Feature Category: Article

THE INSPIRATION BEHIND DAUGHTER OF THE MOON GODDESS

Sue Lynn Tan is the author of Daughter of the Moon Goddess, a debut fantasy novel available now. We asked Sue Lynn to explain her inspiration for the book in her own words.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess is a romantic fantasy inspired by the legend of Chang’e, the Chinese moon goddess—a story I have loved since I was a child, staring at a picture of the goddess in her beautiful robes, among the clouds. It is often retold during the annual Mid-Autumn festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, on the night of a full moon. This festival is an important one in my culture, a celebration of family, reunion, and love, which are also key themes in my book.

According to the myth, Chang’e was married to Houyi, the famed archer. One day, ten suns rose in the sky, causing great devastation to the world of mortals. Houyi was tasked by the gods to end the suffering, and he shot down nine of the suns, leaving one to light the earth. He was gifted an elixir which would grant him immortality, but did not drink it, as he was unwilling to leave his beloved wife. Yet it was Chang’e who took it instead, becoming immortal and flying to the heavens. Some believe that she was exiled to the solitary moon for her theft by the Jade Emperor, while others think she chose it because it was the closest place to our world. It was said that Houyi missed his wife greatly and began laying out offerings of her favourite foods on the anniversary she left, with others soon following suit and praying to the moon goddess for good fortune, happiness, and safety—beginning a tradition of the Mid-Autumn festival.

The first line in Daughter of the Moon Goddess is, “There are many legends about my mother”. There are indeed many variations of the myth, as to why Chang’e took the elixir. In one, she swallowed it to prevent it from falling into the hands of Houyi’s thieving apprentice. In another, it was said that Houyi became a tyrannical king, and Chang’e consumed the elixir to help his people who would otherwise suffer forever under his reign. Or it might have been, that she simply wanted to become a goddess.

Chang’e’s heartrending separation from her husband saddened me for I believed she loved Houyi, and I often wondered if there might be more to the tale. What if Chang’e did it to protect someone else, whom she loved as much as her husband? A child, perhaps, who would possess the fire and passion of her parents, and who would fight as fiercely for her mother as her father did for the realm.
From this idea, Daughter of the Moon Goddess was born, a fantasy of immortals, magic, and love—both family and romantic—in which a young woman’s quest to free her mother pits her against the most powerful immortal in the realm.

This story means so much to me, filled with so many things I love of my heritage, the stories I grew up with, the elements of Chinese fantasy which fascinated me in my childhood. In Daughter of the Moon Goddess, I wanted to both honour the original myth as well as take it in a different direction, and I am excited for more readers to discover the legend of the moon goddess.

Five Films to Check Out on Horror Channel This Week – 300122

We’ve got through January, well done everyone! We have more great picks for what to watch on Horror Channel this week….

Tuesday February 1st, 9pm – Witch Hunt (2021)

Magic and witchcraft is real in the modern-day in this attempt to liken those practising to immigrants. Written and directed by Elle Callahan and starring Lost’s Elizabeth Mitchell.

Thursday February 3rd, 10.50pm – The Dead 2 (2013)

Howard and Jonathan Ford’s zombie sequel moves the action from Africa to India where things are just as bleak. An engineer attempts to get back to his expecting partner.

Friday February 4th, 1am Doghouse (2020)

Knockabout horror-comedy from director Jake West (Razor Blade Smile) starring a host of well-known faces including Danny Dyer and Stephen Graham. A lads’ weekend goes wrong when they arrive at a village overrun with zombies. Keep an eye open for Emily Booth as one of the vicious undead. The perfect film to settle down to when you get in from the pub.

Saturday February 5th, 9pm – The Midnight Man (2006)

An innocent game gets out of hand when a group of friends accidentally summon a creature that uses their fears against them. Directed by Travis Zariwny, who helmed the 2016 Cabin Fever.

Sunday February 6th, 6.40pm – The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958)

Classic Hammer as the legendary Terence Fisher directs the first sequel to the studio’s version of the Mary Shelley tale. Character actor Michael Gwynn plays the creature this time, as Peter Cushing’s doctor has managed to evade the guillotine.

Tune into Horror Channel on Sky 317, Virgin 149, Freeview 69, Freesat 138.

[ENDED] Win the Action-Packed RAGING FIRE on Blu-ray

It’s time for some fast-kicking action! To celebrate the release of the latest Donnie Yen movie Raging Fire we have a pair of Blu-rays to give away to two lucky readers. Just watch the trailer and read on…

Get ready for Raging Fire, an action-packed, modern Hong Kong crime classic starring international superstar Donnie Yen (Ip Man 1-4, Flash Point, Rogue One). which also marks the final film of writer and director Benny Chan (Invisible Target, Call of Heroes).

