Creatures from the Abyss (1994) – Movie Review

Creatures from the Abyss (1994)
(aka, Plankton)

This monster flick would even make Roger Corman smile. It solves the age old dilemma of B horror films – when we have a scientist create a man-eating monster, how do we keep the woman characters clad in bikinis for the entire movie? Answer: we put the scientist’s lab on a boat! Genius! (leave it to the Italians.) Five young partiers get stranded in their dingy and climb aboard a deserted ship. The boat’s motors don’t work but everything else does, lights, stereo,  computerized showers that talk to you. They discover that some scientist was working on resurrecting an ancient fish, one ugly SOB if I’ve ever seen one.

Confused by the whole scene, what does this group of revelers do? They party like there’s no tomorrow – for most of them there won’t be a tomorrow. So, it’s spring-break/girls gone wild! The fish/alien/whatever it is, is also a parasite and can take over a human body. There’s a nasty sex scene where the aroused  parasite-fish comes out of the guy, ala The Thing. The dialogue is laughable, almost as funny as the plot. Oh, did I say plot? If your looking for a plot, good luck.

In the end, the man-monster finally attacks; a half-human, half-fish, half-octopus with tentacles – a stop-motion clay-mation, B-monster mess, but I love it. The two survivors lock the monster fish-man in the lab, then set the boat ablaze. Roll credits. It’s a fun, campy, monster movie, not made to be taken too seriously. It’s so cheesy, you could swear it was made in the 1980’s.

Look! a camera…

dats some clean teeth

Vampire fish!

look at the size of his…

cue up theme song, ‘Rock Lobster’

Michael Thomas-Knight published in Twisted Dreams Magazine, June 2013

Michael Thomas-Knight published in the new issue of Twisted Dreams Magazine, June 2013

My short story “Lessons in Demonology” has been published in the June issue of Twisted Dreams Magazine.

Follow the exploits of two Demons, Phobos and Deimos, as they torment a terrified woman. This story contains very dark humorous aspects :)  – some may even consider it wicked… (insert evil laugh here)

And, as always, Twisted Dreams Magazine delivers dark tales for your morbid curiosity, gothic & macabre pics from photographers, editorials and reviews for the twisted imagination.

Check it out at LuLu.com

PDF download to you computer

PRINT traditional print publication

Issue date: June 1st, 2013

my previous published work

In The Tall Grass – Stephen King and Joe Hill – Book Review

In The Tall Grass
Stephen King and Joe Hill

This is a kindle short, a novella, by King and his son, Joe Hill. What I like most about this tale is, after a few pages of set up, the story is almost all in the here & now – no flashbacks, no back-stories.

A brother and sister, on a cross-country road-trip from NH to San Diego, take an unexpected detour. While traversing the open land and big sky of Kansas, they hear a cry for help. They pull off the road, into an abandoned church parking lot. They clearly hear the cries of a young boy from the field of tall reeds that stretch to the horizon. They enter the field to help find the boy and lead him to safety but soon find themselves lost. From inside the field, direction is incomprehensible, sound travels at different angles and positions seem to change, even when nobody is moving. As the hours fly by and hopes are dashed, young Cal is determined to save his pregnant sister and her unborn child. Cal soon discovers the lost boy holds the secret to their salvation.

This story is like a fuse. Once lit, it burns quickly and brightly until its end. I had trouble putting it down and often found myself walking around my house with the Kindle raised before my eyes, so as not to delay the story’s finale. It’s a great tale with a disturbing ending. It is a fun and enjoyable read for any fan of horror, even for those who don’t read much. I recommend it highly.

Giants Legend and Lore

Giants Legend and Lore

Stories involving Giants can be found in all cultures, from the earliest Mesopotamia stone carvings to recent American legends of Paul Bunyan and John Henry. Particularly tall men are born from time to time and their unusual stature can be attributed to some of the tales and folklore spoken through generations. Add to that some vivid imagination, fear, and a healthy dose of alcohol, and you have the ingredients for a tall-tale about a giant man.

Giants were also used to explain natural phenomenon that could not be explained by a people’s knowledge of the world at any particular time. Thunder was giants at play, earth tremors and quakes were walking giants and volcanoes were the burning blood of a long buried giant. Following, are some of the legends and folklore of giants through the ages.
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Historical Giants

The earliest known organized culture is thought to be the Sumerians in the Mesopotamia Valley. They have left behind stone tablets depicting life at the time. Many of those carved images depict the “Giant Kings,” men with six fingers, perhaps 12 to 18 feet tall, that the citizens are bowing down to and worshipping.

Recently there were a series of photos from excavations labeled The Sumerian Giants, which showed archeologists digging out extremely large skeletal remains from rock and desert areas. These were proven to be fakes and product of a Photoshop Contest taking place on the web.
 

Greek and Roman culture had many tales of mythological giants. Their giants battled the Gods, lost, and were banished to their own land. However, many negotiated release or had interactions with humans who came upon their islands. Cantharos, Talos, and the Cyclops were among the most famous Greek giants.

The Colossus of Rhodes was a giant statue that straddled the two land masses at the seaport of the Roman city. Ships had to come in sailing under the giant statue in order to reach the seaport. It is believed that the Romans had some kind of weaponry associated with the statue to guard against enemy ships. Perhaps it dropped rocks from above onto enemy vessels. This gave rise to rumors that the Colossus would come alive to defend Rhodes from invasion.

In Norse mythology, the first living entity was a giant, Ymir was born of chaos. Their giants also challenged the Gods and were banished to their own lands.

Welsh folklore and legend produced Ye Olde’ English Tales of Jack the Giant Killer. There were several tales besides the “beanstalk” tale most are familiar with. Jack had battles and skirmishes with giants, Cormoran and Blunderbore.

