Vampires, Zombies and, uh, Ron Jeremy
Scot Skinner - Arizona Daily Star
Sep 11, 2009
Thinking back, I can't help but shiver as I recall the scariest vampire movie ever made.
Or so it seemed to me as an 8-year-old watching "Dracula Has Risen From the Grave" at the drive-in theater in Safford.
The drive-in had a swing set right in front of the screen, and usually my brother and I watched the movies from there.
But this one was too creepy for comfort, and one early, inexplicably terrifying moment sent me and my brother running back to the safety of our red Volvo.
All I remember is a cold, bloodthirsty Christopher Lee staring into the camera, an image that haunted my dreams for weeks.
Having had the bejesus scared out of me, a condition made worse by my dad's merciless teasing, I swore off vampire movies for years after that.
But bloodsuckers are pretty much unavoidable in television, literature and movies these days, although the creators of "True Blood" and "Twilight" are interested mostly in the sex appeal of the undead.
Alan Ball's "True Blood" is a about a telepathic barmaid, Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), who is dating a gentlemanly vampire named Bill (Stephen Moyer).
But like the best vampire films, "True Blood" works on more than one level at once. You can take it at face value, and the faces are mostly pretty, while also admiring all the sneaky metaphors and allusions. While last season drew parallels between vampire rights and the fight for gay rights, this season sinks its teeth deep into terrorism, torture and religious fanaticism.
Mainly, however, it's just a wild, sensual ride that feels startling and fresh. "True Blood" obviously has struck a chord with viewers, who have made it HBO's highest-rated series since "The Sopranos."
The "Twilight" saga, which continues with the opening of "New Moon" in November, is a more restrained and less overtly sexual beast. I haven't the foggiest whether the Stephenie Meyer books or the movies are worth seeing, but I do know that teens are crazy over the whole shebang.
And so it was inevitable that young, handsome vampires would show up on the fall television lineup.
"The Vampire Diaries" debuts on the CW at 7 tonight. It's a teen- oriented fantasy based on the L.J. Smith novels.
And then there's "Zombieland," a post-apocalyptic comedy starring Woody Harrelson about a zombie plague in America. The latest Hollywood take on the living dead opens in movie theaters on Oct. 2.
Three weeks later, we'll see the opening of "Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant." It's about a teenager's encounter with a vampire (John C. Reilly) that lands him in a traveling freak show. It co-stars Salma Hayek, no stranger to vampire films ("From Dusk Till Dawn" anyone?).
But the rampaging vampire craze doesn't end there. Matt Reeves will direct a remake of the Swedish vampire film "Let the Right One In," and Tim Burton confirmed that he'll bring the television soap opera "Dark Shadows" to the big screen. It will star Johnny Depp as the 175-year-old Barnabas Collins.
Naturally, an Arizona filmmaker has jumped into fang-baring mode. Brian Skiba's "Blood Moon Rising," set during the summer of 1969, is a grindhouse tale of misguided love and revenge, complete with zombies, werewolves and vampires.
If I heard Skiba correctly, the the hero of the story is the great-great-grandchild of Lucy, the daughter of the devil sent to Earth to open the gates of hell.
"It has an 'Evil Dead' feel to it," said Skiba, 33, of his first feature film, which stars his producing partner Laurie Love and porn star Ron Jeremy.
Skiba, an Arizona State University grad, said he signed up the hirsute porn star because he needed someone with "good name recognition."
"We called his agent and sent him the script, and next thing I know I got a call from him and he wanted to do it."
Jeremy plays a flashy movie producer named Phil who arrives on the set of a zombie flick and promptly mistakes real zombies for movie zombies, ultimately resulting in his own zombification.
"He's part of the movie within the movie," said Skiba.
Jeremy, listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for "Most Appearances in Adult Films," will sign autographs at the Tucson premiere of "Blood Moon Rising" on Saturday night at Tower Theatres, 8031 N. Business Park Drive in Marana. Tickets are $9 and the screening starts at 7:30.
But wait, there's more Ron Jeremy where that came from.
Turns out he's also featured in "Trade In," an independent movie filmed entirely in Tucson that will premiere at the Fox Tucson Theatre on Sept. 19. See next week's Caliente for more about that one.
Finally, let me tell you about yet another vampire movie that's headed our way.
Opening Oct. 16 at the Loft Cinema, "Thirst" is the latest from Korean director Park Chan-wook("Old Boy," "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance").
A box-office smash in Korea, it's described as a stylish tale about a priest who becomes a vampire. A review in the New York Daily News called it "nasty fun" and "a vampire movie for grown-ups."
Hmm, we shall see.
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