While conducting a raid to arrest a drug lord, police encounter a group of masked thugs. In a violent act of sabotage, the gang steals the drugs and murders the police officers on the scene. Arriving late, Inspector Cheung Shung-bong (Donnie Yen) is devastated to see the brutal aftermath, discovering the cop killers are led by Ngo (Nicholas Tse, New Police Story, Shaolin), his former protégé. Once a rising star in the police who was driven to a life of crime, he now bears a grudge. As their fates become entangled again, a score will be settled once and for all.

Packed full of exhilarating action and Yen’s signature world-class fight scenes, Raging Fire is one of the best Hong Kong movies of recent times and a throwback to the golden age of action cinema.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Trinity CineAsia presents Raging Fire on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD & Digital from January 31st
Pre-order the UHD from Zavvi: http://bit.ly/ZavviRagingFire

A Guide to Critical Role Tie-In Media

So you may have noticed that there’s a lot of buzz surrounding the new Prime TV show, The Legend of Vox Machina. If you’ve read our review then you’ll know that we think it’s really good. Alas, Amazon have seen fit to release the show in three episode instalments, so if you don’t want to wait for a week, you may be delighted to know there’s plenty more Critical Role related stuff out there.

The Legend of Vox Machina is an animated adaptation of the D&D actual play Twitch stream, Critical Role. More accurately, it’s the first campaign. Basically the first ‘run’ of the game as played by a bunch of Nerdy Voice Actors. It’s available via Twitch, YouTube and Podcast, but each episode is three to five hours long and there’s literally hundres of episodes. Fortunately, they’ve recently started a new Campaign (number three), which is set in the same world as Vox Machina, but with different characters. They are some nods to the original campaign in the new one, but right now is a perfect time to jump on as it’s just starting out.

If you’re in a hurry, Dani Carr has produced a series of Recaps, but really they’re for skipping the odd episode rather than cramming the whole thing.

Alternately, you might want to know more about the two half-elven orphans, Vex and Vax. One’s a rogue with a sharp wit, the other is a ranger with a pet bear. The recently released novel Vox Machina – Kith and Kin is a prequel of sorts, detailing the adventures of everyone’s favourite sarcastic warriors. It’s a fun bit of tie-in fiction and quite a light (but entertaining) read.

Comics publisher Dark Horse have been producing tie-in comics for a while now; anyone familiar with Dark Horse will know they love to get the most out of franchise. In addition to prequel series called Vox Machina Origins, they are also books that cover the other campaigns. The art is very well done and the writing captures the sort of fun we’ve come to expect from the show.

If reading is your thing, it’s also worth pointing out that Critical Role is a table top RPG, and Matt Mercer, the game’s dungeon master, has very kindly written an RPG sourcebook called Tal’Dorei Reborn, which we really liked. It’s a very detailed description of the setting and it works as a fun fantasy read, but of course it has spoilers for Campaign One and therefore The Legend of Vox Machina. And finally, Wizkids do a a whole range of models connected to the show, just in case you just really like the look of the characters and monsters.

We expect there to be many more tie-in products to come; right now Critical Role is a franchise juggernaut. But it’s also an amazing bit of fantasy fun.

Emily Bennett & Justin Brooks | ALONE WITH YOU

Ahead of the Black Sunday Film Festival screening of Alone With You, we caught up with writer/directors Emily Bennett (who also stars) and Justin Brooks to find out more about the tense, psychological horror movie…

STARBURST: What was the inspiration for the story?

Emily Bennett: The inspiration really came from a short film Justin wrote a while back called A Closed Door.

Justin Brooks: Yeah, while the initial premise came from the short, the story really unfolded with the creation of our main character Charlie. Something created entirely by Emily and me together. The short had an entirely different main character.

How would you describe the film to someone going in cold?

EB: The film is a twisted love story. It’s about a romantic evening turning into a nightmare. And it’s about the horrors we can experience when we give ourselves completely to another person, the horrors of losing our identities and our grip with reality.

What’s the dynamic with your directing/writing partnership?

EB: It’s pretty effortless once we get cooking. We usually wrestle with a concept for a while before committing to actually writing. But the writing process usually goes pretty quickly. I’ll start writing around 5am every morning – yes, I know, I’m insane! – and Justin will pick up around midday and continue. We’re able to generate lots of material this way. Then we’ll discuss the pages, the characters, and the dialogue. Sometimes we’ll block out scenes together, just to see if they make sense. We shotlist and storyboard together. And then on set, we’ll sometimes have different opinions of how a shot should look. But it’s rarely an argument. It’s more of a logic puzzle – What is the best way to tell the story? Story is king. And as long as we’re serving the story, we know we’re on the right track. And, of course, with my background as an actor and Justin’s background as a cinematographer, we each have our specialities that we bring to the working relationship. It’s a pretty great dynamic.

