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| David Ury playing Schizo-Head in the movie '31' |
The Radio8Ball Show: Season Zero-Episode Three with Sandman & David Ury
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| Front page of my local Brisbane paper October 31st, 2016 |
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| The back page of the same Brisbane newspaper |
The group is placed in a series of maze-like set of rooms, where they must defend themselves against the "Heads", several murderous clowns who intend to torture and murder them, all the while the group are given odds for their survival and bets are placed on them.
The protagonists come across five "Heads", Sick-Head, Psycho-Head, Schizo-Head, Death-Head, and Sex-Head.
Doom-Head, is brought in by the aristocrats to join the game.
Doom-Head taunts the surviving hostages, telling them that the doors have been opened to the outside world."
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| SEX and DEATH? |
What I found interesting and rather synchronistic with this movie coming out in Australia on the 31st of October was its gambling theme where the aristocrats keep recalculating the odds for the surviving hostages as they make their way through the maze, like it is some genetic pseudo horse race.
Australians love is gambling and every first Tuesday in November the horse race that stops a nation is run.
Although that is changing with the younger generation, who like to copy the Americans and go out trick or treating on the evening of the 31st of October.
Number 23 and Genetic Luck?
The themes of SEX and Death are given pretty much equal time in this movie, as if to focus on some great big Darwinian "survival of the genetic fittest" theme, and the odds of staying alive against the predators that make up this Darwinian world.
Zombie even has an ex-porn star as an actor in his movie, maybe to prove this point, if not just for shock value, then.
"Halloween plays on our fears and our fantasies -
In a study published in 1976 (1+9+7+6=23), researchers observed over 1,000 trick-or-treating children as they visited houses in Seattle on the evening of Halloween. The researchers were interested in understanding the conditions that lead to "uninhibited" behavior: in this case, stealing
Halloween candy or money.
One of the variables they manipulated was whether the adult who greeted the children at the entrance to a house asked for each child's name and address, thereby treating each child as an
One of the variables they manipulated was whether the adult who greeted the children at the entrance to a house asked for each child's name and address, thereby treating each child as an
identifiable individual, or instead let each child remain anonymous.
Either way, the adult then instructed each child to take one candy from the table while the adult went away to "work in another room."
Unbeknownst to the children, their behavior was recorded by an observer behind a peephole.
Zombie has also used our fear of TIME as a theme in this movie.
Zombie has cast Malcolm McDowell from 'A Clockwork Orange', as a macabre "Father Time" figure who oversees the game of 31 and recalculates the odds of the hostage's survival in the allotted time of the game ... 12 hours.
The worst ... or best clown that Father Murder has in his "clown arsenal" is the creepiest clown of all, 'Doom-head', who tells you that he, "is not a f#cking clown".
Either way, the adult then instructed each child to take one candy from the table while the adult went away to "work in another room."
Unbeknownst to the children, their behavior was recorded by an observer behind a peephole.
For each child, the observer recorded how many candies were taken, as well as whether the child took any money from a bowl of coins next to the candy.
And take candy and money they did:
About 30 percent of children took extra candy, money or both.
The researchers identified several factors that influenced the probability that a child would steal candy or money.
Thefts were more likely for children who remained anonymous, who were in groups rather than alone, and who were not accompanied by an adult.
There was also an important influence of peer behavior:
Kids in groups were more likely to steal if the first child in their group did so.
And so it is that the simple pleasures of trick-or-treating can reveal something about the conditions that support bad behavior.
But with Zombie introducing the gambling component into the film, he has also touched on the theme of our fear of winning or losing ... and LUCK.
And whether life is just one big throw of the dice, or whether there is some hidden force behind the scenes guiding the fates of everyone as they ride through the "funhouse" we call life is something we'll find out in the end I guess.
WARNING:
THERE IS EXPLICIT LANGUAGE IN THE YOU TUBE ABOVE.
Even Andras Jones uses the theme of gambling on his Radio8Ball show when he gets guests to spin the "Wheel of 8" to pick a song in an effort to show that there is something more than randomness in play in people's lives, rather than luck, even if it just seems like luck.
And take candy and money they did:
About 30 percent of children took extra candy, money or both.
The researchers identified several factors that influenced the probability that a child would steal candy or money.
Thefts were more likely for children who remained anonymous, who were in groups rather than alone, and who were not accompanied by an adult.
There was also an important influence of peer behavior:
Kids in groups were more likely to steal if the first child in their group did so.
And so it is that the simple pleasures of trick-or-treating can reveal something about the conditions that support bad behavior.
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| Andras Jones hosting a Radio8Ball show |
THERE IS EXPLICIT LANGUAGE IN THE YOU TUBE ABOVE.
The worst ... or best clown that Father Murder has in his "clown arsenal" is the creepiest clown of all, 'Doom-head', who tells you that he, "is not a f#cking clown".
