Malleus' "Profondo Rosso" Movie Posters

Deep Red is one of my favorite Argento films, not my all-time favorite mind you, but definitely in the top three. Not only does it feature one of the coolest, albeit short, intros ever put to celluloid (I love the theater with its massive red curtains and the smooth tracking footage escorting us through its hallways), the film also boasts one hell of a freaky children's song (I picture a choir exclusively populated by the kids from Village of the Damned). There's a lot to like about Deep Red or as it's known in its native land, Profondo Rosso, and thankfully Malleus Rock Art Lab has again joined Dark City Gallery to continue their excellent Argento poster series, crafting an exquisitely grotesque print in celebration of Dario's fifth film.

Profondo Rosso Movie Poster (Regular)
Malleus
19.5" x 27.5" - Signed & Numbered
£40 - Limited to 145

I'm going to start this review by mentioning the first thing that entered my mind when I saw these prints: is that a freaking eyeball?! Yes, extreme close-ups of eyes don't exactly reside in my comfort zone. I think it has something to do with the fact that our eyes are so vulnerable to the elements, both natural (sand) and not so natural (a rusty blade, a screwdriver, probing fingers, sharp needles, dull needles, basically any type of needle), but the skill and style with which Malleus has made the eye and its lashes a framing device is super impressive. More than that though, the eye plays an important part in the movie's plot and is a fitting inclusion in the print's design. It should be noted that Deep Red was a film that featured not only some visually striking kills, but also played around with some rather heady ideas about gender roles and sexuality. For example, Argento specifically uses a close-up of an eye with mascara being applied to possibly suggest the killer may be of the female variety, but wait a minute, throughout the film's running time we meet other characters, not all women, that could also potentially fit this mold. Deep Red is a film that continually asks you rethink your assumptions and this is a poster that ably draws on that ambiguous imagery to do the same.

There's a lot of other great touches too, including the addition of the zipper from the killer's leather gloves, the depiction of Helga's death with the eye's surface acting as her shattered window (complete with broken glass below), and the revoltingly beautiful typography that's sinuously growing from the thinly drawn eyelashes. These are beautiful posters and deserve to be in the home of anyone who appreciates both good design and a genuine giallo masterpiece.

Profondo Rosso Movie Poster (Variant)
Malleus
19.5" x 27.5" - Signed & Numbered
£60 - Limited to 95

Both the regular and variant versions of Malleus' Profondo Rosso (AKA Deep Red) movie posters are currently available through Dark City Gallery's online storefront. The regular print costs £40 (around $63) and is limited to an edition of 145, while the variant is limited 95 and costs £60 (approximately $94). If you'd like to know more about Dark City Gallery and see what else they have for sale, be sure to visit darkcitygallery.com and follow @darkcitygallery. And to learn about the artist collective known as Malleus Rock Art Lab head over to malleusdelic.com and follow them on Twitter @malleusdelic. And if Blue Underground's impressive Deep Red blu-ray is just a bit too much money for you, the film is currently streaming on Netflix! Go watch it! After you buy a poster, that is.

Dan Mumford's "Friday the 13th" Art Prints

Ki ki ki ch ch ch ki ki ki ch ch ch. Apologies if that made no sense, that was my attempt at textually recreating the well-known musical cue that often signaled the death of a curvy coed or Kevin Bacon at the hands of a murderous murderer. However, if that first sentence did make sense to you, congrats, you're as strange as I am or you just really know your Friday the 13th. Either way, tonight's post is dedicated to some killer artwork (I know, I know, I'm awful) from Dan Mumford!

Friday the 13th Art Print (Regular)
Dan Mumford
23.25" x 31" - Signed and Numbered
£35 (around $54) - Limited to 150

Friday the 13th Art Print (Variant)
Dan Mumford
23.25" x 31" - Signed and Numbered
£50 (around $77) - Limited to 75

