Lili's Lair Re-Launch News

Greetings fellow miscreants - it has been awhile. Last year found myself and my family undergoing a lot of life's ups and downs, including illnesses and several deaths, but this is a new year and I have put much thought into what I want Lili's Lair to be and where I want it to go. With that said, I am pleased to announce a grand re-launch the first week of April.

As for changes, my minions, I will be posting less due to several books I am writing, and my foray back into a couple of personal passions of mine: jewelery design and music. I will also be posting about a few games I play, like the miniatures-based steampunk/horror-esque Malfaux, and several horror, steampunk, and fantasy RPG's and boardgames I play. Also being added to the lineup is more on the paranormal and my up-and-coming mini webisodes on paranormal activity (once the weather clears up and is not snowing every bloody day), and the goth, horror, occult, and steampunk genres.

There will, of course, be old standbys: interviews of indie movie companies, bands, authors, and personalities; my original stories; contests; vids; and obnoxious quips.

If any of you have any requests or suggestions, please feel free to drop me note.

I'm looking forward to the return and I hope you all are as well.

Cheers,
Lili

My Tribute To Hocus Pocus

[I forgot about this post... better late than never?]

Believe it or not, fellow ghouls, my all time favourite movie to watch at Halloween is Hocus Pocus. Yes, I know: there are no zombies, vampires, foul language, or gore.

For some reason, it has grown on me since it came out in 1993. I saw it at the theatre, and there is just something about it... Perhaps it is all of the time spent in and all of the happy memories I have of Salem MA. Or perhaps I'm just a sap... lol

I love the costumes and have wanted copies of the sisters' outfits for years now - and you know what? I would actually wear them out to do the grocery shopping. Maybe next year I will hire someone to make for me, at the very least, sister Sarah's costume.

At any rate, here are some clips and other bits and bobs from the movie that I watch all year round, but especially at Halloween.

Here are a couple of the spells used in the movie and some cute quotes:

All Three Sisters: Twist the bones and bend the back. Yitta cappita magica mystica. Trim him of his baby fat. Yitta cappita magica mystica. Give him fur black as black. Just.. Like.. This...

Winnifred Sanderson: Unfaithful lover long since dead. Deep asleep in thy wormy bed. Wiggle thy toes, open thine eyes, twist thy fingers toward the sky. Life is sweet, be not shy. On thy feet. So sayeth I!

Sara Sanderson: Come little children, I'll take thee away, into a land of enchantment. Come little children, the times come to play, here in my garden of magic.

Quotes:

"Think soothing thoughts: Rabid bats, black death, mummy's scorpion pie."

"I smell children.."

"I've always wanted a child; now I think I'll have one. ON TOAST!"

"Oh, look: another glorious morning. Makes me SICK!"

Hmmm. Maybe I can get a few members of the cast to do an interview or two. Well, my maggoty mouthed minions, have a spooky holiday. I know I will...

Feature of Singer Heather Dinnarr of Rose Red

November,I have decided, is a month of shake-ups, but don't worry my diabolical denizens: I won't be writing about happy bunnies prancing through the meadow. Unless, of course, they are about to be eaten by the big bad wolf. Another thing I am not shaking up is the Lair featuring some fresh new talent for the sacrifice.

Normally, I do not like female singers. I probably only have a handful I will actually listen to. However, I have found another. One whose voice is like the haunting sound of the siren beckoning from the ether.

Her name is Heather Dinnarr and she is from Rose Red. Here is a little bio and some original tracks and a cover of "Du Hast," as well as a link for you all to visit. I think you will all agree after hearing her voice that we will be seeing, and hearing, more from this talented young siren.

"I’ve always been theatrical and loved to sing and perform. My first memory of it is singing on the bus with my gran when I was about 5, and old ladies would give me 50p as they got off! Since then I’ve never really stopped. I was in a couple of bands in my teens then more recently starting gigging solo in pubs, clubs and (ever so glamorous!) old folks homes to pay the bills, but I’ve never been more excited or stimulated than by the music I’m making at the moment as alter-ego Rose Red.

