t stop looking at this hot little number (the Dust Storm Moto Jacket) from the Ghost Town collection! **note from the Webmistress: I have mine and it’s fucking delicious … like denim and brushed velvet had a love child! That is all.**

Bad Lieutenant Nos by Chad Michael Ward - see full size in gallery below

Chad Cherry and I share the same exuberant passion for horror and exploitation movies. In fact, when we start talking about what we’re gonna cover next it’s hard to narrow it down to one idea! But this month we wanted to do something extra special so we decided to cover one of our favorite directors: Abel Ferrara.

Chad Cherry - see full size original in the gallery below

Much has been said on Mr. Ferrara so rather than drag over the same boring facts you’ve heard a thousand times, We’d rather touch on his brilliant films and what they mean to us. Evil Sex rocker Chad Cherry does offer this little bit of insight into Ferrara’s early days: He directed a very awkward and confusing porno movies under his alias, Jimmy Laine, with the quaint title “THE NINE LIVES OF A WET PUSSY”. He stars in it but he doesn’t do any of the olr’ in and out, if ya catch my drift. That’s right! Ferrara knows how to get this party started with a skin flick. Well done Mr. Laine. He also went by Jimmy Laine when acting in THE DRILLER KILLER (which he played the lead in) and Ms.45. (He plays the first rapist.)

Ahh yes, Abel Ferrara you had me at-

see full size in gallery below

BAD LIEUTENANT: Originally one of the first movies rated NC-17 for sexual violence, strong humping situations, naughty language, and hardcore drug use … and it’s a police lieutenant that does all this! A corrupt, smacked out, cocaine sniffin’, angry sex addicted, badge wearin’ po-po. To serve and inject! Bitchin’ dooods.

Harvey fucking Keitel. I really can’t say enough about this incredible actor. BAD LIEUTENANT is my favorite movie that Keitel has ever starred in. What Ferrara was able to pull out of Harvey was truly Oscar worthy. I still cry during the church scene. This movie is so raw and honest, one of Ferrara’s more poetic films. It’s really sad that the “remake” looks like such crap. Then again I’ve been assured that it’s not really a remake. They just took the name. – And that my friends is what we call “saving face”.

THE BODYSNATCHERS: Okay this movie has been done SEVERAL times. Seriously there’s a version of it to fit your every mood. You have the 1950’s Don Siegel b-movie classic, that creepy 70’s version with Leonard Nimoy and the fucking human head dog (that STILL gives me nightmares), the shitty Nicole Kidman thing, and right in the middle is Ferrara’s early 90’s version with the sexy Gabrielle Anwar. I can never really decide if I like this movie or not. The higher budget feels a little weird for one of his films. There is this overwhelming sense of dread throughout the whole movie that’s very intriguing. I still watch it about once a year.

Plant like pods that take over earth by killing off humans while they sleep and replace their bodies with emotionless carbon copies that work together to take over the human race!!! This must be based on a true story because … well holy shit!! I think it’s happening right now!!! I’m outta here!!!!

see full size in gallery below

THE ADDICTION: A black-n-white gem of a flick. Out main girl Kathleen who is a philosophy student, gets attacked by a woman that bites the hell out of her neck and drinks her blood!!! And you know what’s next right? You guessed it punks. “SYMPTOMS OF VAMPIRISM”. Say bye, bye to sunlight Kathleen. My favorite scene (and you will understand why) is when out lil’ blood sucker savages some poor shmo’s jugular at her graduation party. And then takes it up a notch by participating in a chaotic blood soaked, killer vampire orgy!!! Hello sexy town!!! If you really pay attention to this movie it’s an allegory about drug addiction. Oh yeah, and one more thing … Christopher Walken.

But this is the best (my opinion rules) …

DRILLER KILLER: Oh yes … truly one of the greats in exploitation cinema. I think it was this movie that made me develop a lifelong crush on Ferrara. Maybe it’s because he plays that starving artist thing so well! It’s the perfect film for when you’re having one of those days. You know the kind where you want your roommates, lovers and family members to drop off the face of the planet? Just put this flick in and you’ll feel better. Promise. I love that after 30 years the gore still holds up in this film! Powerful, scary, and sexy, this movie has made a lasting impression on me.

