The idea of a horror director turning his or her attentions to the written word for some reason scares the piss outta me.  It’s not that I think they can’t be successful at it; it’s just that a director’s mind works differently from that of a novelist.  A director sees things in a very visual way where a novelist sees things in more of an “inner” manner (motivations of characters, back stories, driving the plot forward, etc …).  So when I was contacted by Jonathan from over at Random House about the new novel, MIDNIGHT MOVIE, written by Tobe Hooper, I was hesitant.  I mean this is Tobe f-ing Hooper; the man behind THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE and one of my personal horror heroes (Mr. Hooper; if you’re reading this, please attend 2012’s Texas Frightmare Weekend in Dallas!!).  He’s The Man who directed EATEN ALIVE, POLTERGEIST, SALEM’S LOT, LIFEFORCE (yeah; I love LIFEFORCE), and two episodes of my all time favorite TV show, NOWHERE MAN.  What if I hated his novel?  I’d be devastated to write a bad review of it (which you all know I would do).

Luckily I was worried about nothing.

Cutting to the chase, MIDNIGHT MOVIE is a fantastic novel.  It’s fast-paced, full of great characters, and has a great plot.  Tobe Hooper plays himself in the novel, which is written in a journal-like fashion where the characters are talking about and documenting “The Game;” a deadly virus that breaks out across the US after a midnight premier of Hooper’s first amateur film, Destiny Express, at the famous South By SouthWest festival.  Hooper teams up with Dude McGee, the guy who found the lost film and organized the screening (and who refuses to call Hooper by his proper name) and Erick Laughlin, a film critic with the Austin Chronicle.  As they slowly come to realize that Hooper’s film is the cause of The Game, Hooper tries to figure out and unravel his mysterious past to find out how and why the film could’ve possibly produced the destructive virus.  When the group finally figures out what the hell is going on and how they can stop and reverse the effects of Destiny Express, it may be too late … but they give it the old college try (I love the “getting the old band back together again” feel MIDNIGHT MOVIE has; you’ll understand it when you read it).

MIDNIGHT MOVIE is a rather unique twist on the zombie genre, and Hooper is using the “zombie” and The Game as an extended metaphor for what’s going on in world events today.  The Game slowly becomes an apocalyptic event that started off isolated in Austin, Texas but soon spreads through the country.  It’s everything that’s happening today rolled up into one event.  It’s our fucked up economy, the brilliant minds that caused the economy, the rise of terrorism, the isolation and alienation of the modern human being, and the threat the constantly evolving current technology poses to the human being.  Oh yeah; MIDNIGHT MOVIE is also a ton of fun!!

Hooper’s writing style is crisp and matter-of-factly and straddles the thin line between what’s real and what’s fiction.  I know Hooper’s characterization of himself in the novel isn’t either 100% accurate or 100% fictitious.  I’m guessing there’s elements of truth and fantasy in the way Hooper portrays himself in the novel, and I really enjoyed it.  He’s also extremely self-referential.  We’re reading a book written by Tobe Hooper who’s a character in the book writing a book about himself.  Got it?  When Erick confronts Tobe with his theory that Destiny Express is the cause of The Game, and the whole thing started in Austin, TX, Hooper responds, “Austin would be the perfect place to set off a weapon … If I were writing a pandemic flick, I’d totally set it in Austin.”  References like this, I bet, made even Wes Craven stand up and cheer.

Are you wondering about the gore level?  Well come on; this is Tobe Hooper after all.  We get some pretty fun gore and the zombies are rather unique in that they seem to retain their intelligence (or at least a semblance of it) and their strength and speed.  Plus there’s a sexual aspect of The Game.  Besides people becoming hyper-sexual, those infected also drip blue gunk from their meat bats and whoo-whoo’s.

I also really enjoyed this novel based on the fact that I live in Austin, TX.  Hooper uses real landmarks from around the city and always talks about the city in a bitter-sweet way (kind of like the way I think of Austin).  The one thing I was worried about was how the hell he was gonna explain how his film Destiny Express gave birth to the virus which created “The Game.”  But Hooper pulls it off without it sounding like a RING ripoff (which he references).  It’s a unique explanation and the fact he doesn’t try to explain away every little element, and leaves some of it mysterious, was a smart choice.

I had so much fun reading MIDNIGHT MOVIE, and even if Tobe Hooper wasn’t involved with it, I would’ve still found this one hugely entertaining.  Very well written with great (quirky) characters, great dialogue, unique zombies, and a mind blowing cause of the apocalyptic virus makes this one kick ass, fun read.  I can definitely foresee this one hitting (if not topping) my “Best Novels of 2011 List” at the end of the year.  I really loved this one.

