31 Days of Halloween: The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster

2023, Bomani J Story (feature debut) -- download

You can tell from the get go that Bomani J Story doesn't want his directorial debut to pigeon hole him into  the horror genre. It starts agnostically, with strong characters and music choices that could squarely place it into the type of intentional indie movies I often pine for, but really, don't watch all that much anymore. This is a very deliberate movie, both as a Frankenstein adaptation (inspired by?) and as a commentary on growing up black in America.

That last bit, I find it challenging to write about. I often wonder if I have the right to comment on it, but to not do so, to only tell the movie from its purest horror movie elements, would do it injustice. This movie is nothing without its setting and characters. So, I will do what I always end up doing, which is write only from my perspective, as its really all I have.

Vicaria (Laya DeLeon Hayes, The Equalizer TV) is a teen girl obsessed with death. As the movie relates, she heard her mother's last heart beat, as the two were sitting, hugging, and her mother was struck by a stray bullet. Her neighbourhood, a "project" of sorts, not as urban and without the towers, is still very much a place where people who cannot afford to be elsewhere, go. It is controlled by the gangs, and if pop culture educates me properly, the "bloods" as defined by the red bandanas. The death continues as her older brother joins the gang and is shot down. In his grief, her father falls to using crack in the little time he has between working two jobs. Vicaria strives to excel, attending a local "white school" in order to benefit from STEM resources, but is far too strong-headed for the teachers. If she was white, they would jokingly dismiss her constant banter about curing death, and move on. But no, she gets to sent to detention, and when she protests, she is slammed to the ground by the rent-a-cop.

This is Vicaria's world. Its not pleasant, and it has had more than a little impact on her mental state.

She literally believes death can be cured, and goes all mad scientist in a nearby abandoned building is doing something with dead bodies, including that of her brother. On another night of stray bullets, as she watches them unsuccessfully try to resuscitate a young boy she is inspired as to what she needs for her resurrection ritual -- electricity. We will forgive this conceit for even if this isn't a world where Mary Shelley wrote a story, Vicaria should have seen electric cardiac stimulation before. But no matter, she takes down her local grid and zaps the fuck out of her dead brother.

Man, the practical effects team here won the day! From the Dr. Frankenstein gurney made of an old door and bicycle parts, to the utterly gruesome monster that her brother becomes!!

Chris wakes up, but holey Hell is her horrific! This is not the cliche "she dug up fresh bodies" tale of Frankenstein, but a long in the ground decaying body who did not get proper mortuary care. A monster indeed !! But Vicaria is not afraid of him until he grasps her leaving burns/marks that left me wondering if he came back from the other side with.. other powers. But no, its more a Mark of the Dead and while Vicaria did bring him back out of grief, and for revenge, when she sees him try to murder one of the runners who supply the community with drugs, she feels instant regret.

This is where the tale turns. Vicaria has created a monster and seemingly only wants to avoid her mistake, not expecting the terrible events that would unfurl after. And it all goes so terribly, horrifically wrong for her and her family. She becomes the instrument of her own tragedy, and the further degradation of her own mental state.

Spoiler.

The movie ends as Chris / The Monster has murdered not only the drug dealers in the neighbourhood but also all of Vicaria's extended family. The Monster does what a monster does. But Vicaria has a light bulb moment, and ... well, she resurrects all of them, including her pregnant cousin. Its chilling. Its repellant. They may have been "fresh" but... what else has happened to them? What else will they become? What will be the final consequences of Vicaria's actions?

For me, the movie kind of lost it in the final act. In much the way Vicaria loses control of her creation, in honesty she never had it, the story seems to be abandon its creator, escaping something poetic and creative for something more visceral and schlocky. While I like the movie so much more than much of the dross we end up watching during this season (a necessary act, to find the gems), I am somewhat disappointed he lost the thread of his own adapted tale. 

31 Days of Horror: Vampire Girl vs Frankenstein Girl

2009, Yoshihiro Nishimura -- download

What can be said about this genre of absurdist Japanese horror-comedy?  It is all about being gory, offensive, outrageous and over the top.  That the genre chooses some classic monster ideas this time is just the structure. But really, that is no more ludicrous than the sexploitation movies of America which attached any sub-genre to the chance to show lots of bared breasts and horny men.

The movie starts with the standard melodramatic monologue of a male character bemoaning the circumstances that got him into this situation as he leads a wounded girl along a seaside road. Immediately they are set upon by three stitched together girls of the gothic lolita variety and Vampire Girl reveals herself.  The short battle is beyond silly as she first strips the flesh from one frankie lolita with her teeth in a method that reminds one of peeling apples.  She makes similar work of the other two, stacking their clacking skulls in a pile. Offensive scene one?  Vampire Girl can generate weapons from her blood and with a long arm spike, impales one frankie in the manner that many Japanese horror anime do; and then twists and turns gleefully until the spike pops out the top of her head. Three dead frankenstein chicks and one blood soaked vampire chick.

The movie then flashes back to the story that led to this battle. It pulls out all the usual anime/manga plot elements of high school kids, the new transfer student, jealous girlfriends and over enthusiastic school clubs.  There is some amusing commentary in referencing the cutter club that have competitions of wrist slashing. Offensive scene two? The school ganguro girls, that are said to use makeup techniques that smack of blackface, are beyond the suggestion of it and are definitely trying to be black.  And in the most offensive stereotypes you can come up with.  The Japanese must be jaded about severed limbs and spurting blood every ten seconds to add this to the movie, just to shock us.

Vampire Girl wants pretty boy but his gothic lolita girlfriend denies her. Meanwhile the lolita's science teacher dad is doing Dr. Frankenstein experiments in the basement in kabuki costume (???) with his evil naughty nurse. I have no idea why the introduction of these characters looks like the combination of a music video and a game show, but it did.  Due to a crossing of the stars, vampire blood is found and introduced to Dr. Frank's experiments giving him his first animated flesh success.  And then his daughter dies in a confrontation with Vampire Girl. He is ecstatic as she gives him the perfect body to work on.

Yeah, you can guess where it goes. More deaths, gothic lolitas turned into frankie lolitas and battle scene after battle scene mixed with ridiculous melodrama of pretty boy being yearned after by his pretty exchange student vampire girlfriend. Its all intentional but I admit I had to pull most laughs out and just spent most of the time shaking my head.  They went all the way for the absurd just doing whatever took their fancy.  It was worth the watch to be introduced to  this genre but its not like I will be seeking out any more.