Poster of the Day - Insemnoid (1981)

First off, why do you call a movie by its porn parody name? I mean Insemnoid? Really? Well, whatever. Right now, the X-rated version of this film (starring Kay Parker and Seka, images of their late-Seventies/early-Eighties hotness below) is playing in my head, so I'm not complaining.

Second, this poster is AWESOME. I mean, how can you beat a screaming woman giving birth to a space monster while astronauts with comically shocked facial expressions look on. We know we're going to see something intense and violent. The tag-line is pretty good; although I'm not sure who's having the nightmare. Is it the chick giving birth? Is one of the guys with the extra-large anime eyes? Maybe the shadowy figure in the back? I can hear him saying, "Hey guys, what are you looking at? I can't see a thing. Bob, can you a move a little to left and stop gesticulate so much. Thanks, that's better...OH MY GOD, IT'S MY REOCCURRING NIGHTMARE!!!!" There are a few details I appreciate, like the time the artist took to include perspiration on the chick. In case her painfully looking face isn't enough, we know that this is not a happy birth because she's sweating. I was going to criticize the comically shocked faces of the astronauts, but, they are seeing a big, pink monster baby crawl of a woman's baby hole (actual medical term), so I'll give them a pass. Finally, the blue/pink color scheme is a subtle nod to traditional baby colors. Talk about sticking to a theme.

For what it is, this is a hard poster to find fault with. If you are looking for an alien monster birth movie, this poster does a good job of saying "I am that film."

It gives us a pretty good idea of the type of movie we're going to be seeing. It may having the trappings of science fiction; but, it really is a horror film. This movie was one of a number made in the wake of Alien that went for the same tone. Some were set on Earth, like Contamination, which has Martian monster eggs infesting New York City. Others are set on alien worlds; for example, Galaxy of Terror which is an awesome movie for numerous reasons, not the least of which is human-giant worm sex.

Hey, I have my standards.

Bonus One: The epic that is Insemnoid in full.

Bonus Two: After the break, Kay Parker (left) and Seka (right).

A Little Short Fiction

So, I run a writing group. Every 6 - 8 weeks, I send out writing prompts and we all write something. Then we get together, read and critique what we've written, get drunk and pass out in a pool of our own awesomeness. This time around, a friend of mine came up with the following prompt, in honor of the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall (9Nov89).

"And there you have it, a historical day for Germany and for Europe as the Berlin Wall has been opened."

Helmut muted the triumphant voice of the television. He turned to his guest with a somewhat quizzical expression and a simple question.

"What now?”

And here's what I came up with. It's short (329 words) so I thought "Hey, put it out there; someone might like it." Enjoy.

---

9 November 1989, East Berlin.

"And there you have it, a historical day for Germany and for Europe as the Berlin Wall has been opened."

Helmut muted the triumphant voice of the television. He turned to his guest with a somewhat quizzical expression and a simple question.

"What now?”

The man that Helmut knew only as Dimitri was all smiles. “This is a great moment, comrade. I never thought I’d live to see the day that the West would surrender.”

Helmut understood Dimitri’s feelings. The divide between East and West had seemed permanent. Helmut assumed that future historians would find those moments when the fall of the capitalists was decided. Would it be American defeats in Vietnam, Central America, and Mexico? The failure of the West to recover from the economic collapse in the wake of Israel nuking Syria and Egypt? President Mondale’s decision to unilaterally disarm? The Soviet victory in Afghanistan and the subsequent liberation of the Persian Gulf states? The collapse of NATO following the Green Revolution in West Germany?

Helmut caught himself and smiled. Now just Germany, he thought.

For now, it really didn’t matter. Europe had come to its senses and joined their socialist comrades. America would have to follow suit or disintegrate. Helmut had read reports of socialist movements in New York, California and Michigan that were preparing for secession. The course charted by Marx, Lenin, Stalin, Beria, and Andropov had led to the dawn of a socialist future, he thought. Still, there was one nagging, more personal concern.

“Well, what about us?”

Although it seemed unlikely, Dimitri’s smile actually widened. “They’ll always be work for men like us. As long as there are enemies of the People, the state will need the KGB,” he clapped his hand on Helmut’s shoulder, “and the Stasi. Now, let’s get that bottle of Stolichnaya I know you have in the freezer and go celebrate. It looks like one hell of a party out there.”

Helmut grinned. It sure does, he thought.

Published In A Real Live Book

That would be me, your humble narrator. I've just had some work published in the Far Horizons Anthology. While my writing is, of course, the best (basically, like God is whispering a bedtime story in your ear) every piece is pretty freakin' awesome. So, go forth, click on the little Amazon box and buy, buy, buy! Oh, and for those people who don't want to kill trees for their literary pleasure, there's a Kindle edition as well.

eMagazine To Check Out - Far Horizons

Like science fiction, horror and fantasy? Looking for something to read? Check out the Far Horizons e-zine. Added bonus: Starting with the June issue I'll be having material published within its pages. You can find the website - and the May issue - at Far Horizons Science Fiction Fantasy & Horror eMagazine.