31 Days of Horror: The Devil-Doll

The Devil Doll (1936) is one of Tod Browning's (Dracula, Freaks) lesser known movies. It's a twisted little film that at times has to be seen to be believed.

Set in France - Lionel Barrymore is a banker who was wrongly convicted of robbing his own bank and killing a security guard. After seventeen years on Devil's Island - he escapes with a scientist (Henry B. Walthall). Walthall had invented a shrinking ray which he had planned to use to help the world's growing shortage of resources. Barrymore has other plans. Walthall dies and his widow Rafaela Ottiano agrees to help Barrymore with his revenge.

Disguised as an old woman Barrymore opens up a shop that sells dolls. Some of these dolls happen to be people that Barrymore and Ottiano have shrunk that respond to Barrymore's will. And these dolls are sold to Barrymore's enemies - the ones who framed him.

I have always found Browning's movies to be a bit static. They lack the beautiful cinematography of Karl Freund's work or even the unique style of director Rouben Mamoulian (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde). Other directors of the same era like Lewis Milestone,Michael Curtiz,John Ford and Cecil B. DeMille all seemed to be able to create "motion" pictures while Browning's films all seem to be very set bound. But Browning's off-beat plots make up for it and this film is as off-beat as you can get. There's nothing like some good old fashioned cross-dressing, the miniaturization of people and of course some good old fashioned murder.

Candidate Profiles: Who's Running for Council?

Yesterday, we ran through the candidates for the mayor's office. Today, we're looking at the 22 people who've stepped forward to run for spots on city council.

Curious to know who's guiltily reading a Dan Brown novel or how many candidates say they are reading a book by Barack Obama? Wondering how many Captain Kirks we could wind up with on council? (Which leads one to wonder if council can handle that much Shatner?) The answers to these questions and many more are below....

Ward 1
ANDY ASHERBRANNER says he's running for council because he's tired of the people we elect not listening to the people who elect them. Read Andy's complete profile.
LOUIS BROWNE says he's running for re-election to council because he feels indebted to Regina and Ward 1 for all they have given him. Read Louis' complete profile.
SHAWN KUSTER says he's running for council because it's an opportunity to be involved with and serve his community. Read Shawn's complete profile.

Ward 2
JOCELYN HUTCHINSON, who is running for re-election in Ward2, was unfortunately not able to respond to our candidate questionnaire just yet. When she does, we'll be sure to post it to the blog.
HEATHER MCINTYRE says she is running for council because she believes she wants to ensure Regina's growth is managed responsibly. Read Heather's complete profile.

Ward 3
FRED CLIPSHAM says he is running for re-election to council because he wants to follow through on the plans set in motion by the current council. Read Fred's complete profile.
JOHN CONWAY says he is running for council because the current council is dominated by business interests and he want to force significant policy debate. Read John's complete profile.
SHIRLEY DIXON says she is running for council because she wants to move issues forward that are important to Regina's citizens. Read Shirley's complete profile.
DON YOUNG says he is running for council because he can make competent, conscientious decisions which will make a beneficial contribution to the city. Read Don's complete profile.

Ward 4
MICHAEL FOUGERE is the winner by acclamation in Ward 4. This will be his fifth term on council. Read Michael's complete profile.

Ward 5
JOHN FINDURA says he is running for council because he knows the issues that are important to Reginans and he wants to ensure they are raised. Read John's complete profile.
BILL GRAY says he is running for re-election because he believes in Regina's future there are decisions that should be made based on fairness and experience. Read Bill's complete profile.

Ward 6
BRENDA MERCER says she is running for council because she is committed to affordable housing, safer neighbourhoods and stronger communities. Read Brenda's complete profile.
WADE MURRAY says he is running for re-election in Ward 6 because he wants to ensure taxes are carefully and prudently invested in the community. Read Wade's complete profile.

Ward 7
DANNY BEREHULA says he is running for council because he believes Ward 7 has not received its fair share of infrastructure and services. Read Danny's complete profile.
SHARRON BRYCE says she is running for re-election because she listens to the issues residents bring forward and sees that those issues are resolved. Read Sharron's complete profile.

Ward 8
MICHAEL O'DONNELL says he is running for re-election because he wants to see recommendations made in the many reviews the city has undertaken are implemented in a reasonable and realistic manner. Read Michael's complete profile.
DONNA STANDINGREADY says she is running for council because she believes there is a disconnect between the city and its residents and she wants to engage people in decision making. Read Donna's complete profile.

Ward 9
TERRY HINCKS hasn't had a chance to respond to our questionnaire yet.