The 1979 grindhouse slasher cult classic that was banned in the U.K. and in Germany. It’s one of the “first video nasties” in the United Kingdom, and has that great sleazy grainy film quality to it. Our boy Abel Ferrara not only directs this bastard of a movies but also stars as Reno Miller, a struggling artist and bum hater. A.K.A. “Driller Killers”!!!

The British punk band THE DAMNED (Hell Yayeah!) refer to this baby in their song “Nasty”, a Swedish crust punk band dawns their name from the title, the Danish psycho-billy band THE NEKROMANTIX (Currently on tour with ROB ZOMBIE), U.K. punk rockers DISORDER, and the U.S. death metal band MORTICIAN (who use wicked samples from this puppy) all have songs inspired by DRILLER KILLER. Alright now, that shit ROCKS!!! Hey Reno, are you wearing lipstick and drilling people to death? Oh, I guess you are. Artists. So creative.

And we can’t forget …

see full size in gallery below

MS.45: Not gonna lie … this movie is the reason I wanted to be a model/actress. A very dear friend of mine loaned me an un-abridged copy of this when I was 17. I was completely blown away by it. Zoe Lund plays the character of Thana, a mute seamstress working in New York. After being attacked twice in the same day she takes revenge on all men. Lund portrays a great deal of strength while still maintaining her feminine side… with a performance that is truly something to marvel at. Ferrara has an understanding of the female that surpasses most men. Pretty safe to say that I’m in love with him.

So that wraps up our little tribute to Able Ferrara. These films are just the tip of the ice! He continues to out stupid good movies on the regular. If you’ve never seen anything by him, I hope this column has persuaded you to seek out his work!

Here is a small sampling of posters and images of Abel Ferrara’s work:

[Show as slideshow]

Now what have Chad Cherry and I been up to ?

I rarely have time off from THE LAST VEGAS with all the touring, filming, grave diggin’, TLV astro physic teachings, ect … or from writing the sound tracks to the mayhem all you humans create, but when I do, I like to get dressed up in all my bad ass LIP SERVICE stage clothes, put on some blood red lip stick and hit a night on the town Driller Killer style. (Did I just write that? Yes I did.) ROCK ON ABEL for making kick ass flicks, AND ROCK ON LIP SERVICE for making every one so goddamn hot! See you all next time, and I’ll see you all on the wild side. – CHAD CHERRY.

[Show as slideshow]

These last few months of 2009 have been wicked productive for me! Not only have I been keeping up with my SCARS BLOG (scarsmagazine.com/blog/nos-blog/) and writing for LIP SERVICE but I’ve also taken on a new project. I’ve joined forces with the amazing folks of CIRCUS HOOKER (chsregime.com/) and am now in development of my own site! Soon you will be able to see hundreds of my photos and videos in one handy dandy place! How cool is that? Rest assured I will be wearing some sexy Lip Service in the photos …

Here is a tiny sample of photos from the Goddess of Gore site:

[Show as slideshow]

Nos photo credits:

photos 1 – 2:

photography by: Wicked Illusions

photos 3 – 5:

photography by: Chad Michael Ward

A launch date hasn’t been set yet but Lippy fans will be the first to know!

Can’t wait that long? Well I also have my own merch site set up! myblackumbrealla.com) Signed Nos prints and DVDs are available for your pleasure! – Nos

Voyeur's Delight - Model: Sarah Swofford - see full size in gallery below

You’ve seen Jim’s beautiful images in Nos’ Devil Inside features. From the pretty portraits to the dark undertones of the Used and Abused set and the creepy camp of the Transformation set that turned Nos into a hot, fur-encased werewolf, he has been a perfect visual foil for our resident gore whore’s thoughts. Once I started looking further into his work, I found not only some awesome creepiness, but also a selection of purely sexy imagery and portraits with personality and (refreshingly) just a bit of a whimsical eye. Below is a gallery with a taste of Jim’s Wicked Illusions. Visit his website WickedIllusions.com to see more and get information on how to book him (or click the logo).

A little background on Jim (from his website bio):
Wicked Illusions (a.k.a. Jim Wayer) is an award winning film maker who has taken his love for the visual dynamic into the realm of photography. A fairly new comer to the photography scene, he has already had his work published in Bizarre Magazine and Zivity, as well as here on the Lip Service webzine, and has been gaining the attention of many in the Alt/Fetish realm (which is where he feels the most at home).

