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Crazyhead May Be the Mean Girls of Horror

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There’s a subgenre of horror that gets no respect: the horror-comedy. Think about it. It’s either REALLY over the top, slapstick, goofy and chock full of fart jokes or it just isn’t funny or scary. It’s very hard to scare someone but it is even more difficult to make them truly laugh. I’m not talking about a closed-mouth chuckle; I mean the loud and unstoppable laugh of the insane. Not only that but it’s almost exclusively made for men. Always a set of boobs in sight, always a leading man and the women are made to look like a bunch of over inflated jokes. Well, do I have a treat for you, my horror-lovin’ ladies! Drumroll, please…………..Crazyhead(2016)!

Immediately, within the first five minutes of this British television show, I thought, “Oh my God, this is the Mean Girls of horror.” Let me explain myself. What does everyone love best about Mean Girls? Hilarious dialogue that can be repeated in every day conversation, strong female characters, silly male characters that are just there to support the women and the leads are people we can kind of relate to. This Netflix available six-episode series is everything I want in horror television. It follows Amy (Cara Theobold) and Raquel (Susan Wokoma), two very awkward women that can see demons. I don’t want to go too far into the plot because I REALLY want you to see this show. I don’t know if I have laughed this hard in a very long time. I’ll let you in on one tiny scene from the first few minutes of the episode. Amy’s roommate is possessed and they look up an exorcism on the internet. The first step of the exorcism: pee on the possessed to mark your territory “like a lion.” Needless to say, if the exorcism starts this way, it can only get better.

We need to talk about the leading ladies. At least to me, there is a clear favorite heroine here…Raquel. She’s the wise woman of the two, the one who knows what’s going on. The first time she introduces herself to Amy, she goes to pinch her arm and pinches her nipple instead. She is blunt, witty and one of the funniest characters I have ever watched. The awesome part? Not only is she a female lead, but she’s a black female lead that completely steals the show. Don’t get me wrong, Amy is hilarious too but she is more awkward, naïve and goofy. They are perfect for each other. The chemistry between these women is amazing. It makes me wonder if any of the lines that send you into a fit of laughter so intense that it makes you snort like a damn pig were improvised. I am proud of the horror industry as it seems to be the most progressive among all other genres. Take American Horror Story; it is extremely female driven and continues to be each season. Horror has increasingly shown the strength and badassery women are capable of by writing in strong characters that make it through to the end, and face that sunrise bloody and beaten but alive and stronger. A good example is the remake of Evil Dead. Ash is a beloved character but when Mia (Jane Levy) is facing off the baddies at the end, one hand removed and armed with a chainsaw, it almost gives you goose bumps. Lest we forget Maddie (Kate Siegel) in Hush; a movie about deaf woman alone in a house with a killer. If you haven’t seen this movie, get to it because it’s a true embodiment of a strong female lead.

While we’re here, can we talk about the effects? From my experience, TV show effects can be lacking. They can seem cheesy, over the top or unrealistic. The demons in Crazyhead are described to look “like they are burning from the inside,” and they nail it. When one of the girls sees the face of a demon, it is gaunt, skeletal with a glowing from behind the sunken areas of the face. It’s subtle but the effect works and it is terrifying.

crazyhead-demon

Crazyhead has made me jump, scream, laugh like a crazy person and even get a bit teary and it isn’t just funny. There is the perfect balance of scary and funny. Apparently when it comes to horror-comedy, the British really know how to get things done. First came Shaun of the Dead, A Fantastic Fear of Everything, and now Crazyhead. If you want a badass horror-comedy with strong and hilarious leading women, I highly recommend Crazyhead. Similarly, if you just like leading ladies, check out this recent article about the evolution of the Scream Queen.

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Brad Dourif Says He’s Retiring Except For One Important Role

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Brad Dourif has been doing movies for nearly 50 years. Now it seems he is walking away from the industry at 74 to enjoy his golden years. Except, there is a caveat.

Recently, digital entertainment publication JoBlo’s Tyler Nichols talked to some of the Chucky television series cast members. During the interview, Dourif made an announcement.

“Dourif said that he’s retired from acting,” says Nichols. “The only reason he came back for the show was because of his daughter Fiona and he considers Chucky creator Don Mancini to be family. But for non-Chucky stuff, he considers himself retired.”

Dourif has voiced the possessed doll since 1988 (minus the 2019 reboot). The original movie “Child’s Play” has become such a cult classic it’s at the top of some people’s best chillers of all time. Chucky himself is ingrained in pop culture history much like Frankenstein or Jason Voorhees.

While Dourif may be known for his famous voiceover, he is also an Oscar-nominated actor for his part in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Another famous horror role is The Gemini Killer in William Peter Blatty’s Exorcist III. And who can forget Betazoid Lon Suder in Star Trek: Voyager?

The good news is that Don Mancini is already pitching a concept for season four of Chucky which might also include a feature-length movie with a series tie-in. So, Although Dourif says he is retiring from the industry, ironically he is Chucky’s friend till the end.

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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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Movies

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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