Out of the ashes of Little Miss Stakes comes So Long Until The Séance, or S.L.U.T.S. as these trashy mofos like to be known. This is horror rock but, influenced by the likes of Sister and Crashdiet, with sleazy shock ‘n’ roll coursing through its veins. Frontman Mike Van D is speaking in tongues as he becomes the latest victim of Uber Rock’s 13 Days of Halloween…..

 

1.) What are your most vivid childhood memories of Halloween?

 

I wouldn’t say this is the most vivid childhood memory of Halloween but it sure is a depressing stand out one. We never actually made jack-o-lanterns from pumpkins in our house…for some bizarre reason, maybe only known to my parents, we carved ours from turnips… I still to this day have never carved out a pumpkin.

 

2.) Why do you think that the worlds of horror and metal/punk have always been so closely linked?

 

I’m not too sure, it just seems a natural link to me. Both horror and rock/metal have been seen as undesirable and have been censored by people who thought themselves to be in a more moral position to do so and therefore attracted the rebellious kids. Metal has always explored darker subjects and seems to have a love affair with the darker imagery. Plus the music is much more expressive to create feelings of horror… I honestly can’t imagine Pop having the same effect. Remember all those Teen Slasher movie soundtracks of the ’90s/’00s filled with Nu-Metal… re-imagine them but their soundtracks filled with the pop music of that time (shudders)

 

3.) Has there been a horror remake yet that has bettered the original movie?

 

This will be considered blasphemy but the remake of Dawn of the Dead. There is no denying the original is a classic but the remake was, to me and my friends, the ultimate bloke film in our early teen years. Guns, nudity, sex, gore, zombies that could fucking run, a lounge style rendition of Disturbed’s ‘Down with the Sickness’, hell, they even had Pimp my Ride: Apocalypse edition with that bus scene. The only thing that could’ve perfected that movie was if they had gotten to that island in the end only to hear the cry of Godzilla.

 

4.) What’s the greatest ever horror movie kill?

 

There are far too many to think of off the top of my head. The Chest Burster scene in Alien with John Hurt still makes me squirm every time I watch it and it must’ve been so unexpected at the time when it first came out. I suppose one of my favourite kills is from House of Wax, an awful movie, yes, but the scene where Paris Hilton is killed was uncomfortably satisfying to see… although I think a few of my friends were disappointed after hearing they were going to see her get shafted by a big pole in the movie.

 

5.) Who is the baddest ever horror movie villain…and why?

 

Not one person but I think Zombies no matter what film they are in are the ultimate horror villain. That unrelenting hunger for human brains and flesh, the inability to remember loved ones and tearing them apart. No fear, no logic, just a husk of a person with the need to feed with whom you can’t bargain or reason with… that’s terrifying.

 

6.) Who is the greatest ever Scream Queen?

 

I may have to say Janet Leigh simply because of the shower scene in Psycho. Even if you haven’t seen the film, you know that scene! It’s iconic. Her face from that scene has now been tattooed countless times.

 

7.) Name your Top 5 favourite horror movies of all time…and tell us why!!

 

In no particular order:

 

Alien: A perfect blend of Sci-Fi and terror. The acting is perfect, the sound design is incredible and helps build the suspense and the isolation of space. I ignored Alien for such a long time in my life because I was originally shown Alien Resurrection’… Huge regret.

 

Saw: And I mean Saw the first film, not the franchise that followed. The second and third were good enough but declined sharply after. I love this movie because of how much of it is built up and set in the tiny little room our two victims are trapped in. If a director can do that and keep the film interesting, he knows what he doing. And who doesn’t like a good twist?

 

28 Weeks Later: I know they technically aren’t zombies but to me this is my favourite zombie movie. Great characters, great soundtrack and a fantastic story showing the dark side and the humanity of people when in survive or die circumstances.  Generally quite hard to find that in zombie movies

 

Cabin in the Woods: This is always one that divides people. You either like it or hate it but I love it and think it was an excellent homage to the horror genre. It was not at all what I expected!

 

The Evil Dead: Hail to the King that is Bruce Campbell. A lot of people prefer the second but I will always remember the first. That tree rape scene is still pretty brutal and I can’’t imagine how that was received by audiences when it was first released.

 

8.) What underrated horror movie would you recommend to our readers just in case they have never seen it?

 

Bubba Ho-Tep. Not truly a horror but stars the King of B-Movie horror, Bruce Campbell as a very old Elvis Presley who is reflecting over his life as his nursing home begins to be preyed upon by an Egyptian mummy who feeds by sucking out the souls of his victims through their anus. For an absolutely ridiculous plot there are a lot of touching, sad moments and this has remained possibly my favourite film for years now.

 

9.) What is your guilty pleasure, the trashy horror flick that you hold dear but everyone else runs away from?

 

Again, I may get strung up for this, but Van Helsing. Again, not strictly horror but one of those trashy action movies of the early 2000s based on horror like The Mummy. I know just how hated it is, particularly from horror buffs but I just adored how it brought together a load of horror fiction, especially the Universal Monsters into one fun film with a great soundtrack… And Richard Roxburgh’s portrayal of Dracula? Shamefully, one of my favourites.

 

10.) What is the greatest ever horror movie poster?

 

Hard to pick because there are great ones spanning different decades of horror but one that has always stood out to me was the original Dawn of the Dead poster. The simple design and the famous tag line has made that more iconic than the film I think.

 

11.) Have you ever had a ghostly supernatural experience?

 

Well it started off saying it as a joke but a few friends and I are convinced I live in a haunted house… a haunting that’s my fault. I have amassed quite a collection of macabre oddities over the last year and my favourite piece is my display cabinet on my landing that contains several ex-medical human bones, including a leg and a jaw. Many nights now we have heard footsteps above the living room or coming down the stairs when there is no-one there. One night a heavy towel that was hanging out to dry on the banister was knocked over down to the hallway below when we were in the living room watching TV. I tried brushing past it when I put it back and it seemed there was no way it could’ve just slid off. Who knows, this may get worse and the occupants of my cabinet may grow more violent. Perhaps I’ll get a movie adaptation out of it one day… that or I’ll write another awful song.

 

12.) What ‘star’ of the music world would you like to see slaughtered in gory horror movie style?

 

I think Kanye West goes without saying but equally I would like to know who the godfather of modern day “genericore” bands is. You know those hundreds of bands that all sound the same, throw in the same binary code breakdown in every song and alternate between growling and then singing the chorus in an overly produced, auto tuned clean American accent even if the band is from Somerset? I have a theory if we force a stake through the heart of the guy who started all that then all of these clones will die off too.

 

13.) What are your plans for Halloween this year?

 

I’m not sure yet. Last year was my first Halloween after leaving Little Miss Stakes and I spent it in a lovely restaurant drinking, smoking, bubbling cocktails without the worry of getting UV paint out of my eyes the next morning. But since this is the first Halloween since S.L.U.T.S came together (Oo-er). I’m sure we’ll get up to some mischief.

Get more info at: https://www.facebook.com/slutsband