The Kids in the Hall: Death Comes to Town [2010]

Canadian Comedic Royalty, The Kids in the Hall, brought a painful 15-year drought to a most gruesome end this year with the debut of their eight part miniseries, Death Comes to Town.

This delightfully different offering from the daring darlings of sketch comedy focuses on the curiosity cabinet that is Shuckton, a small (fictional*) town with a big dream to one day host the Olympics. All the usual cross-dressing, gender-bending, and dark, dark humour that KITH fans have come to expect from the 5-man troupe is mixed liberally with... brutal murder!!! Yes, that's right -- it's a good, old-fashioned whodunnit, KITH-style!

Star hockey player turned 600 lb. shut-in, Ricky Jarvis (Bruce McCulloch) is determined to catch the killer, before Death comes for him, too! For such a seemingly quiet little town, the people of Shuckton sure have an awful lot of skeletons stashed away in their closets. The murderer could be any one of a handful of people, and with Death literally nipping at his heels, Ricky must act quickly to solve the mystery. Marnie (Kevin McDonald), the "fuzzy" pizza delivery lady, is Ricky's sleuthing partner. She acts as his "eyes and ears" until he is able to lose enough weight to leave his house for the first time in years.

The murder investigation centers around a number of shady characters. Petty criminal and germ gel addict Crim Hollingsworth (Scott Thompson**), who happens to be 1/16 Native, is arrested after he is found covered in the victim's blood -- but he has no memory of committing the crime. Dusty Diamond, the town coroner (Thompson), seems to have an obsessive homoerotic fixation with the recently deceased, which is definitely suspicious. Heather Weather (Thompson), Shuckton's aging barometric bombshell, was having an affair with the victim, and is known to have a viciously vengeful streak. And then there's the victim's wife, Marilyn (Dave Foley), a closet drinker, who stood to gain a great deal in the event of her husband's demise...

As the citizens of Shuckton struggle to sort out amongst themselves who is responsible for the grisly, bludgeoning death of one of their own, the viewer is privy to information about who the real culprit is... Death Himself (played by Mark McKinney). Death carries a bitter hatred for the brainless, bumbling citizens of Shuckton, and would savour nothing more than to see every last one of them laid six feet beneath the Earth. Scythe in hand, he is ready to kick some serious ass.

While the work The Kids in the Hall did in their long-running (1988-1995) eponymous television series is virtually untouchable in terms of groundbreaking comedic genius, Death Comes to Town was greatly successful in providing an alternate venue for the showcasing of the Kids' unbeatable chemistry, without detracting in any way from the legacy of the original show. Hardcore fans will be happy to see some classic characters (such as the dumbass OPP Cops, The Chicken Lady, and towel-clad Bellini), while undoubtedly forming lasting relationships with the new ones created exclusively for Death Comes to Town.

Sadly, there are no plans to extend the series beyond the original 8 episodes. The Kids in the Hall have individually noted that they have no plans to return to the studio to reprise the roles which made them famous. Death Comes to Town aired it's final episode on CBC March 16, 2010.



5/5 Kitty Skulls..... Pick of the litter!

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NOTES

* Death Comes to Town was largely shot in North Bay, Ontario (CA). Kitty has relatives there, but doubts they woke up at the crack of dawn to chase the guys for autographs, as she almost certainly would have.

** While I thought he looked fantastic in Death Comes to Town, it is worth noting that Scott Thompson (Dusty Diamond, Crim Hollingsworth, Heather Weather) was diagnosed with inoperable stomach cancer in early 2009. To the credit of one of the funniest men in Canada, Thompson reports that he is cancer free after undergoing four months of radiation therapy and six rounds of chemo. Cheers to a happy, healthy, productive (more stuff with the troupe -- pleeeease!) future for the irreplaceable "Buddy Cole"!

Hockey Night in Shuckton
(stick-slappin' fun game to play online)

Vampira

Vampira

Acrylic on Canvas

Winter, 2009

This portrait was created from a photograph which originally appeared in a magazine spread. Maila (Vampira) had recently been involved in a fiery beauty parlour mishap, which left her almost completely bald! Time and again, the iconic star proved that there was much beauty to be found in the untraditional.

Much to the chagrin of my living room wall (this portrait's temporary home), the piece was a gift for Karswell of The Horrors of it All. What do you get for a man who already has everything one could imagine? You hand-craft something, and pray to the gods that it turns out!

