Larry Cohen, who I just learned died only a few months ago, alas, was quite the interesting filmmaker. Working in the low budget film world, he wrote for 86 movies and television shows/movies, and directed 21 movies/television movies, most notably in the horror/sci fi genres. I didn't like everything he did, but I give him props for his individualistic creativity. Anyway, "God Told Me To," his 1976 offering, is my favorite of his movies, and one that I don't think gets enough attention. Following my usual pattern, I'll give a spoiler-free synopsis, then a longer, spoiler-rich recap, then a discussion of some of the film's themes and positive aspects, and conclude with some cast and crew information.
A terrifying crime wave is rocking New York City. Seemingly normal, law-abiding citizens are viciously slaughtering people, sometimes even their own families. When questioned by the police, they always give the same explanation for their crimes--"God told me to." Detective Peter Nicholas gradually follows the clues, learning more about the mysterious figure claiming to be "God," as well as learning secrets about himself. What does this apparent deity want? And can He be stopped?
(SPOILERS AHEAD UNTIL NOTED) After the credits are shown, accompanied by church music and singing, the movie opens on the busy streets of midtown Manhattan. Shots ring out, and many pedestrians are wounded or killed. The police discover that the sniper is perched upon a water tower atop a tall building. Detective Peter Nicholas bravely climbs the ladder and confronts the shootist. This man, Harold Gorman, calmly says that "God told me to," and then jumps to his death.
Peter is frustrated by this bizarre crime, and has nightmares. The audience meets his girlfriend, a substitute teacher named Casey. Peter is still married to Martha, who he claims won't grant him a divorce. However, during Peter's visit to Martha's residence, we learn that Peter's lying--he doesn't want the divorce, he just doesn't want the current situation to change. He's also revealed to be very religious, as he goes to Mass every day.
Peter visits a man in the hospital, who also killed strangers for no apparent reason. His stated reason is the same as Harold Gorman's. Meanwhile, an anonymous caller warns the police that there will be another shooting at the upcoming St. Patrick's Day Parade, and that the murderer will be a police officer. Peter's attempts to have the parade cancelled are futile, and sure enough, a cop does kill more people, and once again says that "God" told him to do it.
Gorman's mother, and other witnesses, mention an odd figure seemingly influencing the killers--a hippie type man with long blonde hair and a weird, indistinct face. Gorman's mom even recalls the mystery man's name--Bernard Phillips. A check of the records reveals little--Phillips has evidently never worked, was never drafted, never went to school, etc. Peter locates the address of Phillip's mother and attempts to question her. She tried to kill him with a knife, before she dies falling down the stairs. The autopsy reveals that Phillip's mother died a virgin, and gave birth via a Caesarian operation. The obstetrician who delivered Bernard reports that the boy was born of indeterminate, mixed gender.
Another New Yorker has brutally murdered his wife and children. He says the same reason for it, and that "God" guided his hands during the attack. And that sacrifice for God was reasonable, like the Abraham and Isaac story in the Bible. A witness to Mrs. Phillip's conception night tells Peter that he found her naked, on a New Jersey road. She claimed that she was lifted up to a mysterious aircraft while walking on Nantucket, and was impregnated via an odd light.
By this time, Peter's superiors encourage him to go on vacation. He refuses, and gets a reporter friend to publish an article about the religious connection to the murders. This in turn sparks angry rallies, and a panic. The police question Casey about Peter's state of mind. It's recounted that he was adopted from a Catholic orphanage, and never knew his birth parents. At the same time, a group of powerful men meet and talk about God/Bernard Phillips. Some disapprove of the violence he's causing, but other defend it as being a necessary punishment, and a way to convert non-believers. They also decide to try to convert Peter to their movement, as he's seen as a danger. One of the men, Richards, tries to do this, but he dies of a mysterious heart attack after Peter discusses Bernard's weird conception. Another member of the group, Logan (the man who warned the police by phone), tries to assassinate Peter in the subway, but fails. Peter then forces him to take him to Bernard.
Bernard is deep underground, in a furnace room. He's surrounded by a yellowish glow, and looks as his followers have described. After a tense talk Peter realizes that Bernard can't kill him, that Peter's different for unknown reasons. Peter leaves, while Logan kills himself. Peter then tracks down his birth mother after meeting with a nun from the Catholic orphanage where he was adopted. He goes to meet Elizabeth Mullin at her nursing home. She tells Peter a similar story as Mrs. Phillips--she was a virgin, but was impregnated via a light in a weird ship, which lifted her up in the air. She gets upset when she realizes that Peter is her missing son, and he leaves in a rush.
Casey goes to visit Martha, who receives her politely. Peter hasn't come home for three nights. Martha tells Casey that she got pregnant three times, but lost each fetus in the fifth or sixth month. And that Peter pretended to be sympathetic, but seemed secretly relieved. Peter arrives unexpectedly, and says his goodbyes to both women. He goes to a pool hall to confront a pimp, Zero, who he thinks killed a corrupt colleague earlier. Zero tries to stab Peter, but some weird force causes him to miss, and then compels the pimp to murder his accomplices, and then himself.
Finally, Peter goes to Bernard's building. Bernard reveals that they are brothers of a sort. Peter took after his human half, so that's why he didn't find out what he was for so long. Bernard, on the other hand, was more like his alien half, and less like his human side. Peter's potential children with Martha would have been like Bernard, so Peter subconsciously willed them to die. Bernard talks about the nature of Moses and Jesus, and virgin births in religious histories. Who were they, really? He shows Peter a strange, vagina-like opening on the side of his stomach, and says he can bear Peter's child. Peter responds by attacking Bernard, and tries to strangle and then shoot him. The building starts to collapse around them, apparently from Bernard's doing. Bernard seems to push Peter away and down the stairs, via his mysterious power, as the building continues to crumble. The final scene sees Peter arrested for the murder of Bernard. When questioned by the press he says he did it because, "God told me to." A caption on the screen tells the viewer that he's been committed to a hospital for the criminally insane.
One of this movie's strengths, in my opinion, is how it successfully manages its frequent tonal shifts. In many cases, tonal shifts in films can be a negative, of course, and can even ruin a movie if the shift(s) isn't earned. "God Told Me To" starts off as a gritty murder mystery. Multiple people are staging mass murders for seemingly no reason. Then, we slowly learn of the link with the odd Bernard, and then the group of powerful people who follow him, which makes it seem like the movie is now about a weird religious murder cult. Then things get progressively stranger--we learn that Bernard is an alien, and so now the film is basically science fiction. Then a final twist occurs, as we, and Peter, find out that our hero is also an alien, with comparable powers to his "brother" Bernard. Maybe some viewers were unhappy with this journey, but I wasn't. By starting off in a realistic way, and gradually becoming more bizarre, it felt more reasonable. And the fact that the actors, and the script played it straight helped too, and helped suspend disbelief in what is undeniably a ridiculous premise and plot.
Related to this, I thought the killers were portrayed in an especially effective way. They're all formerly normal people, which adds to the scariness--apparently literally anyone can be manipulated into violent murder by Bernard Phillips. And the two killers that talk to Peter for a while (Harold Gorman, and the father who shot his wife and kids) are so calm and reasonable-sounding, even as they describe their awful, homicidal deeds. Especially the latter man, since he's killing people he knows and (presumably) loves. He details how he tricked his daughter into opening the locked bathroom door by saying that told her that the family was just playing a pretend game, and then, "I was laughing when I shot her." It's very creepy and disturbing.
Obviously religion, and particularly Judeo-Christianity, is the major them of "God Told Me To." Similar to author Arthur C. Clarke's famous "law" that sufficiently advanced technology can be interpreted by those unfamiliar with it as being magic, it seems that Bernard Phillips interpreted his alien powers as meaning that he was divine. (At least I think--he could have been cynically adapting this persona to gain power and influence, I guess, but it seems like he sincerely believes it to be true.) In the DVD's commentary track by Larry Cohen, he mentioned that one of his inspirations for the story was imaging if Superman had assumed he was a god, given his incredible powers. Since Bernard, and Nicholas, were products of virgin birth, just like Jesus, Bernard thinks that Christianity's Savior, and other prophets like Moses, might have been aliens, too. You can see the obvious influence of Erich von Daniken's theories, as well, especially from his best-selling book "Chariots of the Gods?", which was still popular in the mid 1970's. As an archaeologist I despise von Daniken, since his books misinterpreted, or outright lied about, many real ancient human accomplishments (especially if they weren't made by Caucasians). I find it depressing that people still believe in those types of absurd "Aliens did it!" theories, but as a basis for a work of fiction like a movie, twisted a bit, it's fun. Peter's spiritual journey is intriguing, too. We learn, and see, how important his Catholicism is to him, and has been his entire life. So the character of the murders, and the eventual realization that he and Bernard are aliens, and hold deity-like powers, clearly cause him to question everything he's held dear. He seems insane at the end, which surely was aided by losing the comfort and help that his religion had formerly provided. Sacrifice is another important part of the religious theme. Abraham's near-sacrifice of his son is mentioned. And the father killer mentions that even destroying one's family isn't an unreasonable request from a Supreme Being. Obviously the Judeo-Christian tradition (as well as most other religions, to be fair) has quite a lot of extreme violence associated with it, both "legitimate," or done in its name, and this movie just expands upon this, in a sly social critique. Even the usual Christian villains are played with in an amusing way. It's not Satan, or demons manipulating people into doing evil, it's extraterrestrials instead. (Unless all demons and the Devil are misidentified aliens, too, I guess!)