My Summary:

Authors:  Tobe Hooper (with Alan Goldsher)

Plot:  4.5 out of 5 stars

Gore:  7.5 out of 10 skulls

Zombie Mayhem:  3.5 out of 5 brains

Reviewed by Scott Shoyer

Homer Simpson is a simple guy.  In the episode that guest starred John Waters, Homer was offended that Waters’ character was gay.  In response to finding out he tells Marge, “You know I like my beer cold, my TV loud, and my homosexuals flaming.”  Yup; Homer’s a simple guy.  In some respects I’m a simple guy too.  I like to have my horror movies fast-paced (generally speaking), gory, and if there’s comedy in it I want the comedic and horror elements kept separate.  Simple right?  Well then why the hell do so many filmmakers fuck it up?  Why is it so hard to make successful horror-comedy hybrids that work both as comedy and as horror?  I’m not gonna go into past film’s failures in this respect, but I will tell you that if you’re looking for a kick ass flick that blends comedy with horror/scifi elements, then look no further than ATTACK THE BLOCK.  This UK film, written and directed by Joe Cornish, is having a small theatrical release here in the US and I’m lucky enough to live in Austin, TX where it’s playing.  Cornish has further proven that the Brits know how to make a successful horror-comedy hybrid where the elements are kept separate, yet work together (not unlike 2004’s SHAWN OF THE DEAD).

The story begins with Sam (Jodie Whittaker, UK’s answer to Sandra Bullock … but cuter), walking home late one night after her shift at the hospital.  Just when she’s about home she is cornered and mugged at knife-point by five young thugs, led by Moses (John Boyega).  Sam is saved by something falling outta the sky and slamming into a parked car nearby.  She runs away while the gang investigates and subsequently gets attacked by some “dog-wolf-monkey” creature.  They proceed to beat the shit out of the creature, but later, as they’re celebrating their victory, more “pods” start falling out of the sky all over their “block.”  Being young, headstrong, and territorial they all grab some household weapons (baseball bat, fireworks, etc..) and plan on going out to kick some more ET ass.  The only problem is that the new creatures (and there’s a lot of them) are big.  No, no; I mean B I G!!  The rest of the film follows around our group of plucky thugs as they realize (in the words of Tallahassee from ZOMBIELAND) that it’s time to “nut up or shut up.”

I first heard about ATTACK THE BLOCK late last year and heard how mind-blowingly amazing it is.  And to a point I agree.  This is a really well made film with great acting from a young cast, has a fast pace, great tension and suspense, and it’s just a whole lotta fun.  Is it a genre-defining film that breaks the mold and paves new territory?  No, and I don’t think this is what Cornish set out to do.  Hype can be a double-edged sword, people!!  This is a really fun flick that rivals SHAWN OF THE DEAD, but just don’t expect it to be 100% original.

The cast, I can’t stress enough, did a fantastic job.  It’s so nice to see younger actors who aren’t being coached in the “Spielberg School of Child Acting.”  The kids here are edgy without being precocious and also exhibit an innocence and vulnerability while at the same time being pretty bas ass.  Boyega (Moses) did an especially stand up job and carried the film confidently as the main character.  The film can actually be seen as a “coming of age” story from Boyega’s point of view … with violent aliens, of course.  Cornish did a really nice job with Moses’ story arc.  Seriously; it was so nice nice o see a film with young actors in it who don’t act and behave like they’re 30 years old (yeah SUPER 8; I’m looking at you).

Cornish also needs to be commended for pulling off a great comedy-horror/scifi (definitely more scifi than horror) blend.  I’ve seen some really shitty horror-comedies lately (THE DEAD AND THE DAMNED, for one), and ATTACK THE BLOCK avoids all the pitfalls.  There are some genuine laugh-out-loud moments and then there’s some truly scary and suspenseful moments, and Cornish knows better than to mix the two together.  He utilizes the comedy the way it should be utilized – as comic relief to break up some of the more tense scenes.  Genre-fav Nick Frost (“Ed” in SHAWN OF THE DEAD) is primarily here for the comedic relief.  So if there’s any up-and-coming filmmakers reading this out there who’re thinking about making a horror-comedy, please do us all a favor and watch ATTACK THE BLOCK to get some tips on how to do it right!!

And now the aspect you’re all curious about:  The aliens.  Cornish blows his wad early and shows us the alien about 7-10 minutes in.  The first alien is pretty cool looking, but the next wave that lands do indeed look like monkey-wolf creatures pumped up on strong steroids.  Don’t get me wrong, they work in the film, but they won’t be getting any special award or recognition for their design.  Considering this film’s estimated budget is £9,000,000, I’d say they did a good job.  There isn’t much gore here either; there’s some, but this is far from being a gore-fest.

The bottom line here is that ATTACK THE BLOCK succeeds and surpasses what it sets out to do.  Cornish manages to create a fast-paced, kick ass film with great acting, great dialogue (and yes; the accents are totally understandable), and really fun “alien’s attacking” violence.  Cornish does all this and also manages to get some social commentary in as well!!  This is a hugely entertaining film that I hope gets a larger release.  ATTACK THE BLOCK is for me all that SUPER 8 failed to live up too!!  Definitely check this one out.

My Summary:

Director:  Joe Cornish (& writer)

Plot:  4 out of 5 stars

Gore:  3.5 out of 10 skulls

Zombie Mayhem:  0 out of 5 brains

Reviewed by Scott Shoyer