"Most people seem to think the name Rose Red comes from the Stephen King film but it actually comes from my love of fairytales - not the happy Disney type, but the original German folk tales that were much more dark and sinister. Rose Red is the sister of Snow White in the story ‘Schneeweißchen und Rosenrot’ . I also have red hair and my favourite flowers are roses, so it seemed like the perfect choice!

"I first met Wayne Dineley, the musical maestro behind the songs, when I produced a series of short films and feature film (with director Peter Hallett, who also directs Rose Red’s music videos) and Wayne applied to be the composer. We became friends and then inevitably started collaborating musically, firstly with cover versions of classic rock tracks which we re-worked and gave a completely different feel to, such as Rammstein’s 'Du Hast', which went down really well on our YouTube channel, prompting Wayne to write some original material for me. Being a composer by trade has also meant he has the gear and know-how to produce the tracks himself to a professional standard.

"The next step for Rose Red is an EP called Miss Understood which will be released on iTunes early next year, when we’ll also be playing live in venues in Liverpool, Manchester and the nothwest UK."

The other half of Rose Red Wayne Dineley.

The Life and Times of Lili DeGhoules, Intro

31 October 2006

Some bloody little idiot just woke me up. Funny the things you remember when you are trapped for a little over 200 years.

I guess starting the French Revolution was the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back. Though it is possible the plan to imprison me began a millenium before that.

They said my imprisonment would be painless.

They said in my imprisonment I would sleep a dreamless sleep.

They said in my imprisonment I would feel not hunger, nor thirst.

They said in my imprisonment I would feel nothing...

They lied.

The following is a journal of all the little things one remembers in a so-called "endless sleep."

[To be continued...]

Interview/Review: Filmmakers , Fever Night

[Disclaimer: this post is rated R for some nudity and bad fucking language.]

And now for something completely different. This little piece of weirdness is a cross between a movie review and an interview, but not one of my typical interviews. It's a video interview-kinda-weird-bastard-child-thing-a-ma-jig.

Hmmm... For once I'm speechless, so just move along and read, and watch the bloody thing, my creepy little creatures.

Fever Night Aka Band of Satanic Outsiders has to be one of the most WTF (in a good way) kind of movies out there at the moment. It's acid horror at its best, reminiscent of a Dario Argento, Susperia-type movie.

It's the perfect example as to why you should never listen to the friend who says: "Hey - let's go into the spooky woods that have a bad rep, practice some satanic ritual using 'substitute' ingredients, raise the Devil, and try to get away in that piece-of-shit auto we know is going to die on us. Sound cool?"

Then, as one of the idiot friends, you say:"Sounds stupid, isn't going to work, but OK."

DUH.

Then they wonder why very bad shite happens. Weird, and very bad and weird. Did I forget weird?

Everything about this movie from the acting, to the lighting, to the cinematography was brilliant, but you had to get it. If you don't get what these two young brilliant film makers are trying to do, you won't like the movie. You have to take it as a romp on the WTF side. Go with it, let it get under your skin, and you too will see how truly amazing and talented Andrew and Jordon are.

I can't wait to see what they come up with next, and I seriously hope they get "discovered," because the horror film industry in particular needs a new influx of super-creative and talented individuals with a vision to the future like Andrew and Jordon have.

Interview first in two parts, and then the trailer to the movie Fever Night:

Interview: Michelle Belanger

Do vampires really exist?

If you ask Michelle Belanger you would hear a resounding "Yes."

You see Michelle is a real vampire. A "psi-vampire" to be more specific.

She is the founder of House Kheperu, noted occult author, singer, frequent guest on the television show Paranormal State, and she lectures around the country.

Michelle took time out of her busy schedule to do an interview with us here at the Lair. Oh, and by the way: she is a very real, intelligent, and cool person to have a conversation with. Michelle is a five star personality to say the least, and I hope to feature her again here at the Lair.

