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JT Mollner’s Outlaws And Angels Brings The Horror Element To The Frontier

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Written by Patti Pauley

If you’re a resident of Las Vegas, around the Halloween season you’ve probably explored the many haunts the city has to offer. And chances are you’ve stumbled into JT Mollner’s family owned Trilogy Of Terror that rests in a desolate desert lot off the 215. Tourists may be easily fooled by so-called “haunts” that lay near conveniently near the infamous Las Vegas Strip, but locals (like myself) know where to go to get a GOOD scare, and that my friends is Freakling Bros. all the way. However, Master of fright Mollner doesn’t just dabble in Halloween haunts. He’s also an accredited filmmaker with such short films under his belt as, The Red Room, Flowers In December (starring horror icon Dee Wallace), and now a full-length western-horror-thriller- Outlaws and Angels.

outlaws and angels

Francesca Eastwood as Flo Tilden

 Before my viewing of the Sundance Festival hit, I was already concerned about how I was going into it regarding my feelings about “westerns” in general. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate the genre. It’s honestly just not my type of my movie, and there’s very few I can actually swallow. However beyond that, I really didn’t know a WHOLE lot about it, other than it was made by my favorite haunt entrepreneur; and going in blind is exactly how you want to approach this film. So I want to avoid a ton of plot details for future viewers, as I put this this into the same audience-mindset category as 10 Cloverfield Lane. The less you know, the more you’re going to love and appreciate all the WTFs this movie has in store.

The film is set in the wild days of the Frontier in the late 1800s, where you were either a good law-abiding Christian that works night and day, or an outlaw on the run. Was there really ever an in-between in those days? As I sat down with my bowl of popcorn and pushed the play button, I almost choked on a kernel in a seriously epic WTF moment within the first two minutes of this film. That’s when I knew this wasn’t some ordinary Western thriller. This was a film that qualifies for the Western-Horror sub-genre. Much like last year’s Bone Tomahawk, this film has a lot of gore and scenes that WILL make you squeamish. Commonly, the use of gore is a substitute for good storytelling. However, Outlaws and Angels doesn’t overcompensate for anything here. The balance of a unique plot, a haunting score behind it, and beautiful visuals through the camera lens make this sub-genre Horror-Western a piece of art that any true lover of movies will absolutely appreciate in all its glory.

This film kept me glued to the screen from start to finish with plenty of plot twists to keep me interested in how things were going to play out with the characters involved. Without spoiling TOO much, the story revolves around a home-invasion led by outlaw on the run Henry played by Chad Michael Murray (House Of Wax) and his obedient band of thugs who force their way into the town preacher’s (Ben Bowder) home, where he resides with his wife (Teri Polo) and two daughters (Francesca Eastwood- daughter of infamous Clint Eastwood, and Madison Beaty). Luke Wilson (Old School) acts as Josiah, a bounty hunter on the trail of Henry and his gang along with his own set of comrades which includes Steven Michael Quezada (Breaking Bad). The home-invasion plot fuels a back-story for one unlikely character and births a new beginning of merciless revenge against those who really have it coming. It all comes together quite nicely when all the pieces of the puzzle finally fit and ending on a satisfying note for me as a viewer.

Now, I can’t leave this review without talking about Chad Michael Murray for a split-hair second. I was absolutely blown away by the former One Tree Hill star’s acting chops regarding his gritty role as Henry. He is a joy to watch as a scumbag outlaw (with a few moral exceptions), not overly dramatic as some actors tend to overdo the whole western accent going full John Wayne when it isn’t necessary. It felt more like Kurt Russell was his spirit animal. And I have to acknowledge it was a breath of fresh air to see him in a role one normally wouldn’t think to see him in.

You can currently rent or buy Outlaws and Angels over at Amazon by clicking here, and I would urge any lovers of Western, psychological thrillers, or gore-hounds to immediately give this film a look-see.

Angels3

 

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News

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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