If you read my "Top Twenty Posters of 2011" feature, you may have noticed Mr. Mumford made the cut with his grotesquely spliced and mutated Fly print. Dan, not willing to rest on his laurels, is at again, this time with some new prints featuring the much-loved slaughterers of libidinous lads and lusty ladys - the Vorhees. I say "slaughterers" (plural) because, as many of you already know, there's more than just one serial killer in the Vorhees family. Dan's posters seem to acknowledge that point by playfully including a knife-wielding silhouette and a rather iconic looking hockey mask beneath the Camp Crystal Lake sign. These Friday the 13th inspired prints are great because, in addition to featuring the artist's now trademark use of fibrous tendrils to shape a lot of the background and foreground, Mumford makes a very recognizable, and I'm assuming loving, nod to the film's beautiful original one sheet painted by Alex Ebel (included below). It's something that immediately occurred to me, as I'm sure it did to many people, when I first saw the announcement, and I think it really does a great job of capturing the film's sense of mystery and foreboding without having to go for the jugular. Literally. Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of the ultra violence and gore as much as the next guy, but I really appreciate a little artistic restraint now and again. I can't wait to see what movie he targets next! I'm thinking Texas Chainsaw Massacre. What say you?

Original Friday the 13th (1980) One Sheet
Alex Ebel

Dan Mumford's Friday the 13th artwork will be available tomorrow (1/13) through Dark City Gallery at noon GMT (4 AM PST for us West Coast people). It's kind of awesome that they planned a Friday the 13th release on Friday the 13th, isn't it? Both prints measure 23.25" x 31" and are signed and numbered. The regular version is limited to an edition 150 and costs £35, while the variant is limited to 75 and will cost £50. To learn more about artist Dan Mumford, you can visit his website at dan-mumford.com and follow him on Twitter @danmumforddraws. If you'd like to keep up to date with all things Dark City Gallery, and I highly recommend you do, you should of course visit their website, and follow them @darkcitygallery, but definitely sign up for the mailing list.

Malleus' "The Bird with the Crystal Plumage" Movie Posters

UPDATE (1/2): I was a little early with my guesstimated release time, but the regular version of the print is now available for purchase through Dark City Gallery! The variant has already sold out, so now's your chance! Go, go, go!

It's hard to believe I've never written about anything created by the supremely talented Malleus Rock Art Lab, but that's all about to change thanks to a series of what are sure to be beautiful movie prints. To my great pleasure, Dark City Gallery recently announced that they're teaming up with Malleus to celebrate nine, yes NINE, of Dario Argento's key films. The first of those films is the 1970 giallo entry, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, or as it's known in its native land, L'uccello dalle piume di cristallo. Behold!

L'uccello dalle piume di cristallo Movie Poster (Regular)
Malleus
19.5" x 27.5" - Signed and Numbered
£40 (around $63) - Limited to 175

I think I'm in love. I'm not sure I've ever seen posters that more perfectly reflect the tone and innate Italianism of Argento's giallo filmography. This is a bit of a tangent, but if you've ever seen an older Italian film, whether it's The Bird with the Crystal Plumage or A Fistful of Dollars, you probably noticed the somewhat questionable dubbing on display. The same can be said of the locales featured in early Italian cinema - whether the story claims to take place in New York or London, there's usually one or more scenes featuring a distinctly Italian or Spanish setting that clearly state otherwise. I mention this, not as a comment on Malleus' extraordinary artwork, but to illustrate how, even when an Italian film was trying not to be Italian, there were some pretty clear (and now nostalgically charming) giveaways. Could there be a better group of artists to pay tribute to Argento's directorial debut than the Italy-based Malleus Rock Art Lab? Based on the two prints included in this post, I'd say it's a pretty clear "no."

Malleus has done a masterful job of injecting the posters with the mysterious and violent elements that made Argento's films so titillatingly fun to watch, but also manages to make it wholly their own (seriously, nobody does sentient hair like Malleus does). And much like the film, the artist(s) managed to blend the gory and disgusting, as represented by the bloody splatter, with the beautiful and graceful, as exemplified by the titular bird behind the film's title. As far as I'm concerned, these posters are breathtaking in their execution and bode very well for the rest of the Dario Argento print series. I can't wait to see what's next! Logically, my money is on The Cat o' Nine Tails.

L'uccello dalle piume di cristallo Movie Poster (Metallic Ink Variant)
Malleus
19.5" x 27.5" - Signed and Numbered
£60 (around $93) - Limited to 70

Malleus' The Bird with the Crystal Plumage movie posters will be available through Dark City Gallery on Monday (12/2) at around noon GMT, meaning 4 AM PST (i.e., very early for us West Coasters). The posters measure 19.5" x 27.5" and will be signed, stamped and numbered. The regular version will cost £40 (approximately $63) and be limited to 175, while the metallic variant will cost £60 ($93) and is limited to an edition of 70. To learn more about Posterocalypse favorite Dark City Gallery, be sure to visit darkcitygallery.com and follow them on Twitter @darkcitygallery. And to learn about the artist collective known as the Malleus Rock Art Lab head over to malleusdelic.com and follow @malleusdelic. Pretty simple, right? Good luck people!

