Shinya Tsukamoto the chaotic and disturbing director who brought us Tetsuo the Iron Man, and Tetsuo : Body Hammer , is preparing to release in 2010 a third installment in this maniacal collection of industrial works called Tetsuo The Bulletman.

The first Tetsuo movie is centered around a buttoned-up Japanese businessman who accidentally rams his car into a cyberpunky ‘metal fetishist’ (Tsukamoto), whose jollies include transplanting metal parts into his body. After this encounter, the businessman begins inexplicably transforming into a metal man-machine, and soon finds himself merging identities (and bodies) with the similarly mechanized fetishist.

“Impressionistic and dark, the movie at times looks like an industrial music video. All the effects are stop-motion animation and prosthetics, which manage to capture the gooey, rusting look of a man halfway between office worker and deadly machine.”

In similar fashion, Tetsuo The Bulletman is abut an American man named Anthony who works in Tokyo and is married to a Japanese woman.  Anthony morphs into Tetsuo when his son Tom is killed by the same metal fetishist who creates the Tetsuos in previous films.

Some could argue that this film is not true cyberpunk since there is not really a “punk” component of the movie’s antihero rebelling against authority or a totalitarian corporate regime set amongst futuristic dystopia. Nevertheless, this film is still considered one of the groundbreaking Japanese entries into the cyberpunk genre and can always satisfy your desire for industrial scenery.

Source: http://io9.com/5321543/tetsuo-the-iron-man-gets-a-crazy-english-sequel

Tags: cyberpunk, film, surreal horror

Goths and clove smoking has been a longtime parodied, true to form, and consistent nuance of the Gothic subculture. Anyone who has been in a Gothic or Industrial club knows the familiar sweet, yet spicy cinnamon like smell of the draped in black cancer stick. Dark, smooth and sultry these conversation starters and occasional pickup magnets never fail to attract attention until the night is over and the first rays of sunlight beckon sleep.

While I am not a cigarette smoker, I have been known to enjoy a clove here and there with a few drinks. Lately I went as far as to stuff Djarum blacks into the discontinued in the U.S., fabled red and black Sampoerna Xtras box, just to get the satisfaction of confused looks.

Author Alicia Porter Smith ponders the question on her blog Stuffgothslike , “Why do Goths smoke cloves”?

“Is it because they are worse for your health than regular cigarettes, therefore beckoning Death at an accelerated rate? “

Perhaps unconsciously the urge towards rebellion and self destruction does drive Goths toward clove smoking, however it could also be the color, spicy/sweet taste and morose appeal.

Regardless of whether one is a smoker or not, another stab at withdrawing civil liberties has been actualized. The Obama administration has approved the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, a move that gives the FDA control to regulate every aspect of  Tobacco product advertising, distribution and who knows what else. The first step of which is banning “flavored” products, or using the terms “mild” or “light”.  We all know that when something is banned, people go out of their way to try and find it, import it, or create it to no end.

If the Government was paying 100% of everyone’s health care costs, I can understand their having a say in what you put into your body – since illness related treatment and prevention would come out of their pocket, but this is not yet the case.

I say let “we the people” make our own decisions about what we can consume, grow in our backyard, or purchase…  are we one step closer to a totalitarian dystopia?

What do you think?

Tags: dystopia, goth culture

One of my all time favorite tales of wanderlust, surrealism and psychotropic pandemonium is about to get a stunning new interpretation. If the thought of a white rabbit, animated “inanimate” objects and Victorian curiosity makes you instinctively blurt out “Alice in Wonderland”, your right!

The Alice in Wonderland books were written by Lewis Carroll during the Victorian era, a time now remembered for its stifling propriety and constrictive morals and were an immediate success when published in 1865 . The creatures of wonderland have many arbitrary customs and their behaviors are all defensible with strange logic, but the customs are still silly or even cruel. There are obvious echoes of the Victorian world, as the animals are opinionated and have strong ideas about what constitutes appropriate behavior. The creatures’ preciousness and their arbitrary sensitivities mock the fastidiousness of the Victorian era – a true irony indeed.

The story always retains a sense of mystery and a fondness for the sinister; even the characters who aid Alice have a dark edge to them. The hints of mortality and the sense of fear in the books have only contributed to their popularity!

There have been numerous interpretations of this quintessential “tale” in various mediums including film, comics, giftware (like this teapot), theater, apparel and more. One of my favorite versions of the film is the twisted Jan Svankmajer Alice DVD, a dizzying blend of stop motion animation, puppets and live action – with a distinctely gothic tone and morose symbolism. Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab has a fantastic collection of Wonderland inspired scents, on their page called: Mad Tea Party.  I’ve personally had the Alice scent, which is true to it’s components and description of milk, rose, carnation, bergamont and honey.

A related film that has yet to see the light of day is Phantasmagoria: The Visions of Lewis Carroll, a film by Marilyn Manson. The film synopsis hints of “a haunted writer in an isolated castle is tormented by sleepless nights and visions of a girl named Alice. He finds himself becoming a symptom of his own invention.“ WiKi source

Perhaps we may have to wait a while for that one… but in the meantime….

Tim Burton steps forward with a stunning concept for the Alice genre. Set to release March 5, 2010 the new Alice in Wonderland film will be a blend of live action and CG – released in both regular screen format and 3D!

