STAYING IN REVIEWS DVDs and videogames to enjoy from the comfort of your sofa STAYING IN
‘The guilt is an eternal factor and it cannot be questioned’
DVD INTERVIEW STUART GORDON
For aficionados of the undead, Re-Animator is counted as a true great alongside Dawn of the Dead and Zombie Flesh Eaters. The film is a smart, funny and gloriously gory slice of horror cinema starring Jeffrey Combs as an insanely driven medical student who concocts a luminous serum that reanimates the dead. Based on a little known HP
Lovecraft story, it helped induct a new generation of genre fans into the writer’s world of Cthulhu. ‘There are some Lovecraft stories that are easier to adapt than others,’ explains director Stuart Gordon. ‘Herbert West–Reanimator is just action-packed and very cinematic, so very easy to adapt.’ Surprisingly, Lovecraft himself hated the story so it wasn’t available in any collections or reprints of his dark tales, but Gordon eventually tracked down a copy in the Chicago Public Library. ‘He was paid to write it, so in his eyes that demeaned it.’ Gordon obviously has an affinity with Lovecraft, having also directed From Beyond, Castle Freak,
Dagon and ‘Dreams in the Witch House’ (for the Masters of Horror TV series). ‘He is just so out there. I have had arguments with people who say, “Why don’t you just set your films in the period that he wrote the stories?” But he’s so far out that setting them in the past limits him.’ Gordon started out in theatre at university and in recent years he has returned to the medium. Re-Animator: The Musical appeared on the Edinburgh Fringe in 2012 and he’s currently working on Taste, a new play based on the true story of Armin Meiwes, the German cannibal who advertised on the internet for a victim. ‘We’re doing it live on stage in a working kitchen so it really involves all of the senses. We’ve had people pass out,’ he chuckles. ‘That’s the power of theatre: it’s really happening in front of you.’ (Henry Northmore) ■ Re-Animator is released on Second Sight Films, Mon 2 Jun.
DVD MADE IN AMERICA (Signature) ●●●●● VIDEOGAME DAYLIGHT (Atlus Publishing) PC/PS4 ●●●●●
In 2012, hip hop mogul Jay-Z hosted the inaugural Made in America music festival in central Philadelphia. Calling on his celebrity friends, Ron Howard was on hand to film the two days of rap, indie, rock and dance music. The result is more of a documentary about the festival itself rather than a straight-up concert film. However, it doesn’t skimp on gig footage with some notable performances from a mercurial Janelle Monáe, Pearl Jam, The Hives, Run DMC, Jill Scott and Shawn Carter himself (including a particularly incendiary performance of ‘Niggas in Paris’ with Kanye West). In Howard’s hands, it’s inevitably slick and entertaining. It’s a bit too self-congratulatory but does highlight the enormity and impact of staging such a huge event. Interviews with Eddie Vedder, Rita Ora and Odd Future are mixed with local residents, food vendors and the tech crew giving a deeper insight into every level of the festival. Unsurprisingly, Hova gets most screen time, talking about not just Made in America but his life and music in general. Dubstep fans will also enjoy a rare interview with wub master Skrillex. (Henry Northmore)
Set in a crumbling, abandoned hospital, Daylight is a survival horror game reminiscent of Amnesia and Outlast. To ensure each playthrough is different, it procedurally generates levels – a rather hopeful feature since there’s very little to entice players to return.
The object of each section is to find a key to unlock your way out. With all the lights out, you must use glowsticks to see, and your mobile phone to map your progress. This is essential as each level is a maze of identikit rooms. Even with a map, it’s a frustrating slog trying to find your way around.
Every now and then a witch will appear. The
first few times they show up they’ll get right under your skin. But after a while, like most of the other mechanics, dealing with them becomes a chore. Although notable as the first game to use
Unreal Engine 4, the graphics are perfunctory and drab. If only more effort had gone into crafting an interesting environment rather than relying on the game to conjure its own random shocks. (Murray Robertson)
15 May–12 Jun 2014 THE LIST 35
characters are fictional.’ for It never asks
forgiveness, but Generation War is a stark reminder that, whether right or wrong, human beings fought on both sides and everyone paid a terrible cost. ‘It’s not a defence. That’s not possible: it cannot be excused,’ adds Benedict. ‘The guilt is an eternal factor and it cannot be questioned. It’s clear Germany caused the Second World War and it’s clear Germany was responsible for the Holocaust. So in no way did we want to excuse this or hide the facts, but on the other side we did want to ask how people were driven into these situations under these circumstances.’
Generation War is available now on Arrow Films Blu-ray & DVD.