News

No Love Ran Deeper than Eben Oleson’s

Published

7 years ago

February 14, 2017

Whether reaching back to Mary Shelley’s Victor Frankenstein and Elizabeth Lavenza, or to the most recent of romances between Rick Grimes and Michonne, one would be hard-pressed to find a love that ran deeper than Eben for Stella Oleson in 30 Days of Night.

Though Eben (Josh Hartnett) was the type of lawman more likely to appear in the pages of a Louis L’Amour novel than warding off a horde of ravenous vampires, there was an old school air of perfection to Sheriff Oleson. Not by way of arrogance, but rather from the standpoint that he was a noble protector who spoke to the inhabitants of Barrow, Alaska as friends rather than constituents. Eben was trusted, and not simply because he carried a badge.

More than that, however, he was fiercely loyal to family. Oleson was not above throwing down, but nothing throttled his temper into overdrive quite like someone messing with his brother Jake (Mark Randell) or his wife Stella (Melissa George).

While the film never delved into the reasoning behind the couple’s separation, it clearly held no sway on the devotion Eben felt for his better half.

Why? Actions speak louder than words.

Despite the rather sudden discovery that Stella had been in town but not reached out to talk (as well as the revelation that her only reason for calling was for a ride), Eben did not let his emotions get the best of him. Though undeniably disappointed and frustrated, Eben did not pick a fight or hang up on Stella, instead he arranged for her transportation to the airport and asked her to let him know when she did want to talk.

As though the discovery of destroyed cell phones, slaughtered sled dogs and a gutted helicopter weren’t enough for a day’s work, Eben had to fire a bullet through The Stranger’s (Ben Foster) shoulder to save his little brother after finding a cell tower operator’s head on a pike. Upon a frantic attempt to determine what was going on, the uber-creepy Stranger asked Eben to finish him off. Oleson’s eyes went to a different place, he was lost in consideration of an act that a man in his position simply could not take, but what pulled him back was Stella’s voice. “Eben. Look at me. No.” The unthinkable came to an immediate halt in a single moment. Oleson respected his wife’s judgment, her sense of right and wrong to the extent that further thought let alone action was unnecessary.

Holed up in Charlie Kelso’s attic, the group was desperate to come up with a way to fight what by that point they clearly understood to be vampires. Stella suggested that they could use the ultraviolet lamps Eben’s grandmother had been utilizing to grow medicinal marijuana to treat her cancer, because vampires don’t do well with sunlight. Beau (Mark Boone Junior) quipped that “Just because something stopped Bela Lugosi” didn’t mean it was a plan they should hitch their survival to.

Eben, however volunteered to give it a go, which drew a response from Stella. “You don’t even think this plan’ll work.” The Sheriff’s reply could not have been more honest or communicated more love.

“Yeah, but you do.”

Oleson’s trust and belief in his wife ran so deep that he was willing to risk his life for an endeavor that, at best, had a 50 / 50 shot of success and was more likely a suicide mission.

Finally, when Stella was freezing and hiding under a wreck as the undead swarmed the street, draining oil from the pipeline to set the town ablaze and destroy any evidence of their month-long massacre, Eben came to a simple realization.

“They’ll kill her if she runs. She’ll burn if she stays.”

Earlier in the film, Oleson told Stella that “It’s hard to stop someone when their family’s at stake.” A sentiment the sheriff clearly meant.

“We can’t fight them the way that we are.”

Without hesitation, Eben found a syringe from the Utilidor’s medicine cabinet and drew some blood from the body of his deputy Billy, whom had been the third infected person Eben had to put down with an ax. As the remaining members of the group watched in horror, he injected the contents into his arm and waited for the metamorphosis to take hold.

“The things we’ll do to save our own.”

Eben pulled his hood up and ventured out for a confrontation with Marlow (Danny Huston). The head vampire identified Oleson as “The one who fights,” not knowing just how serious an adversary he was about to face. The sheriff perfectly embodied the premise that one should never make a battle personal.

Oleson never had any allusions of defeating Marlow, he simply wanted to serve as a distraction for Stella to escape and hold them off long enough for the sun to make its long-awaited appearance.

While whispering to his trapped wife moments earlier, Eben promised her that “The sun comes up tomorrow. We’re going to watch it together.”

He kept his word.

The film opened with the final sunset before Barrow was swallowed by darkness, and concluded with the final sunrise Eben and Stella would ever share.

A fitting conclusion, because for the heroic sheriff of Barrow, the sun rose and set with Stella Oleson.

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News

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

Published

13 hours ago

April 19, 2024

Timothy Rawles

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

Published

15 hours ago

April 19, 2024

Timothy Rawles

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

Published

2 days ago

April 18, 2024

Timothy Rawles

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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