The latest episode of the
Mihmiverse Monthly Audiocast has arrived!
This month, host writer/director Christopher R. Mihm gets excited for the forthcoming "
Queen of Snakes" premiere, discusses the Mihmiverse Blu-Ray campaign, and fills the audience in on all that the immediate future holds for his movie universe!
Also included: "
The Kansas City Crypt" with
Monster Movie Kid Rich Chamberlain and another "joke" from Dr. Bob Tesla of
Midnight Monster Movies with Dr. Bob.
To download an .mp3 of the audiocast, click
HERE, visit
archive.org where the file is stored or download it free from
iTunes!
Otherwise, if you'd like to listen to the episode right from this browser window, click the play button on the player below!
The
Mihmiverse Monthly Audiocast is hosted by writer/director Christopher R. Mihm and is focused specifically on what's going on
RIGHT NOW in the Mihmiverse. In addition, Mr. Mihm will discuss the monster movie-making process, touch briefly on the future of the 'verse, pontificate on random subjects, and be joined by guests from within and without the Mihmiverse.
PLUS, each episode will include something unique you won't find anywhere else!
Welcome to the
Mihmiverse Monthly feature where we talk to
YOU, the fans! Every month, we choose a random Mihmivite and ask them a few Mihmiverse-related questions in an attempt to get to know them better and find out what they
REALLY think about the films of Christopher R. Mihm!
This month, we interview Lee Fillingsness!
Introduce yourself to the Mihmiverse!
My name is Lee and I'm an actor/stuntman in the Twin Cities. I've been involved in film for a while, but it really started taking off last year with roles in around 30 different projects, mostly playing a "bad guy" of some sort. As a six foot, seven inch behemoth, those roles are easy for meand they're a lot of fun. I've played soldiers, monsters, cowboys, space pirates, barbarians, gangsters, prisoners and republicans, but I've also been able to play different roles including voiceovers. AND, I occasionally play someone who doesn't kill or try to kill someone else!
When and how did you discover the films of Christopher R. Mihm?
I discovered the Mihmiverse because a good friend of mine, Shannon McDonough, was in several of these films. Aside from being her friend, I'm also a big fan of everything she does! I've gotten to know other actors in these movies over the years, too. It's always fun to see how they play out!
If you had to pick just ONE, which of the Mihmiverse films would be your favorite?
Last year I would have said that my favorite was "
The Giant Spider," but I think "
Guns of the Apocalypse" has really taken its place (even though it's missing Shannon). Watching it was like watching Tim Burton's "
Big Fish," because I could see everything that made the Mihmiverse unique and fun, but it was done in a completely different way that shows writer/director Christopher R. Mihm can step outside of his genre.
Tell us how you, in particular, show your "Mihmiverse pride!"
As to Mihmiverse pride, I got to tell the guys at
Hot Comics and Collectibles in Richfield, MN that I was friends with actors in the movies. They had six or seven movies on displayed over the "
Star Wars" collectibles (I'm also a huge nerd) and it was cool to see the movies being represented. Having become a part of the film community and getting to work with some amazingly talented people, I feel lucky to know so many actors and directors I'm legitimately a fan of. The best part of this whole community is getting to make movies with my friends!
Where would you like to see the Mihmiverse go in the future?
I think they should look into movies featuring large middle aged Norwegians. I also think it'd be fun to see the bad "USA-Network-1980s-style" movies represented as well and, wouldn't you know it, I have a pitch!
Want to be interviewed for a future edition of the
Mihmiverse Fan Focus? Send an email to
info@sainteuphoria.com and let us know! Maybe next month the subject will be
YOU!
CLASSIC MOVIE OF THE MONTH
The Atomic Submarine (1959)
Directed by
Spencer Gordon BennetStarring
Arthur Franz and
Dick Foran
The nuclear-powered submarine U.S.S. Tiger Shark is sent to the arctic to investigate why futuristic "trans-arctic passenger submarines" keep disappearing. Upon their arrival, they're shocked to find the real reason for the enigma: a flying (swimming?) saucer beneath the waves, manned by an alien hell bent on colonization.
The acting is wooden, the script is worse and the special effects are absolutely deplorable... which is why it's such a great movie! The movie is highly entertaining in a low-budget 1950s way. The scenes inside the alien craft and the alien monster inside are the kinds of things that inspire me to make the films I make. I highly and emphatically recommend this so-bad-it's-amazing movie for all lovers of 1950s cheese!
Christopher R. Mihm
Hear Me Roar!
The old weather-related saying, "March Comes in Like a Lion," appears to be true this year in the upper Midwest, home of the Mihmiverse. That got me thinking about classic horror and science fiction from the movie studio that features a lion as its logo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer!
Below is a very short list of the films produced, co-produced and/or distributed by MGM in the 1960s, proving that even the major studios could crank out some quality cheese! Match them to the plot descriptions in the second list, and you'll be the cat's meow.
1. "Village of the Damned" (1960)
2. "The Time Machine" (1961)
3. "Gorgo" (1961)
4. "The Haunting" (1963)
5. "Eye of the Devil" (1966)
6. "
Fearless Vampire Killers" (1967)
A. Sharon Tate (just a few months before she was killed by the Manson family) co-stars with her husband Roman Polanski (who also directed) in a tale about a professor and his apprentice who run into some serious trouble while searching a creepy castle for a damsel in distress.
