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Krampus Slays Wheelchair Cosplay

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In the fantastical world of cosplay, the wheelchair variety can be some of the most innovative. Surely, you’ve seen chairs transposed to Batmobiles online, and mini Supermen–their chairs armed with the illusion that the adorable, seated boys are “flying,” with the aid of faux legs behind them. I know I’ve caught myself swooning! But this holiday season, wheelchair cosplay’s gone dark. So gather ’round the fire, kiddies, and I’ll tell you the tale of how I met the man–or beast?–who boldly deems himself “The Krippled Krampus.” Don’t mind the scent of seared coal.

‘Twas early December 2016, and Spooky Empire‘s make-up event was swiftly approaching. The first go-around of the Orlando, Florida horror convention was damned to the fate of postponement by October’s Hurricane Matthew, so some cosplayers scrambled to reinvent their costumes into something more fit for the holiday spirit. Poison Ivy added poincianas to her leafy ensemble; Twisty the clown donned a Santa hat. Some considered all new, last-minute cosplays altogether–my wheelchair-cosplayer boyfriend included. “We’ll make you a Krampus,” I suggested. “Make your chair into a throne.” But with only one prior con, and one Halloween worth of experience in modifying his chair–and mere weeks with which to work–we opted to stay with the cosplays we’d already prepared for October. We would leave that epic concept for the pros.

Ahem. Speak of the devil…

Enter Jarrad Walker.

justkrampus

Our nightmarish dream had been realized. He manifested before us, both in flesh and in fur, and we fan-girled. Ohhh, did we fan-girl. Up and down–like, way down. Enough to descend to a pit of fire, brimstone, and melted candy canes.

Wheelchair Cosplay GOALS.

Jarrad has a congenital spinal defect called Spina Bifida, and resides in Tampa, Florida. The thirty-four year old “Best Exhibition” winner in Spooky Empire’s costume contest–to whom, by the way, it was an honor to lose–has only been in the game for three years, but seems to have become an instant hit in Spooky’s con circuit. And rightfully so! In past years, he’s come in body-bags, coffins, hospital gurneys, and in fenced-in, unearthed graves. He’s often joined by Krampus‘ little helper: his mother and cosplay partner, Cheryl A. Thayer-Blackford. She is responsible for crafting the awe-inspiring throne that toted the whimsical beast. This year, Cheryl attended alongside him in the guise of a zombified elf.

krampuswithelf

Jarrad’s makeup, this year, was done by former (and future!) Face Off contestant, Emily Serpico–who, in a small enough world, was actually once my co-worker at a Spirit Halloween.

Perhaps we’ll bump into His Unholy Highness at Spooky Empire‘s April show–where, personally, as a former mall Easter Bunny and avid Donnie Darko fan, I am avidly hoping he’ll shape-shift into a rabid giant bunny. In the meantime, take heed, mein kinder. Earn a spot on the nice list, or the cosplay Krampus will strike!

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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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