Furthermore, I found Peter's self-delusion interesting. It seems like on a subconscious level that he knows that he's different, and perhaps even how much. When Mrs. Phillips cuts him with the knife, he remarks that it's the first time he's ever been hurt, in his whole life. How could he not have noticed this, unless he was deliberately ignoring it on some level? And then there's his response to his wife's pregnancies--he can't hide his relief when the fetuses die, and Bernard tells him that Peter used his powers to actually kill them. On a certain level he did know what he was, and he felt conflicted. He didn't want to produce more alien-human hybrids. Perhaps in part because it would force him to acknowledge his alien nature. As Martha remarked during their discussion about his relationship to Casey, Peter clearly didn't like change, whether it was getting a divorce, or realizing that he wasn't 100% human.
The ending was a bit enigmatic, I thought. Bernard seems shocked, and incredibly disturbed, when Peter rejects his advances, and then hits him, causing the first moment of pain that Bernard's ever experienced, evidently. The question remains--did Bernard kill himself, out of grief, and the knowledge that he might feel more pain? Or was he trying to kill Peter via the building collapse, and accidentally got caught and engulfed himself? And why did Peter accept his mental hospital sentence? Was he truly insane, or was he sane, and wanted to stop himself from doing what Bernard, and his alien parents wanted, and he thought this was the best way?
Moving on to more practical aspects, the production values for "God Told Me To" were impressive for such a low budget genre movie. The special effects for the alien abduction scenes were admittedly weak, and in one case borrowed from an old British science fiction television show, but the rest were good. The many gun shot blood squibs were solid, and the "stomach vagina" on Bernard was suitably graphic and off-putting. Bernard's overall appearance was neat too, the way he was always bathed in a yellow light, and his face was often kept vague and hard to see. (Part of his odd look was due to unfortunate real issues, as the actor who played him, Richard Lynch, had suffered extensive burns, which happened during a drug-induced event.) Many of the most cool-looking scenes were outright "stolen," as Cohen admitted. He wanted shots of the Feast of San Gennero festival, so he had his camera operator just take them, without permits. (Later he allegedly paid off some, ahem, local Italian crime family members to smooth this over.) But it's the St. Patrick's Day Parade scenes that are truly spectacular. They look real because they are--getting thousands of extras to march down New York City streets would have been prohibitively expensive, after all. They did add some blended scenes re-shot in Los Angeles with the help of a local Irish group, but most of it is genuine. Somehow I don't think a low-budget genre movie would get the permission in modern times to shoot scenes involving a mass-murdering police officer in the midst of a real parade. (Now I guess this would be accomplished using mostly CGI, and probably would appear less convincing, and more artificial.)
(END OF SPOILERS--SAFE FOR EVERYONE) As I mentioned in the introduction, Larry Cohen had a long and active career, both as a director and writer. Highlights of it include writing and directing such films as "Black Caesar" (1973), "It's Alive" (1974), "The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover" (1977), "It Lives Again" (1978), "Q" (1982), "The Stuff" (1985), and writing movies like "Phone Booth" (2002), and "Messages Deleted" (2009). Protagonist Peter Nicholas was played by Tony Lo Bianco, probably best known for roles in "The Honeymoon Killers" (1970), "The French Connection" (1971), "Serpico" (1973), "F.I.S.T." (1978), "Nixon" (1995), and "Kill the Irishman" (2011). Actress Deborah Raffin (Casey Forster) appeared in such films as "The Dove" (1974), "The Sentinel" (1977, and see my August 9, 2012 post for more info on that movie), "Death Wish 3" (1985), and "Morning Glory" (1993, which she also co-wrote). Peter's wife Martha was played by Sandy Dennis, who won two Tony Awards and one Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Other roles for Dennis include "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" (1966, her Oscar role), "The Out of Towners" (1970), "976-EVIL" (1988), and "Parents" (1989). Peter's mother Elizabeth Mullin was played by Sylvia Sidney, who had a very long acting career. Highlights of her career include "Sabotage" (1936), "Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams" (1973, for which she received an Oscar nomination), "Damian: Omen II" (1978), "Beetlejuice" (1988), and "Mars Attacks!" (1996). As I mentioned previously, Richard Lynch portrayed Bernard Phillips. Other famous roles of his were in "Deathsport" (1978), "The Ninth Configuration" (1980), "H.P. Lovecraft's Necronomicon" (1993), "Halloween " (2007), and "The Lords of Salem" (2012). Sammy Williams (Harold Gorman) had a very successful career on the stage, as he won a Tony Award for his major role in the Broadway musical "A Chorus Line" (1976). Finally, the small role of the murderous policeman was played by Andy Kaufman, best known as a performance artist/unconventional comedian, and for his role in television's "Taxi" (1978-83).
In closing, then, if you're a fan of creative, different, genre-bending films, you might really enjoy "God Told Me To." And perhaps some of Cohen's other offerings which focus on such things as killer monster babies, resurrected Aztec gods, and addictive, mutating desserts (really!). I will say, though, I don't like the alternate title for this movie, which was "Demon." "God Told Me To" is perfect--it kind of introduces the major plot point, without giving too much away. While "Demon" is too run-of-the-mill, cliche horror, and simplistic, in my view.
Saturday, June 15, 2019
Saturday, June 8, 2019
Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--European Condiments
In all the years I've been doing these strange food and drink posts, I don't think I've ever done one about condiments. So today is a first, I believe. I found these at the awesome Wegman's supermarket once again. Their points of origin are convoluted, which is why the geographic description in the title is so vague. The three condiments I'll be covering are Heinz's salad cream, HP's fruity sauce, and Knorr's pommes (french fries, to Americans) sauce.
Heinz is actually an American company. Meanwhile, "salad cream" sauce was invented in England, in 1914. But, the Heinz salad cream I tried is a product of The Netherlands. (See what I meant when I wrote that these products' origins are confusing?) Anyway, Heinz was founded by Henry John Heinz back in 1869, as Heinz Noble & Company. The company went bankrupt in 1875. However, Heinz re-founded, kind of, another corporation called F & J Heinz in 1876, and this took off, and became the company that still exists today. In 2015 Heinz merged with Kraft to form a super conglomerate. This new firm is reportedly the 3rd biggest food/beverage company in the U.S., and the 5th largest in the world. (26.2 billion in annual sales as recently as 2017.) Henry John Heinz appears to have had an admirable obsession with the cleanliness of his wares. He, and his company, lobbied for the passing of the American Pure Food & Drug act in 1906. Along the same lines, he even offered employees who handled edibles free hot showers, and free manicures, to help keep the packers' hands and bodies sanitary. Salad cream sauce consists of oil in water, egg yolk, spirit vinegar, and then a combo of sugar, mustard, salt, and spices. It was introduced as a mayonnaise substitute due to the rationing in England at the time--presumably because of World War I, given the date. Why this sauce is then made in The Netherlands is beyond me, and my brief online research, though.
The HP story is similar to the Heinz salad cream one. This brown sauce was invented in London, England, by a Frederick Gibson Garton, and registered in 1895. Garton sold out to Edwin Samson Moore by 1903. Various company changeovers occurred over the next century, and since 2005 the brand is owned by Heinz, and manufactured in The Netherlands. HP stands for "Houses of Parliament," and has become a cultural icon of England. It was known colloquially as "Wilson's Sauce" in the 1970's, since the Prime Minister at that time, Harold Wilson, supposedly put in on nearly everything he ate. HP is also sold in Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, and the U.S. (But seemingly not much, if at all, in The Netherlands, which seems weird to me.) The fruity variant I tried has mango and orange added for the tang. Alternate flavors sold include a barbecue kind, and one made with Guinness.
Knorr is a German company, founded way back in 1838 by Carl Heinrich Theodor Knorr. The original company purpose was providing chicory to coffee manufacturers. Eventually the company expanded to marketing dried soups, and bouillon cubes, and then sauces. In 2000 the firm was bought out by the British/Dutch Unilever, another giant worldwide company. In addition to Europe, Knorr products are also sold in Indonesia, India, and Pakistan.
1) HP fruity sauce: Has a red color, and thus looks like cocktail sauce. Taste reminds me of Worcestershire sauce, but slightly sweeter. Since I'm not a fan of Worcestershire sauce, this isn't a positive. Not terrible, but far from great. The worst of the three, in my view. The sweetness was off-putting, somehow. The texture was thick, and slow to pour. I tried it on a Smart Ones scrambled egg, ham, potato, and cheese meal, on Brazilian toasts (see my May 11, 2019 post), and with pizza crusts.
2) Knorr pommes sauce: Had a yellowish-white hue, with tiny green bits visible. Once again, I tried in on a Smart ones egg and cheese meal, Brazilian toasts, on pizza crusts, and then on tomatoes. I found it to be mediocre. Rather like a typical mayonnaise, and kind of bland.
3) Heinz salad cream: Yellowish-white in color. Tried it with the same foods as the previous, minus the pizza crusts. I liked this one. It was mayo-like, but had some extra "uumph," or added tang flavor. The best of the bunch by far.
I should mention that my father tried these, too. He really enjoyed the Heinz salad cream as well, and also liked the HP sauce, while thinking the Knorr was just average. I'll definitely buy the Heinz salad cream again, and would be willing to sample the regular HP if I see it for sale. (And I should try these on fries (chips) too, especially the Knorr kind--I'll update this post when I get around to that.)
Heinz is known for it "57 varieties" listing on many of its products. I was somewhat surprised to learn that this isn't an accurate title or number. Henry John Heinz just thought it was a good number to put on labels, especially the number 7. He thought this was effective because the "psychological influence of that figure and of its enduring significance to people of all ages." Numerology beliefs aside, Heinz also has had a long running and successful promotional product, the "pickle pin." These pins, which look exactly like you would think, have been provided since 1893, when they were given away at the World's Colombian Exposition, better known as the World's Fair in Chicago. I've never seen one, but maybe I hang around folks who don't appreciate food-based fashion accessories.