Ward 10
MICHAEL CASSANO says he is running for council because he wants to ensure people are kept in the loop and have their input included into the city's strategies for growth. Read Michael's complete profile.
JERRY FLEGEL says he is running for re-election because he is passionate about representing the interests of Ward 10 and finds it exhilarating to help citizens resolve the concerns they bring forward. Read Jerry's complete profile.
CHRIS SZARKA has been sent a few messages but still hasn't gotten back to us.

Pick of the Day: Mind the Gap!

We've all heard the jokes I'm sure. My favourite is "the only culture in Saskatchewan is agriculture". Like any stereotype, I suppose, there's a grain (pun intended) of truth in the characterization of our province as a cultural wasteland. Lord knows, we struggle constantly at prairie dog to champion worthwhile cultural endeavours in Regina that reflect a true 21st century urban vibe rather than just pander to heavily romanticized notions of life in Saskatchewan. And believe me, it's not always easy. Just check our Facebook page. We have more "friends" outside Regina than we do here.

Maybe it's our fault. Maybe we need to do a better job of networking in the city. Or maybe Reginans need to think seriously about what it means to be a modern, cosmopolitan, sustainable city.

Regardless, Saskatchewan is not devoid of cultural excellence. In this ambitious show, Dunlop Art Gallery curators Amanda Cachia and Jeff Nye have assembled work by 30 emerging artists from 14 different cities and towns to counter the widely held perception of our province as a gap in Canada's cultural fabric where nothing much happens. It's common slang, by the way, in places like Alberta and Manitoba, to call people from Saskatchewan "gappers".

There was an opening reception for Mind the Gap! last night. This afternoon at 2 p.m. at the Central Gallery Wally Dion, Randal Fedje, Erin Gee and Tim Moore will speak on their work. Then on Nov. 14 at 2 p.m. at the Sherwood Village Gallery Kyle Herranen, Rob Jerome and Stacia Verigin will present talks on their art.

Pictured above is a print by Amalie Atkins called Dress and Apple on a Tree (2008) that is in the show. Mind the Gap! runs at both galleries until Jan. 3.

31 Days of Horror: Paranormal Activity / The Haunting

Paranormal Activity opens today in Regina and Saskatoon. This low budget haunted house story has been generating buzz for a while on the internet and has been slowly climbing up the box office chart for a few weeks now. It crushed the lame remake of The Stepfather and now it's up against the latest Saw film.

It's another pseudo-documentary like The Blair Witch Project that relies on suggestion rather than actually showing anything. I haven't seen it yet but it looks and sounds interesting and from the trailer - it looks like a fun film to see in a theatre full of people. The Galaxy is playing midnight showings on Friday and Saturday for those brave enough.





Which brings me to today's film - The Haunting (1963). This brilliant horror film is one of the best haunted house movies ever made. Directed by Robert Wise this adaptation of Shirley Jackson's novel The Haunting of Hill House is creepy, eerie and just plain unsettling at times.

Wise goes for the less is more philosophy - using sound and shadows to create chills rather than relying on special effects. The story takes place in Hill House, a house with a dark and disturbing past. Richard Johnson is Dr. John Markway. Markway wants to explore the house and try to solve its mysteries. To do this he assembles a team of people with a history of the paranormal. One of those people is Eleanor 'Nell' Lance (Julie Harris) who is drawn to the house.

The movie is extremely effective. There was a remake in 1999 that was all CGI effects and no bite. It was terrible and it just about ended director Jan De Bont's short career. The last film he directed was in 2003 - the equally crappy Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life. Filmmakers seem to forget that the best way to scare people is to build tension, establish mood and let the audiences imagination do the rest.

Friday Afternoon Kitty!

This installment in prairie dog's hard-hitting weekly exposé of kitty porn on the web is a doozy. It's the story of two guys and their cat: Boys meet cat, boys save cat, boys send cat to Africa, boys reunite with cat a year later and get totally covered in cat slime. A real tear jerker, and guaranteed to melt your heart, unless you're a music lover. It's just soooooo popular, you can't find a version without an obnoxious Whitney Houston soundtrack. This one isn't bad, just mute at 00:26 and you should be barf free while you marvel at the magic of life.

Candidate Profiles: Who's Running for Mayor?

For the latest prairie dog, we got the candidates in October 28's municipal election to fill out Candidate Questionnaires, in which they had to answer such hard-hitting questions as "Which Star Trek character are you?" and "What's your totem animal?" (Oh, don't worry. We grilled them on the issues, too.) Unfortunately, due to space contraints, we weren't able to run every answer we received and we weren't able to run profiles for candidates in the school board races.

As a result over the next few days, we'll be posting the candidates' complete profiles here, on the dog blog. Tomorrow we'll post the profiles for candidates running for spots on city council. Sunday, we'll tackle the two school board races. But today, we'll take a look at the three people running for the job of mayor....

