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The Undead (1957)
Guest Review by Jason Scott
Greetings from Canada! The city of Edmonton in the province of Alberta, to be precise. Sports fans might recognize the Edmonton Oilers as the team that uber-hockey superstar Wayne Gretzky played on during his glory years. Others might recognize Alberta as the Canadian province with the controversial oilsands (or tarsands, depending on who you ask).
But enough of that business. You didn't click on this review to learn about Canadian geography. You want to read about a b-movie, & I have a good one by b-movie master Roger Corman called The Undead. Despite the title, I'll inform you now that this movie doesn't contain any ghosts, ghouls, zombies, vampires, or other type of undead creature. Why this misleading title was chosen is a bit unclear. The supernatural phenomenon this movie's chiefly concerned with is witchcraft. Not the New Age Wiccan type, but the horrifying medieval variety.
The movie opens with the credits played through a screen of dancing flames. The music here sets a suitably ominous atmosphere. Immediately following the credits we get Satan breaking the fourth wall to address the audience directly. Satan is played by 30-year old Richard Devon, an actor with a 40-some year career in various movies and television shows. Befitting the typical Corman budget, there's no elaborate make-up or costumes to help Devon sell his role. Satan dresses in black (I think. I can't really tell without color film), has pointy ears, a moustache & pointed goatee, & carries a pitchfork with very widely spaced tines. Rather than curved horns, Satan wears a hat with a curled up brim.
"I am speaking to you through a pitchfork, which makes me the indisputable face of Evil. Believe it!"
Satan declares that the following story is an example of his machinations throughout all of time. Time travel will play a role in this movie too, so these are not idle words. He ends by telling us to pray that we do not become objects of his nefarious attention, then throws back his head & gives a mocking laugh. Given that Satan is so eager for us to view the events of this movie, we can assume that a happy ending is far from guaranteed.
The next scene is a fog-swept street broken only by a solitary lamppost. Out of the mist emerges a lone young woman, quite pretty & dressed smartly in a light shirt & black skirt. Since this is the 1950's when women weren't supposed to be outside without a male chaperone, especially at night, it is to be inferred that this woman is up to some shady business, though she hardly looks to be disreputable. Apparently thinking that there's not quite enough smoke in the air, the woman takes out a cigarette & puts it to her mouth. A hand holding a lighter suddenly emerges from off-screen. The woman accepts the light then blows out smoke & smiles at the unseen helper. The hand grabs the woman's wrist. She's startled for a moment, then relaxes & allows herself to be led off.
"You're very pretty. Let me help you contract lung disease."
The screen cuts to a building sign that reads "American Institute of Psychical Research". Hmmm, I wonder if any other countries had Institutes of Psychical Research? The Soviets, perhaps? We now see that the woman has followed a man dressed in a dark coat & hat, though his face is still turned away from the screen. The pair passes through a doorway into a large office room. There sitting behind a desk is a middle-aged, bespectacled professor-type. He doesn't seem very happy at the arrival of these two guests, although he does seem to have been expecting them. He addresses the younger man in a disapproving tone, & it is quickly made apparent that he was once this fellow's mentor.
I'll take a break from the plot to go into a little more detail about these characters. The younger man is named Quintus Ratcliffe (quite a name). Quintus is played by Val Dufour, who was around 30 when this movie came out. Dufour has no biography on IMDb, & his film/tv credits end just before the '80s begin though that still gives him a respectable 25 years in show business. Quintus learned advanced techniques of hypnotism from the professor, but wasn't satisfied with this teaching & went off for 7 years to learn even more profound secrets from Eastern mystics. He's returned to his native land determined to tap into depths of the psyche never explored before, to "invade the past", & the young woman is intended to be his test subject. He wants the professor, the foremost authority on psychical phenomena, to assist him.
Quintus Ratcliffe, with a scar on his cheek & an intense look in his eyes.
The professor is named Ulbrecht Olinger (this movie has some great names). He's not at all eager to assist Quintus, thinking that the experiment is just absurd, but reluctantly agrees after being told that the experiment is going to happen with or without Olinger's assistance. Professor Olinger is played by 44 year old Maurice Manson (born Moritz Levine). Manson appeared on film & television from the late '40s to the early '80s. Before this time, he had been involved in theater work long enough for IMDb to note him as a veteran.
Professor Ulbrecht Olinger, with the typical movie professor prop of a pipe.
Quintus introduces Olinger to the young woman, who calls herself Diana Love. That sounds like a name a prostitute would use. FYI, Diana was a classical goddess with various personas. In one guise she was the chaste goddess of the hunt, but in another she was Hecate, goddess of witchcraft & the Underworld. I know I'm probably reading way too much into a b-movie, so feel free to take or leave that little bit of mythological trivia.
While the men are talking, Diana casually strolls about the office. She slyly pulls what looks like a cigarette case from Quintus' pocket & slips it into her purse, then goes over to flip through some books stacked on a shelf. I think the actress, Pamela Duncan, is trying to give us the impression that her character is a hardened denizen of the city streets whose virtue has been callously bought & sold so many times that she has seemingly slid beyond redemption, but for me the effect didn't quite come off. Diana just seems like a bored & spoiled rich girl out for a little fun. There's no real edge to her demeanor. To give a little bio on the actress, Pamela Duncan was around 32 years old at this time & only acted up to about the mid-'60's. She's best known for her roles in this movie & another Corman production, Attack of the Crab Monsters, which came out around the same time.
Anyway, it's hard to tell whether Diana hears what the men are talking about, although she's close by & they make no attempt to speak quietly, acting like she's not really there. If she does overhear anything, she doesn't seem to care. Quintus remarks that her "type" is almost devoid of willpower, & thus easy to manipulate with hypnosis. This rather insulting statement passes right over Diana's head. I suppose in her line of work she's heard it all. Once the trance is underway, Quintus doesn't intend to break it for anything. I'd think what he says about keeping Diana under hypnosis for two days or longer should get her interest, but not really.
In the next scene, Diana is lying on a couch like those ones that psychiatrists are commonly shown as having in their offices. The two men hover over her as they prepare to begin the experiment. Diana makes some half-hearted objection to being hypnotized, but Quintus reminds her that she's getting paid 500 dollars. I guess that's a fair bit of money for the time, but I might be inclined to hold out for a little more if I'm agreeing to be put into what might be a fatal trance. Quintus had earlier waved off Olinger's objection to the dangerous experiment on the grounds that he was paying the test subject well for her services. So he's not paying Diana for sex, which he seems to have no interest in, but he is paying her to risk her life in the interests of scientific experimentation. Is that any better? After all, he's still taking advantage of Diana's vulnerable position in society to get her to agree to some very risky business. Just a notion I'm throwing out for consideration.
Quintus looks like he has a headache. Maybe Olinger has some Aspirin.
Quintus remarks that Diana might want to remove the bracelet on her right wrist. I'd noticed this bracelet a moment before he mentioned it, so it seems to have been filmed to catch the eye. It shall prove significant, I'm sure. Diana says that she prefers to keep the bracelet on, & Quintus lets the matter drop so he can get on with his magnum opus.
Diana with her conspicuous bracelet.
Now comes an extended scene where Quintus hypnotizes Diana. He has her stare at his hand as his voice drones on about how his hand seems to go on forever, blah blah. I wonder how close this routine is to one an actual hypnotist would use? It works on Diana, though, as after a while she slips into a trance. It will become apparent pretty soon that Diana is not faking here. Although, it would have been interesting if she had pretended being hypnotized & made up the story that was to follow. Or, she could have been suffering from multiple personality disorder. Those premises are for other movies than the one we have here, though.
"How many fingers do you see?"
Quintus starts methodically peeling back the layers of Diana's past lives. We see her huddled up in a fetal position as Quintus guides her back to her life in the womb & beyond. Quintus & Olinger realize that they've hit pay dirt when the former asks Diana a question, & she responds in fluent French. Again, she could know French & be putting all this on, but no, she is reliving a previous incarnation. Quintus is barely pleased at what many would regard as a phenomenal accomplishment. He informs Olinger that he intends to go much further back yet.
The tension is getting to Olinger, & that poor pencil pays the price.
Diana has to be spoon-fed. Apparently she doesn't need bathroom breaks.
Remember that bracelet that Diana didn't want to remove earlier? Well, she now starts tugging on it with a distressed look on her face, as though trying to pull it off. Doing so should be easy, but for some reason Diana can't seem to get the bracelet off. The reason why is given a moment later as the scene dissolves & we go from a 1950's office to a dark dungeon back in what I'm assuming is medieval England. The bracelet has turned into a shackle that's binding the wrist of a young woman who looks exactly like Diana, except dressed in clothes more suitable to this era.
Diana's past life, who we eventually learn is named Helene.
Out of the shadows steps a very ugly jailer to torment our fair damsel in distress. This jailer is named Gobbo, played by 40-year old Aaron Saxon. What little information the IMDb has on Saxon is interesting. He was a wrestler who went by the name "Lord Spears", dressed in a suit, & quoted Shakespeare constantly. Around this time, Saxon had plastic surgery to repair his battered face so that he could land a role other than what we see here, which is basically that of a goon. I'm guessing this strategy didn't work too well, as his last acting credit was only six years after this movie came out.
The ugly are often employed as jailors, where only criminals get to suffer them.
I'll mention now that all the characters in the past speak with a sort of pseudo-Shakespearean diction. I think it's a good way of distinguishing the past scenes from the modern ones. There was no standardized English in Medieval England. The language in structure & pronunciation was different enough that English speakers of the 20th century would have found it largely unintelligible. There was so much regional variation in dialects of this time that even people from different parts of the British Isles could find communication difficult. Having the characters in this film speak in a more formalized way gives a bit of different flavor while still making it easy for audiences to comprehend what is being said.