Dan Mumford's "The Night He Came Home" Art Prints

UPDATED (10/27): Updated the post with pricing and availability. In other words: it's available right now!

My heart pounds with excitement whenever I find out that Dark City Gallery is releasing another Dan Mumford horror movie print, so you'll have to excuse me if I suffer a heart attack mid post. Mumford has conquered The Thing, Evil Dead, The Fly and now he's moved on to John Carpenter's 1978 All Hallow's Eve classic, Halloween.

"The Night He Came Home" Art Print (Regular)
Dan Mumford
23.25" x 31" - Signed and numbered
£35 - Limited to 150
Inspired By: Halloween

"The Night He Came Home" Art Print (Metallic / Glow in the Dark Variant)
Dan Mumford
23.25" x 31" - Signed and numbered
£50 - Limited to 75
Inspired By: Halloween

The first thing that struck me when I saw these, besides their oh-so-obvious beauty, was how different they were when compared to the previous three prints in Dan's horror movie poster series. Gone are the grotesquely mutated limbs and the turning-in-on-itself genetic monstrosities that made up Brundlefly's spliced physique, the Thing's human / canine mimicry gone wrong, and the inappropriate touching of Evil Dead's demonic timber. Instead, we're treated to a moment that's quiet and still, yet clearly full of dread. The artwork is 100% Dan Mumford, but it's a slightly different Dan Mumford than we've seen in posters past. I love both of these prints, and I'll definitely be getting the regular edition, if for no other reason than that it matches the color scheme of his previous three, but it seems the variant will feature plenty of unique extras to make it worth your while. And by that I mean an alternate colorway and metallic / glow in the dark inks. Finally, one of the things I enjoy most about these prints is something that doesn't necessarily jump out at you at first glance, and while I won't explicitly tell you what it is, I'll give you a hint: it's not made of cheese in this case. Too abstract? Alright. It's the moon. Look at the moon. What a nice touch!

Dan Mumford's "The Night He Came Home" prints is currently available through the Dark City Gallery website. Both prints will measure 23.25” x 31”, meaning they'll be much larger this his other horror movie posters, and will be signed and numbered by the artist. The regular version costs £35 (around $56) and is to be limited to 150, the glow in the dark variant will cost £50 (approximately $80) and be limited to 75. While you're deciding which one to purchase, I recommend checking out Dan Mumford's portfolio at dan-mumford.com and following him on Twitter @danmumforddraws. And you should probably visit Dark City Gallery at darkcitygallery.com, where you can still purchase all of Dan's cinematically inspired prints (though very few The Thing prints are left)! Oh yeah, and you should DEFINITELY watch Halloween. G'night!

Dan Mumford's "The Fly" Art Print

I've written about Mumford's Horror Movies series before, and if you've read my reviews for either his Evil Dead or The Thing print, then you'll know exactly what to expect. With that said, Mumford's monstrosities continue to delight with their sinewy organic aesthetic and The Fly poster may be his best yet!

The Fly Art Print
Dan Mumford
18" x 24"
£30 - Limited to 100

Honestly, I can't think of a better match than David Cronenberg and Dan Mumford. As I stated above, Dan's creations seem to embody the body horror themes that Cronenberg touched on in just about every film he made prior to 2000. By the way, does anyone miss that Cronenberg? Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed Spider, History of Violence and Eastern Promises, and there may have been a little bit of the old gore in those films, but where did the "Baron of Blood" go? I miss him. Sorry about that, back to the artwork. Dan Mumford's Fly print is downright horrifying. Brundlefly's body seems to be made of acidic strands of mucus that almost look nuclear in nature, and the inclusion of the telepod is at once a must-have as well as a great use of background. Finally, I've already touched on this in my review, but I really love the neon green color used to represent the creature's astringent bodily fluids. To me, the glowing chemical-green fluids mean one thing: science run amok.

