Sunday, April 26, 2020

Happy Alien Day!


It's been 41 years since the crew of the Nostromo explored the inhospitable terrain of LV-426 to investigate a mysterious distress call in the sci-fi/horror classic Alien.

The artwork is concept art painted by the great HR Giger.  I added animation effects to commemorate the occasion.  

And now, for some music...


Yup.  That's Jerry Goldsmith's theme for the film...  in disco format?!?  

So, yeah.  Go crazy!  Celebrate the xenomorph in your own way.  Just don't be like Ash.

horror Instagram posts - Gramho.com

Saturday, April 25, 2020

The HU


I've always had a very eclectic taste in music.  On any given day you might find me listening to anything from classical to heavy metal, folk to classic rock.  Now imagine a group combining elements from all of those genres - along with a central focus on Mongolian throat-singing - and you get The Hu.


"Wolf Totem" - This was the group's debut single.  I'm not sure what made me finally click the link when appeared on my Youtube suggestions, but I'm definitely glad I did!  The video grabs your attention from the start with the haunting call of a bird of prey as a traditional Mongolian warrior rides a horse through a barren field.  It's foreboding imagery, but then things get weird...  A gang of motorcyclists joins the horseman?  And yet, this is a perfect encapsulation of the group's sound.  They combine traditional Mongolian music with a modern, undeniably metal influence.  And the throat-singing?  Memorizing!  I'm not sure how many times I watched this video...  I was hooked!


Take moment to appreciate the incredible craftsmanship behind the group's instruments.


"Yuve Yuve Yu"- Then along came this little ditty...  It's still The Hu, but this time around I get the classic rock vibe.  This song - to me - could easily be a Mongolian cover of a ZZ-Top number.  It's catchy as can be!  Thankfully this video was accompanied with subtitles.  The lyrics are about forgotten heritage and disrespecting the wisdom of those who have come before.  The producers of this music video took a very literal path with its intro, the video is a straightforward representation of the song's meaning.  We start off in the lazy modern age before being swept away into the epic, picturesque Mongolian landscape.  I adore the cinematography for this video, by the way... the sweeping drone shots and slick editing are a visual treat.


"Sugaan Essena" - As if I couldn't love this band anymore...  Imagine my surprise as I'm playing the opening minutes of the latest Star Wars game, only to discover the main character enjoying their music as he works dismantling a starship!  Yes, The Hu managed to find their way into the Star Wars universe by recording an all-new track for Jedi: Fallen Order!  If you're as ignorant of world languages as I am, you could be forgiven for thinking they're singing in Mongolian as they usually do.  Interestingly enough, however, the band created an alien language especially for this song!  With this one, they've definitely crossed over into full-on metal, the closing minutes of the track are pure riffage and I love it!

The Hu's debut album - "The Gereg" was released last year.  Check it out!  It's a good listen!

The group's official website:  https://www.thehuofficial.com/

Fractal Art


In addition to animation effects, I've also discovered the joys of creating fractal art in my time away from the blog.  I use an app called Mirrorlab to take my photography and produce abstract and sometimes psychedelic imagery.  You get to a certain point in the process and you almost forget what the original image even was!  Here's a few pieces I've produced over the last few years...











Can anybody name the original subject (besides the skeleton, plant, and jack-o-lantern) of any of these?  If you think you're up to the challenge, leave a guess in the comments!  For everyone you get correct you'll get an official Cryptic Corridor "No-Prize!" (Remember those, old-school Marvel fans?)

Friday, April 24, 2020

Godzilla!


So, one thing I've been messing around during my hiatus from the blog is adding animation effects to cool artwork I come across.  This amazing original image by Antonio Jose Manzanedo is from the recent team-up between Toho and Wizards of the Coast to produce Godzilla-themed cards for Magic: The Gathering.

Back from the Dead... Again.


The image from Creepshow might seem familiar...  Obviously if you've ever seen the movie, but I've actually used it before in a post acknowledging a hiatus from the blog.

What can I say?  Life has gotten very busy!

My daughter is now five years old.  Work is demanding as ever.  I'm attempting to get back into shape.

Still, my thoughts have been returning to the Cryptic Corridor here lately and - despite this being my longest absence to date - I thought I might trying giving it another shot... Especially with so little to do during a world-wide pandemic and the corresponding quarantine with no end in sight. 

You may notice that some of my previous posts have been deleted.  I wasn't happy with them, as they were hastily posted when things were starting to get a bit overwhelming years back.  Though my schedule is no less demanding I'm going to try to resume making posts, though I doubt I will ever be as active as I was when I started out.

What should you expect in the near future?

Well, I've got a huge backlog of stuff that's just been sitting on my hard-drive...  I've gotten into making fractal art, simple animation effects, and I'm still doing the amateur photography thing.

I'd also like to eventually share a few pictures and some video from the Halloween display, which has only gotten bigger each year during my time away from the blog.

I plan on starting a series of posts called "Overdue Reviews" which will focus on movies, music, TV, and other stuff I've been meaning to review even before the dry spell.

Of course, there's the normal stuff...  Awesome art I come across randomly, waxing philosophical on monsters, and scans from old horror comics.

Well...  Time to dust off some cobwebs and give it another go.  The Cryptic Corridor is open once more!

Monday, April 20, 2020

The Fog Opening


An excellent opening to an excellent film.

Can't think of no better way to come back from a long hiatus... than to cheat and adjust the date to line up with the ghost story from John Carpenter's classic, The Fog.