the NYC-based Destryur is likely to be well-known to darksynth fans, having been a part of several NRW releases such as “Night at the Grindhouse” and the “In Search of Darkness” soundtrack.

Figure is a bit newer to the NewRetroWave scene – but he’s no stranger to horror, and is perhaps a more seasoned producer in his own right – having cut his teeth over the past decade in the U.S. bass music scene. His gigantic “We Must Destroy” track was released only just as NewRetroWave was getting it’s start way back in 2011!

Together, this is a fantastic match made in hell for your listening displeasure.

As for this album – “Frightmare” is a brilliant tribute to 70s and 80s horror VHS. Each track title is a reference to a classic horror film, such as “Exorcist,” “Phantasm,” and “Street Trash.” Even the title of the album, “Frightmare,” is a classic horror film as well.

But the coldly calculated concept digs even deeper, as the arrangement and composition of each track seems to be directly inspired by the individual films they’re named after. For example, “Spit on Your Grave” sounds like pure sonic inspiration for revenge – a clear homage to the ultra-graphic 1978 classic “I Spit on Your Grave.” Another example is the frantic bass-splattered “Street Trash”, which is reminiscent of the confusing, splatter-gore filled black comedy flick “Street Trash” from 1987.

Overall, this is a fantastic darksynth / horrorsynth album that should absolutely not be missed! So what are you waiting for? Grab a listen below now!

Cronenberg drops us into the seamy world of television broadcasting which Channel 83 executive Max Renn (James Woods) navigates as he receives a morning brief via video. We instantly see he lives an untidy life, but he’s still committed to looking for the next shocking thing to host on his channel. He’s tired of the soft but still scandalous fare that is scouted for programming. He doesn’t know how much his life, or at least his mind, will change when he’s introduced to Videodrome. This possibly pirate broadcast features material beyond the tasteless, verging to the illegal. However, Max soon learns that once viewed, you become part of Videodrome and Videodrome becomes part of you, perhaps to fatal consequence.

While critics praised the film, the material was likely too weird and extreme for general audiences. Budgeted just under six million dollars, the film failed to recoup its expenses. Still, the resonant themes combined with the compelling acting of the leads and the imaginative visual effects has turned Videodrome into a true cult classic. Often, people assign that identifier to any movie that gets an updated media release. How can a film that focuses on the dead media of VHS say anything to a world of multiple streaming options?

Max Renn is an unsavory character, but Cronenberg doesn’t present him as fully unlikeable. Supposedly he has no limits, but even he’s taken aback by the actions of the mysterious Nicki Brand (Debbie Harry), even as he’s further drawn into seductive visuals of Videodrome. Nicki, introduced to Max on a hosted debate/discussion, reveals herself to be a woman of contradictory layers. Seemingly, she’s the voice of reflection concerning whether society has become overstimulated by the media landscape, but she reveals herself to be a woman of masochistic impulses.

As the attraction of Videodrome draws her in, Max becomes the voice of hesitation. However, it’s too late, as Max learns that Videodrome is more than entertainment, Nicki is both more and less than she seems, and there are greater ideological forces wanting use Videodrome to transform society. Max Renn, as an audience surrogate, is confident in knowing who he is at the start but uncertain of what’s physically tangible and mentally possible by the conclusion.

What most would remember about Videodrome are the odd and often disturbing visual effects. In one bizarre scene, a cold inanimate television set becomes a stirring fleshy object, inviting intimacy with Max. Is it alive, or is it part of Max’s increasingly off sense of reality? Even Max himself becomes an object of mutation as orifices appear without prompting and technology merges with his body. Media prophet Dr. O’Blivion speaks of “The New Flesh.” Max, whether he wants to or not, becomes the latest subject of media/technology/body evolution. At the end you may not understand fully what you’ve seen. The images, being both realistic in composition and fantastic in their presentation, will leave an impression.

Composer Howard Shore’s stylistic choice of music is interesting. He’s known for writing bombastic scores whether working with Cronenberg or with other directors. This time he decided for a more minimalistic approach. Though still utilizing traditional instrumentation, he has overlayed it with synthesizer tones. Rather than dramatic highs and lows, there’s a pulsating droning that occasionally falls away for a plangent flourish of strings. The music serves the film, and there’s nothing incorrect about the placement in the scenes. However, the synthesized orchestra may disconcert the listener. Possibly that was Cronenberg’s and Shore’s intention, but it also likely means for most people that this score won’t be on listening cycle outside the film, unlike other science fiction films and horror films of the 1980s.

