AFTER SEVEN WONDERFUL DAYS [at the
Toronto After Dark Film Fest] I had the misfortune of sitting through a remake of the 1978 notorious exploitation movie I Spit On Your Grave. I was be- trayed by the anger I felt after having watched this movie. I think that intense, heated emotions are the kind of reaction that director Steven R. Mon- roe was going for, and quite frankly, I don’t think this movie is deserving of such a response. Al- though it is polished and the cinematography is good, the controversy surrounding it is merely be- cause of the extended sequence of sexual vio- lence that befalls Jennifer Hills (Sarah Butler). Women have been treated like sec- ond-class citizens for centuries, and using rape as a vehicle for entertainment is both depressing and an outrage. There exists a small school of thought that suggests ISOYG is an ode to fe- male empowerment, since the main char- acter musters up the intestinal fortitude to off her attackers. It seems obvious to me that this is flawed logic since the female lead’s “empowerment” is predicated on the fact that she was gang-raped in the first half of the movie. I am certainly no prude when it comes to the horror genre. Movies such as High Tension, Irreversible and Inside present many incredibly disturbing im- ages of violence against women, but done in such a way that it is not the focal point of the movie. Simply put, ISOYG had no business being remade. While the revenge sequences were inventive and cathartic, it doesn’t make up for the first half of the movie. And for those who are enthusiasts of this subgenre of horror, why don’t you save up your money, pack a camcorder and head to Darfur or Rwanda? (Although I’m certain our sisters over- seas would not find their wartime experiences “entertaining.”) There should be nothing enter- taining about rape. SHAWNA LACASSE – SUDBURY, ONTARIO
HOW BORING IS THAT? A bunch of piranhas
attacking boaters and people playing in the water. It’s played out and the only good fish movie is
Jaws. Piranha 3D will never stand up to the clas- sic, and I will not be seeing this dead fish movie. I don’t care if it is in 3-D. Yawn! PAUL DALE ROBERTS
– ELK GROVE, CALIFORNIA MY NAME IS CAMERON ROBERTS. I am thir-
teen-years-old and I was watching [the Space Channel documentary] Zombiemania and saw [Editor-in-Chief Dave Alexander] on the show and I wanted to ask him a few questions about zom- bies. I have thought about what I would do if a zombie attack was imminent and I was wondering what your plan is? I live relatively in the country so there aren’t very many homes where I live. And I will also say that I do believe that something along the lines of a zombie attack could happen, like something man-made that the gov- ernment developed. Also, what would your primary weapon be against zom- bies? Thanks. Get back to me. CAMERON ROBERTS – RURAL ONTARIO
Hi Cameron. I should start by saying
that you shouldn’t worry about a zom- bie attack. But just in case, living in the country means that you’re in a safer place. I would make sure that I
had plenty of fresh water available and plenty of food that won’t spoil right away. I would definitely try to help others looking to escape the zombies because the most important thing to remember during a zombie invasion is to work together. Also make sure you lock your doors. Does your home have a fireplace or a wood stove? If so, have a lot of firewood handy, as the power might go out. In addition to this, a hand-cranked radio and flash- light would be very useful so you can listen for news and won’t have to worry about running out of batteries. My primary weapon against zombies would be the one thing that they really want: my brains. Zombies are pretty dumb, so I’d outsmart them by being sneaky and very careful. But, hav- ing a baseball bat handy wouldn’t hurt, just in case. Hopefully that puts your mind at ease. Take care, Cameron. – Dave
GREETINGS FIENDS, I’m a 44-year-old Monster
Kid who loves everything horror: DVDs, CDs, comics, art and collectibles. Any chance of making a special Rue Morgue issue about all of the bands
who dedicate their music to horror-related topics? I collect all four of the main horror magazines. Every monster fan should buy Famous Monsters of Filmland #251 (amazing). I am only missing RM#8, RM#9, RM#10, RM#11 and RM#14. Anyone who can help me find these issues would be for- ever thanked. Horror fan eternal. RICH VINCENT NOBERT
– PENTICTON, BRITISH COLUMBIA [Your best bet for rare RM back issues is to keep
an eye on eBay – Ed.] THIS IS IN REPLY TO DAVID SHULTS, who is
looking for a copy of Death Spa (RM#102). The best place to look is
iOffer.com, which I have bought from frequently, including that very title. You can find just about anything there, if you’re willing to look around. Hope this helps. MIKE MCCULLOUGH
– SELBYVILLE, DELAWARE I JUST READ APRIL SNELLING’S ARTICLE
(RM#101) on the forthcoming The Walking Dead TV series. I was especially pleased to read that An- drew Lincoln was cast as Rick Grimes. The article doesn’t mention it but Lincoln previously starred in a fantastic UK series called Afterlife, created and co-written by Stephen Volk, whose legendary Ghostwatch should already be familiar to your readers. Afterlife ran for two seasons (2005-2006) on ITV. Lincoln played Robert Bridge, a university professor who is skeptical of psychic phenomena. Leslie Sharp co-starred as Alison Mundy, a psychic who is plagued with a near-constant communica- tion with the dead. Afterlife explores Alison and Robert’s complex and often conflicting relationship as they try to understand the spiritual world from their own perspectives. I don’t remember if After- life has been covered in RM, but this is some damn scary television. I didn’t sleep for weeks after watching the episode “Sleeping with the Dead!”
BRIAN J. SHOWERS – DUBLIN, IRELAND
WE ENCOURAGE READERS TO SEND THEIR COMMENTS VIA MAIL OR EMAIL. LETTERS MAY BE EDITED FOR LENGTH AND/OR CONTENT. PLEASE SEND TO
INFO@RUE-MORGUE.COM OR:
POST MORTEM TORONTO, ONTARIO M6P 1Y8 CANADA
C/O RUE MORGUE MAGAZINE 2926 DUNDAS STREET WEST
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