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Dark Nights Metal – DC’s New Dimension of Horrors

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The Batman is no stranger to the shaded realms of terror. His legacy is forged upon the anvil of horror archetypes. But this year in Dark Nights Metal, a new kind of horror story consumes Gotham as Batman contends with his worst nightmares. Prepare yourselves for a very dark adventure into fresh terror.

Image via Bleeding Cool

Something very sinister looms in the soft afterglow of DC’s Rebirth lineup. Something that will test the merit of the Dark Knight of Gotham more than any other challenge he’s faced in his lifetime – and for those familiar with the Batman’s legend, that’s saying a lot.

 

This year Scott Snyder is revealing a universe behind the multiverse, one from the blackest recesses of perpetual nightmares, an undiscovered dimension of insidious possibilities and a brand new doorway into nothing short of the truest kind of despair. In the infinite span of the anti-multiverse there are the negative planets, each one brought under the most dire of fates. All of them doomed to die. Each negative planet homes of Bruce Wayne desperately fighting to save a world that cannot be spared it’s failed destiny.

 

On one negative planet Batman’s rogues have gathered to beat Alfred Pennyworth to death. It’s truly a shocking moment and it took me – a long-time fan – a moment to realize who it was that they were killing. I had to go out to dinner for a charity event after reading this portion of the story, and I gotta admit – I was deeply shaken. We all know Alfred. We love him. Without him, Bruce would have been left to battle insurmountable tribulations all alone; tribulations that doubtlessly would have consumed him. But in a despairing echo to Knightfall, Bane lifts Alfred into the air before cracking him open across his knee while the other rogues laugh. Batman watches the footage over, and over and over. Obsessionally, consumed by desperation. The only man who stood as a stable patriarch to the Bat was murdered needlessly at the hands of Batman’s most fearsome villains. Batman feels helpless… and willing to do anything to correct it.

 

On another negative planet in the cold of the multi-verse, we see another Bruce who is aged and slower. The world is falling under the crumbling effects of a neon-red Armageddon. The Barman knows he can save Gotham if only he was faster! This Batman is alone. His Family is dead – the Robins, Oracle, Batwoman, and (worst of all) his son, Damian Wayne. Batman knows he’s gotten older and slower, and he knows he could have made a difference had he been faster; had he control over the Speed Force. And once again, in the blazing light of the apocalypse, Bruce is willing to do anything to make a difference.

 

In every case, upon every negative planet, the Batman is pushed beyond the edge of his limitations. He must watch his world die, but being the hero we all love him to be, he’s not going down without a fight! But he’s been pushed too far, and his actions have hideous consequences.

This is Dark Nights Metal.

Image via Nerdist

The Batman has had a very dark and grueling legacy, one fraught with peril and the cruelest challenges. The Bat was born the very moment gun fire thundered in the back alleyways of Gotham City, leaving a scared child kneeling numbly in the warm crimson mirror spreading from Thomas and Martha Wayne – his parents. Turning that tragedy – his tragedy – into a vow to protect the innocent, he wrapped himself in darkness and became the face of terror to those who would use fear against the fearful.

 

Image via actioncomics1000

 

The pale man who laughs has always been by his side, pursing him like a laughing plague, relentlessly wanting to push him over the edge. The Bat has so far proven resilient to all of Joker’s evil schemes. Even Scarecrow has tried to use Batman’s own fears against him to shatter the stability lingering in the hero’s mind. And yet, not even when confronted with his own fears has the Bat buckled.

 

The Bat represents triumph over tragedies. From his earliest appearance he has been a banner for justice to those who have been wronged. In many ways he is the most human of all the superheroes of any comic studio. His ability to rise out of the ashes, to take wing and fly against the storm, or to forge a path against the odds are all what define his legend. He inspires us to never give up, to not give in to the horrors at hand. To not cave in to the circumstances, even if they are beyond our ability to cope with. He has always faced his fears, he even wears them as his armor, and made them his symbol of justice. The Bat mastered fear, making it his greatest weapon against the forces of evil threatening to tear his city apart.

 

Image via criticalhit

Well, for the first time – in Dark Nights Metal – this is the one case Batman dreads. That’s right, after all he’s been through with Joker, Scarecrow and every other rogue he’s encountered, the Bat is finally scared. And it’s questionable if even the combined support of the Justice League – his closest friends – can save him or themselves from the blackening fate at hand.

Let’s appreciate the weightiness of that. Batman has gone up against some insane challenges. The Killing Joke, A Death in the Family, Death of the Family, Endgame, Court of Owls, Emperor Joker, Red Hood, Knightfall, The Long Halloween –  these are some classic examples of what he’s had to face. He’s watched friends and loved ones maimed or killed because of their association with him. He’s outwitted countless snares,  he’s even fought Superman and won. He brazenly walked into the heart of Apokolips to kick Darkseid’s ass! And Apokolips might as well be Hell, but he went in with a smirk, because of course he did. He’s the goddam Batman!

 

Image via Inside Pulse

 

He’s stared death and destruction in the face multiple times, even witnessed his own death on occasion, and seems overall indomitable to fear. So what can actually scare the Dark Knight?