Nothing shall stop him from bettering himself as an artist and experimenting into higher levels of insanity. So join his demented band of freaks or prepare yourself for battle! He also loves little puppies.

 
I had a chance to ask Jim a few questions and here’s what he had to say for himself …

Webmistress: How did you start getting interested in photography and who were your influences? I could ask the same about horror … and will … why dark themes and who influenced your style?

WICKED ILLUSIONS: Well my love for photography really spawned from my love of lighting. It all began with becoming a film maker and realizing how the lighting actually affected the mood that you felt when viewing the imagery. My main influences are filmmakers that expand the visual means of their films, which also is a reason I am attracted to horror, because you see this all the time in the genre. You get such beautiful imagery in films like Susperia and The Beyond, that you just don’t see in films like Big Momma’s House. Also, one of the many hats I wear is that of a Special FX artist, so I have a deep-rooted history and love with all things gory and scary!

 
WM: If you had to describe your work in a sentence or less, what would it be?

WICKED ILLUSIONS: The dark, sadistic side of beauty

Used and Abused with model: Nos - see full size in gallery below

WICKED ILLUSIONS: I have multiple processes for creating images. Sometimes, I know exactly what I want and spend hours of adjusting to capture that. Sometimes I have a broad idea of the feel that I want to go for, but let the shoot take on its own life. It’s very enjoyable for me when a shoot takes a turn that I didn’t expect and achieves a greater result! I get very bizarre inspirations from strange places. I tend to see the truths behind many things more than their face value. I see a flyer for a church picnic and what I see is a good marketing idea for the church to make some money. One of the recent bizarre inspirations came from seeing somebody drinking a tropical drink out of a coconut. Still have not planned that one out yet, but it’s coming!

 
WM: So, how dark are the recesses of your mind?

WICKED ILLUSIONS: Ha! I don’t know what you mean! The recesses of my mind are like bluebirds flying around in an open field…just sometimes they happen to land on a landmine.

 
WM: What would be a subject or scene you would not do, no matter what?

WICKED ILLUSIONS: I cannot say that there is a specific scene or image that I absolutely won’t do. There are certain subjects that I would never show in a certain light. For example, I would never show a child mutilated or abused simply to be shocking, however, if should that image was more about portraying the evilness of the person inflicting such pain on the kid, then I would be ok with it (of course all implied and not actually hurting a kid!).

One of the more horrifying subjects that I see is that of animal abuse and torture. I am a huge dog lover and seeing such subject matter always pisses me off. However, I also push myself in that way too. If I come across something that frightens me, I confront it and overcome my fear of it. Sometimes the way to overcome a fear of heights is to simply stand on a ledge 5 stories in the air. So there isn’t anything that I would absolutely never show, because I think all taboo subject matter can be shown in certain aspects, where it actually conveys an appropriate message.

Shut up and Listen! with model: Pandora Genocide - see full size in gallery below

WICKED ILLUSIONS: The most challenging subject that I have come across is having to shoot sets that are, as I call them, “Normal photos”. I like shooting fashion photos, as long as I can have my visual feel to it. There are many places that I have come across that immediately dismiss photos because, god forbid, there are shadows!

I don’t care too much for the photos that are all soft and flat. I have a recent love for soft light, but still want to create a more three dimensional feel to a photo in regards of the subject and the scene around them.

 
WM: If logistics and budget were no object, what would your Holy Grail photo shoot be?

WICKED ILLUSIONS: Well, equipment wise, I’d have about three 27’ grip trucks packed to the brim. However, location wise, I would love to have free run of an abandoned, underground military base. I also would love to recreate the test towns that the government set up for nuclear bomb tests and have a whole mess of models, dressed up, and charred, posing as the mannequins.

 
WM: On a similar vein, if you could do a portrait of anyone, who would it be and how would you present them?

WICKED ILLUSIONS: It would definitely be Masuimi Max. She has a look that would make a priest have to say 10 Hail Mary’s! I would either present her in a 70’s exploitation style battered victim way, or as a deranged psychopath. Seeing her in a ripped up straightjacket, splattered with blood and holding some form of blunt object.