Lili's Lair: Michelle, You consider yourself a psi-vampire. Could you please explain what that is, and what that means to you on a personal level?

Michelle Belanger: A psychic vampire is a person who needs to regularly and actively take human vital energy in order to maintain their mental, emotional, and physical well-being. Psychic vampires are psychic, in that they have an innate awareness of this energy in the first place. It is an energy that people in our culture are generally only aware of on an unconscious level, but it is something that is integral to many Eastern practices, such a Tai Chi, Reiki, and Qi Gong. For me, “psychic vampire” is just one of many labels that can be used to describe an aspect of my life – but it’s a big aspect. A lot of my work with energy and magick as well as all of my psychic abilities tie to this one thing. It is not a negative thing, in my opinion, but an integral part of who I am, and I’ve made it a part of my life’s work to educate people on what real vampires are, dispelling the myths and misunderstandings that grow up around such a culturally loaded term.

Lili's Lair: How did you come to the decision to form House Kheperu?

Michelle Belanger: In the mid-90s, I ran something called the International Society of Vampires, and, as the name implies, it was a worldwide organization with a large number of members. We had a newsletter, the Midnight Sun, and what amounted to a penpal network. But in 1996, after working with Jeff Guinn on his book, Something in the Blood, I realized that I’d never really gotten to know many of the vampire folks local to me. So that fall, I started to turn my attention from the ISV to a more local group, based out of NE Ohio. The group that resulted – although nameless at first – eventually became House Kheperu. We were simultaneously a group of friends and a study group, sharing our theories and experiences of psychic vampirism. Eventually, I chose to share those with the world in my book, The Psychic Vampire Codex.

Lili's Lair: What advice would you give to others who may think they are vampires as well?

Michelle Belanger: First, rule out all possible medical conditions. There are a lot of very real physical ailments – as well as a few psychological issues, like clinical depression – that have symptoms some mistake for vampirism. Once you are certain that what you are experiencing does not have a root physical or psychological cause, then look into the possibility that it comes down to vital energy. Pay attention to how you interact with the energy of the people around you, and pay attention to how that energy impacts your health and well-being. Spend some time getting to know how this works for you, and track your ups and downs. Don’t look to so-called experts to tell you if you’re vampiric or not (not even me!) – in the end, only you can judge for certain.

Lili's Lair: You have been a guest on the T.V. show Paranormal State. How did that happen, and what role do you play in their investigations?

Michelle Belanger: Two cast members of the show, Josh Light and Eilfie Music, were fan of my books before there ever was a show. They brought me out to speak on psychic vampirism as an event hosted by the Paranormal Research Society. Through this convention, I got to know the rest of the team as well, and they came to trust my expertise on a variety of topics, including the history of the occult. When PRS got its own show, I often got calls on the sidelines where they sought my expertise on some of the hauntings. They brought me in as a regular guest starting in second season. Although I’m billed as a “psychic medium” I still also serve as an occult expert and a go-to person when checking up on folklore and paranormal history.

Lili's Lair: What is the strangest/scariest thing that has ever happened to you whilst investigating, either on Paranormal State or on your own?

Michelle Belanger: Maybe I’m foolhardy, but it takes a whole lot to really scare me. When objects move on their own when we’re investigating, most peoples have a natural startle reaction. Me, I tend to giggle and ask the ghost to do it again. I guess I just have a really different perspective. We have done some pretty dark cases, where very malevolent entities are involved, and those can be a little intimidating, primarily because, as the psychic, my job description pretty much involves going into the heart of all that darkness with my shields down so I’m as open as I can be to any impressions I can get of the entity. On one of the cases on fourth season, this may have led to me getting attacked. That doesn’t usually happen, but in this case, I felt so bad in the house, I had to step out for a while and pull myself back together.

Lili's Lair: You also conduct lectures around the country. How did you get involved with that?

