Making feet for children's shoes.....

Gee darn gosh golly that's about the best thing I've ever seen.

You can't hear the aliens. You can't see the shark.

Here's a quick little video of Spielberg talking about how the sound of a film can do more to frighten an audience. Or, I should say in this case, the lack of sound.



Again, at the end, silence.

The shark was supposed to be seen many more times than made it to the final cut. Sadly (but lucky for us!), the mechanical sharks broke down frequently, forcing Spielberg to shoot many scenes with a hint of shark, rather than the actual thing.

And, I think, the shark is a more powerful and frightening monster when you can't see it. It's a nightmare, hidden and horrifying, but with great effect over the lives of those it encounters. The boat gets knocked around and everyone is afraid of something they can't see. It taps into our fear of the dark, of shadows, of what might or might not be lurking under the bed.

You cannot fight what you cannot see.



I'd like to dedicate this clip to Jim Lehrer and his creepy, creepy eyes.

Taken out of context, this is just a heart-breaking retelling. I love the language--the cadence--of it: almost musical. I'm getting all sappy listening to the hurt and fear of something that was just under the surface.

You didn't see a shark attack; you saw the result. Sometimes, you didn't see anything at all, just a man screaming in the night.

Monster Force

Universal's Monsters have been adapted and rebooted into sitcoms, cartoons, remakes and Abbot and Costello movies. Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, The Wolfman, The Mummy, They're barely recognisable in Monster Force.

I don't remember when I got this on DVD. But watching it for the first time was horrifying, like a sharp poke in the eyes. I was expecting a bad cartoon, but just not as bad as this.

I'm guessing this cartoon was made to promote a line of action figures. The designs are somewhere between Filmation's Ghostbusters and The Toxic Crusaders, yet some how not nearly as pleasing. The premise of this series is basicly the same as The Monster Squad except with superheros instead of a bunch of neighborhood kids. How could that go wrong? You'd be surprised.



I was going to compare Monster Force with Toei's Tomb of Dracula, except I think Tomb of Dracula is much more entertaining.

Dracula in Cambodia.

The Monster Cereals!

COUNT CHOCULA!


FRANKEN BERRY!!


BOO BERRY!!!


FRUIT BRUTE!!!!


And yes, YUMMY MUMMY!!!!!

Part of your BALANCED breakfast!

BONUS:
What goes into the packaging and marketing of your favorite sugar-laced breakfast treats.