The aptly titled "king of cabaret noir" Joe Black is due to release his fourth album in April. With help from a very successful fundraising campaign 'Satan In A Sunday Hat' is a collection of original songs and well known covers, many of which feature guest vocalists.
The album is structured like a radio show with various 'djs' - including Voltaire and The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing's Andrew O'Neill - talking in between spooky cabaret-style tracks. The production is stripped back giving an old fashioned, creepy sound with use of unusual instruments (ukulele, kazoo, toy piano etc.) helping to unnerve the listener.
Covering all his favourite topics - drinking gin, love and murder, going to hell - Black screeches and cackles his way through the eleven songs. Dolly Parton's 'Jolene' gets a melancholic makeover and the classic 'You Are My Sunshine' is somehow made into a dirge when put through Black's creative mind.
With his reputation and vaudeville goth-darling aesthetic complementing his music perfectly the album is sure to be a success, but something of his magic is lost when heard on recording rather than witnessing his spectacle live on stage, as is probably true of all cabaret acts.
In
this two-part article we pit that most British of horror institutions
Hammer Film's biggest series and biggest stars against each other in
a battle for horror movie supremacy. Will it be Peter Cushing's Baron
Victor Frankenstein or Christopher Lee's Count Dracula?
Part
two: Dracula...
WARNING:
MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!
[The
Horror Of] Dracula (1958)
The
box office success of Frankenstein in the previous year ensured the
next logical step in establishing Hammer's reputation as the new home
of horror. Dracula (The Horror Of Dracula in the USA) saw the iconic
duo of Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing return. This time however
Cushing took the mantle of Dr. Van Helsing – a force for good
against Lee's personification of evil, Dracula.
Lee
is free from a lot of intrusive make up and is free to add his own
brand of panache to the role, while Cushing gives Van Helsing a suave
demeanour. The best part of this pairing though is that both actors
display the ability to remain restrained and civil, but still engage
in explosive action sequences at a moments notice.
The story
itself is a rather liberal reworking of the original Dracula tale and
features Jonathan Harker (John Van Eyssen) as Van Helsing's vampire
hunting apprentice, which leads to his demise early in the film.
Lee
cuts a far more imposing figure as the count than the Bela Lugosi did
in the tamer Universal Pictures predecessor and with the more overt
sexual atmosphere and lashings of bright red Kensington Gore Hammer's
First outing left an indelible mark on Horror cinema. Even the BBFC
was impressed, though the graphic contents of the film was certainly
not to their collective taste:"The
uncouth, uneducated, disgusting and vulgar style of Mr Jimmy Sangster
cannot quite obscure the remnants of a good horror story, though they
do give one the gravest misgivings about treatment. [...] The curse
of this thing is the Technicolor blood: why need vampires be messier
eaters than anyone else? Certainly strong cautions will be necessary
on shots of blood. And of course, some of the stake-work is
prohibitive."
Finance trouble may have dogged pre-production of the film. But the combination of Lee and Cushing's rising star power as well as the strong direction from Terrance Fisher combined with the set design of Bernard Robinson saw that the film did well around the world and as a result Universal Pictures granted Hammer the rights to remake it's famous collection of monster movies.
The
Brides Of Dracula (1960)
The
success of the first Dracula outing meant a follow-up to capitalise
on the character's popularity was quickly rubber-stamped and put into
production. Originally slated to feature Cushing and Lee once more,
Lee subsequently turned the part down and the head vampire was
re-written as Baron Meinster and played by David Peel (They Who Dare,
The Hands Of Orlac).
The lack of the Dracula character in the
film has meant that some view The Brides Of Dracula as sitting
somewhat awkwardly amongst the rest of the series. Indeed, one of the
working titles of the film was Disciple Of Dracula, which would have
made more logical sense as Cushing's Van Helsing makes reference to
Vampirism as a cult and in the film's prologue begins
with:
"Transylvania,
land of dark forests, dread mountains and black unfathomable lakes.
Still the home of magic and devilry as the nineteenth century draws
to its close. Count Dracula, monarch of all vampires is dead. But his
disciples live on to spread the cult and corrupt the world..."
Nevertheless, The Brides Of Dracula sees a great performance from Cushing as Dr. Van Helsing that manages to tie an otherwise far-removed plot back in with the original film. In conjunction with another strong script from Jimmy Sangster and direction from Terrence Fisher the film remains an integral part of the Dracula series despite it lacking the count's dark presence.
