C O R V O » Creature Features

CAMERA OBSCURA Trailer Ghosts & Music

Corvo — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 02:55:27 +0000

Lots of exciting stuff going on at The Crow’s Nest in the land of ancient demons and the camera that captures them! The biggest undertaking of all was completed yesterday: a brand-new lyrical CORVO track – called HIDE – written specifically for an entire CAMERA OBSCURA episode. It was a daunting and extremely satisfying chapter for us, and you’ll get to see/hear it about six episodes in. We’re still not sure on a release date, but we’ll keep ya posted.

In the meantime, here’s some crunchy little nuggets of CAMERA OBSCURA goodness to tide you over… enjoy!
-NiNi + G9

CAMERA OBSCURA TRAILER:

Camera Obscura Trailer from MWG Entertainment on Vimeo.

CAMERA OBSCURA SET VISIT & REAL GHOST STORIES:

Camera Obscura: Drew Daywalt set tour from Bender / Helper Impact on Vimeo.

[ More Monsters at FEARnet.com ] [ More Exclusive Set Photos at Dread Central ]

What is CAMERA OBSCURA?

Corvo — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 03:36:09 +0000

A spellbinding, Lovecraftian web series with an iconic leading actor [Jack Klugman], a prolific director with a true passion for horror [Drew Daywalt of FEWDIO], a very “real” cast of characters with actors we instantly felt connected to, an intense and tightly woven script that kept us awake at night, a hideous lot of horrifying creatures [that keep us awake at night], a creepy hospital from the original Nightmare on Elm Street, and a creative endeavor that has kept us blissfully challenged with exploring sounds we’ve never done before.

And finally, this week, we can show you a little CAMERA OBSCURA, because sneak peeks of the series have started rolling out at some great sites, so enjoy the features below. Although this teaser video will give you a hint of how the series is looking, the music in the teaser is not by CORVO. Nope, you’ll have to wait until the actual episodes begin airing to hear OUR demons, so… stay tuned, because we’ll keep you posted as we get closer to the October premiere!

A MOTHER of a Scene from CAMERA OBSCURA:
[ E-News Subscribers, click on this link to watch the video ]

Camera Obscura: teaser from MWG Entertainment on Vimeo.

In each exclusive below, is a different set of behind-the-scenes images!

^v^ + <3,
NiNi + G9

G9 Interviews John Carpenter at FEARnet!

Corvo — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 05:04:39 +0000

Need we really say more? …Didn’t think so.

[ FEARnet Exclusive: John Carpenter Talks 'Prince of Darkness" Soundtrack Re-Release" ]

A Screaming Scene From G9's Viddy-Ewwws [12.06.08]

Corvo — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 05:49:09 +0000

The Friday 13s: Vampires, J-Rock & Demon Slayers, Oh My!

Corvo — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 01:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the first edition of The Friday 13s, otherwise known as “NiNi talks about all sorts of crazy shite in thirteen words or less.” Mostly multi-media stuff, but y’know… a few fashion-y, geeky, gear related or web things may work their way into the mix. My goal is to spurt out the first things that come to my mind with very little editing, and to keep each snippet at 13 words or less… can I do it? This week, sure. Regularly? We’ll see!

If you’ve read/seen/heard any of the items I’ve blurbed here, I’d love to hear read your thoughts in the comments… but you can write more than 13 words if y’want! -NiNi

RATINGS SCALE:
5 Slashes = Best. Thing. EVER. Will you marry me?
4 Slashes = Will probably become 5-slash material after a few more tries.
3 Slashes = Totally fun, and worth the time and money.
2 Slashes = Only deserves this much because it had some entertainment value.
1 Slash = Why did I waste my time?

TWILIGHT (The TWILIGHT Saga, Book 1) [ Stephenie Meyer ]

Brooding, swooning teens not your style? Keep reading! Vampire-life after high school rocks.

[ 3/5 SLASHES ]

NEW MOON (The TWILIGHT Saga, Book 2)

Worst. Birthday. Ever. Vegetarian vamps get human-hungry. There’s hope! Werewolves have more fun.

[ 4/5 SLASHES ]

ECLIPSE Special Edition (The TWILIGHT Saga, Book 3)

The series page-turner. Bizarre love triangles, werewolf and Cullen family histories slayed me.