Heinz is actually an American company. Meanwhile, "salad cream" sauce was invented in England, in 1914. But, the Heinz salad cream I tried is a product of The Netherlands. (See what I meant when I wrote that these products' origins are confusing?) Anyway, Heinz was founded by Henry John Heinz back in 1869, as Heinz Noble & Company. The company went bankrupt in 1875. However, Heinz re-founded, kind of, another corporation called F & J Heinz in 1876, and this took off, and became the company that still exists today. In 2015 Heinz merged with Kraft to form a super conglomerate. This new firm is reportedly the 3rd biggest food/beverage company in the U.S., and the 5th largest in the world. (26.2 billion in annual sales as recently as 2017.) Henry John Heinz appears to have had an admirable obsession with the cleanliness of his wares. He, and his company, lobbied for the passing of the American Pure Food & Drug act in 1906. Along the same lines, he even offered employees who handled edibles free hot showers, and free manicures, to help keep the packers' hands and bodies sanitary. Salad cream sauce consists of oil in water, egg yolk, spirit vinegar, and then a combo of sugar, mustard, salt, and spices. It was introduced as a mayonnaise substitute due to the rationing in England at the time--presumably because of World War I, given the date. Why this sauce is then made in The Netherlands is beyond me, and my brief online research, though.
The HP story is similar to the Heinz salad cream one. This brown sauce was invented in London, England, by a Frederick Gibson Garton, and registered in 1895. Garton sold out to Edwin Samson Moore by 1903. Various company changeovers occurred over the next century, and since 2005 the brand is owned by Heinz, and manufactured in The Netherlands. HP stands for "Houses of Parliament," and has become a cultural icon of England. It was known colloquially as "Wilson's Sauce" in the 1970's, since the Prime Minister at that time, Harold Wilson, supposedly put in on nearly everything he ate. HP is also sold in Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, and the U.S. (But seemingly not much, if at all, in The Netherlands, which seems weird to me.) The fruity variant I tried has mango and orange added for the tang. Alternate flavors sold include a barbecue kind, and one made with Guinness.
Knorr is a German company, founded way back in 1838 by Carl Heinrich Theodor Knorr. The original company purpose was providing chicory to coffee manufacturers. Eventually the company expanded to marketing dried soups, and bouillon cubes, and then sauces. In 2000 the firm was bought out by the British/Dutch Unilever, another giant worldwide company. In addition to Europe, Knorr products are also sold in Indonesia, India, and Pakistan.
1) HP fruity sauce: Has a red color, and thus looks like cocktail sauce. Taste reminds me of Worcestershire sauce, but slightly sweeter. Since I'm not a fan of Worcestershire sauce, this isn't a positive. Not terrible, but far from great. The worst of the three, in my view. The sweetness was off-putting, somehow. The texture was thick, and slow to pour. I tried it on a Smart Ones scrambled egg, ham, potato, and cheese meal, on Brazilian toasts (see my May 11, 2019 post), and with pizza crusts.
2) Knorr pommes sauce: Had a yellowish-white hue, with tiny green bits visible. Once again, I tried in on a Smart ones egg and cheese meal, Brazilian toasts, on pizza crusts, and then on tomatoes. I found it to be mediocre. Rather like a typical mayonnaise, and kind of bland.
3) Heinz salad cream: Yellowish-white in color. Tried it with the same foods as the previous, minus the pizza crusts. I liked this one. It was mayo-like, but had some extra "uumph," or added tang flavor. The best of the bunch by far.
I should mention that my father tried these, too. He really enjoyed the Heinz salad cream as well, and also liked the HP sauce, while thinking the Knorr was just average. I'll definitely buy the Heinz salad cream again, and would be willing to sample the regular HP if I see it for sale. (And I should try these on fries (chips) too, especially the Knorr kind--I'll update this post when I get around to that.)
Heinz is known for it "57 varieties" listing on many of its products. I was somewhat surprised to learn that this isn't an accurate title or number. Henry John Heinz just thought it was a good number to put on labels, especially the number 7. He thought this was effective because the "psychological influence of that figure and of its enduring significance to people of all ages." Numerology beliefs aside, Heinz also has had a long running and successful promotional product, the "pickle pin." These pins, which look exactly like you would think, have been provided since 1893, when they were given away at the World's Colombian Exposition, better known as the World's Fair in Chicago. I've never seen one, but maybe I hang around folks who don't appreciate food-based fashion accessories.
Saturday, June 1, 2019
Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Ecuadorian Snacks, Mostly Plantain Chips
This is a bit of a revisit, since I've discussed plantains before, in my post on August 24, 2014. (I went into plantains/bananas in my post on June 2, 2018, as well.) But, the companies and brands I'll talk about in today's post are new to me. I tried five varieties in all: original and garlic flavored plantain chips from the Chifles brand (Plantain Products Company), and the Pacific sea salt plantain chips, the jungle chili plantain chips, and the rainforest veggie chips from the Samai brand (The Exotic Blends Company).
The Plantain Products Company is an Ecuadorian/American company. Segundo Argudo, a geophysicist student, met Peggy, who worked in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in Washington, D.C. They quickly fell in love and married, and went to live in Segundo's native Ecuador. During Segundo's travels as a geophysicist he had the opportunity to try chifles, or fried plantain chips (or "crisps" to those in the U.K.). Peggy, meanwhile, noticed the popularity of chifles sold by street vendors while staying in Cuba. When they returned to live in the U.S., they decided to try to sell them, in such an unrealized, but potentially lucrative market. By 1965, they'd started their company, in Florida, and it thrived. Segundo, alas, died in 2000, but Peggy stayed on as the CEO/President until 2017. At this point she sold out to the Rivas brothers, who'd been with the company since 1973 as distributors. Aside from the ones I tried, other plantain chip flavors offered include tostone original, plantain shells, plantain strips, no salt, lime, hot + spicy, and sweet. They also market a type of cassava chip (see my April 10, 2014 post for more information on that food). The official company website also keenly notes that their products are free of nuts and gluten, and are good sources of potassium and Vitamin C. They're also low-sodium, vegan-appropriate, and are certified kosher by the Orthodox Union (OU). And, although the Plantain Products Company is based in Florida, the chips are made in Ecuador.
The Exotic Blends Company, however, is much more recent in origin. Their website revealed that they were started in 2000, by unidentified persons. Their stated goal was to give the world as taste of Ecuador's fruits and vegetables. (Also, presumably to make money--we all live in the real world, after all!) Samai means "breath of the rainforest" in the native Ecuadorian Quechua language. The company's products are sold in over 30 countries worldwide, and it has annual sales of 14,000,000 bags of chips. The website also mentions their charitable contributions, and commitment to sustainable agriculture. The Exotic Blends Company donates to programs dedicated to providing health and education to rural Ecuadorian children. They also fund Ecuador's version of Mother Theresa--Mother Claudia, a German-born nun who runs various orphanages and day care centers. The company's farmers are reportedly well compensated. Plantation scraps are re-used as natural fertilizer, and they don't pollute the local water sources. Nutritionally, the Samai products are lacking gluten, lactose, MSG, cholesterol, GMOs, and qualify as kosher. Alternate flavors of plantain chips include naturally sweet, garlic, sweet chipotle, and lime, and they also make chips from bananas and jungle roots. Finally, their products are billed as being onion-free, too. Is that a new trend that I haven't noticed? Are some folks anti-onions? (Apparently so.)
1) The Exotic Blends Company, Samai rainforest veggie crisps with sea salt: Made from plantain, sweet potato, cassava, and tannia. (Tannia is a tuber, and the plant is also known as arrowleaf elephant's ear.) Chips were white, yellow, or reddish, depending on what vegetable they were. These were alright, but not great. Even the sweet potato kind, which is a type of chip I usually enjoy quite a bit. I wish they'd been significantly spicier, as they were rather bland overall.
2) The Exotic Blends Company, Samai plantain chips with Pacific sea salt: These were discs about 4 cm. in diameter (about 1.5 inches), with a yellowish-brown color. Couldn't detect much of a salt flavor. Were only moderately crunchy. Pretty dull.
3) The Exotic Blends Company, Samai plantain chips, jungle chili flavor: Same size and texture as Pacific sea salt kind, and about the same color. Much better than first two Samai kinds. Had a decent spice bite. Not overpowering, but enough to make it fairy interesting. Pretty good.
4) Plantain Products Company, Chifles plantain chips, original flavor: These were small yellow discs, about 3 cm. in diameter (about 1.25 inches). Crunchy. Rather like the Samai sea salt ones, though, there wasn't much taste, and they were bland.
5) Plaintain Products Company, Chifles plantain chips, garlic flavor: Same size, hue, and texture as Chifles original flavor chips. But taste was significantly better. I like garlic in general, so that's not a big surprise. The best of all five kinds of Ecuadorian chips.
So, the results were hit and miss for me. I would buy the Samai jungle chili and the Chifles garlic kinds again. And I might try some of the alternate flavors of both companies if/when I get the chance.
Moving on to linguistic trivia, another usage of the Quechua language is the famous movie "Star Wars: A New Hope" (1977). The bounty hunter Greedo is speaking Quechua when he confronts Han Solo in the cantina. Apparently it's not translated into credible Quechua, but is instead more or less random Quechua words strung together, though. Obviously in the story Greedo is either speaking Huttese or his native Rodian (sources differ). And, when it comes to that scene you can put me firmly in the "Han shot first" camp, no matter what George Lucas thinks.
