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Universal Halloween Horror Nights Orlando Goes VR

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I don’t really get this as it seems redundant to walk someone through an already decorated haunt and then slap a virtual reality rig to to their heads and bring them into a world inside of the world, but we do know this… the people behind Halloween Horror Nights are mad geniuses, and I’ll give anything they come up with a shot!

From the Press Release:
Tickets are now on sale for Universal Orlando Resort’s’ new cutting-edge — and terrifying — horror-themed virtual reality experience. “The Repository,” which blends custom virtual reality technology with real-life characters and environments, will be available to guests during select Halloween Horror Nights events, beginning September 29 and running through October 31.

“The Repository” is an exclusive, limited-time attraction with an entirely unique storyline that will pave the way for even more brand new, best-in-class experiences across Universal Orlando Resort. Throughout this extended, heart-pounding adventure, guests will explore highly thematic physical environments and interact with real-life characters –– all while working in small teams to solve a dark mystery unfolding before them.

This highly interactive horror experience can be purchased for $49.99 plus tax, per person, by calling 407-224-7840. Halloween Horror Nights admission is also required.

WARNING: This is an intense experience not recommended for thrill seekers younger than 13 years old.

For more information about “Halloween Horror Nights” at Universal Studios, visit HalloweenHorrorNights.com. Join the “Halloween Horror Nights” conversation using #UniversalHHN on Facebook at Halloween Horror Nights – Hollywood and Instagram; Halloween Horror Nights on Twitter and Periscope @HorrorNights. Add username “HorrorNights” on Snapchat for nightly live content, and watch the terror come to life on the Halloween Horror Nights YouTube Page.

Halloween Horror Nights

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Stephen King’s It Pisses Off Canadians!

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Oh, Pennywise! You’re such a monster. However, if you ask some Toronto residents, it’s the movie production staff who are the real monsters. According to The Star, excessive film shoots at a Riverdale home are really pissing off some neighbors.

These [films] have been affecting the lives of the families in the neighborhood,” says local resident Nick Shcherban. “It looks like Universal Studios out there!

Shcherban says the film crews make excessive noise, and he has complained to local Councillor Paula Fletcher and the Toronto Film Office about what he believes are infringements of city bylaws. His concerns include disruptive noise, bright lights on set, crew members trespassing, and illegal parking.

One of Fletcher’s staff said she was out of the city and not available for comment. The city’s film commissioner Zaib Shaikh responded to queries by email.

Staff from the City’s Toronto Film, Television and Digital Media Office have met with one resident regarding their concerns and have advised them that we have been working with the production company to ensure that all public filming regulations are abided by,” wrote Shaikh, also the city’s director of entertainment industries, in an email. “We will continue to work with all concerned to ensure that this film production causes the minimum of disruption.

Careful, Nick, if you look into the Deadlights, you’ll really be driven insane!

Jaeden Lieberher, Finn Wolfhard, Nicholas Hamilton, Jack Dylan Grazer, Wyatt Oleff, Chosen Jacobs, Jeremy Ray Taylor, and Sophia Lillis star with Bill Skarsgard, who portrays Pennywise. In addition, creature performer Javier Botet has signed on as The Leper, and Owen Teague plays Patrick Hocksetter, part of a group of bullies who torment The Losers’ Club.

Andy Muschietti directs from a screenplay by Gary Dauberman and Chase Palmer. Dan Lin, Roy Lee, Seth Grahame-Smith, David Katzenberg, and Barbara Muschietti produce. The story will be spread across two films.

Synopsis:
In a small town in Maine, seven children known as The Losers’ Club come face to face with life problems, bullies, and a monster that takes the shape of a clown called Pennywise.

It Pennywise New

And here’s a lightened version so you can better see the costume.

Pennywise It New

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See a Gut-Wrenching New TV Spot for Don’t Breathe

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With the ominous warning that “If you move, if you walk, if you talk, if you breathe… you’re dead,” a new TV spot has arrived for Don’t Breathe, heading our way on Friday.

Don’t Breathe (review) will hit theaters on August 26th via Sony Pictures Entertainment. The cast includes Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette, Daniel Zovatto, and Stephen Lang.

Related Story:  Exclusive: Fede Alvarez Talks Don’t Breathe

Fede Alvarez directed and wrote the screenplay with Rodo Sayagues. Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert produce for Ghost House Pictures. J.R. Young, Nathan Kahane, Joe Drake and Erin Westerman executive produce.

Synopsis:
A trio of friends break into the house of a wealthy blind man, thinking they’ll get away with the perfect heist. They’re wrong.

Dont Breathe

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Li Bingbing to Make Sushi Out of Meg

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More casting news has come in for Meg as Variety is reporting that Chinese actress Li Bingbing (the Resident Evil franchise) is in final talks to star opposite Jason Statham and Jessica McNamee in Warner Bros.’ upcoming prehistoric shark tentpole.

Meg is set for a March 2, 2018, release. The story is based on Steve Alten’s novel MEG: A Novel of Deep Terror, published in 1997, in which the ancient Megalodon species is discovered to have survived in the Mariana Trench due to a barrier of cold water.

Jon Turteltaub’s Meg centers on an international underwater observation program, led by Chinese scientists, which comes under attack with its deep-sea submersible disabled and trapped at the bottom of the Mariana Trench. Jason Statham will portray a former naval captain, who’s recruited even though he faced the predator years before and was forced him to abort his mission and abandon half his crew. Rainn Wilson will play Jack Morris, a tech billionaire who funds an underwater observation program that unwittingly unleashes the Carcharodon megalodon – a 70-foot, 40-ton prehistoric cousin of the great white.

Li Bingbing

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The Disappointments Room Opens Up; Unleashes Trailer

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We’re still SUPER disappointed that Mike Flanagan’s Before I Wake was bumped from its release date, but Relativity has already filled Wake‘s spot with another film, entitled, appropriately enough, The Disappointments Room. Check out the trailer.

The D.J. Caruso-directed psychological thriller starring Underworld‘s Kate Beckinsale and Gerald McRaney will hit theatres on September 9, 2016.

Inspired by a true event, The Disappointments Room tells the story of one family’s terror-filled encounter within their own home. Looking for a fresh start, Dana (Beckinsale) and David, together with their 5-year-old son, Jeremy, move into their dream house, a beautiful old rural home. Hidden within the attic is a secret room.

When frightening and unexplainable events lead Dana to discover the long lost key to this room, she accidentally unlocks a host of unimaginable horrors that reveal the house’s past is terrifyingly tied with her own.

The Disappointments Room

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Breached (Video Game)

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BreachedDeveloped by Drama Drifters

Published by Nkidu Games

Available on PC through Steam

Suitable for ages 13+


Looking at the Steam Store screenshots, it’s hard to tell just what exactly Breached is. It’s a credit to the unique visual style of the game, as the aesthetic masks what’s essentially a scavenger hunt mixed with landmines. Mechanically simple, there’s a mystery behind Breached that permeates the entire product. Where you are, what you are doing, what happened, and how to succeed will present itself to you in pieces, requiring you to figure out just how it all comes together.

