If you're the squeamish type, then you may hide under the bed for this one. I invited horror afficianado John Cozzoli to come in a talk about horror flicks. Enjoy.
Mua-ha-ha-ha...
Fed up with being a corporate cubicle zombie, John Cozzoli traded in the needles and voodoo doll effigy of his manager for the more rewarding pleasure of blogging as his horror-oriented alter ego, Iloz Zoc. As a Monsterkid growing up in the 1960s, and now a horror head in the 21st century, he writes about the movies, books, and creative people that are devoted to giving us thrills and chills.
He also keeps busy writing the great American horror movie script and gruesome short stories. He lives in Long Island, New York, with his wife and son. Occasionally, when his day job becomes a day-mare, he still pulls out that voodoo doll in between blog posts. In between needle jabs he dreams of owning a movie theatre serving hot popcorn with real butter; and of course, he'll be showing lots of horror movies.
First, let’s get one thing out of the way: why Iloz Zoc?
I had been trying various pen names to use for my fiction; you know, all those stories I've got tons of notes on but haven't actually started writing yet. Incidentally, that's why I started the Zombos Closet of Horror blog: its purpose is to force me to actually write. Well, coming up with the names of the characters, like Zombos and Zimba, I needed something for my alter-ego valet character that would be equally weird. I tried various names, and then I suddenly hit on the simple reversal of my last name to see how it would sound. Bingo! It sounded loopy enough to work for the blog, and I also liked it for my pen name - whenever I get my fiction side rolling. I thought it would be fairly obvious to family members, but, amazingly, they didn't realize Iloz Zoc was Cozzoli spelled backwards. So I think I made the right choice.
I once watched the 1922 horror classic Nosferatu‚ and thought it was quite creepy for its time. What is considered to be the first great horror film? What are among the best of all time?
Yes, cultural mores are really reflected in any horror film and fictional work created within a specific period. Nosferatu is so vivid due to Max Schreck's portrayal of Dracula, and the stylistic approach showing him in all his evil glory. Unfortunately, the non-speaking role limited the overall effect, although visually, it's still quite a nightmare image.
The 1931 Dracula remains a wonderfully creepy, Gothic-styled horror film mainly due to its star, Bela Lugosi. His persona as the undead aristocrat remains a vivid image to this day, and the iconic look of Dracula that everyone tends to remember. Of course, with Edward Van Sloan and Dwight Frye, the story, although whittled-down budget-wise due to the Great Depression, still is a good one. But Lugosi is incredible. What's more, his was the first talking performance for an on-screen supernatural monster. His Dracula ushered in Universal's great horror cycle, opening the door for the later Frankenstein, Wolfman, and Mummy films.
It's a wonderful coincidence that his accent, which proved a hurdle in later films, was perfect for Dracula. The film wouldn't be as strong if it were done silently - it was released in a silent version since many theaters in 1931 still weren't sound ready for talkies. Aside from Lugosi and company, the expansive set design early on in the film (while a culmination of the gothic designs from the silents before it) is superlative here. It's unfortunate that director Browning didn't have his heart in it; the film may have been much more exciting and atmospheric if he had.
Article comments
1 - Rene
I enjoyed the read. Thanks!
2 - Brad Schader
Great interview with one of my favorite Blogcritics. Thank you for this scary look into the mind of someone who lost his long ago =P.
3 - Kaonashi
Great read! But I wanted to point out that the link to the filmsite.org article is a little messed up.