As some of you may know, Karswell had become quite close with Ms. Nurmi during his time in Los Angeles. I couldn't think of a more appropriate gift than a heartfelt momento created in the likeness of one of his most cherished companions.

Maila Nurmi
1922 ~ 2008
Rest in Peace

Bride of Satan (1974)

Q: How many witches does it take to outsmart the Devil's minion?
A: Just one! Mothers, lock up your evil sons!

When Raymond agrees to eternal service to Satan in exchange for enough money to win the love of a beautiful woman, he enters into a diabolical contract which can never be broken... or so he thinks! When the object of his affection learns of the unholy contract, she sets into motion a plan steeped in deception in order to save her lover from hellfire. Will she become the Bride of Satan?

Thanks to Karswell for sharing this fiendish fable from Witching Hour No. 49, printed in December 1974. The Horrors of it All will be posting a similar story tonight, as Devilcember begins drawing to a close...

Terror of the Cat-Men (1952)

"Help us! We are not cats!"

When American army buddies Sandy Lake and Steve Hannan travel to argentina to make their fortunes, they both fall head over heels for the beautiful Senorita Del Faro. Known to the natives as The Cat Woman, the striking seductress is suspected of witchcraft. According to the frightened townspeople, those who dared to seek out her hacienda atop Mount Homono had a nasty habit of vanishing without a trace! Behold: the Terror of the Cat-Men!

This feline frightener comes Dark Mysteries No. 5, and was kindly donated by the generous Karswell of The Horrors of it All. As noted in the final panel, there's nothing like a little propaganda to keep the masses in line!

God Bless Tiny Tim ( April 12, 1932 - November 30, 1996)

Herbert Khaury fell in love with music at an early age, spending countless hours playing the classics of yesteryear on a wind-up gramophone. His rise to fame began in 1952, when he entered a local talent show and debuted his trademark warbling falsetto singing style. The gentle giant adopted the stage name Tiny Tim, and began amassing a healthy cult following.

Tiny Tim released his first album, God Bless Tiny Tim, in 1968, and became a regular "novelty act" on programs such as Laugh-In, The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, and The Ed Sullivan Show. In spite of the sheer ridiculousness of an enormous man with long, red hair, strumming a tiny ukelele while belting out ballads like Tiptoe Through the Tulips and I Got You Babe, Tiny Tim's repertoire showcased his vast knowledge of musical history.

His sound was ahead of it's time, at times resembling some of Alice Cooper's earlier releases. The legendary vaudevillian actor/comedian, Groucho Marx, employed Tim's version of Irving Berlin's Stay Down Here Where You Belong, in his act. The song depicts a conversation between Satan and his son, in condemnation of World War 1:

"To please their kings, they've all gone out to war,
and not a one of them knows what they're fighting for…
Kings up there are bigger devils than your dad.”

Tiny Tim suffered a serious heart attack during a performance in September of 1996. Ordered to give up performing due to his frail health, Tim chose to disobey the advice of his medical team. He collapsed onstage two months later on November 30, and died shortly thereafter. Ironically, the last song he would ever perform before a live audience, Tiptoe Through the Tulips, was the very tune that made him a household name.

Thanks for the music, Tim... Rest in peace.

Tiny Tim sports a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey during a visit to Canada.

Canada Loves Boris Karloff

Karloff and a spooky mewer in Edgar G. Ulmer's brilliant adaptation
of Edgar Allan Poe's classic: "The Black Cat"

~~

In honour of the final day of Frankensteinia's Boris Karloff Blogathon, Killer Kittens From Beyond the Grave would like to share this interesting excerpt from Alberta History (Vol. 55 No. 2). Boris Karloff in Alberta was written by Stephen Jacobs, and details Boris Karloff's work with the Jeanne Russell Stock Company in the early 1900's.

"I felt I had to get away and work things out on my own.
When I blithely flipped a coin in the family solicitor's office,
the unfortunate losers were the Canadians."

This article was nabbed from Jacobs' web site, Boris Karloff: More Than a Monster, which is also the title of the biography he wrote about the iconic actor (scheduled to be published by Tomahawk Press).

Vote Kitty LeClaw!!!

A million Killer Kittens thanks to faithful THOIA reader Noel Tuazon for this spine-chilling surveillance cam footage from inside the Ms. Horror Blogosphere voting booth!