Wow, what a bland and uncharacteristically serious tone for Ted to be reviewing a game! Yeah, I know. The fact of the matter is, that for such an interesting premise, the game just doesn’t muster up my fucks. It’s a functional game that certainly has stuff to uncover, but the actual act of uncovering that stuff is dry, repetitive, and vague. It’s a killer combo that packs into a punch that knocks it right out of my sights.

Breached

Never have I been so uninterested in apocalyptic doom orbs in the future wasteland.

It’s hard to pick a primary issue with Breached. I’m tempted to say that the biggest problem is the bland gameplay, but it wouldn’t be so bad if there was some kind of direction. The game will never tell you where to go, which would be fine if these large open maps didn’t have such nonsensical level design. If the levels were designed with some hints as to where important objectives were, then exploration could be fun! But if the world were designed with clearly defined roads and pathways, it wouldn’t feel “natural,” which might hinder the emergent nature of the narrative. If it doesn’t feel natural, it would ruin the story. A story that I will never fully uncover, because playing the game was dry, repetitive, and vague.

It’s sad, because like I said, the actual mechanics are quite simple. The game is broken down into a series of days, starting with a text log that will reveal a bit more about the game’s world. Certain words will be highlighted, which you can click to develop the story in that direction. It has a kind of choose your own adventure vibe, but without the ability to keep your thumb on the page to come back to it. After it’s done, certain underlined words can be clicked that will lead to other journal entries. This will lead to a chain of maybe half a dozen stories, delivering bits and pieces of the world. It’s effective, and easily my favorite part of the game. If this were the entire game, I would gladly click away until the conclusion.

Breached

This is actually much more interesting than it looks.

After reading about it, you explore the broken and desolate world of Breached through the eyes of a drone. Your mission is to collect up to three resources before returning to base. Resources range from basic materials abundantly available to specialized finds in the most hidden corners of the map. Maps are large, require a lot of exploration before deciding how best to use your limited hold. You can spend as much time as you want in a zone before returning, so it can take a long time to see every nook and cranny.

When I say a lot of time, I mean a LOT of time. Getting to every peak and inside every crevasse is as difficult as it is pointless. Several times I spent thirty minutes trying to get through a series of obstacles, only to find that nothing of value awaited me at the other end. Call me picky, but if I am going to jump through hoops to get through your series of magnetic anomalies, slingshotting off of one to pass by another and get to a distant mesa, I expect there to be something there. It’s not like I was breaking the game either, shooting over mountains into places they never intended. These were fully developed areas with their own structures, obstacles, and pathways. There was just nothing there.

Breached

Um… I guess I’ll go… towards the sand?

I can accept a few dead ends, but most of the game was spent darting past “anomalies” to get to a room full of nothing. It’s a frustration made even more annoying by the game’s controls. As the drone, you can only move forward in the direction of your camera. There’s no strafing, jumping, or back peddling, only floating forward. The previously mentioned anomalies are balls of light that cause electrical disturbances, sucking you in while distorting your visuals a lá Slenderman. It’s an interesting take on mobility that immerses you in the role of a drone for about ten minutes before becoming annoying.

Breached

Oh no, my greatest fear! A magnetic ball of energy rustling my drone’s jimmies! The nightmares!

This would be made less frustrating if the visible pathing wasn’t terrible. It seemed to be up to pure chance whether or not a slope could be floated up or if there was an invisible wall. Several times I would float up what I thought was a cleverly disguised hidden path only to find it abruptly end. It’s just pure, broken level design.

Once you are done wrestling with all of that and get back to the base, you find that it will all be in service of a bare bones fetch quest. You need to collect materials to research a project, and use certain elements to guestimate a solution. Through analysis of the results, you’ll reach a solution. You only have a certain amount of actions in a day, so you have to weigh the cost of research with the value of more exploration. Every day, you lose some oxygen, giving the game a timer. What happens after that, I don’t know. I got to the point where I fully understood how the game worked, but couldn’t bring myself to play it anymore to see how it all shakes out.

Breached

Oh cool, you replicated the most boring part of science, repeated testing and results analysis.

Between the poor design, frustrating controls, nonexistent objectives, and repetitive puzzle, the only redeeming quality was the story. There is something very interesting beneath the layers of Breached. The game is only $7, so it’s not too much to see if it pulls you in. If it does, I commend you. Let me know how it ends.

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War Is Declared in New Promo for The Strain Season 3

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Only a few more days remain before the return of “The Strain” this coming weekend, and to make sure you haven’t forgotten about it, FX just released a really cool, stylized promo for the show.  It’s war, and you need to fight… you simply have no other choice!

“The Strain” Episode 3.01 – “New York Strong” (Airs 8/28/16; 10 PM ET/PT)
The strigoi are evolving, becoming faster. Smarter. Eph (Corey Stoll) struggles to improve his failing bioweapon while trying to work through the emotional fallout of the abduction of his son, Zack (Max Charles). As Setrakian (David Bradley) and Quinlan (Rupert Penry-Jones) attempt to crack the Lumen’s deepest-held secrets, Fet (Kevin Durand) helps a Navy SEAL team in a deadly mission: search for the Master through the underground tunnels of New York. Written by Carlton Cuse & Chuck Hogan; directed by J. Miles Dale.

Check out “The Strain” on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for more.

thestrain-s3premierebanner

 

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11 Unforgettable Are You Afraid Of The Dark? Characters

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Below are some of the creepy, weird, and bizarre characters from “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” that helped launch what has become a deep love of the horror genre–and monsters in general.

areyouafraidofthedark

Thanks to Wikipedia and Wikia for the episode descriptions.

Who were your favorites? What episodes made YOU afraid of the dark? Share them in the comments section below!

1. Zeebo the Clown

Date: August 22, 1992

Episode: “The Tale of Laughing in the Dark”

Zeebo the Clown, a corrupt circus performer, steals money from the circus and tries to escape from the authorities by hiding in the funhouse. However, it catches fire, presumably because of Zeebo’s love for cigars, and he dies. Years later, Weegee, his little sister Kathy, and his friend Josh come across the rebuilt funhouse called Laughing in the Dark and Weegee asks Josh if he had ever been inside to which Josh replies that he hasn’t. Josh walks closer to the funhouse encountering a strange man who claims he runs the place wondering why Josh doesn’t believe in Zeebo saying Zeebo is waiting for whoever goes into the funhouse mentioning “pick the right door and you’ll go free. Pick the wrong door and there he’ll be”. Weegee and Kathy are too scared to go inside keeping their distance because they think it is haunted by the ghost of Zeebo based on what kids have seen and heard inside fueling the urban legend of Zeebo’s ghost. But Josh doesn’t believe it to be true scoffing at the possibility of a ghost clown haunting the funhouse. The strange man asks Josh if he’s going to go through and Josh says that he might another time to which the man says he’ll be there and that he’s always there.

