Hey guys,
you know me as TheCinemaChick and I’m the girl who goes to all kinds of movies.
You’re probably wondering why I’m
writing a blog instead of doing a video. The answer is: I have a lot to say and I didn’t
think I could get it done in fifteen minutes, which seems to be my time limit. As compensation, I will add a few photos.
Without
further ado, ladies and gentlemen, let us venture into unknown territory, the
macabre circus…The Devil’s Carnival.
Before you
stop reading and ask what I’m talking about, this movie is not available in
theaters. You cannot go to your local
theater and watch it. This movie is on a
limited run in certain theaters. Last
night happened to be when it was showing in Dallas
They were
both in attendance at last night’s screening, which was pretty awesome. Before the film started, there actually was a
sideshow going on. I missed the first
act, but I did get to see Monkey. He
eats glass and then walked over a huge pile of broken glass. Not only that, but he jumped on it. Once his act was over, the audience was
treated to a brief documentary of Repo!
It was mostly some behind the scenes stuff with a few interviews. The song “We Started This Opera Sh*t”, came
on and people were dancing in the aisles, mimicking the film. I did not dance, but others did. I was, however, singing along, with about a
hundred other fans.
So the
movie itself was wonderful. Since it’s
not widely available, I’ll go into some detail about the plot. It’s like a really twisted version of Aesop’s
Fables. I mean, it’s the horror version. There are three people, John, Ms. Merrywood
and Tamara. Each one is a sinner in
their own way. They all go through the
carnival in order to figure out what they’ve done wrong and how to get out. John has to learn to grieve, Ms. Merrywood is
greedy and Tamara is far too trusting. If
I remember correctly, the fables were “Grief”, “The Dog and its Shadow” and “The
Scorpion and The Toad”. I have to admit,
each fable came across really well. They
were all told in a really dark, macabre way.
What makes
it even creepier is that Lucifer (played by Terrance Zdunich) is reading these
stories to a child. So we hear him
talking while watching each character go through their story. The voiceover isn’t a constant thing because
there is some dialogue and of course, great songs. As with the Repo! soundtrack, I loved all the
songs, though there’s that one I could do without. Not every song is a winner. My favorites from Devil’s Carnival had to be “Prick!
Goes The Scorpion’s Tale” performed by Painted Doll (Emilie Autumn), “In All My
Dreams I Drown” by Tamara (Jessica Lowndes) and Lucifer (Zdunich) and “Trust Me”
by The Scorpion (Marc Senter).
The only
song I didn’t really care for was “Kiss The Girls” because to me, it was most
circus like. Ironically, I am actually
terrified of clowns. The circus scares
the hell out of me. I don’t know why I
was so excited to see The Devil’s Carnival because of the fear. However, seeing it in the macabre, vaguely
steampunk-ish interpretation made it less scary for me. Plus, I knew the actors from their work in
Repo! though many of the faces were new. Ogre from Skinny Puppy, Alexa Vega, Paul
Sorvino and of course, Terrance Zdunich all return.
I really
wish this would be shown in more theaters across the nation. People who loved Repo! are going to love this
as much as I did. I think I can safely
say that this will develop a huge cult following, just like their first
collaboration did. The songs are catchy,
the costumes are perfection and the movie was visually stunning. For me, it was hard to hear at times, but I
blame that on the theater, not the actual movie.
It was also
a lot shorter than I thought it would be.
It turns out (**massive spoiler alert**) that this project was intended
to be episodic. What that means is that
The Devil’s Carnival is part one of what could be a major series. Zdunich and Bousman want to continue the
series by retelling more of Aesop’s Fables. Hell, the end of the movie has Lucifer
gathering his…followers…minions…his, uh, carnies and saying they’re pretty much
going to wage war on Heaven. By the way,
God is played by Paul Sorvino, known for his role as Rotti Largo. That man has an absolutely amazing voice. Seriously, I’m female and an alto and even I
wish I had his voice.
I really
want to see this series continue. I want
to see how the carnies take over Heaven, how Lucifer plans to confront God…there’s
just so much I want to know. Honestly, I
think Terrance Zdunich and Darren Bousman are like the indie film dream team. They have created cinematic magic together and
amassed a legion of fans who, like me, are dying to see more. Unfortunately, making a movie like that costs
a lot of money, but I think if they set up a way to get donations on
Kickstarter, they would get the money they need.
Anyway,
after the film ended, there was a question and answer session, which was a lot
shorter than I thought it would be. I
have to admit, I laughed really hard when someone asked Terrance Zdunich to
shout “GRAVES!” like he did in Repo! The
answer was a firm “No.” I would have
loved to hear him sing. The man, like
Paul Sorvino, has a marvelous voice. My
friends Squee and Terra are known to play the soundtrack for Repo! The Genetic
Opera in my car in sing along. I can
safely say that Terrance Zdunich has a very sexy voice. I can also get several people to agree with
that statement.
And
finally, there was an opportunity to get autographs. The stage happened to be about five feet off
the ground. They had stairs but I cannot
do stairs without a rail. I’ve mentioned
before that I had some traumatic spinal surgery and I do have to use a cane to
walk. Well, I also have no sense of
balance. Stairs without rails…not safe. So, Butterfly and I asked if they’d come down
off the stage to take a photo with me. They
didn’t have to, but they did. Yes,
Terrance Zdunich and Darren Bousman went out of their way to let me get a
picture with them. I was really happy,
but also touched that they’d do that for a fan.
So now, I
have listened to Repo! The Genetic Opera again and I have the soundtrack for
The Devil’s Carnival sitting next to me. I have an autographed poster and my CD also
has autographs.
I will say
with all honesty that if these two men collaborate again in the future for
another Devil’s Carnival, I will buy another ticket. I love that these films aren’t mainstream and
that they aren’t trying to appeal to the masses. It’s made for people who love movies. It’s for those who have an appreciation of
cult films. I suppose it’s a cult film…I
could be wrong on this. The only people
who can answer that are Zdunich and Bousman…so…if they read this, I guess they
can tell me.
If they do
read this…that would make my year.
I’m a very
satisfied film critic right now. The
Devil’s Carnival was brilliant and I’m not sure if I will add it to my top
twelve of ’12 list. I’m following Film
Brain’s rule that if it isn’t available nation wide, it doesn’t count. Since this is limited release…I don’t
know. When the time comes, I’ll make the
ultimate decision on whether or not this qualifies.
So there
you go. I loved The Devil’s Carnival, I’d
recommend it if it comes to a city near you or when it’s released on DVD. Hell, I’d even say check out Repo! The Genetic
Opera. I was lucky because I found my
copy at a Half Price Books nearby.
I’m
TheCinemaChick and I will unashamedly admit to being a Terrance Zdunich
fangirl.
Also, don’t forget that my Marvel Movie
marathon is ending on Wednesday! I have
2 entries so far. You could win 2 passes
to the all day movie marathon, along with 2 free small popcorns, a Harkins swag
bag and a commemorative lanyard. This
could all be yours for FREE!
I do have
an email address if anyone wants to contact me. If you’d like to get a hold of me, please do
so: TheCinemaChick@yahoo.com. Or you can catch me on Twitter:
@TheCinemaChick.
Thanks to Butterfly for taking the pics!
Darren Bousman is behind me. Terrance Zdunich has his hand on my arm (which I did not notice until today.). I'm rocking the red top with a red and black wristband.
My autographed poster
My autographed soundtrack
