The Horror Movie You Have Got to See!

While I cannot claim to understand the wisdom of the powers that be in the film industry, I can tell you that the VERY limited release of Clive Barker's Midnight Meat Train was a huge mistake in my humble opinion. 

Fearnet is airing the movie in its entirety this month on OnDemand (Comcast) and on their website so if you don't have OnDemand, I highly recommend sucking it up and watching it on your computer - just make sure you reset your screensaver!

I don't have a release date for the DVD to give you just yet. 

So, Fearnet began airing the movie on October 1. I was actually up until after midnight that morning and really wanted to watch, but had to go into work that morning so... Anyway, I watched it Wednesday after Project Runway and CSI:NY. I also, because I am me, read the short story that the movie is based on, though have yet to finish the remaining books of blood (the story is #2 in the first Books of Blood collection).

I was so utterly happy with the finished product. I thought it really followed the story almost exactly. It was pretty gory, but I thought that it was different from much of the "torture porn" that's become so popular these days. I won't tell you why, though, in case you haven't read the story. 

Anyway, in Midnight Meat Train, Bradley Cooper (*sigh*) plays photographer Leon Kauffman. He finally gets a break and meets art maven Susan Hoff, played by Brooke Shields, who basically tells him she wants MORE from his work. He begins to go out on the wee hours photographing anything and everything that catches his eye, including a group of hoodlums that begin harassing a young woman in the subway. He scares them off, after taking many pics, only to discover that the woman has been reported missing the following day. Enter Mahogany, played by Vinne Jones (Bullet Tooth Tony, we love you!). Leon witnesses Mahogany leaving the subway one early morning and begins to follow him. 

And that's all you get! Course you know Mahogany is killing people in the subway even before Kauffman figures it out, and there are plenty of chill-worthy scenes in this flick. Lots of "don't go down there!" moments, too. I loved it! It was everything the horror industry has been failing to produce for me lately. 

Which is not to say that there haven't been some good flicks. I honestly can't pin down exactly what I like in horror. I can give you examples of films that I enjoy, films that were so-so, and films that I hate, but I think there's something undefinable in regards to style and taste where I am concerned. I like certain directors' works, I like certain types of films, but just because I like zombie movies in no way means that all of them are fab. Nope. There's just got to be that special something that really hits the spot for me and Midnight Meat Train definitely succeeded. 

Now, director Ryuhei Kitamura seems to be returning to Japan for his next flick, but up next for Barker (in the film arena anyway) per IMDB are: the adaptation of "The Book of Blood," and a film called Born. Also listed are a remake of Hellraiser (seriously hope they don't screw this up), an adaptation of the novella Tortured Souls, and apparently a film adaptation of Thief of Always. Not sure how involved Barker will be with these projects (Born is a screenplay written by Barker and two others) but hopefully the directors will take a page from Kitamura's book and stick to the established stories that Barker's fans so love.