Finally, the story development leads to two conclusions that may seem contradictory. First, one can appreciate the various themes that Cronenberg throws to the audience. What are the effects of media on humanity, especially involving extreme content; can one lose touch on reality as one delves further into video world; will increasing immersion in technology mutate us into something beyond what we know is the normal expedience?

However, the second conclusion is tangent to the first. There may have been a surfeit of themes to develop within the film’s running time to the viewer’s satisfaction. By the end, all gives way to Max becoming “The New Flesh” through a series of action sequences. We’re not even sure if he has agency in doing so. Cronenberg’s intentions for Max’s outcome may have influenced his plotting. That still might not be enough for the viewer who feels there’s an unbalanced ratio of questions to answers.

Now that we’ve been in the internet age for decades, Videodrome has the ostensible appearance of quaintness. For many, however, the digital world increasingly has taken the place of reality. This film invites us to reflect on who or what controls what or who as technology, especially as a means of entertainment, becomes ever more intertwined with humanity. Cronenberg presents ideas that he might not fully flesh out. Still, having something to mull over is better than just relying on visual effects to capture your audience’s attention.

We begin mid-conversation between scientist Seth Brundel (Jeff Goldblum) and reporter Veronica Quaife (Geena Davis) at an expo for researchers and inventors. Seth nonchalantly mentions that unlike the others, his invention will transform the world. Though she should exercise caution, Veronica is intrigued and brings back the mysterious and awkward Seth back to his place. Her doubts are soon shorn when he demonstrates his teleportation pods are not a gimmick. It’s a reality, that if publicized, would change the transportation world.

The only hiccup is that device cannot process “the flesh,” metaphorically and literally. Living material is not able to teleport successively. After Veronica helps him understand the flesh through connection, he’s able to solve the conundrum. Soon after though, this connection to another human leads to the sticky business of emotions that Seth has shut off for years. With a flare-up of anger and jealousy, he commits an error of judgement. The results are a genetic abomination and a tragedy for both.

Cronenberg’s most commercially and critically acclaimed film was surprise hit for 1986. Previous science-fiction horror remakes such as John Carpenter’s The Thing had lackluster response from both the audience and critics at the time. One would likely have predicted that the grisly fly transformation effects and dour ending would’ve dampened the box office. Instead, people praised the make-up. They also seemed to relate to the story of losing a loved one to a terminal disease, even with it wrapped in a fantastical package. The world seems to have changed much from 1982.

The relationship between Seth and Veronica is a draw for audiences, especially for those more inclined to dismiss the horror and science fiction genres as juvenile, or even worse, as junk. We don’t know what to feel when we first come across Seth. He’s not conventionally attractive per Hollywood standards, though there’s a spark of charm. He’s boastful, but his awkward nature somehow prevents this from tipping into an ugly arrogance. His behavior with Veronica when she first comes to his place would normally come across as creepy. However, he doesn’t attempt to make a first move romantically. He’s so unaware that he forgets that she came along as a journalist. He just wants to confide something important with another. His interaction with Veronica shows that he’s lived an isolated life, either by choice or social neglect.

It helps that the film sets up a scuzzy antagonist, Stathis (John Getz). This former boyfriend of Veronica and somewhat stereotypical corporate type provides the ick factor to keep us on Seth’s side. (It’s a fact in 80s movies that if you’re a professional with a beard, you’re distrustful). Though even he has a side that may prove to be a surprise to the audience, being part of the resolution to the escalating tragedy of Seth’s transformation.

Besides Cronenberg’s direction, Howard Shore’s score elevates the material beyond semi-remembered b-movie schlock. Shore pulls away from the synth soundscapes of the previous Cronenberg film Videodrome. He decides to flood the audience with an operatic-instrumental orchestration from the titles onward. Depending on the scene, the music whips our emotions from wonder of discovery to tension of frayed love to despair of biological terminus. Even though the sudden start and sharp end of the film could make the story seem like a slice-of-life narrative, the music transforms it into a 20th century tragedy. Just as in Classical Greek tragedy, where fate and the gods punish characters for their hubris, Seth is led down a similar path. It’s no wonder that the director later adapted the film into an opera.

