History of the Gestapo

Last night I finished reading The Gestapo: A History of Horror by Jacques Delarue.

In short, this is the history of the Gestapo from before it's founding to the fall of the Third Reich.

It's important to point out that the author was a part of the French Resistance, so to him it wasn't just an academic question, but an actual part of his life. This affects the book in two ways.

First, a good portion of the book concerns the activities of the Gestapo in France, which is fine, but I would have liked an overview of it's activities in the other occupied countries as well. They are mentioned in passing, but nowhere near at the same level as France.

Second, it gets a bit preachy at times. Ideally a historical work should remain neutral at all times, and let the facts, good and bad speak for themselves. In my opinion, you don't need to state that the actions taken by the Nazi secret police were bad, but seeing that the author was directly affected by the Gestapo, I get it. And it doesn't happen all that much.

I liked this book. I have read several other books about the Third Reich and the S.S. and some have been a real slog to get through. This one is very easy, not just to read, but also to keep track of. The author repeats events and dates just enough to help you understand what happened when and how it affected other events. This makes it all easy to follow.

I also liked the way the book keeps up the bigger picture as this gives perspective. It's easy to think that the Nazi big wigs were a team, but in reality they were a loose confederation of warring chieftains, viciously fighting each other for prestige and power.

If you are interested in the dark chapter of human history that is Nazi Germany, then I would say it's essential to dive into Gestapo's history since it was one of the principal tools used to keep the regime in power. I guess there could be better books out there, but The Gestapo: A History of Horror is absolutely good enough. It doesn't go too deep, it is more of an overview, but this is essential or everything would get hopelessly bogged down.

I guess the take-away here is that I recommend this book.

Until next time, have a great week!

Paper cuts

Where would modern society be without paper?

We use it to share ideas, entertain each other, fine lawbreakers, build things, create art etc. The myriad uses we have for paper are too many to list here, but did you know that you can use it to cut things?

We've all at some point or another suffered that cruelest of cuts, the paper cut. It hurts like nothing else, but yesterday I found a video concerning the mother of all paper cuts: the powered paper cut.

The Youtube channel in question, ZombieGoBoom, is about a small group of guys who test weapons, tools, every day items, even toys to see if they're any good at killing zombies.

They have themselves designed and created a range of zombie heads that are 99% correct analogs of the human head. Since you know, the only reliable way to put down a zombie is to destroy its brain.

The video below is only one of several that you can find online if you're interested in cutting things with paper, but being the lover of the macabre that I am, I chose this one. I suppose the takeaway from this is that if you absolutely must cut something and you have no other options available, you can use paper, card stock, or cardboard.

So enjoy the awesome power of humble paper, and until we see each other again, have a zombie free week!

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUsxXQmQnGg

Have a good laugh

One evening, while rummaging around on Youtube, I found a documentary called Laughing at the Eighties.

It's not, as you might assume, a mockery on the eighties itself, but rather a look at British comedy of that time.

It's narrated by Ben Elton, the man who amongst his other accomplishments, co-wrote Blackadder 2-4, The Young Ones and many more. He interviews many of the greats in British comedy, as well as sharing some of his own anecdotes.

Then there's the follow up, Laughing at the Nineties. This is narrated by Jennifer Saunders, of both French&Saunders and Absolutely Fabulous fame, to name her biggest creations. As with the Eighties documentary, it analyzes the comedy of the decade and contains a plethora of comedy stars.

Predictably of course, this is followed up with Laughing at the Noughties, this time headed by Catherine Tate. We get an insight into how British comedy yet again has changed, but in the first decade of the new millennium.

As a life long fan of the British school of comedy, I found this trilogy incredibly interesting as well as entertaining. We see how comedy in the 80's changed from the old ways and became politicized, making fun of the establishment, and the police. Not the nine o'clock news, Spitting Image etc.

The nineties brought a new way of life and thinking and comedy evolved again. If course, the 2000's made comedy change once more. I'm not going to go through it here, watch the documentaries instead.

I do want to share one thought that struck me. In medieval times, kings had jesters who could mock and deride things and people that would get others beheaded. It's said that this was not just entertainment, but a form of social critique that gave the king food for thought. What I came to understand is that the jesters aren't gone. They are on television, instead of the throne room.

That's in for today, go forth and have a good laugh, and until next time, have a fun week!