Now back to the movie. Helene seems rather bewildered as to what she's doing in this dismal cell. She certainly does seem out of place. Gobbo sadistically informs her that she has been found guilty of witchcraft & is to have her head chopped off at sunrise. Helene is understandably upset at this news, which she now remembers, & piteously pleads her innocence to Gobbo, who really could care less. He sees a lovely young woman who is totally under his power, & his mind is taking a predictably vile turn. I imagine Helene isn't the first young lady condemned as a witch who has had to suffer through a night of captivity under the thuggish Gobbo. Historically, many unfortunate women suffered terrible indignities during witch-hunts. It was a violent age, women had little standing, & people hardly cared what was done to those who were likely consorting with the Devil. In fact, witch burnings & public executions were a popular form of entertainment.
"Bad news. Corman says to keep within budget you'll have to take a pay cut."
So, it seems as though our fair damsel is going to be violated, but out of nowhere comes the voice of Diana. It's a future life coming to the aid of a past life. This is a nice change from the usual scenario where the hunky male lead would come to the rescue of the endangered woman. Since Diana has just arrived in the past, she hasn't merged with Helene yet, & offers her no doubt experienced advice in dealing with brutish men. She instructs Helene to pretend to make love to Gobbo. Ewww! Helene is quite reluctant to carry out this strategy, even though it would just be an act, & I don't blame her.
She has no real alternative other than losing her virtue, however, so Helene makes a timorous attempt at bluffing Gobbo. He's been wondering who she's been talking to, which makes me think he really doesn't believe he has a witch held captive, because it would be obvious what sort of spirit is being addressed. Although Helene's advances are pretty lame, Gobbo easily falls for the act. Of course, the flattery of a beautiful woman can make much smarter men than Gobbo cast aside their reason. As the damsel draws near, Diana tells her to use her chains, but doesn't say how. Helene hardly seems strong enough to strangle Gobbo by looping the chains around his neck. In fact, she hardly seems cut out for any sort of violent action.
"Your collar's loose. I'll make it really, really tight."
Nonetheless, what Helene actually does is to clout Gobbo on the jaw with her chains. Well, it's a pretty light hit, as she's scarcely able to lift the heavy chains, much less use them offensively. Maybe adrenaline is kicking in? Despite his size, Gobbo must have a glass jaw, as this meek blow knocks him out cold. Diana orders Helene to grab the key, which she quickly does. Then Helene sneaks out of the prison.
"Who says I need a man to fight my battles for me?"
She doesn't get away cleanly, however. Gobbo revives, & immediately shouts that the witch is escaping. I wonder what story he's going to come up with to explain what happened? The accepted thinking at this time was that men were stronger & smarter than women, hence the rationale for female subjection. Gobbo would never be able to live down the shame of admitting that he was outwitted & overpowered by a woman.
The chase is on now, as a bunch of men in jerkins, hoods, & tight leggings dash off to recapture the fugitive. This scene is dramatically filmed, as Helene frantically rushes through the woods with shouts of pursuit all around her. It reminds me of the scene in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs where Snow White is fleeing through the scary forest, & perhaps Corman was inspired by that movie.
Medieval men had quite the fashion sense, which our model here shows off.
Helene's stopped in her dash for freedom by the appearance of a helmeted knight on horseback. She takes off in another direction, somehow managing to stay ahead of a galloping horse. She trips & falls over into the brush, which would presumably mean the end of her escape attempt, except the knight just gallops right by her without noticing that she's just off to the side. Maybe the helmet is obstructing his peripheral vision? It reminds me of the Ringwraith in The Fellowship of the Ring that somehow fails to sniff out the hobbits that are literally right under its nose.
That's no one I'd want to meet out in the woods at night.
Having narrowly evaded capture, Helene stumbles through the woods until she spies a stocky man with tonsured hair singing next to a hearse. She sneaks on to this wagon while the man keeps his back turned, digging what appears to be a grave. Within the wagon a coffin is laid, in which there lies the corpse of a man, as Helene discovers when she quietly opens the lid.
Helene opens the box to find Death staring back at her.
To her credit, Helene doesn't give herself away with a scream at this repulsive sight. The knight rides up now to talk to the gravedigger. This man's name is Smolkin, & he's my favorite character in this movie. Throughout the film, Smolkin will be singing macabre but witty tunes that he just seems to make up on the spot. He acts like he's not quite in possession of his marbles, but it's hard to tell how much of his behavior is genuine & how much is an act. Smolkin is played by Mel Welles (born Ira Meltcher), around 33 years old at this time. Welles was a man of many talents who, aside from acting, worked as a clinical psychologist, writer, & radio deejay.
Smolkin, who looks a lot like Friar Tuck from the Robin Hood legends.
So Smolkin & the knight talk for a bit about the fugitive Helene. The knight names the place Helene escaped from as the Tower of Death, which is a suitably dreadful name. He also remarks that 3 women are to be executed at dawn tomorrow, & the third woman must be Helene. If there's some special significance to having 3 sacrifices, it's never explained.
By astonishing coincidence, Smolkin is the one who Helene allegedly bewitched with her fell magic. The knight inspects Smolkin's wagon without finding Helene, though he doesn't look inside the coffin after being told that there's only a dead man within. Smolkin is sternly told to nail down the coffin lid as the law dictates, which he proceeds to do.
We see inside the coffin, where a horrified Helene is caught between revealing herself & getting beheaded, or remaining hidden & getting buried alive. What a nasty choice to make. It's obvious here that the "corpse" is really a manikin, as it flops about in a way a body really wouldn't, especially if it was still in rigor mortis. There's no sign of decay having set in, which is fortunate for poor Helene, although I'm sure it's no consolation to her as those nails get pounded into the coffin lid.
A woman sealed up in a coffin. Edgar Allen Poe would approve of this scene.
The wagon rides off, & it is here that we get our first viewing of an actual witch & her imp. They appear as two owls in a tree that change shape in a little cloud of sparks. These two will shape-shift throughout the movie, & each time the transformation will be accompanied by a burst of sparks. This ability to assume animal forms is about their only infernal power. The forms taken are always creatures of ill omen: a cat, rat, bat, lizard, & spider.
The witch & her imp just chilling out in a tree while plotting trouble.
The witch is named Livia, & is played by 27-year old Allison Hayes (born Mary Jane Hayes). Hayes was a busy actress throughout the '50s & '60s, with one of her most famous roles being the lead in Attack of the 50 Foot Woman. She sadly died at the age of 46 due to over-prescribed calcium supplements that poisoned her blood. Hayes' character Livia will be the main villain of this film, a femme fatale who will seek to kill Helene & tempt the soon-to-arrive male lead to ruin. As can be easily guessed, Livia is the one truly responsible for bewitching Smolkin, & she spread the rumor about Helene's supposed witchery that has landed our fair damsel in such a dire predicament.
Livia. For some reason that dress strap on her left arm is always dangling down.
Livia's imp minion is played by the diminutive actor Billy Barty, who first appeared on-screen at age 3, & 30 years later did this film. Barty had a long career, appearing in movie & television roles right up to his death in 2000. He also played college football & basketball, had a stint as a journalist, & founded an organization called Little People of America Inc. at around the time this movie was distributed. The imp he plays here never speaks, & even his laughter is silent, but Barty does a good job giving this character some personality through facial expressions.
The imp, a very happy little guy. What a shame he's made happy by making others unhappy.
Livia basically just gives some exposition about how badly she wants to eliminate Helene & corrupt Pendragon, the grandiose name of the male lead. Since I mention Pendragon, I may as well deal with that character now. Pendragon is played by Richard Garland, who was around 30 years old at the time but looks considerably older. Garland co-starred with Pamela Duncan in this movie & Attack of the Crab Monsters. Like Allison Hayes, Garland had an early death at age 41, though he acted right up to the end, mostly in various television roles. His personal Devil was alcoholism, which caused his career to suffer & led to his untimely demise. I wonder if the effects of drinking explain Garland's prematurely aged features? When first watching The Undead, I had him pegged as a guy in his forties trying to pass as much younger. As a side note, Garland had a small role as a hardware store owner in a previous MMT-reviewed film, Panic In Year Zero.
Pendragon. Seriously, does he look 30 to you?
Pendragon is meant to be something like the Prince Charming character in a Disney animated feature, though his lined features compromise his handsomeness. It's never explained how he met Helene or where he's been recently, but he's somehow heard about the damsel's misfortune & has come to save her from execution. He rides past the tree Livia & her imp are perched in, & Livia immediately changes to a cat (black, of course) & takes off after him.
I guess Pendragon's not riding very fast, for Livia catches up to him. She changes back to human form & calls out to Pendragon, who stops & turns to her. He & Livia obviously know each other, although it's never explained how. Maybe they grew up in the same town? Pendragon explains his mission, claiming he'll storm the Tower of Death if necessary to save Helene. Livia acts all sweetly innocent. Pendragon departs to interrogate Smolkin, warning Livia to beware, as it's the eve of the Witches' Sabbath.
He finds Smolkin at the graveyard & confronts the gravedigger about whether he was really bewitched by Helene. Smolkin cagily replies that, having lost his reason due to foul enchantment, he can't be sure that he's even Smolkin, much less who glamored him. Pendragon asks if Smolkin is jesting with him, to which the gravedigger again replies that in his condition he "can't tell jest from joust." Disgusted at this evasiveness, Pendragon mounts his horse & rides off, stating that he will return later. If he only knew that his sweet lady was trapped in a coffin a matter of feet from him. Smolkin shrugs off the encounter & hoists up the sealed coffin, preparing to lay it in it's final resting place with Helene still inside. This story is becoming like a Gothic horror novel where the heroine is about to be buried alive.
Helene throws caution to the wind & begins giving choked screams. Smolkin hears her cries & immediately pries the lid off the coffin with his shovel. He seems surprisingly unfazed when a sobbing, beautiful woman emerges from the coffin & throws her arms around him. Then again, if I were a solitary gravedigger who mostly kept myself company, I wouldn't be too upset if a pretty woman just sprang out of a box.
Now that's my kind of jack-in-the-box. (Or would it be jill-in-the-box?)