The Plantain Products Company is an Ecuadorian/American company. Segundo Argudo, a geophysicist student, met Peggy, who worked in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in Washington, D.C. They quickly fell in love and married, and went to live in Segundo's native Ecuador. During Segundo's travels as a geophysicist he had the opportunity to try chifles, or fried plantain chips (or "crisps" to those in the U.K.). Peggy, meanwhile, noticed the popularity of chifles sold by street vendors while staying in Cuba. When they returned to live in the U.S., they decided to try to sell them, in such an unrealized, but potentially lucrative market. By 1965, they'd started their company, in Florida, and it thrived. Segundo, alas, died in 2000, but Peggy stayed on as the CEO/President until 2017. At this point she sold out to the Rivas brothers, who'd been with the company since 1973 as distributors. Aside from the ones I tried, other plantain chip flavors offered include tostone original, plantain shells, plantain strips, no salt, lime, hot + spicy, and sweet. They also market a type of cassava chip (see my April 10, 2014 post for more information on that food). The official company website also keenly notes that their products are free of nuts and gluten, and are good sources of potassium and Vitamin C. They're also low-sodium, vegan-appropriate, and are certified kosher by the Orthodox Union (OU). And, although the Plantain Products Company is based in Florida, the chips are made in Ecuador.
The Exotic Blends Company, however, is much more recent in origin. Their website revealed that they were started in 2000, by unidentified persons. Their stated goal was to give the world as taste of Ecuador's fruits and vegetables. (Also, presumably to make money--we all live in the real world, after all!) Samai means "breath of the rainforest" in the native Ecuadorian Quechua language. The company's products are sold in over 30 countries worldwide, and it has annual sales of 14,000,000 bags of chips. The website also mentions their charitable contributions, and commitment to sustainable agriculture. The Exotic Blends Company donates to programs dedicated to providing health and education to rural Ecuadorian children. They also fund Ecuador's version of Mother Theresa--Mother Claudia, a German-born nun who runs various orphanages and day care centers. The company's farmers are reportedly well compensated. Plantation scraps are re-used as natural fertilizer, and they don't pollute the local water sources. Nutritionally, the Samai products are lacking gluten, lactose, MSG, cholesterol, GMOs, and qualify as kosher. Alternate flavors of plantain chips include naturally sweet, garlic, sweet chipotle, and lime, and they also make chips from bananas and jungle roots. Finally, their products are billed as being onion-free, too. Is that a new trend that I haven't noticed? Are some folks anti-onions? (Apparently so.)
1) The Exotic Blends Company, Samai rainforest veggie crisps with sea salt: Made from plantain, sweet potato, cassava, and tannia. (Tannia is a tuber, and the plant is also known as arrowleaf elephant's ear.) Chips were white, yellow, or reddish, depending on what vegetable they were. These were alright, but not great. Even the sweet potato kind, which is a type of chip I usually enjoy quite a bit. I wish they'd been significantly spicier, as they were rather bland overall.
2) The Exotic Blends Company, Samai plantain chips with Pacific sea salt: These were discs about 4 cm. in diameter (about 1.5 inches), with a yellowish-brown color. Couldn't detect much of a salt flavor. Were only moderately crunchy. Pretty dull.
3) The Exotic Blends Company, Samai plantain chips, jungle chili flavor: Same size and texture as Pacific sea salt kind, and about the same color. Much better than first two Samai kinds. Had a decent spice bite. Not overpowering, but enough to make it fairy interesting. Pretty good.
4) Plantain Products Company, Chifles plantain chips, original flavor: These were small yellow discs, about 3 cm. in diameter (about 1.25 inches). Crunchy. Rather like the Samai sea salt ones, though, there wasn't much taste, and they were bland.
5) Plaintain Products Company, Chifles plantain chips, garlic flavor: Same size, hue, and texture as Chifles original flavor chips. But taste was significantly better. I like garlic in general, so that's not a big surprise. The best of all five kinds of Ecuadorian chips.
So, the results were hit and miss for me. I would buy the Samai jungle chili and the Chifles garlic kinds again. And I might try some of the alternate flavors of both companies if/when I get the chance.
Moving on to linguistic trivia, another usage of the Quechua language is the famous movie "Star Wars: A New Hope" (1977). The bounty hunter Greedo is speaking Quechua when he confronts Han Solo in the cantina. Apparently it's not translated into credible Quechua, but is instead more or less random Quechua words strung together, though. Obviously in the story Greedo is either speaking Huttese or his native Rodian (sources differ). And, when it comes to that scene you can put me firmly in the "Han shot first" camp, no matter what George Lucas thinks.
Saturday, May 25, 2019
Underrated Horror Gems--"City of the Living Dead" (aka "The Gates of Hell")
Today I'll be discussing a 1980 movie that was helmed by the (in)famous Italian director Lucio Fulci. I think even casual horror fans are probably familiar with Fulci's 1979 hit "Zombi 2" (aka "Zombie," and others), and possibly 1980's "The Beyond" (aka "7 Doors of Death"), but I feel "City of the Living Dead" is a bit overshadowed, and underappreciated. Including by myself, for a time--I didn't really like it during my first, and even second viewing. But after subsequent viewings I've become quite the fan. As has become my usual procedure, I'll start with a short, spoiler-free synopsis, followed by a much longer, detailed, spoiler-rich recap, and then go into some of the movie's themes, and virtues, and close with a little info about the cast and crew.
Something strange and devastating is happening in the New England town of Dunwich. A priest is dead, and all sorts of terrible and inexplicable events are seemingly resulting from this. A woman at a seance in New York City sees this somehow, and other awful portents. People in Dunwich are disappearing, or are found dead, brought down by fear-induced heart attacks. And the deceased are seen again, as living corpses wreaking even more havoc upon the town. A small band of heroes try to fight this evil, before a looming deadline is reached. Will they succeed, or will a terrible apocalypse be loosed upon the entire world?
(SPOILERS AHEAD UNTIL MARKED) The movie opens in a graveyard, marked "Dunwich." A haggard priest is walking around. Simultaneously, a seance is going on in New York City. One of the participants, Mary Woodhouse, sees the priest hang himself, followed by howling winds, and the dead rising. Mary collapses, and dies. The police investigating this tragedy are openly suspicious, but are confused as weird bursts of flame appear at the medium's apartment. Back in Dunwich, an odd looking man, Bob, enters an abandoned house. There he witnesses his sex doll inflating itself, and then a worm-saturated child's corpse. In New York, a reporter, Peter Wells, tries unsuccessfully to investigate Mary's mysterious death. The customers in Junies, a Dunwich tavern, see a mirror break on its own, and then a large crack forms in a wall. Then we meet psychiatrist Gerry, who's treating a patient named Sandra. We also meet Gerry's girlfriend, Emily, who's attempting to locate Bob, who she regards with sympathy. Bob is the town outcast, because of an earlier attempted attack on a local child, Anne Ross. Dunwich is revealed to be built on the ruins of Salem, renowned for its witch trials and executions.
Back at a cemetery overlooking Manhattan, Peter is nosing around Mary's grave, which lazy diggers have left only partially covered. He's shocked to hear screams coming from the coffin. Peter opens the coffin with a pick, discovering that Mary is actually alive. Together, they meet up with the medium, Theresa, and pooling their information, realize that the dead will rise and take over the earth, unless someone closes the Gate of Hell opened by Father Thomas's suicide. They have until the start of All Saints Day, which begins at midnight in a few days.
In Dunwich, Emily locates Bob in the abandoned house, but he flees. The dead Father Thomas appears and subdues Emily with a handful of worms. A young couple, Tommy and Rose, are making out in a parked vehicle in an isolated part of town. Father Thomas appears to them, and his hypnotic gaze causes Rose to literally vomit up her own guts, and then transform into a zombie. She then kills Tommy by tearing out his brains with her bare hand. Meanwhile, Mary and Peter start driving to try to find the town of Dunwich, which isn't on the maps.
Emily's body is found, dead from a heart attack prompted by terror. Bob is the only murder suspect. Another woman, Jane Holden, has died from the same cause across town. Father Thomas appears before Bob, causing him to flee once more. The funeral director, bent on robbing jewelry from the bodies of Emily and Jane, is somehow bitten by Jane's corpse. Emily's corpse, all bloodied, is seen by her little brother, John-John, outside the family home. Jane's body is discovered inside Sandra's kitchen. She calls Gerry, and he confirms that she's not hallucinating. However, the body disappears, and a strange gust of wind breaks a window, and the shards of glass cause the walls to bleed.
Bob panics, and breaks into the garage of the Ross family to spend the night in their car. The next morning, Anne Ross, his former would-be victim, seems happy to see him. However, her father bursts in, sees Bob, and kills him using a drill press. After speaking with a priest in a neighboring town, Peter and Mary finally find Dunwich, and locate the cemetery. There they meet up with Sandra and Gerry, and they go to Gerry's office to share their stories. This is interrupted by a window coming open, letting in a storm of maggots, which envelopes the room and its inhabitants. John-John calls Gerry, telling him that zombie Emily has killed his parents in the night. Sandra takes John-John to Gerry's studio, while Gerry, Peter and Mary check out the funeral home. Sandra is attacked by Emily, who dispatches her with another brain-pulling. Tommy's corpse appears too, and he and Emily menace John-John before Gerry comes back and drags the boy away. Across town, Bob, Emily, and Tommy appear in Junie's bar, and proceed to attack the regular customers.
