The only problem with today’s prompt, “Spell” is there are too many options.
It took me a while to decide just who was casting a spell. I finally went with a wich/sorceress. A wizard just didn’t feel… Halloweeny enough.
This week a did an old vs new take on a perennial Halloween classic, the Cat people.
The first the films is one of Val Lewton‘s films directed by Jacques Tourneur. Telling the story of Irena(Simone Simon), a Serbian immigrant who has just arrived in New York where she finds work as a fashion illustrator. She practices her drawing at the local zoo where she is drawn to an exquisite black leopard.
During one of her sessions, she meets the handsome Wilbur (Kent Smith), who she quickly falls in love with and marries. However, there’s a catch she believes she cannot have any contact at all for fear something terrible will happen.
This was a very interesting film. It has a wonderfully subtle, but overwhelming, feeling of repressed sexuality. I especially like the rivalry between Irena and Alice, Wilbur’s coworker and later lover. In fact, the best part though is the wonderful chilling example of less is more scene of Irena hunting Alice (Jane Randolph). We never see the transformed cat and it is terrifying.
From the original I moved my way to Paul Schrader’s 1982 remake. In this version, Irena (Nastassja Kinski) has just moved to New Orleans where she reunites with her with her brother Paul. (Malcolm McDowell) At first, things seem good. That is until a Black Leopard is brought to the New Orleans zoo after it was caught mauling a prostitute. By a strange coincidence, Paul is nowhere to be found.
This version went in multiple different directions than the original to the point that it was enough it’s own film that when it directly quotes some of the best scenes from the original come as a surprise.
Of the two, I still like the original better. Where the original has an almost subliminal sexual tension, in this movie… it’s just gratuitous.
From a Halloween perspective, there were two choices for today’s Inktober prompt, roasted, damnation or witch trials. Since I’ve been annoyed by fundamentalists scenes in hell has been feeling a little too preachy this week. People being burned on the stake it is.
The prompt for today’s Inktober sketch was “tranquil”. I got an idea for it quickly enough that I was able to stay tranquil while drawing it.
It may be a stretch but for tranquil I decided to go with a nice moonlit night on a lake… very much like the one in the Friday the Thirteenth… With a Serial Killer very much like Jason Vorhees.
I’m setting down the Game of Thrones series for the time being and get along with what it was supposed to be, a warm-up for this year’s Inktober. This year rather than a random list of monsters or others, I decided to go fully Inktober and use their prompt list. (For anyone who wants to dive into the challenge they can find the list here.)
I don’t really like this list.
But, hey, that’s why they call it a sketch challenge, right?
Today’s prompt was “poison” to keep things Halloweeny I went with a snake pit. I guess it came out okay, though I’m not sure about my Indiana Jones stand-in in the foreground.
I’ve been trying to avoid scenes that merely consists of two people talking to each other. This scene, with Renly telling Ned to strike before the rest of the palace knew King Robert was dead, fit this description. But there was enough drama to work with so I went with it.
It also gave me an opportunity to work on my take on Renly Baratheon. As I pointed out here, he is much more impressive in the books or at least the first book. I tried to capture the look that reminded Ned of Robert in his prime.
“Strike! Now, while the castle sleeps.” Renly looked back at Ser Boros again and dropped to an urgent whisper.