Helene doesn't know who Smolkin is, but he quickly identifies her. Helene asks Smolkin much the same question as Pendragon did, & gets much the same response. She pleads for Smolkin to help her, saying that if she can live past dawn she'll have a whole year to prove her innocence. Smolkin, apparently not at all angry with the woman who supposedly cast a spell on him, agrees to bring Helene to a place of safety. The two ride off in Smolkin's hearse, & I'm left wondering whether the gravedigger is really going to help Helene, or just bring her back to the authorities for what could be a substantial reward.
The next scene takes place at an inn called Gabriel's Horn. Livia shows up here as a cat & enters inside after turning back into a woman. There's not much of a crowd here, just a couple of people quietly sitting at tables. Livia is greeted by the chubby innkeeper Scroop, played by 35-year old Bruno VeSota (sometimes, as in this movie, written Ve Sota). VeSota died of a heart attack at the age of 54, but kept very busy in show business up to that time. Before he started appearing in movies in 1953, VeSota had acted in & directed literally thousands of television, stage, & radio productions. He appears as a night watchman in Corman's The Wasp Woman, which Nate & Pam jointly reviewed.
Scroop sitting there on the left. Apologies for the fuzzy screen cap.
Livia congratulates Scroop on securing his inn so formidably against witches during the Sabbath. Scroop takes this cue to point out all the herbs & supposed charms he's amassed to prevent supernatural guests from visiting his establishment. He even hands Livia a clove of garlic he keeps in his pocket, claiming that there's no better charm against evil spirits. Livia pretends to act impressed while surreptitiously handing the garlic to her imp, who has somehow materialized under the table she & Scroop are sitting at. Far from being repelled by garlic, the imp eagerly takes it, bites off a big chunk, & chews it with great relish. The imp's expression here is really fun to watch. The screen cap of the imp I put up earlier shows him during this scene.
At this point, Pendragon enters the inn. He walks upstairs without even a hello, telling Scroop to bring some ale up to his room. Livia takes the ale & goes up instead, giving Scroop a great line to "rest thine corpulence." Inside Pendragon's room, he's molding a ball of clay for some reason. I don't know why he has a lump of clay in his room. Is he into pottery? Without bothering to look around, he addresses Livia as though she were Scroop. Livia lets him go on for a moment before revealing herself. Pendragon is startled to see Livia, but doesn't order her out. Livia immediately starts trying to seduce Pendragon & distract his mind from Helene. He doesn't repulse her in outrage, but doesn't seem very responsive, either.
I guess shaping clay is what Pendragon does to calm his nerves after a busy day of doing whatever he does.
Livia putting some major moves on Pendragon. I don't think I'd mind being corrupted like this.
We cut back to Smolkin & Helene. The gravedigger drops Helene off & tells her that nearby is a cottage. Helene asks if she'll be safe there, to which Smolkin gives a characteristically ambiguous reply before heading off. I'll give you his song here so you can get an idea what they're like:
Hey diddle diddle, the cat & the fiddle, The corpse jumped over his tomb. The Murderer laughed to see such a sight, As he strangled the girl in the gloom.
With these grim lines drifting through the misty air, Helene nervously approaches the cottage & knocks on the door. A moment later, a hag's face appears at the window next to the door, causing Helene to scream.
Snow White comes to the dwarfs' house to find the Evil Queen in disguise.
Now we finally get back to the 1950's for a brief scene that reminds us about Quintus, Olinger, & Diana in the office. Diana is echoing Helene's scream & writhing on the couch. Olinger demands the experiment be stopped, but Quintus says it's too dangerous. If Diana reemerges from the trance at this point, the shock might kill her. Quintus doesn't seem nearly as concerned as Olinger by what's happening.
We quickly return to the past, where the old woman warmly greets Helene & half-pulls her inside. Then the scene shifts back to the inn, where Scroop has arrived in Pendragon's room bearing the building plans for the Tower of Death. I don't know why Scroop would have these plans. Did he steal them or buy them from someone? Anyway, Pendragon takes the map, pulls it open, & intently scans it as Scroop leaves. Livia is still in the room, lying in a corner silently observing what's going on.
There's another quick segue to the '50s, where Diana now has her hands clasped together as though in prayer. The men wonder if Diana will be in this position forever. The scene fades back to the past, where Helene is kneeling inside the cottage, mirroring Diana's behavior.
The hag who lives here is called Meg Maud, & she looks very much like the stereotypical witch. She even has a cauldron boiling over the fire. Meg Maud is played by 43-year old Dorothy Neumann. Neumann has no IMDb biography, but she has 126 acting credits on the big & small screen that covered 47 years. Many of her appearances were uncredited bit parts, but she has an important role to play in this film, as we shall see. As Meg Maud, Neumann has by far the most makeup to wear of anyone in the movie. It is noticeable many times that her pointed noise & chin are fake, but I won't quibble, as Corman was notoriously stingy with his bare budget & went to great lengths to avoid spending one extra penny more than necessary.
Meg Maud, complete with a wart on her nose.
Helene seems quite uncertain this old woman really means to do her good, & Meg Maud's behavior is hardly reassuring. She takes an ax (this movie has a lot of axes) from the wall & brandishes it at the poor woman, screeching that she's a friend of Helene's supposed victim, Smolkin. It looks as though Meg Maud might actually strike Helene with the ax, but instead she slices off some meat that she throws into her pot. The only harm she ends up doing to Helene is to take a strand of her hair, "a raven strand of maiden virtue", as she puts it. Meg Maud says that witches should work together & not fight, a sentiment that Helene hastily agrees with. Despite her virtue, Helen seems willing to practice deception if it will get her out of a jam, although as with Gobbo she doesn't bluff here very well. Meg Maud then heads out, warning Helene not to open the door for anyone but her. So now our oppressed heroine is alone in an old cabin owned by a queer old woman who may actually be a witch. Helene's certainly having a poor night thus far.
"You see here? This is what will happen to your fingers if you're careless with an ax."
We see Meg Maude coming up to Gabriel's Horn. As with Smolkin, I wonder whether she is intending to aid Helene or turn her in? She enters the inn & immediately meets Scroop. Meg Maud's demeanor is different now. She is no longer cackling or acting as erratically as before. She quickly learns that Pendragon is here, & in turn says that she has Helene at her place. She has Scroop call Pendragon down, warning the innkeeper not to say a word to Livia, which indicates that she is really not in league with witches after all.
Meg Maud tells Pendragon to go to her house immediately. Pendragon wants to know the reason, but Meg Maud says there is no time for answering questions, he must get to her house ASAP. She gives him some rather vague directions & he dutifully heads out the door. Meg Maud goes upstairs to have a little conversation with the fair Livia.
Livia is lounging in bed when Meg Maude enters. The two of them banter for a bit, & in the course of their talk Meg Maud reveals that although she knows the sinister practices of witches, she is not one herself, & intends that Helene shall live to see the light of dawn. Livia strolls over to the lump of clay Pendragon was working on, which it can now be seen is in the shape of a head. She picks up a knife & begins drawing it across the clay head's throat. There are two quick cuts to Helene & Diana, showing them acting as though the knife is cutting into both their throats. Fortunately for them, Meg Maud pulls the knife away before Livia is finished. Livia never uses this effigy magic again, although it seems like a quick & effective way to deal with her rival.
Helene feels the knife of black sorcery biting into her.
Is that clay head supposed to be of someone in particular? It doesn't resemble Helene.
Pendragon has found Meg Maud's cabin very quickly, though it seems to be quite close to all the scenes of action. He knocks on the door & Helene opens up, despite Meg Maud's admonishment about only opening the door for her. They have their joyous reunion, with Helene in no way rebuking Pendragon for being gone while she languished in a dungeon.
"Sorry I wasn't around when you were really in danger, but better late than never, right?"
Back at the tavern, Meg Maud recognizes Livia's lurking imp, disguised as a lizard, & literally throws the book at him to shoo him away. Returning to the house, Helene & Pendragon are sitting by the fire. Helene says that she tricked Meg Maude into thinking that she was a witch. Pendragon chides her, saying that she couldn't fool anyone & the old woman was the one who sent him here. When Helene replies that she still finds this cabin dreary, Pendragon offers to take her back to Gabriel's Horn, where she will be safe (or not). En route there, the couple hides in some bushes to avoid a knight who rides by. This knight may be the same one as before. He shows a similar lack of alertness by failing to notice two adults & a big horse concealed in bushes right next to where he's passing. The knight might see better if he took off that helmet. What does he need it for, anyway?
"I've been pretty useless so far. I'll make up for that by moving you to a less safe place."
Livia takes up the verbal gauntlet Meg Maud has thrown down, saying that she will work her wiles on Pendragon & see Helene executed. Meg Maud gets in the final word & leaves. Livia & her imp both head off as bats to the graveyard to prepare for the Witches' Sabbath.
To the graveyard now, where Smolkin is working while singing another song. Livia enters, & in a nod to the convention of witches riding broomsticks, she's using a broom to sweep out "wandering ghosts" from the graveyard in preparation for the Sabbath.
It's gravedigger vs. witch. The shovel vs. the broom. Who will be the victor?
Smolkin rather foolishly mentions that a head is to be offered to Satan so that he'll be sure to appear. Livia says she'd almost forgotten about that bit, & predictably answers that Smolkin's head could serve the purpose. The gravedigger, again showing off his nimble tongue, replies that the Devil might feel cheated by being offered the head of a crazy man. Livia seems to agree, for she lets Smolkin keep his head on his shoulders.
At Gabriel's Horn, Meg Maud is telling Scroop that she needs to get back to check on Helene when a knock is heard at the door. Scroop cautiously opens the door & peers out, quickly stepping aside to let Pendragon & Helene in. Meg Maud rebukes Pendragon for taking Helene away from her cabin when there are soldiers crawling all over the place, and her words seem reasonable to me. Pendragon replies that they avoided the soldiers, & Helene will be safer in his room than Meg Maud's house.