As midnight is reached, All Saints Day, Peter, Mary, and Gerry open the Thomas family tomb, and descend into it via a ladder. It leads to a vast, underground chamber, which links various graves and mausoleums. Sandra's corpse appears and kills Peter. She then stares at Mary, and Mary's eyes begin to bleed. Before Mary starts vomiting up her insides, Gerry destroys Sandra with a metal pole. More zombies rise up and surround Mary and Gerry, including Father Thomas. The priest once again attempts his "death-stare," but Gerry impales him with a large wooden cross. The priest's body erupts in flame, as do all the the other zombies, and they quickly turn to ash, and then disappear. Gerry and Mary climb out of the tomb, and see John-John approaching them. Just as he gets near the movie screen grows cracks, and then turns completely black, as screams are heard.
Readers of my recap might well be saying, "What was that? That plot makes no sense!" So let's get this out of the way. As any knowledgeable viewer of Italian horror movies will surely admit, their stories often don't make much sense. Some, maybe most, probably, have significant plot holes, and don't appear realistic or accurate at all. "City of the Living Dead" certainly has these moments, too. For example, Dunwich couldn't be built on the ruins of the notorious witch-hunting town of Salem, since Salem was never abandoned and ruined! It exists where it's always been (well, okay, it's surely grown in size, but you get the idea), and is a big tourist attraction. Secondly, the burial of Mary isn't realistic at all. As one blogger pointed out, some cultures, such as some Jewish sects, prefer not to embalm their dead, so maybe that's possible. But a suspicious, unexplained death like Mary's would obviously result in an autopsy, meaning if Mary was only "seemingly" dead, the doctor cutting into her would have gotten quite a surprise! Also, Theresa the medium warns Peter and Mary that the open portal to Hell must be closed by midnight, at the start of All Saints Day. But Mary observes that the deadline has been reached before they even enter the Thomas family tomb. So isn't it too late? And why weren't they hurrying into the tomb as soon as they found the cemetery, in that case? There are other, more nitpicky issues, too. Such as why Father Thomas appears at the end. Why risk being destroyed, when he had many undead minions to attack Mary and Gerry? His underlings can even do the eye-bleeding/gut puking stare, after all. But maybe he was arrogant, I suppose. Or, it didn't matter, since the deadline had already been reached, and evil had won? (More on the ending later.)
So why am I writing about this movie, then, if the story is so muddled, and nonsensical? Because other aspects of the film make up for these deficiencies in the story, and make the experience still worthwhile. One of these is the overall atmosphere of the movie. It's very reminiscent of a nightmare, as are some of director Fulci's other movies, like "The House by the Cemetery" (1981), and "The Beyond" (1981). The fact that things aren't realistic can help in this case. It's surreal, and strange, and therefore, more frightening. Another detail is the use of sound, and visual effects. When evil starts to really take control of Dunwich, it's accompanied by ferocious windstorms. Gales are whipping through the streets, pushing characters around, and obscuring their attempts at speaking. Animal noises abound too--weird screams, some of which appear to be those of tropical birds, from jungle movies. And then there's the animal's themselves, especially the worms. Fulci seems obsessed with worms, similar to his Italian directing comrade, Dario Argento. Worms are seen infesting a child's corpse. Then Father Thomas dispatches Emily with a faceful of worms (technically fear actually causes her heart to stop, but surely the worms were a factor). And then there's the bizarre, disgusting, shower of maggots that cover our heroes. Many of these were actually grains of rice, but clearly some were real. Much to the actors' revulsion, as live maggots were stuck to their faces.
The special effects really packed a wallop in "City of the Living Dead" as well. Bob's demise by drill is one of these cases. Most movies would have cut away, but not this one. We see the drill in close up, steadily getting closer. Then we see it go both into Bob's head, and then out the other side, complete with the tool's mechanical whirring, gurgling as it bites through flesh and bone, and the accompanying screams. The zombies' "stare" tactic is incredible, too. The victims' eyes fill with blood, and they "cry" red tears. Then (if not interrupted) it gets even worse. Seeing Rose choke up her own digestive tract is nauseating, shocking, and unforgettable. (It was accomplished by having the actress take a large mouthful of sheep intestines, and then jump cutting to a false head for part of the scene.) Some of the effects weren't as strong--for example, the burning corpses at the end were clearly dummies, but overall the effects are disturbingly gross and believable, and so they really add to the impact of the horrors on the screen.
This film's living dead were innovative in many ways. Mostly because of their ability to teleport, apparently at will. Most zombies are relatively easy to avoid, since they're commonly portrayed as being slow moving, but not so in "City of the Living Dead." Even if you successfully lock yourself up in a building, they can simply appear and get you anyway. Aside from the previously mentioned deadly "stare," their strength is also quite formidable. Casually ripping through a human skull to tear out their brains is something even an Olympic weightlifter would find challenging. True, they can be dispatched via impalement, or if their leader is destroyed (ala the "Night King" in the HBO series "Game of Thrones"), but they're still much more dangerous than the average living dead corpse.
The ending of "City of the Living Dead" is often remarked upon, and puzzled over. Stories abound about it. Some claim Fulci intended a different ending, such as John-John becoming a zombie as he encounters Mary and Gerry in the cemetery. Then, the rumor goes, a careless editor spilled coffee on the film stock, necessitating the re-shot, eventual conclusion. Others claim that this tale is apocryphal. As it stands, the ending is mysterious. I think an interpretation is that evil won, possibly because the All Saints Day deadline had been reached. So the world itself was cracked asunder, as everybody and everything has been destroyed. The ending could be going even further--maybe it's intended as a (kind of literal) fourth wall breaking, scaring viewers into thinking that evil has doomed the world in both the movie, and in reality. Whatever the true explanation, the conclusion can't be positive, it's safe to say!
A lot of questions remain about the character of Father Thomas. Was he truly evil--did he kill himself knowing that it would cause the chain of events leading to the (apparent) end of the world? Or was he just a normal, depressed guy, whose body was later possessed by evil spirits? And whatever was in charge of his corpse, why did he(they) behave as he did? (And I realize the actual answer is surely to advance the plot, for dramatic reasons, but I mean within the movie's reality.) He appears to enjoy messing with people. It seems like he could have killed Bob whenever he felt like it, but Father Thomas apparently wanted to set Bob up as a patsy, and also liked psychologically and physically torturing him. Also, if the zombies can evidently teleport anywhere, at any time, why didn't Father Thomas send them into the bedrooms of the heroes while they slept, and kill them? He murders John John's parents, but doesn't kill the kid, which should have been just as simple to accomplish. I think the evil forces, and/or Father Thomas, were enjoying the journey to their goal, and weren't just focused on the goal itself.
(END OF SPOILERS--SAFE FOR EVERYONE) The late Lucio Fulci had a long and productive career. He's probably best remembered for his horror output, but he dabbled in many genres, such as comedies, dramas, adventure, science fiction, etc. Aside from "The Beyond" (1981), "Zombi 2" (1979), and "The House by the Cemetery" (1981), he's also known for "A Lizard in a Women's Skin" (1971), "Don't Torture a Duckling" (1972), "The New York Ripper" (1982), "Demonia" (1990) and "A Cat in the Brain" (1990). (He obviously liked using certain actors and writers in multiple projects, as you'll soon see.) Screenwriter Dardano Sacchetti, sometimes in collaboration with his wife, Elisa Briganti, wrote such hits as "The Cat o' Nine Tails" (1971), "Demons" (1985), and "Demons 2" (1986), to go along with the Fulci films "Zombi 2" (1979), "The Beyond" (1981), "The House by the Cemetery" (1981), and "The New York Ripper" (1982). Mary Woodhouse portrayer Catriona MacColl appeared is such movies as Fulci's "The Beyond" (1981) "The House by the Cemetery" (1981) and "A Good Year" (2006). Christopher George (Peter Bell) starred in TV's "The Rat Patrol" (1966-68), "Chisum" (1970), "Grizzly" (1976), "Day of the Animals" (1977), and "Mortuary" (1983), among others. Besides the role of Gerry, Carlo De Mejo's career included "The Other Hell" (1981), "The House by the Cemetery" (1981) and "Manhattan Baby" (1982). Giovanni Lombardo Radice (aka John Morghen), who played Bob, is well known to horror fans, as he appeared in such films as "Cannibal Apocalypse" (1980), "The House at the Edge of the Park" (1980), "Cannibal Ferox" (1981), "Stage Fright" (1987), "The Church" (1989), and the Martin Scorsese hit "Gangs of New York" (2002). Tommy Fisher was played by Michele Soavi, who was both an actor/assistant director as well as a director. Highlights of the former include "Tenebrae" (1982), "Phenomena" (1985), "Demons" (1985), and "Opera" (1987), while highlights of the latter include "Stage Fright" (1987), "The Church" (1989), "Cemetery Man" (1994), and "The Goodbye Kiss" (2006). Daniela Doria (Rose Kelvin) appeared in such movies as "The Black Cat" (1981), "The House by the Cemetery" (1981) and "The New York Ripper" (1982). Finally, Perry Pirkanen (blonde gravedigger) had a short acting career, but he was in two other movies that were (in)famous--"Cannibal Holocaust" (1980), and "Cannibal Ferox" (1981).
Therefore, if you want to see an odd, different take on the living dead, complete with a creepy and nightmarish atmosphere, repulsive gore effects, and don't mind a bit of plot incoherence, you might enjoy "City of the Living Dead." Just don't get confused with director Umberto Lenzi's 1980/1983 opus "City of the Walking Dead" (aka "Nightmare City") though--that one is worth watching as well, but only in a "so bad it's good" way.