Himself. Only the darkness in his own heart can scare the Dark Knight. He is scared of losing control of himself.

 

Image via criticalhit

 

In all of those occasions – in some fashion or another – Bruce was in control. Or he knew he could work his way out of whatever tragedy befell him or his loved ones.

 

Image via DC Comics

 

But what happens if the Batman had lost control? What if Batman went too far? What if he couldn’t let go of Alfred and insisted on Cyborg’s assistance to bring the last father-figure he had left back to cybernetic life?

What if he wanted to rule Atlantis once his (her) negative world was flooded? What if he needed to fight the god of war? What if he needed the Speed Force to reverse the errors of his old age? What if he was willing to lose his soul to do what was necessary in a desperate situation?

 

Image via Polygon

 

What if (in doing so) he broke every bond of friendship and crushed the Justice League for daring to stand in his way?

 

That’s what Dark Nights Metal explores with insidious flare. You see, this is a new Crisis story – Eeeeeeee! I love Crisis stories! – and this time around we’re not having a clash within the familiar multiverse. We’re being introduced to something far older, larger, and much more lethal – the dimension of Dark Matter, the dark-multiverse and the negative planets that dwell below us all.

 

Snyder has described it as an ocean of nightmares and evil. And out there in that obsidian chaos are the Nightmare Batmen – the Dark Knights. They exist, they’re very real; they are the manifestation of all the times Batman could have gone terribly wrong. But in these instances, Bruce did go wrong. So very, terribly wrong!

 

In a universe built out of Dark Matter, each Batman is represented as a ghoulish version of the Justice League. And a door to that chaos has been opened to bring them here.

 

Image via Inside Pulse

 

The Nightmare Batmen are led by Batman’s worst nightmare of all; one come to  hideous life – the hellish Batman Who Laughs. A twisted manifestation inspired by the Bat’s immortal enemy – the Joker.

 

Image via Nerdist

This is a thing that walks straight out of nightmares. It is the atrocious combination of the Bat and Joker, united by a cowl and a smile that never fades. So far the Batman Who Laughs has broken into Arkham Asylum and gifted a few of Batman’s classic baddies with unspeakable powers – powers that enhance their natural abilities to insidious heights. For example: Mr. Freeze was locked one section of Gotham in a stygian world of frozen doom. Poison Ivy has turned another section of the city into a humid paradise of growing death.

 

Gotham has been overrun and turned into a thing straight out of Dante’s Inferno. So far the combined forces of the Teen Titans and Suicide Squad have tried to save Gotham, but (as of right now) to no avail. Their story is told in the 4-part Gotham Resistance run, one that is taking place right alongside the main story line of Metal, and equally amazing as well as moving. Meanwhile – at the same time – each member of the Justice League is faced with each emerging member of the Knightmare Batmen. It’s a powerful and gripping story that has me hooked!

 

Image via DC Comics

 

The Batman Who Laughs is an abomination seemingly more befitting to Clive Barker’s imagination, and naturally I love it already.

So, horror fans, Batman fans, fellow comic geeks – the story of Metal is happening right now. I have to insist on picking up this story and getting involved. This is a Crisis story you won’t want to miss, friends.  For your convenience I’ve provided a time table of future releases.

Image via howtolovecomics

 

If you’ve never really read DC comics and you’re looking for a new horror fix, this is one I do highly recommend. With subterranean cults, mysterious metals with occult powers linking back to the ancient days of Egypt, and plenty of demons, this story-line is truly METAL and lives up to its name.

 

Image via CBR

 

For more information on Dark Nights Metal be sure to check out DC’s website.

 

This has been Manic Exorcism.

 

“Some mysteries are best unsolved. Some doors best left unopened because through them, all you find is horror.” – Dark Days Forge Prelude to Metal

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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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Woman Brings Corpse Into Bank To Sign Loan Papers

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Warning: This is a disturbing story.

You have to be pretty desperate for money to do what this Brazilian woman did at the bank to get a loan. She wheeled in a fresh corpse to endorse the contract and she seemingly thought the bank employees wouldn’t notice. They did.

This weird and disturbing story comes via ScreenGeek an entertainment digital publication. They write that a woman identified as Erika de Souza Vieira Nunes pushed a man she identified as her uncle into the bank pleading with him to sign loan papers for $3,400. 

If you’re squeamish or easily triggered, be aware that the video captured of the situation is disturbing. 

Latin America’s largest commercial network, TV Globo, reported on the crime, and according to ScreenGeek this is what Nunes says in Portuguese during the attempted transaction. 

“Uncle, are you paying attention? You must sign [the loan contract]. If you don’t sign, there’s no way, as I cannot sign on your behalf!”

She then adds: “Sign so you can spare me further headaches; I can’t bear it any longer.” 

At first we thought this might be a hoax, but according to Brazilian police, the uncle, 68-year-old Paulo Roberto Braga had passed away earlier that day.

 “She attempted to feign his signature for the loan. He entered the bank already deceased,” Police Chief Fábio Luiz said in an interview with TV Globo. “Our priority is to continue investigating to identify other family members and gather more information regarding this loan.”

If convicted Nunes could be facing jail time on charges of fraud, embezzlement, and desecration of a corpse.

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