Weegee questions why Josh didn’t go inside the funhouse if he doesn’t believe in Zeebo claiming that Josh is just as scared of going inside as he and Kathy but not wanting to admit that he is afraid. Weegee subsequently dares Josh to go in and he accepts, deciding to prove that he went through by finding the clown dummy, which is modeled after Zeebo, and stealing its nose. So they go back to Playland in order for Josh to steal the nose to show he goes through as he says he is going to do. The strange man appears once again as Josh is nearing the entrance and he asks once more if Josh is going to go in and this time he replies that he is this time. Just before Josh goes inside, the strange man oddly states “it’s the most fun in the park when you’re laughing in the dark.” He soon learns that the legend is indeed true when Zeebo comes back for revenge to regain his stolen nose.

Zeebo_Dummy

2. Nosferatu

Date: June 26, 1993

Episode: “The Tale of the Midnight Madness”

A movie theater on the brink of closure due in large part by a new multiplex that recently opened in town gets a revival courtesy of Dr. Vink, who offers a rare copy of the 1922 film Nosferatu for screening — as long as they agree to show his other films one night a week. When the arrogant manager refuses to honor his deal with Vink, strange things begin to happen.

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3. Dr. Vink

Date: Multiple

Episode: Multiple

Dr. Vink was a physically imposing man who would often appear as a mad scientist, sorcerer and the like. When he enters, he introduces himself by saying, “Vink’s the name. Dr. Vink.” He would also get his name mispronounced, usually something like “Dr. Fink?” When this happened, he would respond “Vink. With a va-va-va”.

Often, the protagonist would call him a “nutbag” behind his back, assuming he could not hear him, only to have him reply later, “…and I am not a nutbag.” Unlike Sardo whose character was set in a magic shop, Dr. Vink had many ‘unique endeavors’ as he called them within the stories he appears in. These ranged from living deep in the woods conducting strange nature experiments, being a retired filmmaker, owning his own restaurant as head chef and lastly a barbershop. His activities were usually villainous and designed to put the characters in peril and allow him the last laugh. However in his last appearance, “The Tale of Cutter’s Treasure” (which was told by both Frank and Gary), he allied himself with Sardo and the main characters without his usual maliciousness. He appeared exclusively in Frank’s stories.

Vink4

4. The Werewolf and his brother

Date: August 21, 1993

Episode: “The Tale of the Full Moon”

Two young pet detectives trying to figure out where all the neighborhood cats are disappearing to find a clue when looking into the backyard of a neighbor (who also happens to be dating the mother of one of them). He seems to have a rather large collection of cat collars hidden in his backyard. They begin to suspect that he’s a werewolf but unfortunately no one believes them.

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MORE Are You Afraid Of The Dark Characters on the NEXT page!

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The Power of Christ Compels You to Look at The Exorcist-Spoofing Boo! A Madea Halloween Poster

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Admittedly, this The Exorcist-inspired parody poster for Boo! A Madea Halloween is not quite as clever as the Michael Myers-themed poster from a few weeks back, but you have to admire how all-out they’re willing to go for this Tyler Perry flick.

If you haven’t already marked your calendar for October 21st, then I have to wonder: What are you waiting for? It’s not like you’re going to have that many options this Halloween season so why not use the opportunity to get right with Jesus while having your funny bone terrorized by Tyler Perry’s Madea?

The newest poster for Boo! pokes fun at one of the most iconic images in the history of horror cinema by casting Perry’s alter ego in the role of The Exorcist. Or as the poster calls itself, The Exorsister, which I believe is also the title of a Japanese live-action tentacle rape movie from a while back; perhaps soon to be addressed if Tyler Perry ever makes his Asian religious hentai flick Demon City Madea. You just know that poster would be an Akira parody.

Boo! A Madea Halloween stars Tyler Perry, Cassi Davis, Patrice Lovely, Lexy Panterra, Yousef Erakat, Andre Hall, Brock O’Hurn, and Bella Thorne, who just made headlines today for announcing she’s bisexual. You better believe Madea’s gonna have some words for that girl!

Synopsis:
In Boo! A Madea Halloween, Madea winds up in the middle of mayhem when she spends a hilarious, haunted Halloween fending off killers, paranormal poltergeists, ghosts, ghouls, and zombies while keeping a watchful eye on a group of misbehaving teens.

Madea

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Human-Turned-Strigoi Kelly Is Focus of New Video for The Strain Season 3

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Season 3 of “The Strain” is looking to amp things up a bit over prior years, and if that’s what you’re excited to see, one character who is poised to bring some additional action to the show is Kelly (portrayed by Natalie Brown), who has learned that being a strigoi is life’s cheat code. Simply put, humans don’t stand a chance against her, as this latest 16-bit video game style promo demonstrates.

“The Strain” Episode 3.01 – “New York Strong” (Airs 8/28/16; 10 PM ET/PT)
The strigoi are evolving, becoming faster. Smarter. Eph (Corey Stoll) struggles to improve his failing bioweapon while trying to work through the emotional fallout of the abduction of his son, Zack (Max Charles). As Setrakian (David Bradley) and Quinlan (Rupert Penry-Jones) attempt to crack the Lumen’s deepest-held secrets, Fet (Kevin Durand) helps a Navy SEAL team in a deadly mission: search for the Master through the underground tunnels of New York. Written by Carlton Cuse & Chuck Hogan; directed by J. Miles Dale.

Check out “The Strain” on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for more.

thestrain-s3premierebanner

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Franken Fran – Vols. 3-4 (Manga Series)

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Written by Katsuhisa KigitsuFranken Fran

Illustrated by Katsuhisa Kigitsu

Published by Seven Seas Entertainment

Suitable for ages 16+


If there’s one thing we’ve learned Franken Fran can provide, it’s a bloody good time. Volumes 1-2 (review) introduced a procedural story where every chapter is different, with some loosely tying together. Volumes 3-4 of Franken Fran are no different. The overarching narrative is the same, Fran helps with unusual medical problems in her own unusual way. While in her mind she has her patients’ best interests at heart, Fran’s methods don’t always work out. While Volumes 3-4 are the same old same old we were introduced to in Volumes 1-2, that’s completely fine. Franken Fran can be compared to long running procedural shows on television, insomuch that no matter how much of the same it is, we still love it. Think Law & Order or Supernatural.

One of the best parts of Franken Fran throughout is Fran’s inability to recognize tragedy. She sees all of her work as a positive thing, no matter the effects (usually negative) it has on people. When one character bursts into continually replicating tumors, rather than be horrified, Fran revels in the fact that she has discovered cancerous cells are the key to immortality. When some of her patients begin to die after emergency surgeries Fran conducted free of charge, she’s just glad to get her investment back. I.e. she harvests their organs to recoup the ones she donated to them in the first place. Fran’s inability to empathize with her patients adds another level of horror to this already great manga.