As midnight is reached, All Saints Day, Peter, Mary, and Gerry open the Thomas family tomb, and descend into it via a ladder. It leads to a vast, underground chamber, which links various graves and mausoleums. Sandra's corpse appears and kills Peter. She then stares at Mary, and Mary's eyes begin to bleed. Before Mary starts vomiting up her insides, Gerry destroys Sandra with a metal pole. More zombies rise up and surround Mary and Gerry, including Father Thomas. The priest once again attempts his "death-stare," but Gerry impales him with a large wooden cross. The priest's body erupts in flame, as do all the the other zombies, and they quickly turn to ash, and then disappear. Gerry and Mary climb out of the tomb, and see John-John approaching them. Just as he gets near the movie screen grows cracks, and then turns completely black, as screams are heard.
Readers of my recap might well be saying, "What was that? That plot makes no sense!" So let's get this out of the way. As any knowledgeable viewer of Italian horror movies will surely admit, their stories often don't make much sense. Some, maybe most, probably, have significant plot holes, and don't appear realistic or accurate at all. "City of the Living Dead" certainly has these moments, too. For example, Dunwich couldn't be built on the ruins of the notorious witch-hunting town of Salem, since Salem was never abandoned and ruined! It exists where it's always been (well, okay, it's surely grown in size, but you get the idea), and is a big tourist attraction. Secondly, the burial of Mary isn't realistic at all. As one blogger pointed out, some cultures, such as some Jewish sects, prefer not to embalm their dead, so maybe that's possible. But a suspicious, unexplained death like Mary's would obviously result in an autopsy, meaning if Mary was only "seemingly" dead, the doctor cutting into her would have gotten quite a surprise! Also, Theresa the medium warns Peter and Mary that the open portal to Hell must be closed by midnight, at the start of All Saints Day. But Mary observes that the deadline has been reached before they even enter the Thomas family tomb. So isn't it too late? And why weren't they hurrying into the tomb as soon as they found the cemetery, in that case? There are other, more nitpicky issues, too. Such as why Father Thomas appears at the end. Why risk being destroyed, when he had many undead minions to attack Mary and Gerry? His underlings can even do the eye-bleeding/gut puking stare, after all. But maybe he was arrogant, I suppose. Or, it didn't matter, since the deadline had already been reached, and evil had won? (More on the ending later.)
So why am I writing about this movie, then, if the story is so muddled, and nonsensical? Because other aspects of the film make up for these deficiencies in the story, and make the experience still worthwhile. One of these is the overall atmosphere of the movie. It's very reminiscent of a nightmare, as are some of director Fulci's other movies, like "The House by the Cemetery" (1981), and "The Beyond" (1981). The fact that things aren't realistic can help in this case. It's surreal, and strange, and therefore, more frightening. Another detail is the use of sound, and visual effects. When evil starts to really take control of Dunwich, it's accompanied by ferocious windstorms. Gales are whipping through the streets, pushing characters around, and obscuring their attempts at speaking. Animal noises abound too--weird screams, some of which appear to be those of tropical birds, from jungle movies. And then there's the animal's themselves, especially the worms. Fulci seems obsessed with worms, similar to his Italian directing comrade, Dario Argento. Worms are seen infesting a child's corpse. Then Father Thomas dispatches Emily with a faceful of worms (technically fear actually causes her heart to stop, but surely the worms were a factor). And then there's the bizarre, disgusting, shower of maggots that cover our heroes. Many of these were actually grains of rice, but clearly some were real. Much to the actors' revulsion, as live maggots were stuck to their faces.
The special effects really packed a wallop in "City of the Living Dead" as well. Bob's demise by drill is one of these cases. Most movies would have cut away, but not this one. We see the drill in close up, steadily getting closer. Then we see it go both into Bob's head, and then out the other side, complete with the tool's mechanical whirring, gurgling as it bites through flesh and bone, and the accompanying screams. The zombies' "stare" tactic is incredible, too. The victims' eyes fill with blood, and they "cry" red tears. Then (if not interrupted) it gets even worse. Seeing Rose choke up her own digestive tract is nauseating, shocking, and unforgettable. (It was accomplished by having the actress take a large mouthful of sheep intestines, and then jump cutting to a false head for part of the scene.) Some of the effects weren't as strong--for example, the burning corpses at the end were clearly dummies, but overall the effects are disturbingly gross and believable, and so they really add to the impact of the horrors on the screen.
This film's living dead were innovative in many ways. Mostly because of their ability to teleport, apparently at will. Most zombies are relatively easy to avoid, since they're commonly portrayed as being slow moving, but not so in "City of the Living Dead." Even if you successfully lock yourself up in a building, they can simply appear and get you anyway. Aside from the previously mentioned deadly "stare," their strength is also quite formidable. Casually ripping through a human skull to tear out their brains is something even an Olympic weightlifter would find challenging. True, they can be dispatched via impalement, or if their leader is destroyed (ala the "Night King" in the HBO series "Game of Thrones"), but they're still much more dangerous than the average living dead corpse.
The ending of "City of the Living Dead" is often remarked upon, and puzzled over. Stories abound about it. Some claim Fulci intended a different ending, such as John-John becoming a zombie as he encounters Mary and Gerry in the cemetery. Then, the rumor goes, a careless editor spilled coffee on the film stock, necessitating the re-shot, eventual conclusion. Others claim that this tale is apocryphal. As it stands, the ending is mysterious. I think an interpretation is that evil won, possibly because the All Saints Day deadline had been reached. So the world itself was cracked asunder, as everybody and everything has been destroyed. The ending could be going even further--maybe it's intended as a (kind of literal) fourth wall breaking, scaring viewers into thinking that evil has doomed the world in both the movie, and in reality. Whatever the true explanation, the conclusion can't be positive, it's safe to say!
A lot of questions remain about the character of Father Thomas. Was he truly evil--did he kill himself knowing that it would cause the chain of events leading to the (apparent) end of the world? Or was he just a normal, depressed guy, whose body was later possessed by evil spirits? And whatever was in charge of his corpse, why did he(they) behave as he did? (And I realize the actual answer is surely to advance the plot, for dramatic reasons, but I mean within the movie's reality.) He appears to enjoy messing with people. It seems like he could have killed Bob whenever he felt like it, but Father Thomas apparently wanted to set Bob up as a patsy, and also liked psychologically and physically torturing him. Also, if the zombies can evidently teleport anywhere, at any time, why didn't Father Thomas send them into the bedrooms of the heroes while they slept, and kill them? He murders John John's parents, but doesn't kill the kid, which should have been just as simple to accomplish. I think the evil forces, and/or Father Thomas, were enjoying the journey to their goal, and weren't just focused on the goal itself.
(END OF SPOILERS--SAFE FOR EVERYONE) The late Lucio Fulci had a long and productive career. He's probably best remembered for his horror output, but he dabbled in many genres, such as comedies, dramas, adventure, science fiction, etc. Aside from "The Beyond" (1981), "Zombi 2" (1979), and "The House by the Cemetery" (1981), he's also known for "A Lizard in a Women's Skin" (1971), "Don't Torture a Duckling" (1972), "The New York Ripper" (1982), "Demonia" (1990) and "A Cat in the Brain" (1990). (He obviously liked using certain actors and writers in multiple projects, as you'll soon see.) Screenwriter Dardano Sacchetti, sometimes in collaboration with his wife, Elisa Briganti, wrote such hits as "The Cat o' Nine Tails" (1971), "Demons" (1985), and "Demons 2" (1986), to go along with the Fulci films "Zombi 2" (1979), "The Beyond" (1981), "The House by the Cemetery" (1981), and "The New York Ripper" (1982). Mary Woodhouse portrayer Catriona MacColl appeared is such movies as Fulci's "The Beyond" (1981) "The House by the Cemetery" (1981) and "A Good Year" (2006). Christopher George (Peter Bell) starred in TV's "The Rat Patrol" (1966-68), "Chisum" (1970), "Grizzly" (1976), "Day of the Animals" (1977), and "Mortuary" (1983), among others. Besides the role of Gerry, Carlo De Mejo's career included "The Other Hell" (1981), "The House by the Cemetery" (1981) and "Manhattan Baby" (1982). Giovanni Lombardo Radice (aka John Morghen), who played Bob, is well known to horror fans, as he appeared in such films as "Cannibal Apocalypse" (1980), "The House at the Edge of the Park" (1980), "Cannibal Ferox" (1981), "Stage Fright" (1987), "The Church" (1989), and the Martin Scorsese hit "Gangs of New York" (2002). Tommy Fisher was played by Michele Soavi, who was both an actor/assistant director as well as a director. Highlights of the former include "Tenebrae" (1982), "Phenomena" (1985), "Demons" (1985), and "Opera" (1987), while highlights of the latter include "Stage Fright" (1987), "The Church" (1989), "Cemetery Man" (1994), and "The Goodbye Kiss" (2006). Daniela Doria (Rose Kelvin) appeared in such movies as "The Black Cat" (1981), "The House by the Cemetery" (1981) and "The New York Ripper" (1982). Finally, Perry Pirkanen (blonde gravedigger) had a short acting career, but he was in two other movies that were (in)famous--"Cannibal Holocaust" (1980), and "Cannibal Ferox" (1981).
Therefore, if you want to see an odd, different take on the living dead, complete with a creepy and nightmarish atmosphere, repulsive gore effects, and don't mind a bit of plot incoherence, you might enjoy "City of the Living Dead." Just don't get confused with director Umberto Lenzi's 1980/1983 opus "City of the Walking Dead" (aka "Nightmare City") though--that one is worth watching as well, but only in a "so bad it's good" way.
Saturday, May 18, 2019
Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Hemp Energy Drinks
This topic might sound a bit weird, at first. Like an oxymoron. We've probably all observed, or at least heard the stereotypical anecdotes, about how some marijuana users are anything but energetic--"Sittin' around the house, gettin' high watchin' tube," to paraphrase the Beastie Boys lyric. Of course, there's more to it. The beverages I had were legal here in New Jersey, so that meant they didn't contain the psychoactive ingredient, THC. Instead, there were made with hemp seed oil, which doesn't get you high. Also, the drinks did indeed contain stimulants like caffeine and sugar, as well as taurine, which is thought to possibly be a stimulant as well.