Ms. Horror Blogosphere 2009

In case you've been off from school with mono, and didn't hear the news: The Vault of Horror is currently collecting votes for the Ms. Horror Blogosphere feature/contest which has been running over the last couple of weeks.

The contest boasts over 20 entries from some really fabulous blogs/blogettes -- including a submission from Yours Truly! If you're interested in exploring the weird, wonderful world of female horror blogging, head on over to The Vault for a meet & greet with the contestants! And don't forget the customary bucket of pigs' blood!

This contest is now closed.
Warm and fuzzy Killer Kittens thanks to all
who took the time to vote for their favourite feline!

Gleam of Evil (1962)

Cats are known for their peculiarly possessive behaviour. I once had a cat who would systematically tear all the posters down from my walls if I failed to adhere to his strict feeding schedule (whenever he wanted to eat, he ate). If I scolded him, I could always expect to find something that belonged to me either torn apart or peed on the next day. Cute, cuddly, vengeful little beasts...

In honour of The Boris Karloff Blogathon that Frankensteinia is hosting this week (November 23-29), the THOIA Longboxes have donated this story about a fearsome feline from the October 1962 issue of Boris Karloff Thriller #1. "Gleam of Evil" tells of a pampered pussycat with the power to make terrible things happen to anyone who so much as casts a sideways glance in her direction! Will this pint-sized puffball be the demise of her brave, lion-taming owner?

If this story leaves you hungry for more, be sure to head over to The Horrors of it All, where Karswell has left a bowl out on the porch containing yet another story from Boris Karloff Thriller #1, entitled: "The Hand in the Wall"!

Don't Deliver Us From Evil (1971)

Caution: Spoilers Galore

Shipped off to religious boarding school by parents who ignored them, budding young women Anne de Boissy (Jeanne Goupil) and Lore Fournier (Catherine Wagener) became the closest of friends. Each night while in the convent, they would secretly share Anne's bed to read steamy passages together underneath the sheets. They exploited every opportunity afforded them to do wrong. Things they liked to do for fun included breaking rules, mocking Christianity, torturing pets, composing dark literature, and leading men into temptation. Together, they were preparing a very special ceremony to renounce Christ, and commit their lives to doing evil.

"Lore and me get such pleasure when we do
something wrong. To sin has become our chief aim.
Let the other idiots live their lives doing good.
We shall dedicate our lives to Satan, our Lord and Master."

As one might expect, all Hell breaks loose when Anne's parents, the Count and Countess, go away for the summer, leaving Anne all alone in the chateau, but for a few servants. Satan's willing, young slaves use this time to engage in some of their favourite pastimes, like arson, and leading even more men into temptation.

The beautiful Lore uses her god-given attributes to drive unsuspecting gents into a state of mad lust. Ample servings of sleaze follow the girls through several uncomfortable encounters of coerced near-rape for the purposes of fulfilling their Satanic mantra. What truly shook the foundations of this particular viewer was the way in which the diabolical duo leaped from one dangerously evil venture to another with blatant disregard for even their own personal safety. Clearly, these young women were not merely playing at evil. They were ready to give their very lives for it.

Ultimately, their summer of reckless abandon catches up with them. Lore breaks down before her friend, admitting that she is afraid of being caught, imprisoned, and separated from Anne. The dark, exotic beauty reassures the delicate, sobbing blonde that they will never be parted.

"When this fleeting life is done,
we will be together forever."

Mais ne Nous Délivrez Pas du Mal (Don't Deliver Us from Evil) is a taut, sleazy horror drama from French writer/director Joël Séria, based loosely on the notoriously fatal friendship of Pauline Parker and Juliet Hulme. The pair made shocking headlines in 1954 when they murdered Parker's mother after making plans to escape to the United States to work together in literature and film. Parker and Hulme's bizarre escapades were detailed in the Academy Award-winning Peter Jackson film Heavenly Creatures.

Although the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has yet to recognize Séria's efforts in re-telling the story with a Satanic twist, Don't Deliver Us from Evil is a certified cult cinema classic, brought back to life (with subtitles!) by the good folks at Mondo Macabro. Many thanks to Karswell for contributing this titillating title to the Killer Kittens library!

5/5 Kitty Skulls = Pick of the litter!