Dracula:
Prince Of Darkness (1966)
The
film that sees Christopher Lee's return to the role he was arguably
born to play also happens to be his most disappointing outing as the
count. This time however, Dracula's arch-nemesis Dr. Van Helsing is
nowhere to be seen save for one early flashback. Although there is
nothing ground-breaking in terms of story or special effects,
Dracula: Prince Of Darkness is in every respect the quintessential
Hammer film with the team of Fisher, Sangster and Robinson giving it
everything deserving of one of the company's lead franchises. However
this is the film that has gone down in movie legend as the one where
Chistopher Lee refused to speak any of his lines:
"I
didn’t speak in that picture. The reason was very simple. I read
the script and saw the dialogue! I said to Hammer, if you think I’m
going to say any of these lines, you’re very much mistaken."
- Christopher Lee
Jimmy Sangster would later
contest that he didn't actually write any lines for Dracula to speak.
But either way, the film is missing something with out Lee's sinister
and booming voice. Instead he hisses like a cat at his victims before
they ultimately get the better of him.
The film was filmed
back-to-back with Rasputin, The Mad Monk which itself sees a stunning
performance from Lee. Both films used much of the same sets and cast
members but both remain very individual due to the strength of each
film.
Dracula: Prince Of Darkness does remain one of the most
popular films in the series though as strong production values, a
great score and of course the box office power of Lee (silent or
not).
Dracula
Has Risen From The Grave (1968)
The
fourth film in the series, and the third to actually feature the
title character, Dracula Has Risen From The Grave was the first of
the films to be shot at Hammer's new Elstree Studio rather than at
Bray, meaning that some of the most iconic set locations linked to
Dracula's domain (i.e. the approach
road, coach path and moat) were missing. Also missing from the film
was director Terence Fisher who had to drop out due to illness and
relinquishing the reins to Freddie Francis.
The film picks off
a year after the events in Dracula: Prince Of Darkness and is a
direct continuation with the count resurrected from the fate that
befell him in the previous film. The film's plot is not dissimilar
from its predecessor with Dracula praying on the young, innocent
people who wander into his clutches, yet manage to best him at the
end of the day. Again the figure of Van Helsing is noticeably missing
from proceedings, yet the character of the Monsignor played by Rupert
Davies (Quatermass II, Witchfinder General) serves to give the count
a worthy counterpoint.
The
film is an adventurous outing for the franchise that makes use of
colour filters and direction influenced by Freedie Francis'
experience as a cameraman which makes up for some of the weaker
aspects of what often feels like a plot recycled from the previous
film.
Taste
The Blood Of Dracula (1969)
Taste
The Blood Of Dracula is another direct continuation from its
predecessor with the film opening with the death of the count from
Dracula Has Risen From The Grave. The film shakes things up a little
this time by shifting the story to London and seeing the count dish
out some overdue punishment to those who killed his Byronic servant
Lord Courtley, played by Ralph Bates (The Horror Of Frankenstein,
Lust For A Vampire).
Due to Christopher Lee's increasing
reluctance to play Dracula the film was originally to see Ralph
Bates' character as the principle villain and interestingly, before
the films budget was cut, Vincent Price had been linked as one of the
decadent gentlemen.
Again, Dracula is defeated by the
innocent young victims of his monstrous rampage, however with the
count motivated by a more tangible sense of revenge against the more
dubious characters in the film the vampire gains a little more depth
to him.
The film is perhaps most enjoyable s a part of the
film cycle when viewed in quick, chronological succession along with
Dracula: Prince Of Darkness and Dracula Has Risen From The Grave.
Whereas when viewed as a standalone film it tends to feel a little
shakier despite having a slightly more involved plot. As such,
subsequent viewing may be hard on the film, but it is by no means a
poor outing for the count.
Scars
Of Dracula (1970)
Scars
Of Dracula jumps from London back to Transylvania with no
explanation, thus breaking with the continuity pattern of the
previous films in an attempt to reboot the franchise. And indeed this
outing sees not only Christopher Lee having the most dialogue and
action in any of the films since the first, but it also has a darker
tone with various sadistic acts and even an impalement of one of the
count's victims in a nod to the real-life inspiration behind Dracula.
In
this film the character of the count is more well rounded and some of
the powers, previously only seen in his original literary outing, are
returned to him. Here we can see that count commanding the forces of
nature and evolving from the somewhat, proto-slasher villain
presentation of some of his previous outings into a far more demonic
entity.
The
director Roy Ward Baker, who already had an impressive list of film
and TV credits and had previously directed the brilliant Quatermass And
The Pit in 1967 brought a similar US-friendly style to his
first Dracula film. Coupled with a strong script courtesy of Anthony
Hinds AKA John Elder (The Evil Of Frankenstein, The Kiss Of The
Vampire), on paper anyway it is a strong outing for Lee's Dracula.