JB: The question ‘why’ comes up a lot. Emily and I always keep ourselves in check and don’t ever allow ourselves to make choices that don’t directly support the story. It’s easy to do something because ‘it’s cool’ but in a film like this, that could get confusing and misdirect. Our characters need to feel real and driven by purpose. So the question ‘why?’ is pretty important. We find new ways to work together every day and it’s important for us to always work toward a common language. Emily has spent a lot of time working through gear and cameras to better understand the technical language of shooting and I have spent just as much time researching the language of acting. We’re able to lean on one another for our specialities, but we always want to have a common language and understanding.

Emily, what was the hardest part of acting in the film as it seems very intense?

EB: The hardest parts for me were the phone and video conversations because I had no scene partners in them. I acted only with a green screen and the memory of our actors’ performances in my head. Trusting myself to create my side of those scenes in a grounded and realistic way was quite difficult, but Justin helped me gauge each take and we found the scenes in the edit. It seemed like magic when everything cut together.

Justin, are you not tempted to come out from behind the camera and act?

JB: Not a chance. I love actors. I love the way their mind works around character and motivation. I love to dance with an actor behind my camera and I’m an extremely empathetic director. But some art, I just like to appreciate. I’ll never stop trying to educate myself in the acting process because I think it’s important for the director to speak every language on set, but I’m quite comfortable behind the camera.

What was it like working with Barbara Crampton?

EB: A delight. She’s a legend for good reason. But I wasn’t prepared for just how kind she is. You think someone with the kind of career and pedigree of Barbara Crampton might seem a little removed. But she was so generous with her time, rehearsing with us, setting up the camera we sent her, doing her own hair and makeup… It was an absolute pleasure to work with her and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

JB: I’ve sadly been in the situation where a ‘known’ actor shows up on set, goes through the motions, and gets out of there as quickly as possible. This couldn’t be further from the truth with Barbara. She really does give a great deal of thought and care to the parts she takes. And the film is better for it. It was wonderful to hear her thoughts on the script and the character. Through those conversations, she was able to really make it hers. She really made the character three dimensional. Barbara’s kindness and care toward the project were unbelievable and I can’t wait to work with her again.

We’ve seen a lot of films making use of Skype-type technology to include more cast members during the pandemic, yet you’ve made it seem natural as opposed to out of necessity – was there anything that you were restricted from doing that you’d like to have done?

EB: It would have been great to have the walls of the apartment fall down and crumble around Charlie in the end so that she’s immediately on the beach. And I would have loved to have an AC for Justin so that we could have attempted some grander camera moves. But that’s just me being greedy. Honestly, this film was made exactly the way it needed to be made, and I love it. Our next film will have a different set of rules and we can’t wait to tell that story in a completely different way.

JB: Sometimes it’s a blessing when the shark doesn’t work. Restrictions make us more creative and push us out of our comfort zones. I feel like the film largely feels tight and claustrophobic because that’s how it was made. You feel every bit of our anxiety on that screen. I guess I wouldn’t have minded an extra crew member or two.

There are a few well-timed jump scares in the film, but was it seems important for you to lean more to the psychological rather than simple shocks, is that the case?

EB: Absolutely. Our keyword in developing this story/film was ‘dread’. We wanted this film to instil a sense of creeping dread that ultimately builds into anxiety and panic. Jump scares are fun, don’t get me wrong, but audiences don’t really remember jump scares. They remember how the film made them feel. And we want the audience to walk away from this film feeling pretty shaken.

JB: Emily said it. Jump scares are fun. But to me, they’re seldom scary. The films that really stick with me are the ones that had me clutching my chest for an hour and a half. The ones that don’t let you breathe until the film is over. We always want our films to carry a sense of dread throughout. If we can make you jump out of your seat once or twice while still doing that, all the better.

The film has had a good run at film festivals, and plays at the Black Sunday festival in London this month, is there anything you would like to say to the British fans before they watch the film?

EB: I wish I could be there! I lived in London for over three years and it’s one of my favourite cities in the world. My dear friend Jess Regan – a fellow RADA grad and a brilliant actor in her own right – is attending in my stead. Playing Black Sunday is a huge honour and I can’t wait to attend in person once the world opens up a bit more. To the audiences attending the screening of Alone With You, I want to say: thank you for your time and consideration. I hope you enjoy the nightmare.

JB: Emily and I truly wish we could be there. We both have such a love for London and it means the absolute world to us to be included. There are so many amazing horror films at the festival and we’re proud to be counted among them.

What are you working on next?

EB: Justin and I have another feature film ready to go called Kept. It’s a small cast, a modern Gothic story that will be shot in upstate NY. I won’t star in this one, though I may make a cameo. We have the same amazing producers attached and we can’t wait to bring this film to life. I also have a few solo projects setting up right now. All horror and psychological thrillers. American financing is always a tricky game since we don’t get government funding, but I hope to share some definitive news on one or a few projects very soon.

JB: Emily and I also both have short films being released on the ALTER platform this spring. Both were shot as preparation for Alone With You and are a fun example of what we make when not directing together. Emily’s film is called Bed and mine is Pains.

Alone With You screens at the Black Sunday Film Festival, which takes place in London on January 29th and 30th. The last few tickets are available here.

