Jameson here with a recap of Day 2 of the New York Comic Con:
Saturday February 24: I arrived at 9 am for a press-only preview of The Hills Have Eyes 2 and breakfast with Wes Craven, who is acting as a producer and screenwriter on the sequel to the remake of his original sophomore feature film, The Hills Have Eyes. Also present were his so and co-writer Jonathan Craven, along with two cast members, Jessica Stroup and Daniela Alonso. I talked to Jessica for a few minutes and she spoke enthusiastically about the combat training and rock climbing the cast did in preparation for the film, and also how lunch on the set could be a little odd at times with half the cast walking around in full mutant make-up. I also got the chance to speak with Wes Craven, and ask him one question: What scares him? He claimed no phobias, but said that what human beings are capable of is what frightens him, and is the starting point for his films.
In addition to breakfast, we were also treated to an exclusive clip from the soon-to-be released film, a brutal birth sequence where an imprisoned woman (kept alive by the mutant clan for the sole purpose of breeding), gives birth to a deformed mutant baby. The clip was probably the most disgusting thing I have ever seen on a movie screen, but of course I have not seen the rest of the film yet.
Next I found my way into an advanced screening of Hellboy: Blood and Iron, a feature-length animated film produced by Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth), who directed the live-action adaptation of Hellboy. Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, and John Hurt all lend their voices to the animated versions of the characters they portrayed onscreen.
The film follows Hellboy and his team of paranormal detectives as they are called on to investigate a haunted house, recently purchased by a hot shot businessman who intends to turn it into a tourist attraction. Don’t let the Scooby-Doo plot fool you – the film contains plenty of mature-audience content and would probably pull a PG13 rating in theaters (same as the live action Hellboy). The house they are sent to investigate is a former “Pagan Fertility Clinic” that seems to draw more influence from Suspiria than House on Haunted Hill. There are images of torture, blood by the gallon, a viscous pack of wolves, vampirism and witchcraft, to name a few key elements. Stylistically, the film seems to draw influence from gothic horror, Japanese anime, and film noir. Hellboy has a gruff, hardboiled personality, and the script capitalizes on his wisecracks without being gimmicky. I’m not familiar with Hellboy other than del Toro’s adaptation, and I thought this film was great, so I would say it is worth a look, and not just for faithful fans of the comic series and character.
That’s all for now, but I will be checking in tomorrow with an article on the NYCC Comics School panels I attended, and an update on the third and final day of the convention.