Nevertheless the film has received mixed reviews since its,
and while it didn't set out to completely reinvent its franchise in
the same way as The Horror Of Frankenstein did, it has perhaps been a
case of guilt by association as it was previously presented as a
double bill with the Frankenstein remake. However when viewed as a
standalone film subjectively, it is apparent that Lee's strong
performance and the much darker tone make this a great film in the
series.
Dracula
A.D. 1972 (1972)
The
second attempt to reinvent the count and make him more terrifying to
a modern audience saw Dracula whisked away from his Victorian setting
and into swinging London (albeit a little late for the swinging
sixties themselves.
Dracula A.D. 1972 is somewhat of an
anti-climax that feels almost like a re-write of Taste The Blood Of
Dracula transposed into a recognisable setting to capitalise on the
Highgate Vampire case and the film Count Yorga, Vampire (1970).
However it is notable for the return of Peter Cushing to the series
who plays both his original role as Lawrence Van Helsing (who dies
battling Dracula in London in 1872 – some years before they meet in
Hammer's first Dracula outing), as well as his descendent Lorrimer
Van Helsing. Cushing gives the film a definite kick that brings back
the element of a deadly cat and mouse game between the two
adversaries.
The film, despite its attempt to be a modern
re-telling of the gothic villain has dated horrendously thanks in
equal parts to the stereotypical “hippie” victims and
pseudo-blaxploitation soundtrack courtesy of Mike Vickers (Manfred
Mann). Though, speaking of the soundtrack the two songs by the band
Stoneground, 'Alligator Man' and 'You Better Come Through For Me', as
well as the track 'Black
Mass: An Electric Storm in Hell' by White Noise redeem it.
Dracula
A.D. 1972 has a cult following mostly due to its kitsch execution,
but fundamentally it re-establishes a great dual performance from Lee
and Cushing as the forces of good and evil that sets up the following
film quite nicely.
The
Satanic Rites Of Dracula (1973)
The
Satanic Rites Of Dracula once again sees Lee and Cushing go head to
head once more in the modern city of London with a plot that attempts
to move Dracula beyond his primary compulsion to feed on the blood of
buxom young maidens, and instead bills him almost as the Devil
himself as he executes his master plan.
This outing dispenses
with the cheesy pop-culture parodies of the previous film and as a
result the the Van Helsing-driven plot-line becomes a much more
interesting affair as he tries to unravel a mysterious plot involving
a new strain of Bubonic Plague and a house where occult rituals are
taking place.
Christopher Lee however took part in the film
under protest and only appears towards the climax of what would mark
his last Hammer film with Peter Cushing. Director Alan Gibson also
returned to carry on where he left off with Dracula A.D. 1972. The
only major casting change was this inclusion of Joanna Lumley (On Her Majesty's Secret Service, The Trail Of The Pink Panther) as a
more mature Jessica Van Helsing compared to Stephanie
Beacham (The Saint, UFO).
Despite its more sensible style and a plot that
included elements of science fiction as well as mystery, the film has
not endured well with most critics tending to summarise it negatively
(though more favourably than it's predecessor). This also happens to
be the only film in the Dracula series not currently in print on DVD.
A new release had been promised by Hammer Films, but it has
not materialised, much to the vexation of completists.
The
Legend Of The 7 Golden Vampires (1974)
The
final film in the series is a brave departure for Hammer as the
studio tried to capitalise on the popularity of martial arts films
for this outing. Again, this film is driven by the Van Helsing
character, along with his son Leyland, who seems to be back in 1904,
somewhere around the original timeline for the series.
This is
the only film in the series that sees the Dracula character played by
anyone other than Christopher Lee. The count is instead played byJohn
Forbes-Robertson (and re-dubbed by David de Keyser)
who only appears in his true form at the beginning and end of the
films, while Keyser gives a wooden delivery constrained by the
on-screen performance.
Roy Ward Barker returned to the
directors chair with help from Hong Kong film fight director Chang
Cheh to give it some credibility for the market it was aimed at. The
end result however was a complete mishmash of genres that only served
really to confuse the plot. But again the film retains a certain
innocent charm that has given it, like Dracula A.D. 1972 before it, a
cult following.
It
is by no means the best film Hammer have ever produced, let alone the
best Dracula, however it does embody a breed of adventurous (if
slightly desperate) style of film making that perhaps was better
executed in a film like Dr. Jekyll And Sister Hyde. But the basic
fact remains that this isn't at all a satisfying curtain call for the
count's tale.