Legends and tales of Ogres circulated throughout Europe and Trolls were popular in Scandinavian folklore. In the Bible, David slew Goliath the giant, with a rock and his slingshot.

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Modern Giants

In more recent times, Native Americans had told of a tribe of giants in the area just east of the Rocky Mountains. In 1912 several bodies were dug up from burial mounds near Lake Delevan, Wisconsin. The skeletal remains were 10 feet tall and there were 18 bodies in all.

Famous in American folklore, Paul Bunyan was a master lumberjack and said to be 20 feet tall. He was always seen with his companion, a giant blue Ox named, Babe.

In the 1890’s, The Cardiff Giant was the mummified remains discovered in a farmer’s field, in New York State. The farmer put it on display at his home in Cardiff, NY, and people came from all corners of the US to see the Giant. It was later proved to be a hoax. A year previous, the farmer had carved it out of stone and he and his neighbor had buried it. When he dug it up in front of witnesses, it seemed like a major archeological find.

The Cardiff Giant  can still be seen today in Cooperstown, NY at the Farmer‘s Museum.
 

The Muffler Man Giants

A restaurant on route 66 in Arizona had at one time erected a giant fiberglass statue of Paul Bunyan holding an axe as a landmark for their establishment. Soon these statues were popping up across the US as landmarks for Muffler Man stores and tire companies (Uniroyal). The axes were replaced with mufflers or tires.  These companies have changed locations or closed stores, but the Paul Bunyan statues (and variations of them) remain. To this day they are referred to as Muffler Man Giants. To find one near you visit: www.roadsideamerica.com

   

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Naturally, this is just a brief overview of Giants throughout the ages. Hope you enjoyed the pics I’ve gathered. If anyone witnesses a giant in the near future, please let me know so I can add it to my post, thanks!

Check out my reviews covering Giants in movies:
Jack The Giant Killer (1962)
Creature Features – There be Giants! 

And giant creatures, in books:
Monstrous – 20 tales of Giant Creature Terror

  

Shadow Masters – new horror fiction book release

Bentley Little, Yvonne Navarro, Earl Hamner, Ronald Malfi, Melanie Tem, Elizabeth Massie… What do all these famous horror fiction authors have in common? They all have frightening stories in the new horror anthology book, SHADOW MASTERS.

Oh yeah, and I do too!

My short story ‘PIG’ has been published in:
Shadow Masters - An Anthology From The Horror ‘Zine
from Imajin Books.

Other authors include: Scott Nicholson, Simon Clark, Lisa Morton, JG Faherty, Christian Larsen, Cheryl Tardiff, Jeff Bennington and Jeani Rector. Jeani is the publisher of The Horror ‘Zine and pulled together this wonderful collection of horror fiction. She also has a wicked gem of a story in the anthology.

Includes a forward by Joe R. Lansdale

More about my short story, ‘PIG’ -  This tale involves a young woman who wakes in the dead of night to find a demon in a pig costume standing at her bedside. What this demon wants will lead Vickie on a frightening discovery of her own psyche.

Amazon.com – Kindle Version

Amazon.com – Paperback Version

The Horror ‘Zine – www.thehorrorzine.com

Imajin Books – www.imajinbooks.com

Release date: May 27^th, 2013

More Horror Fiction by Michael Thomas-Knight

Aurora ‘Forgotten Prisoner’ model kit

 

Aurora – The Forgotten Prisoner – Model Kit

Aurora / Moebius Model Kit
The Forgotten Prisoner of Castel-Mare
‘Frightening Lightning’ (glow in the dark)

This is my Forgotten Prisoner model-kit. I completed it in early May, 2013.

I did not paint the ‘skeleton or skull’ pieces because I did not want to cover the glow parts.

The rusty chains were an important detail for me. I made rust marks down the stone wall – always seen where chain meets stone.

 

Close up detail of the rusty chain and spider-webbed doorway.

see my: Tyrannosaurus vs Triceratops Model Kit

The Horror Movie Watcher… peeves part II

The Horror Movie Watcher… peeves part II
MORE things that annoy me:
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What’s in a name? part I -

The never ending sequel parade. Few sequels are as good as the original. Some franchises work well as a series of movies: Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, James Bond, etc. Some do not, but that doesn’t stop Hollywood from riding the cash cow into the dirt. (Halloween, Wrong Turn, Pumpkinhead, Children of the Corn, Hellraiser, Friday the 13^th, Nightmare on Elm) Just say NO! to lousy sequels.

  
  

What’s in a name? part II -

The never ending remake parade. I can see doing a remake if a film was shot on a low budget, was in B&W, or is over 50 years old and can really benefit from an update. War of the Worlds, Ghost Ship, Willard, The Blob, and The Thing (1982), all benefited from remakes. Most movies do not. Some actually infuriated me: The Fog, Nightmare on Elm Street, The Haunting, Carnival of Souls, and Fright Night, are all unwatchable remakes. And, I won’t even mention Evil Dead 2013 again.

   

Tired old themes-

There are some film ideas that should be put to rest forever. Three Musketeers. Tarzan. Dick Tracy. Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, Bonnie & Clyde to name a few. Early in film history, these were very popular subjects and each had several films of varying success on them. It is  - over – for these subjects. Every few years someone in Hollywood tries to resurrect these franchises. Adults would rather watch the old films and kids are not interested in these themes anymore – give ‘em up! (Although, I must say, I thought it was over for swashbuckling Pirate movies too and I was proved wrong). I would certainly put The Lone Ranger into this category. We will see if the star power of Johnny Depp can pull this tired old theme out of retirement.

       

QUESTION:
So, what tired, cliché, overused and abused themes and subjects do you think should be put to rest?