Another part of Fran’s personality that adds to the overall ambiance of Franken Fran is her usually unimpressed attitude about things that most of us would consider a big deal. Fran’s neck gets sliced open by an assassin? No biggie, she calls her sister off from seeking vengeance. One of her patient’s dying wish is to finish the film she was currently acting in? No problem, Fran makes a meat suit out of her remains and continues acting in her place. While of course this adds to the horror we’re supposed to feel at Fran’s inhumanity, it also sometimes does the opposite. Fran’s attitude tends to rub off on the readers and we are lulled into a sort of complacency, where we start to think these terrors aren’t so bad either. It’s a true mark of genius when a story really puts us in the mind of its main character, and here, Franken Fran truly shines.

On to the specifics of Volumes 3-4 of Franken Fran. Each of the stories are memorable in their own ways, and there really is something for everyone. The stories that haunt one reader might be different for another, but that’s why variety is the spice of life. One example we’d like to share with you though is inspired by a story known by many. If you’re familiar with the Japanese tale of “Hachikō,” the dog that waited, then the story of “Pudding,” the “dog” that waited, will have some striking similarities. While out one day, Fran and her sister come across a young girl whose dog has just been hit—and killed—by a car. The girl begs Fran to do something, and after some protesting, she agrees to help. Fran tells the girl that she will revive her dog, and some months later returns with the canine (Pudding). In true Fran fashion, the dog is not exactly the same as before. The Pudding that Fran presents is a large, hairy man with the brain of the young girl’s dog. She initially recoils and doesn’t believe that this is in fact the puppy she lost. Fran tells her to take care of him just as she would her own dog, including taking him for walks. The girl knows of course that she can’t take him out during the day, and so treks out at night with him. Some hooligans mistake it for a fetish of a sexual nature, and attack the girl. Lo and behold, Pudding saves the day, and the girl’s opinion of the “dog” forever changes. Of course, this is Franken Fran, and true happy endings are few and far between. So the story continues with the girl being diagnosed with Leukemia. Pudding waits for her return at the train station day and night, even after the girl eventually passes from her unfortunate disease. People at the train station are originally creeped out by the man, but eventually feed him until he too passes. A statue is erected at the train station in remembrance of Pudding, the “dog” who waited. This perversion of a classic folk tale is a fantastic example of the horror Franken Fran presents.

We could certainly talk at length about more stories in Volumes 3-4 of Franken Fran, but part of its charm is the discovery of each narrative as it comes up. If you like anthologies, Franken Fran is a horrific, yet satisfying wet dream. If collections of stories are not usually your thing, you should definitely still give it a try since the titular character Fran is really a gruesome treasure. We continued to be impressed with Franken Fran in Volumes 3-4 and can’t wait to see what subsequent volumes have in store for us.

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10 Twisted Contemporary Films That Could Inspire an Entirely New Video Nasty List

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Video Nasty is a UK term that was coined in the early ‘80s as reference to a series of (72 initial) films deemed so gruesome or controversial they were not fit to see release to the public. A few filmmakers were actually prosecuted as a result of their works. Some slipped into the cracks. Some were edited to the point in which they could receive certification to open the door for release. Regardless, the Video Nasty moniker became a thing of legends back in the ‘80s.

Nowadays censorship is a lot different, and filmmakers are able to get away with creating some very risqué material. But even now, in this day and age, absurdly extreme films draw a measure of ire from critics, executives and fans. Little – outside of some edits – is ever done to tamper with these films, which is great. As a fan, I like seeing extreme material.

But that gravitational pull I feel led me to an interesting question: what films, today, would find themselves on a Video Nasty list? Especially all the liberties studios and television networks have extended to filmmakers. Again, censorship is, to an extent, lightening up. But there are always going to be films that could easily find themselves blacklisted from a number of outlets.

Check out 10 horror films that could easily make a Video Nasty list!

Martyrs
Pascal Laugier’s tale of a haunted young woman who was severely abused as a child, only to track down her tormentors and exact her brand of extreme violence, is an impacting effort. There are a lot of great things happening in the film, and Pascal Laugier’s approach to the story – which is far more character focused than grotesque –ultimately takes viewers in a paralyzing direction. Despite a certain level of ambiguity in the earlier goings of the film, which force viewers to question this young woman’s sanity. But the truth soon comes out. And that truth is as heinous as one could expect. This young lady was indeed tortured, and now it’s her turn to do the torturing. But torture aside, it’s the unbelievably nauseating visuals and continued torture of the feature that pushes Martyrs into a realm occupied by very few other pics. I could delve into the ridiculously gruesome visuals of the flick – which immediately qualify this film for a placement on a modern day Video Nasty list – but you’re better off seeing it for yourself. You may never want to watch Martyrs a second time, but at least a single viewing is required, just to see how perverse this flick is.

Martyrs

Inside
As a father of three, I have a true understanding of emotional vulnerability. I’m also extremely understanding of the motivation to protect ones offspring. Our children are everything. They are our future. They’re the ones that will carry our name through life and they’re the ones who will begin to build their own legacy. That’s what we want for our kids: healthiness, happiness and success. And that’s exactly why victimizing children, and mothers (for that matter) on screen, is astoundingly taboo. Yet, that’s exactly what directors Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury did. They gave us a story that features a lunatic bitch stalking and eventually attempting to literally carve an unborn baby from the belly of an already tortured, battered, bruised and bloody mother-to-be. It’s horrifying, and it’s extremely hard to watch.

Video Nasty material? Yes!

Inside

Maniac (2012)
If you’re going to throw a pick like Maniac at the foot of the NVALA, you can expect to have a book hurled right back at you. It’s a good thing we live in 2016, because those eye-popping visuals – those graphic shots that look a little too real for comfort, would send any member of the National Viewers’ and Listeners’ Association sprinting for the nearest trash can, lunch making an unwanted return long before that trash can was within grasp. I love the film, but even I’ll admit, that scalping business looks more like a glimpse of a certified snuff film than a refined independent picture. There’s no doubt this has all the makings of a Video Nasty nomination.

Maniac

A Serbian Film
Hands down the most challenging picture to sit through on this list, Srdjan Spasojevic’s obstinate and offensive picture, A Serbian Film, is repulsive right out of the gate, and it only gets more gruesome as the run time ticks away. In a nutshell, it’s about a fading porn star who receives an opportunity to make a new film. What he doesn’t initially know is that this porno is an extreme snuff film, pedophilia, beatings and death all incorporated into the “picture” to stunning success (in leaving us mortified). The film wraps with an absolutely heartbreaking revelation. Truth be told the final act may be the most disturbing stretch of film in history.

Serbian Film

The Human Centipede 3
Well holy fuck, I don’t even know where to go with this. I prefer not to think too much of the film, especially when I’m so close to lunch time. The film is… well, you know what it is. It’s a strange procedure conducted only by the craziest. Mouths affixed to anuses. The earlier films featured relatively small centipedes. The third, however kicks that number up to 500… Prison inmates. And it isn’t just the centipede that constantly pushes the boundaries. Trust me when I tell you that there’s enough graphic content here to leave you feeling constantly queasy. The Human Centipede 3 tries so hard to shock that it forgets to tell a quality tale. Too bad. Doesn’t change the fact that this has Video Nasty written all over it.