Now that the two lovers are safely together, Pendragon announces that he's going to find Smolkin to further his plan of proving Helene's innocence. I'd say it would be better to keep Helene alive until morning, when she'll apparently have a whole year to prove that she's no witch. Pendragon wants to exonerate her tonight, though, & tells Helene to stay in his room. If he's not back in an hour, she's to go to Meg Maud's cabin. Why would Pendragon have taken Helene from that cabin if he was just going to have her go back so soon? Who knows. Meg Maud for some reason doesn't warn Pendragon about the plotting of Livia, which will prove troublesome.
Pendragon's getting a lot of action with the ladies tonight.
So Pendragon swiftly arrives at the graveyard to fetch Smolkin. Livia's still here, & seeing an opportunity to further her schemes, lies that Helen has been recaptured. Pendragon says that's not possible & stupidly tells Livia where Helene is. Livia conjures up an image of Helene in chains on the side of Smolkin's hearse. Pendragon proves that he's definitely one of the dullest knives in the drawer by immediately accepting this apparition as proof positive that Helene is indeed in prison again. He dashes off, presumably to waste time liberating the phantom of Helene from the Tower of Death. He doesn't even bother to ask how it is Livia can cause this image to magically appear, which I think might be important to know. Livia & the imp turn into bats & fly off to Meg Maud's cabin. Left behind, Smolkin decides he'll go warn Meg Maud of the mischief going down.
Livia tells Pendragon to "look at the glass", though this is solid wood with no sign of a glass.
Meanwhile, back in the '50s, Quintus is interrogating Diana, trying to figure out what's going on in the past. From the responses he gets, Quintus learns about Helene, & is also clued in to how Diana has changed the past, which disturbs him. Olinger notes a bruise on Diana's forearm that hadn't been there before, which indicates to Quintus that Diana's regression is both physical & mental, though I don't quite get that part since physically she's still in the office.
Back to the past, where Helene has been sleeping. Livia & the imp are on their way, but Meg Maud is still looking out for Helene's safety. She rouses the maiden & tells her that they should get back to her cabin. Helene objects that Pendragon could still return, but Meg Maud replies that the hour is up & Pendragon will now come back to her house regardless.
Livia & her imp show up just as Meg Maud & Helene have gone out the door. Livia comes downstairs to confront Scroop, who's sitting at a table sharpening an ax (yep, another ax). This is the first of the unwise things he does. His second unwise action is to move away from the ax while allowing Livia to move closer to it. She demands to know where Helene is, & Scroop tries to bluff his way out of trouble, saying that no witch could get by the charms on his door, though he must know better by now. Livia, noticing the ax, tells Scroop that Helene is dangerous. Scroop does his third & final unwise act by saying that he "is not one to lose his head."
"Can't I please have another 5 minutes of screen time?"
Taking this as her cue, Livia calls Scroop a liar & comes at him with the ax, saying that she needs a head for the Sabbath. Scroop doesn't even try to defend himself. He just screams & recoils as Livia swings the ax with an evil sneer.
"Roger told me you cost him a full dime more than he budgeted. Off with your head!"
Unless Livia has been given supernatural strength, I don't think that she strikes with anywhere near enough force to go through the flesh, bone, & tissue of a healthy adult male. I also think Scroop could use his considerable size advantage to overpower the witch. His head is duly chopped off, however, though we never actually see it being done. Livia tells the imp to collect the head, & with a big smile on his face he places the head in a wicker basket without actually showing it on-screen. The two depart the inn with their prize. Alas, if only Scroop had lost his reason like Smolkin, he wouldn't have lost his head.
"Happiness is holding a bloody ax."
Pendragon has snuck into the dungeon of the Tower of Death. He finds, as we knew he would, that Helen is not there. She, of course, escaped without his help hours ago, & he's just acting as a total dupe by coming here in search of her. He does meet up with Gobbo the (not so) lovable jailer from before. Gobbo just wanders in for some reason & spots Pendragon. Rather than demanding an explanation for what Pendragon is up to, or calling for any assistance, Gobbo goes straight to the attack.
So we get a rather lame fight scene, where the two men are mostly flailing at each other with weak slaps. At one point, Gobbo grabs Pendragon & strikes him several times on the forehead with his open palm. Is that supposed to somehow hurt? They crash into the walls a bit, & it's obvious that the walls only look like stone, & are really a much less stable material. For a moment, it seems that Pendragon might lose this fight, which would seriously hurt his credibility as the virile male lead. He rallies, though, & beats Gobbo down. It's notable, though, that Pendragon has to smack Gobbo several times before the jailer goes down for the count. His girlfriend knocked out Gobbo in a manner of seconds, after all, & she's far from a warrior maiden. This entire scene adds nothing to the plot, & I suspect it was put in to add some action to a movie that really doesn't have much of that sort of thing. We now know that, gullible as he is, Pendragon is of some use in a fight.
"I brand your forehead with the Palm of Death!"
"If you think your face looked ugly before, wait 'til I'm done with it!" (Again, apologies for a blurry screen cap.)
Back in the '50s, Quintus has decided to take drastic action to sort out this messy situation. He tells Olinger that he has learned from the remarkable shamans of Nepal how to actually go back in time using the trail blazed by a person under hypnosis visiting a past life. These shamans in Nepal really have some incredible abilities. I wonder why it is they stay isolated off in some distant part of Asia rather than using their powers to take over the world, or at least some small part of it? Why go to all the trouble of learning these advanced tricks of hypnosis without any real purpose?
Anyway, back to the movie. Quintus says that Diana has thrown her entire destiny off track, & that if Helene does not die as she was going to, none of her future lives will be. He's bound & determined to straighten matters out. Olinger typically makes an objection that Quintus just as typically overrules completely.
The two men talk in the foreground while the object of their conversation lies between them in the background. It's a nicely composed shot.
There is now a scene with Pendragon returning to Meg Maud's house after beating up jailers to no purpose. He's suddenly pulled into the bushes by Livia. Livia reveals to Pendragon that she is a witch, which he's surprised to learn though I imagine he would have figured it out earlier from her ability to make images appear on surfaces. She proposes to Pendragon that he can save Helene's life by giving his soul to Satan. This deal seems like a really bad one, as everyone knows that the Devil is not the sort who deals honestly with mortals. Nonetheless, Pendragon again demonstrates his poor reasoning by agreeing, after only a moment's indecision, to sacrifice his soul for the sake of Helene. This gesture would be a lot more meaningful if we didn't know that Helene was safe & Pendragon was really causing her trouble rather than saving her from it.
Quintus is now preparing for his leap back in time. He & Diana are hooked up to a cardiograph machine. He'll bring the wavelengths of his brain in-sync with Diana's, at which point he should emerge back in the time she's enmeshed in. Quintus is going to use self-hypnosis, but he also needs Olinger to hypnotize him so he will go into a deep enough trance. Olinger agrees to this plan, as he's agreed to everything Quintus has proposed. Quintus is really calling the shots throughout this movie, & I wonder how effective a teacher Olinger really is. Why should the instructor be taking all the orders from the student, after all?
Quintus prepares to meld minds with Diana.
So, Quintus physically travels back in time. I'm not even going to try to explain how this sort of thing would be in any way possible. It's part of the movie, so I'm just going to accept it. We see him crouching behind a bush as a knight is talking to some underling. Quintus has arrived without his clothes. There's one shot to show that he is wearing pants, but I think that was accidentally brought into frame & never re-shot.
Sigh. Yet another blurry screen cap. Quintus is just behind those bushes in the foreground.
Like Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins, the knight really needs to be more aware of his surroundings. As the underling departs, Quintus pulls the knight from off his horse & throws him to the ground. Holy smokes! Quintus must be in amazing shape. From what I've read about the Middle Ages, the average peasant would have been considerably stronger than the average twentieth century urban dweller. A knight, who was bred for war from an early age, would have been a truly awesome opponent in a fight, but this one is easily bested. Perhaps Quintus had some trick of mesmerism that incapacitated the knight?
Anyway, Quintus dons the knight's attire & mounts his horse. Curiously, Quintus' watch has come along with him, & I wonder why nothing else he was wearing did. Again curiously, Quintus knows how to ride a horse, which at this time would have been an enormous beast requiring considerable strength & skill to reign in. Perhaps Quintus learned to ride in order to visit those shamans in Nepal, who likely lived in places inaccessible by any other means.
At Meg Maud's house, she's putting a cross around her neck & preparing to head off to spy on the Sabbath. She leaves Smolkin to guard Helene. He seems a strange choice for a guardian, but I guess there's no one else since Pendragon took off. Helene is completely over her initial suspicion of Meg Maud, & tells her that she regards the old woman as an angel. Meg Maud has certainly done a better job protecting Helene than the constantly absent Pendragon.
The Witches' Sabbath begins now, & a group of figures emerge into the misty graveyard. Presumably, they are all very desperate or very greedy people who have come to ask favors of the Devil. Rather disappointingly, there's no sign that any orgies are going to be taking place tonight.
"What the hell? I thought the Witches' Sabbath was being held at a new night club, not a damn graveyard!"
A frightened man accosts Quintus with an appeal for aid. Quintus rudely casts the fellow off, saying he has his own troubles to deal with. The man isn't really offended, but the arrogant & entitled knights of the time probably dealt with the peasantry like this quite often. Quintus then makes an appeal to the fellow for aid, asking for directions to Meg Maud's house. The man says that he doesn't know where that is, he's just trying to stay clear of the Witches' Sabbath. Quintus demands to be told where the Sabbath is, & with some reluctance the poor man gives him directions before taking off.
"My GPS doesn't work. Would you be so kind as to point me in the right direction?"
Livia & Pendragon arrive at the graveyard. Livia steps forward to make an invocation to the Devil & then casts the basket with the severed head on to the Altar of the Profane.
"Here you go, Satan. I have a basket of freshly baked muffins. They're yummy!"
A sheet of flames roars to life & as they die Satan appears to the crowd.
"I speak softly, but carry a very sharp pitchfork."
