Write Up: Mute's "The Evil Dead" and "Suspiria" Movie Posters

While we may be long past All Hallow's Eve and nearing Christmahanakwanzika at breakneck speeds, the nice thing about great horror is its timelessness. I present exhibits A and B: Evil Dead and Suspiria. Both movies have stood strong against the ravages of time and are fan favorites amongst cinema lovers and their non-fanatical brethren alike. Accordingly, the films' followers (especially those who, like myself, have an unhealthy appreciation for “The Chin” and all that he does) have generously donated an overabundance of well-meaning (but usually mediocre) artwork to the global community known as the Internet. What I’m getting at is this: while there’s an ocean of inspired Evil Dead and (to a lesser extent) Suspiria posters floating around the Web, there’s very few pieces that actually get me excited enough to write about and / or purchase. But wouldn’t you know it, I found two such prints that I think are pretty damn fantastic, and led me to an artist who I wasn’t previously familiar with to boot. Take a look, won't you?

The Evil Dead Movie Poster
Mute
420 mm x 594 mm (Giclée) - Signed and Numbered
£30 (~ $48) - Limited to 20

I love the artist's use of cross-hatching to imply detail and shadow, which also manages to give this poster a distinctly medieval look. And when combined with the print's muted color palette, the artwork is not only striking, but pretty terrifying.

Here's what artist Mute had to say about his relationship with the famed cult classic:

"One reason The Evil Dead is so fondly thought of is that the home-made, low budget effort is always endearing, especially when done so well! Few movies present you with something new and exciting, but in equal measures, say “you can go out and do it yourself”. Somewhere sat on a dusty VHS is evidence of me and my friends age 14, equipped with nothing but a camcorder, fake blood, and the woods behind my house. All I can think is thank God YouTube didn’t exist in 1997."

Mute's The Evil Dead poster is currently available through muteart.bigcartel.com for £30. The giclée measures 420 mm x 594 mm and is limited to an edition of 20. It's also worth noting that this print was created for the "Paper Cuts: Alternative Horror Poster Art" exhibition, which is a part of the Sheffield Horror Film Festival. To learn more about Mute, please check out mute-art.com and follow @mute_art on Twitter.

Suspiria Movie Poster
Mute
420 mm x 594 mm (Giclée) - Signed and Numbered
£30 (~ $48) - Limited to 20

But it seems one classic wasn't enough for Mute as he also set his sights on the king of all Goblin-scored films set in a ballet school-cum-witches' coven. No, I'm not talking about White Nights, the answer is Suspiria! Mute wonderfully captures all of the terror, paranoia, and vibrant mise-en-scene in Argento's film by casting his design in an ominous crimson hue.

The artist on his memories of Suspiria:

"My first viewing of Suspiria was on 35mm here at the Showroom in 2003. By this time, my enjoyment of horror cinema was more about exploring the genre and trying to figure out how they did the special effects - the scare factor was almost gone from my viewing experience... I say ‘almost’ mainly due to this movie! I was genuinely creeped out by what was unfolding; the Goblin score (at times awesomely loud!) never lets you relax for a second! The infamous theme is hard to forget and still sounds amazing to this day.

If every room you go in is strangely lit with unexplainable red light, start to worry."

Like Mute's Evil Dead print, his Suspiria poster is currently available through muteart.bigcartel.com for £30. The artwork is signed and numbered and is limited to an edition of 20. Head over to mute-art.com to see more of the artist's work.

Boneface's "The Crazies" Movie Poster

I briefly mentioned the formation of Twenty-Eyes Collective during last month's Walking Dead post, and I'm hoping today's entry will further demonstrate just how much promise this group of like-minded artists have. And while this may be the second time I've written about a Twenty-Eyes release, it's my first column dedicated to the work of Boneface, a UK-based artist I've been following since first discovering his series of onomatopoetically titled portraits. It's with great pleasure that I dedicate tonight's post to Boneface's newest movie poster for the Romero classic, The Crazies.

The Crazies Movie Poster (Regular Edition)
Boneface
18" x 24" - Numbered
$25 - Limited to 90

Boneface's art has a very Class of 1984 vibe to it, I mean, the guy's name is Boneface after all. His work is anarchic, it's violent, and it kind of makes me want to vandalize the walls of my elementary school. The charm of this release, at least for me, lies in the artist's frenzied line-work, casting a general sense of unease over everything he draws. This grotesque realism, while not always beautiful in the traditional sense, usually makes for some wonderfully visceral imagery, which is a fitting tone to strike given the film's low budget horror sensibilities. Even the ominous clouds in the background have a sort of chaotic energy to them. Again, it's the artist's attention to detail, or rather his post-apocalyptic interpretation of the details that makes everything slightly threatening and completely unforgettable. Bottom line: this awesome poster is just unhinged enough to be the perfect print for Romero's The Crazies.

The Crazies movie poster is currently available for $25 through the Twenty-Eyes Collective storefront. The poster measures 18" x 24", is numbered, and is limited to an edition of 90, but that's not all. Boneface created a nice ode to horror film history with his "All Night Horror Madness" gig poster. This event actually took place late last year, but it looks like Twenty-Eyes Collective has got a bunch of these for sale through their site.

"All Night Horror Madness" Gig Poster
Boneface
18" x 24" - Numbered
$30 - Limited to 50

Boneface's "All Night Horror Madness" gig poster is available from Twenty-Eyes Collective for $30. The print is numbered and limited to a small edition of 50. To learn more about Boneface, be sure to visit boneface.co.uk, his Society6 store and follow him on Twitter @b0neface.

Chris King's "Army of Darkness" Movie Poster

This is the first time I've ever written about artist Chris King, but if his Army of Darkness poster is anything to go off of, the guy's got some talent. I must also sadly admit, this is the first time I've written about Raimi's third film in the Evil Dead trilogy - my second favorite movie in the series! I can't believe it's taken me this long to mention it!

Army of Darkness Movie Poster
Chris King
Multiple Sizes
Multiple Prices - Open Edition

Yes, the print features the undead, a graveyard, Bruce Campbell, and what I believe to be a rather infamous Deadite Captain. And yes, all of these things, in combination or by themselves, make for a wonderfully kickass poster. But it's the style in which King chose to interpret the film which really has me floored. I know Chris used a lot of 80s fantasy / adventure one sheets for inspiration, but when I first saw this poster I was immediately reminded of movies like Gone with the Wind and Casablanca. The prominence of Ash and Sheila in the print's composition, and the largely flesh-colored palette, bring a warmth to the film I don't always associate it with. Ultimately, it's the romanticization of what's widely regarded as a schlocky horror-comedy masterpiece that I find really novel and greatly appreciate.

Reference Stills (taken from wingsart.net)

Concept Draft (taken from wingsart.net)

Here's what Mr. King had to say about the print's creation (taken from wingsart.net):

"...I worked on a new draft taking strong influence from 1980′s fantasy posters from amazing artists such as Drew Struzan and ended up with something that I really liked. My usual process of inking as separate parts was used, but this time I’ve gone for a much more rendered look (mixing inks and pencils which I don’t usually do) as this felt appropriate and something i’ve wanted to try. Tonal values are put down in grayscale first and then worked over in colour (Photoshop) to finish. Hey presto! One Army of Darkness poster and a new self-promotional piece I’m pretty pleased with. Hail to the King baby!"

Chris King's Army of Darkness print is currently available through Society6 and is an open edition. The poster comes in five different sizes, each at a different price point. You can learn more about the artist by visiting wingsart.net or by following him on Twitter @wingsart. And if you'd would like to purchase more of Chris' work, be sure to check out society6.com/wingsart!

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!