There’s not much more that one can say about the make-up effects than already said. They are grotesque and especially in the final stage, out-of-this-world. However, Cronenberg never neglects the human element. What does that mean? We will likely never come across a man genetically spliced to a fly. However, it’s almost definite that we’ll see a friend or family member decay either due to disease or old age. It may not be as alien and dramatic a transformation as we see with Seth, but it’s a transformation from what we once knew, nonetheless.

At every stage of his change into the creature, we still see the once briefly happy and awkward man trying to poke through. Even though we know he no longer can fit with this world, we’re still sad to see the person that was Seth Brundle go. At the end, there’s still a personality within the insect.

The Fly is a cautionary tale, but the lessons are unlike that of the original 50s film. Yes, hubris in scientific endeavors may lead to unexpected, even unwanted results. This film, however, is warning that there must be a balance between technology and the heart (or the flesh). Seth is stunted socially until he meets Veronica. With her touch, he can make the final touch on his discovery. However, a life of withdrawn emotions has not prepared him when feelings break free, and he cares for an actual person. This lack of emotional control is just as harmful as living without emotion. It ends up costing Seth. The paradox is that during the journey to becoming a fly, Seth embraced more fully what it means to be human.

Abyssal Arcana

1. Forgive Me Father
2. The Horrifying Autopsy of Deamien Raven
3. Cauchemar Noir
4. Silver Coffin
5. Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things
6. BloodGod feat. Day Dralleon
7. Demonic Incantation Blues
8. Impalement & The Brazen Bull
9. A Horrorsynth Symphonic
10. The Conjuring feat. CONNÖR
11. The Intimate Portrait f the Devil
12. Le Vampire du Grand Guignol
13. Exsanguinated With a Drill

Draven ‘Abyssal Arcana’ is out now on Bandcamp and Spotify.

From the ashes of what came before a new chapter can begin.
To usher in this new era our order must find a pure source from which to rekindle what was lost. We have glimpsed beyond the infinite void and yet still remain. Our pilgrimage of discovery must continue.

The Year is 1990, welcome to Occult 90…

It’s spooky, it’s heavy and it’s just pure, plain fun. For those looking for a killer soundtrack to kick off the Halloween season, look no further: Occult 90 is THE horrorsynth album for this years haunted festivities.

Favorite tracks : Red Gates, Savage Acts

Occams Laser ‘Occult 90’ is out now on Spotify and Bandcamp

The basic formula for cheesy 90’s cinema; if you didn’t see it in a matinee then you probably rented it from the local video store. Schlocky leftover clichés from the previous decade: firearms that sound like explosions, urban cowboy boots, duster jackets, and of course another film that warns you not to electrocute serial killers or else they’ll come back from the dead and keep killing.

Yes, just like House 3: the Horror Show, Shocker and Ghost in the Machine (1993), a homicidal maniac is resurrected into the world to reap havoc and kill, kill, kill.

The First Power is a 1990 American neo-noir horror film written and directed by Robert Resnikoff, and starring Lou Diamond Phillips, Tracy Griffith, Jeff Kober and Mykelti Williamson. The film received mostly negative reviews, but was a financial success just like a lot of horror movies of the era.

The film begins with LAPD on the manhunt for a serial killer (Jeff Kober). Mykelti Williamson (Forrest Gump, HEAT) and badass Filipino Detective (Lou Diamond Phillips) go to the borderline of law & order to catch the killer. After a near death confrontation with the “Pentagram killer” Lou Diamond Phillips character, Detective Russell Logan, manages to apprehend the killer with the help of an anonymous tip. But, that anonymous tip came with a price – “No death penalty”, a promise that Det. Logan breaks when the Pentagram Killer is sentenced in court. “Shaklack, klack” and the verdict is given. The killer enters the chamber and he is gassed to death in the presence of the arresting officers and officials. Tormented by a feverish nightmare of the killer breaking his restraints and stabbing him, Detective Logan awakens and is relieved that the nightmare is over. However, after a few more daymares he suspects something is wrong.