Laughing at the Eighties: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo-6AB08CFM

Laughing at the Nineties:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mgCWxcBkC8

Laughing at the Noughties:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqqCjuV9mSs

The Return of the Living Dead

Last week I talked about The Blob, and I hinted at another 80's horror classic. Well here we are, and today's topic is the original The Return of the Living Dead and it's two sequels. I learned that there are a couple of new additions to the franchise made in 2005, but I have never seen them, so I'm ignoring them.

The original TRotLD was created as a homage/sequel/spoof of George Romero's Night of the Living Dead, but when they wrote the script, back in the seventies, they didn't know that Romero was in fact already working on his own sequel, Dawn of the Dead. That's why he didn't want to direct TRotLD.

In fact, the story uses Night of the Living Dead as a plot point, stating that the film was based on a real event, and that's why zombies are real.

The common thread of the trilogy is that a chemical, 2-4-5 Trioxin, can resurrect the dead. It can also turn living people into zombies if they inhale it. The zombies, however, are pretty interesting from a horror history point of view. As far as I can tell, this is where the idea that zombies shamble around and moan “Brains” comes from. In previous movies, including Romero's classic, the undead said nothing and ate everything, particularly the entrails. In TRotLD they only really care about brains. Whats also noteworthy, is the fact that the zombies can both talk and use tools if they choose to. Further more, a shot to the head is not guaranteed to put them down.

The first TRotLD (1985), is a horror comedy. It's silly and messy, but it has fun with itself, and that's important, as it adds a certain charm to the movie. I can't talk about the plot too much,without running into spoiler territory, suffice to say that the chemical is accidentally released and the dead rise. Chaos follows. All things considered, this is actually a good movie.

TRotLD 2 (1988), is a bit unbalanced. It's more of a comedy than the original, and in my opinion it tries too hard and fails a bit to deliver. It both follows and ignores to first film, which is weird. But it's biggest flaw, is one of the main characters: Jesse. He is the typical 80's heroic know-it-all kid, and man is he annoying. Further more, where the first film's characters weren't exactly amazing, they had personalities. Here they are completely one dimensional, to the point of being suicidally dumb. It also recycles jokes from the original, but without updating them. It's more of a “Hey, here's that joke you liked again. Isn't it funny?” No, it isn't. It's almost as if it tries to be mainstream and kid friendly. But it's still a bloody zombie film. Good choice.

If you're only going to watch one entry in the franchise, watch the original and skip this.

TRotLD 3 (1993) is a very different creature from it's predecessors. There is no comedy to be seen here. It's a dark, cruel horror piece, through and through. It has more in common with Resident Evil or 28 Days Later than its own franchise. Again, I won't spoil anything, just be warned that it's nothing like what came before.

For me, it's a bit of a mixed bag. It has it's moments, but it's not terribly good.

Ultimately, The Return of the Living Dead can stand tall as a formative part of Horror Cinema. All the movies have moments that make you face palm in disbelief over how stupid some characters are, but in the end it's definitely worth it. If you are a horror fan, and you haven't seen these, correct that oversight at the first possible opportunity.

That's that. Until next time, have a great week and stay away from zombies and weird military containers.

The Blob

Let's take a step back, all the way to 1988. That's when they remade a classic horror movie from 1958, namely The Blob. Fun fact: Steve McQueen headlined the original Blob.

Anyway, I didn't see either version until a few years later when they used to run all the horror classics (and a few less classic movies) during the summer on TV.

So, the 1988 Blob. Essentially it's a sentient, moving pile of pink slime that eats people. It's gory and gooey, all in all pretty disgusting, precisely what you want from a cheesy horror movie. It's also pretty inconsistent with it's own rules, when it bothers to give any rules.

There are a couple of points though, that really shine through. First of all the main heroine, Meg, played very well by Shawnee Smith who went on to star in the Saw franchise. Although Meg faints the first time she sees the Blob eat someone, she goes on to really save the day. She is certainly no shrinking violet who stands around and screams until the hero comes and rescues her. To the contrary, she rescues the hero, Brian, just as much as he rescues her. A very nice balance, seldom seen.

The second point I'd like to make is the script itself. It's really well written in how it presents the small town, it's skiing resort, and the artificial blizzard cannons they need to keep the resort nice and snowy. It does all this in the first five - ten minutes of the film without you really noticing it. It absolutely does not hit you over the head with the information like a lesser film would. It goes by during the “everything is normal” phase. Blink and you'll miss it.

Finally, The Blob ties up all the loose threads. As far as I can tell, it leaves nothing hanging. Even minor side character arcs are wrapped up nicely. A very rare feature indeed.