He assures everyone assembled that he's really not that bad (yeah, right). Satan promises everyone health, wealth, & security in exchange for selling their souls by putting a signature down in a book opened before him. To show what a fun guy he is, Satan has three zombie women appear in front of tombstones, rise to their feet, & do a neat choreographed dance for everyone's entertainment. Once finished their routine, the women silently lie back down in front of the tombstones & disappear. It's really quite the scene to watch.
The Dance of Death!
Now the suppliants come forward. Two men write their signatures, which are likely X's as the vast majority of the population at this time was illiterate. If they'd been given a contract, they wouldn't have been able read a word. They don't have to sign with their blood, as is sometimes required.
The first man is a leper who shows no sign of leprosy that I can see, & complains about being a social outcast. He signs his name & gets Satan's pitchfork symbol branded on the back of his hand, for whatever good that's going to do him. As far as I can tell, he's still a leper & now can be ostracized even more for bearing the mark of the Devil.
This fellow seems less than overjoyed by his conversion to the dark side.
The second man is an older fellow who claims that he's worked hard all his life without getting any wealth. He signs his name & gets handed a black bag with the same pitchfork symbol sewn on to it. Presumably the bag contains money, though given how the typical Devil's bargain goes, I could imagine it's filled with coins of no value, leaving this guy with an apparent fortune he can't actually spend. We don't find out what's in the bag, though, as the man just grabs it & walks off.
"Here's your bag full of fool's gold. Thanks for the soul, sucker."
Livia guides Pendragon up to Satan. After some hesitation, Pendragon is about to sign his soul away when Quintus intervenes. Quintus & the Devil know each other, though what their prior dealings were is vague. Satan says that Quintus is dabbling in black arts by traveling back in time. Quintus proposes that Pendragon barter with Satan, lending out his soul for a month instead of just giving it away. Satan, showing rare annoyance, says that he's not in the business of leasing souls. Livia, seeing her victory slip away, encourages Pendragon to ignore the stranger & sign the book like he was going to do.
Pendragon does a real see-saw here, first agreeing with Livia then with Quintus. He doesn't have much heroic resolve.
Quintus promises that Helene will be safe if Pendragon forgets the book. Pendragon agrees to go, but states that he will have to return if Quintus' words prove false. They leave, & Meg Maud also sneaks off. She showed up to observe the Sabbath from hiding as planned, but didn't interfere in any way. Livia also leaves while the Devil throws back his head & laughs. He seems able to find the humor in any situation.
Meg Maud returns to her cabin to tell Helene & Smolkin what has happened. She tells Helene that she is now safe & can rest easy, but these words may be premature. Quintus & Pendragon arrive at Meg Maud's cabin now, followed immediately by Livia & her imp. Quintus sends Pendragon to the house, & Livia has her imp chase after him, but he just misses getting through the door before it shuts.
I wouldn't think a door would be such an obstacle for a demon, but maybe Meg Maud has some kind of charm cast on it.
Inside, Pendragon & Helene have their reunion for the second time tonight, while Meg Maud & Smolkin talk about how impetuous young people are. Pendragon finally (finally) finds out that Livia actually lied to him about Helene being recaptured, & that he was about to sell his soul for nothing, really.
The hag & the fool will continue to have a purely Platonic relationship, which is just as well.
Quintus tells Helene about Quintus, & when she sees him out the window she gets very frightened, saying that she's sure he wants her dead. Meg Maud thinks that Quintus has cast some kind of dark enchantment on Helene. He sends Pendragon & Helene off with Smolkin out the back door to the depths of the woods where they may not be found. People have a very hard time staying in one place during this movie. They're constantly heading off somewhere.
Outside, Livia & her imp are fascinated by Quintus' watch, which he is showing off the way a tablet owner would show off the latest nifty app. He moves the arms of his watch forward, causing Livia to ooh & aah over his ability to control time. These two foes are actually acting quite friendly here, which is surprising. I'd think Livia would want to claw Quintus' eyes out for snatching Pendragon away from the Devil's clutches.
"If you think this is impressive, you should see what my iPhone can do."
Quintus suggests they go inside the house. Meg Maud lets Quintus inside, but slams the door in Livia's face as she tries to tailgate in. Livia lets out a cry very similar to an outraged cat. Quintus explains to Meg Maud who he is, & they have a conversation by the fireplace about Helene's skewed destiny. Quintus says that Helene has the choice to either avoid death in the morning but live only once, or die as she would have without Diana's interference, & live many other lives throughout the ages. Quintus puts the ball squarely in Helene's hands, saying that her fate must be her own choice.
The old woman prepares for the arrival of Hansel & Gretel.
The movie title, The Undead, makes just a bit of sense now. Quintus states that in the morning Helene will both die & live. She'll be dead in this life, but her soul will carry on in other lives. Or, she'll live this life, but many other women will never know what life is. So Livia is sort of undead, in a sense. It's not at all what we associate with the word "undead" these days, but it kind of works, I guess. I still think the movie could have used a different title.
As the two talk, Quintus notices Livia trying to sneak inside in the form of a white rat. He traps her using his now empty cup. I have to say that I'm very unimpressed by Livia's infernal powers. What kind of self-respecting witch would be foiled by the simple device of an overturned cup? Meg Maud is brandishing an ax, wanting to put an end to Livia for good & all, but Quintus convinces her to let Livia live for now, though I don't see why it matters to him. Meg Maud settles for taunting Livia, who can only impotently shake the cup. Outside, the imp is becoming increasingly frantic in his attempts to enter. Having no success at all with the front door, he turns into a bat & flies off to try something else.
As you can see, a witch can be caught like any common type of vermin.
We now see a large spider descending from a web just behind Meg Maud. It can easily be assumed that this is the imp, who's finally managed to get inside. If Quintus notices this approaching menace, he doesn't give a word of warning.
The radioactive spider descends toward Peter Parker...Oops, I think I've mixed this up with something else.
The imp turns back into his humanoid form & leaps on to Meg Maud's back, seemingly trying to strangle her. To his credit, Quintus tries to help, but despite being dressed in armor he's easily beaten off by the imp. You know, the men in this movie have been surprisingly ineffectual in helping out the women who are in danger.
"Why'd you take away my favorite toy? Give it back! Now!"
Meg Maud saves herself by wetting her fingers in the bowl of holy water she's conveniently prepared & flicking it on to the imp. The demon must only get a few sprinkles, but that's apparently enough. The imp screams in pain and flops around on the ground before lying still. Rather a pity, I say, as the imp was fun.
Scratch one imp. Livia will have to go to the pet shop of Hell to get another.
Quintus & Meg Maud head out to find Helene. Livia finally manages to escape from the cup by turning into a cat. I don't know why she didn't do that before. She immediately turns into a bat & flies off.
Out in the forest, Helene & Pendragon are sitting on a rock out in the woods as Smolkin patrols the area with his trusty shovel. Pendragon hears someone coming & tries to defend his lady. For some reason, he doesn't carry a sword, but only a dagger, which I'm noting now he never drew during his fight with Gobbo. Why doesn't Pendragon have a sword? Even a peasant was supposed to have one at this time in case he got called into militia service. In modern times, it's like Pendragon's settled on having a .22 pistol for a weapon when he could have a Magnum instead.
Pendragon holding his dagger, though it's so dinky it can't really be made out.
Anyway, Pendragon tries to stab the figure emerging from the trees, which turns out to be Quintus (& he has the knight's sword, by the way). Again demonstrating some remarkable fighting ability, Quintus easily fends off Pendragon's thrust. Of course, previously Quintus threw an armored knight off his horse, so he wouldn't really have much trouble with Pendragon. Despite beating Gobbo earlier, I don't think that Pendragon is really well cut out for the action hero role, & it's just as well he's not required to do much in that vein during the film.
Smolken meanwhile has encountered Meg Maud. Livia appears, assumes human form, & tries to attack Helene, but is warded off by Meg Maud.
So Pendragon, are you just going to blandly stand there & leave an old woman to defend your lady love? What's the matter with you?
Everyone is assembled in this clearing now, even Satan, who shows up at this point. Helene wants to know what's going on & why everyone's so interested in her. Meg Maud, rather than Quintus, explains her bizarre situation.
Poor Helene gets a montage of characters urging her to either live her one life or die now & live many lives. Every character is on one side or another, except for Smolkin, who only makes a dour remark on the whole business. Despite earlier telling Meg Maud that he doesn't care what choice Helene makes, he now urges the maiden to stay. Quintus tells Helene that Diana is a wretched woman without virtue who really doesn't deserve life (ouch!). Livia mocks Helene, telling her to die now so she can live a future life as a trollop. Helene finally tells them all to hush up. She wants to hear from the future women whose lives are dependent on her decision. Quintus steps forward & does the hypnotic hand exercise again, though it works much faster this time.
"Watch the amazing hand at work."
Helene now hears the voices of several future lives pleading with her one after the next to let them live. The last voice is Diana, who claims that she has been inspired by Helene's example & wants the chance to be a better person than she has been. I'll mention again that what little I've seen of Diana's conduct doesn't indicate that she's as spiritually bankrupt as she makes herself out to be. She tells Helene that it would be murder to let all these future lives disappear, which seems an extreme statement to me, but then I'm not in Diana's position of being snuffed out of existence.
Helene listens to her future lives. Her expression shows what a hard choice she must make.
Helene makes her choice, bids a final farewell to Pendragon, & then rushes off.
Parting is such sweet, sweet sorrow.
Pendragon chases after Helene, shoving aside anyone who gets in his way. Livia stops Pendragon in his pursuit & makes a last plea to let Helene go so he can have her babies with cute curved horns & hoofed feet. This time Pendragon repulses her with disgust, blaming her for what's happened. He pulls out his dagger, stabs Livia in the belly, & continues after Helene without a backward glance. Livia dies quickly, & for some reason her body turns into a cat. Is this supposed to mean that she's lost all shred of humanity & hope for salvation, leaving her soul to writhe in torment for eternity? Perhaps.
I'll avoid mentioning the Freudian implications of a woman being stabbed in the belly by the man she lusts for.