Normally I would now review information about the product, and the manufacturer, mostly gleaned from the official company website. Alas, when I typed the address in (cannagetsome.com), my computer flashed a page warning me that the site wasn't secure, wasn't private, etc. I didn't know if my anti-virus software is too paranoid, or what. Anyway, I decided not to chance it. So, I instead went with other websites, which my computer went to without comment. This company, CannaLife USA, Ltd., was incorporated in 2013, and is based in Colorado. The CEO is Mark Spoone. Alternate flavors of the CannaHemp energy drink brand include original (reportedly, a citrus flavor), and pomegranate. The firm also markets hemp seed oil, and energy supplements. Supposedly, the advantage of drinks like CannaHemp is that the ingredients don't give consumers the common "spike and then crash" effect that many other energy drinks do.
Moving on, medically-themed websites noted several (alleged) benefits of consuming hemp seed oil. It's supposed to be good for pain relief, treating/preventing Parkinson's and Alzheimers, curbing anxiety and depression, providing healthy fats, lowering blood pressure, and preventing acne. Also enhancing memory, which again is comically ironic, given the common side effect of enjoying marijuana products that have THC. This oil also contains magnesium, iron, zinc, Vitamin E, and Omegas 3, 6, and 9. The CannaHemp I had also had 10% of the daily recommended percentage of Vitamin C, 50% riboflavin, 100% niacin, 300% Vitamin B6, 300% Vitamin B12, and 100% pantothenic acid, evidently from the drink's other ingredients. Additionally, readers with good memories may recall that this was the second and third time I had a hemp seed oil liquid--see my June 16, 2018 post about plant-based "milks" which featured a hemp one.
1) CannaHemp premium energy drink, blu-berry flavor: Came in a 12 ounce/355 mL can, and listed as containing pure cane sugar, and no artificial flavors, colors, artificial sweeteners, preservatives, or gluten. It's also suitable for vegans. Had a reddish-purple color, and the whole can was only 40 calories. Had a nice berry aroma. Didn't have a strong taste, but there was some berry-ish tartness. Slightly weird after-taste. Taste was alright, I guess. Sorry to be vague, but the flavor was hard to pin down, and not distinct.
2) CannaHemp premium energy drink, mango flavor: Same size can, same lack of preservatives, etc. Hue was orange. Once again, had a pleasant odor, but the taste was just okay. Neither great nor terrible. Also had a strange after-taste which was kind of acidic. One surprising difference from its sibling was this one had significantly more calories--160, or 4 times more than the blu-berry.
I should also address the obvious question--did I notice an energy boost from these? The answer is "not really," but with a caveat: Energy drinks, and common dietary stimulants like caffeine don't seem to affect me much in general. Perhaps due to a medicine I take for my allergies/asthma. But, for those who are sensitive to energy drinks, and taurine, caffeine, etc., these might work for you in that capacity. I should also point out that there is a warning on the cans that the amount of caffeine in them (120 mg. per can) means that pregnant or nursing women and children shouldn't have more than 2 of them in a day. So bear that in mind So, all in all, I wasn't dazzled by either of these, and don't plan on buying them again. But then again, I'm not the target demographic, either.
Normally I would now review information about the product, and the manufacturer, mostly gleaned from the official company website. Alas, when I typed the address in (cannagetsome.com), my computer flashed a page warning me that the site wasn't secure, wasn't private, etc. I didn't know if my anti-virus software is too paranoid, or what. Anyway, I decided not to chance it. So, I instead went with other websites, which my computer went to without comment. This company, CannaLife USA, Ltd., was incorporated in 2013, and is based in Colorado. The CEO is Mark Spoone. Alternate flavors of the CannaHemp energy drink brand include original (reportedly, a citrus flavor), and pomegranate. The firm also markets hemp seed oil, and energy supplements. Supposedly, the advantage of drinks like CannaHemp is that the ingredients don't give consumers the common "spike and then crash" effect that many other energy drinks do.
Moving on, medically-themed websites noted several (alleged) benefits of consuming hemp seed oil. It's supposed to be good for pain relief, treating/preventing Parkinson's and Alzheimers, curbing anxiety and depression, providing healthy fats, lowering blood pressure, and preventing acne. Also enhancing memory, which again is comically ironic, given the common side effect of enjoying marijuana products that have THC. This oil also contains magnesium, iron, zinc, Vitamin E, and Omegas 3, 6, and 9. The CannaHemp I had also had 10% of the daily recommended percentage of Vitamin C, 50% riboflavin, 100% niacin, 300% Vitamin B6, 300% Vitamin B12, and 100% pantothenic acid, evidently from the drink's other ingredients. Additionally, readers with good memories may recall that this was the second and third time I had a hemp seed oil liquid--see my June 16, 2018 post about plant-based "milks" which featured a hemp one.
1) CannaHemp premium energy drink, blu-berry flavor: Came in a 12 ounce/355 mL can, and listed as containing pure cane sugar, and no artificial flavors, colors, artificial sweeteners, preservatives, or gluten. It's also suitable for vegans. Had a reddish-purple color, and the whole can was only 40 calories. Had a nice berry aroma. Didn't have a strong taste, but there was some berry-ish tartness. Slightly weird after-taste. Taste was alright, I guess. Sorry to be vague, but the flavor was hard to pin down, and not distinct.
2) CannaHemp premium energy drink, mango flavor: Same size can, same lack of preservatives, etc. Hue was orange. Once again, had a pleasant odor, but the taste was just okay. Neither great nor terrible. Also had a strange after-taste which was kind of acidic. One surprising difference from its sibling was this one had significantly more calories--160, or 4 times more than the blu-berry.
I should also address the obvious question--did I notice an energy boost from these? The answer is "not really," but with a caveat: Energy drinks, and common dietary stimulants like caffeine don't seem to affect me much in general. Perhaps due to a medicine I take for my allergies/asthma. But, for those who are sensitive to energy drinks, and taurine, caffeine, etc., these might work for you in that capacity. I should also point out that there is a warning on the cans that the amount of caffeine in them (120 mg. per can) means that pregnant or nursing women and children shouldn't have more than 2 of them in a day. So bear that in mind So, all in all, I wasn't dazzled by either of these, and don't plan on buying them again. But then again, I'm not the target demographic, either.
Saturday, May 11, 2019
Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Brazilian Toast
At first glance, readers may be particularly underwhelmed by this post topic. Since, to most people, "toast" just means a slice of bread that's been heated for like 30 seconds. Well, don't fret. There's a little more to it than that.
Also, I was a little confused when I beheld the packages of the products I'll be discussing. They were clearly stamped, "Made in Brazil," yet the brand name was Bauducco, which certainly sounds Italian. There's a reasonable explanation for this. Carlo Bauducco, a denizen of Turin, Italy, traveled to and settled in Brazil in 1948, along with his wife and son. Four years later, in 1952, they opened their first pastry shop, in a predominantly Italian neighborhood in Sao Paulo. Their original staple was called panettone, which is basically like a tall, leavened fruit cake. The company was a success, growing in size and influence. By 1965 it perfected a type of packaging that protected the freshness and moisture of their products. By 1978 Bauducco products were exported for the first time, to the U.S. (Currently this has increased to over 50 countries.) According to their website, Bauducco is now one of the largest baked goods manufacturers in Brazil, and the largest producer of panettones in the world. Aside from panettones (and toast, obviously), other Bauducco wares include cookies/biscuits, cakes, mini cakes, and chocolates.
The toasts I sampled were very reminiscent of the zweiback I just posted about recently (April 13, 2019), as well as the Finnish crispbreads (November 3, 2018). The production details weren't provided, but I can only assume that these pieces of toast were twice baked as well--once to make the bread, and then a second time to become toast. And surely some of the ingredients must have some additional preserving qualities as well, to aid the twice baked process. Alternate flavors of the Bauducco toasts include a low fat one, and a multi grain kind. The official company website was fairly direct and businesslike. It consists mainly of the company history, recipes, ordering/availability information, and product lists. I do have to say, though, that it was somehow refreshingly different to see a company which includes the words, "All products contain gluten."
1) Bauducco toast, original flavor: Slices were about 2.5 inches (about 7 cm.) square, with crust, and a light yellowish color. Looked and tasted like pieces of dried bread, fairly crunchy and hard. Plain they were kind of dull and boring. With mayonnaise-based sauce on them they were a bit better, but still not great. And with a tomato-based sauce they were also pretty average.
2) Bauducco toast, whole wheat flavor: Slices were the same size, color, and shape of Original kind. And the taste was about the same, too. Better with sauces on them, but still "meh" at best.
Therefore, I wasn't an especially big fan of these. They're not bad, but not very interesting. As far as dried, twice baked-type bread products go I think zwieback and Finnish crispbreads are better. If nothing else, though, these Bauducco toast slices should keep impressively, so they might be a more cosmopolitan choice for the larders of doomsday preppers.
Also, I was a little confused when I beheld the packages of the products I'll be discussing. They were clearly stamped, "Made in Brazil," yet the brand name was Bauducco, which certainly sounds Italian. There's a reasonable explanation for this. Carlo Bauducco, a denizen of Turin, Italy, traveled to and settled in Brazil in 1948, along with his wife and son. Four years later, in 1952, they opened their first pastry shop, in a predominantly Italian neighborhood in Sao Paulo. Their original staple was called panettone, which is basically like a tall, leavened fruit cake. The company was a success, growing in size and influence. By 1965 it perfected a type of packaging that protected the freshness and moisture of their products. By 1978 Bauducco products were exported for the first time, to the U.S. (Currently this has increased to over 50 countries.) According to their website, Bauducco is now one of the largest baked goods manufacturers in Brazil, and the largest producer of panettones in the world. Aside from panettones (and toast, obviously), other Bauducco wares include cookies/biscuits, cakes, mini cakes, and chocolates.