JIM ELLIOTT says he's running for mayor because the current council isn't doing enough for marginalized people and for the environment. He's reading Less Law and Order by Irwin Waller and his totem animal is the Owl. Read his complete profile.

PAT FIACCO says he's running for reelection as mayor because he wants to see continue the work council's been doing to make Regina affordable, safe and environmentally sustainable. He says the Star Trek character he resembles is Captain Kirk (they both have great hair) and he's reading a tonne of reports. Read his complete profile.

LINDA WHITE says she's running for mayor because she wants to raise awareness about how difficult it is to find affordable, safe housing in Regina. She says in Regina City Hall: the Movie, the part of Linda White should be played by Julia Roberts and her totem animal is the eagle. Read her complete profile.

Pick of the Day: Propagandhi

You know them, you love them -- even though they're from Winnipeg. They're punk/hardcore/thrash veterans Propagandhi.

Founded in 1986, the band has endured a few line-up changes over the years. But one thing that hasn't changed is their strident advocacy on behalf of human and animal rights, free speech, anti-imperialism and other progressive causes. Currently touring as a four-piece fronted by founding members Chris Hannah and Jord Samolesky, they released their latest album Supporting Caste in March.

Tonight, Propagandhi headline a concert at Riddell Centre that features a supporting cast composed of Rebel Spell, local favourites Armour Fou, and Beelzebison. Here's video of them performing "Anti-Manifesto" at a show in Peru in 2007. (YouTube)

New Dog!

Cover by Dakota McFadzean

So what's more horrifying--a city election or a two-six of scary movies? Maybe don't answer that until you've picked up the latest, greatest prairie dog. The Halloween cover says monsters but the big feature is politics. Either way, this is a frightful issue you'll want to read under the covers with a flashlight. Ignore the scratching at the window--it's probably just a branch. Or is it...a campaigning politician? WooOOOOooo!

31 Days of Horror: The Abominable Dr. Phibes

Tomorrow the theatres will be bombarded with yet another crappy Saw movie. But before Jigsaw came around to keep Lions Gate in the green - Vincent Price was torturing and killing people in needlessly complex death traps way back in the 1970's.

The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971) features Price as a horribly disfigured doctor who blames nine other doctors for the death of his beautiful wife (the uncredited Caroline Munro). He along with his beautiful but mute assistant Vulnavia (Virginia North) murder each of the doctors using one of the ten plagues as inspiration. A plague of frogs involves a costume party with a mechanical frog's head that slowly crushes the wearer's throat. The plague of blood involves removing all the blood from Price's victim. You get the idea.

The movie is a weird combination of humor, gore and some strange surreal scenes. Out of no where - Phibes and his assistant break into a ballroom dance sequence. Yet the film works as a whole. Price is his usual fiendish self and he manages to play his role without once moving his lips. Joseph Cotten (Citizen Kane, The Third Man, Gaslight) plays the head doctor that Price blames.

Director Robert Fuest spent most of his career directing TV. From The Avengers to a bunch of ABC Afterschool Specials although he did direct the very cool thriller And Soon the Darkness (1970). Fuest also directed the sequel to this film Dr. Phibes Rises Again with Price reprising his role as Phibes and Robert Quarry (Count Yorga, Vampire) is Phibes' adversary this time out. There was suppose to more Phibes films but fortunately they quit while they were ahead. The same can't be said about the Saw films.

Pick of the Day: A Spoon We Are Not

For several years now, the Globe Theatre has run a Sandbox Series under the sponsorship Jacqui Shumiatcher and the late Morris Shumiatcher. It's held in a small performance space at the Globe and, as the title implies, is intended to allow artists to "play" ie experiment, take risks, present work that is still in the process of being developed.

It's a neat idea. And one that provides true value to emerging artists, and potential young theatre-goers, in the city. In the Globe's overall operation, however, the Sandbox Series has tended to play second fiddle to the theatre's main stage productions. As a result, it hasn't always been as dynamic as it could have been. This year, the Globe is trying a new approach. It's handed over direction of the series to Andrew Manera, Fallon Mazurkewich and Jayden Pfeiffer. With the goal of fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, they've invited six different groups of artists to present performances with run-dates in October, January, February, March, April and May.

The season kicks off tonight with A Spoon We Are Not. Conceived by Heather Cameron, Fran Gilboy and Misty Wensel of FadaDance, the work, which will be performed Oct. 22-24 and Oct. 28-31, riffs on the idea of forks, and the different prongs/pathways that the utensil metaphorically embodies.

Here's a snippet of video from an unrelated FadaDance performance at the Exchange this spring. (YouTube)