Tracking down his anonymous informant to a lavish house in the hills; home to a popular online psychic played by Tracy Griffith. How that works in 1990? I have no idea. Is she using search tools, such as ARCHIE, Gopher, or WAIS? I don’t know.  Her site looks like DOS. Regardless, another body is found. One of the officers involved in the arrest of the Pentagram killer is found murdered in one of the gang hideouts from Police Academy 2: the first assignment. Looks like another Pentagram murder or possibly a copycat.

When confronting Tracy Griffith about the copycat. She is angered by the Detectives ignorance and chastises him about breaking his promise.

What follows is an absurd, neo-noir horror thriller that is entertaining to say the most. On the surface, this very similar to the film Fallen starring Denzel Washington. The killer jumps from body to body and rooftop to street level, with the grace of Spider-Man in some parts.
Other parts are pretty cool: such as using the ceiling fan as a blender gimmick.

• “Psychic and a Cop walk into a bar… the partner died.”
• “Oh shit! It’s the flying bum. Cock Blocked by the homeless”.
• “Downtown LA was just as filthy as it is now.”
• Hocus Pocus and sexy nuns. It’s a film that will be forgotten but, not this day.

I present to you – THE FIRST POWER (1990). Stay safe. Stay sanctified. Get smart. Get lost and Get Free. The writings on the wall. Keep your finger on that REWIND button.

Movie Link – https://youtu.be/F3s0PlxWavE

In turn, the band has also released a remix of John Carpenter’s ‘Turning the Bones’ (Lost Themes III).

Screen Violence certainly holds a lot of promise for retroheads with its thematic focus on onscreen violence and the band’s doubling down on eighties influences (Robert Smith of The Cure has namely collaborated on their recent single ‘How Not to Drown’).

Both remix tracks are available on vinyl via Sacred Bones records.

John Carpenter’s ‘Lost Themes III : Alive After Death’ was released on February 5, 2021 via Sacred Bones Records.

CHVRCHES ‘Screen Violence’ is scheduled to be released on August 27^th, 2021 via Virgin EMI Records.

That being said- I will recommend two TV series and two films that fall into the same pocket as Lovecraft Country. I was immediately reminded of these titles while watching the first four episodes and I know yous all will love them as well, if you can find them online or at any local business that sells dvds, blue-rays and the like.

ANGEL HEART (1987):

The neo-noir horror thriller directed by Alan Parker (The Wall) and based on the novel ‘FALLING ANGEL’ was released in theaters in 1987, starring Mickey Rourke and Robert DeNiro. And followed a private investigator hired by a mysterious client to look for a missing singer during post WWII America. Mixing classic themes of Satanism and Mysticism with elements of Voodoo (which is mostly benevolent) and filmed in NYC and New Orleans. My first recommendation for anyone looking for more of the same vibe similar to Lovecraft Country but more nihilistic with that Noir punctuation of “Everyone is fucked”.

Friday the 13th : the series (1987-1990)

The adventures of Micki & Ryan and Jack Marshak as they hunt for cursed items and safely store them in the safe/vault of their antique shop. The series although only related to the movie franchise by name only was a really fun series to watch on NYC channel 11 back in the late 80’s when primetime television was fun and ahead of its time. This was way before the X-Files aired on FOX and can be seen as a precursor to that show; the only major difference being Friday the 13th’s overall storyline was more coherent and not just a bunch of random events around a horror anthology.

Cast A Deadly Spell (1991):

A hard boiled detective story inspired by HP LOVECRACT’s Old Ones mythos and the Necronomicon starring Fred Ward, Julianne Moore, Clancy Brown and David Warner and produced by Gale Anne Hurd (Aliens, The Terminator). Originally aired on HBO in 1991 and was so likeable with its movie quality practical effects and story when it premiered(to a young 9yr old me). I still think of it fondly and will re-watch it whenever I feel the urge. A very good blend of all the elements with an EMMY award wining song featured in the film by Curt Sobel.
Cast a Deadly Spell starred Fred Ward as Harry Philip Lovecraft a hard-lined sleuth living in a fictitious Lost Angeles where the citizens not only are aware of Magick but use it in their mundane/ordinary lives… Everyone except Private Detective H.P.LOVECRAFT.
Playing somewhere on YOUTUBE, go find it.

Kolchek the Night Stalker (1974–1975):

You can’t mention Friday the 13th and X-files in the same article without mentioning the grandfather of both series, Kolchek.