Human Centipede 3

Saw III
Okay, just keeping it real here and letting you know what you already know, which is that any single one of the Saw films could easily land on this list. Saw III however featured a few death scenes that border on unwatchable. It isn’t hard to envision this film earning any kind of ban given that absolutely stomach turning torture rack setup. Seriously, that scarred me. I’ll never watch that one again.

Saw 3

Headless
A direct tie-in to the absolutely genius indie film, Found, Headless thrives on venturing far, far overboard. In Found we were introduced to a troubled young boy who discovers that his brother is a serial killer who finds himself acting out the things he sees in a horror film, Headless. Well, this is Headless, and it features a myriad of paralyzing shots that feel really, really authentic. So authentic – at times – in fact, that it feels as though we’re watching an actual home video. Major spoilers are being avoided, but know this, as it will give you an idea of how intense this picture is: one scene involves a masked murderer penetrating a bloody severed head… all the way up to the point of ejaculation. Yeah, go ahead and think on that for a few minutes.

Headless

Bone Tomahawk
Bone Tomahawk is a very interesting little piece of work. The vast majority of the story unravels in the same fashion that a classic western might, with a small group of men riding their horses through the desolate desert. But things take a turn for the worse once these Americans run into a cannibalistic tribe. From this point forward all hell has been unleashed, and what you’re going to see in regards to gore is simply too realistic. It’s horrifying, and it leaves the viewer in a level of shock known by few men. Is this final act extreme enough to warrant a Video Nasties brand? Hell Fuckin’ yes, I think it is!

Bone Tomahawk

Oldboy
You saw this one coming, right? Come on, now – you had to! The story is actually brilliant, focusing on a man who’s been kidnapped and imprisoned for fifteen years. But one day, he’s set free, even seeing a few valuable commodities tucked in his pocket on the way. But adjusting to freedom once more isn’t so easy, until he meets the helpful and concerned citizen, Mi-do. She’s got a good heart and she’s happy to make sure the man isn’t busted beyond healing. An intimate relationship soon blooms… but soon we get one of the most shocking, repulsive and traumatizing twists in the history of cinema. It’s certainly the sort of forbidden territory that would lead to major consideration for shameful induction into the Video Nasty library.

Oldboy

Morituris
Raffaele Picchio’s film, Morituris isn’t a bad movie. It isn’t a tacky movie. It isn’t an offensive movie. No, Morituris is a dumbfounding and nauseating abomination that serves no purpose other than to attempt proving that ultraviolence and despicable, repeated acts of human torture are the “in” thing. The full film feels entirely misogynistic, and it seems to enjoy spitting the proverbial phlegm in the face of the viewer. There’s absolutely no respect for anyone in this offensive pic, but it clearly feels as though females are “deserving” victims more so than anyone else. Finding any message in the film feels nearly impossible, which could indicate that Raffaele Picchio really doesn’t give a steaming hot shit for women… or quality storytelling. I don’t know if those assumptions are true, or if Picchio may simply be too reckless to even care. Whatever the case, there’s zero doubt that Morituris belongs with the outcast films.

Morituris

The post 10 Twisted Contemporary Films That Could Inspire an Entirely New Video Nasty List appeared first on Dread Central.

Antibirth Delivers a Trio of Trippy Videos

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Writer/director Danny Perez’s Antibirth is heading our way next month from IFC Midnight, and to help prepare you for the trippiness to come, three new clips have arrived!

Antibirth debuts in limited theaters and on VOD September 2nd.

The film stars Natasha Lyonne, Chloë Sevigny, Meg Tilly, Emmanuel Kabongo, and Mark Webber. It was produced by Cole Payne, Roger M. Mayer, David Anselmo, Justin Kelly, and Lyonne.

Synopsis:
Hard-drinking, pill-popping, bong-ripping Lou (Lyonne) and her best friend, Sadie (Sevigny), spend their days adrift in a druggy haze. But one wild night out becomes a bad trip that never ends when Lou wakes up with symptoms of an unexplained, highly abnormal pregnancy. Who—or what—is growing inside her? As her due date approaches with alarming swiftness, the fear, paranoia, and conspiracy theories begin to pile up.

Spiked with blasts of hallucinatory color, surreal shocks, and subversive comedy, the audacious feature debut from Danny Perez is a no-holds-barred descent into delirium.

antibirth-poster

The post Antibirth Delivers a Trio of Trippy Videos appeared first on Dread Central.

Interviews with Cast of Fight of the Living Dead; What YouTube Red Means for the Future of Content Creators

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In the world of subscription streaming services, the market is dominated by the big three: Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu. Networks like HBO, CBS, and Starz have all taken stabs at delivering content on their own specific digital platforms but have come up short. People stream for convenience, and keeping track of several accounts just to watch a handful of shows on each quickly adds up in cost.

What’s more, each service has brought out its own line of original content, with shows like “House of Cards” and “Daredevil” easily matching – and often surpassing – the programming on major networks.

The takeaway is that for most young people, the decision between a Netflix/Hulu/Prime subscription and a cable TV package is a no-brainer. Millennials are a generation that expects their media to be immediate, affordable, and plentiful. Hell, most of us are used to getting shit for free. Love it or hate it, that’s the direction of the market. It’s a trend that has been heavily influenced by modern YouTube culture, where nearly limitless free and original content is constantly being produced by amateurs the world round. We live in an age where often people will prefer to watch someone else play through a game rather than play it themselves.

With that in mind, I was surprised when I heard that YouTube would be throwing its hat in the subscription programming ring with YouTube Red. For a company who built their entire empire on free, instantly accessible content, the idea of charging $10 a month is perplexing. The subscription comes with some perks, like ad-free content and offline music and video storage, but the main attraction is a slew of original programming. The pitch is that these shows are souped-up versions of the content you love, made by and starring the YouTube stars you already watch. Rooster Teeth’s “Lazer Team” premiered earlier this year, setting a pretty high bar for future content. Other shows like “Scare PewDiePie” seek to capitalize on the star’s unique… talents.

So, it’s mostly just YouTube stars doing more of their YouTube star stuff. If you’re into that, cool, but I wasn’t really convinced that spending $10 a month to see people you already see for free was worth it. So I’ve been tentatively following it, keeping up with the programming from a mostly academic perspective. It’s certainly programming that knows its market (those massive databanks of YouTube analytics probably rival Netflix), but hadn’t evolved past that.

When “Fight of the Living Dead: Experiment 88” was announced, it looked to be just another excuse for YouTube stars to ham it up on camera. Watching it, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality. It’s shot in a typical reality show style, complete with “confession cams” and all, but it doesn’t frequently devolve into the stupid drama that plagues most reality shows. There are subplots of forced drama and definitely moments where they are playing it up for the camera, but for the most part it feels very natural. It’s a huge compliment to give to a genre that spawned shows like “The Jersey Shore.”

The format of “Fight of the Living Dead” is pretty simple, mixing game show with drama. 10 YouTube stars are taken to the fictional CONOPS experiment facility, and must complete a number of challenges to “survive” to the end. It’s essentially a series of escape rooms, spiced up by sprawling transitional hallway chases and some on-the-fly puzzle design. Though you know the challenges are set up and most of it scripted, the variety makes it feel like anything could happen. When one contestant is left behind early on, the group is tasked with saving them. It’s that kind of unpredictability that keeps it feeling natural.