As the sun slowly rises, we get shots of the town square where the other two condemned women are being led up to the chopping block. I'm willing to bet their only crime is being the victims of malicious gossip, like Helene, but unlike her they're given no choice between life & death. The first woman meekly puts her head down on the block, while the second has to be forced down. The assembled crowd jeers & spits at both of them. The executioner's ax is raised & brought down, & a wicker basket shudders to indicate that a severed head has just fallen into it.
The dreaded executioner with his ax of doom.
This was the reality TV of the time. As usual, the men find violence much more entertaining than the women.


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✾CONTROL is on Hypable's list of 13 books to read in 2013!
✾ My debut book has a brand new title! CONTROL, a YA sci-fi novel, will be published in December 2013 by Dial Books for Young Readers (Penguin). Check out the Goodreads blurb and add it to your to-read list!
✾ Check out some advice from me and other kidlit authors debuting 2013 (The Lucky 13s) at WriteOnCon!
✾ The Lucky 13s also have a spotlight on the publishing process on the blog Ink & Angst.
✾ More Luckies dish on The First Sale, Expectation vs Reality on YA Highway.
✾ My vignette, The Cobbler, has been accepted in the fall issue of Vine Leaves Literary Journal, coming October 5th and it's been selected for the Best of 2012 Anthology, coming December 2012.
✾ I've been published in a poetry anthology! Poetry Pact, Volume 1 is now available on Amazon. 100% of proceeds benefit Direct Relief International.
✾ Two poems, "In the NICU" and an untitled poem, will be published in Hektoen International: A Journal of Medical Humanities, coming fall 2012.
The Impossible Girl is one of YBC's Buzzworthy Books of Fall 2018
The Lincoln Journal Star reviews Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything
A Brief History of Eating Humans: An Excerpt and Conversation With Dr. Lydia Kang
Lydia talks with the New Books Network podcast about Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything
BookRiot Lists A Beautiful Poison on their 16 Must-Read Recent and Backlist YA Novels Set In New York
Lydia Discusses Weird and Morbid Medical Treatments on the CBS Morning Podcast
Lydia Talks About The 'Murderous' Medical Practice of the 18th Century on Science Friday
Lydia Kang Answers Five Questions with Author Deborah Blum
LOCUS Magazine names The November Girl a Best Book of 2017
Gladiator Blood and Liquid Gold: Good for what ails you?
The internist who pens YA fiction novels about magic and medicine
Lydia explains insane vagina advice women got through history to Cosmo
Lydia talks QUACKERY on The Baltimore Sun's podcast, Roughly Speaking with Dan Rodricks
The November Girl named as a Best Young Adult Book of 2017 by Bustle
Science Friday on NPR names QUACKERY is a Best Science Book of 2017
Lydia talks QUACKERY on CSPAN's BookTalk
Watch Lydia's TEDxOmaha talk "The Truth About Quackery"
The Lincoln Journal Star reviews "A BEAUTIFUL POISON"
On The Record with Sheila Kast interviews Lydia on "Medical Oddities and Morbid Curiosities"
Kirkus Reviews – The November Girl Book Review
Hypable's The November Girl Book Review: A Beautiful Tale of Magical Realism
Historical Novel Society Reviews A BEAUTIFUL POISON
Lapham's Quarterly's Arsenic and Old Leeches: Three Reasons Why You Shouldn't Consult 19th Century WebMD Archives
The Toronto Star.com's Mercury Was Considered A Cure—Until It Killed You
KMTV's The Morning Blend Interviews Dr. Lydia Kang
CBC Radio's From Arsenic to Goat Glands: A History of the World's Worst Medical Cures
UK Daily Mail's The Quackery Cures of Yesteryear
Buzzfeed's You Might Be A Mad Scientist Quiz
Time Magazine's Real Historical Treatments That Doctor's Used To Think Were Good For You
Mental Floss's 5 Dubious Historical Antidotes for Poisoning (And What Actually Works)
Omaha World Herald Fall Book Preview
5 Star Review by Gotham City Times
NPR Weekend Edition with Renee Montagne
CBS Boston's The TJ Show discusses Quackery
Historical Novels – Your Research To Do List on Writer UnBoxed
How It Happened guest post for The Big Thrill
Omaha World Herald asks why our ancestors believed medical Quackery
Mindy McGinnis's podcast interview on writing across genres, and the publishing process.
"A Matter of Perspective" What to look for in the opening pages of a book.
Review of CONTROL in Iowa's Nonpareil Newspaper
Interview for the John H. Ames Reading Series for the Jane Pope Geske Nebraska Heritage Room of Nebraska Authors.
Nebraska Public Radio interview with fellow Omaha YA author, Tonya Kuper.
KMTV's The Morning Blend interview on Catalyst, science, and more.
Omaha World Herald reviews Catalyst: "Excitement, Good Themes, More in Omaha Author's Latest."
Lydia is featured on Glitter Magazine's "Author Crush Friday" and their #SelfLove video campaign.
Read Lydia's article on Designing Superbabies, as well as an excerpt from CATALYST on LiveScience.com.
Nebraska Public Radio interview on her dual medical and writing career.
Lydia teaches at the La Vista Library Teen Writing Workshop
Omaha World Herald: Omahan Lydia Kang's 'Control' a book about science, sisterhood and more
Huffpost Books: Young Adult Science Fiction That Will Get Readers Psyched about Science
Buzzfeed: 18 Weird Things that Authors Do
The New Twilight? What Inspired YA Novelist Lydia Kang's CONTROL in Mochi Magazine
Lydia Kang is in Control in Omaha Magazine
How a Doctor and Lawyer Ended Up Writing Young Adult Novels in Hyphen Magazine
Beth Revis' "Top 10 Modern YA Science Fiction Novels" on Bookshelves of Doom
"When Medical School Meets Creative Writing Class" Omaha World Herald
"Poets Packed the House" Omaha World Herald
25 Things You Might Not Know About Me
Advice on writing at WriteOnCon and Ink & Angst.
The First Sale, Expectation vs Reality on YA Highway.

subset: commoncrawl


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This lady is really cruel! Her name is Madame Marissa and she really likes torturing her slave - especially with trampling! The slave already has to lie in front of a bar and she doesn't wait very long and steps with her heavy boots right at his naked chest. But just trampling him isn't enough! She starts to jump at him and let him smell the intense sweat inside her boots before trampling him with her bare feet again...!
Madame Marissa comes back home with her boots totally muddy after an extensive walk in the woods - good that her slave's wearing a white shirt she can use as a cleaning rug! She orders him to lie down next to the door and steps on his body with her dirty boots immediately. She talks all over his chest and even his head until her boots are clean again. In the end the slave's shirt is completely dirty and ready for the trash!


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Posted June 22nd, 2013, 03:01 AM
I'm extremely devastated about the balcony size on the new Royal, my family and I enjoy sitting out playing cards, I was wondering if anyone knows anything about the deluxe balcony cabins located close to the front of the ship on the Emerald Deck. They show up in the deck plans as well as in the christening ceremony as much larger than the norm, however it states that these cabins are obstructed view...I understand the balcony rail will be steel and not glass, has anyone stayed In a balcony with a steel rail? If so will it be worth the extra footage?


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WOW! Our couple Kathy & Dan mentioned they wanted a James Bond-inspired film to show at their wedding and they came prepared with a creative screenplay, extras and props. We love working with creative couples to bring their wedding vision to fruition. Their wedding guests were blown away as they watched the bride and groom play out a dramatic action scene leading up to their wedding on film. Special touches unique to the bride and groom's wedding were incorporated in the movie like their guitar logo on the confidential file. A huge thanks to the Valley Ho Hotel for allowing us to shoot on their amazing retro hotel.
We don't want to spoil the ending so you'll have to watch the engagement film below to see if Dan can win over his bride-to-be, Kathy :)


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BLUES will hold talks with Eric Black about stepping up to become manager should Steve Bruce quit for Wigan.
But Bruce is certain to want to take his trusted assistant with him to the JJB Stadium.
The pair have formed quite a bond since Bruce, despite not having worked with him before, appointed Black as Mark Bowen's replacement in the summer of 2004.
Blues will sound out Black to see if he is keen to take over the reins, like he did at Coventry City to much acclaim when Gary McAllister resigned.
Whether it would be for an interim period, with a view to getting the job permanently subject to proving his worth, could be a major debating point.
Black's work on the training ground is respected by the players and his contacts in Europe and ability to speak French and German have been priceless in helping Blues find, recruit and integrate foreigners.
Should Bruce go, after almost six years and 269 games - ironically, the Villa defeat was his 100th loss - it would certainly create upheaval at the worst possible time.
And it would throw into the spotlight just how big a say Carson Yeung would have in the appointment.
Blues were unable to give Bruce a new rolling contract because Yeung would not rubber-stamp it, apparently due to the legal complexities of being in a 'takeover period'.
At present, with Yeung's buyout in serious doubt, the mood of the Blues board is such that the Hong Kong tycoon would have no option but to agree with their choice.
Black is on a 12-month rolling contract and Wigan owner Dave Whelan is unlikely to baulk at handing him a longer deal.
When Whelan approached Paul Jewell about returning, the former Wigan manager revealed that he had been offered an 'unbelievable' contract, a 'king's ransom'.


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How can I develop iPhone app store games quickly for free? Part 2
This article is about quickly developing 3D games on the iPhone using free game engines and with CoreAnimation, for information about free 2D iPhone Game engines please check the Previous Article Here.
If you are determined to get into developing a 3D game there are a couple of free engines. The first one I'll mention is the SIO2 Engine. I haven't explored this engine in detail, but from running the examples and going through a couple of the tutorials it looks to be well made, it is written in C, but the learning curve is easier than you would think especially if you have used Blender. The second engine is the Oolong Engine created by well known graphics programmer Wolfgang Engel from Rockstar Games. I've been messing around with this engine for awhile, and find it to be excellent, be warned though it is extremely low level, and has no documentation so you will be learning simply from example. It is basically the PowerVR 3D SDK optimized for the iPhone with added memory management, 3ds loading, and a math library, and is essentially meant for programmers with an understanding of OpenGL ES, which probably makes it fall into the "not quick" category of development, but I thought I should mention it for those wondering what I would use.