If you are "lucky" enough to play this game and "lucky" enough to make it through the fun-house maze successfully, he will be the last "clown" you will have to defeat.
Doomsday?
If clowns scare you, then this movie will scare you to death when you
see doom-head.
Probably outdoes Heath Leger's Joker make-up when it comes to creepiness.
Because the red "paint" around his mouth is his own blood.
Of course, the whole clown thing has become big in the world media and speculation about how it started is running rife, including that it started as a marketing ploy for Rob Zombie's film.
2016 clown sightings
"The first reported sighting of people dressed as evil clowns was in Greenville, South Carolina, where a small boy spoke to his mother of a pair of clowns that had attempted to lure him away. After such an incident, a number of clowns have since been spotted in various American states including Florida, New York, Wisconsin and Kentucky, and subsequently in other Western countries, from August 2016.
By October 2016, in the wake of hundreds of "clown sightings" across the United States and Canada, the phenomenon had spread from North America to Europe, Australasia and Latin America.
Some explanations for the 2016 clown sightings phenomenon hypothesize that at least some of the sightings are part of a
Doomsday?
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| Doom-head |
Probably outdoes Heath Leger's Joker make-up when it comes to creepiness.
Because the red "paint" around his mouth is his own blood.
Of course, the whole clown thing has become big in the world media and speculation about how it started is running rife, including that it started as a marketing ploy for Rob Zombie's film.
2016 clown sightings
"The first reported sighting of people dressed as evil clowns was in Greenville, South Carolina, where a small boy spoke to his mother of a pair of clowns that had attempted to lure him away. After such an incident, a number of clowns have since been spotted in various American states including Florida, New York, Wisconsin and Kentucky, and subsequently in other Western countries, from August 2016.
By October 2016, in the wake of hundreds of "clown sightings" across the United States and Canada, the phenomenon had spread from North America to Europe, Australasia and Latin America.
Some explanations for the 2016 clown sightings phenomenon hypothesize that at least some of the sightings are part of a
viral marketing campaign, possibly for 31 or IT.
Greenville police chief Ken Miller claimed to reporters that investigators are unsure as to whether the sightings have any connection with Zombie's 31, whether it was one or more people looking for "kicks", or something more sinister."
The Radio8Ball Show-Season Zero-Episode 3-David Ury’s Question (8 of 8)
Talking about eating the best meal of his life, while David's character doesn't partake in the feast scene in '31', that scene is a stomach churner.
Puts a bit of a focus on our eating habits in this movie, as well, I guess.
I also like how Rob has cast 68 year old actress Meg Foster from the classic movie, 'They Live' as one of the main players in '31' .
Because intentional, or otherwise Zombie has placed the fear of aging and fear of evil aliens into the picture.
Greenville police chief Ken Miller claimed to reporters that investigators are unsure as to whether the sightings have any connection with Zombie's 31, whether it was one or more people looking for "kicks", or something more sinister."
Talking about eating the best meal of his life, while David's character doesn't partake in the feast scene in '31', that scene is a stomach churner.
Puts a bit of a focus on our eating habits in this movie, as well, I guess.
Meg still looks good for her age, but it is obvious in this movie that she is no spring chicken anymore, and most people who reach her age will look nowhere near as good, so that fear most of us have of aging as time marches on is there, whether we acknowledge it in this movie, or not.
And the 'They Live' connection makes you wonder just where the hell did these clowns in the movie come from, hell, outer space, or just local nut-jobs that are getting away with murder?
So, if you were to ask me if I liked Rob Zombie's movie '31', I would have to say no, but it gave me a lot to think about when it comes to FEAR and trying to make it through this world in one piece.
And I still blame Malcolm McDowell's use of the song 'Singing in the Rain' in the film 'A Clockwork Orange' as to my aversion from ever being able to watch or hear 'Singing in the Rain' without thinking of that scene out of 'A Clockwork Orange'.
The Clockwork Orange Effect?
Thanks a lot Malcolm.
And the 'They Live' connection makes you wonder just where the hell did these clowns in the movie come from, hell, outer space, or just local nut-jobs that are getting away with murder?
The Clockwork Orange Effect?
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| The 'Singing in the Rain' stage show recently playing in Brisbane |
Weird. This movie you describe reminds me of Stephen King's The Running Man - or even The Hunger Games. Bets taken, money won or lost. I'm sorry to hear about your dad, Daz.
ReplyDeleteIt's maybe a bit like those movies if you throw in 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' and 'Friday the 13th', as well.
ReplyDeleteI don't think you would like it somehow Trish.
I only went and saw it because David Ury was in it, as I saw the Radio8Ball show he was a guest in.
It's a pure grind-house flick in most parts.
Splatter-fest pretty much.