The show also owes much of its charm to the diverse cast. Taken from all corners of the YouTube map, the show’s contestants each bring something unique to the table. What’s more, they don’t feel like caricatures for the most part. With most reality shows, you can practically picture the committee picking through the hundreds of applicants to select the most marketable set of boobs, jocks, nerds, and “ethnic.” While the cast of “Fight of the Living Dead” is certainly varied, they don’t feel manufactured.

After the first episode aired, I was contacted by YouTube Red to come to LA and participate in a unique style of junket. Along with interviews with some cast members, I would also have the chance to work with them for an hour in a specially designed escape room. It was an opportunity to see them in action, and get a sense for how they act in these situations before the editing. For the room and interviews, I was teamed up with Shanna Malcom and Dennis Roady.

Fight of the Living Dead group shot

“Fight of the Living Dead” contestants Dennis Roady, Shanna Malcom, Brandon Bowen, and Rahat Hossain

The event was hosted by Escape Hotel Hollywood, a newly opened escape room facility right on Hollywood Blvd. Escape rooms are increasingly popular, and this was one of the higher quality ones I’ve seen. We were given a full hour to solve a number of zombie themed puzzles, with intermittent clues guiding us towards key objectives. The production values were quite high, but the lack of actors definitely was noticeable. If you have some extra cash to burn and are looking for a good group event, Escape Hotel Hollywood is a solid choice.

There were about eight of us, and most of the press spent their time twiddling their thumbs. Ted don’t play that way though, so between me, fellow Dread Central author April Marie, and the YouTube talent, we solved the bulk of the puzzles. My confidence would have been severely hampered without the two stars, as it was very obvious they had just come out of a long stint of escape rooms. One of the puzzles was actually solved when Dennis just picked one of the locks. That’s some alpha shit right there.

Escape Hotel Hollywood

Unfortunately, we got stuck on the final puzzle due to a technical malfunction.

Talking to them after, I got some good insight from the duo on what it was like working on the show. According to Shanna, entering into “Fight of the Living Dead” was like being dropped right into a “living deprivation tank.”

Shanna: Who we are as people is what you see in the show. It’s such an isolating experience. We really didn’t know what we were getting into. There was no “pack your bags, we’re going to this hotel.” It was “boom,” and you’re there. It strips away the artifice real fast. So yeah, I make jokes all the time, but that’s who I am. That’s how I act when I’m scared. Then take this guy [Dennis]. He’s a lighthearted funny guy, but he’s also a father with military training. So when shit’s getting real, there’s a reason we call him “Captain America.”

Dennis had more to add on what the role meant to him:

Dennis: It was great to be able to break out of the “Prank Zone.” It’s a totally different environment. I liked the action, the fun, doing something different. It’s a chance for my audience to see me in a different space. I made a movie a while ago with Lionsgate called Natural Born Pranksters, awesome project that lasted a lot longer. But Fight of the Living Dead let me evolve past my niché. This is a whole new world for me, a chance to really show what I’m capable of.

For these two, “Fight of the Living Dead” is a real opportunity to grow. This response struck me, as my previous opinion of the service was “more of the same.” I wanted to know what YouTube Red meant to them as content creators, and where they saw the future of the service.

Dennis: YouTube Red is an opportunity unlike any other. Never before have we had the chance and backing to really make the kind of content we dream of. I did sketch comedy before this, so I know what the grind is like to try to make your resume. All of a sudden, I’m given the keys to do what I want with resources I never dreamed of. I mean dude, they spent five million dollars on this hospital for this show! That’s more money than my movie. On top of that, they have all this information on what people want to watch to help guide programming. I’m incredibly excited to be a part of that, along with all the other pioneers that get to be part of this evolving Red experience.

Shanna Malcom and Dennis Roady

Shanna Malcom and Dennis Roady

Shanna had more on what YouTube Red meant for her:

Shanna: It’s great for viewers too, because you don’t know everything we are capable of. Dennis talked about the box earlier, and we all run into that. I started out as a classically trained actress with an MFA, but now I’m making jokes and saying crazy shit. I’m not mad that people know me for that, that’s who I am, but there is a lot more to who I am. There’s an expectation of who I am, but there shouldn’t be limits to how I define myself as an artist. I still want to do comedy, but I really want to shift towards more social commentary. Traditionally, you’d have to go to so many interviews and work so hard to open every single door. YouTube Red has opened those doors for people like us. It’s functioning like a studio, on a professional career scale, but backed by people like us. You don’t have to be in 15 movies to prove you have potential. Red believes in your vision and potential.

It’s a promising message to those already established, but what about those looking to break into the game? Now that a major studio system is being set up to promote its favorite stars, how could an unknown hope to break in? For Dennis, the answer is in the community:

Dennis: For me, YouTube has always been about helping the community grow. There are a number of channels I’ve helped promote. Some flourish, and some fail. You gotta put in the eight hours a day, and even then the content might not jive with the audience. But you have to keep trying and keep working towards a hit. These collaboration efforts aren’t about the subscribers, but about making the best content. When you get great minds to work together, the results can be great.

He had more to say on what it takes to be a successful star:

Dennis: You have to do this for the passion. You have to want to put yourself out there because you have something you want to show the world. I worked at UPS, did videos at night. For a year and a half I got nothing. Then I hit gold, and it went away. So I worked hard to strike that gold again. It was a long process of finding out what worked, doing it again, and most importantly never giving up. You have to do it for you. Eliminate your roadblocks, don’t let yourself have excuses for not doing it. Don’t say you can’t finish because, “Bob couldn’t show up or Dan was too busy.” If you are doing it for someone else, it won’t work.

Shanna chimed in with these words of wisdom:

Shanna: If you’re doing it because you want to be a “YouTube Star,” don’t. Ten years ago, being a YouTube star wasn’t a thing. Now, you see people getting deals and think, “I want to do that.” Dennis is right. If you aren’t willing to put in the blood, sweat, and tears, staying up late, enduring the countless failures, it won’t happen. You’ll have a thousand failures before you really succeed. Comparing yourself to others is mental suicide. If you look at your traffic compared to others and think that you’re not worth it, that’s a failing mindset. Do what you want to do, your passions, because you want to. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.

It was an interview that made me fundamentally shift how I viewed YouTube Red. It’s hard to remember that for every million dollar PewDiePie are a number of great content creators just trying to make the best stuff they can. YouTube Red isn’t a Netflix, acquiring the biggest name talent to make competitively massive budget shows. This is a studio giving real opportunity to the little guy. We have to remember that we aren’t so far from that little guy, even if they have a million subscribers.

So check out “Fight of the Living Dead: Experiment 88.” It’s a fun reality show, and a good model of what future content the YouTube Red service might hold. The first episode is free online, so there’s no reason not to check it out.

