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Kid’s Adorable Reaction to Scary Story Sums Up Why We All Love Horror Films

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Like most of you reading this, I’m often asked by non-horror fans what it is that I’m so drawn to, about horror movies. Why do I like being scared? And why do I have so much fun watching people get sliced and diced, on screens both big and small?

These aren’t easy questions to answer, and quite frankly words often escape me, when they’re asked of me. But I finally have an answer, thanks to a 20-second video that sums it all up in a way that words alone never could.

Check out the video below, courtesy of America’s Funniest Home Videos, and then we’ll talk more about it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoGYWnsa-_8

I think it’s safe to say that every horror fan on the planet has had this same reaction to a scary story as a kid, whether it was one we read in a book or one we watched on the screen. Rather than being repelled by terror, we all realized that we were fascinated and intrigued by it, and in that sense this kid kinda represents all of us.

As his mother reads him a tale from Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (which is soon being turned into a feature film!), you can tell that he is genuinely intrigued by the story, his eyes glued to the page and his mind drowning out everything going on around him. And though the story terrifies him, he ultimately insists that his mom keep reading.

And therein lies the fun of all things horror, both for kids and adults: they allow for us to confront our deepest and darkest fears, always from a safe enough distance that we can never actually be harmed by the words on the page and/or the images on the screen. Like we all did/do, this kid understands that, and his post-scare reaction beautifully conveys the fun of being scared.

It’s no coincidence that most horror fans fell in love with the genre at a fairly young age, as it’s that childlike feeling of being scared about the monster under the bed that drew us all in. And though most of us have long since conquered those silly fears, horror movies give us the chance to get back in touch with those childhood feelings, which is a pretty damn beautiful thing.

So why do I love horror movies so much? Why do I like to be scared? Because it makes me feel like a kid again. No matter how stressful real life becomes, horror movies both new and old are always there for me, serving as a window to a time when the thrills and chills of childhood made life so much more fun.

Thanks to horror movies, I’ve never lost that feeling of being fascinated by the unknown, the scary and the monstrous, and I sincerely hope I never do. Though the monsters are no longer under my bed or in my closet, they’re still there when I want them to be, and I take a whole lot of comfort in that.

So thanks, kid. Thanks for reminding me why I fell in love with it all in the first place.

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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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