The final alternative for "quick" game development on the iPhone is just to use CoreAnimation, from what I understand game development using CoreAnimation can lead to performance issues, but if you're developing a game that doesn't include any fast action such as a board or card game then it may be your best bet. I'd suggest looking at the GeekGameBoard example from Apple. While the example is a Mac OS X the syntax is very similar, and you should be well on your way to coding a game in CoreAnimation. There are a few missing features, but you can certainly develop a non-action oriented game using CoreAnimation. I left CoreAnimation for last simply because from what I've read on the iPhone boards it really is only viable for specific games.
Thanks for reading, and if you know of any good free iPhone game development tools that I haven't mentioned then please comment about them below.
Submit A Resource
Have you created a useful tutorial, library or tool for iOS development that you would like to get in front of our 300,000+ monthly page views from iOS developers?
You can submit the url here.
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text: 404 not found. Ask Dr. Kel – Products Home About Ask Dr, Kel Ignite Your Mind Heal Your Body Free Your Spirit FAQ Videos Blog Calendar Services eMerge D.I.E.T. Program Holistic Chiropractic Integrated Energy Therapy Reiki Trigger Point Therapy/Myofacial Release Workshops Shop Cart Checkout Contact Home / Shop Shop Welcome to Dr. Kel's Shop! Showing 1–5 of 12 results Sort by popularity Sort by average rating Sort by newness Sort by price: low to high Sort by price: high to low The eMerge e-program: Are You in Your Driver's Seat? $24.95 Add to cart Gift Certificate – $100.00 $100.00 Add to cart Gift Certificate – $50.00 $50.00 Add to cart eMerge D.I.E.T. 12-week Course $299.00 Add to cart IET – Advanced Level $315.00 Add to cart 1 2 3 →


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Contact Info
One Day A Week Saturday Program
Undergraduate Admissions
With this degree, you become part of a team supporting young children in one of the most important phases that predicts their academic success—early childhood. Working in child community-based programs, classroom environments, or daycare settings, you support other educators on positively impacting the lives of children.
As a student, you will:
Early Childhood Leadership provides excellent credentials for further degrees in education.


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Travelling in Indonesia
Some of my clients said to me "You live in paradise"
This words make me proud of being Indonesian. Yes, i'm so lucky to live in paradise.
Travelling overseas is a luxury thing that everyone dream of. For me? Yes, of course. I'm agree that travelling overseas is very cool. I want my passport got stamped as many as the immigration can give. If they can give my passport more than 2 stamps, then I will let them to do it. :D
These are my poins that make people (include me) travelling overseas :
– Tired of daily activities with high stress level. You won't imagine that Jakarta City can make 15 kilometers takes 2 or 3 hours to reach, sometimes.
– We want to reward ourself for our hardworking
– We want to have cool instagram gallery, who doesn't want?
– Stamps on passport, because some people love to collect something and love being compete.
– We want to see new place and experience new culture
My first overseas destination with my own money was Bangkok. All my friends that have visit Bangkok said it's cheaper than Singapore. Everything is cheap, both meals and souvenirs. So the return ticket issued and I planned to visit Bangkok on my birthday in last 2013. This first trip successfully changed me until now.
I quit my job as UI Designer, and start to work as travel consultant. I hand on domestic and overseas trips. I learn dealing with customers. I learn to sell my own country at travel exhibition in ATM Dubai, CITM Shanghai, ITF Taipei, MATTA Kuala Lumpur, sales mission in Philippine, and table top Vietnam. I also met Indonesia Tourism of Minister, Mr Arief Yahya at Arabian Travel Mart in Dubai. I love to contact tour operators, create own itinerary for tailor made trip, follow up customers, make a deal, and take care request details like halal meal and other preferrence menu request.
And i enjoy myself hear my clients' stories about the beauty of my own country.
Some clients said to me "You live in paradise".
And that words make me proud of being Indonesian.
And I found myself love these job:
I found myself watching google maps for hours to learn the destination that I've to create for itinerary tailor made trip. It tooks time to learn and create the itinerary for the destination that I never visit before.
I found myself love to search photos that make the proposal looks beautiful.
I found myself love to create charm wording for the email.
I found myself looking at excel file, doing calculation for quotation .
Yes, this is my place. This is my home. I feel the spirit that makes me alive.
And I reached my milestone to travel solo for 6 days. My destination was Vietnam. Why Vietnam? These are my reasons to pick Vietnam as my first travel-solo destination:
– Vietnamese coffee was very good
– Vietnam has Ha Long Bay, one of UNESCO Seven Wonders of Nature. For first time solo traveller, of course visit one of UNESCO sites was excited experience.
– I find Vietnam especially Saigon / Ho Chi Minh is a backpacker friendly city.
And, returns ticket to Saigon was issued to make the journey begins. You can see my experience at Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh here. I got "punch" at my 2 days 1 night Ha Long Bay Sailing Trip. At that time, I had conversations with my new family in the junk boat that changed my travelling style. Everyone tell stories about their country, the culture, their travelling habbit, and this sentence came:
"So, you live in Indonesia. Tell me about your country"
*insert sfx grasshopper*
At that time, I only visited Bali, Yogyakarta, and some other cities in Java Island. They only know Bali, and some of them already visit Bali. Most of overseas people if i ask about Indonesia, all that comes to their mind is Bali. Although Bali is awesome in its own right, but Indonesia is a whole great place to visit and has much to offer.
At that time, I didn't have many stories to tell since I'm not experience and don't have enough product knowledge of my own country. What a shame.
After that night, I have a mission. My new mission is to explore my own country. And get informations as much as I can, then share in my own blog.
6 months later from that trip, I start to visit some highlight places of my country and..
I find myself love to persuade overseas tourist to visit my country.
I find myself learn Indonesia map, location of some islands, since Indonesia has 17.508 islands
I find myself love to make map direction picture to give information where's the island located.
I find myself love to make route direction picture to complete my story.
I find myself forget where I put my passport.
and the most important, I find myself learn and love my own country.
So, thank you for my family at Ha Long Bay Sailing Trip, now I quit my 9-9 job and jump into travel agency that I made myself and my team. So, booked flight ticket to Indonesia, anyone?
picture taken by Marina Lewis


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Product DetailsThe wealthy heir to a prominent real-estate magnate becomes caught up in a high-profile murder investigation in this thriller inspired by the real-life case of Robert Durst, who was suspected of murdering his wife, Kathie, after she vanished without a trace in 1982. Warned by his father (Frank Langella) that the common girl (Kirsten Dunst) he loves will never be accepted into high society, the young scion (Ryan Gosling) throws caution to the wind and marries her regardless. Later, when the girl disappears and politics enter the picture, a suspicious series of deaths leave a haunted cop convinced that the truth is closer than anyone realizes.
Store CommentsSpecial Features * Closed Caption * Deleted scenes * All Good Things: Truth in fiction * Back in time: Researching the original story * Unraveling the story: Interview with Andrew Jarecki * Wrinkles in time: Ryan Ages * Commentary with Andrew Jarecki (director/producer) and Robert Durst * Commentary with Andrew Jarecki (director/producer), Marcus Hinchey (co-writer/co-producer) and Marc Smerling (co-writer/producer)
How many would you like? (please only fill in space with numbers, not letters)


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Minnesota Residents: FAFSAs must be received by the Federal Central Processing System within 30 calendar days of the semester start date in order to be eligible for a possible Minnesota State Grant.
If a student completely withdraws from all credits or stops attending for a term before the 60% point of that term, the financial aid disbursed is subject to the Federal Return of Title IV Funds. Students 'earn' financial aid in proportion to the time he/she is enrolled up to the 60% point. The unearned share of financial aid is returned in the following order: Federal Unsubsidized Stafford Loan, Federal Subsidized Stafford Loan, PLUS Loan, Federal Pell Grant, Federal SEOG. The student may need to repay a portion of financial aid he/she received.
NOTE: If a student withdraws before his/her financial aid is disbursed, the student is responsible for the tuition due to the College.
© 2018 Minnesota State College Southeast
RED WING CAMPUS | 308 Pioneer Road | Red Wing, MN 55066 | 651-385-6300
WINONA CAMPUS | 1250 Homer Road | Winona, MN 55987 | 507-453-2700
Minnesota State College Southeast is an affirmative action/equal opportunity educator and employer. ADA accessible. MSC Southeast is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination in employment and education opportunity. No person shall be discriminated against in the terms and conditions of employment, personnel practices, or access to and participation in, programs, services, and activities with regard to race, sex, color, creed, religion, age, national origin, disability, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, or sexual orientation. In addition, discrimination in employment base on membership or activity in a local commission as defined by law is prohibited.
Minnesota State College SoutheastA member of Minnesota State
This document is available in alternative formats to individuals with disabilities by calling 877-853-8324 or 507-453-2700.


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Kode Wave 83 Carbon, SURF (Germany), November 2015
The all-new Kode Wave will take jumps and waveriding to the air, whether you are starting out in the waves or already have a few PWA World Champion titles like Philip Koster or the Morenos.
The all-new 2016 Kode Waves are now more consistent across the range, with the Vee brought further back into the mono-concave for a smoother initiation of the bottom turn and rail-to-rail transfers. Rails and rockers have also been refined for speed and maneuverability and the sizing denominations have been adjusted.
The following test was featured in the November/December 2015 issue of SURF Magazin.
Starboard Kode Wave 83 Carbon: "The best all-round board for North and Baltic sea conditions"
Find out everything there is to know about the all-new Kode Waves here!