Enjoying “Fight of the Living Dead” already? Let me know below!

fight-of-the-living-dead

The post Interviews with Cast of Fight of the Living Dead; What YouTube Red Means for the Future of Content Creators appeared first on Dread Central.

Seven Horror Remakes With Cameos From the Original Stars

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Much like us grumpy fans, the stars of our favorite horror movies are sometimes averse to the idea of their movies being remade. Other times, however, they’re so on board that they agree to actually appear in the remakes of classic films they were in. And when it happens, we can’t help but smile.

This list is pretty self-explanatory, so we can cut the chit-chat and get right to it…

Here are seven horror remakes that featured cameos from stars of the originals!

invasion of the body snatchers

1) INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS – KEVIN MCCARTHY

Long before remakes were the most popular trend in Hollywood, the 1956 sci-fi/horror classic Invasion of the Body Snatchers found itself on the remake chopping block, just over 20 years after it was released. The 1978 version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers starred Donald Sutherland, and in a clever nod to the original film, Kevin McCarthy made a cameo appearance as a raving man who accosts Sutherland’s character in the street; essentially recreating his character’s final scene in the original film. Legend has it that while McCarthy was rehearsing the scene, a homeless man recognized him and shouted that “The first one was better,” which goes to show that our society’s aversion to remakes is nothing new!

dawn of the dead remake

2) DAWN OF THE DEAD – TOM SAVINI, SCOTT REINIGER, KEN FOREE (PICTURED)

James Gunn and Zack Snyder, who have recently found themselves on opposite sides of the Marvel vs. DC battle that comic fans love to debate, were the two main creative forces behind one of the best modern horror remakes of them all: 2004’s Dawn of the Dead. The film, written by Gunn and directed by Snyder, featured a brand new cast of characters trapped in a situation similar to the 1978 classic, and Snyder paid tribute to George Romero’s original by working in cameo appearances from stars Tom Savini, Scott Reiniger, and Ken Foree. Savini played a sheriff, Reiniger played a general, and most notably, Foree appeared as a televangelist who says, like Foree did in the original, “When there’s no more room in Hell, the dead will walk the Earth.”

texas chainsaw

3) THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE – JOHN LARROQUETTE

Who could ever forget the opening narration from the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre? The chilling narration, which presented the film as “an account of the tragedy which befell a group of five youths,” was spoken by John Larroquette, and at the time it was only his second contribution to the world of film. Larroquette, who went on to become a prolific actor in the decades that followed, returned to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise for the 2003 remake. The film’s opening narration starts off almost exactly the same as the original’s, with several added lines of new dialogue. Larroquette also narrated the opening of 2006 prequel Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning.

fright night remake

4) FRIGHT NIGHT – CHRIS SARANDON

One of the most iconic horror movie villains whose name isn’t Freddy, Jason or Michael is unquestionably Jerry Dandrige from Tom Holland’s Fright Night, a seductive blood-sucker who was played pitch-perfectly by Chris Sarandon in the 1985 film. For the remake, released in 2011, Colin Farrell took over the role that Sarandon made famous, and you probably found yourself silently cheering in your local theater when new Jerry came face-to-face with old Jerry. After a brief encounter in the street, remake and original literally collide when Farrell’s Dandrige swiftly kills Sarandon’s character with a bite to the neck. In a humorous nod to the original, Sarandon’s character was named Jay Dee in the closing credits!

omen harvey stephens

5) THE OMEN – HARVEY STEPHENS

Harvey Stephens has one of the most unique acting resumes on IMDb, with only two feature films listed on it: The Omen 1976 and, exactly thirty years later, The Omen 2006. In the original Omen, a young Stephens played the pint-sized Damien Thorn, one of the most memorable evil kids in the history of horror cinema, and he popped up for a brief appearance in the remake as “Tabloid Reporter #3.” If you didn’t recognize him, don’t feel bad; Stephens was seldom seen in the wake of The Omen, so it was impossible to know what he looked like as an adult, prior to the remake coming out!

evil dead remake

6) EVIL DEAD – BRUCE CAMPBELL

The argument could be made that 2013’s Evil Dead is actually a sequel to 1981’s The Evil Dead, rather than a remake, and many fans have pointed to the cameo appearance from Ash’s iconic Oldsmobile as evidence to support that theory. Either way, it’s hard to call it anything but a remake, though co-writer/director Fede Alvarez was smart to put brand new characters into the infamous cabin in the woods. Instead of Ash, Alvarez created a badass hero of his own in the form of Mia, but he made sure to also work a nice bit of fan-service into the very end of the film. After the credits, Bruce Campbell appeared on screen as Ash for the first time since Army of Darkness, delivering a groovy soundbite and then looking into the camera. Two years later, Campbell finally reprised the role proper in the first season of Starz series “Ash vs. Evil Dead.”

ghostbusters cameo

7) GHOSTBUSTERS – BILL MURRAY, DAN AYKROYD (PICTURED), ERNIE HUDSON, SIGOURNEY WEAVER

The worst-kept secret about this year’s Ghostbusters remake was that most of the original stars would be returning for cameo appearances, the most surprising of course being Bill Murray. After years of refusing to participate in anything Ghostbusters-related, Murray agreed to play paranormal skeptic Martin Heiss in Paul Feig’s remake, and the role was a bit larger than most fans expected it to be. Dan Aykroyd also popped up as a cab driver; Ernie Hudson played the uncle of new character Patty Tolan; and, in a scene that was oddly relegated to the end credits, Sigourney Weaver appeared as Rebecca Gorin. A statue of Egon Spengler was also briefly seen, which served as a nice tribute to the late Harold Ramis. The cameos, of course, did nothing to get the remake-haters on board with the film, but it was at least nice to see the original stars back in the Ghostbusters universe.

Can you think of any other horror remakes that fit the bill? Let us know!

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Exclusive: House of the Exorcist Announced as First Film in a New Horror Series

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Writer/director Gary J. Tunnicliffe’s Hellraiser: Judgment is heading our way soon, and fan response to the upcoming installment has been mixed… understandable given the franchise’s history. But today we have news about an original project from Tunnicliffe that is set to start filming next year called House of the Exorcist.

Tunnicliffe is teaming up with Halloween haunt mogul/producer Jason Egan (The Neighbor) to bring audiences what they say will be the first in a series of planned horror films that will be nothing short of “white knuckle/blood red entertainment.”

“We’re both totally over the ridiculous PC/PG so-called ‘horror films’; it’s time to make films that set the new benchmark in disturbing imagery and content, films that push the limits in the way that The Exorcist, Texas Chain Saw, Deliverance, and Taxi Driver did in the 70’s and that European and Asian horror films did a few years ago,” Tunnicliffe told us.

As for its plot, House of the Exorcist centers around Father Anton Thomas, the exorcism he performed that resulted in the loss of his right eye, the life of the thirteen-year-old boy he was attempting to save, and his subsequent incarceration for manslaughter. Upon his release, he enters into an Eastern European monastery, where he takes a vow of silence and indulges in intense biblical study and ritual flagellation.