Michelle Belanger: I’ve actually been doing lectures at colleges since 1996. I started as a guest speaker for the local Pagan group at Case Western Reserve University. Since then, I’ve spoken at colleges around the country, and these days I am represented by an agency that helps manage to bookings. Although I still do appearances for small groups on campuses, most of my bookings these days are for the whole school, not just one club. I lecture mostly on the vampire – its evolution through folklore and fiction and how it has become such a powerful pop culture image today. Since I originally had intended to become a college professor when pursuing my degree, these lectures are great fun for me, as they allow me to educate college students on a topic that I love – and I have the freedom to be a little edgy with that topic, since I don’t have to worry about tenure!

Lili's Lair: Do you find the time constraints lecturing to be difficult considering all of the projects you have going on?

Michelle Belanger: Time has become more and more of a luxury for me. Between the lecturing and the travel to film with Paranormal State, my schedule is busier than it has ever been. What has really suffered from this is my writing – I find I have less and less time to devote to finishing my books, and that can b difficult. I’m one of those writers who really needs a little quiet time to get going – I like to be home, settled in with my cats. I simply don’t have that luxury these days. So I find myself having to really budget my time and learning to write while on the road so I continue to pursue my first love: my books.

Lili's Lair: Michelle, you are a very busy woman. You are also a published author of ten books to your credit, why did you decide to write?

Michelle Belanger: I don’t think writing was so much of a decision for me as a calling. I remember putting my first book together when I was four-and-a-half. It was about my aunt’s dog, Alfie, who had just died, and I wrote, illustrated and bound it myself – though I seem to remember asking for a little help with the stapler! But seriously, writing has been the thing I need to do rather than want to do. The fact that I get my stuff published is simply a side benefit. I’d write no matter what.

Lili's Lair: How long does it generally take you from start to finish to write one of your books?

Michelle Belanger: I write at what I’m told is a ridiculously fast rate. When I’m really focused and can devote myself 100% to a project, I can complete the rough draft of a book in a couple of weeks. Of course, that’s after I’ve done all the research, and many of my books are pretty research intensive. Now, all of this does not count how long I will often take to revise and fiddle with the book, changing sections, expanding on concepts and so forth. If left to my own devices, I am perfectly capable of editing and revising the same work for years until I’m completely satisfied with the finished product. So I guess that evens things out. These days, I’ve tried to go a little easier on my books, leaving some of the work for the editors at my publishers’ offices. Because of the pace of publishing, generally speaking, if I’m working on finishing a book right now, readers won’t see it till this time next year.

Lili's Lair: What do you find the most difficult aspect of writing is for you?

Michelle Belanger: Believe it or not, I have the hardest time writing fiction. Non-fiction is easy – all the facts are there and there is a very logical way that things go together. I don’t have to worry about what comes next. The facts do that for themselves. But with fiction, even though it’s my first love when it comes to writing, it’s so much harder for me. Plotting out a book, making certain that my characters are realistic and true to life – that take a lot of effort for me. To give you an idea, my recently published novel, This Heart of Flame, was first written in 1998. It’s taken me six or seven full rewrites to be completely happy with the plot, the characters, and how everything goes together in the end.

Lili's Lair: What is a typical busy day like for you?

Michelle Belanger: I have two kinds of busy: writing busy, and travel busy. On a writing day, I’m at home. I get up around two in the afternoon, make myself some tea and settle into my writing nook with my two cats, Cornelius and Katya, curled up around me. I’ll write for five or six hours. Sometimes it’s closer to ten. I get up for tea breaks or food, but otherwise, I spend the whole day writing. When I’ve done all the writing I can, I take care of email, phone calls, etc., (fortunately any members of HK that I need to call and talk business with tend to keep late hours like me). A travel day is quite different. I get up way early in order to drive to the location or to catch my plane. If I’m filming with Paranormal State, I can’t always predict when they’ll actually need me that day, but I have to be ready at the hotel and on call. I sleep when I can and I eat when I can because life on the road is unpredictable. I get writing done in the hotel room if I can manage it, otherwise I bring my notes and a few books and do some brainstorming or research.