Alone With You is also in US theatres on February 4th, 2022 and On-Demand, Digital and DVD in the US on February 8th, 2022.

THE TELEPHEMERA YEARS: 1980 – PART 3

Ah, telephemera… those shows whose stay with us was tantalisingly brief, snatched away before their time, and sometimes with good cause. They hit the schedules alongside established shows, hoping for a long run, but it’s not always to be, and for every Street Hawk there’s two Manimals. But here at STARBURST we celebrate their existence and mourn their departure, drilling down into the new season’s entertainment with equal opportunities square eyes… these are The Telephemera Years!

1980-81

TV parties in 1980 were chock full of telefantasy, with Charlie’s Angels, Fantasy Island, The Dukes of Hazzard, The Incredible Hulk, and Buck Rogers in the 25^th Century all riding high in the ratings. Throw in perennially successfully sitcoms like Benson, Diff’rent Strokes, Soap, and the Happy Days extended family – both Mork and Mindy and Laverne and Shirley began their existences on Fonzie’s rock ‘n’ roll show – and you have quite the feast of televisual entertainment.

Period fans were well-catered for by The Waltons and Little House on the Prairie, and Dallas ruled the soap opera waves, even creating enough of a swell for Knots Landing to spin-off in its wake. Competition would soon arrive, though, in the shape of Dynasty, one of a number of new shows for the 1980 Fall TV season which also included future hits Magnum, PI and Hill Street Blues, as well as future glancing blows Bosom Buddies and The Greatest American Hero. But what of those shows that failed to even make it beyond the first hurdle? This is the story of 1980’s unsold pilots…

Ghost of a Chance (ABC): The last thing you want when starting a new life with your husband is the ghost of your former husband to start making his presence felt but that’s the fate that befell Shelley Long in Ghost of a Chance, a proposed new sitcom for the 1980-81 Fall TV season that didn’t make it beyond its pilot episode.

Long’s ex-husband, played by Steven Keats, had died while sky-diving naked, which must have made for hilarious comedy on his return, devilling his ex-wife and her new husband, Barry van Dyke. Written by Austin and Irma Kalish, who’d been a big reason Good Times became successful for CBS, the pilot aired on July 7^th 1980 but didn’t garner enough of a response to make it through to a full series.

The Kalishes would have to wait another six years until Facts of Life became their next big hit but Long was cast in Cheers a year after Ghost of a Chance fell, briefly becoming one of TV’s most beloved female leads.

Alex and the Doberman Gang (NBC): TV shows and movies with dogs as the central characters are nothing new, with Rin Tin Tin and Lassie thrilling young viewers as far back as the 1920s, but The Doberman Gang, a low-budget 1972 crime drama, came at the concept from an entirely different direction.

In Byron Chudnow’s movie, the Doberman Gang are a sextet of smart pinschers trained by their owner to commit a bank robbery. The gang returned in two further sequels, The Daring Dobermans and The Amazing Dobermans, although the human cast changed each time, and in 1980 Chudnow took his idea to NBC, hoping to secure a TV series for his talented canine characters.

In the pilot episode, written by Bionic Woman producer James D Parriott and rookie writer Richard Chapman, the dogs are on the side of the angels, helping out a luckless private investigator who inherits them despite knowing nothing about dogs. The dogs help him solve the crime, as they would have done presumably throughout a full series, but reaction to the pilot was not strong.

NBC, though, weren’t done with the premise and ordered another pilot, this time called Nick and the Dobermans and without Chudnow involved, but that did little better with the network bosses and both pilots ended up airing two weeks apart, in April 1980. There’s no sign of them on the internet but you can get a DVD of the original movie, if that’s your thing…

Katmandu (ABC): Alongside The Rockford Files, the king of the attempted spin-off was Happy Days, which succeeded in producing five live-action and three animated shows from its fertile crescent, alongside a number of unsuccessful attempts such as Katmandu, the further adventures of a character introduced in the seventh season of the show.

In “Fonzie meets Kat,” our ageing greaser hero had encountered Kat Mandu, a femme fatale accompanying a former rival on the very day Fonzie has promised a priest he’ll give up fighting. Happy Days producer Garry Marshall was so impressed with Deborah Pratt’s performance in the show that he ordered a pilot for a spin-off episode, only to be stymied by Henry Winkler, who thought there had been too many spin-offs from the show of late. Marshall had writer Jeff Ganz retool the project as a standalone show with Kat, basically a female version of The Fonz, accepting a position as a bodyguard to exiled teenage heir to the throne of Pashimir, who was hiding in America from the terrorists who had taken over his country.

Unfortunately, without The Fonz to tie it into the Happy Days universe, the network passed on the show and the pilot went unaired, with just one final spin-off emerging from the Happy Days universe, 1982’s Joanie Loves Chachi.

