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“3 Dead Trick or Treaters” Must be Seen to be Believed

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As a reviewer in a genre of films that is overrun with sequels and remakes, it starts to feel impossible to be surprised anymore so it’s nice when a film catches you completely off guard.  It’s even better when that film is so engaging that you leave the theater and discuss it with fellow theatergoers for hours.  That was the case when I and a fellow writer from iHorror settled in to watch 3 Dead Trick or Treaters at the Nightmares Film Festival in Columbus, Ohio.

The anthology film revolves around a paper boy who, in the course of his job, stumbles upon three graves marked with crosses and various trinkets.  On each cross is a story, and as he picks up each piece of paper, we’re drawn into the the tale of that particular grave’s resident.  Each tale is beautifully arranged and filmed and the dialogue free nature of the film as a whole really opens you up the emotional experiences of each character and the horrors they are drawn into.

As the credits rolled at the end of this chilling horror film, I knew two things:

  1. I’d just seen something completely original.
  2. I had to talk to the man who made this film!

Within hours, I had tracked down writer/director Torin Langen and we were working to set up a time to chat about his remarkable anthology film and how it came to be.  As luck would have it, Langen was as interesting as his film and it turns out it was quite a journey to bring each segment together.

“We started filming back in 2012,” he began, “and I guess it was four years in the making, beginning with the first segment called Fondue.”

Each year, in October, he and a group of actors and crew he describes as “enthusiastic non-professionals” would gather in the same locations to film for a few days on what one couldn’t even call a shoestring budget.

“We never had a grand scheme for what the finished project would ultimately be,” he said.  “We would plan the next segment and shoot it in the autumn so that everything would have the same appearance and then the rest of the year I’d be working on post-production along with my friend and composer, Stephen Schooley, and other small projects I had going.”

Langen, who credits the DIY/punk scene of southern Ontario for some of his inspiration, also began submitting Fondue to festivals to gauge audience reactions and because he didn’t want to suddenly have a full feature that no one had ever heard of before.  It did just what he needed it to, and kept the creative juices flowing.

As I said before, this film is completely dialogue free.  Not a single word uttered in the entire film.  It’s a bold move in 2017 and though I had my own theories as to why he’d made this choice, it was still enlightening to hear his answer.

“Each segment, to me, is a ritual,” he said.  “You don’t have to speak during a ritual behavior because you know every action and movement by heart.  The audience is being let in on the ritual by the lead character or a reluctant accomplice.  I really wanted it to be mood driven and the lack of dialogue helps with that but it also forces the audience to pay more attention.”

That’s also where the film’s amazing score comes into play.  Schooley, who composed the music for every section of the film except Fondue was a composition student and playing in an ambient band when Langen met him, and because he was a student at the time, he had access to score the film with actual musicians and instruments rather than relying solely on synthesized music.  The overall effect of cellos, violins, guitars,drums and piano gives 3 Dead Trick or Treaters an aural quality one often doesn’t find in micro-budget independent films and adds even more to the intensity of each scene.

“The music did so much of the speaking for the characters,” Langen explained.  “It worked as an extension to their emotions with upswings in tone in moments of surprise and slowly building themes for their dread.”

The two together, with a set of actors that I still can’t believe aren’t trained professionals, were able to create something so unique that it is hard to classify, but I hope we’ll see more of it in the future.

For now, 3 Dead Trick or Treaters is making the rounds on the festival circuit.  Langen has also arranged viewings of the film around the world in various art galleries and underground theaters in places like Singapore, Japan, and Shanghai.  For a complete listing of where the film will be playing, visit Langen’s website!

3 Dead Trick or Treaters (2017) – Official Trailer from Torin Langen on Vimeo.

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Editorial

7 Great ‘Scream’ Fan Films & Shorts Worth a Watch

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The Scream franchise is such an iconic series, that many budding filmmakers take inspiration from it and make their own sequels or, at least, build upon the original universe created by screenwriter Kevin Williamson. YouTube is the perfect medium to showcase these talents (and budgets) with fan-made homages with their own personal twists.

The great thing about Ghostface is that he can appear anywhere, in any town, he just needs the signature mask, knife, and unhinged motive. Thanks to Fair Use laws it’s possible to expand upon Wes Craven’s creation by simply getting a group of young adults together and killing them off one by one. Oh, and don’t forget the twist. You’ll notice that Roger Jackson’s famous Ghostface voice is uncanny valley, but you get the gist.

We have gathered five fan films/shorts related to Scream that we thought were pretty good. Although they can’t possibly match the beats of a $33 million blockbuster, they get by on what they have. But who needs money? If you’re talented and motivated anything is possible as proven by these filmmakers who are well on their way to the big leagues.

Take a look at the below films and let us know what you think. And while you’re at it, leave these young filmmakers a thumbs up, or leave them a comment to encourage them to create more films. Besides, where else are you going to see Ghostface vs. a Katana all set to a hip-hop soundtrack?

Scream Live (2023)

Scream Live

Ghostface (2021)

Ghostface

Ghost Face (2023)

Ghost Face

Don’t Scream (2022)

Don’t Scream

Scream: A Fan Film (2023)

Scream: A Fan Film

The Scream (2023)

The Scream

A Scream Fan Film (2023)

A Scream Fan Film
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Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

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Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

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Part Concert, Part Horror Movie M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Trap’ Trailer Released

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In true Shyamalan form, he sets his film Trap inside a social situation where we aren’t sure what is going on. Hopefully, there is a twist at the end. Furthermore, we hope it’s better than the one in his divisive 2021 movie Old.

The trailer seemingly gives away a lot, but, as in the past, you can’t rely on his trailers because they are often red herrings and you are being gaslit to think a certain way. For instance, his movie Knock at the Cabin was completely different than what the trailer implied and if you hadn’t read the book on which the film is based it was still like going in blind.

The plot for Trap is being dubbed an “experience” and we aren’t quite sure what that means. If we were to guess based on the trailer, it’s a concert movie wrapped around a horror mystery. There are original songs performed by Saleka, who plays Lady Raven, a kind of Taylor Swift/Lady Gaga hybrid. They have even set up a Lady Raven website to further the illusion.

Here is the fresh trailer:

According to the synopsis, a father takes his daughter to one of Lady Raven’s jam-packed concerts, “where they realize they’re at the center of a dark and sinister event.”

Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, Trap stars Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills and Allison Pill. The film is produced by Ashwin Rajan, Marc Bienstock and M. Night Shyamalan. The executive producer is Steven Schneider.

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