 
WM: Beside photography, what are your creative passions?

WICKED ILLUSIONS: The two main artistic releases I have besides photography would be web/graphic design and film making. I find a strange pleasure in typing like a madman in this bizarre coding language and having it turn out all pretty like! A few recent examples of this are My Website, and the new Wicked Pixel Cinema webstore.

On the filmmaking front, I love being on set and simply being a part of such magnificent display of organized chaos! My first major film that I ever worked on was DEADWOOD PARK, where I was Key Grip. That movie also sucked me into joining Wicked Pixel Cinema. That’s when I declared that no matter what, I will be an artist for the rest of my life. Since then I wore many hats through the insane production of Eric Stanze’s current movie RATLINE and manage day to day operations at our studio. I also am happy to say that in two days I leave for New York to work in the Grip/Electric department on Jim Mickle’s film STAKE LAND!

[Show as slideshow]

Photo/credit information is as follows:

row 1 (left to right): “Used and Abused”  / Model: Nos; “Ugly America” (Merch Shot for Ugly Shyla’s T-Shirt)”  / Model: Nos; “Eating Pussy” (Original title) aka “Sweet Kitty” (Censored title)  /  Model: Nos; “Shut up and Listen!”  /  Model: Pandora Genocide

row 2 (left to right): “Sexy Domestic (Zivity Set Preview)”  /  Model: Pandora Genocide; “Infidelity”  /  Model: Pandora Genocide; “Gossip”  /  Model: Pandora Genocide; “Ghostly Seduction”  /  Model: Pandora Genocide

row 3 (left to right): “Flesheater”  /  Model: Pandora Genocide; portrait of filmmaker Eric Stanze of Wicked Pixel Cinema; “Elegant”  /  Model: Nos; “BUBBLE (Zivity Set Preview)” / Model: Kaila Marie

row 4 (left to right): “Breezy and Beautiful”  /  Model: Nos; “Vintage Beard”  /  Model: Jason Christ; Voyeur’s Delight”  /  Model: Sarah Swofford; Merch shot for Wicked Pixel Cinema’s Logo T-Shirt  /  Model: Pandora Genocide

Photo by Eric Stanze (Taken for the Cinema Edge Awards) - click for full size

Halloween is almost a week away and I’m sure many of you share the same love for this holiday as I do.  If you ask me, it’s the perfect holiday. Sure I love the little perks like buying a new bat covered table cloth or having the best excuse to buy a costume! But, the BEST part about Halloween is that it’s a day just for you. You don’t have to go to someone’s house and eat an awkward dinner or spend money on other people. You’re supposed to dress up and indulge in yourself! It’s also a time that my favorite film genre really shines. Well, at least it used to be anyway….

This fall Hollywood seems to have “dropped the ball” once again.  Instead of opening highly anticipated  movies like  TRICK R TREAT,  NIGHT OF THE DEMONS and NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET around Halloween, they’ve bumped those projects straight to DVD or opted for an April release, ’cause who wants to see scary movies around Halloween?

Some critics are saying that the reason NIGHT OF THE DEMONS got pushed to April is that it’s a terrible film and would do poorly. Now I’ll have to admit that as a HUGE fan of the original, the remake looks pretty silly from the trailers. However, the producer in me is screaming, “Halloween is the ONLY time this film would make money!”

This was the most painful shoot of my life ... click to view full size

It’s hard to imagine that after decades of turning a profit, studios still doubt horror films. They seem to have this perception that horror is all campy and outdated, that nobody really wants to pay to see these films.

Fucking stupid.

I doubt it’s gonna change anytime soon. All we can do as fans is continue to prove the naysayers wrong.  We have to support the filmmakers and actors we love … no matter what time of year or what format their films come out in.  Someday studios will tire of/be unable to sink millions of dollars into stupid Sandra Bullock movies and horror directors won’t have to scrap for every penny. Someday.

Enjoy Halloween Lippy fans! Rent your favorite scary movie this week!

*heart*

Nos

http://twitter.com/GOREWHORENOS

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nos/107382796833

http://www.wickedpixel.com/cinemaedge/ (The CINEMA EDGE AWARDS are still accepting films!)

Photo by Eric Stanze - click to view full size

Photo y Ecir Stanze - click to view full size