Love Island (NBC): With Fantasy Island and The Love Boat both doing blockbuster ratings for ABC, you can excuse NBC for greenlighting a pitch from novice screenwriters Madeline B David, Robert Hilliard, and Earl Kurland that promised to combine the best of both shows into one tidy package.

Their concept for Love Island had a benevolent witch, played by veteran actress Janis Paige, open an exclusive tropical resort for singles, aiming to use her magic to ensure that they leave as couples. Aided by her nephew and niece, the planned series would have seen Madge welcome a parade of special guest stars, each leaving with their romantic desires fulfilled.

A pilot with Adrienne Barbeau as one of the lovestruck guests was shot but NBC declined to take it any further, although they did air the feature length tester as Valentine Magic on Love Island on February 15^th 1980, dropping the V-word for subsequent, non-seasonal airings. Madge and her sorcerous roofies, however, made no further appearances.

Mr & Mrs Dracula (ABC): Although he’d been successful with each of his three novels (two of which had been turned into movies), Robert Klane was having a hard time breaking into screenwriting. With just a handful of episodes of M*A*S*H and a few other assorted scripts on his resume, he pitched a fish-out-of-water sitcom that saw the world’s most famous vampire move his family to the US in search of a new life, and ABC took it to pilot, hopeful of securing 1980’s big sitcom hit.

Mr & Mrs Dracula starred character actor Dick Shawn as one half of the titular couple, his wife – Sonia Dracula – being played by Carol Lawrence in this 1980 pilot, which aired on ABC on September 5^th 1980. The Draculas – and their children, Sonny and Minna – move to New York, accompanied by their bat familiar, Gregor (a hand puppet voiced by Johnny Haymer). Presumably hilarity ensues, although the pilot didn’t seem to turn enough heads at the network.

Still, the premise had legs and ABC had another bite a year later, bringing in Dick Clement and Ian LaFrenais, who had decided to seek their fortunes in Hollywood after creating The Likely Lads and Porridge, to tweak Klane’s script. Shawn returned as Dracula, with Pauline Prentiss cast as his better half this time around, but the pilot didn’t make it to air, with Clement and LaFrenais turning back to the UK audiences that appreciated their work. Klane went on to create Weekend at Bernie’s so he wasn’t totally done with undead title characters, and you can see the 1980 pilot on YouTube.

Toni’s Boys (ABC): With Charlie’s Angels riding high in the ratings, ABC sought to capitalise on their successful formula by introducing another trio of sexy crimefighters, but this time for the ladies! Antonia “Toni” Blake made her debut at the back end of Charlie’s Angels’ fourth season, stepping in to aid Charlie after death threats to his angels have resulted in them being hidden away for their safety.

Toni’s not alone, though, and brings Cotton, Matt, and Bob with her, three good looking male detectives who are more than ready to do her bidding, with each assigned to protect a different angel. The backdoor pilot climaxed with all six hot young things combining their talents to solve the case, and it was expected that the 1980 Fall TV season would have two sets of attractive action heroes for TV audiences to salivate over.

Except Toni’s Boys were underwhelming and there was little to no audience reaction to the concept. The idea was shelved and there it stayed, with Charlie’s Angels itself coming to a grinding halt in June 1981. When the Angels returned in a series of movies and another Tv show in the 21^st century, there was no sign of Toni or her boys…

Next on The Telephemera Years: what were the kids watching in 1980? Barbarians, time-travelling greasers, and ninety minutes of caveman humour!

Check out our other Telephemera articles:

The Telephemera Years: 1966 (part 1, 2, 3, 4)

The Telephemera Years: 1968 (part 1, 2, 3, 4)

The Telephemera Years: 1969 (part 1, 2, 3, 4)

The Telephemera Years: 1971 (part 1, 2, 3, 4)

The Telephemera Years: 1973 (part 1, 2, 3, 4)

The Telephemera Years: 1975 (part 1, 2, 3, 4)

The Telephemera Years: 1977 (part 1, 2, 3, 4)

The Telephemera Years: 1980 (part 1, 2, 3, 4)

The Telephemera Years: 1982 (part 1, 2, 3, 4)

The Telephemera Years: 1984 (part 1, 2, 3, 4)

The Telephemera Years: 1986 (part 1, 2, 3, 4)

The Telephemera Years: 1987 (part 1, 2 , 3, 4)

The Telephemera Years: 1990 (part 1, 2, 3, 4)

The Telephemera Years: 1992 (part 1, 2, 3, 4)

The Telephemera Years: 1995 (part 1, 2, 3, 4)

The Telephemera Years: 1997 (part 1, 2, 3, 4)

The Telephemera Years: 2000 (part 1, 2, 3, 4)

The Telephemera Years: 2003 (part 1, 2, 3, 4)

The Telephemera Years: 2005 (part 1, 2, 3, 4)

The Telephemera Years: 2008 (part 1, 2, 3 , 4)

Titans of Telephemera: Irwin Allen

Titans of Telephemera: Stephen J Cannell (part 1, 2, 3, 4)