The series followed wire service reporter Carl Kolchak (Darren McGavin) who investigates mysterious crimes with unlikely causes, particularly those involving the supernatural or science fiction, including fantastic creatures. The series was preceded by the two television movies, The Night Stalker (1972) and The Night Strangler (1973). Although the series lasted only a single season, it rapidly achieved cult status and has remained very popular in syndication.

 

Those are my recommendations folks. Now go and watch LOVECRAFT COUNTRY now playing on HBO and HBOmax.
Stay safe out there. COVID, the goons, the government and the aimless dregs are all out in the night where the wolves once fed. Before the bland and the blahzay blah had their say.
Stay safe out there. Stay cool. Keep your head up. Talk hard. and always keep your finger on that REWIND button.
– SamHaiNe

***SamHaiNe’s new spoken word album – ‘Natural City’ is out and NOW PLAYING
@ https://samhaine.bandcamp.com/album/natural-city .
#hainesvilleshit #neonoir #crimefiction #vaporwave #lofibeats #flashfiction #graffiti #cyberpunk #experimental #audiodrama #JadePalaceGuard #triphop #punknoir
https://samhaine.bandcamp.com/album/natural-city

This album continues FacexHugger’s tradition of intense sci-fi based cinematic darksynth with a range of new synth sounds and a much more multifaceted feel, ramping up the scale on production and length to make “A L I E N A T E” perhaps his best work yet.

However, the true genius of “A L I E N A T E” lies within it’s context. The description on bandcamp says it all:
” This album is dedicated to my estranged daughter Haven.
These songs were made in a state of sorrow and hopelessness but the end result has been very cathartic. Parental alienation is a very real thing and it is currently what I’ve been going through. This music has helped me find the strength to fight back against it and not let myself succumb to what has been a very difficult situation.”

Truly, FacexHugger has taken raw emotion and, in a smelter of pain and creativity, reduced it down to a brilliant sonic essence. The hopelessness and despair on this album bleeds through true like a hand being placed upon a radio antennae to clear the signal. It feels personal because it is personal – and that is the very best we can ask of any artist.

Listen Here Now. 

iT’s the late eighties and you’re five years old up late. You’re watching cable television and this rolls across your screen on the cable-TV guide channel, “CreepShow 2”. Do you watch it?

Yes, you do.

Creepshow is the sequel to the original film from the minds of Stephen King and George Romero – obviously. Directed this time by Michael Gornick the cinematographer from the original anthology. Creepshow 2 although shorter than its predecessor is still based on stories from Stephen King and produced and written by George Romero. Still inspired by the Horror comic books of the fifties from such publishers as the legendary EC COMICS brand and in my opinion is the scarier of the two. There isn’t much dark humor found here. The emphasis leans more toward unsettling body horror and straight forward horror based on genuine mood, violence and atmosphere.

The progression of the film is narrated by the Creep blending both live action and animation in its prologue, interlude and epilogue. The body of the fill consists of three tales: Old Chief Wood’nhead, The Raft and The Hitchhiker. All very good stories, but the final tale is the creepiest one of them all. I still get weird chills every time i see the degradation of the Hitchhiker; completely uncomfortable macabre shit.

There was supposed to be five stories instead of three and although the Black Cat would’ve really made this movie better, I’m happy it didn’t make the cut and instead was included in the Tales from the Darkside movie in 1990.

Creepshow 2 stars: Tom Savini (Dusk til Dawn, Dawn of the Dead), George Kennedy, Dorothy Lamour, Will Sampson (Poltergeist 2, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest), Tom Wright, Stephen King, Lois Chiles. Distributed by New World Pictures. Released on May 7, 1987.

Watch this in the dark and I mean deep in the dark of your bedroom. Two thumbs up.

Stay Cool, Stay dry, Stay off the roads and keep your fingers on that REWIND button.

What are your thoughts on this?

SHUDDER is a streaming service owned by AMC that allows its subscribers to stream copious amounts of HORROR and Thriller titles for a set price. Creepshow will be executive produce and supervise the direction of the show. It is stated that he will direct but, like most series he will probably only direct one episode and out source some episodes to other directors of the genre.

The new series is set to debut in 2019. Each episode will be original.