That's
the end of part two. We've now looked at both the strengths and
weaknesses of these classic horror chronicles. But which do you think
is the best? Have your say on the Intravenous Magazine Facebook page
HERE.
Peter Murphy has announced he will be embarking on his Mr. Moonlight tour
to celebrate 35 years of Bauhaus. The former frontman of the
post-punk quartet will play a series of dates in North America and
Europe and will play only material from the band's catalogue.
EUROPE Wed,
May 22 - Bochum, DE @ Christuskirche Thu,
May 23 - Karlsruhe, DE @ Substage Fri,
May 24 - Zurich, CH @ Komplex
Klub Sun,
May 26 - Rome, IT @ Orion Mon,
May 27 - Milan, IT @ Magazzini
Generali Wed,
May 29 - Madrid, ES @ Sala
Arena Thu,
May 30 - Lisbon, PT @ Coliseum Sat,
June 1 - Barcelona, ES @ Bikini
Barcelona Mon,
June 3 - Brussels, BE @ AB Wed,
June 5 - Paris, FR @ Trabendo Thu,
June 6 - Eindhoven, NL @ Effenaar Fri,
June 7 - Hamburg, DE @ Knust Sat,
June 8 - Copenhagen, DK @ Loppen Mon,
June 10 - Stockholm, SE @ Debaser
Medis Wed,
June 12 - Helsinki, FI @ Tavastia Fri,
June 14 - Nottingham, UK @ Rescue
Rooms Sat,
June 15 - Glasgow, UK @ Oran
Mor Mon,
June 17 - Birmingham, UK @ Academy
2 Tue,
June 18 - Bristol, UK @Academy Wed,
June 19 - London, UK @ Islington
Academy
It's that time of the
week again where we sit down with a beer and look back at the week.
And what a great way to kick things off with an interview with the
multi-talented Steven Archer in the inaugural edition of our “ArtsOf Darkness” series. We also had a couple of reviews from Kev and
Lenore of the latest Faderhead and Ghostfeeder albums. There was more
news from Wave Gotik Treffan, as well as Plastic Noose, JuggernautServices, Lovelorn Dolls, and ALT-FEST. And finally, if anyone is
interested in such things, my monthly editorial ramble.
Steampunk fans will also have been happy to see The Men That Will Not Be BlamedFor Nothing have a little tour booked this April. Tony Iommi fans will want to watch this year's Eurovision as the lord of the riff has penned Armenia's entry for the contest. If you’ve got $2,000 dollars you could see yourself partying with Daniel Ash (Bauhaus, Love And Rockets) in Las Vegas. Finally, if you're a Type O Negative fan you'd better check out the facebook page for the forthcoming official Peter Steele biography 'Soul On Fire'.
Well, that's it for this week. It's felt like a long one but the weekend is now in site. So with that in mind it's time to relax, unwind and make a start on next week's articles...
As
today is a quiet one I thought I'd squeeze my monthly editorial in a
few days later than planned. As you will have seen I've started a
series on the site that I'd originally intended for another magazine
I used to write for looking at visual artists with a dark aesthetic.
Kicking off the series is Steven Archer who you will probably know
from the band Ego Likeness... and if you don't know of Ego Likeness I
urge you to check them out. I
have a long list of artists I intend to approach for this series so
keep checking back for more.
This
week I've been going through some of my old goth vinyl and comparing my new
vinyl copy of Fields Of The Nephilim's 'Ceremonies' to the CD
version I've already got (yes, I am THAT nerdy audiophile). But it's pretty much universally agreed that the vinyl format hung on by the skin of its teeth through two decades of CD dominance and is now well on the way to making a resurgence (as can be seen in the BBC news articles I reposted on the IVM facebook some weeks back). It can also be seen in the increasing number of bands and labels currently releasing limited edition vinyl and even re-releasing old albums on those lovely black discs.
I've
also finally gotten around to writing the second part of the Hammer
Horror Head-To-Head articles this week... a little later than
scheduled but worth the wait I think. There are a couple of other
pieces that I had intended to sort out several weeks ago but just
haven't got round to doing yet which I will be cracking on with next
week as well, but I won't say anything else just yet...
As
always the support this fledgling webzine has had from fans,
bands, labels and even other publications has been
absolutely fantastic and really goes to show what a strong sense of
community there is still in the alternative scene.
Finally,
if you are interested in writing for IVM please direct your attention
to the tab at the top of the site marked 'Writing For IVM'. We are
currently looking for three guest columnists to write about whatever
the hell they want each month, as well as writers and reviewers
specialising in music, books and films to join the talent pool.