Titans of Telephemera: Hanna-Barbera (part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

Titans of Telephemera: Kenneth Johnson

Titans of Telephemera: Glen A Larson (part 1, 2, 3, 4)

Titans of Telephemera: Quinn Martin (part 1, 2)

[ENDED] Win MAX RELOAD AND THE NETHER BLASTERS on Blu-ray

We’ve teamed up with Dazzler Media to give two lucky readers a chance to win a copy of gaming-inspired, comedy adventure Max Reload and the Nether Blasters on Blu-ray. Just watch the trailer, read on and enter below…

When Max discovers the legendary lost instalment of the Nether Game series, he accidentally unleashes the ancient “Curse of the Ages,” turning friends and family into possessed ghouls hell-bent on destroying civilisation. It’s now up to Max to figure out how to beat the dark forces of The Nether before it’s game over for humanity.

Max Reload and the Nether Blasters is a retro, action-packed comedy-adventure featuring a top cast including Hassie Harrison (Yellowstone), Joey Morgan (Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse), Joseph Reitman (Happy!), Greg Grunberg (Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker), Kevin Smith (Clerks), Lin Shaye (Insidious), Martin Kove (The Karate Kid), Jesse Kove (Cobra Kai), Wil Wheaton (The Big Bang Theory) and rising star Tom Plumley, directed by Scott Conditt and Jeremy Tremp.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Dazzler Media presents Max Reload and the Nether Blasters on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital from January 24th.

Five Films to Check Out on Horror Channel This Week – 240122

We have more great picks for what to watch on Horror Channel this week….

Monday January 24th, 7pm – The Time Tunnel (Season 1 Episode 1)

Irwin Allen’s classic time-hopping series returns to the Sci-Fi Zone. James Darren, Robert Colbert, and genre regular Whit Bissell head Project Tic-Toc as they back in time on daring adventures. Watch each weekday at 7pm, with a 9am repeat the following day.

Wednesday January 26th, 9pm – The Darkness (2016)

Supernatural terror from Wolf Creek director Greg Mclean in which a family inadvertently bring home an entity from their visit to the Grand Canyon. Starring Kevin Bacon, who can also be seen in the film that follows at 10.50pm, Hollow Man.

Thursday January 27th, 9pm Sacrifice (2020)

Lovecraftian horror awaits as a couple inherit a house in Norway and find themselves in the midst of a cult. Check out our interview with the directors here, and Barbara Crampton, who plays the village’s law enforcement officer here.

Saturday January 29th, 9pm – Evil Dead II (1987)

Ash is back in this riotous sequel to Sam Raimi’s landmark shocker. Bruce Campbell secured his cult status with his portrayal of the hapless victim of the Deadites. Unmissable horror comedy. Groovy.

Sunday January 30th, 6.30pm – Night of the Demon (1957)

Masterfully directed by Jacques Tourneur, this adaptation of M.R. James’ Casting the Runes is quite rightly considered one of the greatest horror films of all time (see the STARBURST Top 100 Films in the latest issue – available now!). It’s in the trees! It’s coming!

Tune into Horror Channel on Sky 317, Virgin 149, Freeview 68, Freesat 138.

Romola Garai | AMULET

Romola Garai is a British actor known for Atonement, Emma, and Amazing Grace. Her impressive directorial début Amulet premiered at the Sundance film festival 2020 and is now set for release in the UK. Romola sat down with STARBURST to discuss directing her first feature, mythology and where the film’s themes came from.

STARBURST: How does it feel to be talking about Amulet again after almost two years?

Romola Garai: Yeah, my film has been in Covid isolation, so it’s been a while. On the one hand, it’s amazing because I was worried like a lot of people who made their debut films in 2019, that it would never come out and all that work would be for nought. But also, I think it’s great because I now have some real distance from the film, and I can talk about it a bit more intelligently and I can see it as a piece of work much more clearly than I could at Sundance when I’d only recently finished the film and it felt impossibly close. I’m sure that if you’re more experienced as a filmmaker you get better, and your eye becomes more attuned.

Coming from an acting background, did you feel that gave you a different focus, having seen many directors working?

It definitely does. It feels a slightly arrogant thing to say but I think I was good at directing the actors. I mean, I certainly directed them in a way that I would wish to be directed. To be collaborative. We didn’t have a lot of time, but we had plenty of rehearsals and dialogue and they were incredibly influential in influencing how I saw the script and how the characters were realised on screen. It felt like an accepting and collegiate atmosphere. When it came to the look of the film, I’d storyboarded with our DP. Laura [Bellingham], but I let her line up the shots and I wasn’t controlling about that. Your background, whether in front or behind the camera informs what kind of director you are and that was definitely true of me.

Horror can be a gateway for new directors who set out with a list of genre conventions to tick off, whether that’s to be scary or gory or atmospheric. But Amulet is built on character and that can sometimes be missing in horror. Was that something you were conscious of?