The seemingly very well suited cast includes:

• Caterpillar (Alan Rickman)
• Jabberwock (Christopher Lee)
• Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter)
• Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp)
• Alice (Mia Wasikowska)
• White Queen (Anne Hathaway)
• Knave of Hearts (Crispin Glover)

According to USA Today: “The traditional tale has been freshened with a blast of girl power, courtesy of writer Linda Woolverton (Beauty and the Beast). Alice, 17, attends a party at a Victorian estate only to find she is about to be proposed to in front of hundreds of snooty society types. Off she runs, following a white rabbit into a hole and ending up in Wonderland, a place she visited 10 years before yet doesn’t remember.”

I leave you with this final quote:

“But I don’t want to go among mad people,” Alice remarked. “Oh, you can’t help that,” said the Cat: “we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.” “How do you know I’m mad?” said Alice. “You must be,” said the Cat, “or you wouldn’t have come here.”

Original photos from: http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2009-06-21-alice-in-wonderland_N.htm

Any thoughts about the upcoming film, or past favorite renditions?

Tags: alice in wonderland, film, surreal horror

Just found this video, a very intersting melding of styles and imagery. The vocals are deep, brooding and gothic, with a synthy/violin sounding background which breaks into country sounding fiddle riffs, very danceable indeed, and would be tons of fun to hear at a club!

Tags: surreal horror, video

In our current age, the possibility and probability for manipulation of human and interspecies DNA is a very real and unfortunate likelihood. Genetic engineering and Eugenics have already been underway for sometime, whether it be in the laboratory, or in the attempted ethnic cleansing of WWII.

The moral, ethical and sociological issues that would be the byproduct of such practices may not deter the powers that be from continuing these projects. If one day parents are to have the choice to artificially select more “desirable” features for their offspring, should it be an option? Or could this provide the means to a deeper rift of the economic and social divide, further alienating the privileged from the have nots?

For a more passive view of the potential outcomes of such experiments, a new film project is underway called “SPLICE”.

source: Film description per Del Toro Films.

“SPLICE is being produced by Guillermo Del Toro, and stars Adrien Brody and Sarah Polly, and is being directed by Vincenzo Natali. DreadCentral reports that SPLICE is the story of two scientists, Clive and Elsa, who merge human and animal DNA in an experiment to see what comes out of it. The result is a deformed infant that grows into a beautiful winged chimera, and a bond is formed between its creators. The bond turns sour, though, when death starts raining down.”

The infamous Deathrock inspired Drop Dead Magazine has been invited by the world’s oldest Horror magazine Fangoria to do a horror music blog, called the Drop Dead Chronicles , The Cutting Edge.

You can find this fiendishly frightful blog on the Fangoria official website

source: Drop Dead Magazine

At what point do we say we are getting too into our music?

Get it here, at the apply titled : Fuckit

For the Eve of All Hallows we wanted to do a special artist commissioned, homepage feature. Having recently met Calan Ree at Convergence 14 in Tampa, FL. I wanted to incorporate her diabolical blend of black & white imagery with touches of dark red. Per Calan’s site description on her Gothic Web Comic:

“GingerDead and Friends is a weekly webcomic that revolves around a gingerbread boy, his odd silent skeletal girlfriend and the sister who wants him dead. The comics are often done in haiku and readers are encouraged to respond in the comments area in haiku.”

We wanted something spooky for Halloween, with a cemetary scene, trees, etc.. she came up with the following awesome image!

Calan’s dark and timeless artwork is available as greeting cards and art prints, visit her site at: Gingerdead.

Tags: gothic shop, Halloween

Recently I was in the market for some deep, dark, mysterious scented candles and came across just the place that seemed to fit the need…. Dark Candles. I was aware of them from finding the site online, and having seen their long running Gothic Beauty magazine ad.

I was drawn to the whimsical names and deeply erotic scents that their website conveyed, and happily settled on a large pillar candle, and some individual votive candles.

I eagerly anticipated the gothic candles arrival, and was quite pleased upon opening the box (wish I took a photo). Each candle was wrapped according to the theme of the candle… the Bonfire candle (a limited time special) was a subtle and complex testament to fall, orange in color, with hints of crisp, damp leaves, pumpkin and spices, and was even tied with a Halloween themed twist tie!

One of the other standouts was the Nosferatu candle, which held true to their site description:

“Deep, mysterious, and masculine – packed with Arabian Spices, Turkish oils, and Indian resins. This is a dark spicy scent reminiscent of the 1930’s Nosferatu.”

Besides the great presentation, quality and scent of each candle, I got way more than I bargained for, with little extras like Halloween stickers, some sample wax melts and more. So if your in the market for some excellent Gothic candles, give them a try!

Tags: Halloween

The Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC is hosting a decadently Gothic exhibit featuring the many nuances of the Gothic mythos, clothed in macabre outfits and accessories. The event runs September 5th 2008 – February 21, 2009. The displays are set up in several fanciful chambers featuring themes like: Mourning, Ruined Castle, and Cabinet of Curiosities. It’s nice to see the gothic aesthetic get serious treatment at a high profile event.

Gothic is an epithet with a strange history, evoking images of death, destruction, and decay. It is not just a word that describes something (such as a Gothic cathedral); it is almost inevitably a term of abuse, implying that something is gloomy, barbarous, and macabre. Ironically, its negative connotations have made it, in some respects, ideal as a symbol of rebellion.

“Obscurity is vertiginous. . . . When the eye sees black, the spirit sees trouble. . . . In the night, even the strong feel anxious.”
~ Victor Hugo, Les Miserables

source: FIT: Dark Glamour