Fun photos for horror geeks like me.
A friend of mine posted a link to a story about horror photographer Joshua Hoffine (click here for story). The description of his link said only: "creeeepy" so of course I was honor-bound to check it out. This is the first I'd heard of Mr. Hoffine, but let me just say that creepy is entirely inadequate to describe the content of these photographs. (Pictured above is Death)
The first image that I viewed was titled Balloons.
To borrow a quote from Zombieland... "Fucking clowns." This image was frightening on multiple levels. The idea of scary clowns, while common, is also inherently ironic because clowns are traditionally supposed to be funny, child-friendly
beings. However, the generically benign transformed into the unquestionably evil is the whole idea behind most horror. Clowns have been the target of such metamorphosis in the modern horror era, from Killer Klowns from Outer Space, to the doll in Poltergeist, and most notably Pennywise in Stephen King's IT (I've seen the mini-series a hundred times but have not as yet read the book, not to worry - it is sitting in
my To Read Stack as we speak.) It is the last of these fictional demons that I am most reminded of when viewing Balloons. Perhaps this is not the artist's intent, but the clown brandishing a scaly claw in place of hand and lurking behind sheets is very Stephen Kingesqe. It is also very John Wayne Gacy; but we'll leave that alone for now...Next up is Basement which depicts the silhouette of a little girl in pigtails descending stairs into a basement. Naturally there is a pale, toothy tenant occupying the space beneath said stairs. It achieves the overall intent of many of these images which is to capture the fears of childhood. Classic terrors such as the bogeyman and the monster under the bed are represented in the aptly named pieces: Closet, and Bed. Many of them have a distinctly fairy tale feel; for example: Candy, and Wolf. While others take root in a more realistic if not still Hollywood atmosphere: Babysitter (pictured at the bottom), Plott Thickens, and Isolation.
One of the most interesting pieces, at least from my perspective, is the piece Lady Bathory. Inspired by the real life persona of Elizabeth Bathory who was rumored to bathe in the blood of young virgin girls to maintain her own youth and beauty, this photograph highlights the almost immeasurable depths to which society is willing to dive in the pursuit of beauty. I particularly like the fact that the subject of the photograph is relaxing under her sanguine shower with a cool, refreshing cucumber mask.
If Lady Bathory was the most interesting, then Gas Mask Child was the most disturbing. Maybe it is the insane stare of lidless eyes gaping at me from behind the olive green mask. Or maybe it's the bunny, soft and fluffy and sporting a matching mask that makes it impossible for me to look away despite the feeling of ants marching up my spine. Whatever it is, I would not want to meet this kid on the street after dark. Who am I kidding? I would not want to meet this kid. Period.
Second only to the disturbing Gas Mask Child, is the auto-cannibalistic creature portrayed in Isolation. A lot of things leap to mind when I look at this picture. One is the short story by Stephen King, Survivor Type; if you haven't yet read this tasty piece, I highly recommend it. It also conjures images of an upcoming independent film called Hunger. I wonder what, if anything, sane is going thru the mind of this subject as he daintily munches on his own arm. Does it taste like chicken? And what exactly drove him to partake of his own flesh? Maybe he has a Christ complex and thinks that it is the ultimate version of the eucharist. Maybe he has been locked away by a lunatic and has an overdeveloped sense of survival. Or maybe he simply is the lunatic...
Whatever the intent and motivation of the characters in these photographs, Joshua Hoffine is a man after my own heart. Pouring out the horrors that haunt our hearts even in adulthood thru a creative medium in an attempt to exorcise personal demons is something I understand. That and I just really like the twisted, the macabre, the fantastic. Anything that forces us to look under the sheets, open closed doors, and venture down darkened hallways despite an engrained fight-or-flight sense of self-preservation can only make us better, stronger individuals. Either that or an easy target for the slobbering maniac concealed in the shadows.
Either way...
Sweet Dreams...
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