Yeah, it slots into a heritage of character-driven work. Having said that, the characters in the film are somewhat cyphers; there are two we don’t know much about at all for important reasons. Some of the references were European horror films like Trouble Every Day and Possession, films that are existing in a space where the horror that’s there is about disquiet and unease, and those films often dip in and out at times quite uncomfortably of different types of horror. There’s body horror, jump scares and the supernatural. And hopefully, our film has quite an uplifting ending as well. I’m comfortable working in a place that feels quite contrary or deliberately provocative (laughs).

You mention the ending and it’s interesting you use the word ‘uplifting’. The film does take some turns that you don’t expect so, with that ending, did you consider pulling back or were you committed to where you wanted to go?

I think when I wrote the script, and then when people read it, I did get a few ‘I can’t comment on it’. When I was asking for notes some people were like ‘I cannot watch or imagine this so I cannot give you feedback’. I was aware that some of the ideas people found offensive or quite extreme. But when I was making it, the parts of the film that I found the easiest were the ending sections and the parts where it ramps up. Because those were the parts that were fixed in my mind. Also, those sequences, because the special effects were pre-planned and the only controllable set was the attic in which a lot of the ending takes place, a lot of the resources and planning were poured into those sections. The scenes where there were just two people talking were often harder to direct as we’d just arrive on set and had to decide how it would play out.

You have strong themes of masculinity, relationships, and also consequence and forgiveness. But it also seems that every time there is a new female director there’s a discussion as to whether there is a feminist element or not.

I think it’s quite pertinent to my film! [laughs] I think the problem is that there’s no official definition of feminism. It means very different things to different people, especially at the moment. And it’s always in flux as a political ideology but I’m always a fully paid-up member so am happy to have that attached to my work. And even if I wasn’t it would be hard to argue my film doesn’t have a political motive or bent. [laughs]

With the mythology you’re created, did you question yourself at all as to whether you’d seen this somewhere before, because it does feel different?

I’ve not written a script in the way I wrote this film. I’ve written several screenplays before, in lots of different genres including a ghost story. And then it was suggested to me that as I like horror I should try and write a horror film. I had a gap in my diary, so I did, and I just sat down and wrote it. So, what you have is a lot of the subliminal things that were going around in my mind at the time, such as birth and transformation, and forgiveness as you say. And also faith. I think I’m someone who would quite like to have faith but as it’s been used so much to oppress women it’s very hard to pay up to any organised religion. So, there’s a bit of that. And the idea of there being some kind of alternate mythology that would act on the part of women and offer them some sort of existential justice. It’s a piece of revenge fantasy you can indulge in to right some of the wrongs in the world.

What you say about faith is interesting, as the film begins with that as a theme, which then changes and is largely dismissed as the plot develops.

I understand the importance and value of faith in our secular times where we just shop and are lonely. But for women, it’s been used almost exclusively as an engine of oppression. I think in the film there is the Catholic mythology, which is usurped by something greater. The idea of forgiveness and how that is framed in Catholicism is represented by a female figure, that being their function, and not ever to be full of rage and anger. And that being usurped by an older mythology, a pre-Christian idea that you might have to pay for your sins and that being exemplified in a female god.

Amulet is an incredibly impressive debut film. Is this where you see yourself going forward, being behind the camera now and is there more horror to come?

I have other horror scripts, but I have a lot in many genres. Being an actor, I’ve worked with lots of different creatives and as a viewer, I enjoy lots of different things. I have an inclination towards the dark, so many of my scripts have that if not necessarily horror. I love acting, and would never not want to do it, but I love having this as well. Ideally, I’d like to have it all! [laughs]

Amulet is in cinemas on January 28th. You can read our review here.

THE TELEPHEMERA YEARS: 1980 – PART 2

1980-81

Period fans were well-catered for by The Waltons and Little House on the Prairie, and Dallas ruled the soap opera waves, even creating enough of a swell for Knots Landing to spin-off in its wake. Competition would soon arrive, though, in the shape of Dynasty, one of a number of new shows for the 1980 Fall TV season which also included future hits Magnum, PI and Hill Street Blues, as well as future glancing blows Bosom Buddies and The Greatest American Hero. But what of the shows that didn’t make such an impact on their arrival? This is the story of four more failures from the 1980 season…

Private Benjamin (CBS): At first glance, it may seem harsh to condemn Private Benjamin to the virtual filing cabinet marked “Telephemera” since the series, a spin-off from the beloved 1980 movie starring Goldie Hawn, actually had three seasons. A closer look, however, reveals that the show only lasted for twenty-one months and – despite some wonderful performances, award-winning in some cases – has barely been talked of since.

Private Benjamin debuted as a four-episode mini-series in April 1981, in a slot recently vacated by Flo, but producers were unable to secure Hawn for the small screen, instead casting Lorna Patterson (the singing stewardess from Airplane!) as the socialite cum soldier being put through her paces by Eileen Brennan and Hal Williams, who did return to reprise their movie roles.