The Fly print by Dan Mumford is currently available through the Dark City Gallery store for £30 (approximately $47). The print measures 18" x 24" and is limited to an edition of 100. By the by, Mumford's Evil Dead and The Thing prints are still available! To see more of Dan's work be sure to visit dan-mumford.com and follow @Danmumforddraws.

"You're afraid to dive into the plasma pool, aren't you? You're afraid to be destroyed and recreated, aren't you? I'll bet you think that you woke me up about the flesh, don't you? But you only know society's straight line about the flesh. You can't penetrate beyond society's sick, gray, fear of the flesh. Drink deep, or taste not, the plasma spring! Y'see what I'm saying? And I'm not just talking about sex and penetration. I'm talking about penetration beyond the veil of the flesh! A deep penetrating dive into the plasma pool!" - Seth Brundle

Now that's how you end a blog post!

Dan Mumford's "Evil Dead" Art Prints

I'm a huge fan of Dan Mumford's print work, so I was insanely excited when I found out he was doing an Evil Dead art print featuring cult icon Bruce Campbell. If you're not familiar with Mr. Mumford (what a cool name), I wrote a post about his beautiful The Thing print not too long ago (which, by the way is somehow still available for purchase) and have been following him closely ever since.

Evil Dead - Regular Dusk Edition

Evil Dead - Variant Dawn Edition

You can immediately pick up on the similarities between Mumford's The Thing print and his Evil Dead artwork with its familiar sinewy architecture and organic character construction. Much like his Thing print Mumford's trademark style fits in perfectly with the world Sam Raimi created. The tree roots that seem to make up everyone and everything in this picture are downright creepy and perfectly capture the stop-motion practical effects that helped Evil Dead become so beloved. Dan's Evil Dead prints (that's right, plural) come in a dusk version and a dawn variant. I'm partial to the dawn variant myself, but they're both pretty amazing.

These posters aren't available quite yet, but you can reserve yours by emailing orders@darkcitygallery.com with your full name and the poster(s) you'll be buying. I've written about Dark City Gallery before, but I'll say it again, I'm a huge fan of this site and am continually impressed with the work they commission. When the Evil Dead prints are officially released later this month the dusk edition will cost £30 (roughly $49) and will come in an edition of 100, while the dawn variant will cost £50 (comes close to $81) and will be limited to a run of 50. Both posters will measure 18" x 24". To get the scoop on any and all release info I'd highly recommend signing up for the Dark City Gallery mailing list. Interested in more Dan Mumford goodness? Well then I'd also recommend checking out his blog and portfolio at dan-mumford.com. I can't wait to see what Dan does next in his horror movie series!

Rich Kelly's "Figure One: Vulpes Vulpes" Art Print

I originally wrote this post yesterday, but lost everything when my computer crashed. The following entry was the best I could do to piece together my thoughts. Hopefully it makes sense.

I'm kind of shocked this print hasn't sold out, but then again I can't complain, because at least everyone who reads this blog still has a chance to snag one. Rich Kelly sports a playful style that is both unique and a refreshing respite from the voguish minimalist poster craze that's taken over (to be fair, I'm an ardent follower of said craze). For fans of the Wes Anderson animated classic Fantastic Mr. Fox (it may not be considered a classic yet, but just you wait), based on the even more classic children's book, this is a no-brainer. At this point I'd again like to bring up just how insane it is that this print hasn't sold out yet. It's insane that this print hasn't sold out yet. There.

Figure One: Vulpes Vulpes

This really is a gorgeous art print by one of the most interesting artists working today. I really dig how Rich was able to not only lovingly recreate a certain fox sans tail, but was also able to go behind the curtain and depict the probing hands of the stop motion animators at work. I really can't think of any other print or poster that so effectively illustrates both the production process and the product. I'd love to see more prints like this in the future. Bottom line, if you love Fantastic Mr. Fox, hell, even if you're just a fan of stop motion animation, you need to get this.

My brief review of this print pretty much mirror's Rich's comments about his piece, but I'm always interested in where an artist's head is at when he or she is creating a work of art (taken from Rich Kelly's blog):

"I was always quite fond of this image, capturing the manner in which the film was made as well as the darker/adult themes that Wes Anderson always (some more subtle than others) would touch on."