Lili's Lair: Of all of the things in which you are involved, which is your favourite?

Michelle Belanger: Writing, as I’ve said, is my first love. I’d write whether my work got published or not. There’s a poet whose work has had a huge impact on me – Rainer Maria Rilke. He wrote prose in addition to poetry, and he is famous for this collection of his correspondence with a friend, Letters to a Young Poet. Pretty much, the young poet is asking Rilke how he can know whether or not he’s cut out to be a writer. Rilke responds with the advice that he’ll know he’s a writer when he can’t not write. I’m a writer by Rilke’s understanding of the term. I can’t imagine my life without writing something every day.

Lili's Lair: What would you like the future to hold for Michelle Belanger?

Michelle Belanger: At the moment, I want the near future to hold the completion of a rather ambitious book project I’ve undertaken. Because of some of the issues with “demonic entities” on Paranormal State, I decided to do this very research-heavy work that catalogues all of the demons given proper names in the Western tradition, from the Bible through the magickal grimoires of the Middle Ages and Renaissance. It’s part dictionary, part history of Western demonology – from a scholarly perspective rather than a theological one. I may really have bit off more than I can chew with this one, and since I’m a stickler for sourcing primary materials, it’s a good thing I can read French and Latin passably well, since my research has taken me to some interesting tomes in those languages. After I finish that book, I hope to continue my relationship with Paranormal State and I really look forward to expanding on my fiction. This Heart of Flame is intended to be the first novel in a series, and I would love a chance to revisit the urban fantasy world of the incubus Matthew Newkirk from that novel.

You can find out all about Michelle at her web site

Interview: Nathan Head, Mark Macready and the Archangel Murders

Nathan Head is not just another actor. His outside interests run deep, obscure, and intellectual.

Nathan is the quality-type character actor who could easily pull off playing Sir Anthony Hopkins' role of Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs, or any A-list cast character actor's part for that matter.

The mainstream film industry in my opinion needs to stop casting no-talent A-list actors who make millions for no good reason , and turn to undiscovered talent like Nathan who, if given the right script, would be a definite box office draw.

Nathan Head is one of the actors from Manchester UK's own horror movie phenomenon Mark Mark Macready and the Archangel Murders. He is also one cool guy, and one hot talent.

Make sure to visit Nathan's personal website after the interview, my minions; and if you happen to bump into him some foggy night, go buy him an ice cream and have a chat about the Lost City of Atlantis.

Lili's Lair: What was your driving force in becoming an actor?

Nathan: There are a few things really, I always wanted to perform when I left school. It was my dream to work in either theatre production or radio dramas. But through some very wrong choices and bad relationships it sort of got delayed until I started DJing and performing in cabaret acts. I guess this gave me the confidence and drive to get back into acting and really make a go of it, I don’t want to be old and have too many regrets, I’m no where near thirty yet and I already have a few. So I’m just giving my work my full determination and trying not to miss out on the career that I dreamed of. I have been lucky enough to work on some fantastic productions like Doctor Who and The Archangel Murders, working with some amazing people, I say to myself “it would be silly to quit now after all my hard work.”

Lili's Lair: What do you think is the best bit about acting?

Nathan: I guess for me the best part about acting is the response, either from an audience while onstage or from the fans when they watch the movie/TV show. It shows that what I am doing is getting noticed and people enjoyed what they saw.

Lili's Lair: What did you enjoy most about being in Mark Macready and the Archangel Murders?

Nathan: Well I think it was mainly the friends I made during filming, CM films are such a great crew to work for and they hired some amazing people. We’ve all stayed in touch, I really hope to work with them again someday, they know what they are doing and really enjoy making movies.

Lili's Lair: Do you have a certain routine you follow when preparing for a role?