B. David Niven, Donald Pleasence, Deborah Kerr, and Sharon Tate (Again!), lead an all-star cast in a film about workers at a French vineyard who follow old pagan rituals that call for the life of the owner to save his crops.
C. In Midwich, the blonde-haired, glowing-eyed children of uncertain paternity have frightening powers. George Sanders leads the cast.
D. Robert Wise, the man who directed "The Sound of Music" and "West Side Story," switched genres to helm this pic about a scientist doing paranormal research and the affect it has on the women he invites to his castle. Julie Harris and Claire Bloom star.
E. Greedy sailors capture a giant lizard off the coast of Ireland and sell it to a London circus. Then its mother shows up.
F. Easy one: Rod Taylor, Yvette Mimieux and Alan Young (Wilbur on "
Mr. Ed") star in this H.G. Wells story about the search for utopia and a girl named Weena.
Scroll to the bottom of the Mihmiverse Monthly for the answers.
Mike Cook
Teenagers and Monsters!
The Phantom Lake Equation
Hey! You've made it all the way to the bottom of the page and found
THE RETRO-SPECTIVE where I talk about the films of the Mihmiverse and the movies that inspired them. This month, we are going to talk about teenagers, monsters and the classic B-movies in which they collide!
Writer/director Christopher R. Mihm's first film, "
The Monster of Phantom Lake" is a prime example of this particular film genre. A group of teenagers uncover a monster but the adults don't believe themand there is almost always a lot of dancing. Let's look at some of these classics.
 | "The Blob" (1958) |
|
We'll start with the big guns: 1958's "
The Blob!" This is a classic in every sense of the word. Steve McQueen plays our teenage hero (who also had visible crow's feet as the actor was closing in on 30 years old when he appeared in the film). The police won't believe his story of an alien goo that eats people, but he's able to find the solution to how to defeat the oozing menace. This is one of my personal favorites and I could talk about it for hours but, if you've never seen it, I would much rather you watch it and make up your own mind!
Another gem is "
The Giant Gila Monster" which came out in 1959. Hoping to ride on the success of "
The Blob," the filmmakers pit teenagers in hot rods against the title creature. Per the "formula," the film contains unbelieving adults and hero kids who are better behaved and more pure than the adults think. This is a true B-grade movie, but it has some great moments and it's very much worth your time.
There were also the "teenager-becomes-the-monster" movies. "
I was a Teenage Werewolf" (1957) has a very young Michael Landon (of "
Little House on the Prairie" fame) as the title character. It's a story of a werewolf that is induced by a serum and hypnosis. It's oddly effective and has a cult following of its own.
In "
Teenage Monster" (1957), exposure to a meteorite causes a teenager to turn into an elderly man that his mother hides in the basement. If that isn't nightmare fuel, I'm not sure what is!
All of that brings us to the very first movie in the Mihmiverse, "
The Monster of Phantom Lake!" The film includes the introduction of fan favorites, the Canoe Cops. Mike Cook, who played Officer Gustav, would go on to give us some of the best performances the Mihmiverse (or any other verse for that matter) has to offer.
In Rachel Grubb's first appearance in the Mihmiverse, she does a wonderful job as Amy, the good girl trying to convince herself to be bad. Despite a lack of Ms. Grubb's presence in the 'verse after playing the evil Hagra, lead huntress of the Liak tribe in "
Cave Women on Mars," she returned in 2016's "
Weresquito: Nazi Hunter." She is also starring in the soon-to-be-released "
Queen of Snakes!" Rachel always brings her "A-game" and it always shows!
If you would like to meet Director Christopher R. Mihm, there will be ample opportunity over the coming months, including at
All-Con in Addison, TX, March 14th through the 17th.
All-Con is four days of fun with every fandom you can imagine. It's open all day and doesn't stop until well after 2am! Mr. Mihm will have items for sale including movies and posters, so make sure to stop by his table and get an autographed copy of your favorite movie!
Thank you for reading and make sure to pick up a copy of "
The Monster of Phantom Lake"soon on Blu-Ray! You'll be glad you did!
Michael J. Cross
Did you know that "
The Monster of Phantom Lake: The Musical!" is now available to be performed by schools and theatre companies nationwide?!
We offer carefully prepared materials of similar (or higher) quality than what you would receive from one of the big Broadway theatrical licensing companies. However, our independent licensing model allows us offer individualized service catered to your organization. When you decide to license a show with us, the success of your production becomes our number-one priority! Heck, the authors might even fly out to see one of your shows!
Production packages include scripts, orchestra books, and conductor/accompanist scores (condensed and full score options), all professionally printed in a beautiful and clean format. We even include rehearsal backing tracks that fully match the music printed in the libretto and on the cast recording CD! This is a great option for productions where using a live orchestra isn't possible, for "black box" style theaters, or when your group doesn't have a rehearsal accompanist regularly available.
We also include free logos for use in your advertising materials, and we can offer personalized graphic design as well as transpositions of vocal and orchestra parts on demand. Visit
monsterofphantomlake.com to hear songs from the show, learn more about the script, and request a quote, perusal script, or license agreement.