I'm not sure if Dark City Gallery commissioned this print, or if they have some sort of deal with Rich, but that's the place to go if you want to pick one of these beauties up. Kelly's signed and numbered "Figure One: Vulpes Vulpes" giclée measures 16.5" x 23.5" and is limited to an edition of 100. The print will cost £35 (approximately $56 for US folks), so it's certainly not cheap if you need to add international shipping, but there's no doubt that this is something that could be proudly hung on any wall. To find out more about the wonderful work of Rich Kelly, be sure to check out his blog, portfolio and online store. FYI Dark City Gallery still has some of Dan Mumford's insane "The Thing" prints in stock (which I wrote about last month).

As a reminder for those of you that haven't yet entered the Posterocalypse Fighter giveaway, I'll be giving away The Fighter movie poster by Adam Hanson and a mystery print on March 31st to one lucky person who leaves a comment with their name and email address (US only) in last Tuesday's blog post (it was titled "Giveaway - The Fighter by Adam Hanson"). Good luck!

Dan Mumford's "The Thing" Art Print

I knew following yesterday's post about Tim Doyle's newest art print inspired by the 1981 horror classic An American Werewolf in London was going to be no easy task. So what did I do today? I decided to write about a print inspired by the 1982 science fiction horror classic The Thing. Duh. I don't know too much about the artist Dan Mumford, but if this is any indication of the quality of his work - I'm in, I'm completely in.

The Thing

My God, this poster is amazing. Dan Mumford's "The Thing" art print is unlike anything I've ever seen before. He's found a very clever and creative way to convey just how versatile the alien in question really is - the creature can literally become anything. By using tendril-like cords of flesh to represent the Thing in its most primitive state, Dan has crafted a creepy, but beautiful, body horror masterpiece (just like the film). There's also something slightly crazy (in a good way) about the artwork. The amount of detail here vaguely reminds me of Charles Crumb's sketches (thanks Criterion). Charles, Robert Crumb's troubled brother, started using dense concentric lines to create characters and shapes, evidently a common trait among psychologically troubled individuals, though let me be clear, I don't think this applies in any way to the incredibly talented Mr. Mumford - just a random observation.

Dark City Gallery is selling "The Thing" print through their online store. The print measures 18" x 24", is signed and numbered and costs £30 (roughly $48). You can also visit Dan Mumford's website and store to see some pretty insane artwork. The man definitely has an eye for detail. White Duck Screen Print, the folks who screenprinted this beauty, also have some great process shots in their blog.

Tim Doyle's "Stay Off The Moors" Art Prints

And yet again I write about the talented Mr. Doyle. This time the adroit artist has his sights set on An American Werewolf in London, the classic John Landis werewolf film featuring the insane practical effects of Rick Baker and company. I rewatched this film not too long ago and am still completely amazed by the werewolf transformation scene and Jack Goodman's constantly decomposing body - the film is total blast from beginning to end, even after 30 years.

Stay Off The Moors - Regular Edition

Stay Off The Moors - Variant Edition

Tim's "Stay Off The Moors" art print is a great reflection of the artist and his love for pop culture and cult films. He's littered a bunch of great references throughout the image, including David Kessler's wolf shadow (you may need to click on the image to see more detail), the werewolf standing on a small hill off in the distance and of course the "Blue Moon" (a song that played three times in the film, each time by a different artist). I'm probably way off base in saying this, but the way the ground was drawn totally reminds me of Van Gogh's The Starry Night, in that it looks like the ground is moving and flowing in a cadenced, almost otherworldly swirl.

The variant is also an interesting decision. I'm not entirely sure it's worth the increase in price, but it certainly does more accurately capture a moment from the film and I'm sure An American Werewolf in London fanatics (and there's probably quite a few) would jump at the chance to pick the slightly more colorful print up. What's also really cool, is that the regular and variant edition glow in the dark. Yes!

These prints were originally commissioned by online gallery, Dark City Gallery, and are available for purchase through their website. The regular print is signed and numbered, measures 18" x 24", comes in an edition of 200 and costs £30 (roughly $48) plus shipping. The more colorful variant comes in an edition of 50 and costs £45 (roughly $73) plus shipping. There's probably a pretty good chance that Tim will be selling some of his own copies through his Nakatomi Inc site at some point, so be sure to sign up for his mailing list and follow @NakatomiTim. As usual if you're interested in seeing Tim's portfolio head over to MrDoyle.com.