Nathan: Well it depends what the role is, for the Archangel Murders the guys had a specific character idea and they told me to research a character from the X-Files for delivery. I was familiar with the show anyway and knew they meant “Tombs,” Korkinsky had to be calm and relaxed, yet slightly possessed - almost like he is watching the world through a webcam, and he isn’t really there. So for preparing for a role, that is what I mainly do. I research films and TV of a similar genre to help me get a feel for the character.

Lili's Lair: What is your favourite genre of movie to act in and why?

Nathan: Oh simple, horror. I think it’s my parents I have to blame for that; my sister’s birthday was in the summer. So as kids, she always had a big party in the garden with cakes and a picnic (sometimes a BBQ). Yet mine was in October, so it was too cold for a garden party. We would wait for Hallowe’en and have a joint Hallowe’en / Birthday celebration, my parents would decorate the place like a haunted house and all my friends would dress up and we would have spooky party food and music on. It just made me love anything spooky and ghastly from an early age. I now have an enormous interest in the occult and the darker aspects of mythology, that’s why I enjoy watching and working on horror movies. Ha ha, does that make me macabre?

Lili's Lair: In Mark Macready and the Archangel Murders, did you prefer playing Kinski or the monster?

Nathan: Hmm tough one, I have fond memories of both for different reasons. I think I enjoyed playing Korkinsky because he was more of a main part and I got to really know the character over the months. When I donned the latex, it was only for that one scene as the original actor who played the Archangel was unavailable. It was a bit uncomfortable, but now I can say I have played a made-up movie monster and I would do it again and again. At first I was a bit embarrassed to admit it was me under that make-up and I told everybody it was Charlotte, who played Christina, under there! (Sorry Charly.) But both characters had lots of gore and fake blood and black goop, which was nice and messy. I love getting messy for a role. Aaaah.

Lili's Lair: What was the special effects process for getting you into monster mode?

Nathan: Well it was quite complicated, as I said the suit was cast for a different actor and it was ‘ahem’ a little on the snug side (I’ve since lost weight, so it would probably fit better now). The makeup team had to cut away the entire lower half as I couldn’t even get my legs into it. The back wouldn’t fasten and the nose wouldn’t stay stuck to my skin, it kept flicking up like a beak! It took a very long time to get all this to fit me well enough to look convincing on camera, and then they had to blend it into my skin with white, grey and yellow makeup using little stipple sponges. Which are little grey sponges with large holes, so you get a patchy-uneven sort of blotchiness. Also the wing harness was a bit tricky, I could only wear the wings while stood up. There was a brace that attached to my torso and sticks were rammed in to support the wings. It was a lengthy process, but all part of the effect and it was incredibly interesting to watch the transformation.

Lili's Lair: Nathan, what is your ultimate goal as an actor, and where would you like to see yourself a few years down the road?

Nathan: Well when I first started acting full-time, my main two goals were to A) be in a b-movie horror flick, and B) be in a cheap DVD in the bargain bucket at the supermarket. Bizarrely enough, I have achieved these goals without even realising it, so now I have to think up some new ones. I guess I would just like to make a name for myself in the horror genre, it would be nice to be known for bigger roles on TV, but that can be so temporary with the way dramas and soaps work. But I wouldn’t turn down a role as Peter Barlow’s evil twin in Coronation Street! It would also be nice to work with one of my idols, Doug Bradley, Ashley Laurence or Xenia Seeberg, watching their work has always inspired me and I really admire them all as performers.

You can check out all things Nathan by clicking here: http://www.nathanhead.tv

Movie Review: Mark Macready and the Archangel Murders

Interview: Ryan McDermott

Interview: Paul Newbery

Interview: Scott Benzie

Interview: Ashleigh Edwards Pitt

Visit http://www.archangelmurders.com to order your very own DVD and to have a look-see at all things Macready.

Facebook Fan Page Mark Macready and the Archangel Murders