Length: 229 cm
On the Water:
The Kode Wave 83 Carbon on test was slightly heavier on the scale than the Starboard quoted weight but that was negligible on the water. As a matter of fact, it felt like the opposite: the Kode gets planing like in a dream, not requiring any effort to get going. It then accelerates in an instant to a very impressive top speed. Get planing, step into the super comfortable footstraps, find a ramp and rotate into the air like World Champion Philip Koster. Simple. And if it doesn't work, it's not the fault of the board!
In stronger winds, the Kode Wave rides very freely above the water but needs a bit more rider input (or weight) to control. Thanks to the Starboard development team, the new Kode is now able to maintain huge amounts of speed into the bottom turn, even small, mushy and gutless waves. We were actually surprised by the Kode Wave's improved waveriding ability. It is also now much easier to hit the lip at 12 o'clock compared to the previous 2015 model. Cutbacks can be tight and radical. But thanks to the rather vertical and square Twinzer fins which can be released early, the new-school riders will whip the tail into takas and slides with ease.
SURF Verdict:
The Starboard Kode Wave is a fun machine for the North and Baltic seas. One of the earliest to plane, with an impressive top speed and improved turning ability while keeping a skatey feel in the cutback.
And for more test reviews, just head over to Magazine Test page, with more than 200 reviews going back to 2006!
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Continuing to apply Brill Creative's tagline 'for the greater good' with this T-shirt art and new clientele… more details later
Brill Creative sponsors 5K benefiting Transitions
We were proud to serve as presenting sponsor of the 2nd Annual Run for Shelter 5k race. A family fun event supporting a very serious cause, we couldn't have done it without the help of Seemless Printing, Harlan Graphics, Steve Ziegelmeyer and the whole Brill Creative team. Click and Enjoy!
Poster Design & DVD Packaging Prowess
Ray's Music Exchange has become a Cincinnati Jazz/funk/groove institution whose legend, roster of past musicians, and influence spreads from coast to coast. After the success of last year's inaugural Ray's Reunion Show, the first live show from the band in 5 years, yielded both excited fans and reinvigorated band members as well as a forthcoming DVD of the show, they have decided to make the reunion an annual event.
With a DVD release party and amazing performance on 10/8/11 at the Southgate House in Newport, KY, Brill Creative was tapped to develop Ray's Music Exchange's Live DVD Digipac art and packaging. Armed with photography provided by Noble Visions, copy and content by Brad Myers of Ray's and specs from DiscMakers, Dan Brill dove into the project.
"We produced a couple of initial concepts and quickly narrowed it down to the one we wanted to run with" said Brill. "The process was pretty smooth and painless. It had to be, as there was little time to get the art ready and have the product produced in time for the scheduled event. The end product turned out very sharp."
5/3rd Bank "The Card That Rocks" Campaign
Brill Creative– Card That Rocks evolution story
In April 2011 Brill Creative was asked by Fifth Third Bank to respond to a Request For Proposal. The assignment up for grabs was Fifth Third's Campus Banking program with the objective of introducing a whole new student banking concept. The RFP indicated that the bank wanted to create buzz around this new product and develop a weekend kickoff event for college campuses. To that end, Brill Creative assembled its team and got to work.
A five-person creative gang rolled up its collective sleeves and cranked out multiple concepts during an enthusiastic, daylong work session. The intense work paid dividends when three solid concepts emerged: One Card To Rule Them All, Power To The Pupil and The Card That Rocks. Multiple sketches and rough layouts followed until final directions were chosen for each.
* special thanks to Don Marsh and Tom Holtkamp for their assistance with typography and illustration
As final executions for each campaign emerged, Brill Creative made its way to the Fifth Third tower for a high-energy, visually captivating presentation. Following the meeting, deliberation within Fifth Third ensued. A winning concept emerged unanimously.
The Card That Rocks!
This campaign was chosen based on its stylized look, extendable nature and youthful vernacular. Now, it was time to make stuff.
Then, it was off to Miami where Dan Brill oversaw a photo shoot for the ages. Behind the lens was none other than rock-n-roll photographer Jason Koerner. And the venue, the private gallery of a renowned guitar manufacturer, couldn't have been a more appropriate backdrop. Four days of prep and shooting netted killer images that would bring the campaign to life.
6.3 – 6.7 – 2011 – Brill Creative To Collaborate With Renowned Music Scene Photographer
Dan Brill, Creative Director at Brill Creative, is in Miami working with one of the most highly regarded chroniclers of the rock world. A four-day still shoot for a Fifth Third Bank marketing campaign boasts the talents of Jason Koerner Photography, official photographer of the Fillmore Miami. Koerner and his lens have inventively documented many of the biggest names in music whenever they take the stage at this legendary venue. The shoot is on location at a world class guitar company's Miami showroom.
Images were chosen and the final pieces were retouched, manipulated and built for production files. Everything came together to comprise an impressive,
multi-media campaign for the first Getting Started weekend at Cedarville University. All the elements were on display, accompanied by a soundtrack bumpin' from a Fender amp. The event and elements were beloved by the client, students and parents.
Needless to say, the whole thing rocked. Check out the photo shoot of the event below.
Gallery: Fifth Third Bank – Card That Rocks, Cedarville University kick off photos
Thanks to all who participated in making this campaign a success. Dan Brill – President, CCO, Brill Creative, LLC
Put the partnership to work on your next project. For a no-cost, no-obligation consultation, call 513-272-1659. Or email email@example.com
(The high res image gallery below is temporarily down and being moved to a new server location… they will be live again soon)
Brill Creative On-Location in Miami for Photo Shoot
Earlier this month, we wrapped up a photo shoot in Miami, FL for Fifth Third Bank, powered by the talents of Jason Koerner Photography and the creative guidance of Dan Brill of Brill Creative. The photos will become the creative material for a new marketing campaign to promote Fifth Third Bank's financial services… and although we'd like to share details at this moment… we are bound to keep the cat in the bag, so to speak.
So, why are we so excited, and why aren't we telling you what the campaign is all about?
We are working hard on creating and connecting all the dimensions that will become the outbound marketing you'll see in August 2011, and we want to blow your mind all at once with that campaign. However, we have posted video clips on our Brill Creative YouTube channel and photos on our Brill Creative Flickr album to give you a sneak peak into the theme of the campaign… and let me tell you… We Rocked Miami!
A special thanks goes to Jason Koerner for lending his photographic mastery to the shoot. See some of those unedited shots on our Flickr album, and watch for more details in August.
The Color of Money
The art, science and psychological appeal of bright colors.
April 25, 2010 – Eleftheria Parpis
When considering colors for upcoming models in Toy State's Road Rippers collection, Will Coleburn, svp at the company, which also makes the Freedom Force and Caterpillar toy vehicle lines, looked to trends in other industries for cues. "I spent a lot of time looking at what the ski industry is doing," he says. "They're on the cutting edge of art and decoration and color for teens."
While the main target for Toy State's products skews much younger — 5- to 7-year-old boys — Coleburn figures what attracts the big guys will also appeal to little kids.
Opinion: Print Is Dying … Really?
At a time when magazines are everyone's whipping boy, Graydon Carter offers evidence to the contrary.
March 28, 2010 -By Graydon Carter
At a time when magazines are everyone's whipping boy, Graydon Carter offers evidence to the contrary. It's not for nothing that he has the distinction of being the only editor to be named AdweekMedia's editor of the year twice (1997, 2003), while Vanity Fair has been on the Hot List nine times. The Conde Nast monthly is widely regarded as one of the best magazines around. So we asked Carter: What does the future hold for magazines? Here's his answer.
It's become fashionable to proclaim that print is dying, as if a medium that has been around for more than five centuries might, like a guest who has overstayed his welcome, suddenly glance about the room, see his hostess nodding off in her chair, and realize it's time to call it a night. I have my doubts about the all-encompassing scope of the so-called digital revolution, but as the father of five children, I can certainly see what all the fuss is about. Kids have a zillion ways of finding out just about anything they want, when they want, but the smart ones—historically, the magazine subscribers of the future—still read. The reading business is not the same as the search-and-find business, and if you're in the print version of the latter, on either a daily or a weekly basis, you have reason to be anxious. The rest of us have a fair chance to survive and perhaps even thrive.


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Mill Park Wedding Hair
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Wondering what Grasshopper Manufacturer was doing before Killer 7? DS owners in Japan will get to find out real soon as Marvelous Interactive brings producer Suda 51's Flower, Sun, and Rain: Unending Paradise to the DS.
Titled, in Japan, Hana to Taiyou to Ame to: Owaranai Rakuen, this mystery adventure game was originally released for the PlayStation 2 on 2001. HAND is "handling" the conversion to the portable format, with supervision by Grasshopper Manufacturer, of course.


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We at United Tyres Sales & Service, established back in 1970, have more than 45 years of rich experience dealing in the Indian auto-ancillary industry, every day serving customers with our time tested services such as Wheel Balancing service in Ahmedabad, Wheel Alignment in Ahmedabad, Tyre Sales, Alloy Wheel Sales and Car Key Duplication.
In this remarkable journey having scaled from a single workshop in 1970, we are now a proud network of 8 workshops (and still counting) spanning across the State of Gujarat, sharing the exact same founding principle – Unparalleled Customer Service.
Dealing with some of the biggest and the most reliable names in the Automobile Industry including Michelin, Bridgestone, Yokohama, Apollo, Continental, Goodyear and JK Tyres. We have an implied obligation to live up to the reputation of our partners. Fortunately, in all these years if there's one thing that we've achieved – it's reputation, to say the least.
By following a need based approach to provide insightful solutions to their tyre problems, we inherently create a benchmark for ourselves every time a customer leaves our doorstep. This driving force essentially is what helps us go that extra mile, always.
"Give us a chance to serve your car, and we'll make sure that your car has never been served better!"
At the core of our services, is our underlying mission – "To improve & optimise the everyday driving experience for our customers". Under the guidance of Mr. Haresh P Patel, through these 45 years of our service, we have successfully been able to build a niche for ourselves, where the cornerstone of our service ideology has evolved from 'Customer Satisfaction' to 'Customer Delight'.