Although a band's list of influences should be just that, many people read them to get a hint of what a new band might be like. Rather than a "we sound just like these guys" they should be a 'if you like them you'll probably like us'. New York four piece Ghostfeeder credit their influences, among others, as NIN, IAMX and Mindless Self-Indulgence - a promising if slightly misleading list, but not necessarily disappointing once expectations have been adjusted.
Their third EP 'Hard Times For Dreamers' is a mix of guitars and electronic synths - the kind popular with industrial rock bands rather than ebm or goth acts. Derek Walborn's classic American rock vocals make the overall sound like Linkin Park - if Linkin Park took out all the crap bits and weren't quite so self-indulgent. There's no fake screaming, (or rapping for that matter, thankfully) and the digital additions are familiar enough to be accessible but not 'industrial rock by numbers'. The lyrics aren't of the usual immature and introspective 'why does everybody hate me?' variety either. The title track is about how difficult it can be trying to create new things in this world. Similarly 'Get Sick Of Me' is about the repetitive and sell-out nature of popular culture. The other two tracks on the EP, 'Just Like That' and 'I'm Right Here', focus on a personal relationship, the physical and emotional sides respectively.
All the tracks are well produced and the band clearly know how to market themselves. Some might see that as a downside, and along with the more mainstream sound some might be put off. Chris Corner (IAMX) is editing their next video which won't hurt their credibility any though. If Ghostfeeder can stay on the right side of commercial - appealing to the masses who have taste rather than selling out for the big bucks to whatever sounds good that month - Walborn and his boys could become a very popular band.
Despite being called 'FH4' this is actually the sixth
full-length album from the Hamburg based producer. The numbering convention seemed to have been
aborted with the fourth and fifth albums ‘Black Friday’ and ‘World of Faderhead’,
but those were more concept based albums and the return to numbering sequence
also resurrects a lot more of the old-school Faderhead ideas.
'FH4' steers further away from club hits, with a lot more
influence in pop and ballad tracks and a sharp distinctive variation between
tracks.
For example ‘Bitches All Know About My Boom’ is slow, with a
grinding electro beat – whilst ‘Self Control’ cranks up the gears into some
bouncing electroclash.
The 13 tracks glide round hints of EBM, synths, gritty
electro, dirty pop and electroclash, swaying seamlessly from one idea to
another. Faderhead have always written
strong ballads and they’re here aplenty – certain to have you lost inside their
subtle grooves.
The variety on show is one of the key strengths, no two
tracks are the same and although it is progression on previous work, it’s not a
‘Dirty Girls part 2’ or any of that.
That it doesn’t flow straight from the last album does make it tough to
digest initially, though patience does expose what a great selection of songs
this actually is.
A special chuckle goes out to the final track on the album, ‘Drunk
German Bono’, which features Brian from The Gothsicles. This is a diss-track… about Faderhead. An absolute hilarious self-parody, well, if
you’re going to take the piss out of someone, why not start with yourself…
D.Void
and Missy (of Club Antichrist fame), the organisers behind next
year's tentative Alt-Fest have started their Kickstarter campaign.
Due to be held on the 15th-17th of August 2014 at Boughton House near
Kettering and has already attracted names such as VNV Nation, Fields
Of The Nephilim, Covenant and Atari Teenage Riot as well as The
Circus Of Horrors.
Featuring
a main stage with a mix of genres, goth stage, industrial stage,
metal stage, up-and-coming stage, circus big top, kid's area,
artist's quarter, shopping village, signing tent, 18+ area, steampunk
experience, club nights, food court and so much more.
The
organisers need to raise a total of £30,000 pounds and to sweeten
the deal are offering pledgers everything from heavily discounted
tickets to world-class VIP treatment.
Here's
what the organisers have to say:
“We
have a vision for the future of festivals. A future where the
festival is created by the fans, for the fans, not for the benefit of
promoters or even artists but for the fans. We ask you, the fan, to
support the festival financially and then tell us how you want the
festival to look. What bands do you want to see, what late night
entertainment, what accommodation, what food and drink...? In return,
we’ll simply book the things that YOU want.”
If
you just can't wait for Alt-Fest the next Club Antichrist is just
around the corner on April 26th, and the theme is Uniforms! With
performances by William Control, Joe Black, Alice Bizarre, Rasp
Thorne and the Briars, Fifi Fatale and Satan's Strip Show...
Plus
PFI, Hellfire Room, The Hole (playing metal after 2am), Dungeon,
Couples darkroom, Chillout room, usherettes, photo booth, makeup
stall and lots more.
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