But one of Strangeland’s most glaring missteps is borrowing too much from other inspirations instead of weaving together a new and unholy mythos, or at least finding an overlooked or interesting way of doing horror with familiar elements. There are some neat, satisfying puzzles that make up the bread and butter of any good point-and-click adventure. As expected, the organic linework, potent environments and moody palette are delightfully discomforting, and the voice acting is top-notch stuff. The build-up to the great rescue is at best patchy-there are moments of wry humor and fierce despair. There’s even a moment when the blonde, like Sarah Palmer in Twin Peaks: The Return, removes her face to reveal something sinister inside. There are flashes of grotesque imagery-bulging masses of flesh, inscrutable insectoid creatures, recurring shots of the blonde (whom I’d mentally dubbed “Laura,” thanks a lot Twin Peaks) trapped in an organic meat-nest peppered with bugs. On the road to Strangeland’s release, its creators posted glimpses of the world and details about its development-a dark, unsettling narrative inspired by the work of Ray Bradbury, Francisco Goya, and Mervyn Peake. But surely this tedious stereotype would unfold into something meatier-surely, the payoff would justify yet another boilerplate tale about a man propelled forth by a nameless woman’s suffering. ![]() To be fair, I’d like to think that if I saw someone in danger, I’d try and do something about it, creepy set dressing be damned. In this case, our straitjacketed hero can’t remember who he is or how he got to Strangeland, but the sight of a mysterious blonde in a hospital gown turns him into a man on a singular mission. Within moments of starting the game, our protagonist-an amnesiac marooned in a carnival-themed hellscape-takes on a rather familiar form: a man who sees a woman in peril and becomes consumed with the urge to save her. ![]() When Strangeland was announced, I was beyond excited to see what the team had created. In just over four hours of gameplay, the small, international indie team revealed an uncanny talent for worldbuilding and narrative design that shines through in its smaller projects Like A Raisin in the Sun is more like interactive microfiction, but it’s still a wonderful experience crafted with exquisite care and purpose. But when the badly burned and mentally broken Carlton Hendricks is taken from a state run mental hospital and off his medication by billionaire, media mogul, Morgan LaForce, leader of the body modification/fetish haven called “The Torture Garden”, the door swings wide open for each of Captain Howdy’s victims to find closure… and retribution.Before Strangeland, Wormwood Studios had one full-fledged game under its belt: the excellent Primordia. Their lives, destroyed by emotional torment and the media frenzy surrounding the crimes, Detective Mike Gage, his daughter Geneveve and vigilante Jackson Roth (Robert Englund) each have their crosses to bear. Last we heard, the plot for Strangeland 2 was as follows: “ One year after Carleton Hendricks aka Captain Howdy’s (Dee Snider) sadistic rampage, much more than the physical scars the schizophrenic, sexual sadist gave his victims are left behind. Feeling like this is gonna happen this time around – I’ve also said that before, so don’t hold me to this. ![]() And I hate even saying it out loud, cause you’ve had so many disappointments with this project. ![]() I know I’ve talked about this for twenty years. gearing up to hopefully go into production with Strangeland 2. Taking to Facebook over the weekend, Dee Snider posted a short video promoting some of his upcoming projects, and in it he provided an update on the Strangeland sequel: In fact, a sequel to Strangeland was originally given the green light before the first film even came out, which just goes to show how long it’s been in development! The charmingly dated film, directed by John Pieplow, has amassed a cult fanbase over the years, and many of those fans have been begging for a sequel that’s been talked about for a while now. Just as the internet was starting to take over the world, Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider smartly capitalized by writing and starring in the horror film Strangeland, released in 1998. Nearly 20 years ago, we met Captain Howdy.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |