First look: The Rocky Horror Picture Show on Fox, by D. Shane Trotter

Rocky Horror is a classic, with a massive cult following, but there’s something on the horizon. Some of you will love it, others will hate it, and some will hate it without a single viewing.

That’s just the nature of anything branded as a remake, but let’s be fair here. Remakes do serve a purpose.

There is an entire generation of movie lovers that have never seen the original, and they are very unlikely to even give it a chance. That’s where Fox comes in, and where my expectations of remakes will be proven accurate yet again…

What do I expect of Fox’s take on Rocky Horror? Let’s start with music.

Rocky Horror’s original soundtrack is iconic. It’s enjoyed both during the movie, and as a standalone. It also serves as the glue that made the original film work, and is likely to be close to the original. Don’t fix it, if it’s not broken…

Next up, I expect some visual updates. No matter how much you love the original film, it is very dated. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with it. It’s just got a vintage appearance. Everything from the costumes, to some of the dialogue, is fully representative of the time period it came from. 1975 was over 40 years ago. Times change.

Lastly, cultural differences. Cultural diversity is a thing, and Rocky Horror isn’t safe. Tim Curry is back, but not as Frank-N-Furter. That role has been given to Laverne Cox, a transgender actor known mostly for the character Sophia Burset on the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black. This is a direct reflection of our current cultural environment in the United States, and it makes sense for the casting. Did I mention, she is also a person of color? Yes, this Frank-N-Furter is both a minority, and transgender. It’s a perfect fit for the character.

Overall, I expect the remake will meet or even exceed the quality of the original film. Technology has come a long way in 40 years, as have optics and color evaluation on cameras. Still, some older fans will likely pass judgement on the new adaptation without even giving it a chance. That is to be expected for any remake.

It should also bring a new generation into the Rocky fandom, and hopefully spike some interest in the original film for new viewers. My advice, just give it a chance. If you like it, great. If not, that’s fine too. You can always return to the original.

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Summer Bloodfeast returns in 2016!

It has been 6 years since the last Graveyard Girls / Stiffmag event under this banner, but this coming August is revival time! Our very own gathering of music and horror art is coming back on August 13 at Ground Zero in Spartanburg, SC, featuring The Independents, Nervosa, and Secret Cirkus.

More details and flyer art are coming soon.

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Misfits reunion? This time it isn’t just a rumor! by D. Shane Trotter

This may be one of those days I remember when I get old. You know the kind… Remember where you were when the big news about an alien landing at

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Rob Zombie’s “The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser” a review by Michael Blanton

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CIVIL WAR: MCU

Grab your muskets and bayonets, it

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Casting Call: Graveyard Girls 2016

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Happy new year Stiffs! 2016 is here, and we have an announcement for you.

Applications for 2016 Graveyard Girls are now being accepted. There will be 2 levels of participation: Amateur and professional.

Participants chosen will be photographed for publication, and no more than 12 from each division will be published during the 2016 offerings.

Shoots will be conducted in both Gaffney, SC and Charlotte, NC.

To inquire, please email samples of your previous work, and a short bio to admin@graveyardgirls.net

Please specify if you are applying as amateur or professional.

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Where were you when the world ended?

4510298485_ef6e22dfba_nI’m quite sure most of you reading that title are wondering what I’m smoking. No, this isn’t a pun. This isn’t a humorous article. I’m deadly serious.

Sure, the earth still spins, the sun still rises, and we all have to go to work. Still, the world has ended, at least for humanity. We are not really here. Not anymore.

This is the age of instant gratification. We are producing more information than ever before in human history. We are creating more than any other point in human history. The problem isn’t what we are doing, but more how we dispose of things so quickly. Nothing is important enough to keep.

When did the world come to an end? I’m not quite sure, and most of the population seems oblivious. Nobody builds things to last. In fact, even trivial things have fallen victim. There’s barely any evidence, other than garbage, that we are even here.

There’s no great monuments to our time period. There’s not even much in regard to printed photographs. Seriously, think about it. When is the last time you printed a photo to keep? Have you ever printed a photo at all?

Sure, there is a lot of information. There’s more information than ever before in our history. None of it is kept. All of it is replaced with newer information in a short period of time. Sensational topics sometimes last a bit longer, at least until the next sensational topic arrives.

Magazines, newspapers, books, and even music have all fallen victim to the digital age. More victims will follow. Let the wind blow, and the evidence of our existence will just float away.

photo credit: Hazey daze via photopin (license)

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Staying highly caffeinated is an art form

Some people want just a “plain” cup of coffee. To me, coffee is anything but plain. The magical cherry

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Bracing for Hurricane Joaquin

Hurricane season is on us, and here in South Carolina we have seen a lot of rain preceding this storm. Many areas are already declaring a state of emergency, and the hurricane isn’t even here yet.

Enter the Internet humor version of the storm…

For the love of the Internet, please give us the Johnny Cash version.

(Update: It appears that Hurricane Joaquin learned that there were no fans of rap music anywhere in the projected path of destruction. It has changed coarse, and may stay in the Atlantic Ocean.)

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Posted in Completely Bogus, and you know it, News | Leave a comment

Midnight Syndicate “Christmas: A Ghostly Gathering”

Now available on iTunes and Amazon MP3

Midnight Syndicate’s new haunted Yuletide-inspired dark instrumental album

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