The mini-series was enough of a success to earn a full season order for the Fall 1981 season, its twenty-two episodes scraping into the top forty ratings for the year and earning yet another renewal for September 1982. This time, though, ratings fell to a point where the show was cancelled, mid-way through its run, and just thirteen episodes aired before the axe fell in January 1983.

Brennan, who’d been nominated for an Oscar for his part in the movie, earned gongs at both the Golden Globes and the Emmys but found it hard to translate that success into anything other than supporting roles, as did Patterson. Williams enjoyed a long run in the sitcom 227, unknown outside the US but running for five seasons on NBC from 1985, clips of which are plentiful on YouTube. The same can’t be said of Private Benjamin, which has all but disappeared, and that’s what makes it Telephemera…

Nero Wolfe (NBC): Initially appearing in Rex Stout’s series of pulp detective novels, Nero Wolfe was a portly detective of Montenegrin descent who occasionally interrupts his life of opulence to solve a crime or two. Orson Welles had long been attached to star in a TV adaptation of Stout’s novels but when he declined to be involved a proposed Paramount production in 1980, the reins were handed to Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts, the creators of Charlie’s Angels, who cast William Conrad in the title role.

Conrad’s Wolfe was as deskbound as any of his predecessors, relying on assistant Archie Goodwin (Lee Horsley, who would go on to star in Matt Houston two years later) to do the legwork while he sat home and cogitated over the clues. When the case had been cracked, Wolfe would assemble the suspects in his office, delivering his verdict to an actual lawman, the increasingly exasperated Inspector Cramer.

NBC had high hopes for Nero Wolfe and, as was their battle plan at the time, scheduled it opposite The Dukes of Hazzard, the number two show in the ratings, intending to take the war to CBS. As would seem obvious to any student of the medium, the plan failed and even moving the show to a kinder time slot on Tuesday nights didn’t save it from the axe after just fourteen episodes had been completed.

Nero Wolfe was one of the last shows to suffer from this ill-fated idea, with incoming network president Brandon Tartikoff instead putting the emphasis on an entire night’s scheduling rather than slotting promising shows into black holes for the network.

Freebie and the Bean (CBS): Given that it took Private Benjamin just a year to make the transition from film to TV, the seven years between the movie success of Freebie and the Bean and its eventual TV transfer seems like an eternity, losing any momentum that may have been earned by the film, which had defied critics to earn millions at the box office.

In place of James Caan and Alan Arkin, the TV version cast Tom Mason and Hector Elizondo as Tim “Freebie” Walker and Dan “Bean” Delgado, respectively, a pair of wacky San Francisco police detectives whose unorthodox methods don’t prevent them from solving crimes in the city.

Attempting to replicate the successful formula of the movie, the show was a mix of slapstick, pathos, comedy, and drama, but never found the correct recipe to bring those things together coherently, despite decent performances by its principal cast. Worse still, it was programmed opposite The Love Boat, the number five show in the ratings and a massive draw for ABC, and so stood little chance of making any in-roads; it was cancelled after just seven episodes had aired, leaving two unshown in the can.

Mason and Elizondo would go on to have longer-lasting roles in Party of Five and Chicago Hope, and William Daniels would soon become the voice of KITT in Knight Rider, but everyone else involved disappeared. You can find the DVD of the movie pretty easily but there’s no trace of the TV series, either on home media or on video sharing sites, with just a few clips popping up on archived season trailers.

Walking Tall (NBC): While Freebie and the Bean was struggling to find an audience on CBS, NBC were hoping that their counterprogramming to The Love Boat would have more success. Based on the 1973 movie of the same name, Walking Tall continued the adventures of Sherriff Buford Pusser, the pro-wrestler turned lawman from Tennessee who waged a one-man war against crime along the Tennessee-Mississippi border.

Bo Svenson reprised the role of Pusser having starred in Walking Tall II and Walking Tall: The Final Chapter (Jon Don Baker played the Sherriff in the original movie), with the action transposed to the fictional McNeal County from the actual McNairy County of the true story. Svenson’s Pusser deals with drugs, the KKK, assassins, and unscrupulous corporations, a champion for the common man against the ills of modern society.

Just as with Freebie and the Bean, The Love Boat capsized its competition and after five episodes had garnered meagre ratings on Saturday nights, a further two were shown on Tuesdays (this time opposite Hart to Hart) before the plug was pulled on the show, just ten weeks after its premiere.

The real Sherriff Busser died in 1974 and when the decision was made to remake the 1973 film in 2004, this time starring another former wrestler in Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, it was decided to completely fictionalise the story, with Johnson playing Chris Vaughn, a former US special forces soldier embarking on the same mission. There was no accompanying Tv series this time, although Kevin Sorbo did star in a pair of direct-to-DVD sequels, made before his descent into madness.

Next on The Telephemera Years: 1980’s unsold pilots!