Is it silly? Yes. Is it corny and cliched? Yes. But it's also pretty good. So ultimately if you're in the mood for a monster movie, give The Blob a chance. I can't speak to the original '58 version, I simply don't remember it well enough anymore, its been some twenty years since I saw it.

So until next time, when we might well revisit another horror classic from years gone by, have a great week!

Twin Peaks 2017

Well, the time has finally come. After the prophesied twenty-five years, Twin Peaks is back!

I didn't watch the original Twin Peaks back in 1990 when it ran on TV, but several of my class mates did, and they raved about it. It wasn't until I met my wife, almost ten years later, who had the whole thing on VHS that I saw the whole thing, and I loved it.

Twin Peaks is weird, odd, funny and chilling, all at the same time. It's also surreal, strange, brilliant and heavily symbolic. A murder mystery at heart that goes off the deep end with a gleeful howl. All of this is true, but it also doesn't really do it justice. Being the brain child of David Lynch, that kind of goes without saying.

Towards the end of the original run, Laura Palmer tells Agent Dale Cooper, See you in 25 years and that's how long it's been, and now it's back.

It premiered yesterday, and the few reviews I have been able to find are mostly positive. Like with all of Lynch's works, it will probably take time to digest, but I'm hopeful. I should probably point out that I haven't seen the new stuff myself yet.

It seems that Lynch has grabbed every original actor he could to continue the story, which I like, but it remains to be seen whether it's to give you a sense of nostalgia or because the story genuinely needs it. It is a continuation, but from what people can tell, also more. There are locations in New York and Las Vegas, which indicates a wider mystery than we've seen so far. All very interesting indeed.

Although there are a couple of episodes out, it's much too early to really form an opinion, but I'm cautiously optimistic. I really liked the original show, and I hope the new one isn't as boringly bland as the X-files restart was. Time will tell.

Point of order: if you haven't seen the original 29 episodes and the movie Fire walk with me, then you're going to have to watch them first. No synopsis or explanation is going to really help. It's as much an experience as a story.

Well, I'm off. Until we see each other again, have a great week!

Oculus Rift Touch

Last Friday, I visited a friend. My friend who owns an Oculus Rift to be precise.

I've talked before about my very first VR experience, and how amazing it was, but what I didn't know was that my friend has now gotten his hands on the Oculus Rift Touch, the virtual room experience.

For those who are not in the know, this means that you stand in the middle of the room, the VR headset on, and motion controllers in each hand. You become completely immersed in the world of your choosing, able to look around, including behind you and it's all there.

The first game I got to try out was Robo Recall, a sci-fi game where hordes of robots attack you and you get to shoot them. Or grab them and toss them around at will. This was incredibly cool as you actually have to physically aim your guns in order to hit anything. A far cry from using a mouse or normal controller. The robots run at you from all sides, they jump down from ledges allowing you to shoot them out of the air if you can.

Sure, at first the whole thing felt a bit alien, but soon enough I got the hang of it. You don't walk in the game, since that would either give you motion sickness (or you would fall over) or you'd crash into something. Instead you teleport around at will, destroying robots like the action hero we've all dreamed about being at some point in our lives.

Without a doubt one of the coolest action sci-fi experiences I have ever played.

The other game I tried is Wilson's Heart. A horror/thriller game set in the 1940's. It's interestingly done in black and white, with a Noir art style that invokes the films of the era.

Here, you are an inmate or patient in a very messed up sanitarium where evil occult stuff has gone down. Again, as with Robo Recall you can't walk around, but there are spots you can warp to in order to gather clues and items. This was actually even cooler. To be able to stand in a huge reception area and look around at the vaulted ceiling and all the little details made it feel as if I was actually there. You could also pick up things, twist them around, throw them away, or toss them up and catch them with your other hand. Likewise, you actually had to grab door handles and turn them to open doors.

This may sound simple, but these tiny details truly sell the experience. And it makes it a thousand times worse when a nurse suddenly appear behind you...

Also, at one point I came to a room where the outer wall had a huge gaping hole in it. I stood at the edge of the aperture and looked down. I'm not sure I could have stepped off even if the game had let me, it felt that real.

This meas that a game like Assassin's Creed would be on every level absolutely terrifying to play in VR, but museum tours would totally work. Someone needs to do a virtual tour of the great castles of the world, starting with Neuschwanstein Castle.

I could go on, gushing about how amazing this was, bu I think you get the point. If you get a chance to try out VR or room VR, try it. Maybe something easy first, it's new way of doing things after all.

Until next time, have a great week!