[ 5/5 SLASHES ]

BREAKING DAWN (The TWILIGHT Saga, Book 4)

Vampire revolution becomes species evolution. Read between the lines for thought-provoking social depth.

[ 4/5 SLASHES ]

UROBOROS [CD] [ Dir en Grey ]

A jaw-dropping work of art. Brutally experimental, but plenty of J-Rock hooks linger.

[ 5/5 SLASHES ]

HEAVY METAL PARKING LOT [DVD]

Aqua Net, spandex and booze? ‘80s metal “represent!” A real-life head bangers’ ball.

[ 4/5 SLASHES ]

THE ACCIDENTAL DEMON SLAYER [ Angie Fox ]

Buffy with Willow’s personality. Once you’ve loved a griffin, you can’t go vamp!

*Bonus: NiNi’s Biker Witch Name is Lusty Lucinda Fast Pants [Boo-Ya]!
What’s your biker name? [ Take the quiz ] and let me know!

[ 4/5 SLASHES ]

SERVANT: THE AWAKENING (SERVANT The Series, Book 1) [ L.L. Foster ]

Urban Gothic powerhouse with delicious sexual tension, and a riveting anti-heroine with heart.

[ 5/5 SLASHES ]

Monster Holidays: Wendigo

Corvo — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 04:15:09 +0000

As the bleak midwinter looms over the horizon, a craving for cold, hard horror works its way into my psyche. Lately, I find myself thinking of the mythical monster born out of Native American legend, the Wendigo. According to ancient lore, the only way to kill a Wendigo is to shatter its heart of ice.

Two of my favorite Wendigo films include the appropriately-titled Wendigo, and The Last Winter, both creations of indie master of horror, Larry Fessenden. Each film is very different, but the similarities send shivers down the spine, with settings in the dead of winter, characters and plots each trapped in a hellish wilderness of isolation and sub-zero darkness. Both films are also chilling cautionary tales. Wendigo may make people think a bit more carefully about killing animals and owning guns, while the more recent The Last Winter may make Sarah Palin abruptly end her campaign cry of “drill baby drill.”

Although the black comedy-horror Ravenous isn’t “marketed” as a Wendigo film, the bitter cold winters and presence of Native American characters and mythology are just the tip of the iceberg. Robert Carlyle’s frightening depiction of the immortal and crazed colonial cannibal embodies everything about the Wendigo spirit, therefore, I now officially declare Ravenous to be one of my favorite Wendigo films. The human flesh stew and biscuits is really what did it for me. And if you really want to devour the Wendigo spirit [had to get a "devour" in there!], after you’ve seen the film, if you’re a huge horror movie score addict like G9 and myself, Michael Nyman’s Ravenous: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is utterly creeptastic. Listen to it while you dive into a bowl of beef stew… and if you’re a vegetarian… well, this would be one of those times you’ll be especially glad for it!

Many people associate the Wendigo with werewolves, so another great icy-hearted monster film is Ginger Snaps Back – The Beginning. The last film released in the toothy-trilogy, Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning is actually a prequel, delving into the past lives of the sisters, and the roots of their Wendigo-werewolf bloodlines. I’m not one to like prequels too much, but Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning had the biggest bite out of the Snaps “entrees,” and it remains one of my favorite horror films of all time. Similar to Ravenous, Snaps is a period piece with Native American mythology [and one of my favorite Native American characters ever to grace the screen], set in the colonial era, except this time, in bitter cold Canada. Come to think of it, I’m going to watch Snaps and Ravenous back-to-back for my Wendigo WinterHorrorPalooza lineup.

Now then, this may be a bit of a stretch, but since the Wendigo mythology embodies many monster types, including cannibals [check!], werewolves [check!], and devils that possess all who dream about the creature, I officially declare The Shining an honorary Wendigo film. Not only does its frosty mountainous setting provide a perfect backdrop of the Wendigo mythos, the way in which the isolation of winter seems to be the catalyst of Jack’s madness makes it the perfect embodiment of the creature through demonic possession… and let’s be honest here: had the story continued any longer, don’t you think that Jack would have eventually eaten his family once the food ran out? No bones about it! Okay, okay, if you’re reluctant to declare The Shining a Wendigo film along with me, let’s consider it Stanley Kubrick’s twisted rendition of “Jack Frost” and call it a snow-day.