The toasts I sampled were very reminiscent of the zweiback I just posted about recently (April 13, 2019), as well as the Finnish crispbreads (November 3, 2018). The production details weren't provided, but I can only assume that these pieces of toast were twice baked as well--once to make the bread, and then a second time to become toast. And surely some of the ingredients must have some additional preserving qualities as well, to aid the twice baked process. Alternate flavors of the Bauducco toasts include a low fat one, and a multi grain kind. The official company website was fairly direct and businesslike. It consists mainly of the company history, recipes, ordering/availability information, and product lists. I do have to say, though, that it was somehow refreshingly different to see a company which includes the words, "All products contain gluten."
1) Bauducco toast, original flavor: Slices were about 2.5 inches (about 7 cm.) square, with crust, and a light yellowish color. Looked and tasted like pieces of dried bread, fairly crunchy and hard. Plain they were kind of dull and boring. With mayonnaise-based sauce on them they were a bit better, but still not great. And with a tomato-based sauce they were also pretty average.
2) Bauducco toast, whole wheat flavor: Slices were the same size, color, and shape of Original kind. And the taste was about the same, too. Better with sauces on them, but still "meh" at best.
Therefore, I wasn't an especially big fan of these. They're not bad, but not very interesting. As far as dried, twice baked-type bread products go I think zwieback and Finnish crispbreads are better. If nothing else, though, these Bauducco toast slices should keep impressively, so they might be a more cosmopolitan choice for the larders of doomsday preppers.
Saturday, May 4, 2019
Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--Two Kinds of Dragon Fruit
Recently at my local Shop-Rite grocery, they had something new in the fruit section--"yellow pitaya." I bought it and brought it back home before I even knew what I was dealing with. After a bit of online research I came to learn that it was a type of cactus fruit, like a dragon fruit. I'd had another kind of dragon fruit years ago, but I'd neglected to post about it. Anyway, I then bought and retried the previous dragon fruit again, and had the yellow pitaya one for the first time.
As it turns out, the common names for the various types of cactus fruit are a bit confusing. "Pitaya," "pitahaya," and "dragon fruit" are sometimes used interchangeably for different species. So in this case I'll mention the more definitive, scientific names. The "yellow pitaya" I had is Hylocereus megalanthus, which is native to several countries in South America, such as Venezuela, Peru, Bolivia, Columbia, and Ecuador. It's characterized by its yellow outer rind and whitish inner pulp. It's also one of the very few cacti that is self-pollinating. The other one I had is Hylocereus undatus, which has a pinkish/red exterior, and a whitish inner pulp. This is the most common of the commercially available dragon fruits. Its origin point is unknown, except for being from somewhere in the Americas. In addition to their birthplaces, dragon fruit is now cultivated in other areas around the world with suitable climates and soil, such as Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, Florida, and Australia. The "dragon" part of the common name only dates back to 1993, and is due to the fruits' leathery, scaly, spiky outer rind, or roughly akin to traditional dragon skin. Alternate monikers for this fruit are "strawberry pear," and, apparently, the oddly generic "thang."
The cactus plant has a few unusual properties. (I'll also include that acceptable plurals for cactus are both "cacti," and "cactuses," so you'll probably see both.) For starters, this plant wasn't originally found in Europe, most of Asia, and Australia (or Antarctica, but that probably goes without saying!). It was just native to the Americas, essentially, and one species which grew in parts of Africa, Madagascar, and Sri Lanka. Moving on, cacti are only pollinated by insects, birds, and bats--none are pollinated by wind. Their distinctive spines are different from thorns, botanically, as spines are modified leaves, while thorns are modified branches. Finally, a couple of species produce a psychoactive drug, mescaline. I have consumed cactuses in other forms. See my February 16, 2013 post for info on the cactus "pads," and prickly pear fruit, and the August 11, 2018 post about "cactus water."
Like so many of the foods and beverages I post about, the various species of dragon fruit are thought to be beneficial to consumers. The fruits themselves contain B vitamins, Vitamin C, magnesium, antioxidants, polyphenols, carotenoids, betacyanins, and dietary fiber. Also iron, which is rare for a fruit. So nutritionally they're not a bad choice at all. However, as usual, some folks credit them for being effective fighters against cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, asthma, prostate problems, eye problems, and dull, un-shiny hair. Some/most of these assertions aren't conclusively, scientifically proven at this point. And, some people categorize dragon fruit as being a "superfood"--see my post on May 1, 2014 for more details on that rather nebulous term.
1) Dragon fruit (Hylocereus undatus): This one looked bizarre and even menacing from the outside. Its rind was scaly, with (cut down?) spikes, and it kind of resembled a grenade in size and shape. The outer skin was reddish-pink, and the interior pulp was whitish, with many tiny black (edible) seeds. Eating it was simple--I just cut it in half, and then scooped out the inner pulp with a spoon, using the inedible rind as a sort of bowl. The texture was rather akin to a watermelon, I thought. The taste was just okay. Somewhat sweet, but a bit bland. So not great, but not terrible, either.
2) Yellow pitaya (Hylocereus megalanthus): This one looked very similar to its cousin, only the outer rind color was yellow, not shockingly. The size and shape was about the same, too, as was the inner whitish pulp, complete with dozens of small black seeds. I ate this in the same way. The texture was about the same as well. However, in one key area the yellow pitaya was different from the dragon fruit--its flavor was much better. Sweeter, and very tasty.
Therefore, I really enjoyed the yellow pitaya, and would strongly recommend it. The dragon fruit was kind of "meh,"--maybe a tepid recommendation, for folks who want to try something different. I should mention that both were expensive, being $6.00 for the single fruit.
As it turns out, the common names for the various types of cactus fruit are a bit confusing. "Pitaya," "pitahaya," and "dragon fruit" are sometimes used interchangeably for different species. So in this case I'll mention the more definitive, scientific names. The "yellow pitaya" I had is Hylocereus megalanthus, which is native to several countries in South America, such as Venezuela, Peru, Bolivia, Columbia, and Ecuador. It's characterized by its yellow outer rind and whitish inner pulp. It's also one of the very few cacti that is self-pollinating. The other one I had is Hylocereus undatus, which has a pinkish/red exterior, and a whitish inner pulp. This is the most common of the commercially available dragon fruits. Its origin point is unknown, except for being from somewhere in the Americas. In addition to their birthplaces, dragon fruit is now cultivated in other areas around the world with suitable climates and soil, such as Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, Florida, and Australia. The "dragon" part of the common name only dates back to 1993, and is due to the fruits' leathery, scaly, spiky outer rind, or roughly akin to traditional dragon skin. Alternate monikers for this fruit are "strawberry pear," and, apparently, the oddly generic "thang."
The cactus plant has a few unusual properties. (I'll also include that acceptable plurals for cactus are both "cacti," and "cactuses," so you'll probably see both.) For starters, this plant wasn't originally found in Europe, most of Asia, and Australia (or Antarctica, but that probably goes without saying!). It was just native to the Americas, essentially, and one species which grew in parts of Africa, Madagascar, and Sri Lanka. Moving on, cacti are only pollinated by insects, birds, and bats--none are pollinated by wind. Their distinctive spines are different from thorns, botanically, as spines are modified leaves, while thorns are modified branches. Finally, a couple of species produce a psychoactive drug, mescaline. I have consumed cactuses in other forms. See my February 16, 2013 post for info on the cactus "pads," and prickly pear fruit, and the August 11, 2018 post about "cactus water."
Like so many of the foods and beverages I post about, the various species of dragon fruit are thought to be beneficial to consumers. The fruits themselves contain B vitamins, Vitamin C, magnesium, antioxidants, polyphenols, carotenoids, betacyanins, and dietary fiber. Also iron, which is rare for a fruit. So nutritionally they're not a bad choice at all. However, as usual, some folks credit them for being effective fighters against cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, asthma, prostate problems, eye problems, and dull, un-shiny hair. Some/most of these assertions aren't conclusively, scientifically proven at this point. And, some people categorize dragon fruit as being a "superfood"--see my post on May 1, 2014 for more details on that rather nebulous term.
1) Dragon fruit (Hylocereus undatus): This one looked bizarre and even menacing from the outside. Its rind was scaly, with (cut down?) spikes, and it kind of resembled a grenade in size and shape. The outer skin was reddish-pink, and the interior pulp was whitish, with many tiny black (edible) seeds. Eating it was simple--I just cut it in half, and then scooped out the inner pulp with a spoon, using the inedible rind as a sort of bowl. The texture was rather akin to a watermelon, I thought. The taste was just okay. Somewhat sweet, but a bit bland. So not great, but not terrible, either.
2) Yellow pitaya (Hylocereus megalanthus): This one looked very similar to its cousin, only the outer rind color was yellow, not shockingly. The size and shape was about the same, too, as was the inner whitish pulp, complete with dozens of small black seeds. I ate this in the same way. The texture was about the same as well. However, in one key area the yellow pitaya was different from the dragon fruit--its flavor was much better. Sweeter, and very tasty.
Therefore, I really enjoyed the yellow pitaya, and would strongly recommend it. The dragon fruit was kind of "meh,"--maybe a tepid recommendation, for folks who want to try something different. I should mention that both were expensive, being $6.00 for the single fruit.
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