Across the globe many years later in Oklahoma, a farmer and his family become the victims of strange and terrifying events in their small, rural farmhouse. After the usual medical avenues have been exhausted and the situation escalates to brutal and horrific excesses, imagery and information are presented to Father Thomas, and he is convinced to return once more to battle ultimate evil.

We’ll keep our eyes and ears open for more, and in the meantime, here’s a look at the film’s early title treatment.

houseoftheexorcist

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Brainwaves – The Great Flat Earth Debate of 2016 – LISTEN NOW!

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We promised a wild episode and that’s exactly what we brought. Tempers flared, buttons were pushed (including the now infamous “BULLSHIT” button) and we ran long… over three hours!

The Great Flat Earth Debate of 2016 featured Flat-Earthers George “GG Wingmaker” Anderson along with Jeran from Jeranism and Round-Earther Amy Martin of Amy on the Radio.

Gear up for complete insanity!

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE DEBATE NOW!
Brainwaves Flat Earth
Flat Earth

Hand-drawn map outlining how the Flat Earth theory works by George GG Anderson.

Brainwaves: Horror and Paranormal Talk Radio is available to subscribe to on iTunes. Not an iTunes user?  You can also listen right here on the site.

Spooky, funny, touching, honest, offensive, and at times completely random, Brainwaves airs live every Wednesday evening beginning at 9:00 PM Pacific Time (12:00 midnight Eastern Time) and runs about 3 hours per episode.

Knetter and Creepy will be taking your calls LIVE and unscreened via Skype, so let your freak flags fly! Feel free to add BrainWavesTalk to your Skype account so you can reach us, or call in from a landline or cellphone – 858 480 7789. The duo also take questions via Twitter; you can reach us at @UncleCreepy and @JoeKnetter using the hashtag #BrainWaves.

Have a ghost story or a paranormal story or a just plain weird or funny story but can’t call in? Feel free to email it to me directly at UncleCreepy@dreadcentral.com with “Brainwaves Story” in your subject line. You can now become a fan of the show via the official… BRAINWAVES FACEBOOK PAGE!

Brainwaves: Horror and Paranormal Talk Radio is hosted live (with shows to be archived as they progress) right here on Dread Central. You can tune in and listen via the FREE TuneIn Radio app or listen to TuneIn right through the website!

For more information and to listen live independent of TuneIn, visit the Deep Talk Radio Network website, “like” Deep Talk Radio on Facebook, and follow Deep Talk Radio on Twitter. And don’t forget to subscribe to Brainwaves on iTunes.

How to Contact Brainwaves

Brainwaves

Brainwaves-logo-l

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The Greasy Strangler Bares All in New UK Teaser

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Sure to be one of the weirdest films released this year, SpectreVision’s The Greasy Strangler is so close we can almost taste it, and if you’re not yet sold on the bizarre experience it promises to provide, maybe this new UK teaser will do the trick. There’s an old man butt in it, so don’t say we didn’t warn you!

Jim Hosking directs. Michael St. Michaels, Sky Elobar, Elizabeth De Razzo, Gil Gex, Jesse Keen, and Joe David Walters star. Look for it in theatres and on VOD October 7th.

Flush your expectations down the toilet, because you have never seen a slasher film or a father-son comedy like this before. Writer/director Jim Hosking has made an outrageously off-kilter feature film debut that is equal parts disgusting, offensive, and manically entertaining. Featuring performances by Michael St. Michaels, Sky Elobar, and Elizabeth De Razzo that are destined for cult status, The Greasy Strangler also enlists a dream team of talent behind the camera, including a deliriously fun score by Andrew Hung of Fuck Buttons and a few of the most prominent genre film producers from across the globe including Theo Brooks, Tim League, Ben Wheatley, Andrew Starke, Ant Timpson, Josh C. Waller, Daniel Noah, and Elijah Wood.

Synopsis:
This Los Angeles-set tale follows Big Ronnie, a man who runs a disco walking tour along with his browbeaten son, Brayden. When a sexy, alluring woman named Janet comes to take the tour, it begins a competition between father and son for her attentions. It also brings about the appearance of an oily, slimy, inhuman maniac who stalks the streets at night and strangles the innocent—soon dubbed “The Greasy Strangler.”


The Greasy Strangler

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Lights Out Goes Dark at Home

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If you missed Lights Out during its theatrical run, never worry! It’s on its way to DVD, Blu-ray, and Digital Download; and right now we have all the info you need!

Lights Out Release Details:
Be afraid of what lives in the dark when Lights Out arrives on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD. Teresa Palmer (Triple 9, Warm Bodies) stars as Rebecca; Gabriel Bateman (Annabelle) as Martin; Billy Burke (the Twilight franchise) as Martin’s father, Paul; Alexander DiPersia (Forever) as Rebecca’s boyfriend, Bret; and Maria Bello (Prisoners) as Sophie.

Lights Out marks the feature film directorial debut of David F. Sandberg, who directed from a screenplay by Eric Heisserer (Final Destination 5), based on Sandberg’s own short film. James Wan, Lawrence Grey, and Heisserer served as producers with Walter Hamada, Dave Neustadter, and Richard Brener as executive producers.

Lights Out will be available on October 25th on Blu-ray for $29.98 and includes the film in high definition on Blu-ray disc and a digital version of the movie in Digital HD with UltraViolet. Fans can also own Lights Out via purchase from digital retailers beginning on October 11th.

Synopsis:
When Rebecca left home, she thought she left her childhood fears behind. Growing up, she was never really sure of what was and wasn’t real when the lights went out… and now her little brother, Martin, is experiencing the same unexplained and terrifying events that had once tested her sanity and threatened her safety. A frightening entity with a mysterious attachment to their mother, Sophie, has reemerged. But this time, as Rebecca gets closer to unlocking the truth, there is no denying that all their lives are in danger… once the lights go out.

Special Features:

  • Deleted scenes

Lights Out

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New Lucifer Season 2 Promo Wonders: Who Escaped Hell?

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Although the new promo for Season 2 of Fox’s more-fun-than-it-has-any-right-to-be series “Lucifer” poses the question “Who escaped Hell?,” fans of the show are well aware that it’s the devil’s mom (portrayed by Tricia Helfer) who is the most recent escapee from the Underworld.  Check it out here, and expect lots more soon!

“Lucifer’s” sophomore season kicks off on September 19th, but first, on Sunday, September 18th, from 7:00-7:30 PM ET/PT, the network is airing the “Fox Fall Preview Special,” a half-hour sneak peek offering viewers an in-depth look at the biggest premieres of the year, including “The Exorcist,” and the return of Fox favorites like “Lucifer,” “Scream Queens,” and “Gotham,” which appears to be going extra-dark this year.

“Lucifer” stars Tom Ellis, DB Woodside, Lauren German, Rachael Harris, Lesley-Ann Brandt, and Kevin Alejandro. In addition to Helfer as Charlotte (pictured below with her two loving sons), Aimee Garcia has also signed on for Season 2 as Ella Lopez.

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The post New Lucifer Season 2 Promo Wonders: Who Escaped Hell? appeared first on Dread Central.

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