Finally, the Wendigo has recently been categorized by cryptozoologists as a family member to the Big Foot/Sasquatch beasts. The difference being that Wendigo roams in extreme Northern lands and snowy mountainous climates, so! To round out my Wendigo WinterHorrorPalooza, I shall add ***the tale to my lineup that celebrates my biggest “aha” revelation about the monster: This guy is definitely a Wendigo! —>

***The tale to which I refer, of course, is the one I most looked forward to seeing on network television year after Holiday year: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer!

More Talk of Winter MonsterFests:

[ The Weather Outside Isn't the Only Thing That's Frightful ]
[ Snowbound Horror ]
[ Final Girl: brrr ]

LA TERZA MADRE [MOTHER OF TEARS]: Down IN the Sickness

Corvo — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 00:31:34 +0000

WE HAVE TWO QUESTIONS FOR DARIO ARGENTO:
1. Have you lost your mind?
2. Will you be our daddy?

I can’t help but look at that shot of Asia Argento in The Filth, and think to myself, with a father like that, who needs enemies? What a fascinating father-daughter dynamic. Not quite like my artistic father-daughter dynamic, in which we performed a duet of “Rainbow Connection” for my first ever opera audition. In later years, I think the craziest we ever got was when dad learned Over the Hills and Far Away on the guitar, and I sang like Robert Plant. But you know… if dad asked me to practically drown in entrails thirteen-plus hours a day, I’d gladly do it, because that would mean I’m starring in a Dario Argento film! What? You need to literally drill a hole into my cranium to get just the right blood squirt for this scene, and then insert a metal plate into my skull not to cover the hole, but to use the metal as an electric conductor for shooting 227,849 volts through my nose, so that when the killer tries to lobotomize me, he’ll blow up, and I’ll run around the room with my head on fire? Yes father, I’ll do it… because you’re Dario Argento and I’m starring in your film!

The depth of Asia’s filth and pain-threshold is astounding, and in La Terza Madre, I started to think, wow, she’s kind of getting through this one like she’s in a Jerry Bruckheimer film, or something… until the scene from that photo up there ^. Wow… it’s… a force of nature to watch her trudge through it all. Even though La Terza Madre is, as Dethklok would declare, f^cking brutal, complete with blood, boobs, impaling, baby eating and more [for one very low price], this film made me laugh. Out loud. A lot. I know, it’s totally sick, but I giggled like crazy through the whole thing. So what if all of Italy and the world gets raped, pillaged, and possessed by ancient demons, this is opera at its finest. As I watched old Mater Lachrymarum’s witch-brigade trolling about, acting like The Pïnkk Läydeez, I was reminded of the years I’d spent in opera performing in the women’s choruses. Part of the reason why I love Argento’s work so much is that I recognize that it’s Italian horror opera… maybe that’s why I’m able to take the brutality in-stride. You could say that death in vivid colors takes me back to fond memories of watching people die when I was in grade school… characters in my operas, sillies, not real people!

G9′S ARGENTO TOP 5:
Suspiria
Tenebre
Inferno
La Terza Madre
Deep Red

NiNi’S ARGENTO TOP 5:
Suspiria
La Terza Madre
Do You Like Hitchcock?
Pelts
Opera

Another reason Argento’s films resonate with me as opera, is the importance placed on the music. In La Terza Madre, Claudio Simonetti’s score delivers a powerful “character” to the film in what I would consider one of the best film scores ever made, and definitely up-to-snuff with his Suspiria score. The final [closing credits] track “Mater Lacrimarum,” performed by Daemonia, with guest vocalist Dani Filth, is a horror music masterpiece. When I first heard it, I just wanted to loop it over and over again for days… seriously… and I did!

On that [literal] note, I’ve enclosed Mater Lacrimarum herein for your listening pleasure.

If “Mater Lacrimarum” resonates with you, please show your support by visiting Daemonia on mySpace, adding them to your fiends list, listening to more [as G9 would say], melodies of horror, and downloading some free tracks! It’s Italian horror metal with progressive rock sophistication, and they’re truly one of our hugest inspirations.

Finally, for we who’ve been following these Argento witches for so many years, La Terza Madre goes out with a bang, providing perfect closure for The Three Mothers Trilogy, all the way down to casting Udo Kier and Daria Nicolodi [and of course, our beloved Asia].

[ G9's Review of La Terza Madre Soundtrack ] [ G9's Exclusive Interview With Daemonia ]